Animation
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‘The Little Prince’ is an uneven, but not meritless, adaptation
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 novella The Little Prince has long been acclaimed as a masterpiece of children’s literature, and rightfully so. In spite of the book’s ostensible target audience, Saint-Exupéry tackles adult themes such as mortality and fidelity with the same gusto with which he handles more childish whimsy. The remarkable cohesiveness of the two approaches has largely contributed to the novella’s staying power and broad appeal. More
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Watch the Gorgeous Full Trailer for ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’
Though some of people found their last film, The Boxtrolls to be an uncharacteristically underwhelming entry from the up-and-coming studio, Laika isn’t letting anything break their stride. And why should they? Boxtrolls aside, Laika still has the excellent Coraline and the fantastic Paranorman under their belts, and if I had two animated films of that caliber to my name […] More
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Sundance 2016: ‘Life, Animated’ is transformative cinema
‘Life, Animated’ is a testament to the power of cinema, not only to entertain, but to clarify those thoughts and emotions that evade our grasp. More
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50th Karlovy Vary: A quick chat with Anca Damian, director of ‘The Magic Mountain’
Four years ago, in 2011, the Romanian director Anca Damian first made herself widely known to the international film community by presenting her animated feature Crulic at the Locarno film festival. Based on a true story of Claudiu Crulic that has gained a lot of publicity in 2008, the film consists of a mix of techniques including hand-drawn animation and animated photographs. They are of Crulic’s personal possessions – that he kept while imprisoned in a Polish prison after being arrested for theft, although he had supposedly been in Italy at the time. More
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Why Animation Feels Universal
There’s something special about the pure feeling that animated films give their viewers. There’s a certain depth of emotion that comes from these moments, and it’s the kind of depth that translates well to both critics and general audiences. Just look at the opening of Up, where we meet Carl as a young man, and […] More
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‘Inside Out’, and why animation isn’t just kids stuff
Don’t you even dare call it a “kid’s movie.” Animation has been around for a while now, starting with silent experiments such as Gertie the Dinosaur, followed by the more traditional Disney fare such as Snow White or Cinderella, and becoming more modern with another round of Disney hits like The Lion King or Beauty […] More
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‘Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck’ avoids a literary reading of Cobain’s life
It was 2004 and I was fifteen years old when I read Charles R. Cross’ Heavier than Heaven. I remember finishing the last chapters, sprawled on the floor of my family’s cottage as I cried so hard I started to dry heave. At the time I was unaware of the controversy that surrounded the adaptation, both in how Cross took liberties in certain facts (some information was later disproved, or at least not substantiated) and the decision he made to create what was ultimately a fictional take on Kurt’s final days up until the point he killed himself. Like many teenager before and since, Kurt Cobain represented a romantic and ultimately tragic figure to look up to – for better or for worse. More
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Treefort Film Fest Shorts: ‘World of Tomorrow,’ ‘Oh Lucy!,’ ‘Palm Rot’
World of Tomorrow presents a sophisticated envisioning of a dystopian future, with a through line of existential sorrow, musings on memory, and occasional dark and playful humor. Young child Emily is at play one day when she’s interrupted by a clone of herself, who has traveled back from over 200 years in the future. The clone takes Emily on an existential journey through her own life and the life of Emily’s clones. More
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AFI Fest 2014: ‘Song of the Sea’ has frustrating beauty
Song of the Sea is a beautiful film. Its vivid art style easily separates it from the prosaic sameness that currently grips much of mainstream animation. That’s the big advantage that animated films made by smaller outfits, such as Cartoon Saloon, have over the Disneys and Dreamworks of the world. But there’s a weakness to them as well, one that Song of the Sea stumbles on: a frustratingly muddled story approach. More
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‘Big Hero 6’ delivers big action in a cuddly package
Big Hero 6 Written by Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson & Jordan Roberts Directed by Don Hall & Chris Williams USA, 2014 If kids needed their own version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, they now have it in Big Hero 6. Hopelessly irreverent with an emphasis on brain over brawn, this gang of self-appointed […] More
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FX’s ‘Archer’ gets Season Six Teaser Trailer
A new season of FX’s often outrageous animated spy comedy series Archer, created by Adam Reed, is finally arriving. After spending a season on the side of Vice, the upcoming sixth season returns to basics by bringing the team back to the world of global espionage. Archer, Mallory, Lana, Krieger, Pam and the rest will all […] More
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