★★★★ Any new Pixar film is cause for celebration. While many modern animation studios have tried to keep up with the consistently excellent quality of the Disney/Pixar collaborative brand, few have resulted in their staggering frequency of masterpieces. Coming on the heels of Turning Red and Lightyear, Elemental reminded me most of Inside Out—definitely a … Continue reading Tribeca 2023: Elemental
Film Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
★★★★★ Serving as the definitive Spider-Man cinematic experience, Across the Spider-Verse expands the scope of the mythology like never before, forming a deeply emotional visual extravaganza. This trio of directors (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson) have crafted a movie that manages to transcend its complex inspirations. While the previous animated iteration, Into … Continue reading Film Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
SFFILM 2023: Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
★★★★ A decade after the first Ernest & Celestine wowed critics and captured the hearts of fans everywhere, their return trip has been booked in whimsical sequel, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia! While the last movie explored Celestine’s tense family connections and burgeoning career as a mouse tooth fairy, Gibberitia turns the mirror … Continue reading SFFILM 2023: Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
Film Review: The Magician’s Elephant
★★ For some strange reason, the animation segment of Netflix has a bad reputation, despite having several gems such as Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and My Father’s Dragon. All things considered, The Magician’s Elephant could have ended up falling in this category. The film boasts some big-name talent amongst its voice cast that includes Noah … Continue reading Film Review: The Magician’s Elephant
Berlinale 2023: Deep Sea
★★★★ Animation as a medium is often undersung and underestimated—all the more reason to seek out nearly every animated film that I come across. In recent years, some of my favorite animated features have emerged from the film festival circuit. Last year alone, 2D-animated marvel Titina, bizarre ultra-gory Unicorn Wars, stop motion horror fantasy Wendell … Continue reading Berlinale 2023: Deep Sea
Sundance 2023: The Amazing Maurice
★★★ As my first film from 2023’s Sundance Film Festival, I had no qualms about embracing a potential animated gem! Based on the book by Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice deals with magical talking animals, and focuses on the mythological legend of the Pied Piper while taking a meta approach to the material. This may … Continue reading Sundance 2023: The Amazing Maurice
Most Anticipated Films of 2023
With 2023 right around the corner, what better time to look ahead to the future cinematic experiences we can expect in the new year? Together with Allison, we have compiled a list of the twenty-five films we are most looking forward to seeing. Funny enough, five of the movies are simply holdovers from last year … Continue reading Most Anticipated Films of 2023
4K Blu-Ray Film Review: Coraline & Paranorman
Since 2009, LAIKA has been one of my favorite animation studios, and for good reason. The quality practically speaks for itself—nearly every entry in their impressive filmography has been nominated for prestigious awards, including Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Through the gorgeous use of stop motion animation, LAIKA has proved that the medium is not … Continue reading 4K Blu-Ray Film Review: Coraline & Paranorman
Film Review: Disenchanted
★★ It is finally time for the colorful, magical, musical return of Giselle, post happily ever after! Revisiting the kingdom of New York City a long time since we last caught up with these characters is a rush that unfortunately wears off too quickly. In spite of a nearly fifteen-year-long wait, Disenchanted fails to live … Continue reading Film Review: Disenchanted
Film Review: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
★★★★★ Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has been in the works for so long that I can barely fathom its release is finally imminent. Containing all the stunning beauty that only stop-motion animation can bring, this version of Pinocchio is dark, disturbing, and deeply moving. I have not felt this strongly amount a stop-motion movie since … Continue reading Film Review: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio