The Panda Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Sorry about the delay, Ive been out again and will be back sometime Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 Monsters University "I can't go back to jail!" Animation Studio: Pixar Animation My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 4.5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 7 Nostalgia Rating: 7 Originality Rating: 5.5 At Least it's not a sequel? Comedic Rating: 7.5 Animation Quality: 8 Rotten Tomatoes: 78% Notable Achievements: Only fresh Pixar film to miss the Oscar nomination Reasoning: I feel like Monster's University is both overlooked while also one of Pixar's weaker efforts. This was by no means a return to form after Brave and Cars 2, but it was a small waddle in the right direction, however at the same time it was a giant step backwards by going to the prequel/sequel route and only being serviceable. I'll give it the fact that it was nostalgic to see these characters again, in a younger form at that. I'll also give it that I was laughing the whole way through in the theater, even if I didn't feel the need to see it again afterwards. The saving grave for this movie, however, is the third act, while the first two are fun and work well enough, the last act manages to give you a glimpse of Pixar's true form (even if it's only for a few moments). 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 The Secret of NIMH "Courage of the heart is very rare. The stone has a power when it's there." Animation Studio: Don Bluth Productions My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 6.5 "G" Heartstring Tugging Rating: 7.5 Nostalgia Rating: 7.5 Originality Rating: 7 Comedic Rating: 5.5 Animation Quality: 9 Notable Achievements: Don Bluth left Disney and out-Disney'd Disney Reasoning: While I don't necessarily find the Secret of NIMH to be the most engaging or exciting of the animated selection, it is most definitely gorgeously drawn and enticing to look at. It's a movie where even if the film itself doesn't draw you in, the animation will at the very least keep your eyes on the screen. I also respect the film for being able to take a story and tell it as is, not compromising it for the sake of drawing in a younger audience. It is a mature animation that still manages to maintain the child audience as well, however I don't necessarily think the G rating would have stuck today. Despite any flaws the film has, it makes up for it in its beauty and maturity. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 Sleeping Beauty "before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger - on the spindle of a spinning wheel - and DIE!" Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studio My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 4.5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 6.5 Nostalgia Rating: 7.5 Originality Rating: 5 Tell All the Fairy Tales Comedic Rating: 6 Animation Quality: 7.5 Notable Achievements: Nominated For An Oscar Reasoning: Sleeping Beauty is one of the weaker, in my opinion, of Disney's princess canon, despite having one of the better (or even best) villains. In fact, Maleficent (no, not the dumb fairy godmother version in that other "adaption") is one of the sole reasons this movie works. Old Disney manages to treat their audience with some respect in just the quote above by not copping out like the new Disney did and simply have Maleficent condemn Sleeping Beauty to die, raising those childhood stakes to a whole other level. The score of the film is also a stand out, in fact it stands out more than the songs, which is atypical for a Disney movie. Sleeping Beauty may not be the best of the princess films, but it certainly isn't Disney's worst either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcEkAn-FI8M 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Secret of Nimh is my jam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalismanRing Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Sleeping Beauty is a visual masterpiece and of course the score is better than the songs - it's Tchaikovsky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalo Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Sleeping Beauty is good and the animation is gorgeous, but I agree it's one of the weaker Disney animations, and :Once Upon a Dream" is pretty much the only memorable song in the whole movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Lady and the Tramp "Just a cute little bundle... of trouble!" Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 4.8 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 7 Sweet and Sappy Nostalgia Rating: 7.5 Originality Rating: 6.5 Comedic Rating: 6.5 Animation Quality: 7.5 Notable Achievements: Nominated for a BAFTA Reasoning: Lady and the Tramp is a sweet to a whole other degree for Disney, but that over sappiness doesn't stop it from being loveable in any way. The animation quality is on par with the quality of most of Disney's animation, and the songs are memorable enough and enhance the film experience rather than detract from it. There are many iconic and nostalgic moments buried within this film that also help to bolster how well it does for replays and timelessness. My biggest complaint, however, is that the film sometimes overdoes it in about every area and doesn't entirely find that happy medium to stop it from being a little eye rolling at times. Overall, though, it is a very pleasant experience to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nWNXO3CZkU 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Fantasia "Oh save us, mother full of grace, in life, and in our dying hour, Ave Maria!" Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 5.5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 3 Nostalgia Rating: 7 Disney World Was Better Originality Rating: 7 Comedic Rating: 5 Animation Quality: 8.5 Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Notable Achievements: Won 2 Honorary Academy Awards Reasoning: Obviously this movie is a landmark in many ways and actually helped to create the modern music video, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the movie isn't something I ever really want to watch. Sure, it's creative, has great animation, and creative concept for its time, but it's really not all that interesting or attention holding. I do have some nostalgic memories of this though, however most of those were when I saw the DisneyWorld version (my first exposure to Fantasia). Fantasia is much more commendable than it is watchable. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 The Polar Express "The thing about trains... it doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on." Animation Studio: Castle Rock Entertainment My Letter Grade: B Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 4 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 6.5 Nostalgia Rating: 8 Originality Rating: 6 Comedic Rating: 7 Animation Quality: 6.5 Everything is so real... And fake at the same time Rotten Tomatoes: 55% Notable Achievements: Nominated For 3 Oscars Reasoning: Probably one of my most controversial picks for putting this movie so high on my list, but I have to give it credit because it seems to have struck enough of a chord to become a Christmas classic, whether I like it or not. And despite my, somewhat distaste for it, I also find myself actually enjoying myself watching it, even if I notice all of its little and major flaws along the way. It has some fun songs, and some extremely annoying songs, and it manages to instill some of that Christmas magic by the time the credits roll. It'll never be my favorite Christmas film, but it's definitely one worth watching. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalo Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AniNate Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 (edited) to tribefan I hope the Good Dinosaur gets its own songs like How To Train Your Dragon series. Don't like not for movie songs in fantasy/animation/sci-fi movies. Probably wherever that running montage is (I assume about 3/4ths through the film) Edited August 7, 2015 by tribefan695 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 Cinderella Nonsense, child. If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here. And here I am. Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 4 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 6.5 Nostalgia Rating: 8 Originality Rating: 2 Epitome of Princess Cliche Comedic Rating: 6 Animation Quality: 8 Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Notable Achievements: Nominated for 3 Oscars Reasoning: I have to give Cinderella credit, while it definitely wasn't the first of Disney's princess tales, it's one of the most iconic and saved Disney from near bankruptcy. However, I am not just going to put this so high because of financial success, the movie is also a success quality wise and still is able to stand on its own as magical fairy tale fit for the children. That isn't to say the movie doesn't have problems, it does, it's full of cliches and stereotyping and the cheekiness can be a bit too much at times, but in a way you couldn't expect anything else from a movie called Cinderella. That said, the musical numbers are sweet enough, and it no complaints from anyone would take this away from the classic pedestal it is on. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 Corpse Bride "I was a bride. My dreams were taken from me. But now - now I've stolen them from someone else. I love you, Victor, but you are not mine." Animation Studio: Tim Burton Animation Co. My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 6 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 7.5 Nostalgia Rating: 5 Originality Rating: 8 Comedic Rating: 6.5 Animation Quality: 7.5 Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Notable Achievements: Nominated for 1 Oscar Reasoning: The Corpse Bride brings Burton back to where he is best (at least where his best nowadays) and that's with the undead and animation. The Corpse Bride manages to strangely tug a little at your heartstrings, in a rather strange sort of way, and Burton brings to life and makes you care about a story you would otherwise find a little to strange. The movie does tend to stay tonally down, keeping you at a state of not exact happiness but not exact sadness either. The songs in the film are a little on the underwhelming side, especially coming from somebody like Danny Elfman, and for me at least, the movie still had the hurdle of being a claymation to jump over. I'm not necessarily ragging on claymation, the artists behind it can be brilliant, the visual style just isn't really my cup of tea (although, I'll say, the movie a perfect kind to be a claymation). The Corpse Bride is imaginative and prospers because of it, even if it may be a little to much on dull side for the child audience it aims at. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 The Land Before Time "Oh no. No, no, no. No, no, no, no." Animation Studio: Universal Pictures My Letter Grade: B Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 2.5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 6.5 Nostalgia Rating: 9 Originality Rating: 6.5 Comedic Rating: 6 Animation Quality: 7.5 Rotten Tomatoes: 70% Notable Achievements: Earning a place in my nostalgic, childhood memory. Reasoning: The Land Before Time is a movie that you see as a child and end up loving dearly, only to watch it when you're older to find it's not quite as good as you cracked it out to be when you were younger. That, however, does not mean the Land Before Time isn't a good movie, even if it's just my nostalgia talking. There isn't much to the movie, it is practically a child's vision of dinosaurs, but that doesn't make it bad, it honestly makes it somewhat endearing. The animation is still gorgeous, as well as colorful, able to grab a child's attention and absorb them into the prehistoric world, even if the adults may watch their watches more than the screen. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Littlefoot's mother dying destroyed me 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 Kiki's Delivery Service "Without even thinking about it, I used to be able to fly. Now I'm trying to look inside myself and find out how I did it." Animation Studio: Studio Ghibli My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 7 Nostalgia Rating: 7.5 Originality Rating: 8 Comedic Rating: 4.5 Animation Quality: 7 Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Notable Achievements: Titled Most Popular Film by the Japanese Academy Reasoning: Kiki's Delivery Service is the first Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki film to make my list, which speaks highly of him, because there is much more of Ghibli to come. Kiki's Delivery Service does a terrific job at showing a young girl's self-discovery. The film is intelligently layered, despite the familiarity of it all, something Miyazaki does extraordinarily well. Kiki's Delivery Service is engaging and gratifying, but I also find it be one of Miyazaki's weakest works (which speaks more of his better works than of this film), and despite it's sincerity the film does tread along the familiar a bit, and it doesn't manage to completely hit you as much as you'd like it too. Overall, despite being one of Miyazaki's most standard films, Kiki's Delivery Service is still able to soar to a fault. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5LcnA5-G1o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 (edited) How To Train Your Dragon 2 "Don't you know anything?" Animation Studio: Dreamworks Animation My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 5.5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 8 Nostalgia Rating: 4.5 Originality Rating: 5.5 Sequel and tropes Comedic Rating: 6 Animation Quality: 8.5 Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Notable Achievements: Nominated For an Oscar Reasoning: How to Train Your Dragon 2 is never able to soar to the heights of its predecessor, hit the same emotional strings as it's predecessor (only a few of the "sad" or emotional moments feel truly genuine), and the stakes feel a bit more forced than the orginal, but that's not to say the sequel can't stand on its own. No, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is not the Empire Strikes Back of animation that some have claimed it to be, but it does manage to feel a bit more like the Batman Returns of the series (to a lesser extent). The animation is the one thing that really stands above the original, but that's mostly because of it being newer and Dreamwork's (unmet) hopes for a new Shrek franchise. I don't want to sound like I am bashing the movie though, there are few animations, or movies at that, that are able to be as bold as this movie was, and it strikes up some golden moments (such as For the Dancing and Dreaming song), the film just isn't consistent enough to keep them. Edited August 9, 2015 by The Panda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 The Little Mermaid "Hm. Teenagers. They think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you." Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 5 Nostalgia Rating: 7.5 Originality Rating: 3 Comedic Rating: 7.5 Animation Quality: 8 Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Reasoning: The Little Mermaid was the revival of the Disney we all knew and loved, and it brought Disney back in a brighter and more grand form than ever. Alan Menken does some of his best work with not only the catchy and eternal songs, but the score itself, they both compliment each other so well that it really places a conventional Disney film on a whole other level. Ursula is perhaps one of the most exciting of the Disney villains (and most definitely was to this point), and the film is alive and full of life with the animation and music behind it. The biggest fault is with the story itself, the more you think about it, the more the message of the whole thing probably won't help that rebellious 8 year old learn anything, that doesn't mean the film isn't a boat load of fun though. The Little Mermaid is and was Disney restored again. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Panda Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 The Great Mouse Detective " Don't worry, old fellow. It's not *entirely* hopeless." Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios My Letter Grade: B+ Fun For the Whole Family Rating: 5 Heartstring Tugging Rating: 4.5 Nostalgia Rating: 8 Originality Rating: 7 Comedic Rating: 7.5 Animation Quality: 8.5 Rotten Tomatoes: 81% Notable Achievements: Pioneering Disney in Computer Animation Reasoning: I may be a little bit biased here, mostly because this was one of the films I was fond of (to an extent) growing, but I find this film to be a great deal of fun, even if it's not Disney's best. Seeing it now to, I still find it stylish and charming in that (almost) classic Disney style, with sinister villains and cute heroes you just can't help but root for. There is so much entertainment to be had buried within this film that I'm surprised it's often forgot among Disney fans. Not only that but it features Disney's first steps into computer animation for some breathtaking visual sequences. The Great Mouse Detective is forgotten by many, but not by me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHB64VtbYW4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
