RBR: Paranorman

Thanks to the success of Pixar, we are inundated these days with computer animated kids films, so it's refreshing to see someone take a more old school approach to animated films. Using stop-motion technology, Paranorman tells the story of a young boy who has the ability to see and talk to dead spirits, which makes him an outcast in his town. The animation here is superb, but it's the only thing notable about this rather thin tale of acceptance. The film can be rather slow at times and is awfully morose for supposedly being a kids film. I found myself bored or depressed rather than engaged while watching most of it. I give the film credit for getting its message across in a way that is organic to the story and doesn't feel like ham-fisted proselytizing. And yet, I felt no emotional connection to the story or the primary characters. Those who are fans of this style of animation should definitely give this a watch as the film looks great, but from an entertainment perspective the film lacks more body than the zombies it depicts on screen. Rating: *** 1/2

RBR: Brave

After a rare mistep for Pixar last year with the ill-conceived Cars 2, the animation king looked to right their wrong with this tale about the relationship between a Scottish queen and her rebellious daughter. While Brave has the right look of a Pixar film, there's something off about this picture. This feels like Disney made an unfair trade with Pixar by giving them one of their simplistic princess stories while keeping the genre-bending innovative story (Wreck-It Ralph) for themselves. As a result, this is a film that's hard to hate because it's technically sound and has a nice message, but is also difficult to embrace, especially for someone in my demographic. The first half of the film which deals with Merida, the film's central character, and her problems assimilating to the princess lifestyle are solid. However, the film sort of goes off the rails after an ill-worded wish (how many times are we going to see that trope used) changes Merida's mother and their relationship. It would not have been the direction I would have gone with and it just doesn't seem to provide a lot of humor and/or dramatic tension. This seems to be a movie that will appeal to only a very small segment of viewers who are old enough to not be scared by some of the more tense moments and young enough to still find the story's cliches to be fresh. While I haven't lost my confidence in Pixar, I certainly hope that they have not grown complacent into thinking this is an acceptable quality level for future films. Rating: *** 1/2

That's Despicable

We're getting more and more previews these days for movies coming out next year. This time it's a teaser for the sequel to the surprise animated hit, Despicable Me.

Scariott Hotel

Here's a trailer for the upcoming animated film Hotel Transylvania featuring the voice work of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez.

RBR: Hop

I'm sure when it was originally pitched, Hop sounded like a great idea. You take the winning formula of films like The Santa Clause and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and you apply them to the underutilized genre of Easter films. It's a sound strategy in theory, but this film fails in every possible way. This is a dumb, poorly conceived, unfunny film that makes me feel sorry for all who were involved. The plot involves the Easter Bunnny's son, E.B., uninterested in taking over the family business, leaves his home on Easter Island and ventures to the U. S. in hopes of being a famous drummer. On his journey, he meets Fred O'Hare (these Easter puns doing anything for you yet?), who also is a slacker in need of direction. Together they encounter several plot holes, lame jokes, and annoying characters before eventually learning a weak lesson in responsibility. Clearly the film is aimed at children, but if this is what passes for serviceable entertainment for young ones, our future society will be in severe trouble. The only thing notable about this film is that it now gives us the Easter equivalent to the lump of coal in the stocking at Christmas time. Parents can threaten bad kids that they'll find a copy of this film in their Easter basket if they don't behave. In case it wasn't clear, skip this one at all costs. Rating: *