“Funny thing is, you’re about 10 times more likely to get killed by a falling airplane-part than by a shark.” -Gi in Captain Planet and the Planeteers Things could be simpler if we wanted them to be. Folks could have… Read More ›
animation
Spirit cat Luo Hiaohei returns with a new bold and moving adventure “The Legend of Hei 2,” on home video now.
Continuing a story is tricky enough without throwing in additional hurdles like cultural significance or an established long-running series. Anything established must be honored and, in so doing, can create limitations on what comes next. But that’s what co-writers/co-directors Gu… Read More ›
Disquieting and poignant amid beautifully grotesque scenes, Alberto Vázquez’s fantastical farce “Decorado” ponders the risk of questioning one’s reality and the reward of truth.
What matters more: that something *is* real or that it *feels* real? If we’re talking about art or a prosthetic, then the recreation may provide the satisfaction desired. Possessing mere artifice may be all that’s needed in order to achieve… Read More ›
The Home for Anime Podcast: Talking “Cosmic Princess Kaguya!”
As a writer, my comfort zone is putting my thoughts on paper and hitting publish, but there’s truly nothing like having a conversation with a fellow film nerd. In this case, joining fellow NCFCA member Cameron Allison on his The… Read More ›
Allow animated dramedy “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” to ascend to your home collection.
At a point in the director interview for their film, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes), co-directors Maïlys Vallade (The Lighthouse Keeper) and Liane-Cho Han (Voodoo) discuss the Japanese belief that children under… Read More ›
Hey, bub, just when you think they’ve tried everything, “Zootopia 2” co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard pull out even more.
“Sly fox, dumb bunny.” Just when you think that storytellers have mined all they can from the odd couple trope, co-writers Jared Bush (Encanto) and Phil Johnston (Wreck-It Ralph series) found a way to invigorate the concept by not only… Read More ›
Animated adventure “The Pout-Pout Fish” is an engaging, fun, and adventurous rollercoaster ride of silliness the whole family can enjoy.
Photosensitivity Warning: The final act of the film includes a sequence in which characters change colors to glow with a pulsating white light that may provide triggering for sensitive viewers. After it happens the first time, it’s easy to predict… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Arco” director/co-writer Ugo Bienvenu.
In this episode of Meet Me at the Movies, Thomas Manning is joined by Ugo Bienvenu, the writer, director, and producer behind the Oscar-nominated animated film Arco. Bienvenu opens up about the years-long creative journey behind this deeply personal project… Read More ›
Filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda’s “Scarlet” riffs on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in a time-bending animated adventure that challenges the validity of revenge.
Photosensitivity Warning: Several scenes in Scarlet may prove triggering for photosensitive viewers through the use of stylized lightning. It occurs a handful of times in the film and can often be predicted, enabling a viewer to shield oneself, but it’s… Read More ›
“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” Digital Code Giveaway
Before 2025 ended, it gifted audiences with a brand-new theatrical adventure starring everyone’s favorite sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea: SpongeBob SquarePants! This time, a swashbuckling tale involving The Flying Dutchman with voicework from Mark Hamill (Batman:… Read More ›
Walt Disney Home Entertainment offers a 25th anniversary 4K UHD edition of “The Emperor’s New Groove” that’ll have you reaching for the lever.
Boom, baby. WRONG LEVER! The poison. The poison. The poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco’s poison. Llama face! Why do we even *have* that lever? Beware the Groove…Squeaker, squeak, squeak, squeakin’. These are just a… Read More ›
On home video now, “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” seeks to remind the varied audience that we’re never too old to play.
Children’s entertainment is nothing new; in fact, it’s well-established and business is booming. Past generations grew up with Mister Rogers in his neighborhood (1968 – 2001) while newer ones grew and grow up with Mister Rogers’ own Daniel Tiger in… Read More ›
Mamoru Oshii’s “Angel’s Egg” is honored with a 4K restoration in its 40th year.
“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let… Read More ›
Heart, humor, and baloney flow throughout the poignantly funny and earnestly heartfelt family adventure “In Your Dreams.”
Dreams are incredibly powerful. Whether we experience them awake or asleep, our dreams shape our reality by imagining what could be. It may manifest in our minds as talking stuffies, personified num-nums, or twisted versions of those closest to us,… Read More ›
The voices too loud in your head? Need some positive affirmation with surreal art and zany songs? “Lesbian Space Princess” to the rescue!
There’s nothing wrong with a safe space. There’s nothing wrong at all with wrapping yourself in the things that make you feel at peace and serene; unless, of course, the energy spent maintaining said serenity comes at the cost of… Read More ›
Pull the cord and be ready to get messy as “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” tears into theaters (and your hearts).
“Our love is like a red, red rose … and I am a little thorny.” – The Mask in The Mask (1994). The manga series Chainsaw Man created by Tatsuki Fujimoto began publishing as part of Weekly Shōnen Jump in… Read More ›
GKIDS Films resurrects the first two tales in the “Rebuild of Evangelion” series with brand-new Blu-ray editions.
Photosensitivity Warning: The scenes involving Angels and/or Angels battling EVA Units, which make up a significant portion of the films, almost always involve flashing lights. Be prepared before watching. GKIDS Films gained home release control of Hideaki Anno’s polarizing and… Read More ›
“The Bad Guys 2” delivers the goods in family entertainment and significant ponderings on legal system reform.
There’s a strange dearth of family programming hitting theaters. There are plenty of films for older teens, young adults, and older, but titles that you can take younger kids to are oddly absent. Even worse, the ones that do get… Read More ›
Stop-motion gothic romance “Corpse Bride” will have you saying “I do” to its first-time 4K UHD edition.
Filmmaker Tim Burton means different things to different people thanks to his varied career in live-action and stop-motion (sometimes in the same picture) spanning more than four decades. From his first feature, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), to producing Henry Selick’s… Read More ›
“Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (Batman Azteca: Choque de imperios)” clings so tightly to its DC roots that it stifles the flair when it embraces its Mexican influence.
In 1991, DC Comics published Batman: Holy Terror, a tale featuring an alternate history for the United States in which it remained a Commonwealth of the United Kingdom. It shifts the origin story we know of Bruce Wayne into Batman… Read More ›