Category Archives: animation

“The Star” Trailers, Music, and Vignettes

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Directed by Timothy Reckart, The Star follows a small but brave donkey named Bo, voiced by Steven Yeun. He yearns for a life beyond his daily grind at the village mill. One day, he finds the courage to break free, and finally, he goes on his dream adventure.

On his journey, he teams up with Ruth, voiced by Aidy Bryant, a loveable sheep who has lost her flock and Dave, voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, a dove with lofty aspirations. Along with three wisecracking camels and some eccentric stable animals, Bo and his new friends follow the Star and become unlikely heroes in the most incredible story ever told—the first Christmas.

These are fun to watch, but their language is a bit too modern for the time period.

Enjoy the Vignette about the voice actor for Bo, the donkey.

The list of stellar voice actors is astonishing.

Short Animated Movie, “Puppy!” Trailer

animation, children movies, comedy, family movies, kid movies,

The new animated short Puppy! directed by Hotel Transylvania‘s Genndy Tartakovsky, is attached to The Emoji Movie. In the short, the residents of Hotel Transylvania find their world turned upside down when youngster Dennis gets a surprise monster-sized pet.

“The Emoji” Movie Trailer

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Directed by Tony Leondis, The Emoji Movie seems rather far-fetched and unreal because it is a way out there world that does not truly exist.

Following the story unlocks the never-before-seen secret world inside your smartphone. I never thought of my smartphone having a hidden world within the messaging app is Textopolis, a bustling city where all your favorite emojis live, hoping to be selected by the phone’s user.

This story is definitely for kids because, in this world, each emoji has only one facial expression – except for Gene, voiced by T.J. Miller, an exuberant emoji who was born without a filter and is bursting with multiple expressions. Determined to become “normal” like the other emojis, Gene enlists the help of his handy best friend Hi-5, voiced by James Corden, and the notorious code breaker emoji Jailbreak, voiced by Anna Faris.

The Emoji pals embark on an epic “app-venture” through the apps on the phone, each its own wild and fun world, to find the Code that will fix Gene. But when a greater danger threatens the phone, the fate of all emojis depends on these three unlikely friends who must save their world before it’s deleted forever.

Seems like The Wizard of Oz with a twist in a smartphone.  I ask, “Why can Gene just be himself?”

“Ferdinand” Trailer

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Directed by Carlos Saldanha, Ferdinand follows a giant but reluctant bull with a big heart. After being mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Set in Spain, Ferdinand proves you can’t judge a bull by its cover.

Looks like the movie is perfect for kids as a heartwarming animated comedy adventure with a talented cast that includes John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson and much more.

Nick Jonas of the former Jonas Brothers band co-wrote and sings in “Home” an original song for the animated feature.  “I’ve always wanted to write an original song for a film,” says Jonas. “When they showed me the materials of the movie, Ferdinand, a story I was familiar with, I was thrilled.”

Listen to part of “Home” in this trailer.

Jonas says “Home ” encompasses the film’s theme of acceptance. “I wrote this song with good friends of mine Justin Tranter and Nick Monson,” says Jonas. “And we wrote about feeling accepted and feeling loved, wherever that place is for you. For me it’s home, it’s my family, people I have closest to me, and the experiences we’ve shared.”

“Captain Underpants” Trailer

animation, based on a book, children movies, comedy, family movies, kid movies, , , , , ,

Directed by David Soren, Captain Underpants is based on a popular book series and with a cast headed by Kevin Hart and Ed Helms.

DreamWorks put the movie together, and the winded title is  Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. This raucously subversive comedy for the entire family tells the story of two overly imaginative pranksters, George and Harold, who hypnotize their principal into thinking he’s a ridiculously enthusiastic, incredibly dimwitted superhero, Captain Underpants.

I thought all principals thought they were superheroes.

“The Boss Baby” Trailer

adventure, animation, based on a book, children movies, comedy, family movies, kid movies, , , , ,

Directed by Tom McGrath, The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby’s arrival affects a family, told from a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7-year-old named Tim.

He wears a suit, speaks with the voice and wit of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy with a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family. The Boss Baby looks hilarious and should appeal to the entire family.

Here is a clip from the movie. Looking funny.

“Despicable Me 3” Trailers, Poster, and Blu-ray/DVD

animation, children movies, comedy, family movies, kid movies, sequels

Gru is back for the third time, and this looks funny.

The Blu-ray/DVD is out on the streets, and you can get the entire package with all the special featurettes. The featurettes include a mini-movie for some more laughs.

“Cars 3” Official Teaser Trailer

animation, children movies, drama, family movies, kid movies, sequels, , ,

Pixar and Disney are promoting everything that will change from this moment, and what that means is there is an accident on the racetrack. There is a dark car that seems sinister with the added promotion of a dark story.

All I can say is that I hope Pixar doesn’t disappoint us and keeps to the traditional Pixar style of prominent characters and outstanding storyline.

Cars 3 Blu-ray and DVD are available on the street if you haven’t seen the Pixar movie yet, nows your chance.

“Smurfs: The Lost Village” Trailer, Clips, and Poster

animation, children movies, family movies, kid movies, sequels, , , , , ,

smufsvillageDirected by Kelly Asbury, Smurfs: The Lost Village is a fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs. A mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy, and Hefty on a thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest.

The forest comes to life with magical creatures. Smurfette and her friends must find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel finds it first.

Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf’s history.

The voice cast includes Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson, Joe Manganiello, Jack McBrayer, Danny Pudi, and Mandy Patinkin.

This clip is fun.

“The Little Prince” Featurette

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Directed by Mark Osborne, The Little Prince is a feature-length animated film inspired by the French novella Le Petit Prince, first published in 1943 by poet, author, and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The novella is one of my daughter’s favorite books.

The movie uses four types of animation: hand-drawn 2D animation, CG animation, paper cutout animation, and stop-motion animation to bring this fable of friendship, love, loss, and loneliness to life.

The Little Prince cast of voices is impressive by Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Mackenzie Foy, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Albert Brooks, Benicio Del Toro, Ricky Gervais, Bud Cort, and Riley Osborne with Paul Giamatti. The Little Prince includes an original score and songs by Hans Zimmer and Richard Harvey featuring Camille.

I have to admit this trailer is so cute and sweet. Netflix is producing some notable movies, and I am a happy subscriber.