Currently browsing the "Animation" tag.

The Adventures of Tintin

Isn’t Tintin supposed to be a dog? C’mon, I can’t be the only one who thought The Adventures of Tintin might be some new animated twist on the tales of a certain German Shepherd named Rin. My bad. The movie is actually based on a popular European series of comics created in 1929 by a Belgian artist known as Herge’. Tintin is not a german shepherd. He’s actually a curious young reporter-detective-adventurer who, along with his dog Snowy (a fox terrier), gets caught up in the wild and wacky world of criminals, villains, artifacts and treasure. He’s part “Brenda Starr”, part “Indiana Jones”.

From a purely visual standpoint, The Adventures of Tintin is rather stunning with its use of motion-capture technology. But the story itself falls a bit flat, even at the direction of the almighty Steven Spielberg.

Puss in Boots

Like a lot of people in the northeast, I got shut out of going to the movies Halloween weekend because of a freak October snowstorm. So what did I go to see this past weekend? Puss In Boots! That’s right, the cartoon cat seduced me, and I obviously wasn’t alone. Puss won the box office for the second week in a row even though Tower Heist was expected to take the top spot.

Cars 2

Cars 2 has plenty of action and adventure. What it doesn’t have enough of is heart. Unlike the first Cars movie where we got to know all of the residents of Radiator Springs, this one is all about Mater. And while the wisecracking tow truck was great as a supporting character, he just doesn’t cut it as a lead car.

Angry Birds Crash Super Bowl Party to Promote New Flick

Tangled

I finally got around to seeing Tangled, and that’s only because my 11-year-old niece was willing to see it a second time around. She is, most definitely, its target demographic – but I really liked it too. Tangled is a fun, sweet fairy tale flick reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. But instead of Beauty’s Belle living in her “small provincial town”, you’ve got Rapunzel holed up in a tower in the middle of the forest somewhere. Both are sort of rescued by guys, but when push comes to shove, both gals can kick some butt (only with much more grace and musicality).

Megamind

Megamind is megafun – for both kids and adults. I took my “seven-year-old excuse to go see animated movies” and both he and I laughed out loud at parts. He was so enthusiastic that before we even left the theater he asked when it was coming out on DVD.

Despicable Me

Despicable Me was delightful to me… and to the child and other adult I had in tow when I went to see it. We all experienced laugh out loud moments throughout the movie, including a few just for the adults, like a sly reference to Lehman Brothers. This movie is, in a word, hilarious.

Toy Story 3

I took my nephew to see Toy Story 2 back in 1999. He was three years old, and loved the movie (as much as a three-year-old can. He was a tad squirmy back then but the movie definitely resonated with him, and me.) Fast-forward ELEVEN (!!) years, and we returned to the same theater for Toy Story 3. And thank goodness, this Pixar sequel did not disappoint. Like the original Toy Story, and its first sequel Toy Story 2… Toy Story 3 is more than just a good animated movie. It’s a good movie period. That’s because it works on so many levels, for kids and adults, with a great ensemble cast, a relatable story, humor, poignancy, action.

The Princess and the Frog

I finally had the chance (i.e. excuse) to see this movie when my 10-year-old niece decided she wanted to see it for a second time. After all, there’s just something intrinsically appealing about a good ol’ fashioned, hand-drawn Disney princess fairy tale and the promise of a “happily ever after.” The Princess and the Frog follows the standard formula of the princess classics, but with a few modern twists. Our heroine is a hard-working, African-American waitress named Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) who dreams of opening her own restaurant in the great city of New Orleans. Her fate gets tied, however, to that of an arrogant, lazy Prince named Naveen (Bruno Campos) who’s been turned into a frog by a sinister (and potentially scary to little kids) voodoo doctor. When Tiana kisses the frog and becomes one herself, she and Naveen hop along the bayou in search of a mystical woman who may be able to make them human again. Along the way, they befriend a cajun firefly and a trumpet-playing alligator and of course, fall in love.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

It shouldn’t come as any big surprise to Chickflix fans that Fantastic Mr. Fox has made its way onto our friendly little blog. After all, it stars the voice of George Clooney. And sure enough, listening to George Clooney for an hour and a half is almost as entertaining as watching him. On second thought, watching him is still way better. But as an animated flick, Mr. Fox does deliver.