April 2013 Anime/Animation Challenge (1 Viewer)

[JohnS]

I watched all six episode of Clerks the Animated SeriesI've seen all six episode before and I actually thought they were quite entertaining.I also loved the animation style chosen. The worst episode is episode five where they parody Bad News Bears and Temple of Doom.My favorite episodes are two and three.

 

[PatW]

05 A Cat in Paris (2010) (Netflix) 3.5/5 - new watch

The animation is certainly simple but I really enjoyed the story. As others have stated I watched the English language version and I would love to see it in French someday.


06 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011) (Netflix) 1/5 - new watch

This movie was cute for the first five minutes and then it and the high pitched chipmunk voices just started to get on my nerves. It was a blessing when it was over.

 

[JohnS]

The Incredibles (2004) (bluray)This is a movie I haven't seen since its theatrical run.I've had the bluray since day one, but never opened it up till now.I had forgotten how much fun this movie was.Really great animation and I really love the hair textures.I also love the look of the character of Mirage and how the villain comes to be.I should also watch the Jack Jack short again.

 

[PatW]

03 Mike's New Car (2002) (bluray) 3.5/504 For the Birds (2000) (bluray) 4.5/5Watched these two shorts from the Monsters Inc. bluray. Will watch the movie tomorrow since company has arrived.Mike's New Car was entertaining but For the Birds was the star of the two. Simply hilarious and a life lesson included as well. Probably my favourite all time short.

 

[Walter C]

After not watching any movies for a few days, I watched the following today (4/10) and yesterday (4/9)...

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - Oh man, I wished I saw this movie in the theaters and hope that it will be re-released in the future. Definitely the best Dreamworks film ever. Have to admit, I did take a liking to Toothless, who reminds me of my black cat. The student characters are interesting as well.

Mickey, Donald, Goofy - The Three Musketeers (2004) - An okay and forgettable film, but nothing more than a fun, Saturday morning (or Disney afternoon) cartoon film. It was more like watching the shorts of the classic characters than an actual film. I liked it better than DuckTales movie, but it's definitely NOT in the same league as Beauty and the Beast or Bambi.

The Secret of Kells (2009) - Only the 2nd European animated film I've seen, and find the animation style interesting. It seemed to be about a quest to finish the Book of Kells, and getting the necessary tools for it. I thought it was an okay film, but I did really like the character Aisling and the moments with Brandon, as well as the song she sings.

 

[PatW]

07 Monsters Inc. (2001) (bluray)4/5A lot of imagination went into this film about monsters who scare children at night in order to obtain their screams which powers their city.Billy Crystal and John Goodman were perfectly cast as the voices of the two main characters. The little girl was just adorable and the relationship between her and Sully the John Goodman character was touching. Pixar certainly knows how to do these well.08 The Dolphin:Story of a Dreamer (2009)(Netflix)1.5/5A story of a young dolphin who goes in search of his dream, to ride the largest wave possible. The story was okay but the characters were poorly conceptualized. They also didn't seem to be part of their background scenes. This is probably one of the worst animated films that I've seen as far as the animation goes. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

 

[JohnS]

Tales of the Night (2011) (Netflix streaming) (first time)While I didn't like the animation, I did find some of the stories interesting.Also the use of bright colors in the background make up for the lack of interesting animation.The Secret of the Sword (1985) (Netflix streaming) (first time)The He-Man movie that introduced She-Ra and her television show.Being a fan of He-Man, I found this quite entertaining. She-Ra's origin story was fun. Sadly, Orko was not in this movie but they used Orko's voice for a She-Ra character named Skragg.One of the funniest lines came from Skeletor when She-Ra fainted in front of him, he said "Just like a woman."This is also the first time that He-Man and She-Ra transform at the same time which was cool. We also get one of the rare opportunities for Cringer to say something before he is transformed. Although t's not as cool as the one time where he actually runs away and Adam still catches him with the Power Sword beam.

 

[JohnS]

Monsters Inc. (2001) (bluray) The first time I saw this I really didn't like it.It took a second viewing for me to really appreciate it.I love the animation, including the hair on Sully.The little girl is such a great character even though she says very little.I have yet to buy the 3D version, which I really want to see.Netflix sent me Secret World of Arrietty, which I'm going to try and get to this weekend.HBO is also playing Were Back! A Dinosaurs Story, which I think I'm going to watch.Has anyone seen this?

 

[PatW]

The Prince of Egypt (1998) (Netflix) 2/5I almost feel criminal for saying this but I found this movie mediocre at best. Maybe it's because I had just watched The Ten Commandments at Easter. I found the collection of songs poor with nothing to really engage me. It seems like they sweetened Rameses character a bit too, especially at the beginning. I found the animation fairly poor as well. Though the subject material was heavy, I found no joy in this film. If they want to expose kids to bible stores they will have to make them more engaging than this.The Road to El Dorado (2000) (Netflix) 3.5/5DreamWorks did a better job with this movie. Colourful, brazen, silly and a lot of fun.

 

[JohnS]

Watched two more episodes of Defenders of the Earth"Creation of Monitor" and "Monster in His Pocket"The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) (bluray) (first time viewing)Another amazing film from Studio Ghibli. Great animation and music score and songs by Cecile Corbel and Bridgit Mendler.I watched the movie with the American celebrity voices just for the fact that Carol Bernett and Amy Poehler lenses their talents.I love the scenes with the rainstorms and moving thought the borrowers house.

 

[Walter C]

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) - This film started out really promising, but then, gets kind of cliched and confusing at times. An entertaining film, and plan to watch the sequel, just to see how the TV series spinoff would have been like.

A Cat In Paris (2010) - Watched the English dub, and enjoyed it. The villain was funny, even if he was over-the-top. And thought the Impressionist animation was simple, but something different and unique than what I was used to watching.

 

[PatW]

Shrek (2001) (bluray) 4.5/5Shrek 2 (2004) (bluray) 4/505 Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001) 4.5/506 Far Far Away Idol (2004) 3.5/507 These Boots are Made for Walking (2004) 4.5/5Watched two Shrek movies plus three shorts contained on the discs.Liked the first Shrek movie the best. The character was original and funny plus it took the fairytale and turned it on its head.The second movie was a bit dull in places but I do adore the character Puss in Boots and Antonio Banderas did a great job bringing him to life.Of the three shorts I liked These Boots are Made for Walking the best though I always liked the song anyway.

 

[Walter C]

Oliver & Company (1988) - An entertaining film, even if it's so dated, with the 80's feel to it. The songs are entertaining, but not really memorable. And while it's been a long time since I read Oliver Twist, I am sure that it was a loose and modern adaptation of the Dickens classic. It's Disney after all, though does not feel quite like it.

Bolt (2008) - I feels like a cross of Oliver & Company, and a storyline from Toy Story. I would have added Puss In Boots, but this film was released before the 2011 Dreamworks film. I won't really say anymore about the movie, because it's one of those films where revealing the beginning would be a spoiler in itself. But definitely worth a watch, even if not really memorable.

Treasure Planet (2002) - One of Disney's underrated films, and I do wonder if it would have benefited more if it was re-released in theaters, like the way it used to be with other classics. I really enjoyed this adventure film, which is a sci-fi retelling of Treasure Island, with animation that combines both 2-D and 3-D.

 

[JohnS]

Watched three more episodes of Defenders of the Earth"A House Divided" "Bits and Chips" "The Root of Evil"We're Back! A Dinosaurs Story (1993) (HBO 2 HD) (first time viewing)I really disliked this film. From the animation, voice acting and just the overall story really bored me.

 

[Walter C]

Brother Bear (2003) - An enjoyable and touching film, about family and friendship. And an interesting take on seeing it from both sides after killing an animal. Kind of hard for me to explain, but I thought it worked well. Makes me like this one more, and Brave a little less. The mooses can be grating at times, but I guess there is a need for some comic relief.
Home on the Range (2004) - I won't really say underrated, but I think it does get an unfair bad rep. I thought it was entertaining enough, feeling more like the package films of the 40's or the shorts. The yodeling song is fun to hear, though that is the only thing that made the villain memorable. Other than that, he is pretty forgettable. While not in the same league as Bambi or The Princess and the Frog, but definitely not the worst.

 

[PatW]

Going to have to call an end to this challenge. Going away for a few days and won't be back until Tuesday. I doubt very much if I'd be able to fit another movie in.Really thought I would watch more. Animated films isn't really my thing and that probably was the problem. I like seeing them on occasion especially with my family and I own some in my collection but this challenge proved to me that I only like them on a very limited basis.13 FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) (Netflix) 3/5Cute movie but a bit too preachy for my tastes. Still the little ones enjoyed it especially the bat.Total movies watched = 13Total shorts watched = 7Favourite new movie = RangoFavourite overall movie = Wall-ELeast favourite = Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

 

[JohnS]

PatW- you didn't do that bad. A nice go around.It is hard to do nothing but animated films. Especially if you don't have kids(like me)I watched Hotel Transylvania (2012) (bluray) (first time viewing)I just found this to be average at best.It had just a few funny moments, and those were just slight laughs.I thought they used way to many characters and just overloaded it to much.They could have done it like Shrek and limited it to just a few handful and done some great funny moments.The characters just came off as too stale. I enjoyed the artwork and matte paintings that were shown at the end credits.

 

[JohnS]

Here is something funny that I thought I should pass along.
There's an animated movie called Foodfight and its been in limbo for awhile.
It cost $65 million to make and stars Charlie Sheen, Hillary Duff, Wayne Brady and Cheistopher Llyod. This studio that made this is calling themselves the next Pixar.
The movie isn't coming out to theaters anymore but will hit DVD this spring.
Take a look at the appalling trailer.

 

[Walter C]

Meet the Robinsons (2007) - An uneven movie, with a good beginning and ending, but the middle drags a while. The reveal in the end was surprising though, and thought it was just eh. Not really good, but at the same time, not really bad.

Stitch the Movie (2003) - Not so much a movie, but a backdoor pilot to the TV series. If looking at it as a TV series, then it is entertaining enough to watch once in a while, though it just comes across as Disney's answer to the Pokemon craze. And not enough to get me to watch the TV series. Needless to say, it's definitely not on par with the original film. Or even the Disney Afternoon shows like Ducktales or Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers.

Anastasia (1997) - The animation looked awesome back in the day, but now, it can look cheap at times. And people often mistakenly think it's a Disney film, since it's a musical, based on a historical legend. With all that being said, I still think it holds up very well and often looked over, because it's not Disney or Dreamworks. Granted, the villain Rasputin is not really scary at all, but I enjoyed the songs, and the characters as well. I did see this in theaters twice, and glad that I chose this one over Disney's Hercules (which came out the same year).

 

[JohnS]

I'm finished with my Animation Challenge.Movies= 11 (new= 9)TV episodes= 19Favorite movie- Secret World of ArriettyWorst movie- We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story