Striking4gold4

Yes, this movie's bad, but at the very least, it was bad in a campy way. The story is awfully predictable, but shows promise. There's new additions to the story that only exist to be hip with the kids, but half of the movie is pretty faithful to the book. The CG in the film is incredibly fake, but the 2D animation is actually really good up to the point it's some of the most faithful animation I've ever seen. But then there's the cast, the biggest cause of controversy. But in the execution, they're actually pretty good actors. I will say that Rodrick's actor does a pretty bad job, but the others give out a fairly charismatic performance. Also, I'll give props to Tom Everett Scott that he looks fairly similar to Steve Zahn. Even though it's a mediocre road comedy, it's Oscar worthy compared to the other bad films this year.

The Emoji Movie is what I would like to call a 90 minute ad disguised as a movie. The story, if you can call it that, is literally a shot for shot remake of Inside Out, just without any form of emotion thrown into it. And you know when you failed that aspect when the main stars of your feature are actual emotions, or Emojis in this case. The movie's sense of humor is just plain unfunny throughout the film, and the characters have already been done in other, better movies. The biggest example being Jailbreak. However, while the writing is abysmal, the animation is not. It's really colorful, how the animators design and animate the Emojis and the apps is pretty creative, the animation when in the human world is decent, and the effects of things being made out of little cubes like fire, debris, and the upgraded bots is a nice detail. So, all in all, the animation is not half bad. But then you realise it's not half good either. Some of the character designs look weird, like on Smiler, the textures of the emojis' hair looks honestly out of place, and again, some of the app designs have already been done in the past. So like I said, The Emoji Movie is just a big 90 minute ad for smartphones.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Happy Feet could be the Moulin Rouge! of animation, and with good reason. It's true that the movie doesn't exactly hold a strong opening, but once we meet the Amigos, it kicks itself into high gear and refuses to go back. Not only that, but it offers groundbreaking animation, incorporating many unique dancing scenes and sliding scenes. It even makes the live action moments fit in brilliantly, especially during the scenes when Mumble is in the zoo. And remember when I said that this film is the Moulin Rouge! of animation? I mean that statement, because this movie offers a handful of musical numbers that fit the tone of "heartsongs" very well. It also factors into the dance scenes, like when the characters would dance their feet off to Boogie Wonderland, and those scenes work very well. While it may not be my favorite animated film, it certainly is the best animated jukebox musical you'll find out there.

I don't exactly hate this movie, I just find it highly overrated. I will say that the writing is clever and the heart works, not to mention the characters are funny, but with everything else, that's where the movie becomes mediocre. First, there's the animation. Sure, the backgrounds are nice and detail gives the food a nice polish, but the characters just look too abstract for a feature length movie. The character animation doesn't help that aspect, as it tries to look way too cartoon-like, as if their bones were rubber chickens. But then there's the connection to the original book. Out of all the movies I've seen based on a children's book, this has to be the one that stays true to the source material the least. I will give it that it does explain how it rains food in a creative way, but where in the original bedtime story did it include an inventor, a food hurricane or a town that lives off sardines? Again, it does have some good qualities, but it's still a below average movie.

2012 was the year we got three animated Halloween movies: ParaNorman, Frankenweenie, and this film. This one is possibly in the middle of the three. Where Hotel Transylvania fails is as a movie. It's just your typical "father doesn't want his daughter to see this guy she has a crush on" with a monster theme. It's generic and boring, but what makes it so enjoyable? It may fail as a romance story, but where it really succeeds is as a comedy. The jokes are hysterical, the zany cartoon animation compliments the kid friendly style, and the idea of a hotel for monsters sounds really unique. But, as I said, it does have its flaws. The story is really clumsy, some jokes can be hit and miss, and Johnny can really get under my skin. Even if it's not one of the best animated movies out there, it certainly is Adam Sandler's funniest film in a long time.

What was originally the demise of ImageMovers, who is currently the only animation studio that makes their films with motion capture, Mars Needs Moms is far from their best work. Sure, the animation is fine, but the story it attempts to tell is bland, predictable and extremely rushed, the character designs, with the exception of Gribble, are very hard to look at, and then there's the characters themselves, who can be one of two things: annoying or a jerk. Gribble can be a mix of both, but just comes off as an idiot, Ki is okay but kind of dated by being a "hippie", Two-Cat and Wingnut supply the worst jokes in the movie, and then there's Milo, the main character. I hate the little twerp with a passion. Yes, his actor does a decent job, but he's really annoying, his character design is awful, and at the start of the movie, he says this one line that's so unforgiving that you'll want to hate him for the rest of the movie. It's hard to imagine at first, but once you hear it, you'll understand why. But there are some things that the film did right, like the background animation is nice, some of Gribble's jokes caught me off guard and the music is very well orchestrated. But those alone aren't enough to make it passable.

Growing up, I adored this movie. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid. 12 years later, I will admit that it wasn't as good as I remembered it back when I was 6, but that doesn't mean it's not any good now. The story is on the same levels of Shrek, giving us a nice police investigation with a fairy tale theme, the songs, although cheesy, are very pleasant to listen to, and the characters are the best thing about the movie. However, there is a big flaw. Due to it being from an Indie company, the animators have to bring something new, right? Well, I'll give it that they tried the best they could, but that's no excuse for the animation to be this terrible, where it looks like it was powered by a Nintendo 64 engine. But the animation doesn't take away from how smart and witty the writing is. I've never seen the sequel, but after the backlash it received, I think it was smart of me to skip it when I was 11.

Ozzy could quite possibly be one of the worst animated films I've ever seen. The story, much like that of Ice Age 5, is so predictable from top to bottom that you can guess how it ends by watching the trailer, the voice acting is terrible, the characters are generic and one dimensional, but the worst part of the movie is the animation. Matter of fact, I consider this some of the most ugly CG I ever laid eyes on. I get that it's not from a big name company like Disney or Blue Sky, but the animation is so bad, I had to remove my glasses when I watched the trailer; something I only thought Foodfight could do. But I can see where Foodfight can be creative with the designs of the food mascots. With Ozzy, however, the character design is so ugly and monkey faced, that it makes Weegee look like Mona Lisa. All the designs of the dogs are all one specific type of breed, making it look even more generic than their personalities. I've never seen animation so bad that I could consider it completely unwatchable. And that's the only word I can think of to describe this stinker: an unwatchable movie that should be avoided like the plague.

This year, Disney released a handful of films, but the piece de resistance is obviously Zootopia. This could quite possibly the best modern Disney animated movie out there. The story it tells is absolutely beautiful, the characters are easily relatable and funny, and this could be some of Disney's best animation yet. It brings an entire city to life which is absolutely gorgeous for what it is, the character design has the trademark Disney flare, and the setting of the movie is beautiful. I was expecting this to be just a fun filled animated film with anthropomorphic animals that's just a little appetizer before Moana. But what I wasn't expecting was what could be one of the best animated features of 2016.

This film actually wound up being one of Sony's best animated films along the lines with the Hotel Transylvania films. The story is rather engaging, the animation is absolutely gorgeous and the characters, as generic as they sound, are really funny. The only problem is that the film rather wants to play it safe, which takes out most of the tension. But thanks to the clever writing and gorgeous animation that stays true to the spirit of Peyo, it becomes worth a watch.

Sing may be the most enjoyable film to come out of Illumination yet. Even more than the Despicable Me films. I know I gave criticism at The Wild Life for nothing happening whatsoever, but the reason for that is that it's executed in the most boring way out there. In Sing, nothing has been learned from Wild Life. The only difference is that the execution is much more fun. The story it tells is fun and witty, the animation is really good, and with the massive pile of characters, it's actually hard to pick a favorite. The only problem I have is that it constantly hops from one sub plot from another, which makes hard to focus on what's going on. It's even harder than choosing a favorite character. But despite the lack of focus on the story, it still passes as a fun movie.

Out of all the animated movies I seen in my life, this is probably the most boring. The story, if you can call it that, is painfully bland and generic, the animation is mediocre, the characters are all one dimensional, and absolutely NOTHING worth mentioning happened. In fact, this is not only the most boring animated films I've ever seen, it's also one of the most forgettable. When I first saw it, I left remembering nothing about it. The only things I remembered was going to the restroom and taking a 10-minute nap. Taking a nap in a theater would just sound stupid, I know, but it doesn't matter when you're the only one in there. The only thing you need to know about this is that it's a complete waste of your precious time.

This is probably the best musical to come out of Dreamworks, and looking back at flicks like Road to El Dorado, that's against some STIFF competition. First off, the animation is amazing. I dare say it's probably one of the most colorful movies ever put in theatres. Not to mention that you'll feel like dancing in your seat through nearly every one of the songs, especially Can't Stop the Feeling. However, while it's visually one of the best Dreamworks films, the film isn't exactly perfect. For starters, the supporting cast don't offer much (heck, Gwen Stefani only has one line in the entire movie), and the humor is hit or miss. One time they'll pull off a clever joke, like the talking worm scene, but then Guy Diamond would poop glitter on the screen. But even with that, this film is a very good one, and that is a feeling I certainly can't stop.

To be fair, the people at Blue Sky are really good people. Granted, they don't make many good sequels, but that doesn't mean that they can't pull **** movie every once in a while, like Epic, Robots, and of course, The Peanuts Movie. And then you have Rio, which is just okay, but the animation is beautiful and the songs are awesome. And this happens to be the rare followup to a Blue Sky movie that's actually good! The animation's at the top of its game, the songs are the highlight of the movie and the third act is surprisingly epic and intense. Sure, the movie does have its fails, like the humans play less of a bigger part (excluding Big Boss) and it can get a bit predictable at times. But those are just nitpicking. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Blue Sky actually made a good sequel.

I don't wanna sound too harsh, but this film is probably one of the weakest films to come out of Dreamworks. And against films like Shrek 4 and Over the Hedge, that is saying something. But there are ways in which it doesn't get near as bad as Shark Tale. The animation is very vibrant, the heart really works, and you'll be able to find yourself rooting for the main characters Oh and Tip on their journey. But where the movie fails is definitely in the writing. The movie tends to get highly predictable and generic, characters like Smek and Kyle are obnoxious, and the soundtrack is nothing but Rihanna songs. Don't get me wrong, though, Rihanna is a good singer, but does every song in this film have to be crafted by her? Aside from Feel the Light? The good elements of the movie are there, but they get overshadowed by the terrible writing.

Not only does The Lego Batman Movie achieve more than Batman v Superman (although that was expected), it also achieves more than the original Lego movie. The story brings us into Batman's life behind the cowl, and it REALLY delivers. The animation feels like it's made of 100% Lego, and not to mention the action scenes are really fun to watch. It also uses almost every DC villain as a character in the film, but the one that stands out most is The Joker. What the writers done with him is great! So, all in all, The Lego Batman Movie isn't one of the better DC films, it's one of their best.

I'm gonna be honest. I really enjoy the Madagascar franchise. The first was okay, the second was great even if it DID feel like it took elements from The Lion King, and the third was highly enjoyable. But you know who my favorite characters in the movie are? The penguins. So having them get their own film was expected considering the success of their TV series. And it was really fun. Sure, it has it's flaws (which I will get to later), but it makes up for it with some enjoyable action scenes, the fun and lovely animation, and funnier moments with the Penguins. Oh, sorry, I mean the "Peng-wings". It also helps us know them better, like how Skipper treats his team mates, and how Private feels about his position. However, the film isn't exactly perfect, and the problems can be found in the writing. The story seems kind of predictable and WAY too silly, even for a Penguins of Madagascar movie. Also, the jokes mostly fall flat, like the octopuses' names have to be given a joke, like "Nicholas, cage them" or "Kevin, bake on". But luckily, the action and lively animation make it really enjoyable.

I'm not gonna lie. I wanted to hate this film. The premise is paper thin and the jokes weren't really funny. But I sort of enjoyed it. The animation is very fun, some jokes were funny, the acting is very well done, and you can tell the people of Dreamworks tried the best they could. But there are some things the team should seriously improve on...like their writing. Here, the movie is predictable and the rest of the humor **** a lack of better term, as funny as a poopy diaper. But even if the writing is awful, it still seems like a passable film. Oh well, at least Captain Underpants looks really good.

This installment of the franchise was one that proved that Ice Age should have ended at the third movie. The story is so predictable, you can guess how it ends just watching the trailer alone. They focus way too much on the humor, and I mean WAY TOO MUCH TIME. I'm not joking, there are about 10 characters attempting to be the comic relief. And the funny thing is, none of them are funny. Maybe a small chuckle came out because of Buck, but everyone else relies on their idiocy, moving around like they're in a Sony Pictures Animation movie, or just making bad puns. However, even if it is Blue Sky's worst film, it doesn't mean it can't offer anything good. To its credit, the end song is really good, the animation is stunning, especially in Geotopia, and I'll admit it, Scrat is kind of funny. Just not as much as the previous films. But they can't make the film anywhere near passable. And word on the street is they're thinking about making a SIXTH ICE AGE MOVIE! Why can't they make more films like The Peanuts Movie, or even Horton Hears a Who?

**** this film amazing. Completely blows The Good Dinosaur out of the water as Finding Dory...throws us back in. Come on, I HAD to. This movie left my tear ducts dry heaving by the 4 minute mark. The new characters weren't just "oh hey we're new, g'bye" like other Pixar sequels. This time most of the new characters played a part in the story! And it's an astounding cast, astounding visuals (I haven't even scratched the surface with Piper), and astounding...well, everything. I recommend 101%.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

This would have to be one of the worst Thomas and Friends features ever put on screen. And judging from Misty Island Rescue, Calling All Engines, and The Other Side of the Mountain, that's saying a lot. Thomas isn't funny. Heck, you can't even relate to him. And speaking of Thomas, for his first feature film, he's barely in it! The film just centers on a young girl, an out of his mind conductor and a depressed Peter Fonda. Now I know I should give it credit for having Peter **** THE SHOW ITSELF HAS EDDIE REDMAYNE! Yeah, no kidding! I think I said enough.

This film is pretty good. I mean, it doesn't hold up to how good Zootopia or The Peanuts Movie were, but the cast is enormous, and I mean ENORMOUS, and the soundtrack is fun, too. A good film for the family, and I recommend it 100%. Man, the Blues are adorable in this movie.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

So there's bad films, then good films, then great films, then godly films, and then there's this one. Trust me, I've seen a lot of godly movies in my day, but the latest installment of the Star Wars saga takes it to a whole new level! I was actually upset when I learned that this movie wasn't nominated for an Oscar. ****'s cute. That is the only word that comes to mind. A cute robot. And I don't mean the Robin Williams robot from Robots. I mean an actually cute robot! Now, I nearly cried when Han Solo died. It was possibly the saddest of all death scenes in the entire franchise! I left the theater in total awe at this movie, IT IS THAT GOOD.

WOW, is Norm of the North bad! I mean, you have no idea. If this movie was a dog, I'd have it put down. If this movie was a car, I'd have it impounded. If this movie was a starving young woman who pleaded to me for just a bit of my ham and salami sandwich, I WOULD KILL HER! All right, that's a little dark, but you get what I'm getting at. That's the kind of hatred this movie has driven me to. You know it's a terrible film if it has a stinking twerking bear. Come on, Lionsgate. You're way better than this.