Can you feel the anticipation?? There are only THREE more movies to talk about!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So let's chat....
Winnie the Pooh
Disney has come out with a myriad of Winnie the Pooh movies since the release of the original way back in the 70's and this is the only one of that lot to be canonized. It also is the second sequel to be canonized as well so hurray for that!
I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. It is so charming and witty and clever and hilarious. In fact, I'd say this is one of those rare movies where the sequel is WAY better than the original. I'd recommend it to anyone. You won't be disappointed by watching it.
Now then, this movie follows the same basic formula as the original in that it takes place in a storybook. It breaks the fourth wall a lot more than the original did and it does so in some very creative and entertaining ways. The chalkboard drawings used to tell the story of the "Backson" reminds me so much of those educational shorts Disney produced in the 1950's it's uncanny. There's no way it isn't intentional.
Pretty much I'm just happy this movie was made so that traditional animation could end on a high note....not a mediocre one like it would have if Princess and the Frog had been the last one produced. Well, at least the last one produced as of now.
Wreck-It-Ralph
I think this movie basically proves that animation is not made solely for the 12-and-under crowd. There are so many references in this movie that only teenagers who grew up in the 80's and hung out at arcades would understand. I can't even follow all of the games that are referenced and I've only played/seen someone else play maybe 10 of them. Of course, I feel like it's important to know that me and video games don't really get along; if you want to know who holds the record for making Mario die the fastest it's probably me. Although I just know that "Sugar Rush" is an homage to "Mario Kart Racing," which was my favorite game as a kid.
The animation style in Ralph is very unique. The style and motions between the 8 bit characters and the super realistic characters in "Hero's Duty" is impossible not to notice. In fact, this might be one of those movies that reads better in computer animation than it would with traditional animation. It would be way harder for the audience to be able to pick up on the subtle differences between each character if this were hand drawn. Not to mention I think the style would detract from the storytelling rather than add to it.
And speaking of storytelling, the moral to this story is a little unexpected. The usual story line for the underdog sort of movie is that our under-appreciated hero dreams of doing something big, achieves his goals, and wins a million bucks (or something) at the end. Basically the hero starts low and ends high. In the case of Ralph he ends right where he started but his attitude about his situation has changed substantially. He still lives in the brick yard, he still gets thrown off the side of a building and into the mud every single day, but now he understands that he's valuable just doing his job. I think that is a significant lesson to learn. Especially in our day and age when everyone wants to be rich and the star of their own reality TV show; it is important to remember that the most significant difference you will make in the world is on the small scale. I'm sure it's fun to be in the spotlight but I know life is better when we just try to be a little better to the people in the world around us.
Isn't that tender?
(And since there's still a half hour more of the 25th: Merry Christmas!)
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