Moses (right) places his staffin the water from "The Prince of Egypt"

DreamWorks Animation is known for excellent 3d films like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, but audiences should take notice of their spectacular 2d animated classics as well. The Prince of Egypt is a dazzling adaptation of the story of Moses from the Book of Exodus. Viewers familiar with the cinematic classic, The Ten Commandments, will be pleased to see this version which gives us a close look into the kinship between Moses and his foster brother, Rameses II. This film has a rich soundtrack and could be considered a musical for the most part, yet the songs work well within the plot and the orchestration is a superb enhancement to the film’s action.

 The story tells of how Moses (voice of Val Kilmer) and his brother, Rameses II (voice of  Ralph Fiennes) grow up as Princes in the Land of Pharoahs. Most people know this tale from the Bible and though DreamWorks does take some artistic liberty, they manage to retell this classic story using vivid backgrounds that come to life with song and dance, stunning visual effects and one of the best sound scores I’ve heard for an animated film.

 Be warned that very small children may become frightened with some parts of this movie. There is a particular scene depicting children being thrown into the Nile where crocodiles eat them that is a bit disturbing for toddlers. Overall I would have to say this movie is an excellent choice for anyone to view, regardless of religious beliefs. A variety of stellar voices add to the cast, such as Patrick Stewart, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock and Steve Martin to mention a few. Here’s hoping that DreamWorks decides to continue to produce more 2d classics like The Prince of Egypt.

Cale (left) and Stith (right) from "Titan AE"

 Titan AE is a wonderful, exciting science fiction adventure by Gary Goldman and Don Bluth that received little praise at the box office but has grown a large cult following since its release in 2000. Both Bluth and Goldman are veteran animators from Disney studios and went on to produce animated classics The Land Before Time, Anastasia and An American Tail. Titan AE (the AE stands for ‘After Earth’) blasts into outer space with a story that begins with the Earth’s destruction where the main character, Cale (voice of Matt Damon) must avoid being captured by pure energy beings, find a hidden spaceship left by his father and save what is left of humanity.

 The movie features a stellar cast of voices, including Janeane Garofalo, Bill Pullman, Nathan Lane, John Leguizamo and Drew Barrymore. Like all Bluth projects, Titan AE carries a rich, colorful spectrum of backdrops, superbly animated characters and a variety of mood setting techniques that visually entertain the viewer. The direction of photography is top quality and should be noted as a perfect example of what to do for successful cinematography. The blending of computer generated backgrounds and traditional 2d imagery works seamless in this fantastic story written by Hans Bauer and Randall McCormick. It’s a shame that more companies can’t afford to produce and distribute quality work like this more often.

 The subplots within the story are no more mature than other Bluth films as animated film lovers will remember such dark moments from films like The Secret of Nimh or All Dogs Go To Heaven. Bluth has a uncanny ability to tone a serious subject matter in his movies and make it easy enough for a younger child to watch without becoming too scared by it. Any true science fiction fans will get a kick out of this film; I highly recommend it

Yubaba the witch (left) and Chihiro (right) from "Spirited Away"

 I have passed over this movie far too long and need to give credit and praise to Hayao Miyazaki’s multi-award winning classic, Spirited Away. I am so impressed by this film that if asked to produce a top ten animated films of all time list, Spirited Away would take the number one seat, hands down. I stand in company of quite a few others who feel this way as the film’s credits include being the most successful film in Japanese history, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the Golden Bear Award and ranked in the top ten of the British Film Institute’s list of the 50 films you should see by the age of fourteen. Studio Ghibli continues to bring their audiences superb films and this one stands as a leader amongst them.

 Illustrated with the same quality style as classics like Princess Mononoke and Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away (original title Chihiro no kmikakushi) is a fantasy tale about the adventures of a young girl named Chihiro Ogino (English  dub voice performed by Daveigh Chase). Chihiro is moving with her parents to a new town and stops along the way to rest at an abandoned amusement park. Her parents are transformed into pigs by a witch named Yubaba (English dub voice performed by Suzanne Pleshette) leaving the young girl to wander about in a world of spirits and strange characters in an effort to restore her parents back to human form. She is befriended by  a young boy named Haku, who helps her along the spirited world and holds a secret himself (which I won’t give away). The perseverance of Chihiro is heroic and humorous to watch making this an enjoyable movie for viewers of all ages. Keep in mind that the very young may be somewhat frightened by characters like Yubaba the witch or Kamaji the six armed man, but those who focus on the young girl note her composure throughout her adventure and feel no threat from the strange inhabitants.

 If you have not seen this movie yet, do so by all means. If you have watched it, watch it again and enjoy; this tale is as good the second time around.

Dino the cat from Un Vie de Chat (2010)

  French directors Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alan Agnol bring to screen a pleasant film about a cat that leads a double life through the streets of Paris. Une Vie de Chat (A Cat in Paris) is a 2010 production I enjoyed for a a variety of reasons, foremost being the illustrated style given to the characters and scenery. The streets of Paris as seen following the adventures of Dino the cat bring an illustrated style that reminds me of the art by French post impressionist Paul Gauguin. The whimsical approach to the design and fluidity of movement make the entire production easy on the eyes to watch, colorful yet not overbearing.

The story follows the life of Dino the Cat, who lives with a young girl named Zoe by day and a burglar name Nico by night. Zoe’s mother is a police officer which brings one elemental tie-in to the story, another link being a small bracelet the cat brings as a gift to the young girl. Various characters pop in and out of the plot but the viewer ends up identifying the most with this sly black and striped cat. This is a French production so be prepared to translate it or pick up a copy with subtitles (even though I felt the animated visuals almost carry the story along without need of dialogue at all). A Cat in Paris represents the epitome of France through the style of art and flair of the design as strong as the scene location itself.

Rex (voice of John Goodman) from "We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story"

 The name Steven Spielberg can pretty much sum up (for a lot of people) the caliber this movie presents as we have all come to know and expect a certain quality of entertainment from the director/producer who brought us all those memorable classics. We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story (released in Japan as ‘Dinosaur’s March’) is a 1993 production from Amblimation that tells the story of a group of intelligent dinosaurs who are brought back from the past for an exciting adventure film. Although ‘We’re Back’ did not receive as much attention as the Amblimation ‘An American Tale‘ pair of films, I would have to rate this movie as just above average. It is a good watch for younger children who will enjoy the story and colorful characters but nothing too vivid or memorable as far as the storyline goes.

 The plot involves a group of dinosaur’s run in with a small alien named Vorb (voice of Jay Leno) who feeds the creatures a cereal concoction that increases their intelligence; an invention of the strange man known as Captain Neweyes (voice of Walter Cronkite). The dinosaurs are taken into present day and dropped off at the Hudson River where they meet two youngsters, Louie and Cecilia, who attempt to help the dinosaurs make their way to the Museum of Natural History. I don’t want to give away too much of  the plot or expose all the characters in this tale, but kids will certainly be focused on the songs, action and drama of this light hearted story based on the children’s book by Hudson Talbott.

 A lot of known talents helped with voices for this production, such as those mentioned above, with the additions of Yeardley Smith (known as the voice of Lisa Simpson from the television show ‘The Simpsons’),  Charles Fleischer (the voice of Roger Rabbit), John Goodman, Rhea Pearlman (of  ‘Cheers’ fame), Julia Child, Martin Short and Larry King. When the film’s debut came to audiences throughout the U.S. it received a lukewarm response yet potential viewers shouldn’t let this dampen their trying this movie out. It’s a good family show and fun for young kids who are always entertained by dinosaurs.

Reading all the problems to produce this film leaves one wondering how they ever managed to get the film done yet we the viewers are rewarded with a brilliant movie called Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.  Known in Japan as Nemo, this 1989 film is a fantastic visual delight for people of all ages. Loosely based on the  comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, this fun and adventurous tale of a little boy’s trip into the world of Slumberland had a difficult time being recognized by audiences when first released. Box office numbers did not show favorable and release of the film to VHS and DVD sales didn’t fair much for circulation either. I feel it would be well worth your time to invest in a search for this film as you will want to watch it again and again.

Filled with lighthearted charm and storybook appeal, the rich illustrations and polished animation sequences are superb. The story revolves around a small boy named Nemo (English version voice of Gabriel Damon) who is whisked away in his dreams to a land known as Slumberland. He is requested to become the playmate of a princess who lives there and shares his adventure in the companionship of his flying squirrel friend, Icarus (English voice of  Danny Mann). The story plot doesn’t take a lot of twists but instead leaves the imaginary world of Nemo’s dreams to entertain us with playful songs and interesting characters; probably the most daunting character is the protagonist named Flip (English voice of Mickey Rooney) who pops in and out of the tale . The American released version had some footage cut out in order to preserve a G rating but didn’t suffer any lack of value as far as viewing goes.

Little Nemo is one of those films you can pop in and watch over and over. Kids will certainly remember their ‘favorite part’  years from now when thinking back on this film.  Trivia about this movie: a variety of notable names helped in the production, such as famed French comic artist and illustrator, Jean Girard (Moebius), science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, the voice of iconic screen actors Mickey Rooney and Rene Aberjonois and the world famous Sherman Brothers providing songs for this film. A definite five out of five star rating for Little Nemo.

Every now and then I believe everyone stumbles across a great piece of animation so I wanted to share this one with viewers to this blog. An exceptional job of sound synch, very playful. I will write no more for this entry, but let you watch and enjoy.

This 1993 original USA Cable presentation , Jonny’s Golden Quest was a made for television movie that attempts to capitalize on an audience who fell in love with the original 1964-65 series. All the familiar characters from the classic Hanna Barbera Saturday morning cartoon are here as well as an unfamiliar face; Jonny’s mom. Throughout the entire tv series, very little mention had been given to Quest’s mother and this film decided to close up that loose hole by including Rachel Quest (voice of Meredith MacRae) into the story line. We also learn something new about Jonny’s family caretaker and bodyguard, Race Bannon (voice of Granville Van Dusen). All the true fan elements were in this action movie, including the nefarious Dr. Zin (voice of Jeffrey Tambor), Dr. Benton Quest’s most formidable enemy. Being an avid fan of the television series I anticipated this cable television adaptation of Jonny Quest to be as adventurous and exciting as the original.

One of the most noticeable setbacks to Jonny’s Golden Quest, in my opinion, came because the show was too long. The key factor that made Jonny Quest a much watched cartoon was a mixture of high-tech gadgetry, mystical adventures and most important of all, precision timing. The original series was a half hour program that moved along at a good pace, leaving just enough time for brief dialogue or lighthearted antics with the boy’s dog, Bandit. It left little time for in depth drama or deep conversations. Golden Quest used the movie’s longer time format to add more family moments of teen angst to the main character that drew away from the action sequences. The animation and color were very much in synch with the original flavor of this series and even improved on fluidity of character movement. So often remakes of classic animated series will try to update the look and feel of characters which leaves disappointment to true fans. I was glad to see that Jonny’s Golden Quest kept the original flavor of the art consistent with it’s roots and did include those high-tech toys we loved to dream about owning.

Jonny’s Golden Quest would most likely be enjoyed by tween aged boys (9-12) but for fans of the original series, I don’t feel the pace of the show would hold your interest. I sat and watched the entire movie for reviewing purposes and out of respect to the genius of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera but I would not say that this was as enjoyable to me as the original. A quick tidbit or trivia for Jonny Quest fans; the voice of Dr. Benton Quest came from the talented Don Messick, whose voice repertoire included the likes of Scooby Doo, Ricochet Rabbit and Papa Smurf among others.

 I anticipated a great animated film from Marvel Comics/Lionsgate Films, the team that collaborated and brought us The Ultimate Avengers DVD releases as well as the Invincible Iron Man but was sorely disappointed in Dr. Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme. This straight to DVD and Blue Ray disk was released in 2007 and later premiered on Cartoon Network in 2008. I applaud Marvel for broadening their super hero venue to include some of the more obscure characters and hope they continue to do so in the future. Marvel has a plethora of stars to pick from (I would love to see a really decent adaptation of Daredevil come out) but they missed the mark with Doc Strange.

 The film tells the story of Doctor Steven Strange, a less than compassionate surgeon who loses the use of his hands in a car accident. Strange has visions which lead him to Tibet where he receives training in the art of sorcery and the origin of this Marvel hero continues from there. The story (by no fault of it’s own ) is reminiscent of the screenplay for the 2005 film Batman Begins at first but plays out into the realm of magic and sorcery once Strange becomes trained as a sorcerer.

 The downfall of this film was the artwork. Flat coloring, lack of styling in the characters and poor key framing made this one hard to sit and enjoy. One of the most flagrant examples took place when the character Steven Strange and his friend Gina (see image above) are walking down the hall of the hospital. They appear to be falling forward; a bad planning job on the perspective of the shot.  The combat scenes seemed lackluster by comparison to other magic battle animated shows; a great example of magical combat would be Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conquerer of Shamaballa. The lack of energy and movement in the characters made the story drag when it could have been a visual stimulating story.

 I wait for the next release from Marvel/Lionsgate films and hope they strive to compete with the recent super hero successes out currently.

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