Mar 25
Every so often, Disney puts out a film that reveals that there’s still some magic left in the tank. Winnie the Pooh is one such film, with just the right touches of nostalgia and modernity to continue the legacy of the lovable characters from A. A. Milne. The movie is the fifth theatrical Winnie the Pooh release and the 51st entry overall in Disney’s Animated Classics canon.
The Adventures of Tintin is a bold, exciting, colourful film directed by Steven Spielberg, but it seems to lack a certain something all the same. The motion capture animated feature has all the pedigree it needs to be a big hit, with Spielberg in the director’s chair, Peter Jackson serving as producer and John Williams composing the score.
As spinoff prequels go, Puss in Boots isn’t too bad. The 2011 film is one of the nominees for Best Animated Feature at the 84th Academy Awards. Directed by Chris Miller, the director of Shrek the Third, the film is quick-witted but suffers from a somewhat convoluted plot and some wonky dance and fight choreography.
Astonishing in its pure unadulterated dreadfulness, Happy Feet Two is one of the worst animated movies I have ever subjected myself to. The sequel to Happy Feet is a complicated muddle of a movie, a film that stuns with a hectic, gaudy, insufferable opening scramble and never lets up for an hour and 40 moronic minutes. This is jaw-droppingly nonsensical stuff.
Vibrant and exciting, Kung Fu Panda 2 is one of the best animated features of 2011 and one of the best pictures of the year that I’ve seen so far. Admittedly my plate of 2011 isn’t exactly overflowing as of yet, but I have seen most of the major blockbusters. Kung Fu Panda 2 is as good a “cartoon” as it is an action movie, presenting evolved characters that we care about doing things that amaze us.
