JackHammer86

Well guys... this is it... the big one... the real celebration of the centennial of one of the greatest animation studios in the world! Their BIG COMEBACK AFTER STRANGE WOR- oh wait...

I'm not gonna lie people, this hurts a little... not exactly because of the movie itself (which I'll get to in a minute), but because of how this was made as a love letter to the 100 year legacy of Disney Animation, only for it to completely crumble at the box office (even getting overshadowed in North America by "Trolls Band Together" of all things! GRRR!), become one of Disney's most polarizing films yet for both critics and audiences, and hardly even get any recognition during award season, not even a single Oscar or Annie nomination!

I had so much hope that this would save them after the disastrous previous year, and even Bob Iger tried to help this film the best he could, yet it still wasn't enough...

Not to mention the RIDICULOUS hate campaign that seems to come with EVERY ONE OF THEIR new films now! I mean, I agree that Wish isn't one of their best films by any means, but COME ON! It's FAR from one of their worst, like have you SEEN films like Home on the Range or Chicken Little?! Oh, you have?... And you like them?... ok then...

But in all seriousness, regardless of what we all think of Wish, THIS amount of hate is both pathetic and a complete disaster for the animation community (as if it hadn't embarrassed itself enough)! Anyways...

The film IS rather interesting with how it references all the past Disney films (right down to the Snow White style opening and narration), in fact, I heard that the people who worked on this actually watched ALL 61 of the studio's previous films as they were making this, and it really shows.

In a way, this film is like the Disney equivalent of Illumination's recent Super Mario Bros. Movie, which I wasn't the biggest fan of tbh, but I can KINDA see the appeal among Mario fans, especially after seeing this film as a huge fan of Disney Animation. And I'll admit, it was kinda fun playing a game of "spot the reference" while watching this. I will admit though that a couple of references and "cameos" CAN feel a little odd (for example: I don't get why "Bambi" always acts like he's stoned in this movie).

And no, I unfortunately didn't catch ALL the references at first glance. But then again, who actually did? Lol

I also like however that this film still tries to be it's own standalone film, with a pretty interesting concept about wishes in general, like how the Kingdom of Rosas carries a bunch of wishes from the public and grants them one by one or how everyone's wishes are part of who they are (and in a way, they kinda feel soulless without them). And I do like how this film can also easily serve as an origin story about disney's wishing star or other aspects of classic disney like the fairy godmother (or her DESCENDENTS. At least that's the way I see it) or the magic mirror.

And on a side note, I feel some people misinterpret the themes a bit too much by saying "Oh! Granting everyone's wishes is dangerous!", because Asha's goal isn't to have everyone's wishes granted, it's to give the wishes back to them and let them try to make the wishes a reality THEMSELVES instead of just relying on a king to give them what they desire on a silver platter. Heck, even the movie itself explains it!

However, even I admit there's a bit of an issue with how the story is executed at times...

For example, while the main character, Asha and the villain, King Magnifico are pretty solid and by far the best and most developed characters in the movie (even if they both can arguably be a bit too over the top at times, even though I personally didn't mind that much) and Star and Valentino ARE cute and kinda funny in their own right, the rest of the characters (although not bad per se) are pretty much one dimensional with little to offer besides either having one old character trope or being a modern version of old disney characters like Asha's friends being a more diverse version of the seven dwarfs for example (I still like how the movie represents different races and even handicaps though). Heck, even Asha and Magnifico as likeable and entertaining as they are, aren't really enough to make this movie great.

And on top of that, you can definitely make the argument that it tries a bit too hard to honor the past disney films and not exactly enough to create new and fresh ideas, but hey, the way I see it, they still tried.

With that said though, let's talk about the protagonist and antagonist in more detail.

Asha for example, may be a little cliched with how she's kinda the typical quirky disney protagonist that even I admit has been done better in other films, but even then, I love how she has such a strong care for the people of Rosas and their wishes (especially her grandfather's, whom like Disney itself, has turned 100 years old. Lol) even if it means changing the status quo. And for those who like to say Asha was a spoiled brat and Magnifico was actually a good guy and yadda yadda, I didn't see that at ANY POINT in the film with the former, I mean yeah, you can definitely argue she made mistakes, but NONE of her actions suggested to me that she was selfish, and yeah you can argue that nothing bad would've happened if she didn't do anything, but I still don't blame her too much for wanting her grandfather's wish granted AND for wanting the absolute best for her people rather than sticking with the status quo, and even if she arguably made her mistakes, she still owed up to them I feel, and I find it honorable that she still wants to help the rest of the city once Magnifico shows his true colors.

And on top of that, I do think it gives a good message that I think a LOT of people (especially rich people and people in power) need to hear, which is that you DON'T ALWAYS have to stick with old beliefs and traditions or kick the can down the road! You CAN make changes! And you CAN take risks! You just gotta be careful with how you do it.

As for King Magnifico, again, even I admit he's not one of the very best disney villains, but I'm still grateful that we FINALLY got a straightforward entertaining villain from disney for the first time in 13 YEARS! And with that said, I do think he stands out fine on his own with his narcassism and dictator's mentality. And maybe he DID care about his people and their wishes in a way when he first built his kingdom, but I feel he most likely already became consumed with power and greed along the way BEFORE he opened the book (either that or he was just lying about what type of person he was the whole time, I don't know. Lol).

And with that said, Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine do help make these two characters enjoyable as well with their performances. (Also, I still find it kinda funny how Chris Pine went from voicing a DreamWorks hero in Rise of the Guardians to voicing a Disney villain in this film)

Then there's the highly polarizing animation.

Now admittedly in hindsight, It's not the best 2D looking computer animation I've seen, but I still think it looks beautiful in it's own right (at least 98% of the time), especially with how the backgrounds and some of the effects look EXACTLY like they were made in 2D or with watercolors!

And btw, PLEASE stop with the AI accusations!

Anyways, there is also the songs made by pop singers/songwriters, Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice.

Again, I admit it's not among my Top 10 disney soundtracks, and perhaps most of them don't exactly have the best lyrics... but again, I still enjoy them for what they are.

"Welcome to Rosas", "At All Costs", "This Wish" (that's probably my favorite one, which also comes with a powerful reprise btw), "I'm a Star", "Knowing What We Know How", you name it!

Heck, I even like "This is the Thanks I Get?!"! Yeah, I don't care if it's not one of the best or the most evil sounding of disney villain songs, I still think it's enjoyable and catchy as heck! I even like this song better than "Mother Knows Best" from Tangled. Yeah, I said it! And on another side note, I sometimes wonder if this song is actually how Disney themselves feel about their haters. XD

Even the end credits song sang by Julia Michaels herself "A Wish Worth Making" grew on me a little, and admittedly I shed tears a lot of the times I listen to it for multiple reasons, whether it be while watching the credits themselves that *SPOILER* beautifully highlights most of their filmmography by showing one character or two from each film in star form, or while watching the music video that is an equally beautiful tribute to Disney Animation.

So yeah, overall it may not be one of Disney's best efforts (especially in recent years), I do think there's more they could've done with it, and maybe it works better as a tribute to Disney Animation than a standalone film, but I still think it's a solid and enjoyable film, and that it definitely doesn't deserve most of the ridicule it's getting. Heck, I'd say this film is another prime example of how we shouldn't fully depend on critics and that we should decide for OURSELVES whether it's worth seeing in theaters and whether we actually like it or not! (It's kinda like Rosas' relationship with their king funny enough.)

Another thing that made it's disappointing box office numbers and reception so sad for me is that when I saw the film in theaters myself, everybody (or at least most) in the theater actually gave it a STANDING OVATION once the credits rolled! Something I don't think I ever saw with any other film I've seen in theaters, which made my hopes a bit too high in hindsight. But still, seeing that DID tell me that this film has an audience, just not enough for it to break even at the box office or get recognized by most of the big award shows sadly. (But again, to paraphraise Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson, they're just tiny statues)

So I ask of you all now to stop setting your standards towards Disney Animation or Pixar ridiculously high, acknowledge that their employees are people like us and aren't always gonna make masterpieces, STOP CALLING PEOPLE LIKE ME SHILLS BECAUSE DISNEY NEVER PAID ME A DANG PENNY OR NICKEL, and give films like this a second chance, and whether your opinion changes or not, that's alright with me (unless you continue to be disrespectful and condescending of course).

Anyways, regardless of where they are now or where they'll go in the next 100 years, Disney Animation will always have a special place in my heart!

8/10 (Good)

(And now for the aforementioned beautiful tribute to play us out!)

I like to start off by saying that over the past weekend, I actually went and did something that I considered unthinkable for me to do for more than a decade now...

I saw the Twilight films...

And yes... they're pretty bad... they're stupid, a lot of the decisions the main characters (Bella, Edward and Jacob) make are baffling, they have horrible CG effects, they really give the impression that they were mostly made as eye candy for vampire loving teenage girls to get them in theater seats, and I'm still a tad salty that the whole franchise overshadowed good or even great films like Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, and Rise of the Guardians at the box office, but... I wouldn't say watching them at least once was a COMPLETE waste of time.

As boring as I found the first two (Twilight and New Moon) for the most part, I did get a bit of enjoyment out of Eclipse for how self-aware it was, and the franchise definitely had it's fair share of moments that were so dumb they actually made me burst into laughter, especially the sex scene in Breaking Dawn Part 1 and several moments in Breaking Dawn Part 2.

But strangely enough, as much as I loved poking fun at these movies as much as the next person, I also see how the entire franchise actually could've been a good story... as I did kinda like some it's concepts, and I thought most of the supporting cast was OK. it's just too bad that the whole franchise was poorly executed with poor writing and (at least mostly) poor acting, at least in my humblest of opinions. Heck, I even came up with MULTIPLE ideas of my own that could've made these films stronger (at least in my eyes) as I was watching them! And while I do think some of the messages these films are apparently trying to get across are pretty bad, I can still somewhat see how this franchise has a special place in some people's hearts (heck, even my ex likes these films although she likes the books better) almost the same way I highly enjoy Disney films, heck, much like how a bunch of teen girls got suckered in by these films, I TOO got suckered in by the Transformers films as a teenage boy around the same time (Even then though, only the first film is still a guilty pleasure for me while even I got bored by the sequels as I got older). Lol

Also... Breaking Dawn Part 2 for me might actually be both a "so bad it's good" film AND a guilty pleasure, since I actually also found certain moments kinda cool to an extent. Lol

But with all that said though, after watching these films, I was once again kinda shocked by how forgiving I can be towards certain films nowadays compared to when I was younger where I was a lot more cynical and harsh, I even went as far as somewhat defending one plot detail that another non-Twilight fan questioned (More specifically, he questioned why the volturi wanted to kill the child, and even I was well informed that it was because they feared the unknown AND because they didn't have a good history with vampire children).

Moments like that are what I think are a testament to how I believe nowadays that if you're going to legitimately judge ANY film (maybe except for something like "Where the Dead Go To Die", where I actually kinda question the legality of some of the things that film apparently showed...), you should still give it a fair shot and you should watch it IN FULL, YOURSELF! Even if you probably won't enjoy it! Don't just watch it through reaction videos or Nostalgia Critic type reviews thinking you'll know what the movie is like or what it's about just from that alone! (Believe me, I made that mistake plenty of times in the past.)

Oh, and one more thing. Say what you all want about the Twilight films, but I think we can all agree on one thing.

They have killer soundtracks! And dare I say... I think these songs actually tell the story of the Twilight saga better than the movies themselves. Lol (these are my favorite songs from them)

Holy s***...

Just when we thought the last few years were bad...

Thankfully it looks like we reached the beginning of the end of the pandemic (Thank you Joe Biden, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, etc.), but in the meantime, we must continue to keep our distance and keep washing our hands and wearing masks in public even if you're already vaccinated!

With that said, it's time to look at the Best Animated Feature nominees once again!

Granted, we didn't get as many animated films in 2020 as we could have thanks to the coronavirus, but luckily, a lot of them still managed to be released through streaming services, and we even managed to have quite a solid year for animated features, with a lot of them ranging from solid to amazing.

And this years nominees for Best Animated Feature are absolutely no exception! Let's take a look!

Soul - Pixar Animation Studios (Winner) (Also won Best Original Score and was nominated for Best Sound)

"HeY jAcK! wHeN aRe YoU gOnNa StOp KiSsInG dIsNeY's @$$?!"

But in all seriousness, as a huge Disney fan, of course I was highly anticipated for Pixar's first original film since Coco, especially since it's the first Pixar film that features a prominent black cast (which during an age where racism has still turned out to be a very serious issue, it's good to have more african american representation, especially in animation, let alone from a studio like Pixar if certain allegations towards them from the past are actually true), AND it's also the first in 5 years to be directed by the studio's new CCO, Pete Docter (who of course, also directed a couple of my all-time favorite films!)

It was so frustrating though to not only experience the film getting delayed TWICE due to the pandemic, but also not even getting a wide theatrical release because of it, thus forcing us to watch it at home on Disney+!!!

But back onto the film itself, it's kinda shocking by how smart and thought provoking it is, so much so that it even exceeds Pixar's standards a little (and their standards are already very high to begin with!).

Heck, I'd even argue this film is more for adults. I mean kids can still watch and enjoy it, but only adults would understand and relate to the message of this film.

Speaking of the message, It's actually a lot more clever than you'd think coming into this film for the first time. It's actually not about pursuing your dreams like the trailers kinda suggested, but rather about life itself.

Sure, there's still nothing wrong with following your dreams and passions, but this film tells us that's not what life is about, it's about living life to the fullest, doing whatever makes you happy (as long as it doesn't hurt others. Lol) as well as appreciating the little things in life.

This type of message is especially needed at a time where a pandemic took away so many things we took for granted from us.

Believe it or not, shortly after I saw this film the second time, I went out for a walk and did exactly what the film told us to do, and everything I saw was absolutely beautiful...

Then you have the animation, of course, Pixar always manages to blow our minds when it comes to their animation, yet after 25 years, they still manage to take their animation to new heights as much as their stories. In here, you get New York which looks SO realistic that it can be easily mistaken for real life without the obviously animated characters, and the human characters whose designs are kinda based on jazz art, and then you also have stuff like the great before where everything is more colorful (mostly purple, white and light blue), consists of more round shapes, and the soul counselors actually both look more 2 dimensional and something out of a pablo picasso painting, yet they still somehow fit in a 3D environment. It looks so simple, yet still so creative, like a Dr. Seuss book.

And also, need I mention the 2D looking effects in this scene? like OMG! I never thought Pixar would do something like this!

Another unique thing about this film is the music, whether it be the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails fame that's more experimental than anything you'd hear in other Pixar films (my favorite track of theirs being "Epiphany")

or the highly enjoyable jazz compositions done by Jon Batiste (who's known as the leader of Stephen Colbert's house band on The Late Show).

If there's any flaws I have with this though, it's that the film does kinda lose some of it's freshness when the main characters, Joe and 22 enter Earth and end up in the wrong bodies. I'm not saying it was badly done here, in fact, I normally like body swapping stories cause I personally think it's one of the easiest stories to make funny. It's just that, I expect that type of story out of a TV show or comedies like Freaky Friday, not a complex Pixar film. Also, I hate to kinda agree with Doug Walker of all people on something like this, but I do kinda wish this film was a bit funnier, but don't me wrong, the comedy in this film is still solid and luckily, the film still manages to find a way to flow around the body swapping part thanks to it's great writing.

As for the characters, I don't know if I'd call them great, but they're good. Joe Gardiner is both likeable and relatable with his passion for jazz music, 22 is funny as a cynical yet witty smart alec before she starts changing as the film goes on, and even the rest of the characters like Moonwind, all the soul counselors named Jerry (Lol), Terry, Joe's mother, the barber, and more are all likeable, entertaining and identifiable, and the voice acting is very solid (especially Jamie Foxx as Joe).

Overall, I don't know if I'd call this one of my very favorites from Pixar OR Pete Docter, but it is still a very smart and meaningful film that you'd normally expect from either of them.

Did it deserve to win? ...Yeah.

Wolfwalkers - Cartoon Saloon

I like to categorize Cartoon Saloon as the Walt Disney Animation Studios (or Pixar) of Ireland, because like them, Cartoon Saloon never fails to satisfy or even amaze us with their creativity and storytelling.

I enjoyed every single film they made so far, and believe it or not... Wolfwalkers might actually be my FAVORITE Cartoon Saloon film yet!

When I first saw this film, I was immediately blown away by how good it was!

In hindsight, a lot of the stuff in this film in terms of story, I did see before in a lot of other movies (including my favorite ones), heck the main character, Robyn and her father kinda reminded me of Hiccup and Stoick from How to Train your Dragon, and even the villain, Lord Protector reminded me of Frollo from Hunchback of Notre Dame (right down to similar goals, similar scenes and even one line that was also said by Frollo. Lol).

And the film itself DOES have some predictable moments as well. BUT!!! If there's anything I learned in recent years, it's that just because something's been done before, doesn't always mean it's not good. Heck, some research suggests that these similarities might just be a coincidence, and the fact that I didn't even NOTICE these similarities the first time watching it means that this film really did something right that some of the others didn't. And on top of that, what makes this film stand out from those other films is the world building.

This film is based on irish heritage and irish folklore (which I'm kinda fascinated by, knowing that some of my ancestors are irish or at least part irish), much like most of Cartoon Saloon's previous films, in fact, this film is apparently supposed to be the last film in director Tomm Moore's "irish folklore trilogy", yet this film is still different enough to not only stand out on it's own, but also give us a unique experience that you won't find in any other animated film.

I mean, the idea of these type of humans who turn into wolves when they're asleep, and can even turn regular humans into their own kind just by biting them, THAT IS COOL!

So with that said, the story itself is still very well-written, and it definitely becomes more engaging, beautiful, intense and even emotional as it goes on.

Another thing that makes this stand out from the others is the characters. I know I said before that some of the characters reminded me of other works, but even at that, they are ALL instantly likeable and identifiable because they actually feel geniune, and the relationships that most of these characters have with each other is what really carries the film storywise.

The main characters (Robyn and Mebh) are completely relatable, Lord Protector is still a ruthless and menacing villain (not to mention that he IS based on a real general from the 17th century), and even the father (despite not always making the right moves) is very sympathetic due to his strong love and care for his daughter and his fear of losing her.

Heck, I'd even go as far as saying that this film has the best cast of characters in any Cartoon Saloon film! Yes, their other films have good characters as well, but there are a few major ones in those that I feel either don't stand out as well as others or even come off as a bit too mean-spirited at times. But in here, everybody stands out, and I can actually understand each and every one of their actions.

Another thing with the characters that certainly helps is the top notch voice acting! My favorite being Eva Whittaker as Mebh, who brings just the right amount of energy and emotion to her character! (Then again, she might be everyone else's favorite too considering her well deserved Annie Award for Best Voice Acting).

Then you have the animation, oh... my GOD, what a piece of beauty! I'm dead serious when I say that EVERY frame in this film is a work of art!

Again, it does have the same irish and medieval style as the studio's previous films, yet it also incorporates a bit of a woodblock aesthetic as well as loose expressive line work, and there's actually a lot of clever symbolism in the animation where the backgrounds have their own different shapes and sizes in order to represent the contrast between the town and the forest, and there are moments where the animation looks more clear and polished and other moments where it looks more loose and sketchy, which easily could've looked out of place, but in here, it works perfectly!

In fact, any of you who's reading this and wants to watch this film, I'd like you to try to spot these details and let me know if you do. Lol

OH! And I gotta mention the wolf vision!

Whenever a character sees through the eyes of a wolf, that's where the film looks REALLY sketchy with only a few select colors meant to show the scents of certain animals or people, and every time I look at it, my jaw drops! (Maybe not literally. Lol)

This may sound a bit cliched at this point, but my favorite scene is when the wolves are running around the forest and half the time, you see it from a wolf's point of view, and this song called "Running with the Wolves" by Aurora (the same singer who did the "voice" in Frozen II.) is playing in the background. Because every time I see it, it gives me goosebumps!

(Btw, I heard the animators actually used 3D references in order to make the individual scenes look realistic while STILL making it 2D! That's true dedication and hard work right there!)

The one thing that might turn off some people though is the ending, I won't give anything away, but let's just say that some might find the way the movie ends a little weird. Looking at it again, it DOES KINDA fit the rest of the movie (plus the climax is still intense and suspenseful as ever), but still.

It's such a shame that this film's availability to the public is more limited compared to other films! (especially in a time where 2D animation has completely fallen out of favor with the masses) Because this is the kind of film that you HAVE to see to believe! In fact, any of you who constantly whine about how hand-drawn isn't so popular in the mainstream anymore, STOP WHINING AND GO WATCH THIS DANG FILM! XD

And also, it shouldn't matter if this or Soul won the award! Remember! Good films doesn't come from awards or even ratings! Anyways, onto the next film.

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmaggeddon - Aardman Animations

I do remember watching the first Shaun the Sheep Movie back when I started doing this series since that was also nominated for Best Animated Feature.

And from what I remember, I quite enjoyed it. Sure it wasn't all that original or complex, but it didn't need to be, it was just a simple and fun movie in the best way.

As for this film... yeah, it's pretty much the same.

The funny and likeable characters from the first film are still the same funny and likeable characters, Aardman's signature animation is still Aardman's signature animation (which I mean in a good way), ALTHOUGH THERE IS a bit more creativity this time around thanks to the sci-fi aspect, and there is still no dialogue like last time, but that's ok cause this film didn't need any (outside of the grunts and this one hilariously over the top scene in the end that I won't give away)

And the story, let's be honest, It is kinda your typical E.T. story, but luckily the execution of it all still manages to make it highly engaging, funny and even heartfelt.

Heck, most of the humor here, I'm pretty sure wasn't THAT hard to come up with, yet it still makes me full on laugh most of the time! Which is definitely one of Aardman's strong points. (I especially give Aardman some points for making me laugh at a toilet joke of all things, which is quite hard to do. Lol).

Oh and just a heads up, since this film is part sci-fi, it does feature some pop culutre references from some of the most popular sci-fi stories, and to it's credit, it does actually manage to make those references enjoyable.

Oh and let's not forget the new characters who are just as enjoyable, like the somewhat villainous Agent Red, this WALL-E like robotic probe that works for the agent, and of course the alien that Shaun stumbles upon, befriends and helps throughout the film, Lu-La.

She is so cute! X)

So yeah... I really like this film. And out of all the nominees here (and maybe even all the animated features from 2020), this is definitely the funniest.

Over the Moon - Glen Keane/Netflix Animation

This film also had a surprising amount of anticipation last year, not only because people were looking forward to what else Netflix had in store in terms of original animated content after Klaus, but also because it was directed by one of the most renoun animators of the Disney Renaissance, Glen Keane (after he directed shorts like "Duet" and the oscar winning "Dear Basketball") and for the most part, people seemed to like it.

As for me however... It's complicated.

Well ok, it's not a terrible film or anything, but tbh, there are things I like about this film and things that I kinda hate about it at the same time. But let's start with the positives.

For starters, the animation is really... REALLY good! The characters are well designed, it has a good amount of chinese mythology, and my god, when they get to the moon, not only is this film's interpretation of it highly creative, but that's also where the colors REALLY pop up! It's possibly some of the best animation you can find on Netflix, or at least, the best COMPUTER animation you can find on Netflix.

And there is also the message.

The best way to describe the message is that it's Paramount's "Wonder Park" done right! Unlike that film where it kinda botches the message in order to play it safe, this film actually has the guts to portray that type of moment where a loved one is very sick in a more realistic manner, where it actually KILLS OFF said loved one, it shows how torn apart the protagonist and her parent(s) is from the loss, and it ultimately tells us that while there's nothing wrong with missing your loved one after he/she dies, it's best to move on in order to grow up and live a mentally healthy life, and it's well executed and effective... at times...

The one downside to this film is that a lot of the characters just start off as either unlikeable or annoying and hardly show ANY likability until the third act where the film is really trying to get the message across.

I mean, with the protagonist, Fei Fei, I get what they're trying to do with her, but even then, some of her actions and some of the things she says still come off as a little too mean spirited for me, and the only times SHE shows some likeability is at the very beginning (when she's growing up) and the end of the film where (again) the message comes to fruition. Same with this moon goddess that Fei Fei admires, in concept, she's kinda interesting and again, I get what they were trying to do, but she just kinda comes off as a spoiled brat until (again) the third act.

Not to mention the humor here really suffers. I did chuckle at a few moments, but most of it just ranges from unfunny to pure cringe (like the diaper jokes, ugh!)

But... I like the rabbit (Bungee), the rabbit's cute. Lol

And the songs...

*breathes heavily* (sorry, it's just... when I think of these songs, it only reminds me of how YouTube commenters obnoxiously say in every video of an animated song that it's "better than Frozen", even though the FRICKIN VIDEO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FROZEN! but... *breathes* let's still try to be fair!)

The songs aren't BAD perse, in fact, most of em are decent, but... they're nothing spectacular in my opinion. Honestly, most of what I remember about these songs is that they sound like Disney songs, a pop song, and... a hip-hop song...

hip hop in a fantasy film, REALLY Glen?!

Now, like I said, I don't HATE it, I just find it rather polarizing.

I totally get it if you relate to the message (Heck, I strongly relate to the messages of Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen II, as well as love the latter with all my heart despite their flaws), and if you can tolerate the characters the whole way through, than you'll like this film.

I just don't think it was done the best, which is especially unfortunate because it comes from a guy who I think is an EXTREMELY talented animator! Not to mention I LOVE the aforementioned shorts he made between Disney and this film. But then again, this is another film (even though there are MUCH worse films made by ex-Disney animators out there) that shows that being a great animator or director of smaller projects doesn't ALWAYS lead to being a great film director! (*coughs* Genndy Tartakovsky!) But who knows? If Glen Keane makes another film, maybe THAT one will be great.

R.I.P. Audrey Wells (the film's screenwriter who died during production)

Onward - Pixar Animation Studios

Now, I don't exactly see Onward as one of Pixar's many masterpieces, but more in the veins of Monsters Inc. (Which is funny cause this film was made by the same director who did the prequel, Monsters University).

On one hand, it's not really the most creative concept Pixar has ever thought up, the story IS kinda predictable, there are some cliches here and there, and even the characters have kinda been done before.

BUT... on the other hand... the film still has it's creative moments, the story is still quite engaging, the characters are still likeable enough to laugh at or sympathize with (not to mention the solid voice acting, also I get how Barley might take a while for some people to get used to, but I still like him and I even like how the film made him a bit of an annoying brother type character but also a bit of a father figure to his brother, Ian)

Also, the bonds between some of the characters (especially Ian and Barley) are very strong, the film has A LOT of heart, and need I mention the ending?

I won't give anything away for those who still haven't seen it, but even if I sorta knew what was gonna happen, the ending is so beautifully done that I ended up crying both times I saw the film.

I heard that director Dan Scanlon actually based the main story on his own personal life where his father died when he and his older brother were very young and how his brother was supportive of him growing up, much like Ian and Barley. So no matter how much you like (or maybe even dislike) this film in a whole, you can't deny that Scanlon's heart was in the right place!

So yeah, I don't know if I'd exactly call it a Pixar classic, but it's still really good.

Also... watching it the second time, I may have cried a little AGAIN while the credits were rolling and the song "Carried Me With You" was playing. Because... this was actually the last film I saw in theaters before the pandemic took over (Not counting Sponge on the Run, which I saw in theaters DURING the pandemic), so when the credits rolled, it reminded me of a simpler time where we didn't have to be so cautious whenever we left our houses and could just go see movies on the big screen with popcorn and soda without having to wear a mask.

I miss that so much...

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While Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are still good in my eyes, my appreciation for them is a bit tainted unfortunately. I can't exactly look at them the same way anymore cause I kinda got into an argument with Vivziepop on Twitter a while back after she criticized Disney when they announced the closing of Blue Sky (Which I thought was unfair cause I always thought the closing of Blue Sky wasn't entirely Disney's fault), I may have went a little too far with it, and she blocked me...

I'm trying not to let it get to my head, but it's kinda hard not to think about the incident whenever I watch her stuff or hear someone else talk about her, knowing that she probably hates me now...