Animate This! My Favorite 3-D Animated Movies

  Even when they're dead, aliens can still become a marauding, world conquering nuisance by hanging around as hordes of a massive spirited phantom plague (and how's that for a theme for a sci-fi horror flick disguised as a video game film?).



  Okay, I'll admit, considering that the subject of the plot of Final Fantasy has practically nothing to do with the video game of the same name, trying to describe its premise seems like a moot point.
  What I will say about The Spirits Within is, despite the potential locked in the idea of this movie, the story in of itself comes off as pretty boring. Adding to the blandness, because motion capture technology was still in its early stages, the people ended up looking stiff and very wooden, despite the advanced leap in the number of pixels per image.
 The saving grace for Spirits is that, at the time of its release, the overall effect of the visuals was still really something to behold. The photo-realistic animation, even with its obvious flaws, was a major steppingstone that would eventually lead to some of the most high-tech images we are seeing not just on movies screens today, but also, in the crossing over of video-game technology.

  FF wasn’t the best when it came to this particular brand of merchandise crossing science fiction, but it had enough of eye-popping moments to keep it from being one of the worst. Saying that might not be the best way of giving this list a running start, but hey, if those of you out there who are reading this, if you've made it this far, ya might as well give the next couple of descriptions a read or two. Besides, I'm sure many of you could use a break from watching all that free internet porn that is available out there. 
  And speaking of internet porn, is it me, or is the film title for the next entry somewhat of an ironic coincidence..?

  Ever wonder what your life would be like if the only reason you existed was to be eaten, in a non-sexual innuendo way? Here's a movie that depicts what your food would think and talk like if your food could indeed think and talk. Sausage Party is the kind of story that will make you pause the next time you put a wiener in your mouth. As a matter of fact, you might find yourself thinking twice before you decide to swallow.
And even though, as I said before, I mean all of this in a non-sexual innuendo kinda way, this movie doesn't.



  Finally, after years and years of consuming the saccharine flavored 3-D animated flicks that were geared more towards your kids' tastes than they were to yours, Sausage Party serves up a heaping helping of the kind of computer-generated culinary cartoonery that only the adults can really sink their teeth into.
 And then swallow.

  There was a rather distinctively weird phenomenon that was occurring during the first decade pf the New Millenium ...penguin movies!  Madagascar, Surf's Up!, March of the Penguins, The Penguins of Madagascar, this one and its sequel, and a couple of other Madagascar sequel and/offshoots, etc.. And for the life of me, I can't even begin to comprehend why of all the avian species on this planet, these tux-themed non-flyers were the ones to capture the hearts and minds of movie-goers all over the areas of the globe outside the Artic poles. 
But it happened, and to the best to my knowledge, no one lost a toe in the frozen base of this brief proliferation of polarized penguimania that pilfered through theater screens everywhere. 



 In the world of the emperor penguins, in lieu of the internet, males and females find their soulmates via the old skool way.... through song. They sing to each other until a "Sonny" finds its "Cher". Until an "Ashford" finds its "Simpson". Until a "Peaches" finds it "Herb". Until a... well... you get the picture (besides, I can't think of any other famous male/female singing duos). And it's a system of penguin propagation that carries from one generation to the next.
Until one such coupling ends inexplicably hatching an offspring that can't seem to carry a more to save his life. However, Nature, in her infinite wisdom, to make for this little penny's lack of vocal makes up for by giving the little rule the ability to cut up a rug. Even if the rug is made of solid ice.
And thus is the basis for an animated film aptly titled Happy Feet. With a voice cast that includes the ever-reliable comedic chords of Robin Williams and is bought to you by the computer cartooning skillz from Australia.

  I used to wonder why this particular brand of Disney's roster of cartoon created properties was getting sequels made for it. Sure, while they were doing okay at the box office, they were proving to be nowhere near as profitable as their more "memorable features such as Wall-E or Toy Story. Then I found out later was that it had little to do with the movies themselves, and much more with the merchandise that was spawned from them. As it turned out, despite not banking in with ticket sales as most of the other mouse eared megalith's mainstay's, Cars was seriously raking in the bucks off the toys, games, clothes, blankets, and whatnot. Way more than anyone in the head offices had predicted. And that's why, there were not only movie and TV follow-ups to this vehicular based property, but also spin-offs as well.



 Of course, I wasn't "buying" into any of that, I just wanted the kind of high-quality animated flick that I could enjoy as an adult as much as the kids in the audience did. And as far as the story of Cars go, it wasn't really makin' it all the way to the finish line with me. Building a "universe" in which cars were "running" around by their own "ignition" and possessed the ability to talk doesn't lend itself very well as an idea that would be consistent to the laws that would allow them to do that. I mean, sure, the premise of almost all animated movies requires a child's level of suspension of disbelief, but the best ones always find a way to make the physics work within the parameters of whatever outrageous premise that the story is based on. And here in Cars, it doesn't seem to pan out as smoothly as something, say, Inside Out or Kung Fu Panda. And the characters themselves, being stuck in the muddy plot, are not allowed to establish themselves as memorable as most of the fierce competition that is out there.
 Still, despite the negatives in the written portion of the film, Cars is still on this list. And the reason why is obviously, the graphics. What we saw here was some of the best quality of animation at the time, which was a bar that Disney, combined with Pixar, had raised pretty high by then. the visuals of this fast-moving vehicle were still a sight to behold. Things such as the reflecting light off of the hulls of the shiny racecars is eye-catchingly reflective, the realism of the background's shots are incredibly affecting, the just the sheer amount of detail in everything is amazing (consistency in the color-schemes keep it from getting too distracting like in Speed Racer).There was a kinetic energy that was pretty hard to beat in Cars that, despite the flaws in its story and its presentation, still made this a race worth watching.

  9 is a cyber-apocalyptic science fiction movie that very much excited me when I first saw the previews for it. The amazing distinctive character designs and steampunk landscapes combined with the highly detailed CGI animation made for a combination that felt like I had been waiting my whole life for.
   Unfortunately, it was a project that, in the end, ended up proving to be much more of a disappointment than a "victory". The script seemed to rely too much on the visuals to carry it through, and the story, which felt pretty empty, just didn't match to the high expectation that was raised by the Millennial level of computer graphics.  
  Just like the aforementioned Final Fantasy movie, I still watch it every now again, just to soak in the outstanding look of the film, but every time I do, it does sadden me to see how this one couldn't make it out of the park. IMO, 9 really should've been a 10 because no motion picture that looks this good should be this forgettable.
 Still, it is one of the rare ones that gives me hope for the future of this kind of digitally advanced cinema animation, so for now, that's enough to warrant a spot on this list.

  Even though these days we may be used to having several computer animated flix within the span of one year, back in the 90's, these types of films were still somewhat of a rarity. And it is because of this kind of a backdrop that the release of Antz and A Bug's Life within just months of each other, that 1998 seemed as though it was the year of the computer-generated insect genre. However, the subject of lil' multi-limbed critters isn't the only thing the two movies shared. Both releases have been critically rated pretty much the same by both film critics and audiences alike (although, A Bug's Life did take in more in terms of the box office, but not so much that it would've been considered a total squash).
As far as their premises go, just like Bug's, Antz takes the idea of the macrocosm of the insect universe and transforms it into a cute, wonderful world of innocent anthropomorphic fun that was sure to entertain the elementary-level audience for which this animated adventure was trying to cash on.
 At the same time, producers wanted to try and cover their bases with the adult film goers, particularly those who accompanied the kids to this movie. With the inclusion of some Woody Allen-like mannerisms into the mix, they were hoping would be enough to get older fans of scintillan invertebrates to swarm towards the theater and have as just as much of good time and the preadolescents in the audiences. 
  Again, this may seem like a common practice by today's standards. but it should be taken into account that, even on the tail end of the 90's decade, this was a marketing formula that was still trying to move past its larval stage. 

The supernatural world collides with the natural world when live action meets animation in this tale about a kid who can see dead people. But in a cute, heartwarming way, considering that this is a film for all ages and is centered on the friendliest ghost you'll know.*



*BTW, for you young'ns out there, that's reference to the tagline of the original Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon series.

Monsters vs. Aliens is a tribute to all those 50's black & white sci-fi horrors flicks, but now in cool 3-D-like computer graphics. And in full color.
The graphics are absolutely top-notch, but some of the sheen has been lost due to the fact that they're also something that I'm sure viewers are pretty much starting to become accustomed to by now. And teen-agers today, let alone the more targeted little kid audience, will barely, if at all, get any of the references made to the Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman, the Creature Of The Black Lagoon and the like.
Now don't get me wrong. I think that MvA comes off with enough of the high quality wit and quips that we expect from this type of picture, but for some movie-goers who didn't grow up with double feature drive-ins and late night creature feature TV shows, it may feel like this science radiated farce, may have come out a fews years too late.

  I've always had a soft spot for any film adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic. It's an affection that began with me as a kid with the old 1938 black & white version, which played every year on our family TV set.
  So, when Robert Zemeckis' 2009 take on the series came along, I had my heart set on not enjoying this flick.
  But after I watched it,
I found the energy of the cool angle shots and sense of frenetic movements really made this quite an enjoyable ride.
One of the things that always frustrated me with animation, 3D or not, was its limited use of camera angles.
Zemeckis took good advantage of the unlimited range of possibilities that come with animation as far as where to put the "camera', and IMO, used it as quite of an effective storytelling tool.
 The number of holiday animated movies and special have increased so much lately, it gets really easy to become desensitized during the Holiday Season to Yuletide based entertainment. So, even this probably isn't the last version of Scrooge's tale that we'll see, it was kind of cool for me to be able to watch one that sparked some real movie-watching excitement.



  Plus, the fact that this one was more in line with the original book adaptation, made me appreciate this updated effort even more. For my money, it gave the story a more darker edge and a fear factor that may not be suitable for younger audiences but adds an extra bit of spice for the more mature and educated viewer. Y'know....
like me.

  As far as a Pixar picture goes, this mother/daughter fantasy fable is definitely one of the best looking to have come out in the context of the year 2012. For the time of its release, the level of detail and realism of the graphics are in keeping with the CGI company's reputation of continual evolution and advancement of the medium.
However,the story, whilst solid-enough to keep the kiddies entertained and maybe even kill a couple of hours for an adult viewer, overall I don't think it stands up to the level of Pixar's previous efforts. The saving grace for the movie's plot is that the setting of Medieval Scotland is effectively utilized to provide the story's primary distinguishing feature and help to stand out somewhat from the ever-growing number of these types of family friendly features.
  So even though Brave most likely won't go down as one of their typical unforgettable "neo-classics", the movie's ability to at least follow through in its tradition of merging eye-popping graphics with characteristic motion capture technique is what has me including it on this list.

   Well, whaddaya know.... the first Hotel Transylvania was successful enough that it's looks like we may have a whole new franchise to check in to every Halloween season.
  Here in HT2, the bloodline of bloodsuckers of the Drac Clan looks to be invigorated with the announcement of a baby bat in the oven.
But will it be vampire, or will it be human?
  Ah, the crazy concoctions they cook up for these computer-conceived creature cartoons......

  To be honest, there really isn’t all that much that I can say about this second hotel, Transylvania that wasn’t already covered in the entry for the first one. The computer-generated art style isn’t really anything new, but in this age of Pixar and Disney quality 3-D graphics, it meets the standards of the day. The character designs are not too far off from what we would expect, but still the caricaturistic aspect to the way that they look is zany enough to keep them from being labeled as corny or bland. The premise and the story generally received so-so reviews, but since I’m a fan of the whole monster, mash creature feature formula, that many of the older iconic movies used to employ, I think I like this movie and its predecessor more so than the typical average movie goer.

  So, for me, I’m not gonna tell anyone that this sequel breaks any new ground into the medium of animated features, but it will be what I will be watching every year at the end of October in between handing out candy to any trick-or-treaters that stop by.

Hey,
check it out....
I got a film, or an animated short in particular, that only lasts for five minutes on this list of what I think are the best flicks of 1997.
B'cuz as short as it is, it's that good.



Edit

   Since the release of this movie, Waking Life, digital coloring and graphics have come a long (which was to be expected). But back in 2001, the style of animation, known as Rotoscoping, used here was considered quite Avant Garde. Now, I myself am an artist, and for me, I don't think I was as wowed as most people were with this form of "painting for film".  TBH, the only time I think this technique really worked was twice, both those times we're in Richard Linkletter films. In this one and in A Scanner Darkly from 2006. However, since I found A Scanner just a so-so movie overall, this is the only time a Rotoscoped motion picture has made it onto any of my lists. 

  Both written and directed by Linkletter, it is a patchworked plot that is made up not so much of a linear story as it is with a line-up of philosophical musings.
Visually, the application of this very specific technique of digital art makes it appear as though layers of oil paint have been brushed over the moving images frame by frame. This makes the story look like an expressionistic painting come to life enhanced by way that the overall movements appear to have a sort of illustrated liquid flow. Which, IMO, suits the subject matter of Waking Life perfectly. Or at least, it fits the theme of this film better than it would the cinematic topic of any movie. 
   Of course, that is all up for discussion, more subject to interpretation of the viewer.
But, as that is the nature of this movie, then it becomes apparent to anyone reading this, that is why I believe that this whole Rotoscoping thing is such a solid fit here.

The first computer movie that showed how sophisticated graphics can be integrated into a really top quality and solid story.
Toy Story took the third dimension of the still burgeoning technology and upped the ante in what was possible when it came to motioning pictures, with the end result being a technical achievement in cinematic entertainment. It's an animated feature that was a hit both behind and in front of the silver screen and with a story whose "out-standing" visuals matched it's plot in emphasizing the vibrant warmth and color that was starting to become more and more "faded" in the tired 2-D animated family films that movie producers had seemed to be tiredly cranking out at the time.

    Following the amazing success of the first Toy Story film, Pixar keeps get the ball rolling towards their domination of the field of computer-generated cinema with their second standalone feature, A Bug's Life. A gnat-sized story with big expectations in the concepts of "why are we here" and delivers on this existential journey by centering its focus on the life of a bunch of animated antz.
  After years of getting looted and harassed by a gangly gang of grasshopper gits, one of the denizens of an assaulted anthill, a floaty fellow named Flick, ventures outside the boundaries of the anthill to collect a band of mite-sized muscle to help stand up to the persecuting pincered pests.



  I should mention here that not all that long ago, I saw someone post on social media “I didn't realize until I just watched it again, but.... A Bug’s Life is just a different version of Seven Samurai!”.

 And ever since I read that,
now I can’t unsee it.

   So, completely opposite his legendary legend, in Hotel Transylvania, Count Dracula is shown to be a nice guy. Not only is he someone who gets along with all his fellow classic creatures and runs a hotel specifically created to cater to them and their specific "nightmarish" needs, but also, he's shown to be quite a loving and protective father to his daughter, Mavis.
  Truth be told, it’s a testament to the high-level of overall quality that animated movies have been able to achieve these days that this one never managed to rise higher on the tier of modern classics. For me, who grew up as a monolithic fan of the Universal Monsters, one of my favorite cartoons specials when I was a kid was the Mad Monster Party produced by Ranking & Bass, the company most famous for many of the classic Christmas specials that hold the highest positions in the pantheon of Holiday themed television cartoons. There were the kind of animated perennials that have since become iconic staples TV and which make up an important part of my experience as a kid. Now, of course, because of the limited and rough movements that were the MO of the R&B productions, MMP hasn't aged so well, and to be honest, it’s pretty much forgotten by today’s audiences. But it remains as my favorite primarily because there weren’t all that many animated specials that featured the monster roster that helped put Universal Studios on the map in its early years. But when Hotel Transylvania finally made it into theaters, utilizing the latest technology and big-name talent in animation in order to make these classic creatures rise up from the grave of forgotten fright filled franchises, it felt like it was something that I had been waiting for almost the entirety of my adult life. Now, don’t get me wrong, the story in HT isn't exactly up to highest level of wit and whimsicality that we've become spoiled with many of today's CGI family friendly flicks. However, as a fan who was as fanatical as I was, it was still cool just to get any kind of modern depiction of the original Universal Monsters line-up with the kind of cool, crisp and imaginative CGI treatment that they were suited for more than just about any other, already established animated property that had been floating around, waiting for its turn.

Here's a caveman clan that put the dysfunction in the whole idea of dysfunctional family before being a dysfunctional family became vogue. Basically because they were very first dysfunctional family.
And sure, maybe compared the today's definition of what makes families totally coo-coo, the Croods make come up as kinda lightweight.
But, amidst the heavy influx of big blockbuster 3D animations that have crowded the market these days, this prehistoric household's quest for a peaceful house to hold is one that easily reminds us of why we like these flicks so much. A concrete combination of clandestine comedy, character chemistry and computer oomph, this jurassic (somewhat) journey demonstrates the hi-tech norm of what has become a sign of these much more modern times.



But at the end of the day, there's no denying that the best part of watching this film is the fact at the time when primordial mammals known as homo-sapiens were still adjusting to walking with their spines erect, the dynamics of this family structure were just starting to evolve into something that had hope of some day being normal, despite being so archaically crude.

Woody and the Gang are back.
Actually, they never left. They're still in the same ol' toybox they've always been, its just that it took four years for those pioneers as Pixar to make the sequel that continues the saga of these toys and their story.



The first Toy Story not only introduced film goers to the artificially 3D generated world of Pixar, but also set the standard for the merging of quality storyline with sophisticated computer graphics, not to mention with big box office numbers.
The sequel not only managed to continue this tricky balancing trick, but also when you compare the stride in advancement between the first TS and this one, it's pretty obvious that it even has surpassed it.

  With movies like Up, 9, Wonder Woman, Monsters Vs Aliens, Mary & Max, A Christmas Carol, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Secret of Kells and Coraline, 2009 proved to be one of the richest years for animated features to come along in a long time. And not just in quantity, but also both in quality and in diversity.
And to add the already massive mix of motion capture merriment is a motion picture menu of mammoth-sized meatballs.
  However, Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs makes the attempt to distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack by not trying to compete with the more sophisticated computer "animatronics" of CGI titans, Disney or Pixar. Instead, it goes for a more distinctive approach of the 3D hijinks that provides the fuel for its culinary cast. For example, notice how the main character of Flint Lockwood moves his body about not in the motion-capture realism that most other big budget animated films rely on, but instead jumps around in a more slapsticky kind of propulsion that we used see in the crazy antics of classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry.
  That, along with the enthusiastic effort put into scripting the fun-instilled premise help to give this food filled forecast a very sunny disposition.

So what's the best way to make a world-feared supervillain to realize the error of his dastardly ways?
Add three insanely cute little orphaned girls to his horde-sized family of yellow miniaturized minions in a plot that despite being about as formulaic as it gets, still manages to pull the proper amount of heart-strings.
I usually don't fall for animated flicks that wear their saccharin-saturated cuteness on their sleeves,
but after a few minutes of sitting thru Despicable Me, there was something about the genuineness of it's story's intent that Gru on me.

   When I first watched Finding Nemo back in 2003, I thought that as good as the story was in this fifth collaboration between Pixar and Disney, the world of the undersea looked just so beautiful in this story, that it felt like Nemo's story could've used more of an extra punch, just to meet the same high level of quality in the graphics.



  But as the years pass on and every time I give this ocean-themed adventure yet another rewatch, I get closer and closer to the conclusion that not only is it perfect as it is, but also that Finding Nemo is one of those examples of how the New Millenium was the new Golden Era of family friendly films at the cineplex. At this point in time, talking about the amount of detail in the visuals that made the water world of anthropomorphic fish become a reality seems almost redundant. But I also think that it's one of the many touchstones that keeps popping up with every new DisPix that was released throughout the 2000's (that's why, if you notice, you'll my top ten picks are most from that particular timeframe). The ocean floor in particular in FN is what made my eyes almost jump out of my head this time around. So much so, it almost distracted me from the story, which is why I had the initial reaction that I did. But when I was finally able to get my senses used to absorbing in the vibrancy and technical minutiae that was crafted into this latest release, I was free to evaluate the quality level at which this saltwater coming of age fish tale unfolded.
  And as I said, it took multiple screening for me, but eventually, I realized just lucky I was to be able to experience Nemo's epic journey into the unfamiliar waters that lay beyond the boundaries of what he could see.

Being that the premise of the Croods is basically a modern stony age family, who are a page right out of history, the plot of their movies are pretty much what you would expect.
A caveman clan trying to adjust to the changes that come from natural evolution.
Luckily, this is a subject matter that is written with enough sharp wit, contemporary cultural metaphors and looney laugable humor to keep it entertaining, engaging and seemingly up-to-date.
Led by the manic manners of Nicholas Cage, it's cast of spot-on voice actors, the over-all end-result is one which, in my opinion, makes The Croods, despite its above average popularity, the second most underrated CGI animated film franchise out there today (The How to Train Your Dragon series comes in as the first).

So far, the most updated amazing computer animation in any animated feature.
Simply put, the computer-generated visuals in this film truly have to be seen in order to be believed.
However, even though the story is solid, as the sci-fi epic that Appleseed's visuals aspire to be, it does lack some originality in it's plot-line. It is for this reason, combined with the indistinguisnness of the faces (as is usually common for most 3-D anime) that prevented this film from being ranked higher on this list, despite the fact that the graphics are, so far, some of the most favorite that my eyes have ever laid upon.
That said, there wasn't a frame in this movie where I just wasn't completely stunned with awe. The technical details and intricate designs in Ex Machina are some of the most striking ever to be generated on film.
Iron-Man's armor looks like it was created by Fisher-Price compared to the "hardwear" that these guys are sporting.
A true marvel to behold.

  Woody and the Toy Gang are now under new ownership, and as they struggle to assimilate to their new surroundings, a new toy by the name of Forky joins the Gang only to struggle with his own struggles which come more in the form an existential crisis.

  I'll admit, when I heard that Disney had greenlighted a fourth Toy Story, it made me a little nervous. I'm a big fan of the of the first
three movies and as a trilogy, I think this is one of the few that comes pretty close to being a perfect one. Punctuated by the fact that the third chapter is my favorite of the bunch and, IMO, a perfect way to end the truimvirate of toy-told tales.
Luckily, and with the continued contributions of Pixar (a company that built is brand on the high level quality of it's films), Toy Story 4 does a good job of keeping the flame burniing and provide the guiding light for any future TS related projects of the future.

So, one of the major themes in Zootopia is supposed to be about not stereotyping others and yet how does the film portray rabbits? As carrot farmers/eaters.
As everyone should know by now, rabbits do NOT eat carrots.
It started way back in the day, in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, where Bugs' personality was imitating Clark Gable's famous carrot eating scene from It Happened One Night (Gable's character talks with his mouth full as he eats the carrot and is called "Doc" by another character, named Oscar).
Rabbits eating carrots is a stereotype that was started back in an era when stereotype-casting was running rampant in Hollywood, even in cartoons.
Any rabbit or bunny today would be offended if offered a carrot.
It's 2016 and I can't believe that this kind of crap is still happening.
(BTW, speaking of stereotypes,
the type of stereo I own is a Kenwood. Oldschool, but it still bumps loud enough to make the neighbors ten blocks away call the cops on me.) If that joke sounds kinda slow, it's because I heard it from a sloth.

By this point in time, with the amount of computer generated animated flicks that have been coming out of Disney and Pixar the past few decades, it's kind of difficult to talk the newest releases without repeating myself. With each subsequent film, the scripts is typical high level, the themes and action are always within the boundaries of keeping both parents and kids invested, with the standard moral of the story tying up the whole package at the end. Moana follows the formula to a tee, with the Polynesian premise providing enough tropicana flavor to help Moana stand out from all the other Pixney 3Ders.
That's not to say that this movie, as good as it is, doesn't contribute anything to the evolution of the digital foundation of the genre. It does. And it does so in the form of water. One of the most complicated objects to animate, even with the use of computers, has been water. And yeah, while it's depiction in these animated films has been coming along with the rest of the visuals. But here in Moana, we see that water was most likely the primary objective of those responsible of making it flow from mouse clicks.
So even though, this 2016 family feature features plenty of sparkling 3D moving visuals to dazzle the optic senses of even the most desensitized audiences, the game-changer is in the water.

Despite being backed by Disney, the first Wreck-It Ralph surprised people at how good it was and became newest addition to the mighty mouse's extensive roster of cartoon characters. With the sequel, Ralph solidifies his status of neo-classic mainstay to the digital dynamo juggernaut by breakin' the internet.



Following the formula of the first flick by upping the ante of intricately ornate backdrops that make up the cyber-world of the video game dimenion, and a story that succeeds in generating more "real world" feels than it's predecessor. And while the viral video themes and gags might set itself up for a shorter shelf life, it's emotional charm and endearing stars still have the potential to adapt to more enduring updates for any future rebooting efforts.

A cranky old man and an annoying little kid team up with a talking dog and a flightless giant mother bird named "Kevin",
to embark on an semi-Indiana Jones type of adventure.
Colorful, but not overwhelming (like Cars or Speed Racer),
touching, but not over-sentimental,
exciting, but not at the cost of the story.
Another score for the people over at Pixar.

These days, while it may take a village to make sure that no child gets left behind, at Santa's Village, all they need are three generations of Clauses.
A pretty cool animated holiday flick from Aardman studios that reveals the truth of how all the old skool magic and new updated machinations mesh together up at the North Pole and it all comes into play in order to ensure that the one night that the entire world depends on Team: Santa, all goes on without a hitch.

In the same manner that Toy Story 2 surpassed Toy Story 1 in both quality and at the box office, Toy Story 3 did the same with its predecessor. Which, considering that it took 11 years for this third chapter to come out, was pretty much a necessity for the franchise. Luckily, not only did it meet those infinitely high expectations, it managed to go to infinity and beyo.... well, you know the line.



 The truth is, with the amount of time that passed between installments, TS3 had acquired a level of computer-generated graphics that still wowed the New Millenium audiences, but with a story whose natural maturity and growth actually gave older movie viewers "the feels" big time. And yet, it also kept enough of the innocence of the first two movies to allow younger, newbie fans the ability to relate. That's a balance that is incredibly tricky to achieve, but because this 3rd chapter managed to do it so well, it ended up defining the entire series as one of the most successful franchises in cinema history, both critically, visually and of course, financially.

It seems like these days, every season, an animated movie comes out displaying the next level of computer-generated visuals. At the time of this posting, it's this movie and Wall-E. While on one end, this film comes with all the standard plot devices that usually accompany the story of these animated features, Kung Fu Panda has enough of it's own style to stand away on it's own. I don't think that the story was told as successfully as many of it's predecessors, but the next level of the "anthropomorphic" facial expressions and the characteristics of the movements achieved in this film seem to make up for it.

 For me, I always regard this movie as the very important steppingstone when it comes to computer animated cinema. Ratatouille set the standard for what we see in CGI Disney/Pixar types of movies today and it's a standard that this type of filmmaking has never looked back from. It seems like with each animated blockbuster that gets released, they step just a little bit farther into the style that was established here with Ratat. And I believe the reason this was the one that started it all was because, since the story was from the perspective of a small rodent, the animators realized what the true potential was that lied within the computer graphics and all the visual freedom that was now available to them. From the viewpoint of the tiny creatures, sharp angles and steep perspective were much more utilized than we had ever seen before. Now don't get me wrong, there were many animated productions, 3D and 2D, that came before this Ratatouille that experimented and effectively used the various camera angles that weren't as easily to accomplish with standard live action. And when the the three-dimensional computer artwork finally began trending when it came to making these types of family friendly features, they did begin to go into poses, places and perspectives that the medium allowed. But it was this one, for the reason I already mentioned that the whole began blossoming into the full effect that make these type of "motion" pictures so exciting to watch these days.
 It also helps that the story itself, not to mention the casting of the voice over ensemble, rise to the level of the new sophistication that movie-goers were experiencing with the food-themed extravaganza. 
 I know that most of this may simply be my own personal opinion, but for my tastes, from here on end, computer generated cartoon cinema of this kind was a new menu item that would now please a palette that had no choice but to become more and more refined. 

Inside Out, Pixar's installment of a big budget animated film for 2015, is one of the very best films of the year. Which, to be honest, at this point in cinematic technology, sounds rather redundant . When you consider that since their first full length movie feature, 1995's Toy Story, this is a company that has become synonymous with the highest quality when it comes to 3D computer generated animation, particularly when it's backed up with a high quality storyline. This was an output that by the time of Inside Out, Pixar had a very consistant streak that has so far, stretched for going on twenty years straight. And after a succesful record, you would think that their creative staff will have begone to run out of ideas for a movie andd end up rehashing some of the themes that they're already covered over the years.
But Inside Out shows that, despite all the ground they have covered so far, they can pull story ideas from anywhere of existance ... even if it means going inside out.

To be quite honest, for me, These How To Train Your Dragon films are some of the best 3D animated movies of the millenium. Which goes to show just how little I know about the movie business and what it takes to make big box office bucks. Because, whenever I look around at which animated flicks are breaking records, in both attendance and dollars, I can't understand for the life of me why this series isn't one of them. I mean, I can see why alotta of Disney and Pixar's other titles are, but, whenever I watch these Dragon installments, they are just as high in quality, in premise, writing and overall animation, as the best of any other computer generated blockbusters out there.
And I know that HtTYD do make some money (otherwise, why would they continue making sequels), but when you look at their box office totals, it seems that they're barely making enough to cover the super-expensive price tags that it takes to make these things.



As a big fan of these movies, I guess the best I can hope for is that, as the years go on, they develope the kind post release recogntion that other not so "profitable" have been able to retain once public opinion took the time to catch up with the high quality of these underappreciated gems.

After fourteen years, the first family of Pixar and Disney's non-Marvel superhero universe is back.
Mr. Incredible is now flexing his muscles at home as Mr. Mom, ElastiGirl has moved to the front as the new face of the group, Violet is trying to remain visible in the eyes of her blank-brained boycrush, Dash still hasn't learned how to slow down, and Jack-Jack's powers are just all over the place.
Not to mention that the next generation of masked crimefighters are cropping up all around town, each with a set extraordinary abilities of their own. And to counter the "good" with the "bad", a new villain has also surfaced, with an internet based persona and a devious plot to take over the mind and soul of very do-gooder out there, and make 'em all his "slaves", one viewer at a time.



A sequel to the "incredible" comic book themed family feature of 2004, which is a much longer time than what theater goers are used to waiting for between two films of the same franchise. Despite not being able to match the abnormally high standards that resulted from the first film, the second Incredibles was still well worth the wait though, with an effective follow-up story that is powered by the same high quality and updated standards that we've come to expect from both CGI giant Pixar and writer/ director Brad Bird.

For me, these How To Train Your Your Dragon films are very good examples of the extent of how good these computer animated features continually get. Many of the CGImagers of today, particularly those from frontrunners like Pixar, seem to have developed the digital craft beyond just the visual element of making the impossible look possible. They understand that when you create a creature of such voluminous mass, you cn't take the elements of "normal size" and digitally display them as big. You've also have to incorporate those aspects that result from a living thing whose physiology has evolved beyond the point of it's average size. For example, you can't just the creature masive teeth. You have to give it numerous rows of teeth in order for the science behind animals grinding and ingesting their food to work. The same with spikes. It can'tjust have a bunch of spikes sticking out it's body. They gotta stick out in those parts of the body you normally see nature place spikes on and, instead of just big, you have to position a whole bunch of smaller ones spread in-between. These are little details that need to be designed into any fictional behemoth's body if it is to be believed by the viewer of the film.
The Bewilderbeast, a massive dragon with the power to "ignite" ice instead of fire, is an excellent example of this. The makers of HtTYD made sure that all the little details that were required to make the audience go "Wow!" were utilized and in the end, it's just one of the things that, IMO, makes the How to Train series one of the best fantasy franchise in modern animated cinema so far.

Even tho the animation in this film doesn't have the chance to get as creative as other "compunimated" movies of this generation & that focus on non-human subjects, this movie does very well with what it has. The facial expressions are choice quality and the movements during the action sequences are both smooth and dynamic. While there have been many animated films that have come along that look "better",for me, Monster House is one of the rare ones that have the whole package. For what it is, the story is well done, the characters are engaging & the action scenes are very high in the area of thrill. And the script does not insult the intelligence of the viewer, despite being based on a child-based fantasy genre.
MH flows with the same roller-coaster ride that was felt with some of those high quality Spielberg-ish action flicks of the 80's.

For any one out there owning a dragon, I'm sure that I don't have to tell you how difficult it is to have and maintain such a cantankerous beast. With their ferocious appetites, their bulky over-sized wings and fiery temper, one wonders if owning one is really worth all the trouble.
Well, all you mythological giant-reptile owners, fear not. If you've ever wondered just you'll ever be able to train your dragon,
this is the movie for you.
After watching this computer generated Dreamworks production, you'll be able to take all the appropriate steps and measures that will allow any wyvern-wielder to enjoy all the affectionate, incendiary and home protecting benefits that come from owning such a demagogic and ponderous pet.

While not so surprising in that I (we?) expected the details in the graphics of this film to be as detailed and realistic as they were, it's still quite stunning to behold.



WALL-E is a futuristic story that involves themes of loneliness, environmentalism, technological over-dependence & the effects of idleness on the soul of humanity when it is stripped away from the natural strife of life.
And even though these are all themes that are ones we've seen many times before, it's still quite surprising how often and consistently filmmakers are able to integrate the amazing graphics into the quality of the storytelling in a manner that seems fresh and keeps the messages from feeling too cliche. At the rate that these types of highly sophisticated computer animated flicks are being released, it's remarkable that the ratio has been so much more good than bad.

  In comic book circles (and what I mean by that is comic book conventions), when it comes to the question of "Which is the best film adaptation of the Fantastic Four (one of Marvel Comic's most enduring flagship titles)?", the most popular answer is "The Incredibles". For those who are not comic nerds or simply not in-the-know,, the Fantasic Four consist of the elastic leader, Mr. Fantastic, monster strongman, the Thing, the fire fraught teen, the Human Torch, and the girly of the group, (and Mr. F's longtime bride), the Invisible-Girl.
Compared to The Incredibles, the comparisons, while not overly obvious, do come close enough. Mr. Incredible may have shared honorifics and the leader role with Mr. Fantastic, but his powers were more in line with the Thing. Elastic-Girls filled the role of dutiful wife as did Invisible Girl, but her ability to be the long-arm in the group was comparible to Mr. F.. It was daughter Violet's invisibility and the power to manifest force fields that mimicked Invisible Girl's, while the final counterpart Dash, had speed powers which did very little to simulate Human Torch's ability to flame, but the fact that Dash's physical looks did come off as a visual mirror to the Torch had the firestarter been a child. The similarities don't stop there, but that's a discussion best left to the nerds that need something to pass the time at the comic book shops and conventions that they tend to religiously frequent.
  As an animated feature, Incredibles certainly displays the absolute height of both the technology and technical artistry of the time. To the point that it still holds up incredibly (no pun intended) well today. And it looks like it will hold up well for quite a long time. Not just because of its high-level visuals, but also because of its ability to mesh its CGI so perfectly with its plot’s premise, but also because the manner in which the family friendly narrative along with its finely tuned script that will allow this first family comic book caper come to “life” from feeling outdated for quite a long time. It is a superhero self-contained saga that competes easily not just with any of the Pixar/Disney/Dreamworks extravaganzas that are aimed towards mainstream audiences, but also against any of the Marvel/DC big budget adventures that effectively cross the universes of both the hardcore comic book fans and that of the average movie goer.