Angry Birds 2 and the Animation Stigma

Animated films have been around for well over 50 years, and they first came to be to show the potential of Cinema, to be able to show what is effectively art on the big screen. When these films first came out they were intended to have mass appeal to be viewed and enjoyed by everyone, but somewhere over the years animated films became just for children; with everyone who is not a child and likes them being made to feel some shame about it. How did it get to be this way? Well, probably because early cartoons and animated features were aimed at more mature audiences and had humour and themes that adults would respond to and enjoy, an excellent example of this would be the Flintstones. However, as this new medium began to grow companies and executives, began to think about merchandise. Adults weren’t buying merchandise, or at least not to the same scale kids would in the decades later, so companies started to release new animated films and cartoons that would appeal to kids, viewing them as an untapped market. This brought the era of “Saturday Morning Cartoons”, and though in more recent times there has been a rise in adult animation again with the likes of South Park and Rick and Morty, animation is still seen as something mainly aimed at kids; all because of that one fateful shift. This is a massive shame because it means a lot of people miss out on some of the best stories and films because they think they’re too old for them; which is entirely untrue. Everyone can enjoy animated movies and to think differently is not only dumb but, also funding the trend of live-action remakes I have previously mentioned. That brings me to today’s subject, Angry Birds 2. I fell victim to the preconceived notion of what animated films were when I went to see this; I was proven to be a fool, and henceforth will go and see animated films with an open mind.
Angry Birds 2, is an animated adventure comedy, based on the mobile game of the same name. In this instalment, the heroic Birds are forced to team up with their Piggie rivals when an even more significant threat appears which could spell the end for both civilizations. I thought the animation was beautiful, with each character having a clear and distinct look. The voice cast all worked well too; they didn’t bring me out of the film to think ‘oh that’s Danny McBride’, which helped me to get lost in the world far more quickly. The themes of the film while not new, the fear of being forgotten, or alone, resonated with me and I thought Red’s, (Jason Sudeikis), character arc over the film was well done and added something to the character. With the over characters adding nicely here and there. For me, the real highlight of the film was the side story of the Hatchlings, who lost one of their member’s little sisters and so had to go through a series of wacky adventures to try and get them back, each more whimsical and unbelievable than the last. I believe it is these sequences that capture the heart of the film, and I would gladly watch a whole film just focusing on the Hatchlings and their adventures.
To Conclude, animation is something that can and should be enjoyed by people of all ages, as these tales have something to offer us all; and Angry Birds 2 proves that and shows how great and touching a film can be.

4/5
Reviewed by Luke

The Lion King and Disney’s Live Action Craze.

Remakes, the word probably causes some form of emotional response in you, whether its optimism at seeing a film done again or a tired cynicism and disbelief in Hollywood’s lack of new ideas. Over the last two decades, we have seen remakes of everything from The Evil Dead to Ghostbusters. Some add to the original in some meaningful way while others are just a transparent cash grab, it is in the latter category that we find the subject of today; Disney’s The Lion King. Disney has been on a quest to seemingly remakes as many of their classic animated films as quickly as they can, with 2019 having not only the Lion King but, also Alladin and Dumbo. The results are inconsistent; Dumbo was a bland mess of a film, while Alladin was surprisingly good and provided something new on the original animated film, The Lion King follows in the footstep of Dumbo. The 90’s Lion King was an undeniable classic, and no one seems to know this more than Disney. The 2019 live-action Lion King, while technically impressive, is also shot for shot the same as the original down to some of the lines of dialogue. They add nothing new; except for one or two new songs. This is not wholly a bad thing as it is nice to hear all the old songs again and see all the old characters, but it does make you question why this film was made as it does not justify its existence, which is the primary thing a remake needs to do. The only achievement of the Lion King remake is it shows the heightened form of near hyper-realistic CGI. When you realise how much of this film is CGI, you understand just how impressive it is. A justification of the remake would be to lure in new audiences and make a new version for the younger generation, and that would be an excellent reason for this film to exist if there was anything wrong with the original, but there isn’t. While this does work as dumb summer blockbuster fun, the same result could be achieved by having a re-released the original.
In many ways, this film is the inferior of the two, the cast highlights this; the new voice cast composing of the likes of Beyonce, and Donald Glover is just not memorable and a lot of the big-name stars who are in the film almost sound like they aren’t trying, perhaps they just couldn’t turn down that sweet Disney paycheck. This makes me worry about Disney’s upcoming live-action films like Mulan; hopefully, these films will follow after this years Alladin and add something to the original movie, otherwise, these films are going to start rubbing people the wrong way, and people will stop being interesting in them. The Lion King is by no means a bad film, nor is it a good film, it is a film that has no reason to exist. If you want to watch a film that captures all the same notes as the first Lion King, watch the classic animated film. Ultimately remakes aren’t going anywhere, in the end, Hollywood will remake all of our favourite films if there is still money in it for them. Hopefully, we can get more films like the Evil Dead, where the creative team want to add something to the property rather than do it for money’s sake.

5/5 (For the Original)

Luke

Teen Titans GO to The Movies

Teen Titans Go to The Movies, is an animated superhero film by DC and Warner Brothers; based on the kid’s tv series of the same name. Teen Titans is a blast from start to finish; it is entertaining and incredibly engaging, with it also having many surprisingly good musical numbers. Said musical numbers were all very well used and more importantly memorable; even after the credits roll. The characters were all effortlessly charming, especially Raven, (voiced by Tara Strong), who always put a smile on my face, with her near constant use of sarcasm. However, there was one character who I thought was grating, Starfire, (voiced by Hynden Walch). The reason for this annoyance was the way the character speaks saying things like, “friend Robin”, all too often; with that part of her character being played up. The plot of the film revolves around the team as they try and get Robin, (voiced by Scott Menville), a superhero film of his own. In many ways, this meta-ness coupled with comments throughout the film, on the superhero genre, is what a lot of people were expecting, but crucially didn’t get, from Pixar’s Incredibles 2. To further comment on the plot, in an era where everything is part of a larger shared universe, the self-contained, throwaway nature of Teen Titans Go to The Movies, really helped the film to feel fresh. Conversely, the film’s humour, which is very juvenile is not to everyone’s taste; said humour may make adult audiences feel out of place. Finally, Teen Titans is a treasure trove of references to DC Comics lore, which if you are a comic fan, like me, will put a smile on your face. Overall this is a fun, light-hearted and enjoyable superhero movie, definitely more of a kid’s film than one aimed at adults, but great all the same. Plus, it has one of the best, most adorable shorts ever before it.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Isle Of Dogs

The Isle of Dogs is an animated film by Wes Anderson, his second foray into the genre; after the Fantastic Mr Fox. The plot focuses on a young boy called Atari, ( Koyu Rankin) as he quests for his lost dog Spots, (Liev Schreiber). At its heart this film is a road film, focusing on the bonds between the characters. Its score is the films the main strength, with the choice of songs often mirroring character relationships. This is shown by the choice of the song, “I won’t hurt you” by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, reflecting the change in nature of Chief, (Bryan Cranston) going from an angry stray, into Atari’s loyal friend. The other dogs in Chief’s pack are Boss, Duke, King and Rex, (Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban and Edward Norton respectively).The pack are used sparingly never stealing the focus away from Cranston’s Chief, though they do produce some much need wit and charm at times. Outside of the main voice cast, the other voice actors are wasted to various degrees. In certain cases such as Scarlett Johansson’s Nutmeg, they are memorable, despite the short screen time, in other cases like Tilda Swinton’s Oracle, they are a seemingly pointless cameo. The dog’s language is translated into English, with a lot of the humans speaking Japanese, this can be a little jarring but is also quite an interesting stylistic decision. The human side plot about the corruption in the mayor’s office and the hunt for answers by Tracy, (Greta Gerwig), is a little dull, with it being an unwanted distraction away from the main plot. Furthermore, I think this film is considerably darker than most other children’s films, especially Andersons Fantastic Mr Fox. This is best shown during the introductory scene of the main pack where another dog gets maimed. The cinematography is beautiful, with plenty of establishing shots helping to emphasise the desolate, decayed nature of Trash Island. Overall this lacks the heart and soul that made Anderson’s other animated feature so good.
2.5/5
Reviewed by Luke.