Nov 7
As the sequel to 2006’s Cars, Cars 2 is a colourful and highly enjoyable ride that was criminally underrated by many critics. Directed by John Lasseter, the movie is the first Pixar entry to have a “rotten” rating over at Rotten Tomatoes. Having read a lot of the critique, I’m dumbfounded as to the low rating.
The 32nd entry in Disney’s animated classics canon is arguably the studio’s most popular. The Lion King is the highest-grossing hand-drawn motion picture of all-time and the 16th highest-grossing motion picture of all-time if inflation isn’t accounted for. It has since seen a Broadway adaptation, two direct-to-video additions and a recent 3D re-release.
The Batman mythology, created by Bob Kane, has been done to death. There’s no questioning the popularity of the character of Batman. He’s perhaps the most popular comic book character there is, generating millions of dollars through movies, animated shows, comic books, and merchandising. There are limitless tellings and retellings of the Batman story, with multiple angles from filmmakers and storytellers filling the shelves. Fans have no shortage of Batman stuff, that’s for sure.
9 came out of Shane Acker’s 2005 short film of the same name. The short was Acker’s thesis and it wound up being nominated for an Academy Award. The full length version of 9 is beautifully animated but slightly convoluted, creating a mixed experience that is dazzling at times and tedious at others. Produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, the movie has the bones of something great but ends up on a rather fuzzy, strange note.
Disney’s version of the Tarzan story is one of the best pictures to come out of the House of Mouse in some time. The 1999 picture is surprisingly sensual and mature, offering a vision of Tarzan and Jane that is stunningly animalistic and raw. There are some of the usual trappings of Disney pics, of course, and the Phil Collins songs err on the side of cheesy, but the movie manages to make some significant waves that set it apart from the typical fare.
