Elemental (+ Carl's Date)

Within the last year or so, there have been fewer movies we’ve been willing to see in a theater, mainly due to having some varying degree of interest that’s not high enough to justify paying higher ticket and refreshment prices for a group of multiple people. Pixar’s Elemental is one such film, with it being a combination of the advertising not grabbing my attention enough and because of how underwhelming much of Pixar’s recent output has been. Not even the included Up short provided enough of an incentive, and so we opted to wait until it was recently added to Disney+ before considering it. On watching it the same week it was added, it turned out to be better than the trailers made it out to be, but still not one of their stronger films.

Ratatouille

 

While Pixar had a sort of “Golden Age”, that being the time between Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 3 (2010), these films didn’t necessarily come without struggle. Such was the case for Ratatouille, the studio’s eight feature, which saw Brad Bird take over as writer and director after the original creator, Jan Pinkava, left Pixar during the film’s early development. After about two years of work, which included story rewrites and extensive research into cooking and Parisian culture, the film saw the light of day in 2007 to critical acclaim, successful box office returns and the Academy Award for Best Animted Feature (beating out Persepolis and Surf’s Up). Today, Ratatouille remains not only a classic animated film, but an enjoyable celebration of the joy of creation, particularly through the power of cooking.

Toy Story 2

Note: The following review contains spoilers for Toy Story 2.

Following the success of the original Toy Story, it seemed inevitable that Pixar would want to cash in on that with a Toy Story 2. Though a Toy Story sequel was in development during A Bug’s Life, it was initially envisioned to be a direct-to-video feature, however Disney, who had a distribution deal with Pixar at the time prior to the later buyout, later wanted it to be a theatrical release following test footage. Pixar wanted to change things, however Disney insisted on the release date they had already set, leading Pixar to rework the movie and somehow finish it within a span of nine months. Despite these circumstances, the movie that came out of it was surprisingly good.

A Bug's Life

Note: This review contains spoilers for A Bug’s Life.

Three years after the release of Toy Story (1995), Pixar released their second animated feature, A Bug’s Life (1998), which also happened to be the first film I had ever seen in a movie theater. Though critically acclaimed at the time, it seems to have generally fallen off the radar in recent years when the works of Pixar are discussed. The same rang true for us until we caught part of a recent Disney XD airing and decided to watch the movie in full through our DVD copy. Now that we’ve seen it all the way through again after several years, it seems to have held up surprisingly well, though it’s also a little rough around the edges.

Toy Story 4 - To Infinity and Beyond

Following the success of the original Toy Story (1995), Pixar made a name for themselves in the world of animation and continued to pump out multiple successful movies, which, of course, included two sequels to the first film, Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Now, about 24 years later, Pixar has released what seemed like an unnecessary sequel in the form of Toy Story 4. I didn’t feel very enthusiastic about this one going in, as I had thought that Toy Story 3 served as a good conclusion emotionally and had no idea how they could continue the story. Well, as it turns out, they found a way to do that and make a surprisingly good movie out of it.

Kingdom Hearts III

Thirteen years after the US release of Kingdom Hearts II and over five years after its surprise announcement at E3 2013, Kingdom Hearts III, the twelfth game in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, has finally been released to the world. Within that time, wild fan speculation turned into hype that grew with each new trailer released, though an early leak did cause some to initiate a media blackout for a month as opposed to only four days (the game launched in Japan on January 25, 2019, with a release in the US on January 29, 2019). I played for as long as I possibly could at every opportunity as soon as I picked up my copy of the Deluxe Edition, though once I finally finished, I took some time to process my thoughts before writing this review. As someone who had been genuinely waiting thirteen years for this game, I generally enjoyed my time and don’t regret it, but the experience was ultimately not completely satisfying.

Incredibles 2

Note: The following review contains spoilers for The Incredibles (2004).

Following the success of the Academy Award-winning The Incredibles (2004), Brad Bird maintained interest in creating a sequel, but wouldn’t begin writing the script until several years later, by which point several superhero films and TV series had become rather popular, especially the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, 14 years later, the film’s anticipated sequel, Incredibles 2, has released to critical acclaim. Considering the large gap between installments, the finished film feels very worth the wait.

Immediately following the events of The Incredibles, the Parr family – Bob (Craig T. Nelson), Helen (Holly Hunter), Dash (Huck Milner), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) - fights The Underminer (John Ratzenberger), who uses a large drill to rob the Metroville Bank, with the aid of Lucius Best, aka Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). Due to the failed attempt to stop The Underminer and the destruction caused by the fight, however, the Super Relocation program is shut down and the Parrs are forced back into hiding. Soon after, Bob, Helen, and Lucius are contacted by Winston Deaver (Bob Odenkirk), who wishes to make Supers legal once more by demonstrating how heroic and helpful they can be. He elects Helen to kick off this plan under her old identity of Elastigirl, which forces Bob to become a stay-at-home dad, a task made more complicated by Jack-Jack’s numerous and developing powers. Elastigirl’s mission is also made complicated by the arrival of Screenslaver (Bill Wise), a villain who can brainwash people through television broadcast signals.

At its core, the story and plot of Incredibles 2 follows a somewhat similar trajectory as the original film, but with Bob and Helen’s roles switched. However, this film is able to expand greatly on the events of the original while not undoing any of the previously established events, and even throwing in some world-building, as well as offer a greater amount of character development for the Parr family without undoing any of the development they went through in the original. In this sense, Incredibles 2 is a sequel that feels like a true continuation of previous events in a way that feels both seamless and organic. The parallel plots of the film are also both engaging and easy to follow, which helps the nearly two-hour runtime fly by.

The villain, Screenslaver, is rather intriguing and the brainwashing ability fits well within the setting. Though their motivation, like Syndrome, involves Supers and it’s a little easier than expected to figure who they might be, this did little to detract from the enjoyment of the film.

Screenslaver (Bill Wise) is an intriguing villain with an interesting ability.

After 14 years, the 1960s visual style of the Incredibles universe still has a timeless quality to it. Naturally, 14 years of technological advancement have resulted in largely improved animation and rendering compared to the original. This also results in some slight stylistic differences between the two films, mainly smaller details of the characters’ faces, but the viewer can quickly get used to it and it doesn’t really feel that jarring.

Even though the story takes place in the 1960s, the problems that the Parr family has and the way characters of the world live and act are more or less universal to how we would live and act today. In fact, there are only a few small hints that clue the viewer into what decade the film takes place, most noticeably the style of cars that people drive and a joke about “New Math”, currently just known as “Math”, that would only work within that context. There are also brief glimpses of both Jonny Quest and The Outer Limits, which further reinforces the setting. There are a couple small things which feel a little out of place, mainly the hairstyle/color of a Super named Voyd (Sophia Bush), but they’re rather minor in the grand scheme of things.

The action is visually exciting and very easy to follow, which is helpful for the amount of action and number of characters onscreen. What helps is that new Supers that are introduced later on all have unique silhouettes and visual designs to help them stand out from one another. The comedy of Incredibles 2 is also consistently funny and mainly derived from the interactions of the characters and how Bob reacts to his stressful life at home raising three children. Some of it also comes from how Jack-Jack can easily throw a wrench into certain situations, though at some point the number of powers he has can get rather ridiculous, even though it’s explained away within the movie.

Brad Bird and Pixar did a great job with Incredibles 2. The story and tone are consistent with the original film and the world and characters are expanded upon while staying true to previous development. The action and humor help the film stay engaging and the parallel storylines are both easy-to-follow and entertaining, though at least one twist is a little predictable. The improved animation quality is such that the style is consistent even with an increased level of detail in the world. I highly recommend Incredibles 2 to people looking for a fun summer film or want to visit/re-visit a world that looks and feels different from the plethora of superhero films released within the last few years. Due to its nature as a direct sequel, however, you should also be sure to watch The Incredibles beforehand.

Coco

I’ll admit I initially didn’t know what to make of Coco when it was announced, since it centers around a Mexican holiday I only knew about on a high school level, in addition to me not wanting to sit through a 20-minute Frozen short in order to get to the actual movie (plus I had already decided to skip Cars 3 because Cars 2 left a bad taste in my mouth). What changed my mind about this movie was the positive word of mouth, as well as it being in the running for a number of Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature (it has since won in every category it was nominated for). After deciding to see what all the fuss was about (after the overly-long Olaf’s Frozen Adventure was finally cut from screenings), I found myself enjoying it to the point that I would put it up there with some of Pixar’s better movies.

The film centers on a boy named Miguel Rivera (Anthony González), who comes from a large Mexican family making Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) preparations. After his mysterious great-great grandfather left the family to pursue a music career, Miguel’s great-great grandmother Imelda placed a generations-long ban on music from the family, instead getting into shoemaking and starting a family business; Miguel, however, secretly idolizes the late musician Ernesto de la Cruz, wishing himself to start his own music career. On the night of Día de los Muertos, after circumstances lead Miguel to believe that de la Cruz may actually be his unspoken-of great-great grandfather, he tries to make his talent heard in spite of his grandmother Abuelita’s (Renée Victor) objections. Desperate, Miguel attempts to steal de la Cruz’s guitar from his mausoleum, causing him to cross over into the spirit world; upon being able to see them for the first time, the spirits of Miguel’s late family members bring Miguel to the Land of the Dead to try and get him back to the Land of the Living.

Though it hits the same notes as other contemporary Disney and Pixar movies, Coco uses them to tell an affective, heartfelt story that appeals beyond its core demographic and setting. Noted for its accuracy to the Day of the Dead and Mexican culture by Spanish audiences, Coco also provides interesting insight to those outside the culture, much like how Moana does the same with Pacific Island culture. It’s evident that a lot of work and research was put into this movie, as evidenced by its intricately-detailed interpretation of the Land of the Dead and how its residents interact with the Land of the Living once per year. It’s also because of its accuracy to the culture that I felt I was able to learn more about (and better appreciate) the subject matter in under 2 hours than I did from several years in school.

The art direction is simply spectacular, especially in the Land of the Dead, the setting for the majority of the movie. As shown in a short behind-the-scenes featurette attached to the screening I went to, a lot of work was put into making this setting as detailed and aesthetically pleasing as possible and it shows. The spirits of the dead, represented as skeletons with painted skulls, are also made to be very expressive, helped by placing eyes in the sockets in such a way as to not be (too) off-putting. The animation in general is some of Pixar’s best, striking a good balance between realism and signification that works in its favor. Special credit goes to the opening sequence, which is animated in the style of papel picado, a Mexican tissue paper decoration.

As the movie is somewhat of a musical (not one with random song breaks), the songs, of course, have to be good and Coco does it well. Each of the songs are used to good effect, aiding the story and showing off the voice actors’ singing abilities without overtaking the film. A stand-out song is “Remember Me”, a recurring original composition that ties into the main themes of the movie, though I will not divulge how for the sake of avoiding spoilers.

Coco is definitely one of Pixar’s better movies, showing that Pixar has learned from their missteps and serves as the return to form they’ve been heading towards since Inside Out in 2015. Going by reactions from Mexican audiences, the depiction of Mexican culture is spot-on and I felt like I learned a lot about the Day of the Dead holiday and what it represents. Coco is also a good movie in its own right, taking full advantage of its themes to drive home its messages in an effective manner. The animation is also some of Pixar’s best, which seems will only get better if the attached teaser for The Incredibles 2 is any indication. Even if you don’t celebrate Día de los Muertos, Coco provides something for everyone and is a must-see for Pixar and animation fans.

Review Hub - Pixar

Prior to the release of Toy Story in 1995, no one thought it would be possible to tell a feature-length story in CG, let alone one that could be fondly remembered. Once Toy Story proved that both were possible, the Disney-owned studio Pixar pioneered the rise in CG-animated movies, with the studio themselves being generally celebrated for their work and innovation. Though Cars 2 proved to be somewhat of a setback for the studio's track record, they still continue to push forward and persist in delivering the best quality movies they can (though some movies arguably do not quite match up to their output prior to Cars 2). Having followed the studio since the original Toy Story, we will continue to provide reviews of Pixar's work, assuming we believe it worth watching.

Below is a list of every Pixar review on this blog, organized by order of release. (Links to Second Opinions will be placed next to the original review in parentheses.)

Update (2/5/2018): Added Coco

Update (6/19/2018): Added Incredibles 2

Update (6/22/2019): Added Toy Story 4

Update (7/14/2019): Added A Bug's Life

Update (7/22/2019): Added Toy Story 2

Update (12/13/2020): Added Onward

Update (12/28/2020): Added Soul

Update (6/18/2021): Added Cars, Cars 2 Second Look, Cars 3

Update (6/20/2021): Added Luca (2021)

Update (3/13/2021): Added Turning Red

Update (7/2/2022): Added Lightyear

Update (4/29/2023): Added WALL-E

Update (6/17/2023): Added Ratatouille

Update (9/24/2023): Added Elemental

Update (6/16/2024): Added Inside Out 2

Update (3/9/2026): Added Elio, Hoppers

Update (6/28/2026): Added Toy Story 1 and 4 Second Opinions, Toy Story 2 Second Look, Toy Story 3 Film and Game, Toy Story 5

Toy Story (Second Opinion)
A Bug's Life
Toy Story 2 (Second Look)
Monsters, Inc.
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles (Second Opinion)

Cars

Ratatouille

WALL-E
Toy Story 3 (Game)
Cars 2 (Second Look)
Brave
Monsters University
Inside Out
The Good Dinosaur
Finding Dory

Cars 3
Coco
Incredibles 2
Toy Story 4 (Second Opinion)

Onward

Soul

Luca (2021)

Turning Red

Lightyear

Elemental

Inside Out 2

Elio

Hoppers

Toy Story 5

Monsters University - Go, Oozma Kappa!

Since the fallout of Pixar's Cars 2 disaster, I have become weary for the animation studio's recent output (while Brave fared better than Cars 2, it still failed to impress). Because of this, I wasn't sure how the studio's latest feature, Monsters University, would hold up with their latest odds of success. Due to this movie being a prequel to the well-received Monsters, Inc., I recently re-watched that movie after a long time to see how well University would work as backstory. Going in with little expectations, not only did Monsters University surpass them, I think the movie has proven itself to be Pixar's best feature in a while.

After an iffy short called Things With Faces: The Movie The Blue Umbrella, the movie begins with a young Mike Wazowski (Noah Johnston) on an Elementary School field trip to Monsters, Inc. When his class gets to the Scarefloor, Mike gets an opportunity to see top Scarers in action, but because he is shorter than the other students, he ends up following another monster through a door to the human world, where he sees what a monster does. When the scaring is over, Mike makes it back to the monster world, where the same monster he followed through the door encourages him to become a Scarer due to the fact that he (Wazowski) went in undetected. Years later, an older Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) enrolls in the titular Monsters University, the same college the other monster years ago graduated from, hoping to make his dream come true as a Scarer. On his first day, however, he finds competition with another monster named James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), who is overconfident to the point where he believes his natural talent will be enough to allow him to graduate as a top Scarer.

Despite my worst fears, the story of Monsters University is actually pretty well written. The main purpose of the movie is to establish how Mike and Sully met, which it pulls off nicely with some good character development, with some inevitable call forwards to the original Monsters, Inc. made in the process. Though the plot itself is a little more stock at times (there are only so many plots to base a story on, after all), the execution is fairly original and even provides some more insight on the workings of the monster world. While there are some quibbles like still not explaining why monsters find humans toxic and a plot hole created with a line in the original ("You've been jealous of my looks since the Fourth Grade."), once you get past them the story is rather enjoyable.

Bet you didn't know Mike and Randall used to be roommates.

One thing I won't knock this movie down for is the animation. Pixar's animation has improved greatly over the years, and Monsters University not only shows just how far their technology has come (the difference is startling when you compare it to the original Monsters, Inc.), but also proves that the animation will only continue to improve in the years to come; this is especially noticeable when it comes to rendering fur, lighting, and reflections, but all around it is quite the visual upgrade over its predecessor. This prequel continues with the original's top notch voice work, though it helps that some actors from the original movie make their return here to reprise their original roles, with each actor putting on their best performance to sound unique without resorting to cultural stereotypes.

Backing up all of this is the music, which, like all good scores, does a great job at matching the tone of a scene. In this movies case, it also does a nice job at selling the atmosphere of a typical college campus (or at least to the extent of how one is usually depicted in fiction, let alone this movie). Of special note is the song "Island" by progressive metal band Mastodon, though I won't give away anything here as to how it is used, just something to look out for during the feature.

While it doesn't quite hold up to the original Monsters, Inc., Monsters University comes close, placing itself among Pixar's greater works of animation. Its story is executed well and you actually get some more insight on not only the main characters of the 2001 original, but also the monster world as a whole; it may be an unnecessary prequel to an already great movie, but it's an enjoyable unnecessary prequel nonetheless. If this is your first time with the characters Mike and Sully, I would suggest watching Monsters, Inc. first before going into the theater to see Monsters University. Not only that, I would recommend watching the original first, then University, then the original again to see if your viewpoint of its story and characters changes at all (this would be much easier to pull off when the DVD/Blu-ray comes out for University and you own both movies on either of these formats). This film appears to be a step back in the right direction for Pixar, but let's see if their next movie, The Good Dinosaur, continues that trend and proves that the studio that once could has finally gotten back on its feet.

So long as they avoid making this again, I will be satisfied.

Finding Nemo

As explained in the review for Bleach: Memories of Nobody, I am one of three contributors to this blog that treats the entirety of the day after Christmas as "Movie Day", wherein we watch movies all day, some of which end up being ones received as gifts. One of the movies this year is the Blu-ray release of Finding Nemo, a classic Pixar movie that no doubt many people have seen and fondly remember, which I have been waiting a long time for. Though we have discussed Pixar's recent disappointments on this blog before, it's nice to go back to an old classic once in a while, when this studio had a consistently higher level of quality. While it has been a number of years since this movie came out when I was a kid, I have seen it a few times since then, and to this day it is a movie that never gets old.

The plot, for those of you who have not seen this movie yet, centers on a clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his wife Coral (Elizabeth Perkins), who have recently moved into an anemone along with their abundance of eggs, which are nearly ready to hatch. Their happiness doesn't last long, since a barracuda attacks them and eats Coral, along with all of their eggs...except one, which suffered a scratch. Heartbroken, Marlin gives it the name Nemo, which Coral expressed likeness for shortly before the attack, promising not to let anything happen to it. Years later, it is Nemo's (Alexander Gould) first day of school (there's a rather subtle pun in there that took me years to figure out), and it is evident that Marlin has become somewhat overprotective of his sole surviving offspring, who has one smaller fin than the other; this is a birth defect resulting from the barracuda attack. Though he has already dropped his son off, Marlin can't seem to let him go as he chases after the class when he hears where they are going. As a result, Nemo defies his father and swims out to open sea to touch a far away boat. However, this results in him being taken by a couple of divers, causing Marlin to chase after him in desperation, not knowing the journey that lies before him.

Though I was young when I first saw this movie in a theater, it still touched me even then, which made me more grateful that I had parents who cared for my well-being. For a variety of reasons, this movie may hit close to home to many a viewer, something that Pixar has not been able to do as of late. Some moments truly capture the essence of a father-son relationship, especially when the father is willing to do anything, including running into dangerous situations (in this case sharks and jellyfish among other things), so long as it means saving their son. It's certainly a very touching story, and I believe that most people out there feel the same way.

The animation work deserves special mention, due to the fact that all the movements in the movie, especially in regards to the sea life, seem to flow very naturally. Though some obvious liberties were made for the sake of displaying emotion, everything looks and moves very realistically, and there's some incredible subtleties in the detail, in both design and animation, that may take a few viewings to notice, which is something that I like to see in a movie. Even when you know it's all computer generated, you actually believe the (slightly cartoonish) underwater setting, and this still holds well for a movie released in 2003 (a feat that is, needless to say, very impressive for the time).

The voice acting in Finding Nemo is really good all around and, much like the recent game L.A. Noire, even minor characters display a good performance. This quality of delivery really helps whenever a joke is made, but that's not to overshadow the more emotional moments in the film. You really get a feel for what each character is feeling, which is perfectly reflected in the animation, and as a result you can truly believe how Marlin and Nemo feel about each other, something that the later Brave was unable to truly replicate. Complimenting this level of acting is an equally amazing score, which hits all the right marks at all the right moments to set the stage for the narrative in just the right way.

As I mentioned, there is some humor to be found in this father-son tale to take a load off from time to time, but it's done such that, while memorable, it does not overshadow the messages to be taken away from the overall work. The timing of each of these funny moments is just right, and when the movie does get funny, it's really funny. One thing that's half-expected from a movie with children expected to be in attendance (here that's about half the target audience) is a joke relating to a bodily function of some sort (if you've ever seen a modern full-on kid's movie, you know what I'm talking about). Though there's a few of those here, what sets these apart from the rest of the crowd is that, not only are they completely justified in-universe, they're actually funny, with the reaction being the kicker more often than the act itself. In an interesting variation, Marlin's ability to tell a joke is, I have realized, actually a good sign of his character development, which is done rather well over the course of the movie.

Finding Nemo is one Pixar movie pre-Cars 2 that is definitely worth checking out. The underwater setting is fairly realistic and believable and the father-son dynamic is very interesting to watch develop over time as Marlin and Nemo learn more about what it's like to be away from home. This movie is truly heart-warming with a perfect blend of drama and humor that makes it a rather unique specimen in the animation circle. If you somehow have not seen this movie yet, I would suggest you do so right now.

Brave - An Arrow That Lands Off-Center

As I've stated on this blog before, I am a fan of Pixar movies. They've been able to make great movies throughout their entire span, which still hold up even after a few years have passed. Then along came Cars 2 and for the first time I became worried that the studio may have been losing their edge. While I was looking forward to Brave anyway, I had my reservations based on the ad campaign (which seemed to have a "Lol, Scotland" feel at times). After viewing it today, I can say that while Brave isn't exactly perfect, it's at least a  step in the right direction for the studio.

Not all is well in the Castle of DunBroch (which, if my research is to be believed, translates to Castle CastleCastle). We open with the main character, Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald), receiving a bow and arrow as a birthday present in her youth from her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly). As she grows up, Merida becomes increasingly adept as using this weapon, but also becomes annoyed by her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), teaching her how to be a true princess at an equal rate. When she is to be betrothed, Merida sabotages the event for the suitors and runs off on her horse Angus after a disagreement with her mother. In the forest, she follows a trail of Will O' the Wisps to the hut of a witch/wood carving enthusiast (Julie Walters), where she strikes a deal: in exchange for a pendant and the purchase of every wood carving, she would receive a pastry that will change her fate. When Merida returns to the castle, she offers it to her mother, with the most unexpected results.

As the movie went on, I felt as if this was a tale I had heard before, with some similar execution. There were some plot points that, after a while, I could predict a little, something I didn't feel that much in other Pixar films. I understand that a movie can have a plot done before but have a very good execution, something that doesn't ring as true here. The characters aren't as intriguing as the ones in, say, The Incredibles. In The Incredibles, there is a very interesting family dynamic that the audience gets to see multiple sides of and we learn a great deal about how everyone lives and interacts on a daily basis in normal situations. In Brave, the deepest character relationship we get in the mother and daughter bonding tale is that Elinor asks Merida to do something and Merida doesn't want to do it. Fergus comes off as the weird, supportive, dad and the triplets run around without any meaningful dynamic to speak of. They are willing to help their sister in a time of need, but not much else is taken from them. In a sense, Brave does what it can to get through its plot in a similar manner to other Pixar features, but it felt like there was something missing in the end and it didn't feel quite as original as others the studio has put out in the past.

If there's one thing Pixar never disappoints with however, it would be the absolutely stunning visuals. There is definitely an amount of painstaking detail put into the scenery and the stylized character models to bring the world to life. In fact, I heard that because of this, Pixar had to rewrite their animation program for the first time in 25 years. What impressed me the most about it though was the hair, especially with regards to Merida and Angus. There is an absolutely insane amount of detail with a lot of very realistic physics to raise the bar on what can be done in CGI. I also liked the effects on the fire and water, which seemed very real in a fictional world; it's a very nice combination. Unfortunately, no matter how good the visuals are, it can't completely carry the story to its conclusion.

As for the humor in this movie, it isn't as strong as other films in Pixar's past. I did laugh a couple of times, but it isn't as witty and contains humor focused on butts, and a snot joke, that didn't feel entirely necessary. I also couldn't really get into the fact that there is some modernity to this 10th century Scotland, such as the way certain characters behaved and the witch having, of all things, a potion-based answering machine (instead of pressing a button, you pour a vial into a cauldron). It doesn't completely bog down the movie, but it's a little distracting that they would include such anachronisms that feel very out of place. I would have preferred them to stick closer with the time period.

Brave, while a good movie, isn't as strong as other Pixar titles. The amazing visual impact can't completely make up for the somewhat unoriginal execution of the story, duller humor, and more hollow character development. I can safely recommend fans of other Pixar works to see it, but I feel that it will be a lot more appealing to kids (if the audience I saw it with was any indication) or parents that want a movie to see with them. I'm glad that Pixar is still on its feet, but this is the point where I feel that they are losing their creative edge.

On the bright side, it is a vast improvement over Cars 2.

The Incredibles - A Superhero Movie With a Heart of Gold

As stated previously on this blog, Pixar is an animation studio with a very impressive track record. With at least one exception, every movie they have made has been heavily praised to some degree, especially in regards to the Toy Story trilogy. This weekend is the studio's new movie, Brave, which I look forward to seeing. In the meantime, I have decided to watch one of Pixar's older movies, The Incredibles, that also happens to be one of my favorites from the studio. Though I've seen it numerous times since it first released in 2004, I never get tired of it.

Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is one of many superheroes (referred to as "supers" in-universe) that exist in the world, protecting civilians from various supervillains using his super strength. When we first meet him, he is performing hero duties, such as rescuing a cat and facing a villain named Bomb Voyage, while still making time for his wedding, where he will marry a female super named Elastigirl (Holly Hunter). After the wedding, however, Mr. Incredible is sued by injured civilians as a result of that night, which ends up causing a domino effect on all the other supers. This leads to the creation of the Supers Relocation Program, in which supers will not face charges for past actions so long as they behave like average citizens. Though Mr. Incredible, aka Bob Parr, has a wife and three children, he still craves for the old days of the supers. After he is observed during a late night rescue with his friend Lucius (Samuel L. Jackson), who was formerly the super Frozone, Bob receives an invitation to relive his golden years, which he takes advantage of. Though he keeps this a secret from his wife Helen (Elastigirl), he later realizes the importance of his family when he faces a villain named Syndrome (Jason Lee), who, it turns out, used to be his biggest fan.

Though the movie is all around good, I believe I should still break down why it is so. For starters, the story is very well-written, neatly combining elements of a family movie and a superhero movie with a revenge plot. The concept of a world in which superheroes are turned into normal people by the government isn't new, having been done before in the graphic novel The Watchmen, but The Incredibles puts a spin on the dynamic by focusing on a family with superpowers instead of an unrelated group of people, aided by the lighter atmosphere of the product compared the heavy tones of The Watchmen.

Then there's the animation quality. It was impressive for the time it came out, and amazingly it holds up after 8 years. Free-flowing hair moves very realistically on the character models, and even those with shorter hair see a lot of detail. Character movement is also very fluid and there is a wide range of facial expressions that accurately convey what everyone is feeling by way of subtle movements. This is supported by strong voice acting all around and a musical score that perfectly matches each scene. At times the music takes some cues from James Bond, though they are integrated rather well and don't feel out of place.

This being a superhero movie, it is also important to bring up the action. Whenever a character uses their powers on-screen, you will often see some sort of creativity with how they are utilized, especially when two or more supers are working together. An example of said creativity is when, after helping his friend Bob rescue people from a burning building, Lucius is able to use his ice powers against a police officer after drinking a cup of water. While there's plenty of enjoyable fight scenes to go around, Bob's strength powers also make for good comedy, such as when he gets frustrated while trying to exit his car.

The Incredibles is a fantastic movie that I think anyone would enjoy, if they haven't seen it already. The movie has a strong message about the importance of family and the inclusion of superheroes makes for some really nice action scenes along the way. Overall this is a very smart and funny movie that should not be left out of one's DVD/Blu-ray collection.

Cars 2 - It Could Use A Tune-Up

Normally, I look forward to Pixar movies. Pixar is a studio that always manages to churn out a high quality movie with attention to every small detail. However, while I do love what they put out, Cars is the exception. While enjoyable, the original Cars just felt like something was missing that would have made it as good as every other Pixar movie. I wasn't expecting much out of the sequel, and it has done little to impress.

The plot is basically every spy movie you have seen in your entire life, but with cars, down to the character types and sequence of events. All you need to do is make the main character a bumbling idiot, then replace that idiot with Larry the Cable Guy. Instead of a genuine Pixar movie, it feels more like a movie dedicated to him with spy elements shoehorned in. It's very uninspired and clichéd, which is surprising considering Pixar's track record.

While I do applaud the detail in the movie, mostly the cars, there were some things that seemed off. For example, the oil rigs at the beginning of the movie spew flames from the top, but they look unfinished like a low-res video game. It was not only things like this, but also logistically and location-wise. All the different types of cars that race each other in the World Grand Prix, the supposed central race of the movie that feels more like a background event, would not be able to race in real life due to how different the models are. When the race starts in Tokyo, the obligatory bathroom scene has a bit too much focus on Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and the bidet joke doesn't work very well because it is a French bathroom appliance and not Japanese. Also, the "bromance" between Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater seems to come completely out of nowhere, since the first installment did not leave me with the feeling that they were that close as friends.

I wish I had more to say, but there actually isn't much else. While children who enjoyed the original Cars may get some satisfaction out of the sequel, there isn't much to offer for adults, except for the Toy Story short at the beginning which, sadly, is a much more clever and entertaining three minutes than the hour-and-a-half that follows. Pixar has been able to create movie gold since their first feature, Toy Story. If the next offering can keep the same magic as most every other movie the studio has put out before, then consider Cars 2 a pit stop between movies. If you want to watch it to complete your Pixar experience, that's fine, but this one actually seems skip-worthy at best.