Category Archives: animation

Colorful “Spirit Untamed” Horse Rides Again

Directed by Elaine Bogan and co-directed by Ennio Torresan, Spirit Untamed follows a headstrong girl longing for a place to belong. She discovers a kindred spirit when her life intersects with a wild horse as the sequel to the beloved story of Spirit from DreamWorks Animation. 

Lucky Prescott, voiced by Isabela Merced, never really knew her late mother, Milagro Navarro, voiced by Eiza González, a fearless horse-riding stunt performer from Miradero, a small town on the edge of the wide-open frontier. 

Like her mother, Lucky isn’t a fan of rules and restrictions, which has caused her Aunt Cora, voiced by Julianne Moore, no small amount of worry. Lucky has grown up in an East Coast city under Cora’s watchful eye, but Lucky presses her luck with one too many risky escapades. Cora picks up stakes and moves them back with Lucky’s father, Jim, voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal, in Miradero.

Lucky is decidedly unimpressed with the sleepy little town. She reconsiders when she meets Spirit, a wild Mustang who shares her independent streak and befriends two local horseback riders, Abigail Stone, voiced by Mckenna Grace, and Pru Granger, voiced by Marsai Martin. Pru’s father, the stable owner Al Granger, voiced by Andre Braugher, is the best friend of Lucky’s father. 

A heartless horse wrangler, voiced by Walton Goggins, and his team set a plan to capture Spirit and his herd and auction them off to a life of captivity and hard labor. Lucky enlists her new friends and bravely embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to rescue the horse who has given her freedom and a sense of purpose and has helped Lucky discover a connection to her mother’s Mexican legacy — a heritage she never expected. 

My daughter and I watched the original Spirit movie at least ten years ago, and it was a favorite that she watched repeatedly. We still have the DVD in our collection. 

Magical “Luca” Challenges the Imagination Startling and Astonishing Story

Directed by Enrico Casarosa, Luca is about a young boy, played by Jacob Tremblay. The story follows his experiences that include an unforgettable seaside summer along the Italian Riviera. Filled with pasta, gelato and endless scooter rides, Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend.

The catch is all the fun they have together barely holds together by a deeply held secret. They are sea monsters from another world — just below the ocean’s surface.

The story seems a mixture of Guillermo del Toro’s Shape of Water and Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo. Of course, Pixar holds back the complete plot of their stories until they’re released.

The screenplay is by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones. The rest of the cast includes Maya Rudolph and Jack Dylan Grazer.

Tom & Jerry

“Tom & Jerry” Amazingly Flips Exciting Genuine Cartoon

Tom & Jerry

Directed by Tom Story, Tom & Jerry stars several voice actors, which is a concern. The original classic cartoons had no dialogue, and it entertained kids of all ages. Why change it?

All is not lost since the feature film uses archive recordings of William Hanna. Hanna performed all the original shrieks, howls, screeches, yells, gasps, and screams heard in the cat and mouse cartoons of 1942 to 1957.  

The second theatrical movie is the first rendition as live-action and animation. It is Warner Bros.’s first animated/live-action hybrid movie. It’s been 28 years since the release of the first Tom and Jerry in 1992.

The voice actors include Michael Pena, Chloe Grace Moretz, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost. The script is by Kevin Costello based on William Hanna and Joseph Barbera characters.  Costello’s screen credits appear limited with Brigsby Bear and one episode for the Jean-Claude Van Johnson series.

The Boss Baby

“The Boss Baby: Family Business” Amazingly Funny and Silly Cute

The Boss Baby

Directed by Tom McGrath is the sequel to The Boss Baby, starring James Marsden and Alec Baldwin as the Templeton brothers. They are adults now and drift away from each other. Tim is now a married, stay-at-home dad. Ted is a hedge fund CEO.

But a new boss baby with an innovative approach and a can-do attitude is about to bring them together again… and inspire a new family business.

Also starring in the movie are Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Greenblatt, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Eva Longoria, and Amy Sedaris.

The Boss Baby: Family Business DVD is now available, with the movie streaming as well on Amazon.

Raya and the Last Dragon

“Raya and the Last Dragon”

Raya and the Last Dragon

Co-directed by Don Hall and Carlos López EstradaIn, Disney brings us Raya and the Last Dragon. a realm known as Lumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization; a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

The movie voice-over talent includes Awkwafina and Kelly Marie Tran.

The Addams Family 2

“The Addams Family 2” Launching a Weird Zinger

The Addams Family 2

Three directors, Greg Tiernan, Laura Brousseau, and Kevin Pavlovic, helmed the next Addams Family animated installment, rightfully called The Addams Family 2.

The Addams get tangled up in more wacky adventures and find themselves involved in hilarious run-ins with many unsuspecting characters. It looks like the same voice actors have returned for the sequel. The same cast includes Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Oscar Isaac.

Free Guy

“Free Guy” Improves Through High Tech Gaming Characters in a Colorful World

Directed by Shawn Levy, Free Guy follows a bank teller, played by Ryan Reynolds. He discovers that he’s actually an NPC inside a brutal, open-world video game.

Also starring in the movie are Taika Waititi and Jodie Comer.

The Croods: A New Age

“The Croods: A New Age” Daring to Compare to the Original

Directed by Joel Crawford, The Croods: A New Age is a sequel to the 2013 film called The Croods. In the first movie, we meet the first family, The Croods, of the prehistoric era. The Oscar-nominated comedy is about a clan dealing with their changing world, which captivated global audiences, reminding us of the family’s timeless importance.

With the sequel, we get to see just how little we’ve evolved with an all-new adventure back in time with The Croods: A New Age. Returning stars Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, and Clark Duke welcome Leslie Mann and Peter Dinklage to the film’s cast as The Croods face their biggest threat since leaving the cave—another family.

WATCH SCOOB!

Amazing Challenge and Mystery for “SCOOB!”

watch SCOOB!

Directed by Tony Cervone, SCOOB! follows our favorite hero, Scooby-Doo, in the first full-length, theatrical animated Scooby-Doo adventure, which reveals how he and his best friend Shaggy became two of the world’s most beloved crime busters.

The film is streaming on Amazon and other outlets.

The story takes us back to where it all began when a young Scooby and Shaggy first meet and team up with Velma, Daphne, and Fred to launch Mystery Incorporated.

minions are here

Colossal Imagination “Minions: The Rise of Gru” Trailer, Posters and Clips

minions are here

Directed by returning franchise filmmaker Kyle Balda, Minions: The Rise of Gru begins with the untold story of one 12-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain, voiced by Steve Carell.

The movie brings swarming subversive humor, pop-culture sophistication, full-hearted emotion, bold music sensibility, and over-the-top action. 

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