Big Hero 6

8.2/10

Baymax: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?

"Big Hero 6" is based loosley on the Marvel comics of 'Man of Action' and it tells the story of a Robotics nerd, Hiro Hamada, who discovers an inflatable health care robot Baymax created in the past by his brother, Tedashi. After a terrible life-changing accident, Hiro and Baymax team up with four other nerds and save their hometown San Fransokyo from an evil super villain trying to take over with Hiro's invention.

Having seen a wide range of mediocre animation this year, viewing 'Big Hero 6' was a unique breath of air. Not so much that it's advanced CGI and special effects and astounding real-life-animated technology as for the fact that the story does not bore you even for a second. It is funny, it's got action kicking all over the place, it's got witty dialogues and above all it's got a lot of heart and soul in it. Because oddly enough, it's not everyday you come across a Marvel piece of filmmaking to make your heart go all "awwwwwws" and "aaaaaaaaahs". As this is Marvel's first animated film, it is an exceptional and promising beginning. 

"Big Hero 6" comes from the creators of "Wreck-It Ralph" and the Disney phenomenon "Frozen" Chris Williams and Don Hall, managed to create one of the most lovables, huggables and health care robots in animated history. Given the fact that this film is also partially owned by Pixar and Marvel comics, it is truly nice to see that there can be a combination of inventive robotics that are also used not only used for saving "the world" but also saving someone's world. 

Albeit the resemblance to eky features of lego robotics to partial elements of "The Lego Movie", which conveniently is out of this year's Oscar race, "Big Hero 6" comes on top because of its ability to intrigue younger ages through cool techie gadget equipments, hilarious caricatures and a lot of color splashing around through modernised super-hero suits, but also deliver to make any adult laugh by the cute and logically inflatable robot that even the most demanding austere audience would acknowledge that it's got the ability to spread comic relief moments throughout the film.

I won't badger anyone a lot with rumbling on and on about reasons of why anyone should watch this animation. Simply just that it's funny and smart and entertaining. Something which I did find lacking in the animated stratosphere this year. And if this is a first attempt for a Marvel animation, then by all means, keep it comin'! 

Notable to give a big credit to Scott Adsit, who voices Baymax, who manages to hilariously portray this inflatable heatlh care robot. Had me laughing and giggling and I'm feeling the love. 

"Big Hero 6"

Frozen (2013)

8.1/10

Olaf: Hi, everyone. I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!

It's been a long time coming for this particular film, and most improtantly for Disney. From the makers of 'Pocahontas', Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, this film is everything every Disney lover was hoping for. 

'Frozen' tells the story of Anna, a fearless optimist, sets off on an epic journey - teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven - to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. From the outside Anna's sister, Elsa looks poised, regal and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret-she was born with the power to create ice and snow. It's a beautiful ability, but also extremely dangerous. Haunted by the moment her magic nearly killed her younger sister Anna, Elsa has isolated herself, spending every waking minute trying to suppress her growing powers. Her mounting emotions trigger the magic, accidentally setting off an eternal winter that she can't stop. She fears she's becoming a monster and that no one, not even her sister, can help her. (source: www.imdb.com)

With an incredible voice-acting and singing cast, that which most of all the likes of a them such as Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, this Disney masterpiece is all that an adult or a kid loving fan could have asked for. The music, the Hans Christian Andersen spin-off story of 'The Snow Queen', the moral messages, lest we forget them, the jokes, the chemistry. Take all that, mix it up together and you've got a dream film that Disney hasn't seen in years.

So dreamy in fact that 'Frozen' has warmed its way into the Academy's heart and it's most likely the biggest contender of getting the golden statue at tomorrow award's ceremony, both for Best Animated Film and Best Song. 

For those who are look to have a good time, a totally old-magic-Disney time this film will not in the least bit disappoint. It also teaches, finally, that Disney female characters don't need saving by a male one. Go Disney!!! 

           

Frozen (2013)

Finding Nemo (2003)

Rating: 9.2/10 

"'Marlin: I can't read human.' -'Dory: Then we need to find a fish that can read this. Hey, look! Sharks!'"

'Finding Nemo' is one of Pixar's masterpieces. And I will tell you just why. It is Disney with balls, and much more heart and brains. This is not a story JUST for children but for adults as well.

The story is about a father and a so; "A clown fish named Marlin living in the Great Barrier Reef loses his son, Nemo, after he ventures into the open sea, despite his father's constant warnings about many of the ocean's dangers. Nemo is abducted by a boat and netted up and sent to a dentist's office in Sydney. So, while Marlin ventures off to try to retrieve Nemo, Marlin meets a fish named Dory, a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss. The companions travel a great distance, encountering various dangerous sea creatures such as sharks, anglerfish and jellyfish, in order to rescue Nemo from the dentist's office, which is situated by Sydney Harbor. While the two are doing this, Nemo and the other sea animals in the dentist's fish tank plot a way to return to Sydney Harbor to live their lives free again." (www.imdb.com)

The actors who lend their voices to the animated characters are both brilliant and spot-on the comedy tricks. Some of these actors is Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Allison Janney, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett and the new talent in the block who so brilliantly voiced the character of little Nemo, Alexander Gould.

This film is so heartwarming, moving and at the same hilariously funny that any viewer (and I bet my credibility as a film junkie) will not be taken by the story and the characters. Two times Academy Award Winner Director Andrew Stanton ('Wall-E'), in collaboration with Lee Unkrich, did a remarkably superb job not only in terms of how to make the narration both speedy, comedic enough and also dramatic but was very attentive to the way he chose to create the world down under, something which was not tried ever since 'The Little Mermaid' popped through our screens back in 1989. A great achievement for a director to make both children and grown-ups around the globe to embrace and relate to the story of Nemo and his dad, and also a very witty way to get moral messages across on when parents should let their little ones on their own.

This for me was not only one of Pixar's greatest achievements but also a ground-breaking films to show the world how animation can be just as an equal contender as a dramatic film in terms of getting a film done and bringing people in the theatres to enjoy this film.

Albeit having a limited expertise on animation, it is my personal belief that this film will be a classic and it will hit the cinema history books to come as it offers a blend of various elements that constitute good filmmaking; not only it surpasses the challenged of creating a truly enjoyable plot but also the graphics and the music, which was composed by world-known music composer Thomas Newman, accordingly make for a wondrous spectacle for any viewer that generously sits down to watch it. It does not play on children's gimmick jokes just to make it comprehensible for them, but instead has a very serious adult-tone to it, thus making it more approachable for a wider audience to watch, unlike quite a few animated films that tone-down their level to be appreciated by the younger crowds.

For those who appreciate fell-good animated films, this will not only surprise you by its wit and charisma but also move and engage you to a level you will not be expecting. A film I strongly suggest by any film-goer to screen, this is 'Finding Nemo'.




Finding Nemo (2003)

Spirited Away (2001)

Rating: 9/10

"There must be some mistake! None of these pigs are my parents!"

It's not many times that I will sit down to watch anime feature films, but with this one I made the exception. The film is 'Spirited Away' and for 2hrs, we are being asked by the Studio Ghibli to sit back and get carried away in a mesmerizing journey. First time I watched this was back in 2003. And it literally took my breath away.

This film tells the story of Chihiro. "After she's forced to move to the suburbs with her family, Chihiro, a 10-year old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures." (www.imdb.com)

This was the first film I've ever watched by world acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, and surely wouldn't be the last one as well. To express my overwhelming desire to want to live in the world that Miyazaki so brilliantly created would be an understatement.

This animated feature film holds high its sceptre as on of the best animated films of all time, due to its unlimited length of imagination, its overwhelming spirit to show go beyond the boundaries and with a plot that can simply attracted even the more demanding anime-viewers.

The freshness of the story is not only addressed to young audiences, as this film also talks about moral messages that rule our 'adult' society today. The issues at hand begin from the theme of greed and gluttony up to the themes of envy and how to surpass everything negative that life may through in your way, and to try to be as authentic and as honest as when you first start a journey as such as Chihiro's.

An overwhelming animated experience. This is why I recommend this film. It will fill you up, bedazzle you and then spit you up like a hurricane with a sweetness you will not be expecting.

For those who will indulge to roam around in Chihiro's world for the two-hour length of the feature, I hope you let also your imagination run wild. That's all you need to have when you sit to watch this.


Spirited Away (2001)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Rating: 9/10

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

There's not a person on this planet in which at some point in their lifetime have not heard this quote.

First review will be a somewhat of an unconventional choice; the first full-length animated film by Walt Disney.

In my opinion, albeit being an animated film, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' it's exactly one of the best classical Disney films that never lose their filmic essence; whether that be plot or camerawork or even musical score.

A certain amount of people, look at this merely as a children's film. However, this is not the case.  A closer examination will prove that indeed, this film goes beyond the boundaries of a child's imagination; into a world of endless possibilities expressed through animation.

I admit that as a child this was the only Disney film that used to horrify me. Yes, indeed horrify me. Whether it was my instinct as a child or not, even now that I re-watch it as an adult my imagination is still frighteningly penetrated by the Evil Queen's hysterical laugh, the tremendously nightmarish forest scene and the bewildering musical score that empowers the villains in the story.

Despite that many out there will pass on such animated film, I am a firm believer of a complex subplot that lies underneath and that's what truly makes for a remarkable film.

Snow White begins with the innocent naïveté of an orphan girl, who is willing to face all the harsh challenges that may come her way just by keeping a light-hearted attitude towards all the wrongs in her life. Morality, plays a significant part in the story, as it is that theme that saves Snow White's life and let's her live. Good-will is another distinct theme that bounces through the screen; the seven adorable dwarfs offer Snow White not only a place to sleep and eat, but a place to escape her wicked step-mother.

As you may see by now, Snow White is not just a boring story of a happy princess singing all day long. Although Disney has a fair amount of that going on to keep the mood of the audience enlivened and spirited, it merely tries to employ subjectively all the clever filmic tricks to awe the spectator and leave them gushing for more.

Snow White was the first feature film of the Walt Disney productions in 1937 and for a whole year was the number one film in the USA, until it was knocked over by another great legend Gone with the Wind (1939).

AFI very well named this as the best animated film of all time. In my opinion, they did this not because it was the first of its kind or length, but because the innovative techniques Walt Disney's crew introduced into the animated field were a remarkable filmic achievement of the era. Quite whorthingly, Walt Disney received 1 Big Oscar (and 7 little ones).

I highly recommend this animated feature film to all, especially from the ages of 14+. This is because, this is not just a film for kids to do a sin-along or learn the "innocent" tale of Snow White, but for adults to explore the visual feast of an unexplored era in animation and the possibilities this opened for the specific field.

I managed to find the entire film on youtube (strangely enough it wasn't taken off by the recent copyrighted laws infused lately) for those who would like to indulge into a world of magic and dark tales. A warning at hand; since this is a Disney version and all, do bear with the singing and the bubbling and giggling. Just keep in mind of how well the film's score is intertwined with the visual imagery and then you will be able to surpass any Disney-lovey-dovey supertision you may have.

I hope you do enjoy the film. It is a worthy animated contender of all the anime-rise and the Pixar-made animated films being produced today, as this was the pioneering film that started it all.

"And they lived happily (n)ever after..."

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)