Disney Movie Marathon Challenge

Well I need to watch Wreck It Ralph. I've seen parts of it and wasn't moved but reading your reviews I need to seriously watch it. Monsters University is ok but it's not even close to Monsters Inc(which is among my favorite of the Pixar titles.)
 
Well I need to watch Wreck It Ralph. I've seen parts of it and wasn't moved but reading your reviews I need to seriously watch it. Monsters University is ok but it's not even close to Monsters Inc(which is among my favorite of the Pixar titles.)

You should definitely check out Wreck-It Ralph. It's a good one with a heart warming story. The recent sequel was just okay though. It's not bad, but it's a bit all over the place.
 
You should definitely check out Wreck-It Ralph. It's a good one with a heart warming story
I don't have to jump through too many hoops to see it--It's been on the DVR for like two years.;) The grandkids watch it sometimes so that's how I've seen bits & pieces of it. I think our little review panel agrees on the Disney movies more than we disagree, so when I see praise from the others on this thread it def has some cred.:)
 
God its been a while since I've posted on here. But looks like we are finally on Wreck It Ralph and...Monsters University. Isn't that the weirdest combination but here we go.

Wreck-It-Ralph - This one is one of my favourite movies from the modern era of Disney films for many reasons. 1, It has so much heart and charm to it and it is a movie that has a whole lot that I love. 2 Vanellope. 3 It's a love letter to video games in general, it resonates with me a lot because I am a massive gamer and I like how they didn't shoehorn references to real video games in there and hammer us over the head with it...like a certain Sony animated movie that forced in references just for the sake of references. Rather it's more or less a part of the world that Ralph lives in. 4 Vanellope. 5 I love the dymanic that Ralph and Vanellope have in the film its so sweet. And 6 did I not mention how much I love Vanellope as a character?

I could go and on about this film I can't recommend it enough.

Monsters University - I will defiantly say this was a good film but it was not really needed. Its one of those films you don't feel like you could return to multiple times but your glad to have seen it sort of things. Its not really original with the whole high school we've got here. It's good to see Mike and Sulley, glad they got Billy Crystal and John Goodman back to voice their respective characters, liked the Ozoma Kappa gang as well as Dean Hardscabble but really it's a story we've seen before, its not really an original concept like I've said but it was certainly a decent enough Pixar flick.

And while this isn't really anything to do with this Marathon but I would really like you guys to check out my trip report on my solo trip to Disneyland Paris last May. I honestly would love to hear your feedback on that.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-brits-return-to-the-magic-kingdom-14-17th-may-2018.3731994/
 


Planes (2013)

Apologies! its been a while! We have watched a few more so must get cracking!


So, having presented us with pretty pretty fairies for the 7-year-old girls, Disneytoon Studios now presents us with zoom zoom planes for the 7-year-old boys. Not being a 7-year-old boy, I must admit I did not like Planes, but I think that’s probably to be expected. It’s a perfectly fine film. It’s fine. It’s totally fine.


It’s also probably the most forgettable film we’ve watched (and that includes five Winnie the Pooh movies), which means my recollections of it aren’t the best. We watched it nearly two weeks ago now and I was struggling to remember the plot the following day. I spent quite a bit of the runtime on her laptop and my sis was on her phone...so this isn't going to be a great review, in any sense of the word.


Planes is essentially Cars but with less story and theme. It follows the well-trodden underdog wins the big race story and will be easy for children to follow and/or fall asleep in front of on a rainy Sunday afternoon. You don’t need to know anything about the characters because they don’t have personalities or character arcs and you don’t need to worry about the plot because you can see it coming a mile off.

The animation of Planes probably wouldn’t seem half bad if it didn’t so obviously take place in the same world as Cars. Whatever you say about Cars (and even Cars 2) the animation is spectacular, and the texture-free cars and planes in this movie, with their limited expressions and lack of personality is a big step down. If it had only been released on DVD this wouldn’t be a problem, but this movie had a theatrical release.

Overall Planes is definitely a miss. I will probably never watch it again...and if I do, I probably won't remember it.

We did wonder is this world a democracy? Who rules cars or planes? My bet is the Cars!


Frozen (2013)

I really love Frozen. It’s entertaining and heartwarming and contains some absolutely bangin tunes!

First, the story. I wouldn’t say this plot was such a massive subversion of the boy-meets-girl trope, as the majority of the film is still dedicated to Anna and Kristoff, who are also the most developed characters in the film. Turning Elsa into a misunderstood young woman rather than a villain was a really really good idea though. I think this is an interesting way of acknowledging that good and bad are a bit more complicated than we sometimes see in Disney movies.

The characters, and the performances of them, are definitely one of the real high points of this film. Anna, in particular, is a really well-realised character. She is completely delightful and adorkable and I think is a lovely role-model for little girls. Kristoff is also completely brilliant, managing to be very likeable, even when he’s being a grumpy git. Both of them were extremely well-cast - how can you not love these two? Elsa is really great too, and you can’t help feeling sorry for her. That is until she lets rip with Let It Go and you just want to be her! I also think that Olaf is a big part of the reason Frozen is so good. He’s a bit like the genie in Aladdin, in that he saves the film from being just another Disney fairytale.

The other big standout in Frozen is of course the music. The songs are all beautiful and Let It Go is iconic, and for good reason. I thinks it’s better than Part of Your World - my sis does not agree, but it’s probably just the nostalgia talking. Of course Idina Menzel is a big part of why that song became such a moment in popular culture - that woman might have the most spectacular singing voice I have ever heard and she throws everything at that song. The whole sequence, including the animation, is a real turning point in the story and completely blows you away.

This all having been said I don’t unreservedly love the Frozen soundtrack. Yes, it’s got some real bangers, but not every song is amazing. Vuelie and the Frozen Heart song are both alright, but have nothing to do with the story, and it's a crime they never gave Jonathan Groff a proper song. Fixer Upper is a really fun song, but not very suitable at the moment it appears, which is when things are really starting to get serious. We need to build the tension at that moment, not break it. I think the main problem isn’t necessarily the songs themselves, however, but their placement in the film. Nearly all of the songs happen in the first half hour of the movie, and there are none in the third act. We are absolutely crying out for another Elsa song when she has been captured by Hans, and Anna and Kristoff need a love song of their own - these are somewhat glaring gaps in the movie and their absence leaves the film feeling lopsided.

The move is certainly not without a few minor flaws, and however much I enjoy, but I do very much enjoy it and I am thoroughly jazzed for the sequel. You’ve kept us waiting for 6 years, Disney, this had better be good!

P.S. Frozen the Musical is coming to London next year and I am very excited for it. I have listened to the cast album from the broadway version a lot of times and it’s sooooooo good!

P.S.S. For what it’s worth, my theories as to why Frozen is the most successful animated film of all time are as follows:

  1. We got two Disney princesses instead of just one.

  2. Let It Go

  3. Memes
 
You should definitely check out Wreck-It Ralph. It's a good one with a heart warming story. The recent sequel was just okay though. It's not bad, but it's a bit all over the place.

Totally agree. The Sequal (I guess we will be reviewing it in 12 or so movies!!!) is good, but not amazing
 


God its been a while since I've posted on here. But looks like we are finally on Wreck It Ralph and...Monsters University. Isn't that the weirdest combination but here we go.


https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-brits-return-to-the-magic-kingdom-14-17th-may-2018.3731994/

Reading the trippie, adore DLP!

I've never done a trip to a Disney Park on my lonesome! Trying to psych myself up for a day in Shanghai in June!

The reason I haven't posted in a while is work has gotten crazy and work now involves a trip to China :) Slipping in a cheeky holiday to Japan from there! I mean it would be rude not to :) Tokyo Disney here we come!!! Never been before. Has anyone? Brian L maybe? Lucky this part won't be on my own as never been to Japan!
 
Planes - Really couldn't care about Planes. Spinoff of Cars not really worth my time, next.
Frozen - Oh THIS film. And yes I am aware that Frozen is a phenomenon, its everywhere, people won't stop complaining about it, fans defend it, nonstop. Well you know what? I like it, yes I like it unironically and I honestly consider a good film. Now I'm not a super hyper fanboy when it comes to this film but I just think the whole: "I love/hate it" is getting a bit for my sake. I'm aware people would love this and I'm aware that haters would hate this. I'm honestly the neutral camp in this. I like it as a film but it's just not my cup of tea most of the time. I have been known to sing Love is an Open Door but it's only on occasion I do it.

I still think Anna and Elsa are decently crafted characters though and yes I agree Johnathon Groff should've gotten a better song than what he was given personally. However Hans as a villain just comes out of nowhere for me when most of the time we just see him as a nice guy and its not really established that something was amiss with him. Honestly the whole villain twist thing was done better in Wreck-It-Ralph personally. King Candy anyone?

Overall I do like Frozen but I just wish people would just end the debate of which is better Tangled or Frozen. Or the whole "We need to say we hate this movie because its everywhere." And considering we are getting nothing but live action remakes lately? I'd rather take Frozen 2 then The Lion King or Aladdin remakes.
 
The Pirate Fairy (2014)

We’re on our fourth Tinkerbell movie at this point... I didn’t hate The Pirate Fairy. The storyline was mildly diverting and there were some good points to weigh out the forgettable and the bad.

The good points were mostly centred around Tinkerbell’s group of fairy friends and the new character, Zarina. Before this movie the gang were barely given personalities, let alone character arcs, and were patently just there to expand the collectable plastic figures collection. In this movie, however, they are allowed to be a bit more involved, which does lead to some quite funny moments. Of course, it would have been better if the pirate fairy role had been given to one of the original group, rather than a new character being created from thin air, but it’s not a massive deal. Rosetta, in particular, is fun in this movie, which is a shame - she finally becomes a role worthy of Kristin Chenoweth when Kristin Chenoweth is not playing her anymore. We get cut-price Cheno in this movie, but she’s actually really good.

The bad of this movie is, unfortunately, Tom Hiddleston. It’s sad to have to admit it, because Tom Hiddleston is a brilliant actor, but his young Captain Hook might be the most phoned-in performance of all the Disney movies we’ve watched so far. If it turned out he’d recorded all his lines on his phone in the pub I would not be surprised. This is a poor showing from the best villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing one of Disney’s most iconic villains!

Another slightly weird aspect of this movie is that they actually include a song. You know what I said a few Tinkerbells ago about how there were moments that cried out for a song? Yep, this is my fault, guys, I did this, and I can only apologise. JK, it’s actually not all that bad, and it turns out Hiddleston might not be much of a voice-actor but he can certainly really sing. The song stands out like a sore thumb because it is the only narrative song, not only in this movie but in any of the Tinkerbell movies so far, and so in terms of consistency is all wrong, but it’s not the worst song in the world.

Overall The Pirate Fairy is OK. The animation and voice-acting are of the required standard (apart from Hiddleston) and the plot is much more satisfying and complete than the Tinkerbell movies we’ve watched so far.

Can’t believe we haven’t finished with Tink yet! Maybe 1 more to go!
 
Planes - Really couldn't care about Planes. Spinoff of Cars not really worth my time, next.
Frozen - Oh THIS film. And yes I am aware that Frozen is a phenomenon, its everywhere, people won't stop complaining about it, fans defend it, nonstop. Well you know what? I like it, yes I like it unironically and I honestly consider a good film. Now I'm not a super hyper fanboy when it comes to this film but I just think the whole: "I love/hate it" is getting a bit for my sake. I'm aware people would love this and I'm aware that haters would hate this. I'm honestly the neutral camp in this. I like it as a film but it's just not my cup of tea most of the time. I have been known to sing Love is an Open Door but it's only on occasion I do it.

I still think Anna and Elsa are decently crafted characters though and yes I agree Johnathon Groff should've gotten a better song than what he was given personally. However Hans as a villain just comes out of nowhere for me when most of the time we just see him as a nice guy and its not really established that something was amiss with him. Honestly the whole villain twist thing was done better in Wreck-It-Ralph personally. King Candy anyone?

Overall I do like Frozen but I just wish people would just end the debate of which is better Tangled or Frozen. Or the whole "We need to say we hate this movie because its everywhere." And considering we are getting nothing but live action remakes lately? I'd rather take Frozen 2 then The Lion King or Aladdin remakes.

Did not realise people were having these debates! Frozen 2 everytime over the remakes!
 
Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy - This is actually one of the better movies from the Tinker Bell movies and another one I own. I do like Zarnia as a character she has got an off putting design because she's a lot more realistic compared to Tink and the others. I swear if you were to superimpose on a poster for a different movie you'd think she was a character from a different series. And....whats with the weird love thing she had with Hook? The answer to that particular question I don't wanna know cuz it probably involves Deviantart or something.

Anyways I like the idea that.Tink and the gang as well as the reformed Vidia have switched their talents. And the part where Tink is just soaking her friends with the waterfall? Not is it funny to me but it also makes me laugh for a different reason and just makes me think of Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender which Mae Whitman actually played before she played Tinker Bell and Katara was a character who could control water herself.

And yeah I think Vidia was probably regretting all the things she said about Tinker Fairies when she got her talent switched with Tink's. I honestly didn't think Tom Hiddleston was playing Hook until I looked up the cast list on Wikipedia before I saw the movie.

He's not what I picture a young Hook to be. But he does a good enough job voicing him. Interesting how the crocodile started getting a taste for the ol' cod fish though. I really don't know the reason why Kristin Chenoweth didn't come back for the other films. But my guess is that she probably had other commitments and just didn't have the time to do them anymore. Anyways I really like this and I do think it's a bit better than Secret Wings. At least in my opinion.
 
Planes is okay, nothing special, but not at all bad. I caught it on TV one day.

Frozen is indeed pretty great, but I don't love all of the songs. I think I missed Alan Menkin! I do think Let It Go is a masterpeice though and the animation in Frozen is just gorgeous. I love the story despite how much it changed from The Snow Queen, which was a childhood favorite story of mine (interestingly I think it was depicted in this Disney Storybook that we had - Disney had wanted to make it for decades). Anyway, there's a lot to like in Frozen.

For the record, I like Tangled better than Frozen, but I like them both a lot. They are beautiful movies!
 
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Planes: Fire and Rescue (2014)

Like Planes, Planes: Fire and Rescue is very forgettable. It’s also quite a lot like Cars 2, in that it doesn’t have anything at all to do with the movie that came before it. The idea of Dusty as a racer is abandoned so we can explore the exciting world of underfunded public services. I think this movie would be boring to anybody, even the 7-year-old boys it’s aimed at. There’s loads of really talky bits where the characters discuss the Fire and Rescue department’s thin budget - you know how kids love a good budget-crunching sesh - and Dusty crashes almost as many times as he did in the first film. Seriously, this guy is one of the worst planes ever.

The animation is really pretty good, maybe even a bit better than Planes. The lush backgrounds are shown off to their best advantages through lots of wide shots of countryside (and forest fires), but characters are still pretty devoid of personality.

The movie is also very unimaginative, recycling lots of character tropes from better movies - the crusty old mentor (from every Cars and Planes movie so far as well as many many others), the kooky sidekicks (ditto), the ‘spiritual’ Native American character (wow, can’t believe that’s still a thing here in 2014) etc. - and failing to do anything interesting with them. In general the movie would be vastly improved by giving the main character a personality (even a recycled one) and some kind of agency - as it is things sort of happen to him and he weakly reacts. He’s sort of Lightning Lite.

In fact our main topic of conversation while we were watching (we tend to talk all the way through movies) wasn’t really about the characters or the plot at all - it was about how confounding the Cars world is and how many questions it raises. Questions like: cars planes and some boats are people in this universe - so are bicycles people too? How about skateboards? Some cars seem to be cows and some planes seem to be birds - are there any organic creatures in this world? Plus, cars seem to get old and talk about being old as if that means they’re near to death - so what is death in this society? And what is life? Also, the planes and cars seem to have mums and dads, but also to have been made in factories, so what’s going on there? And if you have to be made in a factory, how did the cars and planes of this world evolve? How did the factories get there? Were there originally people-people in this world but then the cars took over in a horrific apocalypse, with man and machine fighting it out to the death in a war to end all wars???

Ahem. It’s possible I’m reading too much into this.

In conclusion, Planes: Fire and Rescue is probably better than Planes, but that’s really not saying much.
 
Big Hero Six (2014)

To sum up my feelings about Big Hero Six: good film, definitely very creative and original if not as memorable as Wreck-It Ralph. There, now you don't have to read the whole review if you don’t want. :p

The most stunning aspect of Big Hero Six is definitely its look and feel. Disney are definitely getting into their stride when it comes to 3D animation now and managing to create films as uniquely different from each other as their 2D animated films always were. Tangled and Frozen might look pretty similar to each other, but Wreck-It Ralph and Big Hero Six are totally new. Setting the film in the fictional San Fransokyo was a brilliant idea and of course Disney crushes it with the design of the architecture and the mise-en-scene. They create an entire city, and every detail is perfect! The flying scene where you’re able to take in the full scope of what they’re achieved feels a bit like a victory lap by the graphics department, but hey they earned it.

The characters are another strength of the movie. The good characters all manage to make an impression, which is an achievement considering there’s so many of them. Hiro is a great main character; since he’s a kid, his more outrageous actions seem understandable and he manages to be adorable at the same time as being a cocky little ****. The movie gives him good motivations for everything he does - plus his relationship with Baymax is so damn cute.

I also like the rest of the Big Hero 6 - none of them is a cliche and they all have strong personalities. It would have been good to see their characters develop a bit more in a sequel to the film, though I suppose that’s unlikely to happen now. I particularly like the little touches that make the characters more interesting than your average superhero team; like the way Go Go tells people to ‘woman up’ and the way Honey Lemon over-pronounces Hiro’s name.

The film suffers from the same curse as a lot of Marvel films in that it doesn’t have a good villain, which isn’t a problem Disney films have traditionally had. Perhaps a more bombastic villain would have drawn focus from the heart of the story, which is Hiro and Baymax, but I don’t know if the solution they’ve gone for entirely works either. Perhaps the film would have been stronger without a villain at all.

The thing that really makes the movie is Baymax - without him it would be a much less good film. He’s a truly original robot, which is something you don’t often see, and he’s impossible not to love. It’s also great to see the direct line drawn from Baymax’s creator to Baymax, so that the character of Tadashi is present throughout the whole film, even though he dies. But I also think this is may be where the film trips up. Turning Baymax from a nurse-bot to a flying, karate-chopping superhero definitely leads to some funny and entertaining moments, but doesn’t it slightly undercut the point of Baymax, and the message of the film itself?

The other slight problem with this film is that it very much feels like an origin story, in the traditional of Marvel origin stories - complete with the main character losing someone close to them, a limp villain and an ending with a big light-thing in the sky that destroys various buildings. Of course we might end up getting a sequel to Big Hero 6 (I mean, it took them six years to do the Frozen sequel) but I think it’s unlikely.

I do really like Big Hero 6. I think it’s not quite as successful or memorable as Wreck-It Ralph, and certainly not as funny, but it’s got a lot of heart and some great characters, and is set in a city I would really like to live in! We’re in the middle of a renaissance, people - Disney Animation Studios is doing what they do best and I am loving it; can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Spoilers: It’s one of their BEST!

P.S. Did anybody see the Big Hero 6 lazer based show in DLP? I did and was very confused by it. If anybody could explain it to me I would be very grateful!
 
Big Hero Six (2014)

To sum up my feelings about Big Hero Six: good film, definitely very creative and original if not as memorable as Wreck-It Ralph. There, now you don't have to read the whole review if you don’t want. :p

The most stunning aspect of Big Hero Six is definitely its look and feel. Disney are definitely getting into their stride when it comes to 3D animation now and managing to create films as uniquely different from each other as their 2D animated films always were. Tangled and Frozen might look pretty similar to each other, but Wreck-It Ralph and Big Hero Six are totally new. Setting the film in the fictional San Fransokyo was a brilliant idea and of course Disney crushes it with the design of the architecture and the mise-en-scene. They create an entire city, and every detail is perfect! The flying scene where you’re able to take in the full scope of what they’re achieved feels a bit like a victory lap by the graphics department, but hey they earned it.

The characters are another strength of the movie. The good characters all manage to make an impression, which is an achievement considering there’s so many of them. Hiro is a great main character; since he’s a kid, his more outrageous actions seem understandable and he manages to be adorable at the same time as being a cocky little ****. The movie gives him good motivations for everything he does - plus his relationship with Baymax is so damn cute.

I also like the rest of the Big Hero 6 - none of them is a cliche and they all have strong personalities. It would have been good to see their characters develop a bit more in a sequel to the film, though I suppose that’s unlikely to happen now. I particularly like the little touches that make the characters more interesting than your average superhero team; like the way Go Go tells people to ‘woman up’ and the way Honey Lemon over-pronounces Hiro’s name.

The film suffers from the same curse as a lot of Marvel films in that it doesn’t have a good villain, which isn’t a problem Disney films have traditionally had. Perhaps a more bombastic villain would have drawn focus from the heart of the story, which is Hiro and Baymax, but I don’t know if the solution they’ve gone for entirely works either. Perhaps the film would have been stronger without a villain at all.

The thing that really makes the movie is Baymax - without him it would be a much less good film. He’s a truly original robot, which is something you don’t often see, and he’s impossible not to love. It’s also great to see the direct line drawn from Baymax’s creator to Baymax, so that the character of Tadashi is present throughout the whole film, even though he dies. But I also think this is may be where the film trips up. Turning Baymax from a nurse-bot to a flying, karate-chopping superhero definitely leads to some funny and entertaining moments, but doesn’t it slightly undercut the point of Baymax, and the message of the film itself?

The other slight problem with this film is that it very much feels like an origin story, in the traditional of Marvel origin stories - complete with the main character losing someone close to them, a limp villain and an ending with a big light-thing in the sky that destroys various buildings. Of course we might end up getting a sequel to Big Hero 6 (I mean, it took them six years to do the Frozen sequel) but I think it’s unlikely.

I do really like Big Hero 6. I think it’s not quite as successful or memorable as Wreck-It Ralph, and certainly not as funny, but it’s got a lot of heart and some great characters, and is set in a city I would really like to live in! We’re in the middle of a renaissance, people - Disney Animation Studios is doing what they do best and I am loving it; can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Spoilers: It’s one of their BEST!

P.S. Did anybody see the Big Hero 6 lazer based show in DLP? I did and was very confused by it. If anybody could explain it to me I would be very grateful!

I love BH6 - the movie and the series (just renewed for a third season and the second hasn't even begun!). This was an awesome take on a mediocre Marvel comic. As you said, the city is really cool and the animation is top-notch. The characters all have personality and their niche. I think the point of the subversion of Baymax from healer to fighter is a big theme in the movie. Tadashi probably wouldn't have approved - but Hiro is not Tadashi. Still, they have to find a balance. The ending is a bit like some other movies, like The Iron Giant, but I absolutely got misty when you see what was in Baymax's fist! This is one of the great ones and a good part of this second renaissance.
 
Big Hero 6 - I really do like Big Hero 6, I do think that Frozen's popularity kind of overshadowed it a bit but at the very least it was still success. And it's interesting that Big Hero 6 is now recognised as a Disney film nowadays because originally it was a Marvel comic, a rather obscure Marvel comic at that. There's a lot of things that Disney changed from the comic series for example: Hiro never participated in illegal bot-fighting in the comics and was more mature than how he's portrayed in the movie as an arrogant super genius who came up with the nanobots. But seeing as Marvel was bought by Disney, Marvel seeing that Big Hero 6 was no use to them so they handed Disney the rights in general and just rebuild the story from the ground up. The animation is so stunning and the city of San Fransokyo looks so incredible that it makes you want to visit it.

Really? Yet another villain twist? I honestly couldn't really tell you who Yokai is because of A Spoilers and B He's not really that memorable in my books. Baymax is certainly adorable and I do like the idea of a healthcare robot being there to help people who have been injured and it's certainly an original concept in general. I really do like the ensemble team of Hiro, Honey Lemon, Go-Go, Wasabi and Fred they all have their own distinct personalities and their own quirks about them. I really do like this but again just because it's under appreciated doesn't mean it's a bad film altogether.
 
Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast (2015)

I am running out of things to say about Tinkerbell movies at this stage - so I am handing over to 7-year-old me again for her thoughts. I accept no responsibility....


Ooooh I loved this movie so much - it was definitely the best Tinkerbell movie yet. It was about one of Tink’s friends called Fawn who talks to animals, and she finds a fluffy thingummy called Gruff and he has lightning powers! Fawn was my favourite character because she is pretty and was nice to all the animals. She is quite a lot like Tink actually…

Translation: They forgot to give her a personality and had to give her Tink’s at the last minute.

You shush, this is my review. I like that Fawn got her own movie for herself, and now I hope they do one for Rosetta and Irridessa and...the other one...and the mean one as well. Maybe not the mean one, but I hope they do lots more of these!

I don’t.

And also there were cool new warrior fairies in this one, which was awesome. I like when they have new talents for the fairies. If I was a fairy I would be…

An easily-pleased fairy? It’s very lazy the way they keep inventing new talents for the fairies and retrofitting the world to fit in with whatever story they’re trying to tell. I mean, it’s their world and they can do what they want, but I see you Disney!


*Rolls eyes* This was a very pretty movie and Pixie Hollow looks like a really nice place to live. And I liked Gruff too, he was really cool-looking.


Yeah, the animation was actually not bad. Disneytoon Studios is really starting to produce some nice work. Hey, did we just agree on something?


Yes! We agree that Tinkerbell and the Neverbeast is the best Tinkerbell movie and is awesome and…


Woah woah woah. It’s probably the best one in that it has a beginning, a middle and an end and makes an attempt at developing some of its characters. That’s as far as I’ll go.


When I’m old, I’m not going to be boring like you.

...
 
Inside Out (2015)

Inside Out is maybe the most Pixar Pixar film. It is peak Pixar. If you had one film with which to explain the Pixar approach to film-making, this is the one you would pick. It’s thought-provoking, funny, sad, full of completely original ideas, slightly wacky, exciting and if you’re not in tears by the end of it you have a heart of stone. There’s no denying how wonderful this film is. It is my personal favourite by miles!

As has sometimes been the case with these reviews, it’s actually too difficult to list all the amazing things about Inside Out, so I’m just going to talk about one aspect of the film, its message, which is so intrinsic to every aspect of it (from the characters to the music to the animation) and which makes the film the unique experience that it is.

Let’s start with the message itself, because it’s not one you come across all that often, especially in a children’s film: it’s OK to be sad; it’s OK to grow up; it’s OK if growing up makes you sad. Whenever I watch Inside Out I’m filled with envy for kids who have this movie to help them with the growing up process. How nice would it have been to have someone tell you, as a child or a teenager, that it’s OK not to always understand your emotions, or to let them overwhelm you? In creating this film, Pixar have given children a literal language and framework for handling emotions that become overwhelming. “Sadness has taken the wheel for a bit,” they can say, “but that’s OK. She’s helping me communicate and make sense of my feelings.” Lucky kids today! This having been said, I’d be interested to hear from people with kids or grandchildren about their experiences of this film? Inside Out came out in 2015, and I’ve only ever watched it as an adult with other adults.

As an adult, of course, there’s no aspect of this film that you can’t relate to. Alongside the big, more developed ideas, there are lots of wonderful little touches (such as the facts and opinions getting mixed up, deja vu, the tripledent gum tune etc, abstract thought!.) You recognise every emotion that Riley goes through and laugh or cry as every aspect of your personality is deconstructed (in the nicest way possible) and literally turned inside out.

And one of the movie’s most effective ways of doing this is through the characters of Joy and Sadness. They achieve so much with just those two characters and get the balance exactly right. Through the animation and the gorgeous performances, they pull it off. And people just love these characters. We found this out when my sis cosplayed as Sadness at DLP last Halloween; most people were dressed up in some way but a lot of people (both adults and children) came up to her, not just to get a picture, but to tell her how much they loved her, or to reassure her that everything was going to be OK. She’s a very popular character and evokes a lot of feelings in people, and if that’s not Pixar doing their job right, I don’t know what is!

As someone who works in education, the movie is also interesting from a learning perspective. The relationship between emotion and learning isn’t something that’s often explored but, as we see in Inside Out, the strongest memories are those that we have a powerful emotional connection to, and experiencing those emotions is part of the process of understanding ourselves. This isn’t really apropos of anything - it’s just one of many many many interesting ideas that this movie raises, as part of its mission to get you thinking about how you think.

Inside Out is one (if not the most) original children’s films I’ve ever seen and could only come from Pixar. It is perfect...except for making me cry like a helpless baby (pretty much all the way through!) every time I watch it. Thanks, Pixar!
 
Inside Out (2015)

Inside Out is maybe the most Pixar Pixar film. It is peak Pixar. If you had one film with which to explain the Pixar approach to film-making, this is the one you would pick. It’s thought-provoking, funny, sad, full of completely original ideas, slightly wacky, exciting and if you’re not in tears by the end of it you have a heart of stone. There’s no denying how wonderful this film is. It is my personal favourite by miles!

As has sometimes been the case with these reviews, it’s actually too difficult to list all the amazing things about Inside Out, so I’m just going to talk about one aspect of the film, its message, which is so intrinsic to every aspect of it (from the characters to the music to the animation) and which makes the film the unique experience that it is.

Let’s start with the message itself, because it’s not one you come across all that often, especially in a children’s film: it’s OK to be sad; it’s OK to grow up; it’s OK if growing up makes you sad. Whenever I watch Inside Out I’m filled with envy for kids who have this movie to help them with the growing up process. How nice would it have been to have someone tell you, as a child or a teenager, that it’s OK not to always understand your emotions, or to let them overwhelm you? In creating this film, Pixar have given children a literal language and framework for handling emotions that become overwhelming. “Sadness has taken the wheel for a bit,” they can say, “but that’s OK. She’s helping me communicate and make sense of my feelings.” Lucky kids today! This having been said, I’d be interested to hear from people with kids or grandchildren about their experiences of this film? Inside Out came out in 2015, and I’ve only ever watched it as an adult with other adults.

As an adult, of course, there’s no aspect of this film that you can’t relate to. Alongside the big, more developed ideas, there are lots of wonderful little touches (such as the facts and opinions getting mixed up, deja vu, the tripledent gum tune etc, abstract thought!.) You recognise every emotion that Riley goes through and laugh or cry as every aspect of your personality is deconstructed (in the nicest way possible) and literally turned inside out.

And one of the movie’s most effective ways of doing this is through the characters of Joy and Sadness. They achieve so much with just those two characters and get the balance exactly right. Through the animation and the gorgeous performances, they pull it off. And people just love these characters. We found this out when my sis cosplayed as Sadness at DLP last Halloween; most people were dressed up in some way but a lot of people (both adults and children) came up to her, not just to get a picture, but to tell her how much they loved her, or to reassure her that everything was going to be OK. She’s a very popular character and evokes a lot of feelings in people, and if that’s not Pixar doing their job right, I don’t know what is!

As someone who works in education, the movie is also interesting from a learning perspective. The relationship between emotion and learning isn’t something that’s often explored but, as we see in Inside Out, the strongest memories are those that we have a powerful emotional connection to, and experiencing those emotions is part of the process of understanding ourselves. This isn’t really apropos of anything - it’s just one of many many many interesting ideas that this movie raises, as part of its mission to get you thinking about how you think.

Inside Out is one (if not the most) original children’s films I’ve ever seen and could only come from Pixar. It is perfect...except for making me cry like a helpless baby (pretty much all the way through!) every time I watch it. Thanks, Pixar!

You nailed it. Inside Out is a masterpiece, plain and simple. It is probably my second favorite Pixar movie behind Ratatouille. This movie exudes charm, and has such a powerful message and lesson. Some have labeled Joy as "the villain" of the movie, but I disagree. All of the emotion characters are just aspects of Riley and are beholden to their environment (Riley's brain). Some say Joy is suppressing the other emotions, but really, Riley has just been a very happy kid for a long time and now she's at a delicate age and facing a big change in her life. All of the emotions are simply trying to figure out how to re-stabilize their environment, but all of it is Riley just doing it, figuring it out, and finally having an epiphany about what she really wants. It really is quite beautiful.

Of course, my favorite little Easter egg in any Pixar movie is when Riley imagines the haunted house - got a little Haunted Mansion music right there! Nice.
 

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