Sunday, October 28, 2012

Wreck-It Ralph - Review

     Wow! What an amazing film. Let me start out by saying this is a SPOILER FREE review. I won't ruin any of the film for you!! This film is so much better than I thought it was going to be and I had high expectations! This is the must see animated film of the year, I would be shocked if it doesn't win Best Animated Picture at the Oscars! The music was fantastic and fit all areas of the film perfectly. I find myself listening to Wreck-It Ralph's theme over and over again. Visually the film is absolutely gorgeous. You will not want to take your eyes off of the screen. Each world is distinctly different and even the way the 8-Bit characters move is fantastic and 8-Bit like. I would also recommend seeing it in 3-D. Normally I would tell you to save your money but this film was just so beautiful in 3-D and the effect was really amazing and added so much to the film.

     The story had me a little concerned at first jumping from world to world it was hard to really get attached to the characters. But once the film settles and progresses and there are more and more interesting things happening with our characters it just gets better and better. The ending of this film is absolutely amazing and I loved every minute of the film. Each one of the characters grow and I absolutely love that. Not only do they grow, but we can relate to them and see our selves in them and seeing them overcome trials that many people face everyday is truly inspiring. The film has such a good message!


     Speaking on the jokes, I know there was some concern. Fear not! This film is absolutely hilarious. I haven't laughed this hard in the longest time! For reference, let's talk about a gag that was in the trailer, "I bet you have to watch where you step in a game called Hero's Duty!" Hm... came off as a little childish duty humor, right? Well in the movie she keeps building on this joke! Coming up with more and more clever takes on it and it becomes really funny! Not a single joke fell flat and nothing was aimed at just kids. There are so many jokes that only adults will get! There are also jokes that only gamers will get, but fear not, this is not just a movie for gamers!! You will laugh at the jokes regardless, there are just some especially funny gags for people who play and know games.


     This movie was extremely imaginative and you can tell that so much thought and design went into these worlds and characters. Sugar Rush is absolutely beautiful and there are so many clever jokes and amazingly creative landmarks built from candy. It is incredible to think that everything in this world is made from candy in the most clever ways possible. I also want to say that Vanellope Von Schweetz is not an annoying character, nor is she what some may call an "annoying sidekick". She is everybit an important and main character as Ralph is and she is extremely relateble, adorable, and funny.

     I can't reccomend this film enough. This was seriously the best animated film of the year. It was absolutly amazing and I cannot wait to see it mulipule more times this weekend. You have to go see this film, it is that good. This film is destined to become a part of pop culture for a very long time, and you will probably be hearing jokes from this film being said for quite a while. Walt Disney Animation Studios certainly is proving that they have what it takes to be the number one animation company around, beating even Pixar. If they keep bringing films like this, Winnie the Pooh, and Tangled out then I truly believe that they could be going through another rennisance. Now a Golden Age requires all the studios to be A+, but I could see animation heading in that direction with Walt Disney Animation at the lead. "I'm gonna wreck it!"

Monday, October 22, 2012

News Update!

     Sorry for not updating very often! Lots of stuff to talk about! Let's start with Pixar, shall we? First up is Toy Story of Terror, one of the two 22-minute TV specials Pixar announced for the series! It shall premiere next October, most likely on ABC. Here is the official plot synopsis: 

     “What starts out as a fun road trip for the Toy Story gang takes an unexpected turn for the worse when the trip detours to a roadside motel. After one of the toys goes missing, the others find themselves caught up in a mysterious sequence of events that must be solved before they all suffer the same fate in this Toy Story of Terror.”

     Pixar also has a new movie scheduled for release on November 25, 2015. This would be the first year that Pixar released two films in one year. I find this very interesting and wonder if they will continue with this trend. I personally feel like it is harder for a studio to make two quality films every year. I guess we will have to see! Walt Disney Animation also has scheduled a new film for November 7, 2014. I'm really hoping that this will be John Musker and Ron Clements new film but who knows! 

     Blue Sky Studios has some very interesting news; they will be releasing a movie adaptation of Charles M. Shulz' Peanuts comic strip! Set to be released on November 25, 2015 (The same day as Pixar's new film, someone WILL change and my bets are on Pixar) it will be directed by Steve Martino (Ice Age 4) and written by Charles son, Craig Shulz. I'm super excited for this project, being a huge fan of Peanuts, and I'm really excited to see what Blue Sky can do with the property. They did an amazing job of adapting Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who and the visual style stayed true to Dr. Seuss' drawings. I feel like the same will be said for this Peanuts film.

     Sony Pictures Animation moved Cloudy 2 up from February 2014 to September 27, 2013. This is a welcome change to get the movie sooner, which is most likely due to Hotel Transylvania being such a huge, and Sony Pictures Animation's biggest, success, already making $187,300,000 at the box office. 

     Warner Bros. Animation is bringing Tom and Jerry back with a new TV show on Cartoon Network entitled The Tom and Jerry Show. I am thrilled for this project because I love Tom and Jerry and seeing them come back in a traditional way is very exciting. 

     And in closing I have some very exciting news! I will be seeing Wreck-it Ralph on Thursday, October 25! This means a spoiler free review will hopefully be posted on Friday! For any of you wondering how good this film is going to be, come back Friday to read my full review! "I'm Gonna Wreck it!"
      

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Paperman

The Paperman logo
     Yes. I have seen Paperman and it is one of the most amazing shorts I have ever seen. Heck, probably the BEST short I have ever seen! Paperman is such a beautiful short and I can not wait to see entire films animated in this fashion. Not only that, but the music and the plot was amazing. Emotional, magical, and fun, this is what Disney is all about. Everything worked about it, and even though not a single word was said, I cared about these characters. I laughed, I was sad, I was happy, I was nervous, I felt everything these characters were going through, even though they never spoke! What a powerful piece of artwork, visually and emotionally.

     I have nothing but praises to say about Paperman. The entire short is about an ordinary man whose boring life is suddenly hit with a splash of color, quite literally, in the form of a girl he meets at the train station. The entire film is in black and white save for the girls red lipstick. His entire life is changed as he tries to get her attention, and through the power of magic and hope, anything can happen! This short alone would be worth the price of admission of Wreck-It Ralph, however that film as well looks absolutely amazing. After seeing all of the trailers and ten minutes of footage I cannot wait for November 2nd. If Wreck-It Ralph isn't a success it truly will be a shame for both films. Hopefully Paperman will win the Academy Award because it deserves all of the attention it can get. I know this is a short post but I just had to tell everyone just how amazing Paperman really is. Don't miss out on seeing it! Sorry for the lack of posts, I will try harder!