Animation

Review: Detective Pikachu

I feel like it’s only fair to admit that this is a wholly biased review. I grew up playing Pokémon – and not just the normal games either – I owned copies of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Pokémon Ranger. So, when the Detective Pikachu film was announced, I was ecstatic. Not only would I get to see my childhood up on the silver screen – it was to be live action! (Well, realistic CGI, but you know what I mean). I’d finally get to see what all my favourite Pokémon would look like.

Certainly, some part of me was cynical. I’d suffered through years of poorly written, 2D, animated Pokémon films. I was fully aware that this, like most adaptations of popular intellectual properties, was predominantly a cash grab film. But I held out hope, despite the slew of terrible ‘live-action’ films that were plaguing our cinemas. And guess what? It absolutely paid off.

I only think it’s fair to discuss the failings of the film before I lavish the thing in praise. The narrative was a little obvious. Without spoiling it for you (and I really don’t want to, as I do encourage all you lovely readers to go and watch it), I will admit that a plot point the film chooses to frame as a ‘big twist’ was guessed by me and my flatmate from merely viewing the trailer. Moreover, at times the acting is either incredibly wooden, or far too melodramatic. Unfortunately, it is those moments that pull you out of the wonderfully immersive atmosphere that Detective Pikachu is able to create.

‘I held out hope, despite the slew of terrible ‘live-action’ films that were plaguing our cinemas. And guess what? It absolutely paid off’

But let’s talk about that atmosphere. Because, since viewing the first trailer for this film, there was one thing, and one thing only, that I wanted. I wanted to see Pokémon in the real world – not only that, but their intergration into everyday life. I’m a sucker for good word building, and let me tell you, Detective Pikachu absolutely nailed it. There was a comprehensive exploration and explanation of this human/Pokémon world, in which exposition was given (and at some times, was admittedly a little obvious), but didn’t feel too complex, or unnecessary to the film’s plot. The audience was expected to accept some things at face value, with little explanation, and because it wasn’t that important to the story, we did.

When we walked out of the theatre, the first thing that we did was excitedly chatter about how much we wanted our own Pokémon. And the other attendees of that screening were doing the same. In that sense, I do believe Detective Pikachu achieves what it sets out to do. Remind everyone, no matter how old, what it feels like to be enamoured with this world of interesting and incredible creatures. It truly is the very best, like no video-game movie ever was.

Ralph Breaks the Internet – Review

For all its straight to video bargain bin sequels, Disney (outside of the Pixar subsidary) have not released a theatrical follow-up since the Rescuers Down Under in 1990. This is an important film, with second instalments for Frozen, Zootopia and god knows what else planned for the House of Mouse in the coming years. Which is why it’s so frustrating that it’s not an especially good one, failing to build on the excellence of its predecessor in a number of significant ways.

“this is the meh emoji in film form”

Whilst the animation is excellent and features an innovative visual portrayal of the internet (this is Disney after all), and the voice work is stellar, from oldcomers and new hands alike (credit to Taraji P. Henson and Gal Gadot), this is a film that fails to realise itself fully, ultimately feeling like less than the sum of its parts. The warning signs are there from the beginning – Ralph’s absence from Fix-It-Felix, treated like the end of the world in the first film, is no big deal, and fan favourites Felix and Calhoun are immediately side lined, despite the obvious comedic potential of their adoption of fifteen children. And so, in an era where we have seen the best cinematic portrayal of the digital world (Searching) and the worst (The Emoji Movie) we journey to the internet once again (*read feature length Disney commercial with outdated jokes*) for a movie more suited to the protagonist of the latter – this is the meh emoji in film form.

So why doesn’t this movie work? Firstly, it ignores much of the character development of the first film, making Ralph about ten times more moronic and insecure than before – perhaps rendering him a touch unlikable. Secondly, its structure is utterly bizarre, wrapping up its main plot three quarters of the way through and switching to its subplot for an uninteresting, unsubtle and unearned final act, turning the film from a mostly enjoyable ninety-minute romp to a bloated and unfocused two-hour slog.

“this is the Mumsnet version of the internet lacking all the bite and wit that made something like The Lego Movie such a hit for children and adults alike”

But the biggest problem of all is that this is a film that has absolutely no idea what the internet is and nothing of interest to say about it, with a reference to the ‘Chewbacca’s Mum’ meme emblematic of just how out of touch it is. There are no references to popular YouTubers, Reddit threads or online streaming – this is the Mumsnet version of the internet lacking all the bite and wit that made something like The Lego Movie such a hit for children and adults alike. There is something of a message here (bad comments hurt people), but it’s thinly developed and wholly uninspired, never being given the time to standout in a crowded but surprisingly empty movie. Ralph 2 is no Cars 2, but it’s no Toy Story sequel either, throwing much of what made Wreck It Ralph so special away in favour of the best memes of 2016 and paid adverts from eBay, Twitter, Amazon and others – an unmemorable dud with no real reason to exist, other than to print more money for the richest studio in the world.

There are occasional enjoyable moments here, with Ralph and Vanellope’s bond still mostly charming and providing the rare emotional beat that actually connects. Then there are the cameos – with everyone from Baby Groot to Eeyore popping in for a quick chuckle. The most highly prominent of these is the Princesses, and I’m happy to report they were genuinely excellent – providing a humour and self-awareness mostly absent from the rest of the picture. Their inclusion in the third act, however, feels like a misstep, as they are allowed to save the day at the expense of the new supporting characters, who are never quite given the time to fulfil their potential. Ultimately, the fact the Princesses steal this movie is a damning indictment of Ralph Breaks the Internet – with none of the most memorable moments or jokes actually having anything to do with Ralph or the Internet. By the end of this self-promotional cash-grab, anyone over the age of twelve will be relieved to log-off from this forgettable affair, with the memory of it being wiped as efficiently as an automatic control-alt-delete.

The resonance of Bojack Horseman, Season 5

“I made him more vulnerable and that made him more likeable. And that made for a better TV show. But if [this show] is just a way to help dumb assholes rationalize their own awful behaviour then I’m sorry, but we can’t put this out there.”

Not a quote from the writers’ room of hit Netflix original series, Bojack Horseman, but a monologue by one of the show’s characters, pinpointing the problem with morally grey protagonists. The recently-released season five does not pull any punches with its direct address of the audience, nor its metanarrative parodies of the current Hollywood climate.

Bojack Horseman has never shied away from direct confrontation of hot button issues – previous episodes concern institutionalised sexism, gun control, and abusive families. Season five continues this trend, one plotline following the boss of a company (a literal sex robot) being fired (and almost immediately rehired) after sexually harassing employees. Most notable is episode 4, “Bojack the Feminist”, which revolves around the public ‘forgiveness’ of a mediocre male celebrity, after his constant bigoted speech, following apologies, and then a return to old habits.

This aired not even a month after Louis CK’s attempted ‘comeback’; the discussion, in the public consciousness, concerns how long a celebrity who has performed despicable actions must remain out of the limelight until they are ‘forgiven’. When Diane is asked what she would have this amalgamation of every bigoted Hollywood hotshot do to ‘make it right’, she provides the audience with a refreshingly justified, and unforgiving statement.

“I don’t think he can make it right.”

“Your illness is never your fault, but if your behaviour is hurting people, it is your responsibility to change it”

The question applies to the eponymous horse, too. During an argument between Bojack and Diane in episode 10 (“Head in the Clouds”), he lists all the women who are his victims. Now he has the hindsight of both his behaviour, and female friendship. In his past, he was so determined to prove to himself that he was a bad person who deserved his mental illness, that he didn’t even consider how his behaviour affected those around him. Those like Sarah Lynn.

Bojack’s problem, aside from his mental health, is his selfishness. Speaking as someone who’s suffered from anxiety and depression: getting better is a choice. Your illness is never your fault, but if your behaviour is hurting people, it is your responsibility to change it. Getting better for other people isn’t ideal – but it’s better than not getting better at all. And that’s where we leave Bojack at the end of the season, recognising that if he truly cares about the people around him, he’ll try harder.

We are not supposed to like Bojack Horseman. The show’s main cast (perhaps save Mister Peanutbutter) do not forgive or forget his damnable actions, and so, neither do we. If we relate to him, he is the part we need to change. He’s the drink we really shouldn’t have had, or the pent-up stress ending in you yelling at a friend who was only trying to help. But perhaps, now Bojack is taking his first step, maybe the bits of ourselves we see in his character will become bits that we can be proud of.

Hunny, Tea and CG

Since the release of The Jungle Book in 2016, there seems to have been non-stop Walt Disney Studios live-action and CGI remakes, whether that’s with minimal-but-present story modernisation like 2017’s Beauty And The Beast or (going back a few years) a complete rethinking with Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland in 2010. This company-wide move has certainly divided opinion among fans and cynics alike.

One the one hand, it’s not hard to see the obvious criticisms. Mostly they boil down to the simplest of ideas: that these films have no real reason to exist. There’s frustration at the apparent laziness and lack of innovative ideas or new stories, in favour of a focus on CGI remakes that are, at least somewhat indisputably, a complete money grab – as studios attempt to bleed their already-successful franchises dry. There’s also the animation purists who shudder at the haunting nature of their beautiful, painstakingly line-drawn childhood favorites turned into these uncanny, almost-but-not-quite tangible beasts of the screen.

“it’s hard to deny just how impressive the use of CGI has become in creating this transitional space between live action and animation”

Maybe all this is true. Yet, every one these films have repeatedly become hit after hit at the box office; surely there must be some good in them? Many cannot help but have the CGI recreations garner that feeling of nostalgic wonder they hadn’t felt for a long time. I, for one, know hearing Pooh’s voice at the end of the first Christopher Robin teaser made me feel something heart-jerking at only two words – even if I wasn’t initially sold on the film itself, and its muted colour palette. And, even if you’re not sold, it’s hard to deny just how impressive the use of CGI has become in creating this transitional space between live action and animation. It becomes a tangible reality that makes it almost impossible to be unable to suspend your disbelief for the duration.

The major criticism, that these films are ruining box office originality in favour of the remake, is easily addressed. At least considering the Walt Disney Company internally, they are not. The company continues to make its (admittedly computer-animated, instead of traditional hand-drawn) animated films like Moana, original live-actions like A Wrinkle In Time and the upcoming Nutcracker, and even sequels like Mary Poppins Returns, at a faster rate than ever before. These remakes are most definitely running alongside original content, not replacing it.

If the CGI remakes ruin the whimsy of the original hand drawings for you, the good news is that your DVD collection is still there on the shelf for you to go back to any time. I get it, though. Do I wish and wish for more original stories? Absolutely. But am I going to march my self into the cinema for Christopher Robin’s opening weekend and in all likelihood cry for two hours straight? Absolutely. Maybe they’re just not for you. That’s okay too, but thousands of kids are accessing your favourite stories in a new way and enjoying it with their family members, creating a common connection of both discovery and nostalgia across generations. Hard to be mad at that one.

The history of animation

With dozens of high profile animated films being released on an annual basis it’s sometimes easy to take it all for granted. In 2016 alone, moviegoers can expect feature length animated productions from the likes of Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, Illumination, Blue Sky, and several others. But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, at the start of the 20^th century the art of animated film making was only just beginning to take shape.

Walt Disney is often associated with the early days of animation, however in actuality the very first ventures into the animated frontier were made nearly 3 decades before Disney by a man named James Blackton. Blackton’s 1900 film entitled The Enchanted Drawing, despite being under 2 minutes in length and not actually being a purely animated feature, contained the first ever animated sequence recorded on standard picture film.

The notion of an inanimate drawing coming to life was magical

Viewers were captivated; the notion of a seemingly inanimate drawing of a man’s face coming to life was quite simply magical. It seems trivial now, but back then nothing like it had ever been seen before. Blackton would later go on to create the first entirely animated film in 1906 with Humouros Phases of Funny Faces. Ironically, despite actually being the first of its kind, the film didn’t use what would come to be known as “traditional animation” and instead opted for a form of stop motion. Humorous Phases then, is actually more of a precursor to Wallace and Gromit than Mickey Mouse.

Blackton’s success did have other long lasting effects however. Many other artists were inspired after seeing Blackton’s work and went on to create their own cartoons. The first of these which saw monumental success was Gertie the Dinosaur. Released in 1914 by Winsor McCay, the film featured a sauropod named Gertie who went on a journey to explore the outside world and was more intricate than previous animation in that it actually featured a fleshed out character. Gertie appeared to have emotions; she was inquisitive, she could get angry, she could be sad, she somehow seemed real despite not actually existing.

THE AIM TO TELL NEW STORIES HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CONSTANT FOR THE ART FORM

This notion of having “cartoon characters” subsequently exploded in later decades; beginning with Felix the Cat, by the end of the 1920s the world had been introduced to the likes of Popeye, Oswald the Rabbit, and of course Mickey Mouse. Mickey’s 1928 debut film – Steamboat Willie by Walt Disney– was actually the first animation to feature sound and was successful in propelling Disney towards a long and successful career, and even more successful legacy. Then later in the 1930s, the trend continued with the introduction characters such as Betty Boop, Donald Duck, and Bugs Bunny with the rest of the Looney Tunes gang. However it was not until 1937, with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, that the first ever technicolour feature length film was made. The influence of Snow White was unbelievably far reaching; it spawned nearly 8 decades of traditionally animated films, and amazingly still manages to hold up as a piece of entertainment today.

The 20^th century was also defined by technological advancement, so it isn’t just traditionally animated feature length films that have come about in the last hundred years. With the advent of television in the early 1950s, animated TV shows such as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show met with great success. In particular Hanna-Barbera’s The Flintstones, which having released in 1960, was a monumental hit. Also, very rarely is traditional animation even used in mainstream cinema anymore as computer generated films have taken precedence ever since the release of Pixar’s Toy Story in 1995. In being the first every 3D film entirely made up of CG animation, it initiated a new era in filmmaking. In fact, virtually every new major animated film today is composed of CGI. Without Toy Story there would be no Finding Nemo, Shrek,

It’s truly a marvel to see just how far animation has come. The plucky little films that pioneered the industry have now become these massive multimillion pound blockbusters. However, from the minimalist black and white flipbook animation of Gertie the Dinosaur in 1914, to the near photorealistic settings of Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur in 2015, the aim to tell stories through new and innovative methods has always been a constant for the art form, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.