Oscarless Cartoons Bonus 2

Oscarless Cartoons Bonus 2: One Froggy Evening (1955)

One day, a man working for a building demolition company uncovered a box from inside a cornerstone. When he opened the box, he not only found the will to the building that was destroyed, but also a frog who can sing and dance!

The man thinks that if he were to bring Michigan, the frog, to a concert and have him perform, he would be rich! So he locks up the box, heads to the Acme Theatrical Agency, and pitches his idea to the chairman.

He even takes the frog out, but Michigan didn't do anything. He just sat there.

After a failed attempt to make the frog dance on his own, the chairman turns down the proposal and kicks him out of his office, only for Michigan to sing again.

The man runs back in to tell the chairman that Michigan actually can sing, but when they see him again, the frog just sat there again.

The man got kicked out again, but he wasn't going to give up easily. He saw a dilapidated theater, refurbished the whole place, and set up a big stage show for Michigan.

While Michigan was rehearsing, the man went outside to see if anyone was waiting outside yet. However, no one was there, so he painted signs that said free admissions and free beer, and they literally stormed in. When the man pulled up the curtain, Michigan finished singing, but the audience didn't see him. They started booing at the man and threw gourds at him.

After the financial disaster, the man was left homeless with no money. When he saw a poster an upcoming building that was going to be built, the man ran inside and put the box with Michigan inside and placed it inside the cornerstone he found the frog in the first place, and his worries were over.

The same would be said for the next person to unearth Michigan in the distant future, only to fall for the same trick as the last man.

What makes this cartoon stand out from other Looney Tunes cartoons is that there's no dialogue from any of the characters, except for the frog singing.

Animation historian Charles Solomon states that 'One Froggy Evening' stands out as an example of the kind of discipline Chuck Jones set for himself to keep himself challenged and to find and explore new ways of doing things. Jones made a rule for himself for the cartoon that the only voice you'll hear is Michigan, and only the man can hear Michigan. This implies that the man hearing the frog has gone crazy.

Michigan J Frog was actually originally an unnamed character, but during the 1970s, many people kept asking Chuck Jones what the frog's name was. He was originally called Michigan Frog, but Jay Cocks did an article in Time Magazine about Looney Tunes, and he told Jones that the name didn't sound right. Cocks said that Michigan could use a middle initial, and Jones replies 'Why don't we use your name?' And thus, Michigan J Frog finally got his name.

Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin states that 'it's extraordinary how a character who only appeared in one cartoon without any other starring character at his side to have such an impact'. And indeed, while he only appeared in one Looney Tunes cartoon, Michigan became as well-remembered as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. He not only made a cameo in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but also became the mascot for the now-defunct cable channel The WB.

One Froggy Evening stands out as one of Chuck Jones' greatest triumphs with near Disney quality animation, a story that serves as a parable for greed, and jokes that might appeal to adults more than kids.
Well, that's all I have to say about Oscarless Cartoon Bonus Round #2! Tune in next month on October 5th when we go forward 50 years in 2009 to talk about the hilarious Pixar short film, Partly Cloudy!

Oscarless Cartoons Bonus 1

Oscarless Cartoons Bonus 1: Le Génie de la boîte de raviolis (2005)

Le Génie de la boîte de raviolis, or The Genie in a Tin of Ravioli, is an enjoyable Swiss stop-motion short film about Armand, who works at a tinned pasta manufacturing company. One day when getting home from work, while opening a can of ravioli, a yellow Genie pops out!

After singing a song to Armand, the Genie tells him that he gets to make two wishes, instead of the traditional three. Armand decides to wish for a small garden with flowers, but after being pressured by the Genie, he wishes for a meadow of flowers inhabited by sheep, birds, butterflies, and snails.

The Genie then asks Armand for what his second wish will be, and Armand decides to wish for a plate of spaghetti. However, the Genie pressures Armand again, and he wishes for a banquet with the Genie as the guest complete with butlers.

After the meal, Genie decides to go home, but he has trouble fitting back in his can. After a couple failed attempts to fit back in, Armand asks the what he while he's locked in the can, and Genie says he counts the ravioli. Armand comforts the sad Genie and tells him that he will be his genie, but he will only grant one wish. After being pressured by Armand like how the Genie did earlier, he wishes for a stream to soak his feet in. After his dream comes true, Armand joins the Genie and they sing together.

If you're wondering where and how I found out about this underrated Gem, it was included as a bonus feature on the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the Academy Award® nominated Swiss stop-motion feature film, My Life as a Zucchini, which is actually intended for an older audience.

When I was looking online about the Oscars recently, I was flabbergasted when I found out that 'Genie' didn't get nominated for the Best Animated Short Subject. The Genie in a Tin of Ravioli is a charming short film with a sweet little story, Aardman quality animation, and likable characters. The short's in French, but hopefully, a subtitled version might be available somewhere online.
Well, that's all I have to say about Oscarless Cartoon Bonus Round #1! Tune in next Friday on September 14th when we head back to Warner Bros with another great Chuck Jones cartoon, One Froggy Evening!

Movie Review: Christopher Robin

Movie Review: Christopher Robin                                                                                                    8-4-18

In this different take on the world-famous Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) grows up, marries a lovely wife, and has a daughter named Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). Robin now works for a luggage-producing company called Winslow Enterprises. One weekend, when Christopher gets overloaded with paperwork for an important presentation, Winnie the Pooh visits him through a magical door. Pooh is upset that he can't find his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, so Christopher reluctantly agrees to help him. Christopher discovers that they were not lost, but simply hiding from 'Heffalumps and Woozles'. When Christopher returns to London to show his work at Winslow, the Hundred Acre Woods residents discover that the papers were left behind, and now it's up to Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore, along with Madeline, to journey to London to deliver the right papers before Christopher Robin gets fired.

If Chip and Dale were Disney's answer to Tom and Jerry, then Christopher Robin is probably their answer for Paddington. For starters, the character designs stay true to Ernest Shepard's original illustrations.

As for the story, I feel that it's kind of similar to Enchanted; A character from a happy world ends up in the depressing real-world of New York City/London, and the character he/she meets is a workaholic father with family issues. Robert Phillips, the overworked lawyer in Enchanted whom Giselle slowly falls in love with, married a woman who happened to be a jerk, while Christopher Robin is having a difficult time trying to balance family and work.
In conclusion, while Christopher Robin may not be as good as the remakes of Cinderella, The Jungle Book, or Pete's Dragon, it's definitely better than A Wrinkle in Time. I found that film to be disappointing, underwhelming, and confusing.
I will review both Paddington films in November.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Movie Review: Babe

Movie Review: Babe                                                                                                              7-16-18

Based on the book by Dick King Smith, Babe is about a young pig named Babe (Christine Cavanaugh), who gets adopted by an elderly sheep farmer named Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell). When Babe arrives on the farm, all the animals think that pigs have no purpose except for being eaten. However, one Christmas, when Babe saves the flock of sheep from being robbed by sheep rustlers, Arthur starts bringing him on daily sheep round-ups with his sheepdogs Rex (Hugo Weaving) and Fly (Miriam Margolyes). However, Rex gets mad at Fly and bites her leg and Arthur's hand. Now he has to train Babe to be the best sheep dog there is for the annual sheep herding competition.

For four years now, Babe has stood out as one of my favorite live-action films of all time. Babe is a timeless gem with unforgettable acting from both the humans and the animals, enjoyable music from  Nigel Westlake, gorgeous scenery, and incredible animatronics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop

Babe also has one of my favorite comic reliefs in a live-action film to date: Ferdinand the Duck, a duck who hates being a duck and tries desperately to be a rooster.

If I were to complain about one thing, I feel Esme, Arthur Hoggett's wife played by Magda Szubanski, gets too much screen time. However, Esme does serve a purpose in the story, but since there are some viewers out there who probably haven't seen Babe yet, I'll keep it a surprise.

She isn't exactly the prettiest flower in the garden.

In conclusion, Babe is, in my opinion, one of the best kid's films ever made. It deserved to get the Oscar nomination for Best Picture and win Best Visual Effects.

Rating: The perfect rating of 5 stars.

That'll do, pig. That'll do.