THE UNIVERSE IS EXPANDING. Big changes are coming in the Lego universe, as Duplo invaders keep terrorizing Bricksburg; Emmett and Lucy will face the Queen behind it all. An intense 3D sequel that can’t quite deliver the freshness of the original, but still makes an attempt to throw every clever idea and pop culture reference … Continue reading The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Ralph and his best friend Vanellope enter the Internet, hoping to find a steering wheel and thereby saving the arcade game that is home to Vanellope and many other game characters… The sequel to Wreck-It Ralph (2012) is an improvement on the original, throwing its characters into an Internet that takes physical form, providing brilliant … Continue reading Ralph Breaks the Internet
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. In the early 1990s, during the production of the songs for Disney’s upcoming animated adventure The Lion King, West End legend Tim Rice had been hired to write the lyrics. When his attempts to get Benny Andersson as a composing partner fell through, he turned to Elton John. The pop star … Continue reading The Lion King: Feeling the Love
FAMILY VACATION. IT WILL SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF YOU. Mavis books a cruise for Dracula and the whole gang; after reluctantly boarding the ship, the old vampire falls head over heels for its human captain. The third chapter introduces new environs for the gang, which is a good idea. There’s a lot to like … Continue reading Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT IS WHAT MAKES YOU SPIDER-MAN. At the same time as Spider-Man battles Kingpin, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is bitten by a spider and gains the same superpowers as Spider-Man. A comic-book character in danger of being overexposed gets a new look in the shape of a biracial teenager and throws him … Continue reading Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
In 1920s Japan, young Jiro Horikoshi dreams of building planes and heads to an engineering school in Tokyo; his work will also take him to Nazi Germany… What was originally called Hayao Miyazaki’s last film before retiring is not for children, but an animated biography of the man who built the fighter planes that Japan … Continue reading The Wind Rises
WHY SO ANGRY? On Bird Island, Red, who’s attending an anger management class, becomes suspicious of a boat full of green-colored pigs that arrives one day; what are they after…? After the success of The Lego Movie (2014) there would obviously be more attempts to take a lucrative commercial franchise and try to make something … Continue reading The Angry Birds Movie
IT IS NOT WHAT IS OUTSIDE, BUT WHAT IS INSIDE THAT COUNTS. In 1992, Disney was on a roll. After the success of The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), the studio had entered a renaissance and more hits were to come. Still, when Howard Ashman suggested adapting a Middle Eastern folk … Continue reading Aladdin: Arabian Anarchy
MEET THE TRIBE ROCKING THE STONE AGE. When a rabbit-hunting tribe of cavemen are driven out of their valley by Bronze Age warriors, young Dug is taken to the invaders’ city and learns all about a mysterious game that’s popular there. Another stop-motion adventure-comedy from Aardman Animation, this time depicting a clash between two eras, … Continue reading Early Man
LOVE COMES TO THE FOREST FOLK… AND TO YOU, IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST LOVE STORIES! I had forgotten about Bambi a little bit. I did see this movie many years ago, thought it was very good, and that was it. When I bought it on Blu-ray and saw it again now, I was … Continue reading Bambi: Life of a Prince
THE CELEBRATION OF A LIFETIME. The world premiere of Coco took place in Morelia, Mexico, not Hollywood. During the making of the film, Pixar’s talents went south of the border to learn more about the culture and folk art, to find the right inspiration and local color for their tale about the Day of the … Continue reading Coco: A Visit to the Land of the Dead
BUILT TO FIGHT. BORN TO LOVE. A Spanish bull called Ferdinand grows up preferring to smell the flowers rather than fighting with the other bulls; however, he finds it hard to escape what’s considered his destiny. The Ice Age and Rio director’s adaptation of a classic children’s book was previously filmed by Disney as a … Continue reading Ferdinand
FROM THIS MOMENT, EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE. When Lightning McQueen crashes during a race with a cocky, younger talent, he starts fearing retirement but tries to find his way back at a new racing center, and with a new, annoyingly enthusiastic trainer. The third film reconnects with the original in several ways. Beautifully designed in 3D, … Continue reading Cars 3
