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.

Movie Review: My Girl 2

Movie Review: My Girl 2                                                                                                                           7-21-18

Two years ago, I reviewed an obscure live-action film called My Girl. It can be viewed here.

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2016/07/movie-review-my-girl.html

Set two years after the original film, Vada is now 13 years old living with her father and pregnant stepmother (Jamie Lee Curtis). When one of Vada's teachers gives her an assignment about the life and achievements of someone she's never met, Vada chooses her late biological mother as the subject. Her research soon leads her to Los Angeles, to stay with Uncle Phil (Richard Masur), his likable girlfriend (Christine Ebersol), and her street smart son Nick (Austin O'Brien). Guided by Nick through the city of LA in search of clues to her late mother's history, Vada makes some surprising discoveries about not only her mother, but also herself as she confronts adolescence.

In my review of My Girl 1, I stated that that film was perfect for the summer. My Girl 2, however, takes place during the Spring.

Much like the original film, My Girl 2 showcases popular songs that are sprinkled throughout the film.

One thing to appreciate about My Girl 2 is the cinematography of California is gorgeous.

However, not everything about My Girl 2 fits well together: I feel Nick can be a bit unlikable and a bad role model.

In conclusion, My Girl 2 may not live up to the original, but it's definitely better than most live-action sequels I've seen, though not as good as the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or Mighty Ducks sequels.

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5.

I will talk about The Mighty Ducks some time in January.

Movie Review: The Son of Bigfoot

Movie Review: The Son of Bigfoot                                                                                        5-30-18

Preteen Adam Harrison is being bullied by his schoolmates for his long unruly hair and large feet. After discovering lost letters from his supposedly 'dead' father, Adam leaves home and discovers something big in the woods: His father is alive, and it's none other than the legendary Bigfoot! Adam also discovers that he can talk to animals, and befriends a bear named Wilbur, a squirrel named Tina, a woodpecker named Steve, and two raccoons named Trapper and Weecha. When a hair testing company captures Bigfoot, it's up to Adam and his animal friends to rescue him.

As some of you may or may not know, The Son of Bigfoot was produced by the same studio that did The Wild Life, a Belgian CGI film that retold the story of Robinson Crusoe through the eyes of the animals. The film got rather negative reviews when it was released in the US, and if you ask me, they look like they came from Blue Sky's Rio.

I don't hate The Wild Life like how other people do, but it does have decent animation for a European animated film.

Now what did I think of The Son of Bigfoot? Well, I actually enjoyed it! For starters, the animation, while not Disney or Pixar quality, puts lesser American CGI films like Free Birds, Norm of the North, and The Emoji Movie to shame.

The soundtrack, produced by the band Puggy, is also outstanding. Just listen to this song and tell me it doesn't sound awesome!

Where the Light Is - YouTube

If I were to complain about one thing, I feel the story is a bit weak, and some of the characters could've been fleshed out a bit more.

In conclusion, The Son of Bigfoot is both enjoyable and forgettable, but I would definitely choose it over the lesser animated films of 2017. I'm sorry that I keep saying this, but 2017 was a very rough year for animated movies.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.

Movie Review: Incredbiles 2

Movie Review: Incredibles 2                                                                                                               6-16-18

The Incredibles was Pixar's first movie to star humans instead of toys or animals, and while not as successful at the box-office as Finding Nemo the previous year, still got glowing reviews, and rightfully won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. After many years, a sequel popped up, simply called The Incredibles 2. Does The Incredibles 2 live up to its hype? Let's find out.

Immediately picking up at the end of the first film, during a fight with the Underminer, the Parr family gets evicted again for letting the Underminer sink some buildings and robbing a bank. However, an agent named Winston Deaver and his sister Evelyn see potential in them, and wants to make superheroes legal again. Winston elects Helen Parr to become Elastigirl again and fight crime, while Bob Parr has to take care of the kids. Meanwhile, a mysterious new villain named the Screen Slaver wants to brainwash the citizens of Metroville and ban supers forever.

I am glad to tell you that The Incredibles 2 lives up to its hype with eye-popping animation, a thick plot, fantastic action-packed fight scenes, and the return of almost all the characters that we loved from the original film.

In the original film, none of the Parr family members knew that Jack-Jack had secret powers. In this film, however, Bob learns the hard way that Jack-Jack can teleport, shoot lasers from his eyes, make clones of himself, light himself on fire, and turn into a red goblin.

As with recent Pixar sequels, there are also some new characters. Winston Deaver hires and recruits supers from all over the globe to help reintroduce supers, including Brick, Reflux, Voyd, Helectrix, and more.

If I were to complain about one thing, I feel sad that we never go to see Frozone/Lucius's wife Honey, who spoke in both films, but never appears on screen. They also never revealed Helen's maiden name, which bummed me out a little.

In conclusion, while not as good as the original, The Incredibles 2 is a must-watch film for the summer that will please every Incredibles 1 fan.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Top 10 Best Animated Sequels Part 2

Before we continue, I'd like to let you know that I picked two #1 picks. Also, all the movies in this section were released in theaters, so the Emojis will not be used.
5. Shrek 2 (2004)
 
In the sequel to the first Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature, Shrek and Fiona are happily married. After hearing their daughter is free from her prison, the king (John Cleese) and queen (Julie Andrews) invite the two ogres and Donkey to a party at their kingdom, Far Far Away. When they arrive, however, the king and queen were very surprised. Feeling Fiona isn't happy with being ugly, Shrek, along with Donkey, go on a quest to find a potion that would turn him and Fiona human.
The first Shrek tackled elements that were, at the time, very difficult in computer animation, such as water, mud, hair, and fire. Shrek 2 took computer animation further by having more human characters, hyper-realistic (at the time) backgrounds and scenery, sparkles, transformations, and in some scenes, snow.

Shrek 2 also has a more threatening villain. While Lord Farquad was basically a copy of Prince Humperdink from The Princess Bride, the Fairy Godmother doesn't think ogres should live happily ever after. She will do whatever it takes for Fiona to fall in love with Prince Charming, who's closer to Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.

Like I said back in this post...
http://asateriale.blogspot.com/2016/11/top-30-greatest-cgi-movies-of-all-time_11.html
Shrek 2 may not be as good as the original, but it does has some memorable moments. Who could ever forget this moment with Puss in Boots?


There's also a scene, though it upset me as a child, in which a mermaid, who suspiciously looks like Ariel, ends up besides Shrek. Fiona then grabs the mermaid and throws her into the ocean, in which sharks feast on her.


No wonder Shrek 2 earned 900 million dollars at the box-office! Not only do it and Shrek 1 tweak Disney by the nose, they also told compelling stories and brought computer animation to new heights. Too bad the next two Shreks didn't meet critical expectations.
4. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

In the sequel to the 2008 hit animated film Kung Fu Panda, Po is now officially the Dragon Warrior and even has a few fans. However, an evil peacock named Lord Shen plans on destroying kung fu by replacing it with fireworks. Now it's up to Po and the Furious Five to save China from certain destruction.
Kung Fu Panda 2 has the honor of being the first American animated feature to be solely directed by a woman: Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

That's Jack Black by her side.

Prior to directing Kung Fu Panda 2, Jenny worked on the story department for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (not to be confused with Spirited Away), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and Madagascar. She also supervised Po's dream sequence in Kung Fu Panda 1.

After Kung Fu Panda 1 was completed, the crew for Kung Fu Panda 2, including Jeffery Katzenburg and Jenny Nelson, went on a research trip to China and visited the city of Chengdu, which is considered the "panda hometown". In addition to seeing real pandas at the Giant Panda Research Center, the production design crew learned about the local culture. Katzenberg has stated that the sequel incorporates many elements of Chengdu in the film. The film's landscape and architecture also found inspiration from those found at Mount Qincheng, a renowned Taoist mountain.

Sorry. I couldn't find a picture of the Kung Fu Panda 2 crew visiting China.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is different from its predecessor, as well as other DreamWorks films, as it focuses more on story and action sequences than comedy.

Another notable difference is that Kung Fu Panda 2 switches back and forth from 3D to 2D animation.

Prior to Kung Fu Panda 2, many fans were curious as to why Po's father, Mr. Ping, is a goose and not a panda. In this film, we learn that Po is actually adopted. When he was a cub, his parents sacrificed themselves to save their son from Shen's army.

After their 'deaths', Mr. Ping finds Po in a radish cart and raises him as his own.

During a very rough year for movies, both animated and what not, Kung Fu Panda 2 grossed more money and better reviews than Pixar's feature that year, Cars 2. As for Kung Fu Panda 3, it's okay. However, I would nominate it over the KCA for Best Animated Movie instead of The Secret Life of Pets or Trolls.
3. How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

In the sequel to the groundbreaking DreamWorks movie How To Train Your Dragon, everyone is now five years older than in the original film. Hiccup and Toothless discover someone named Drago Bludvist, who wants to capture all the dragons to build an army with them. Stoick, Hiccup's dad, is pressuring him to become chief, while Hiccup just wants to make peace with Drago. Hiccup then discovers an island covered with ice that holds a secret to his past: his long-lost mother, Valka (voiced by Cate Blanchett). Valka loves dragons, and the island she lives on has tons of them. Now Hiccup, Valka, and his friends have to stop Drago Bludvist from world domination.
While How To Train Your Dragon 1 had six prominent dragon species, Dragons 2 has 20, or even 30 new dragons! Some of which don't even have names!

Drago Bludvist is also a threatening, and kind of scary, villain. He used to be part of Berk, and suggested to free mankind from the dragons' tyranny, but only if the vikings bowed down and followed him. However, the other vikings laughed, but Drago felt insulted and said 'Then see how well you can do without me!'

'Dragons 2' also contains one of the most tragic death scenes in an animated film since The Lion King: the tragedy of Stoick the Vast, Hiccup's father.

When the 2015 Oscars came along, many fans were upset that Big Hero 6 won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature instead of 'Dragons 2'. However, it did win the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature. 
2. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
 
The Rescuers Down Under continues the adventures of Bernard and Bianca, in which they have to rescue a boy in Australia named Cody, who was taken hostage by poacher Percival C McLeach (George C. Scott) and his pet goanna named Joanna (Frank Welker). McLeach kidnapped Cody because he had a feather that belonged to a golden eagle that is worth a fortune.
The Rescuers Down Under was the first Disney movie to use the CAPS system, which stands for Computer Animation Process System. That means the characters were colored digitally, but were still drawn and animated by hand. However, the backgrounds were still painted by hand.

Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor reprise their roles as Bernard and Bianca in this movie. All of the new characters are really enjoyable, including Frank the frilled lizard, Percival C McLeach, the threatening villain in the movie (and one of my personal favorite Disney Villains), and Jake, a kangaroo rat who's a bit like Indiana Jones.

There's also one of my favorite Disney sidekicks, Wilbur. He's the brother of Orville, the albatross in the original Rescuers. When the Disney filmmakers discovered that Jim Jordan, who voiced Orville, passed away, Roy Edward Disney (Walt's nephew) suggested that there should be a new character: Wilbur, named after Orville and Wilbur Wright.

While being a hilarious sidekick, Wilbur unfortunately couldn't join Bernard and Bianca on their adventure in Australia because he had a back pain.

While Orville was strict and serious, Wilbur is laid back, carefree, and downright hilarious. In fact, he gets more screen time then McLeach!
Unfortunately, The Rescuers Down Under was a box-office bomb: It was released the exact same day as Home Alone. However, many Disney fans, myself included, think The Rescuers Down Under is an amazing film that deserves more credit.
1A. Toy Story 2 (1999)
 
 In the sequel to the animation phenomenon known as Toy Story, Woody gets kidnapped by Al McWiggen (Wayne Knight), a greedy toy collector. When Woody finds himself in Al's apartment, he discovers that he was part of a popular TV series from the 50s called 'Woody's Roundup'. He also meets a perky cowgirl named Jessie (Joan Cussack), a loyal horse named Bullseye, and a boxed prospector named Pete (Kelsey Grammer). Little does Woody know that Al wants to sell him and his 'Roundup Gang' to a toy museum in Japan! Now it's up to Buzz Lightyear, along with Hamm, Rex, Slinky, and Mr. Potato Head to rescue Woody and remind him what a toy's true purpose in life is.
Toy Story 2 takes everything that made Toy Story 1 good and amplifies it by 100%. There are also some enjoyable new characters, like Buster, Andy's dog from the end of the first Toy Story, Mrs. Potato Head (voiced by Estelle Harris), Wheezy the squeaky penguin, who was originally going to be in the first Toy Story, the persuasive 'Stinky' Pete, and the hilarious Utility Belt Buzz, a doppelganger of Andy's Buzz.
 
We also get more of Rex, one of my personal favorite Pixar characters. In this movie, he gets stuck on a Buzz Lightyear video game, and at Al's Toy Barn, he finds a player's guide on how to beat Zurg in the game.

Toy Story 2 got really good reviews (and is called the rare sequel that lives up to its predecessor), earned nearly 500 million dollars worldwide, and won the Golden Globe for Best Picture. Toy Story 2 was also the first animated sequel to gross more than its predecessor.
1B. Toy Story 3 (2010)

 In the final chapter of the beloved Toy Story trilogy (or at least, until next year), problems mount as Andy grows up and goes to college while the toys end up at a daycare center for destructive toddlers, ruled by a sinister teddy bear who smells of strawberries. Meanwhile, Woody gets taken by a gentle and imaginative 4-year-old girl named Bonnie Anderson, and he meets a new group of toys including a unicorn plush named Buttercup, a plastic triceratops named Trixie, a hedgehog plush named Mr. Prickle Pants, and a plush of Totoro, mascot of famous Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli.

One problem Pixar faced with Toy Story 3 was that the animators have been used to animating organic characters (humans and animals), and they needed to animate plastic toys. So the animators went into the old models on the computers, dating back to the 1990s, and examined them and saw notes from Pixar veterans like William Reeves, Eben Ostbey, and Ed Catmull. For recreating the returning characters for Toy Story 3, the Pixar staff didn't have to do much. They just had to be true to what was already there.

In the original Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear's eyebrows, on the computer, had three controls each. For films like The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, and Up, each brow on a character has 20 to 25 controls, so they chopped out a lot of the controls and limited it to a much smaller subset that was closer to classic Buzz. Carlos Baena, one of the animators for Toy Story 3, animated most of the scenes when Buzz is in Spanish mode.

Baena admitted that he based Spanish Buzz off of Flamenco dancers and bullfighters.

For stuffed animal characters like Lotso, Lee Unkrich wanted him to be a believably plush figure, so the Pixar crew brought in a toy designer who works specifically with stuffed animals. That way, the animators would know how to animate Lotso properly.

When Toy Story 3 premiered on June 18th, 2010, it got overwhelmingly positive reviews, with some fans even shedding a tear, earned a billion dollars at the box-office, and won the Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Toy Story 3 even got the Oscar nomination for Best Picture, one of only three animated movies to do so.

So, which sequel is better? Toy Story 2 or Toy Story 3? Well, I'll leave that up to you. Tomorrow, I will post my review of The Incredibles 2!