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Ever
since Pixar and DreamWorks both collided with a similar
theme production, "A Bug’s Life" and
"Antz" back in 1998, the word 'animation'
is never the same again. A genre dominated by Disney
since the land before time, the demands for computer
generated animations has seen the sprouting of Nickelodeon
Movies, The Weinstein Company, Sony Animation and other
smaller effects houses such as Vanguard Animation joining
the race in snatching a slice of the lucrative pie.
The fortunate Singapore audience even gets a chance
to see more Made-in-Asia animations all thanks to the
ingenious minds of independent distributors who brought
them in. With an average of ten animations hitting the
local screens a year not including the home entertainment
side, we track down the 18 must watch animations in
the last four years. And here they are (not in any particular
order):
KUNG FU PANDA (2008) DreamWorks Animation
This quirky animation from this year summer blockbuster
slate which featured kung fu prancing animals including
of course the Jack Black voiced Panda collected more than
US$500 million worldwide. Accounting for its huge success
are the fast & furious jokes that entertained both
kids and adults unlike a certain green ogre which is fast
turning mould (green) as the sequels go. In other words,
"Kung Fu Panda" shows that audience needs to
see new material and not endless, repetitive sequels,
prequels.
WALL-E
(2008) Disney/Pixar
There isn’t much of a sound in the first twenty
minutes but anyway does it matter if you have a delightful
piece of story to tell? From the director of "Finding
Nemo", this Pixar animation is a remarkable piece
of work in all areas and yes, it has an environmental-friendly
message for all of us out here on earth. Our resident
reviewer has watched this thrice. If you haven’t
caught this, you should be ashamed.
SURF’S
UP (2007) Sony Animation Pictures
Voiced
by Shia LaBeouf as a teenage surfing penguin Cody Maverick,
"Surf’s Up" is a witty, energetic mockumentary
styled movie that oozes so much coolness on the big screen
that you can’t really find fault with the lightweight
plotting. The cinematic CG environment is simply astounding
and I highly recommend watching this on Blu-ray DVD on
your extra-large LCD TV.
EVANGELION:
1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (2007)
This
is apparently the best way to enjoy Evangelion if you
are yet a fan of the renowned TV series because the
folks behind it decide to give it a redux treatment
by streamlining the story plot and enhance the visual
effects for the big screen. Condensing the original
first six episodes into a full-length feature, there’s
nothing better than watching gigantic robots and monsters
battling it out in surround sound.
HOWL’S
MOVING CASTLE (2004) Studio Ghibli
After
his immensely popular "Spirited Away" and
"My Neighbour Totoro", one of Japan’s
most prominent animation director, Hayao Miyazaki came
out with "Howl Moving Castle" in 2004, a story
based on the original novel by UK writer Diana Wynne
Jones. Howl was meant to be Miyazaki’s last outing
as a director but the 'Walt Disney of Japan' seems to
lament the same old thing whenever his full-length feature
is released. As we are typing this, his latest feature,
"Ponyo on the Cliff" has already performed
wonders at the Japan’s box-office and due to release
here in 2009.
HORTON
(2008) 20th Century Fox/Blue Sky Studio
To
be fair, I love "Horton" although frankly
not as much as my fellow writer. Based on a Dr Seuss’
book which tells the story of an imaginative elephant
who hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of
dust. Funnyman Jim Carrey voices the clumsy but kind-heartened
elephant while Steve Carell (that 40-year-old virgin)
is the Who’s mayor. Cute animals, cute antics
and cute song routines. There’s even a soft toy
of Horton which comes with the DVD. So cute.
THE
INCREDIBLES (2004) Disney/Pixar
Pardon the pun but this is simply incredible! A family
consisting of super heroes is nothing new. Think "Fantastic
Four". Brad Bird and the merry men at Pixar brought
that genre to a whole new level with insane action sequences
and characters which you endear and root for. It’s
so good that it can easily beat those lame Marvel movie
adaptations anytime.
The
list continues here
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SELECTED
MOVIES FROM
MX VAULT:
Kung
Fu Panda (2008)
Movie
Review
Wall-E
(2008)
Movie Review
Surf's Up (2007)
Movie
Review
DVD Review
Evangelion 1.0 (2007)
Movie
Review
DVD Review
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Movie Review
Horton (2008)
Movie
Review
DVD Review
The
Incredibles (2004)
Movie
Review
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