Cars 2 & Kung Fu Panda 2. The review.

So a couple of days ago, I was fortunate enough to go see both Cars 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2. I was quite surprised by what I saw.

First Cars 2.
This was much better that I ever expected.

While I do love all the PIXAR films, Cars is towards the bottom of my list in terms of favourites. I was not excited about the idea of a sequel when it kept us away from the new ideas (and lets face it, nowadays most movies are either remakes or sequels). Part of it may also be the fact that since the release of the first movie it's easy to say that Cars has been the most solid of the PIXAR films to secure its own franchise.

Moving on. In terms of the film as I've already written it was far better than I could have hoped. Before it's release critics were calling it as one of PIXAR's weakest films. I disagree.

In terms of it being an animated sequel, well the bar just keeps rising. I believe that PIXAR have done a good job on keeping the film at as high a quality as any other non-sequel movie they would produce.

Now in terms of story; the original Cars was very much the story of Lightning McQueen. Cars 2 is very much Mater's story, while also still keeping with the cast we fell in love with in the first film.

Something I was very pleased to see was how they handled the passing of Paul Newman and his character Doc. This was something I was worried about in terms of there being a Cars sequel because Doc was a very important character to the first film and to me it didn't feel right without him. Would they just have him absent or silent, would they simply recast him? No. Very early in the film they explain his absence in a way that's believable and to me respectful to the character. He doesn't just drop off the face of the earth or prowl around in the background. This made me very happy.

Now as an action/spy movie as it has been dubbed, you would not think that in a world where the dominating species are cars it would be possible. But no PIXAR have pulled the rug out from under out feet again with some spectacular action sequences and very creative ideas.

The soundtrack is quite enjoyable, including a couple of international tracks and a pleasing score.

Overall This movie held my attention for the entire duration, which in terms of an animated feature is a big thing for me (so many films I feel don't do that any more). I laughed long and hard through the funnys and felt for the characters in their hardships. I'd give this 10/10 and see it again.


Oh I should also mention, the short Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation was awesome too and left us going awww.

My only complaint, that isn't even really relevant to the film is that we didn't see the teaser for PIXAR's next film BRAVE.
But youTube fixes that :D

Scotland. Princess. Yeah!.

Now, Kung Fu Panda 2.
As with Cars2 I had very little to expect from this film. Yeah it's a DreamWorks sequel; please lord let it be decent. It's no secret that I don't hold DreamWorks Animation very highly but usually that's because their films are so full of pop culture references I want to gag.

The first film, I quite enjoyed and kinda had me at a point where I could see them as making good movies. Kung Fu Panda 2 has left me again with that same feeling, only this time it's we can also make a decent sequel.

Immediately you're immersed in the characters you came to love in the first film and very quickly it's into the thick of the story.

Part of the film sees you exploring Po's back story, and why you don't see any other pandas; the rest is full of action and character development (particularly for Po and Tigress).

Something that caught me off guard, but I was really happy to see was the amount of 2D animation that surfaced throughout the duration of the film. I though it was beautiful and makes me wonder if DreamWorks will do more with it in the future. I certainly hope they do.

While there were many laugh out loud moments through this film, there were also moments that left me rolling my eyes going, ' did we really need that DreamWorks? Really?’ Asides from these few cheesy moments the film is overall very entertaining and proves in my books, that DreamWorks can make a decent sequel. I’d give it 9/10.


Again, I was disappointed to not see the trailer for DreamWorks next film: Puss in Boots. YouTube hasn't disappointed me; however I don't know how I feel about the story from what they've revealed. Mind it's all about Puss, so I know I'll see it anyway.

Tangled. The review.

So Tangled came out today, saw it and well I was blown away.

Not only is it simply beautiful to look at but Disney have managed to achieve a beautiful story. Before seeing Tangled, I was unaware of the tale behind Rapunzel. I knew she was the girl with long golden hair locked away in a tower and that was about it, I had no desire to look into it any further. After seeing the movie I hunkered down, did some reading and read the original origin of the fairy tale. Much to my surprise, a lot of things in the movie are much like their fairy tale counterparts but at the same time a lot of things are also different.

I remember reading, in the Art of Tangled that at one stage of early production they had wanted to modernize the story, but that the idea was squashed. Regardless, I feel that there is a little modernization however the film still pertains that classic story telling feeling; and while you may be able to guess how it ends you still want to stay and see how it comes about.

This has to be one of the few movies that the forms of expression have really stood out to me (The only other from recent animation that comes to my mind is Toothless from httyd). From Rapunzel, whose hair acts as an extension of her body, to the animals Maximus and Pascal, who only rely on body language, and Flynn, who has some wild facial expressions, the way each character expresses themself is very well done. Even Mother Gothel has a distinct way in which she carries herself.

My favourite scene (which I’m not really spoiling because it’s been in all the trailers oratleastithinkso) is the lanterns in the sky. The back story behind them is a sweet one, and I found myself lost in the however-long the scene went for. For lack of better words, sooooo pretty.

The music. I’d listened to the soundtrack long before the film came out here in Australia. In fact, a lot of people I talked to from the US said that they found the musical style songs to not be very memorable. While I agree with them to a degree, I still feel they are still very fitting to the film. All I feel they’re missing is a bit more Omph! Mother Gothel’s ‘Mother Knows Best’ kind of has it going but I feel it was still a little on the soft side. The score itself is beautiful, then again I expect no less from Alan Menken who already has a list of my favorite Disney film scores under his belt.

Overall I loved the film and it will be joining my list of ultimate favorites. Fantastic story, fantastic characters, simply fantastic. At no point did I ever feel squeamish or bored. I even came out of the cinema having not chewed my finger nails which is a rare occasion for me (and a sign for that the film has had my 100% attention for the entire time).

I highly recommend seeing it, even if it’s only once in your lifetime. I’m rather excited because I’ve already got 2 more viewings of the movie scheduled in over the next week or so.

Fanart I did back in early December. Because I can.

and a photo of the artbook, which I recieved last night and proceeded to run through the house cheering about.

How to Train Your Dragon. The review.

So. How to Train Your Dragon. Just got out of the movies roughly an hour ago. It was awesome. So very awesome. Okay just saying awesome is probably not the right way to describe it. So lets look into why I think it's awesome.

Visually everything is stunning. From the detail of the backgrounds to the characters. Hell, five minutes in and I was amazed by the visual effects of the fire alone. What I enjoyed the most though were when Hiccup and Toothless flew through the clouds. Now I like clouds in general, especially when they're hit with all the different light. In my opinion this was pulled off spectacularly.

The characters themselves, both dragon and human, were appealing. I particularly liked the interactions between Hiccup and his father Stoick. Like father, like son. I was actually worried for a little while about Jay Baruchel, the voice of Hiccup. Having only really seen the trailer, something about them made him (Hiccup that is) seem whiny. It may have just been the lines they chose for the trailer, but I am very glad to say that he pulled off the role wonderfully.
The dragons themselves pulled off the right kind of scary and were still appealing. They felt like dragons. Fearsome and awe-inspiring.

John Powell pulled off yet another beautiful score. It accompanies the film very well, embracing the feel and theme of the two very different worlds of the Vikings and the dragons. I especially enjoyed the surplus of strings instruments within the score. It is very worth while sitting through the credits if only to listen to the score (though of course as animators we would also be appreciating all those names and stuff... yeaaah)

The only negative thing I have to say in regards to the evening, not particularly towards the film, is that seeing it in 3D was unnecessary. It would have been just as spectacular had it been without.

Overall, there's my impression of the film.

I'm glad to say that Dreamworks have highly impressed me with the quality of the story and not just the amazing art form. I have to admit I've got very mixed feelings towards Dreamworks Animation as a whole, mostly because none of their films have left a lasting impression on me story wise. The quality of the art they produce has always been fantastic however, mostly for me, when the story is lacking no matter how pretty it may look it's just not that appealing.

I am very glad to say that How to Train Your Dragon has left me with the most wonderful feeling.

If you go to see it expecting to see the book, prepare to be disappointed. This isn’t Harry Potter. While it's indeed based around the book, it's entirely different at the same time.

Chris Sanders, thank you and you're amazing team for giving us a superb movie.

I look forward to seeing it again with the class next week and all the discussion that will indeed follow.

Check out the How to Train Your Dragon Blog, if you haven’t already. It's got some amazing behind the scenes footage.
Thank Tim for finding it :)