Toon Talk: In the Name of the Father

Fans of the works of the legendary Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki know what to expect when they watch one of his films. The central protagonist, usually a boy or a girl (or both), find themselves in a life-threatening adventure filled with magic and mystery. They must rely on their youthful wits and innate talents to survive against an enigmatic, otherworldly being who will, most likely, at one point turn into a pile of goo. An adult father figure is usually on hand to provide sage advice, and it is highly probable that our hero will eventually learn that they are in fact some higher, magical being. The whole fantastic story is brought to vivid life with highly detailed and incredibly beautiful animation, with strong attention paid to recreating the wonders of nature. Oh, and there will be flying… lots and lots of flying.

Of course, anyone who has seen any of Miyazaki’s films knows that the whole is much more then sum of its parts. His films, from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (available this week for the first time on Blu-ray) to his Academy Award winning masterpiece Spirited Away to his most recent delight Ponyo, are quite simply sublime in their storytelling brilliance and ability to transport you to a myriad of different fantasy lands.

Following in the elder Miyazaki’s footsteps is his son, Goro Miyazaki, who makes his directorial debut with the latest Studio Ghibli feature to be released in the United States, Tales from Earthsea (now also available on DVD). As would be expected, the younger Miyazaki has big shoes to fill, and while it is not entirely fair to hold his work up to the standards of his obviously more accomplished father, Tales from Earthsea is so steeped in the studio style that it is unavoidable...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Tales from Earthsea at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: The Forest for the Trees

This week’s “Diamond Edition” Blu-ray of Bambi marks the high definition debut of the beloved Disney classic. A true masterpiece in the art of animation, the film ranks high on many a cinephile’s list of the best of the medium, and has often been cited as an influence on other filmmakers to this day. Its simple story of a boy growing up in the harsh realities of the world is as timeless now as it ever has been, and it remains a “must see” for every generation.

So it is a bit disturbing that everything new about this release is designed to distract you from actually watching the movie...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of the Bambi Blu-ray at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Brush Up Your Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” practically invented the concept of “star-crossed lovers”, so it’s no wonder that the Bard’s most familiar romance continues to inspire storytellers to this day. Speaking specifically cinematically, “Romeo and Juliet” has been the basis of many films, from the sublime (West Side Story) to the ridiculous (China Girl), not to mention direct adaptations by the directorial likes of George Cukor, Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann.

The doomed lovers’ influence has even carried over into the animated world, most notably with Disney’s own Pocahontas. Their latest toon incarnation is Gnomeo & Juliet (in theaters now, in both 2-D and 3-D versions), where they are embodied by (you guessed it) garden gnomes.

The more culturally snobbish may look down their noses at such a “blasphemous” idea, but Gnomeo & Juliet is actually a charming little fairy tale perfect for children and, smartly, the script is laced with many sly nods to the Shakespearean canon (referencing everything from “Out, damned spot!” to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) to keep their parents entertained as well during its quick running time...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Gnomeo & Juliet at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Horseography

When it comes to sports biopics, the subgenre breaks down into two camps. First is the warts-and-all, blood-and-guts variety best exemplified by Raging Bull. Then just about everything else, from The Pride of the Yankees to Hoosiers to The Blind Side, easily fall into the second type: the “inspirational” kind. Filled with “rags to riches” stories, training montages and slow motion moments of triumph, these films are no doubt crowd-pleasers. Yet, after you’ve seen a few, they also become rather predictable, even interchangeable.

With its Disney brand and tame PG rating, it’s not hard to figure out what category Secretariat fits into; and while the film (now available on Disney DVD and Blu-ray) is definitely a family friendly one, you’re likely to feel that you’ve seen this race before… even if you haven’t seen Seabiscuit.

As the “super horse” that, in 1973, became the first racehorse to win the US Triple Crown in twenty-five years, Secretariat certainly could run fast, but he doesn’t say much. Therefore, the movie leans heavily on his owner, Peggy Chenery (played by the always welcome Diane Lane) to carry the story. Unfortunately, as a main character, Peggy is a bit of a cipher. Her motivation to race Secretariat, tied to fulfilling some unspoken dying wish of her father (Scott Glenn), is barely tangible, while attempts to show her as a “woman in a man’s world” fall flat. Subplots about the strain on her marriage and family (including, quite awkwardly, a wannabe hippie daughter) and her reluctance to speak in public go nowhere.

To compensate, director Randall Wallace (the Academy Award nominated screenwriter of Braveheart) and writer Mike Rich (who based his script on William Nack's book Secretariat: The Making of a Champion) try to throw some more obstacles in her way, mainly conflicts with her quirky horse trainer, Lucian Laurin. A French-Canadian former jockey who fancied loud outfits and unconventional training methods, Laurin is played by John Malkovich, the go-to guy in Hollywood for quirky characters (that is, when Christopher Walken is unavailable). Alas, Malkovich pretty much sleep walks through the role, relying on a string of goofy hats and sporadic outbursts in French for character development...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Secretariat at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Top 10 of 2010

From classic animation to enlightening documentaries, Disney entertainment was full of unexpected surprises in 2010. Whether it was the eagerly anticipated returns of beloved characters or the shocking revelations of legendary icons, this year had a fair share of excitement and drama mixed in with the magic and fantasy...

Celebrating its 10th edition, click here for the Toon Talk Top 10 of 2010 at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Rebooted

From the worldwide web to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth to Blackberrys, iPods to iPads to iPhones (oh my)… no doubt about it, we have seen a huge amount of technological developments in the past 28 years. So much so that, looking back at it now, 1982’s Tron seems downright quaint. But a lot of difference nearly three decades makes, for Tron’s better-late-than-never sequel Tron: Legacy (in theaters now) is a significant upgrade over the previous model.

With a digitally de-aged face, Jeff Bridges returns as video game whiz Kevin Flynn, who, we learn via flashback to 1989, was the head of ENCOM and the father of a young son named Sam when, mysteriously, he disappeared. Jump ahead to the present, and Sam (played by Garrett Hedlund) is a tech savvy rebel without a cause who is lured to Flynn’s Arcade and, just like daddy in the first film, zapped into a computer wonderland where “users” aren’t welcome and the programs they created are in charge...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Tron: Legacy at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Make Mine Music

70 years ago, Walt Disney unveiled what would become known as his masterpiece, Fantasia. Combining classical music with cutting edge animation, the “concert feature” was intended to feature new segments periodically to create an ever-evolving musical program. However, with the European markets closed due to World War II and a disappointing public reaction in the United States, that idea wasn’t realized…

… That is, until 60 years later, when Walt’s nephew Roy E. Disney revived his uncle’s dream with Fantasia 2000. And now, 10 years after that, both films have recently been released on high definition Disney Blu-rays for the first time. And, as a bonus, we finally get the “lost” Dalí/Disney short Destino as well. And while, as would be expected, the two Fantasias look amazing / stunning / breath taking (pick your superlative) in high def, the new “4-Disc Special Edition” is, overall, a disappointment ...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of the Fantasias at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: What's Up Docs

For longtime Disneyphiles, their holiday gifts came early this year with the recent releases of not one, not two, but three new Disney documentaries on DVD. All three of these feature length docs — Walt & El Grupo, The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story and Waking Sleeping Beauty — were produced by Disney, but don’t expect any studio whitewashing of the facts. Offering refreshingly candid accounts of the events they cover, each focuses on a different era of Disney history, revealing some surprising truths and shocking secrets from behind the scenes at the house the mouse built...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of these new Disney DVD releases at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Hair Apparent

It only took 50 films, but Disney finally got around to their version of the classic Grimms’ fairy tale Rapunzel with their latest animated feature Tangled (now in theaters).

You remember Rapunzel; she’s the princess with the really, really long hair who is trapped in a castle and is rescued by “letting down her hair” for a passing prince charming. As you may recall, there’s not a lot of story between the “once upon a time” and the “happily ever after” in this one, so Disney has taken several necessary liberties, such as beefing up the role of the male lead (which I’m sure has absolutely nothing to do with the studio wanting the film to appeal to boys as well as girls… ).

Flynn Ryder, Master of the Smolder
In this telling, Rapunzel (voiced, rather blandly, by Mandy Moore) was kidnapped as a baby from her royal parents by the passive aggressively vain Mother Gothel (Tony Award winner Donna Murphy, chewing all the digital scenery in sight), the only person who knows that the blonde babe holds the secret to eternal youth in her golden locks. In order to keep Rapunzel’s powers to herself, she has locked up the poor waif in a remote tower, refusing to allow her to leave… or to cut her hair.

Like many a Disney princess (and Stockholm syndrome victim) before her, Rapunzel yearns to visit the outside world, and the opportunity to do so arises with the unexpected arrival of one Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi, a.k.a. Chuck from Chuck), a hunky thief who fancies himself the greatest in the land. A deal is struck between them and before you can say “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”, the unlikely duo is off on their clandestine adventure, with Mother Gothel in hot pursuit...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Tangled at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Bah Humbug

Like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge is one character from classic English literature who has had more than his fair share of cinematic incarnations. From feature films to television productions to animated cartoons, Scrooge has been portrayed by everyone from Albert Finney to Vanessa Williams to Mr. Magoo.

Following earlier versions starring Mickey Mouse and the Muppets, Disney took another crack at the yuletide chestnut last holiday movie season, and was even so bold as to title it Disney’s A Christmas Carol (now available on Disney DVD and Blu-ray). Yet, despite that family friendly stamp of approval, this Carol is not for the little ones with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads ...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Disney's A Christmas Carol at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Toy Stories & Tall Tales

Soon after premiering this past summer to rave reviews and blockbuster box office, it was clear that Toy Story 3 was something special. Rare indeed is a motion picture trilogy that proved to be so emotionally rich and with such consistent quality throughout each of its chapters. It was also quickly apparent that Toy Story 3 was a grade-A tear-jerker, much more so for adults than its supposed “target audience” of children. In fact, one could easily say that the 3 in the title is the minimum amount of times one will cry while watching it.

And now you can let the tears flow unashamedly in the comfort of your own home with the release this week of Toy Story 3 on Disney DVD and Blu-ray. And, as with most Pixar releases, they were sure to fill this toy box to the brim all sorts of entertaining and informative extras ...

Also available this week on Disney DVD and Blu-ray is Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales, a collection of hilarious animated shorts starring everyone’s favorite rusty ol’ tow truck. The set includes nine cartoons (including two new ones) that find Mater spinning a yarn about his past (not entirely factual) exploits to his befuddled BFF Lightning McQueen ...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk reviews of the new Toy Story 3 and Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales DVDs at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: The Big Blue

Continuing in the grand tradition of such superlative nature documentaries as the True-Life Adventures and last year’s Earth, DisneyNature’s Oceans (available on Disney DVD and Blu-ray this week) takes viewers on a breathtaking, eye-opening adventure to the bottom of the sea and back.

As directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud (makers of the Oscar nominated Winged Migration), Oceans introduces you to a wide variety of creatures both in and out of the water. The cast of thousands include ghost-like jellyfish, darting and spinning dolphins, piggybacking sea turtles, sunbathing walruses and the endlessly fascinating denizens of a coral reef, among many, many others.

Actor Pierce Brosnan narrates soothingly, frequently stepping back to let the stunning visuals have their say. And what stunning visuals you’ll see, from a feeding frenzy punctuated by torpedoing gulls, to a cyclone of fish morphing before your eyes into a living, pulsating globe, to a pair of humpback whales peacefully sleeping, nose down. You’ll even witness the unlikely sight of a spider crab “gang war”.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of the Oceans Blu-ray at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Ever a Surprise

After nearly 20 years, one would think we had seen all that Beauty and the Beast had to offer. Au contraire, mon amis (as Lumiere would say), just wait until you see Disney’s contemporary crown jewel in its latest glittering incarnation: the Disney Blu-ray Diamond Edition (available this week).

Newly restored in high definition, you’ll see the modern animated classic spring to life in the format; the storybook settings, rich in previously unseen depth, pop out like, well, a pop-up storybook. From the golden fields of Belle’s farm to the deep shadows of the Beast’s castle, the film’s color palette has never appeared so lush. No question about it, this Beauty is quite a beauty.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of the Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition Blu-ray at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: That Touch of Tink

Returning for her third direct-to-video movie with Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (available this week on Disney DVD and Blu-ray), everyone’s favorite pixie comes face to face with her first human being … and it’s not Peter Pan.

Continuing with the various season-themed plots of its predecessors, Great Fairy Rescue finds our heroine (once again voiced by Mae Whitman) attending “Summer Fairy Camp” on the “mainland” (England, circa 1920s). Alas, the close proximity of humans and all their various gadgets and gizmos proves too much for a certain tinker fairy. With the haughty speed fairy Vidia (Pamela Adlon) in protesting pursuit, Tink risks breaking the cardinal fairy rule (“don’t be seen by humans”) and sets out to check out a neighboring home.

The residents of said home are Dr. Griffiths (Michael Sheen, of The Queen and Frost/Nixon fame), a preoccupied entomologist, and his young daughter Lizzy (Lauren Mote), a curious, imaginative child crazy about (naturally) fairies. Soon after arriving at their summer home, Lizzy puts out a homemade “fairy house” to lure them to her and, before you can say “Faith, trust and pixie dust”, she’s captured Tinker Bell.

Despite being locked in a birdcage and menaced by a pudgy cat, Tink quickly discovers that Lizzy just wants to learn more about fairy folk like her. And, since she can’t fly home due to a nasty storm outside, Tink decides to stick around and teach her a thing or two about fairies (including a flying lesson), even if they do have to overcome a certain language barrier ...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: Leaky Cauldron

Has it really been only 25 years since the lackluster debut of The Black Cauldron? Watching the recently released 25th Anniversary DVD of Disney’s failed animated adventure, it’s hard to believe that it was merely four years later that we saw The Little Mermaid. A lot changed between the time the former film flopped and the latter hit, and even more in the intervening years, leaving The Black Cauldron floundering at the bottom of the Disney canon. It also didn’t help that it was the film that nearly ended Disney animation for good.

Based on the book series “The Chronicles of Prydain” by Lloyd Alexander, The Black Cauldron was Disney’s attempt to toughen up its image. And, with scary scenes of a walking dead army and glimpses of blood and gore, they succeeded to an extent, at least as far as the MPAA was concerned. The rating service branded the film with a PG rating, the first ever for a Disney animated feature.

However, even with such attempts at prestige as employing 70 mm widescreen (much like its obvious inspiration, Sleeping Beauty) and enlisting legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein (The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird) for the score, not to mention a budget that was the highest for an animated feature at the time, The Black Cauldron was dead on arrival back in 1985. Audiences just weren’t interested in a dark Disney cartoon fantasy with no songs and, more importantly, no heart ...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of The Black Cauldron at LaughingPlace.com.

Toon Talk: 3’s a Charm

Coppola couldn’t do it. Lucas couldn’t do it … twice. Peter Jackson did it, but he had a little help from Tolkien. Now, Pixar has done it, “it” being creating a film trilogy that is completely satisfying from beginning to end.

Coming eleven years after its immediate successor, expectations for Toy Story 3 couldn’t have been higher. Impressively, the Pixar team avoids the dreaded “threequel” curse, giving us a film that is rich with humor, excitement and emotion. Building off of and expanding upon the Toy Story universe, director Lee Unkrich and his crew bring the story to a bittersweet end, earning each and every laugh and tear along the way.

Following a gleeful wild west prologue in the tradition of Toy Story 2’s “Adventures of Buzz Lightyear” opening, we learn that a now-17 year old Andy (voiced, as with all three movies, by John Morris) is on his way to college. This particular right of passage strikes fear in the plastic hearts of Andy’s remaining toys, their fates unknown. Woody (Tom Hanks) tries to reassure Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the others that they will stay together, even if it is as just the proverbial toys in the attic. But when an unexpected chain of events finds them all dumped off at the local daycare center, their futures look bleak.

Or are they? At first glance, it looks like Sunnyside Daycare is a great place for a toy, with a never-ending stream of kids to play with, all under the seemingly benevolent leadership of a strawberry-scented stuffed animal named Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty). But all is not as it seems, and Andy’s toys must make a great escape to get back to the home they belong in, even if that may end up being someplace entirely new ...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Toy Story 3 on LaughingPlace.com.

UPDATE: Toy Story 3 is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com.