Winnie the Pooh

 

One of the most deservedly beloved children's stories of all time gets an affectionate filmic rendering notable for its delicate sense of restraint. Executed in the same elegant hand-drawn style of Disney's '60s and '70s era Pooh films, "Winnie the Pooh" retains an innocence of style and substance. Winnie (impeccably voiced by Jim Cummings, who also performs the voice of Tigger) interacts with pastel-colored storybook pages to bring the book's literal text to life with an appreciation for the words Pooh speaks. Still, "long words bother" him. Based on the fifth chapter from A. A. Milne's second Winnie the Pooh book "The House at Pooh Corner," the story involves the stuffed little honey-loving bear Pooh and his pals--Owl, Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit, Roo, and Eeyore--out on a journey to find, or at least replace, Eeyore's missing tail. Perhaps an umbrella, a balloon, or a chalk board will do. The gang also attempt to capture an invented monster known as a "Backson"--the result of a misspelled note left behind by Christopher Robin in which he meant to be back soon.

From an educational perspective, the lighthearted story places gentle importance on things like the value of proper spelling and putting friends and family first. The animals represent various character archetypes that range from slothful--Eeyore--to impossibly energetic--Tigger. Piglet is the well-meaning youngest member, while Owl possesses an overblown sense of ego and wisdom. The otherwise inanimate toys need their boyhood master Christopher Robin to guide them into action. >br> The filmmakers do an admirable job of making a palpable connection between Christopher Robin's stuffed animal collection to the imagined "Hundred Acre Wood" where his motley animal friends frolic. The closing title sequence reflects on the adventure with the stuffed toys placed as a child would play with them.

Gentle musical contributions hit a perfect pitch in line with the film's truly gifted vocal cast that includes John Cleese (the narrator), Craig Ferguson (the voice of Owl), and Jack Boulter (as the voice of Christopher Robin). The actors are clearly doing their best impressions of the franchise's iconic voices created by the likes of Sterling Holloway, Paul Winchell, and Sebastian Cabot. Zooey Deschanel's delightful singing on the theme song "So Long" is sweet enough to make you want to go back for more.

At just over an hour long, including an opening short cartoon "The Legend of Nessie," "Winnie the Pooh" is an ideal movie for the under ten set. This "Winnie the Pooh" is an instant classic.

Rated G. 63 mins. (A-) (Four Stars - out of five/no halves)

Mars Needs Moms

 

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The Uncanny Valley
Third World Mars in 3D Motion-Capture
By Cole Smithey

Based on a children's book by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed (known for his "Bloom County" comic strip), "Mars Needs Moms" is a tone-deaf animated disaster. Executed with the same creepy motion-capture animated design that gave "The Polar Express" its disturbing sense of near-realism, this 3D movie resists all brand of narrative logic.

Milo (performed by Seth Green) is a nine-year-old bratty kid who hates to do what he's told. During a spat with his doting mother (Joan Cusack), an alien space ship lands outside their suburban home to abduct Milo's mom. Milo's dad is rained in at an airport. The little red planet doesn't need "Moms" plural so much as it needs a singular example of matriarchy to call its own. A population of group-think Martians needs to wheedle out nurturing instincts from her brain to properly raise its own female Martian babies. Robots don't make great mothers. Male babies are automatically exiled to a literal trash heap for some unexplained reason. Mars doesn't need dads. Milo sneaks onto the spacecraft with his incapacitated mother. On Mars, Milo falls in with an eccentric older boy from Earth called Gribble (Dan Fogler), whose own mother was kidnapped under similar circumstances back in the '80s Reagan era. There's no telling why Gribble's mom couldn't deliver homey continuity to the drab society. Speaking of creepy, Gribble is not the kind of infantile adult male you'd want your kid spending any appreciable amount of time with. Martian civilization is a regimented militarized world of constant surveillance. Robots run the show under the command of an excitable, vaguely Asian hag "supervisor" whose ugliness informs her status as the story's primary antagonist.

Japanese roboticist Doctor Masahiro Mori coined the term "the uncanny valley" to describe the negative psychological reaction against robotic designs whose human-like qualities get too close for comfort. If a robot--or a character in an animated movie--starts to look a little too real, there is a natural human rejection of said entity. Such is the nature of audience reaction against the "human-like" characters in "Polar Express" and in "Mars Needs Moms." Mori lists a "moving corpse" as the lowest point of in the "valley" of disapproval. While I wouldn't necessarily describe the motion-capture characters here as human corpses, they do seem closer to dead than alive.

An interesting experience I noticed while watching the film was my disapproving emotional response to the rebel Martian girl Ki (Elisabeth Harnois). With dyed red dreadlocks, Ki is the only female Martian representative with any personality other than the Martian supervisor (voiced by Mindy Sterling). Having watched some Scooby Doo-like American television show, Ki spouts '60s era pop slang. "Right on" and "dig" are favorite phrases children will be tempted to repeat ad infinitum. Ki is a graffiti artist who constantly flings multi-colored paint balls to splatter blotches of color onto the monochromatic landscape of the Martian industrial complex. The male Martian populace are portrayed as a primitive native culture not far removed from the blue-skinned population of "Avatar." Dancing seems to be their main activity.

There's more than a trace of racist ideology at play in an animated film that is far from innocent. Why all Martian males are represented as developmentally challenged characters is up for discussion. At best, "Mars Needs Moms" is a poorly thought out story. At worst, it represents a wrongheaded sociopolitical allegory. Either way, this is one sinister animated movie that doesn't stand up against much more competent children's fair such as "Rango" or anything from the brilliant Aardman house of animation.

 Rated PG. 88 mins. (D) (One Star - out of five/no halves)

March 7, 2011 in Animation | Permalink

Gnomeo & Juliet

 

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Dissing the Bard
Shakespeare Plays Fodder for Elton John Promo Reel
By Cole Smithey

Sharing only a smidgen of a resemblance to the legendary storyline of Shakespeare's tragedy this animated children's movie is an abomination by any standard. To watch one of Shakespeare's most beloved plays maligned with such mud-slinging indulgence is an affront that no audience should suffer. If you're thinking this might be a good introduction to Shakespeare for the little ones, think again. It's hard to imagine what incited the depth of loathing the film's nine screenwriters actively exhibit against the Bard. One thing is certain, however—they make their revulsion loud and clear.
 
Packed with updated versions of Elton John songs like "Crocodile Rock"--here, a duet between Sir John and Lady Gaga--"Gnomeo & Juliet" is one long series of music videos gone wrong. It does help explain why the story is set in a British suburb (Elton John is a Briton). But it doesn't express why the filmmakers paint the Montagues and Capulets in Republican and Democrat colors of red (for Juliet's family) and blue (for Romeo's team). I suppose it's a way of bringing the longstanding feud between the two families into some modern context of right and left-wing reality. Regardless, no attempt is made at keeping any of Shakespeare's original language intact. Don't expect to hear such indelible lines as "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" or "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow." The script at hand is more hack job than adaptation. No shred of lyrical romanticism remains.
Even the clichés that substitute for any kind of false meaning are ragged. A lame "Borat" reference involving a gnome in a string-bikini bathing suit is just one example of the crassness on parade.
 
The premise is simple. Two adjacent homes are split down the middle by a fence that separates a red house from a blue one. The humans that live side-by-side there hate one another with a contagious passion. When said inhabitants leave for vacation, their vast collection of ceramic garden gnomes come to life to carry on a proxy battle. As with the "Toy Story" franchise, inanimate things can only animate when no person is looking. A lawn mower race starts off the proceedings. It doesn't end well. Romeo goes Rambo-style to do damage to his rivals on their turf. Juliet puts on ninja garb in spite of the "nice junk" she carries in her "trunk." The filmmakers seem to think parents will be only too happy to answer their children's questions about the significance of such callipygian assets as Juliet's posterior anatomy.

Storyboard-artist-turned director Kelly Asbury ("Shrek 2") doesn't direct so much as he churns out a mixed-bag of animated slop. Swirling around in Asbury's blender of gelatinous visual goop are voices provided by top and bottom rung talent. It's not everyday that you hear Michael Caine and Maggie Smith mentioned alongside Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan.

Most improbable is the producers' choice to use the most expensive 3D treatment available--called XpanD. At $130 per pair of XpanD 3D glasses, you might expect a stereoscopic experience to rival last year's "My Bloody Valentine." No such luck. Once again, Hollywood confirms it has no intention of backing down from charging twenty-dollars a ticket for a lackluster 3D experience.

"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." Or, in the case of "Gnomeo & Juliet," never was there a movie of more woe. If ever there was impetus to take your children to an actual stage production of "Romeo and Juliet," instead of to the cinema, this is it.

 Rated G. 84 mins. (D) (One Star - out of five/no halves)

February 9, 2011 in Animation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Toy Story 3

Once you get past paying the inflated price for an animated "3-D" movie where the 3-D feels like an afterthought and nothing floats in front of your eyes as with quality 3-D films, the story that unfolds is more sad than joyful. It's also mean spirited in a divisive way that pits toys against toys in a war-like mentality not so far removed from captured prisoners in an occupied country. 

As well, the inappropriately cruel and drawn out climax sequence is too intense for younger children who will be lured into the "G-rated" film. The filmmakers go so far into Michael Bay territory that I shudder to think what the unformed mind of a five-year-old would make of such contrived suspense tactics as are employed here. When the toys travel down a long conveyer belt toward a fiery death, the filmmakers milk the sequence for all the suspense and panic they can muster. It might be right for a Transformers movie, but it's all wrong for "Toy Story."

"Toy Story 3" is about neglect, betrayal, and the planned obsolescence of plastic toys that end up as so much toxic landfill. So it's got all that going for it.

As the story goes, human boy Andy (voiced by John Morris) is off to college, and must finally put away childish things--something most boys do before junior high. Talk about arrested development--this kid isn't getting any dates.

Andy chooses to take his favorite toy, cowboy Woody (well voiced by Tom Hanks) with him to college, and pack away in his attic the rest of the toy gang that include Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), and his Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head dolls (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris). Andy's careless mom--whose sense of parental responsibility is nonexistent, "accidentally" tosses out the trash bag filled with Woody's pals on the curb. Soon the gang of outcast toys--abandonment is a distressing theme smuggled into the story--are being abused by little kids at "Sunnyside" preschool where they end up.

It becomes cowpoke Woody's mission to rescue his fellow toys who are being kept as prisoners by the school's head honcho stuffed animal "Lots-o'-Huggin" Bear (Ned Beatty). Beatty's wolf-in-sheep's-clothing character poses the film's most egregious example of rendering a two-faced character who charms the new toys before showing his determinedly dastardly intentions against Buzz Lightyear after buttering up the sometimes heroic astronaut.    

The story devolves into a prison escape plot where the toys break character as much as they get their plastic hearts damaged at the cruelty of their treatment by the preschool's other toys. If you're looking for an instructional movie on how to make your kids act like they're bi-polar, this is it.

Buzz Lightyear spends part of the story as a "sir-yes-sir" product of brainwashed military training while Barbie's new heart-throb Ken turns out to be one duplicitous little eunuch. Again, we have yet another two-faced character who represents all the trustworthy qualities of a Wall Street banker. Wrongheaded and overly mature for young audiences, "Toy Story 3" sends some pretty dark messages for little ones to digest. And when I say dark, I mean bordering on sociopathic. A PG-rating would have been more appropriate for a film that definitely sends all the wrong messages, even to kids over ten.

Looking at all three “Toy Story” films reveals a similar trajectory to the “Spider-Man” franchise. In both series, the second movie is unmistakably the strongest of both trilogies. The first “Toy Story” couches Woody as a jealous and somewhat vengeful cowboy. Characters are repeatedly told to “shut up.” Most questionable is the film’s ground-rule-breaking climax where the toys cross an established line of not being animated in the presence of humans. When the toys confront Sid--the evil child antagonist--it taints the climax with a flawed deus ex machina device that reveals a weakness in the writing. As well, the thematically overstated closing line, “We toys can see everything, so play nice,” hits too much on the nose.

By the time they made “Toy Story 2,” returning writer Peter Docter (writer on “WALL-E” and “UP”) and director John Lasseter (“A Bug’s Life”) had honed the tone of the franchise to a finely pitched spectrum of musically nuanced and visually lush design to support its nostalgic underpinnings. Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” theme is thoughtfully repeated. Jesse’s song about being “lonely and forgotten” arrives in an autumnal setting that’s emotionally evocative as it is gorgeous. The filmmakers hit it rich with Woody’s discovery of his “Woody’s Roundup” television series origins. The introduction of cowgirl Jesse, trusty horse “Bullseye,” and unreliable prospector Stinky Pete gives Woody an historical context and familial connection that sophisticatedly anchors his character. Even the outtake scenes that play over the ending credits reinforce a reliability of narrative purpose that is sublimely humorous and comfortable.

An obvious split between the accomplished progression of first two movies and the inferior last installment is the departure of the enormously talented writer Peter Docter from the franchise. John Lasseter’s demotion from director of TS1 and TS2 in favor of writer/director Lee Unkrich (co-director on “Finding Nemo”) undoubtedly contributes to the lack of cohesion. Gone is the meticulous attention to color, and the glorious expressiveness of cultural touchstones expressed in “Toy Story 2.”

Rated G. 103 mins. (C+) (Two Stars - out of five/no halves)

November 28, 2010 in Animation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Megamind

Cartoon Indoctrination
Anti-Obama Propaganda Gets Packaged for Kids
By Cole Smithey

Riffing on the same foolhardy villain-as-good-guy-protagonist motif that contributed to the confused premise of this year's "Despicable Me," "Megamind" is a resounding flop. Two wacky babies from far off galaxies take very different paths when they arrive on Earth. As an infant, the future super-hero Metro Man lands in the lap of luxury with a wealthy family. The blue-skinned Megamind hits smack in prison. Brad Pitt is voice to Metro City's much beloved if patronizing Metro Man who must continually face off against his ex-con rival Megamind (Will Ferrell) and space-fish assistant Minion (David Cross). Megamind finally gets a leg up on his annoyingly charismatic opponent but doesn't have much of a plan for running the town, much less the world, without an enemy of Metro Man's stature to measure himself against. Jonah Hill voices a geeky television news cameraman named Hal who Megamind chooses to transform into his newest adversary using a dash of Metro Man's DNA. Local news broadcaster Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) is caught in the middle as every hero's and villain's love object. Tedious, mechanical, and thematically engineered to teach tikes the wrong kinds of lessons, "Megamind" is an animated movie parents will regret taking their kids to see. Even the 3D effects are lame.

"Megamind" opens with a lightly seeded sociological experiment involving the influence of environment over a person's life path. Handsome Caucasian baby Metro Man has lots of gifts under the Christmas tree every year as part of his adoptive parent's entitled status. Blue baby Megamind is concerned with more pressing issues, like breaking out of prison. Will Ferrell's underprivileged but intelligent misfit can be read as representing illegal aliens and/or African American archetypes. There's some cinematic sleight-of-hand that allows Ferrell to sell Megamind's ethically-challenged personality disguised inside Ferrell's signature off-kilter brand of ironic humor. It's a purposely banal approach whose neutrality is an ideal vehicle for subversive subtext.

We know from Brad Pitt's voice that Metro Man's patriotism is implacable, and yet we later discover a loose stitch in our presumption. Everyone, even Fey's Roxanne Ritchi is duplicitous. As the story hits its early surprise plot twist, we witness a reflection of America's social collapse with Mr. Megamind overseeing the carnage of infrastructure.

The filmmakers make a direct visual correlation between Megamind and President Obama during a public address speech on an outdoor staircase where giant Shepherd Fairey-inspired red-and-blue posters show Megamind's face similar to Obama's pose in Fariey's original poster. However, instead of the famous "Yes We Can" slogan, here we're openly told "No We Can't." This type of underhanded propaganda delivery system could be construed as evidence that we are living in an age of reverse-engineered misinformation, or at least message-loaded rhetoric.

"What if the bad guy won?" The film's tagline holds more than a little innuendo regarding the last Presidential election. Read this way, "Megamind" offers an apocalyptic vision of America under a leader who has no plan of action for establishing a peaceful society for the country's citizens.

There's no mistaking the rules of a game where a popular alien super-hero is loved for his Caucasian square-jawed Republican swagger. Said super-hero is temporarily knocked out of the political landscape, during which time society collapses. It's not a far stretch to read this as mirroring the Republican's loss of the White House in 2008, and their avowed return in 2012.
 
Whether or not the screenwriters, director, cast or crew were consciously aware that they were participating in a piece of anti-Obama satire, is a mute point. The film contains overwhelming examples of rampant societal destruction that are troubling. I don't know if "Megamind" is a dangerous film, but it is definitely one with an agenda.

Rated PG. 96 mins. (C-) (Two Stars - out of five/no halves)

November 6, 2010 in Animation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Toy Story 3

Buzz Kill

Why Toy Story 3 isn't as Good as 1 or 2

By Cole Smithey

Once you get past paying the inflated price for an animated "3-D" movie where the 3-D feels like an afterthought and nothing floats in front of your eyes as with quality 3-D films, the story that unfolds is more sad than joyful. It's also mean spirited in a divisive way that pits toys against toys in a war-like mentality not so far removed from captured prisoners in an occupied country. 

As well, the inappropriately cruel and drawn out climax sequence is too intense for younger children who will be lured into the "G-rated" film. The filmmakers go so far into Michael Bay territory that I shudder to think what the unformed mind of a five-year-old would make of such contrived suspense tactics as are employed here. When the toys travel down a long conveyer belt toward a fiery death, the filmmakers milk the sequence for all the suspense and panic they can muster. It might be right for a Transformers movie, but it's all wrong for "Toy Story."

"Toy Story 3" is about neglect, betrayal, and the planned obsolescence of plastic toys that end up as so much toxic landfill. So it's got all that going for it.

As the story goes, human boy Andy (voiced by John Morris) is off to college, and must finally put away childish things--something most boys do before junior high. Talk about arrested development--this kid isn't getting any dates.

Andy chooses to take his favorite toy, cowboy Woody (well voiced by Tom Hanks) with him to college, and pack away in his attic the rest of the toy gang that include Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), and his Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head dolls (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris). Andy's careless mom--whose sense of parental responsibility is nonexistent, "accidentally" tosses out the trash bag filled with Woody's pals on the curb. Soon the gang of outcast toys--abandonment is a distressing theme smuggled into the story--are being abused by little kids at "Sunnyside" preschool where they end up.

It becomes cowpoke Woody's mission to rescue his fellow toys who are being kept as prisoners by the school's head honcho stuffed animal "Lots-o'-Huggin" Bear (Ned Beatty). Beatty's wolf-in-sheep's-clothing character poses the film's most egregious example of rendering a two-faced character who charms the new toys before showing his determinedly dastardly intentions against Buzz Lightyear after buttering up the sometimes heroic astronaut.    

The story devolves into a prison escape plot where the toys break character as much as they get their plastic hearts damaged at the cruelty of their treatment by the preschool's other toys. If you're looking for an instructional movie on how to make your kids act like they're bi-polar, this is it.

Buzz Lightyear spends part of the story as a "sir-yes-sir" product of brainwashed military training while Barbie's new heart-throb Ken turns out to be one duplicitous little eunuch. Again, we have yet another two-faced character who represents all the trustworthy qualities of a Wall Street banker. Wrongheaded and overly mature for young audiences, "Toy Story 3" sends some pretty dark messages for little ones to digest. And when I say dark, I mean bordering on sociopathic. A PG-rating would have been more appropriate for a film that definitely sends all the wrong messages, even to kids over ten.

Looking at all three “Toy Story” films reveals a similar trajectory to the “Spider-Man” franchise. In both series, the second movie is unmistakably the strongest of both trilogies. The first “Toy Story” couches Woody as a jealous and somewhat vengeful cowboy. Characters are repeatedly told to “shut up.” Most questionable is the film’s ground-rule-breaking climax where the toys cross an established line of not being animated in the presence of humans. When the toys confront Sid, the evil child antagonist, it taints the climax with a flawed deus ex machina device that reveals weaknesses in the writing. As well, the thematically overstated closing line, “We toys can see everything, so play nice,” hits too much on the nose.

By the time they made “Toy Story 2,” returning writer Peter Docter (writer on “WALL-E” and “UP”) and director John Lasseter (“A Bug’s Life”) had honed the franchise's tone to a finely pitched spectrum of musically nuanced, and visually lush, design to support its nostalgic underpinnings. Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” theme is thoughtfully repeated. Jesse’s song, about being “lonely and forgotten,” arrives in an autumnal setting that’s emotionally evocative as it is gorgeous. The filmmakers hit it rich with Woody’s discovery of his “Woody’s Roundup” television series origins. The introduction of cowgirl Jesse, the trusty horse “Bullseye,” and unreliable prospector Stinky Pete gives Woody an historical context and familial connection that anchors his character in a sophisticated way. Even the outtake scenes that play over the ending credits reinforce a reliability of narrative purpose that is sublimely humorous.

An obvious split between the accomplished progression of first two movies and the inferior last installment is the departure of the enormously talented writer Peter Docter from the franchise. John Lasseter’s demotion from director of TS1 and TS2 in favor of the lesser skilled writer/director Lee Unkrich (co-director on “Finding Nemo”) undoubtedly contributes to the lack of cohesion. Gone is the meticulous attention to color, and the glorious expressiveness of cultural touchstones expressed in “Toy Story 2.”

"TS3" is not as good as either of its two predacessors. That this fact slipped past nearly every other film critic in the world, will be chewed over in the pages of history for a very long time.

Rated G. 103 mins. (C+) (Two Stars - out of five/no halves)

Watch the Video Review Here

June 20, 2010 in Animation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Shrek Forever After

Shrek Matures
Bourgeoisie Critics are Opposed
By Cole Smithey

The fourth installment in the animated Shrek franchise is the most polished example of the series. There's a dearth of children's films to which parents can take their little ones before repeatedly watching the DVD until the kids incorporate every line of dialogue into their daily speech patterns. Fortunately, "Shrek Forever After" is on target, filling the void. Even audiences new to the franchise will enjoy the slapstick tone and comic timing of these easily likable characters. The premise is simple enough. Finally and happily settled down with his ogre wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and their three babies, Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) starts to yearn for his bachelor days, when every person and animal in the community feared his brutish gaze and stone-rattling roar. Shrek's ennui presents a perfect opportunity for Rumpelstiltskin (wonderfully voiced by Walt Dohrn), the kooky little fantasy–maker and con man. Mr. R convinces Shrek to sign away a day of his childhood in exchange for living a day free of all familial constraints. Naturally, the deal is a dirty trick played by the conniving Rumpelstiltskin, who plots to take over as king of the Far Far Away kingdom forever after. The film's theme--appreciating what you have while you have it--is supported, if only half-knowingly, by Shrek's loyal pals Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and a considerably chubbier Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas). Although the film's 3D effects seem extraneous, the spunky vocal characterizations are enjoyably spot-on and the jokes funny enough to elicit laughs from kids of all ages.

There's a tendency among elitist film critics to pooh-pooh the Shrek franchise based on its longevity. They're ready to put the final nail in the coffin of a successful children's series ostensibly because they're embarrassed to have loved it so much when they were younger, and now feel obliged to distance themselves from it.

Shrek's status as a workaday dad who pines for his more vigorous youth must surely signal a disconnect between the filmmakers and the young souls these kind of movies typically cater to. It's an instance where post-modern meets retro reality. There's a supreme satisfaction in hearing the returning cast members' voices. Mike Myers underplays his current incarnation of Shrek, while Eddie Murphy lets loose at every opportunity. Cameron Diaz gives a more throaty delivery, and Antonio Banderas injects little comic touches into every word that Puss speaks.

It's possible that co-screenwriters Josh Klausner (writer on "Shrek the Third") and Darren Lemke have elevated the franchise into a territory of maturity beyond a threshold that bourgeoisie critics can stand. "Unnecessary" is a word used to describe a children's movie that by definition is quite necessary if you, well, have children. Which brings us to the film's broader appeal. Here is a Shrek movie with barely a fart or poop joke that speaks to a universal theme of appreciating the friends and family you have. When Shrek convinces the oblivious Donkey that he's his best friend, we feel recognized in the same way. When the fat little Puss drags sideways down his scratching post to greet Shrek, it's all the more funny because we know he's showing off for his pal. And when Fiona drops her she-warrior act long enough to allow a kiss from the ogre she was destined to be with forever after, we get that special kind of romantic charge that reminds us about why and how intimate relationships are important.

Rated PG. 95 mins. (B) (Three Stars - out of five/no halves)

May 17, 2010 in Animation, Children | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Dolling up Dahl
Wes Anderson Finds His Genre: Animation
By Cole Smithey

Wes Anderson is famous for his quirky sense of absurdist humor. Although he might argue against it, Anderson seems to have finally found his forte—in animation, vis-à-vis Roald Dahl's 1970 children's book. With a script co-written by Anderson and Noah ("The Squid and the Whale") Baumbach, Anderson creates a magical stop-animation world inhabited by a family of foxes, various other woodland creatures, and a group of human farmers who don't take kindly to having their livestock and cider carried off by animals. George Clooney applies his signature leathery voice to Mr. Fox, a snappily dressed family guy whose animal nature wars with his interest in his family's safety as they keep house in their peaceful foxhole. Meryl Streep voices Mr. Fox's even-keeled wife, and Jason Schwartzman speaks for the couple's bratty son Ash. Ash tries to compete with his athletic cousin Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) who has come to stay with the family. Three nearby industrial farms (Boggis, Bunch, and Bean) prove too much of a temptation for Mr. Fox, whose plan to raid the three farms brings down more human wrath than he is prepared to handle. There are some significant coincidences between Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" and Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Both stories rely on themes of the untamed animal nature inside all of us, and of child characters actively interacting in an adult world. Toward that narrative end Anderson's film better satisfies, perhaps because Dahl's book presented more developed source material than Maurice Sendak's book. Anderson's lavish attention to visual detail supports the dry wit on display in a highly original animated film geared to appeal equally to children and adults.

Wes Anderson always works with a co-writer. He wrote his first three films with Owen Wilson before writing "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004) with Noah Baumbach, whose co-writing contribution to "Mr. Fox" seems to mesh seamlessly with the intentionality of both Dahl's book and Anderson's wisecracking approach.

The director's signature gestures (unusual props, insert shots, quick hand-held pans between characters, and a fascination with active lifestyle cross-section visuals) come to life in a cinematic canvas covered in kitschy filigree. The exquisite perfection of the fur on Mr. Fox's head inspires wonder in a magical mythical cartoon way that beguiles you. The lush beauty of the film's specific style of animation breathes with an organic quality that is rich in texture, color, and sophistication.

The film opens with Mr. Fox leaning against the hilltop tree positioned directly over his family's rural England home at dusk. The sun's warm golden light reflects off the strands of wheat that blossom from the tan breast pocket of the dapper Mr. Fox. The Davy Crockett theme song ("The Ballad of Davy Crockett") plays on Mr. Fox's transistor radio and we get a sense of time, mood, and switched places; we're in an England where Davy Crockett is played on a rural radio station. Right away, the filmmakers capture your imagination with a dynamic visual style that is the polar opposite of the cold animation techniques used in "Disney's A Christmas Carol." Anderson took inspiration from Russian filmmaker Ladislas Starevich's 1941 stop-motion film "Le Roman de Renard" ("The Tale of the Fox"), whose "herky-jerky" look gave it a special organic quality.

In Wes Anderson's hands Roald Dahl's imaginative child's story takes on a meta significance as a human-development-coming-of-age story that applies across age groups, generations, social strata, and even species. Taking responsibility for emotional commitments has been a through-line in all of Anderson's films, which began with the cult favorite "Bottle Rocket" (1996) before zigzagging across muddled comic landscapes in "Rushmore" (1998), "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001), "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004), and "The Darjeeling Limited" (2007).

Like his last four films, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" falls under the spell of a roguish father figure that commands respect and suspicion for his unconventional approach to life. Mr. Fox is a loving but ambitious soul subject to the temptation of greed. Since accidentally allowing he and his wife to be captured by humans ten years ago, Mr. Fox has sworn off all criminal acts. However, when Mr. Fox eats, his true animal nature comes out and we witness the sudden and violent transformation from human to animal nature and back again. It's this same uncontrollable nature that causes Mr. Fox to enact a goofy burglary plan that leads to all sorts of fireworks. The eating transformation is also an example of the elegant way the filmmakers depict a dichotomy and unity between animal and human nature in a single stroke. The humor is fast-paced and the style is vibrant, but it's the actors that flex the characters' muscles. That's what you get here, animated characters with muscles flexed by the likes of Meryl Streep and George Clooney, funny-bone included.

Rated PG. 88 mins. (B) (Three Stars)

November 9, 2009 in Animation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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