April 2013 Anime/Animation Challenge (1 Viewer)

April will be the Anime & Animation Challenge.All animation styles are excepted.Don't forget to PM Adam with your link so you can edit it.COMING SOONMay is Classic & Film Noir Challenge

I just recently went through a Disney and Pixar challenge, seeing if I could watch them all before my trip to Disney World a month ago. I fell short by 13 films, though it was a lot of fun. I may go through some of them again this month, as I tend to enjoy Disney animated films the best. In addition to the 13 Disney films that I did not watch earlier this year, I also plan to watch the following...

The Prince of Egypt
Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2
How to Train Your Dragon
The Rise of the Guardians
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Ice Age (just the 1st one)
Jetsons: The Movie
Space Jam
Anastasia
The Simpsons Movie
A Cat in Paris
The Secret of Kells

Plus time to catch up on The Simpsons, Family Guy, and finally get around to watching the 3rd season of Archer.

Some of the first time viewings I want to see are.Sky CrawlersGreat Mouse DetectiveA Cat in ParisRescuers Down UnderThe LoraxHigh School of the DeadThe Secret of KellsStuff I've see beforeWallace & Gromit AdventuresTransformersHe-ManToy Story 1-3 3DCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3DCoraline 3D

Animation ChallengeRatings as usual out of 5. New watches in boldMovies01 Rio (2011) (Netflix) 2.5/502 Rango (2011) (Netflix) 4.5/503 Planet 51 (2009) (Netflix) 3/504 Wall-E (2008) (bluray)4.5/505 A Cat in Paris (2010) (Netflix) 3.5/506 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011) (Netflix) 1/507 Monsters Inc. (2001) (bluray)4/508 The Dolphin:Story of a Dreamer (2009)(Netflix)1.5/509 The Prince of Egypt (1998) (Netflix) 2.5/510 The Road to El Dorado (2000) (Netflix) 3.5/511 Shrek (2001) (bluray) 4.5/5 12 Shrek 2 (2004) (bluray) 4/513 FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) (Netflix) 2.5/5Animation Shorts01 Presto (2008) (bluray) 4/502 Burn-E (2008) (bluray) 5/503 Mike's New Car (2002) (bluray) 3.5/504 For the Birds (2000) (bluray) 4.5/505 Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001) 4.5/506 Far Far Away Idol (2004) 3.5/507 These Boots are Made for Walking (2004) 4.5/5

Anime & Animation Challenge Watch ListMoviesAlice in Wonderland (1951)A Cat in Paris (2010)Great Mouse Detective (1986)Hotel Transylvania (2012) The Incredibles (2004)Monsters Inc. (2001)Renaissance (2006)The Secret of the Sword (1985)The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) Tales of the Night (2011) We're Back! A Dinosaurs Story (1993) TVClerks the Animated Series1. "Leonardo Leonardo Returns and Dante has an Important Decision to Make"2. "The Clipshow Wherein Dante and Randal are Locked in the Freezer and Remember Some of the Great Moments in their Lives"3. "Leonardo Is Caught in the Grip of an Outbreak of Randal's Imagination and Patrick Swayze Either Does or Doesn't Work in the New Pet Store"4. "A Dissertation on the American Justice System by People Who Have Never Been Inside a Courtroom, Let Alone Know Anything About the Law, but Have Seen Way Too Many Legal Thrillers"5. "Dante and Randal and Jay and Silent Bob and a Bunch of New Characters and Lando, Take Part in a Whole Bunch of Movie Parodies Including But Not Exclusive To, The Bad News Bears, The Last Starfighter, Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom, Plus a High School Reunion"6."The Last Episode Ever" Defenders of the Earth#1 Escape from Mongo#2 Creation of Monitor #3 A Demon in His Pocket #4 A House Divided#5 Bits and Chips#6 The Root of Evil Family Guy#918 It's a TrapHigh School of the DeadAct 1 Spring of the DeadTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)Season 1#101 Turtle Tracks#102 Enter the Shredder#103 A Thing About Rats#104 Hot Rodding Teenagers From Dimension X#105 Shredder & Splintered

Movies (23)
3/31 - Robin Hood (1973)
3/31 - The Prince of Egypt (1998)
4/01 - The Aristocats (1970)
4/02 - Kung Fu Panda (2008)
4/02 - The Black Cauldron (1985)
4/03 - Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
4/03 - The Fox and the Hound (1981)
4/04 - Chicken Little (2005)
4/09 - How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
4/09 - Mickey, Donald, Goofy - The Three Musketeers (2004)
4/10 - The Secret of Kells (2009)
4/18 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
4/19 - A Cat In Paris (2010)
4/21 - Oliver & Company (1988)
4/21 - Bolt (2008)
4/22 - Treasure Planet (2002)
4/23 - Brother Bear (2003)
4/25 - Home on the Range (2004)
4/26 - Meet the Robinsons (2007)
4/27 - Stitch the Movie (2003)
4/28 - Anastasia (1997)
4/30 - Atlantis: Milo's Return (2003)
5/01 - Wreck It Ralph (2012)

Shorts (4)
3/31 - Ye Olden Days (1933)
4/01 - Bath Day (1946)
4/29 - Mutiny on the Bunny (1950)
4/29 - Scent-imental Over You (1947)

TV
TaleSpin (11)
4/01 - For a Fuel Dollars More
4/02 - A Bad Reflection On You, Part 1
4/02 - A Bad Reflection On You, Part 2
4/03 - On a Wing and a Bear
4/05 - A Star Is Torn
4/10 - A Touch of Glass
4/11 - The Bigger They Are, The Louder They Oink
4/13 - A Spy in the Ointment
4/15 - The Balooest of the Bluebloods
4/19 - A Baloo Switcheroo
4/26 - Whistlestop Jackson, Legend

Goof Troop (17)
4/01 - Wrecks, Lies & Videotape
4/02 - Max-Imum Protection
4/04 - Goofin' Hood and His Melancholy Men
4/06 - Leader of the Pack
4/07 - Inspector Goofy
4/08 - Shake, Rattle & Goof
4/09 - Terminal Pete
4/10 - Fool's Gold
4/11 - Cat's Entertainment
4/13 - Waste Makes Haste
4/14 - The Ungoofables
4/15 - All the Goof That's Fit to Print
4/16 - To Heir Is Human
4/17 - Hallow-Weenies
4/18 - Tub Be or Not Tub Be
4/19 - Major Goof
4/27 - A Goof of the People

Darkwing Duck (22)
4/09 - Darkly Dawns the Duck, Part 1
4/09 - Darkly Dawns the Duck, Part 2
4/10 - Beauty and the Beet
4/12 - Dry Hard
4/13 - Getting Antsy
4/14 - Whiffle While You Work
4/15 - Night of the Living Spud
4/16 - Apes of Wrath
4/17 - Dirty Money
4/18 - Negaduck
4/19 - Duck Blind
4/21 - Comic Book Capers
4/22 - Fungus Amongus
4/23 - Water Way to Go
4/24 - Paraducks
4/25 - Easy Comes, Easy Grows
4/26 - Can't Bayou Love
4/27 - Days of Blunder
4/28 - Just Us Justice Ducks, Part 1
4/28 - Just Us Justice Ducks, Part 2
4/29 - Double Darkwings
4/30 - Aduckyphobia

Quack Pack (4)
4/12 - Pride Goeth Before the Fall Guy
4/27 - Need 4 Speed
4/28 - The Germinator
4/29 - The Late Donald Duck

Adventures of the Gummi Bears (5)
4/20 - A New Beginning
4/21 - The Sinister Sculptor
4/22 - Zummi Makes It Hot
4/23 - Someday My Prints Will Come
4/24 - Can I Keep Him?

Sofia the First (7)
4/22 - Once Upon a Princess
4/24 - Just One of the Princes
4/25 - The Big Sleepover
4/27 - Let the Good Times Troll
4/28 - Cedric's Apprentice
4/29 - A Royal Mess
4/30 - The Shy Princess

The Looney Tunes Show (12)
4/14 - Newspaper Thief
4/20 - That's My Baby
4/21 - Sunday Night Slice
4/22 - The DMV
4/23 - Off Duty Cop
4/24 - Working Duck
4/25 - French Fries
4/26 - Beauty School
4/27 - The Float
4/28 - The Shelf
4/29 - The Muh-Muh-Muh-Monster
4/30 - Point, Laser, Point

The Simpsons (7)
4/04 - The Changing of the Guardian
4/05 - Love is a Many-Splintered Thing
4/08 - Gorgeous Grandpa
4/10 - Black-Eyed Please
4/21 - Dark Knight Court
4/26 - What Animated Women Want
4/29 - Pulpit Fiction

Family Guy (5)
4/03 - Into Fat Air
4/15 - Ratings Guy
4/19 - Yug Ylimaf
4/20 - The Old Man & the Big 'C'
4/22 - Joe's Revenge

Archer (10)
4/23 - Heart of Archness, Part 1
4/23 - Heart of Archness, Part 2
4/23 - Heart of Archness, Part 3
4/24 - The Man From Jupiter
4/25 - El Contador
4/26 - The LImited
4/27 - Drift Problem
4/28 - Lo Scandalo
4/29 - Bloody Ferlin
4/30 - Crossing Over

I'd decided to start the challenge on Easter Sunday, and started it off with one of the Disney films that I did not watch few months back.

Robin Hood (1973) - For a while, whenever I think of Robin Hood, I would immediately think of the fox, as this film was how I first knew about Robin Hood. This film drags after the first song, "Oo De Lally", up until the archery scene, where it gets really entertaining for the rest of the film. Prince John is really funny, with his thumb-sucking. Though I can't help but notice some recycled characters from The Jungle Book.

The Prince of Egypt (1998) - Fitting to watch on Easter, and the animation is on par with Disney films of the Renaissance. And the movie version of "When You Believe" is a lot better than the overplayed pop version that I used to hear a lot back in the day. Definitely one of Dreamworks' best, and shows how great the traditional style of animation really is.

Next years Animation challenge will be more fitting since Easter will be on April 20th.Its been awhile since I've seen Robin Hood. I may just have to see it again.When I get home from work I'll be posting my thoughts on "A Cat in Paris"

01 Rio (2011) (Netflix) 2.5/5

Cute movie but did start to wear thin after awhile and I couldn't wait for it to be over. The story was pretty sparse but the movie was colourful and I like the travel log type scenes of Rio de Janeiro. I'm glad I watched it but have no desire to see it again.

01 Ergo Proxy - Anime - (Blu-ray) 4.5 /5

Tonight I hope to watch Wolf Children

I watched A Cat in Paris (2010) (Netflix streaming)I watched the American voiced actors version.I liked this movie, but I would really love to see the original French voiced version.Some might say simplified animation, but there are some still shots you could have up on your wall as art. I also liked how the little girl Zoe doesn't speak.As I was looking up the bluray for this movie, Amazon gave me a suggestion of another animated feature that is available on Netflix streaming. "Chico & Rita" (2010)Which I have added to my possible to watch list.

I plan to check out "A Cat in Paris" as well. And have to remember to list the films that I plan and hope to watch this month.

Last couple of days, I watched...

The Aristocats (1970) - First time watching in a long time, and pretty forgettable. This seemed at times, came across as a feline version of 101 Dalmations and Lady and the Tramp. The villain, Edgar, is very forgettable, and the parts with the dogs, was just out of place. Once again, hearing the voice of O'Malley cat, I can't help but think of Baloo.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) - Admittingly, the title and a fat character voiced by Jack Black, both sounded like a making of a dumb movie. But much to my surprise when I first saw it, it was very enjoyable and heartwarming as well. Watching it again, it was a lot of fun again. The characters are great, and the animation is awesome. The only downside, is how Po quickly masters kung fu very quickly, while the Furious 5 have been training their entire lives. Still, I thought one of the best from Dreamworks, and look forward to the re-watching the sequel later on.

The Black Cauldron (1985) - Being a child of the 80's, it is surprising that I never heard of this movie, though the characters did look familiar. The first thing that really struck me, was that there was no "Walt Disney Pictures presents" at the start of the film, basically Disney trying to pretend that this film did not exist. As for the film itself, it is not as bad as most would say, but definitely does not feel like Disney.

Started watching High School of the Dead (Netflix Streaming) (first time viewing)Act 1 "Spring of the Dead"A good start. Little blood and not that much gore. But there are lots of panty shots.Ass panty shots, crotch panty shots and even panty shots emphasizing action sequences. One of my favorite parts in act 1 is a scene where Alice in Wonderland (1951) (Bluray) (first time viewing)It's hard to remember if my mother took me to see this or not when I was a kid. And I've only seen bits and pieces of this many years ago, so I'm classifying it as a first time. Sadly, I really didn't like this as much as I thought I was going to.I thought the restored bluray looked great. But I just didn't like the adventure or any of the songs.Renaissance (2006) (bluray) (First time viewing)While I really didn't care for this type of animation, I found the story o be very compelling.The animation can be distracting at times. I actually wished it would have been more detail and vibrance. Some of the city and building designs are quite remarkable.The thing I hated about the bluray was no subtitles. Maybe someone else has different thoughts about RenaissanceTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) (DVD)Reliving one of my favorite and greatest things from Saturday morningsWatched the first episode, "Turtle Tracks"I love the animation and voice work.

On 4/3...

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) - Not a huge fan of this movie franchise, but I thought the 3rd film was better than the 1st, but not as good as the 2nd. The sea lion can be annoying at times, but I did end up liking the subplot with the circus, and the animal control lady was kind of funny, but no where near as funny as the old lady tourist in the 2nd film. Once again, the penguins steal the show. Overall, an enjoyable film, but not enough to wish for a 4th film.

The Fox and the Hound (1981) - When I first saw this, it brought me to tears, with the way the film opened. Just wow! I won't say it here, but those who saw it, will know what I am talking about. A story about 2 unlikely friends between Tod the fox and Copper the hound, not realizing that society has decided that they are suppose to be enemies. I thought it was a thought-provoking film, dealing with the issues of racism and prejudice, as well as friendship. While the animation is not great, it is passable. Definitely worth watching.

02 Rango (2011) (Netflix) 4.5/5- new watchRango is a lizard that finds himself accidently abandoned in the desert and stumbles across a town reminiscent of an old western town called Dirt. Dirt is inhabited by a colourful collection of characters who promptly make Rango their new sheriff.I didn't expect it but I really enjoyed this one. The animation is spot on and the inhabitants have their own distinct personalities. In fact this is probably one kids movie that adults would enjoy more. Great fun.03 Planet 51 (2009) (Netflix) 3/5 - new watchNot a big fan of this one though it certainly is fun for the kids. There were lots of nods to other movies like ET, Terminator and even Singing in the Rain that it got annoying after awhile. The little pet with the alien head that peed green acid was cute though. I watched this with the twins and they loved it even though they didn't get all the references. Their enjoyment raised my tolerance so this gets a mild pass from me.

I was planning to go through all of the Disney classics but with Jess Franco dying a few days ago I'm going to end up splitting time. Yeah, Franco and Disney in the same line.

As normal, ratings out of four stars and bold means new viewing.

The Rescuers (1977) ***
Mice Bernard and Bianca agree to go out and search for a missing girl after the Rescue Aid Society receive a mysterious letter with a girl asking to be helped. The two mice set out to locate the girl and eventually do in a swamp where she's being held captive by a couple bad guys and their large crocodiles. I wouldn't call THE RESCUERS one of Disney's greatest films but it certainly has enough charm and laughs to make it worth sitting through. I think the best thing going for the film is the animation, which simply looks terrific. I really loved the look of the film as its quite gloomy in spots and especially during all the scenes inside the swamp. There are some pretty dark moments and especially during a sequence where the girl and the mice are inside a small cave looking for a priceless diamond. This entire sequence was full of great fun and imagination. Another major plus were the two lead vocal artists with Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor doing excellent work as the lead mice. Both of them really helped bring their characters to life and helped add to the fun. The supporting characters are also good for the most part and I especially liked the two crocodiles as well as the other critters living in the swamp. I thought both villains weren't all that memorable and especially when you consider how great the studio usually is at delivering bad guys. The film certainly has a nice pace to it and I'm sure people of all ages could get into it.


The Rescuers Down Under (1990) ** 1/2

Sequel to the 1977 film has an Australian boy being kidnapped by a poacher because he learns that the kid knows the location of a golden eagle and its eggs. Soon the Rescue Aid Society are informed and both Bernard and Bianca are on their way. THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER was considered a major flop when it was first released and I must admit that it's somewhat shocking that Disney would select THE RESCUERS as a film to make a sequel to. Not that the original film is bad but there's certainly many better known titles out there that they could have done a sequel to and I'm sure they would have gone over better with crowds. Either way, this film isn't nearly as good as the original and I think this is mainly due to the story here not being all that good. We've got the same concept of what we saw in the original but the biggest change is that we're now in Australian, which I'm sure was in response to CROCODILE DUNDEE being such a hit. There are a few things that really work here including an amazing opening sequence where the boy ends up on the back of the eagle and goes for an incredibly fun journey through the clouds. If the rest of the film had more scenes like this one then it would have been much better. I also thought that the animation was great but then again you expect this from Disney. Both Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor are good reprising their roles and we get John Candy and George C. Scott doing fine work as well. THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER is far from a bad movie but it never quite reaches the level of the first film, which wasn't a classic either.


Alice in Wonderland (1951) ***

Disney classic about teenaged Alice who follows a rabbit into a mysterious hole, which leads her down a big drop off and into the world of Wonderland. Once there Alice meets all sorts of strange characters as they lead her on an adventure like she's never experiences. There's no question that ALICE IN WONDERLAND deserves the "classic" label but at the same time I think this is a lesser classic from the studio. I have one major problem with this film and it's the fact that it just never struck me as being all that magical or adventurous. If you're read any of the Alice books, seen any of the earlier or later films then you know there's quite a bit of magic going on in the stories but I don't think that comes across too well. Perhaps this is due to there simply being too many characters and none of the supporting ones really standing out among everything. Of course the Alice character is a great one as is the Mad Hadder and the rabbit but outside of these there are many supporting ones that just show up, have a few nice lines if that and then they're gone. I'd say the overall story has a somewhat strange mix and match going on as well with too many scenes that just feel out of place. Still, there's no question that the animation is downright beautiful and this is especially true once we get to all the vivid colors of Wonderland. Another major plus is that there are some pretty funny moments including the various scenes where Alice is either shrinking or growing too tall. The sequence where she gets stuck inside the small house is just priceless. ALICE IN WONDERLAND isn't flawless but there's certainly a lot of charm that helps keep it moving along.


Betty Boop shorts:

Happy You and Merry Me (1936) ** 1/2
House Clearing Blues (1937) ** 1/2
Betty in Blunderland (1934) ***
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame (1934) ** 1/2
Betty Boop and the Little King (1936) **
Betty Boop and Little Jimmy (1936) ** 1/2
Betty Boop and Grampy (1936) ** 1/2
Be Human (1936) **

I did like both Rescuers films, but would agree that the first one was better. The sequel was good, but my problem with it, is the way it just ended, because...


Still, it is the forgotten film of the Disney Renassiance, and one of the few Disney sequels that I am willing to watch. I pretend the majority of others, do not exist.

As for Alice In Wonderland, it is a mixed bag for me. There were some things like I liked about it, but then, there is the Creshire Cat, who I find really annoying. Hearing that conversation between him and Alice, just makes me want to fast-forward through that scene.

On 4/4, I was only able to watch 1 film...

Chicken Little (2005) - Disney's first CG film without the involvement of Pixar, and very memorable, but for the wrong reasons. Very cliched and having a bunch of pop culture references, with some annoying moments that just made me face-palm. I felt like it was a collection of shorts put together. Not as bad as most people would say, as I did find it entertaining at times, and could identify with the main character at times, but definitely ranked near the bottom of Disney films.

Hey guys, there are some films that combine live action with animation like Avatar for instance. Would those movies be okay for this challenge?Also I noticed that next month is Classic movies and film noir. As far as classic movies go is there usually a cut-off date for what is considered classic.

When I do these challenges, I don't like to have certain restrictions.Basically it's up to you.Movies like Cool World, Who Frammed Rodger Rabbit? and Yogi Bear are very acceptable. Also with the Claasic challenge.It's up to the viewer. Some would say Star Wars is a classic or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory is. For me, I'll be sticking with 1950 or 1960 and older.I finished season 1 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.I really like how season 1 plays out as you could edit all five episodes together and make it into one big movie.I also love how each episode we get introduced to different things. Origin of Beebop and Rocksteady. Krang's body, Baxter the scientist, turtle van and turtle blimp.Great Mouse Detective (1986) (Netflix Streaming)(First time viewing)I liked Vincent Price's voice work, and his mannerisms that they added into the animation from Vincent Himself.It added more personality into the character.I felt like this was more of an adult Disney animated feature than it was for the kids. Animation was average.I really didn't find Basil and Dawson relationship too interesting.I really liked Fidget the bat.Started watching the 80's cartoon Defenders of the Earth (Hulu+ streaming) (first time viewing)Never seen it during my massive Saturday morning cartoon watching when I was a kid.Episode 1 "Escape from Mango" I liked the introduction to all the characters except for the kid and the annoying fuzzball creature they found.

Thanks John. My cut-off date will probably be 1970 but I guess I'll depend. I probably keep most of viewing from the 30's - 60's.

04 Wall-E (2008) (bluray) 4.5/5

I was going to watch this one for the Sci-fi challenge but never got around to it. Classic Pixar animation that is probably one of the favourites. The is a scene between Wall-E and Eva at the end that had me in tears which was a source of amusement for my husband. This movie manages to be many things from humour to the discovery of true love to commenting on our increasing sedentary lifestyle and trashing of the planet. This is all done with amazing animation and an entertaining story.


Animation Shorts

01 Presto (2008) (bluray) 4/5

Amusing little short found on the Wall-E bluray of a fight between a magician and his rabbit over food.

02 Burn-E (2008) (bluray) 5/5

Burn-E is a droid assigned with fixing the burnt out lights outside the spaceship. Unfortunately things just don't go as planned for him. We met him briefly in the Wall-E film and I love how they incorporated that footage into Burn-E story. I've watched this several times. It's usually requested when the twins come to visit.