I will never not
be disappointed that so many foreign animated films do little other than
qualify themselves for Oscars, and then either barely release, or wait until
the following year to do so. But, it happens, and I’m tired of complaining
about it – so I’ll just note a few animated films that were not particularly
easy to see that I missed – like Long
Way North and Miss Hokusai both
of which played in Toronto for a week or two, and then disappeared (they’ll
come to VOD at some point – I’ll certainly watch the later, the former, I’m not
so sure. There were two films that I heard were great and would have love to
see – but they haven’t hit Canada yet - Your
Name and My Life as a Zucchini.
Also in that category were films that I heard much less about like – Bilal, Mune, Mustaga & the Magician and 25 April all of which qualified for
the Oscars, so I guess they came out somewhere. I could have seen Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Monkey King:
Hero is Back, Norm of the North, Phantom Boy, Ratchet & Clank and Snowtime! without too much effort, but
never got around to them.
I did manage to see 19 animated film this year –
when you have a 5 year old, you see most of the kids’ stuff – which I do,
sometimes begrudgingly, sometimes not. The top five are interesting – and could perhaps be put in any order, and I’d
be okay with that.
This year wasn’t that bad to be honest, with only a
few films being truly bad. The Boy and
the Beast (Mamoru Hosoda) was a major disappointment, as I usually love
anime, but this confused, disjointed film did nothing for me. Ice Age: Collision Course (Mike Thurmeier) made the very strong case that this series needs
to die – now.
The Wild Life (Vincent Kesteloot &
Ben Stassen) was
snuck into theaters in the fall to make a quick buck – and I seem to be the
only parent dumb enough to go with their kid.
Better, but not exactly good was: The Angry Birds Movie (Clay Kaytis &
Fergal Reilly) which really is about as good as you could expect a film
version of a plotless video game to be. Kung
Fu Panda 3 (Jennifer Yuh & Alessandro Carolini) was still fun – but all
the originality in the series is gone, and they’re now just going through the
mainly enjoyable motions.
A few films that I did quite like, despite some
misgivings include: Nuts (Penny Lane) an enjoyably bonkers animated documentary, whose
style fits perfectly with its subject – a “doctor” who surgically implanted
goats nuts into men to cure impotence in the 1920s – and that’s just the tip of
the iceberg. The Secret Life of Pets
(Chris Renaud) was a very fun animated comedy for kids, with just a little
something for adults. Sing (Garth
Jennings) was amusing and fun, with lots of music and comedy, but a
fleeting pleasure at best. Storks
(Nicholas Stoller & Doug Sweetland) which was a surprisingly sweet and
funny film, that grew on me a little – and has a killer moment near the end. Trolls (Mike Mitchell) is undeniably 90
minutes of brand extension – but it’s also an enjoyable musical comedy as far
as it goes.
In a lesser year, I could have easily had a few
others in my top five: April and the
Extraordinary World (Christian Desmares & Franck Ekinci) is a
wonderfully animated film, set in an alternate reality 1930s Europe, about a
girl’s strange journey to find the truth. The
Little Prince (Mark Osborne) is an interesting mixture of animation styles and
themes – that deserved more of an audience than it got. The Red Turtle (Michael Dudok de Wit) would have been a shoo-in
for the top five in most years – this gorgeous, quiet, introspective anf
fanciful film is a gem. Sausage Party
(Greg Tiernan & Conrad Vernon) an R rate, gross-out, sex comedy about
food in a grocery store and their existential dilemma – which is good, to a
point.
The
Top 5
It isn’t fair to expect Pixar to create a
masterpiece every time out – and so even if I would end up describing Finding
Dory as minor Pixar, it’s still clearly one of the best animated films of the
year. Witty and charming, brilliantly animated, fast paced and fun – Finding
Dory is great entertainment – but it’s also entertainment with a heart. No, I
didn’t weep like a child when watching Dory like I did Inside Out (or hell,
even The Good Dinosaur – even if Dory is clearly the superior film) – but its
story about the difficulty of raising a child with special needs is quite
touching. Yes, I do think some of the plot machinations used to keep all the
characters in play were a little strained – but overall, Finding Dory remains a
wonderful Pixar film – even if it is a “minor” one.
4.
Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight)
I am still of the belief that Laika Studios can do
better than they have so far – as much as I l have like ParaNorman, The
Boxtrolls and now Kubo and the Two Strings (I almost view Coraline as its own
thing – considering the Selick and Gaiman connections) – I do think there is
still a level where the story and thematic elements of their films do not quite
match the visual magic of their films. As far as pure visual beauty, I think
Kubo and the Two Strings is the best animated film of the year – and yet, I’m
not sure if the story ever really comes together. There is still a lot to love
about the film – some wonderful creepy moments, good actions, some emotional
beats that work – and overall, the film is a superb entertainment. But I don’t
quite think Laika has quite pulled it altogether yet. When they do, watch out.
3.
Zootopia (Byron Howard & Rich Moore)
Disney’s Zootopia is many things. It is an
enjoyable, colorful, fast moving entertaining romp – full of visual
imagination, as a bunny from the sticks moves to the Big City to become a cop,
and ends up investigating a series of disappearances, with the help of a con
man fox. It has references to film noir and The Godfather. It is the odd children’s
film I enjoyed more than second time than the first – as it gradually grew in
my mind, when I realized how effortlessly it did many things. It is also a film
that celebrates diversity, and makes having a conversation with your kids about
issues such as race easier – as it’s all right there in the film (the metaphor
becomes strained at times – but not too strained). It treated both kids and
adults with respect – and is also pure fun.
2.
Tower (Keith Maitland)
Tower is an animated documentary – an ever
expanding genre since Waltz with Bashir a few years ago. Like that film, the
animation is key to the success of Tower – which basically gives a moment to
moment accounting of the horrific incident in 1966, when a gunman went up the
bell tower at Texas State University, and opened fire for more than an hour.
The animation allows the film to recreate those moments, in the words of those
who survived, while also not simply wallowing in blood. This isn’t a film about
the gunman – he’s barely mentioned or seen in the film, but rather what it was
like to live through an incident that seemed unthinkable in 1966 – and is now
all too common. The rotoscoped animated is brilliant, and it packs a wallop
late in the film when Maitland reveals the real life people, who survived.
Tower is probably the best animated doc yet – and it’s so good, because it is
brilliant as both animation, and documentary.
1.
Moana (Ron Clements & John Musker)
Disney’s Moana is their best “princess” movie in a
long time – and that’s mainly because it sidesteps all the pitfalls of those
Princess movies – even the more modern ones of the last 10 years or so. It’s a
thrilling animated adventure about a teenage girl teaming up with a demigod to
fight monsters across the oceans – and it’s filled with brilliant music (by Lin
Manuel Miranda), top notch animated and wonderful moments. In many ways, the
film is typical, Disney princess storytelling – except that there is no
Princess dresses or love interests, etc. I know out of all the animated film
this year, this is the one that will be watched most often in my house with two
young girls over the next few years – and I don’t have a problem with that. A
triumph for all involved, and the best animated film of the year.
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