Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 2001

Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 2001

In February, the (at the time) popular TV series Recess made it to the big screen with Recess: School’s Out. Because there were no other big movies at the time, the film did quite well at the box-office.

In April, the Pokémon invaded the big screen AGAIN with the US release of Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unown. A mysterious Pokémon called Unown, which are based on the Latin alphabet, capture an archeologist and turn him into the Legendary Pokémon Entei. Molly, the archeologist’s daughter, discovers Entei and the Unown and uses them to make as many wishes as she can, turning the building into a crystal palace. After Entei steals Ash’s mom Delia, he and his friends must embark on a journey to restore peace to Greenfield, Johto. This would be the last Pokémon movie to be distributed by Warner Bros in the US, as the next two movies would be distributed by Mirimax.

In May, DreamWorks and PDI hit their stride with Shrek. It did very well at the box-office, earning over 480 million dollars worldwide, got great reviews, spawned a multimedia franchise, and even won the very first Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

June saw the release of Disney’s first sci-fi animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Despite having the same directors as Beauty and the Beast, the film tanked at the box-office and got mixed reviews. However, Atlantis has become a cult classic to some Disney fans.

In July, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within hit theaters. It was the first full-length motion-capture movie. Motion-capture is a form of CGI that turns live-action humans into CGI characters. While it had ‘Final Fantasy’ in its title, the film had little to do with the popular swords-and-sorcery role-playing video games. In fact, this feels more like a knockoff of Titan AE, if you ask me. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within failed to excite the general public outside of game players, was a box-office failure, and caused production house Square Pictures to close their doors.

In August, from Warner Bros Animation came a film called Osmosis Jones. It was about what really happens inside the human body, in a (kinda) similar fashion to Inside Out. Unfortunately, the film tanked at the box-office, but it managed to spawn a TV series.

November saw the release of Pixar’s fourth feature film, Monsters Inc. Like previous Pixar films, Monsters Inc did very well at the box-office and got great reviews. Monsters Inc even got the first Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Shrek.

And finally, December saw the release of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Despite getting mixed reviews, the film did quite well at the box-office, and even got the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature! The success of Jimmy Neutron lead to a TV series and another CGI movie co-produced with Nickelodeon, but that’s another story. That's all I have to say for this week's Animated Movies Throughout the Years! Tune in next
week when we talk about animated movies from 2002, in which Blue Sky made their feature film debut with Ice Age, Hayao Miyazaki made his mark with the US release of Spirited Away, DreamWorks released an animated horse film in which the animals don't talk, and Disney released two very different animated films with Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet.

Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 2000

Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 2000

Note: Pixar did not release a single movie this year.

The new year, decade, and century began with Fantasia 2000, the long-awaited sequel to Walt Disney’s Fantasia. This movie featured seven new animated segments plus the original classic segment ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ digitally remastered.

February saw the release of The Tigger Movie, our first visit to the Hundred Acre Woods on the big screen in over 20 years. In this movie, Tigger feels lonely being ‘the only one’, so he sets off on an adventure to find his family. The success of The Tigger Movie lead to two more theatrical Winnie the Pooh movies: Piglet’s Big Movie and Pooh’s Heffalump Movie.

There were two animated movies released in March. The first was DreamWorks’ next feature The Road to El Dorado, which was about two Spanish con artists, Miguel and Tulio, who hitch a ride on a boat to the legendary Mesoamerican kingdom of El Dorado. Unfortunately, the movie tanked at the box-office, earning only 76 million dollars on a 95 million dollar budget.

Dinosaur, released in May, was the first CGI movie from Walt Disney Feature Animation, now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios. Many fans blandly compared it to Don Bluth’s The Land before Time, while others compared it to Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. It had CGI dinosaurs (and for an odd reason, lemurs) in live-action landscapes, since Disney wasn't ready to create believable 3D CGI backgrounds, yet. While Dinosaur was written, directed, and produced at WDFA, the animation was done at a lesser-known production house acquired by Disney called Dream Quest Images.

In June, Chicken Run, the first movie from Aardman Animations, was released. It earned over 200 million dollars at the box-office and got excellent reviews. The film was so successful that it lead to two more co-productions with DreamWorks; Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away. Also in June was Titan AE, the final film from legendary film director Don Bluth, director of beloved films like The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, and The Land before Time. Titan AE was a sci-fi flick about a young man who must save humanity from extinction after the Earth has been destroyed by aliens. Unfortunately, like The Road to El Dorado, Titan AE tanked at the box-office: It earned less than 40 million dollars on a 75 million dollar budget.

In July, the Pokémon returned to the big screen with the US release of Pokémon 2000: The Power of One. In this movie, a greedy Pokémon collector plans to catch the three Legendary Birds: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Now Ash has to find the spheres of fire, ice, and lightning to restore peace to the Orange Islands, where the film takes place.

In October, another Japanese monster franchise reached the big screen as an animated film; Digimon: The Movie. Website Rotten Tomatoes states that "Digimon is better than Pokémon, but it's still a predictable movie with mediocre animation."

In November, the Rugrats returned to the big screen with Rugrats in Paris. In this movie, the Rugrats go to Paris, France so Stu Pickles, Tommy’s father, can repair an animatronic Reptar at Euro-Reptarland. Much like the previous movie, a new character is introduced who would also appear as a regular on the TV series: Kimi Watanabe, who is secretly part Japanese.

And finally, in December, Disney released their 40th animated movie The Emperor’s New Groove. It got great reviews, but unfortunately didn’t meet box-office expectations. ‘New Groove’ had to compete against How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the one with Jim Carrey) and Rugrats in Paris. That's all I have to say for this week's Animated Movies Throughout the Years! Tune in next
week when we talk about animated movies from 2001, in which both Pixar and DreamWorks brought computer animation to new heights with Monsters Inc and Shrek, Disney released their first sci-fi animated film with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Warner Bros mixed animation with live-action again with Osmosis Jones.

Mighty Ducks trilogy review

Mighty Ducks trilogy review                                                                                                       1-13-19

Tough trial lawyer Gordon Bombay never loses, but when he's slapped with a community service assignment, he must coach a group of peewee hockey players who's chances of becoming hockey champions are one in a million. Reluctantly, Bombay takes on the assignment and soon realizes that there are more important things than winning. Armed with this new attitude, feathers fly as Bombay and the Ducks battle along to the toughest game in their lives!

This film was made in the wake of Home Alone, which proved to be very popular. Influence from Home Alone is evident throughout the movie, with rambunctious kids, mild swear words, and some dated pop-culture references.

The kids break into Bombay's private van.

'What is there to appreciate about The Mighty Ducks?' You might ask yourselves? Well, these films are good choices for during the winter with believable cinematography, top-notch hockey playing (though the playing doesn't start until the third act), and a memorable score from David Newman.

The Ducks (green) face off against the Hawks (black).

If I were to complain about one thing, I feel that the story drags on a little longer than it should.

In D2: The Mighty Ducks, the titular hockey team is thrilled to be chosen to compete in the Junior Goodwill Games as Team USA. They'll be facing off against the best teams from all over the world, including the meanest team that ever sliced the ice! Are they out of their league? Has Coach Bombay let the big time go to his head, forgetting that it's just a game? But when a street hockey gang teaches the Ducks to get tough, the Coach remembers how to have fun...and the Ducks show the world the true meaning of duck power!

The Ducks in this film are in there early teens in this film, but they still have the fun and energetic traits and faults from the first film.

There are also some new Ducks, including Dwayne Robertson from Austin, Texas. Not only is he skilled at puck handling, but he also has a handy lasso for wrangling other hockey players.

Dwayne Robertson after roping an Icelandic player.

As well as more action-packed hockey playing, D2: The Mighty Ducks also features a guest appearance from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky (the man in the light brown jacket) meeting the Ducks.
However, I do have a warning for those who want to watch D2: The Mighty Ducks. The Icelandic hockey team in this film are depicted as barbaric, ruthless, and cocky. If you are Icelandic and easily offended by this, then this movie may not be for you.

In D3: The Mighty Ducks, after the Ducks win scholarships to a snooty private school, Coach Bombay announces that he's moving on to greener pastures with the Goodwill Games. Shortly after the team arrives at Eden Hall Academy, they inherit a new coach who turns out to be their worst nightmare when he strips Charlie Conway (one of the Ducks) of his position as captain! Then, with their scholarships on the line, they face their toughest rival- the 10-time championship varsity team! The Ducks and their opponents engage in a series of pranks to warm up for their battle on the ice. And in a thrilling and climatic battle in the rink, the Ducks must prove why they are called the Mighty Ducks!

Much like the previous film, the Ducks are older than in the previous film, now in their freshmen years, but they still retain most of their original traits.

The Ducks look in awe at their rival team.

The set design is amazing: Eden Hall Academy looks like a real high school campus complete with classrooms, a skating rink, a cafeteria, student sleeping quarters, and even an ant farm!

Much like the first movie, D3: The Mighty Ducks has a meandering and lagging story. At least they put more effort than a recent third installment. (*Cough* Despicable Me 3 *Cough*).

Charlie Conway trying to woo high school student (but not a Duck) Emily.

In conclusion, The Mighty Ducks trilogy isn't the best movie trilogy out there, but is something to warm up to when the weather gets cold. It's also a good substitute for the Rocky movies until your kids are old enough.

Mighty Ducks 1 rating- 3.5 stars out of 5.

Mighty Ducks 2 rating- 3.7 stars out of 5.

Mighty Ducks 3 rating- 3.4 stars out of 5.

Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 1999

Animated Movies Throughout the Years: 1999

Note: DreamWorks did not release a single movie this year.

In March, The King and I was released, based on the musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. I have honestly never seen this movie before, but I heard it was kind of a knockoff of Disney’s Aladdin.

April saw the release of Doug’s First Movie, though it was originally intended to be direct-to-video. Fans criticized this movie and stated it felt more like an extended episode.

In June, Disney released their final film in the Disney Renaissance, Tarzan. It was the first to use the Deep Canvas technique, an innovative CG process that the Disney animators and directors described as ‘taking a camera and moving it through a painting’. This process would also be used for Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet. Tarzan would also win the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Also released in June was the super raunchy and foul-mouthed South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. It earned the record for the most swear words in an animated film, with 399 swear words and 128 offensive gestures. In the words of Marge Simpson “What kind of warped human being would find this funny?!”

August saw the release of The Iron Giant, the directorial debut of Brad Bird. While it tanked at the box-office, it is a favorite among many animation fans and filmmakers.

In October, Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke made it to the USA with an English dub from countless celebrities. Despite having ‘princess’ in its name, Princess Mononoke is a rather violent movie. While not as successful at the box-office in the US as it was in Japan, Princess Mononoke became a favorite among many, including the late Roger Ebert.

Also an import from Japan, the popular Japanese video game monsters made their big-screen debut in Pokémon: The First Movie, released in the US on November 10th, 1999. In this movie, Mewtwo, who was created from the DNA of the ancestor to all Pokémon, Mew, questions its existence. Mewtwo holds a challenge for all Pokémon Trainers across Kanto (the only known Pokémon region at the time) that puts the fate of the world in jeopardy. For those diehard Pokémon fans out there, only the original 151 Pokémon plus Togepi existed by this point. There were no Mega Evolutions nor Alolan forms yet, as well as the remaining 650+ Pokémon that have yet to be introduced at the time.

And finally, on November 24th of the same year, Toy Story 2 hit theaters and got overwhelmingly positive reviews. It became the first animated sequel to gross more than the original, earning nearly 500 million dollars worldwide at the box-office, and even won the Golden Globe for Best Picture. Believe it or not, Toy Story 2 was originally going to be direct-to-video! However, when some finished animation was shown to Disney, they felt it was suitable enough to be released in theaters. That's all I have to say for this week's Animated Movies Throughout the Years! Tune in next
week when we talk about animated movies from 2000, in which Disney released their first CGI movie with Dinosaur, Aardman made their feature film debut with Chicken Run, and two very different films based around Mesoamerica were released the same year.