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Category: animation

animation, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

March 1, 2021 Grant Watson

The Walt Disney Animation Studio, pound for pound the most reliable entertainment bet in Hollywood, has struck gold again with Raya and the Last Dragon. This beautifully presented fantasy adventure should be a good bet to revive the fortunes of movie … Continue reading REVIEW: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

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REVIEW: Earwig and the Witch (2020)

February 5, 2021 Grant Watson

Since the mid-1980s Studio Ghibli has been the world’s premier production house for animated films. Led by directors Hayao Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata, Ghibli has produced more than 20 features in an unparalleled run of creative successes. They … Continue reading REVIEW: Earwig and the Witch (2020)

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REVIEW: Kazuo Oga: Ghibli’s Image Artisan (2007)

January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 Grant Watson

Or, to give its full translated title: Kazuo Oga: Ghibli’s Image Artisan: The Art Who Made Totoro’s Forest. This is a 75-minute documentary focused on Kazuo Oga, who has worked since the mid-1980s as an art director and background painter for … Continue reading REVIEW: Kazuo Oga: Ghibli’s Image Artisan (2007)

animation, review2 Comments

REVIEW: Josep (2020)

January 19, 2021 Grant Watson

Political cartoonist Aurel (Aurélien Froment) makes his feature directing debut with this heartfelt and political animation set in a 1939 concentration camp. Not a German one, however: when half a million Spanish refugees fled across the French border to escape … Continue reading REVIEW: Josep (2020)

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REVIEW: Penguin Highway (2018)

November 3, 2020 Grant Watson

Penguin Highway, a 2018 animated feature based on the Tomihiko Morimi novel, represents the best and worst of anime. On the one hand it boasts a richly developed and wonderfully imaginative story that boasts both clever ideas and a warm, … Continue reading REVIEW: Penguin Highway (2018)

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REVIEW: Blame! (2017)

October 6, 2020 Grant Watson

A particular kind of anime fan will likely have a ball with Blame!, a 2017 feature film based on a Tsutomi Nihei manga. Produced with fluid and impressively detailed computer-generated animation, it offers a serious science fiction story backed up with … Continue reading REVIEW: Blame! (2017)

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REVIEW: Song of the Sea (2014)

September 10, 2020 Grant Watson

Ben (David Ralwe) lives on a lighthouse with his father Colin (Brendan Gleeson) and little sister Saoirse. His mother vanished the night she gave birth to Saoirse, who is non-verbal. Ben blames his sister for his mother’s disappearance, while Colin … Continue reading REVIEW: Song of the Sea (2014)

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REVIEW: The Boxtrolls (2014)

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020 Grant Watson

In the town of Cheesebridge, rich and powerful “white hats” lounge and eat expensive cheeses from their rich mansions above the general “red hat” population. The locals live in fear of the baby-snatching boxtrolls, who maraud the city streets at … Continue reading REVIEW: The Boxtrolls (2014)

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REVIEW: Lu Over the Wall (2017)

June 14, 2020October 6, 2020 Grant Watson

Kai lives a sullen life in the coastal Hinashi Town with his umbrella-making grandfather and recently divorced father. Kai plays in a teen band with his friends Kunio and Yuho, though he is thinking of quitting. When a trip to … Continue reading REVIEW: Lu Over the Wall (2017)

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REVIEW: Momotaro, Sacred Sailors (1945)

June 6, 2020 Grant Watson

A group of four animals – a puppy, a pheasant, a monkey, and a bear – leave their families to help with the Japanese war effort. After basic training, they are dispatched as paratoopers to invade Suwawesi and wrest control … Continue reading REVIEW: Momotaro, Sacred Sailors (1945)

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