The Toy Story movies have been some of the crowning achievements of modern family film-making. All of them have been wonderful animated fantasy adventures that are cleverer, more inventive, funnier and more moving than most Hollywood live action films. It’s one franchise that deserves a multitude of sequels. Toy Story 4 continues the impressive standard of the previous films although
Read moreIsle of Dogs sees idiosyncratic director Wes Anderson make another foray into the world of stop motion animation. As with any Wes Anderson film enjoyment relies on a viewer’s attitude to his typically droll humour. Those who delight in quirky characters making ‘oh so ironic’ comments in expressionless voices will be in Heaven here while others may be grinding their
Read moreAfter the original Lego Movie became a box office behemoth there was no escaping a future filled with animated Lego figures spouting sarcastic quips. Now we have The Lego Batman Movie a cluttered, manic film stuffed with mostly superficial pop-cultural references that, while sporadically amusing, fails to live up to its predecessor. Here, Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) is having
Read moreAnimated adventure Storks is one of the big school holiday releases. Despite its cute premise, sparkling animation, elaborate set pieces and a deluge of sight gags, this film may,however, leave the intended youngster audience confused and dissatisfied. The film follows a familiar plot device in which a mythical gift giving service is depicted as a modern day manufacturing business. This
Read moreThe 2003 film Finding Nemo was a box office hit that mixed masterful animation and adorable characters to create an instant family favourite. Almost stealing the film from the title character was Nemo’s faithful and forgetful friend Dory who was voiced memorably by Ellen DeGeneres. Given that film’s success a sequel was inevitable and Disney Pixar has wisely focused on
Read moreDisney’s Zootopia is one of the best animated films of recent years. Other recent films in this genre have contained sparkling photo-realistic animation, a few clever gags and some endearing characters but Zootopia has all these qualities combined with a clever film noir-like detective plot and a variety of thoughtful and positive messages. Zootopia is set in an imaginary world
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