July 15th, 2015, saw the release of Aaron Blabey’s kids book “The Bad Guys: Episode 1.” It introduced the world to Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark and their quest to shift how the world sees them… Read More ›
animation
Your one way ticket to midnight is worth a double feature in this “Heavy Metal/Heavy Metal 2000” limited-edition steelbook release.
Thanks to the way that art tends to feed itself, throughout history, the written word has often inspired songs, paintings, dance, and vice versa with much more. For metalheads, the combination of fantasy and science fiction with music and art… Read More ›
Shout! Factory and Eleven Arts present a limited-edition steelbook of Satoshi Kon’s “Millennium Actress.”
Generally speaking, each of director Satoshi Kon’s films are beloved by critical and general audiences. Each one is revered for its ability to entertain whether evoking thrills, drama, or laughter; each one considered for more mature audiences, despite being constructed… Read More ›
Even newbies will get into dark fantasy manga adaptation “Jujutsu Kaisen 0.”
Started by creator Gege Akutami in March 2018, Weekly Shōnen Jump series Jujutsu Kaisen is a supernatural horror/comedy action series involving sorcerers who protect the world’s population by destroying or controlling curses (primarily sentient monster-like creatures) that come to being… Read More ›
Exploring emotions and interpersonal relationships, Domee Shi’s “Turning Red” adds another top release to Pixar’s catalogue.
In front of Pixar’s Incredibles 2 (2018) was writer/director Domee Shi’s directorial debut Bao, a bittersweet story of parenthood and letting go. It’s not too surprising that Shi’s feature-length debut, Turning Red, follows a similar trajectory, just from a different… Read More ›
Saying goodbye in “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” doesn’t mean forever. Just, for now.
All things come to an end and it seems that even immortal monsters have to say goodbye so that something new can begin. This is the relative theme coursing through the fourth, and reportedly final, installment of Sony Picture Animations’s… Read More ›
Writer/director Mamoru Hosoda’s “BELLE” brings together the heart and imagination, creating a transcendent cinematic experience.
In a career spanning over 20 years, writer/director Mamoru Hosoda has cultivated a filmography of works which communicate to the general masses (Digimon: The Movie (2000)) and to a specific niche audience (Summer Wars (2009); Mirai (2018)). Full disclosure: Mirai… Read More ›
No more waiting on a miracle. “Encanto” is available for home viewing.
Walt Disney Studio’s 60th animated film released in November with the same promise of any of its predecessors: 90-ish minutes of adventure, magic, and wonder. Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard (Zootopia) and co-director Charise Castro Smith (who shares co-writing… Read More ›
Choose friendship, even when “Ron’s Gone Wrong.”
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” No matter how much we rely on technology to do things for us, we often lose a little piece of ourselves in the process. Sure, we may remember things more… Read More ›
“Sing 2” dreams big dreams and manages to make most come true.
Since before well covers became popularized in its modern form, singing has been a way to carry on local history and traditions, carrying warnings or lessons that the listener will absorb and carry forward into the next generation. The minstrels… Read More ›
Be prepared for the dark harvest by picking up “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” on home video.
In March 2020, Sony Animation released a trailer for Connected, a film centered on a family attempting to survive a robot apocalypse. It mostly focused on the relationship between the luddite dad and techno daughter before shifting gears to revealing… Read More ›
Snag yourself a ticket to ride on the “Mugen Train” as it heads to home video via Funimation.
In 2020, the first feature-length film from the manga-adapted anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Mugen Train, released in Japanese theaters and absolutely dominated to the point where it was the highest-grossing film of the year. After some time, Mugen… Read More ›
Shout! Factory presents Cartoon Saloon’s stunning “Irish Folklore Trilogy” in a single, lovely package.
Across four films, Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon has earned four Academy Award nominations, each time for Best Animated Feature. If you’ve seen even one of their films — The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2017), The… Read More ›
“The Monkey King: Reborn” Blu-ray Giveaway
There have been many adaptations of the mythical figure Sun Wukong, more commonly known as The Monkey King. He’s been depicted by Jet Li in The Forbidden Kingdom, Donnie Yen in The Monkey King, Stephen Chow in A Chinese Odyssey, and… Read More ›
GKIDS’s complete series Blu-ray release for “Neon Genesis Evangelion” is a strong way to kickstart a new fandom obsession.
Somehow, in one way or another, stories transcend times and locations, growing to become global phenomena. We’ve seen it with the characters of DC Comics and Marvel Comics, the Transformers series (based on the run of Hasbro toys), and, of… Read More ›
Large in scope but small in focus, “My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission” is everything and nothing like you’d expect from the long-running series.
Just after season five of popular anime My Hero Academia ends its run in the U.S. and before the sadness of no new episodes can set in, fans of Class 1-A may rejoice in a new adventure featuring their favorite… Read More ›
“Night of the Animated Dead” offers little new in its adaptation of the zombie classic beyond blood and gore.
**Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.** Horror changed in 1968 when a small indie picture directed by George A. Romero from… Read More ›
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” Blu-ray Giveaway
Who is ready for a slam jam?! 1996’s Space Jam saw b-baller Michael Jordan come out of retirement in order to help the Looney Tunes from extraterrestrial enslavement. 25 years later, it’s LeBron James who needs help from the Tune… Read More ›
A road trip with the Addams Family shouldn’t be so unexpectedly disastrous.
They’re creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, and are back for a second animated film from returning directors Greg Tiernan (Sausage Party) and Conrad Vernon (Monsters vs. Aliens). Where the first film explored assimilation versus individuality, the second outing is more interested… Read More ›
Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 4: “Kubo and the Two Strings.”
For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… Read More ›