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 ›
“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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
One can never really know the impact something can have until well after a moment in time has passed. Considering the stories shared by the creative team behind Tim Burton’s feature film debut, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, in the featurette “I… Read More ›
‘Tis the season where, no matter the denomination, one is either characterized as “full of spirit” or a “grinch.” The description of such a person who rains of holiday cheer (or cheer of any kind) is directly tied both in… Read More ›
“God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes ‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to sing the blues…” – “What It’s Like” by Everlast (1998) The stories we tell ourselves are all predicated… Read More ›
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 ›
Time passes for us all. Through art, however, we’re able to return to moments that moved us. It being 40 years since the Robert Zemeckis-directed Back to the Future released, Universal Pictures is rolling out the red carpet best they… Read More ›
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 ›
From 2008’s WALL-E to 2022’s Lightyear (and 2020’s Soul, if you count The Great Beyond as a qualifier), Pixar started a tradition of traveling into the beautiful outer space cosmos. In 2025, they continued this tradition with Elio. The film… Read More ›
Live-action remakes of coveted animated films can be a pain point of mine. Most of the time (well, all of the time), it’s an opportunity to juice more money out of an existing IP and less an opportunity to tell… Read More ›
2025 is a wonderful year to be an animation fan. In addition to various individual titles hitting the festival circuit like All You Need is Kill, ChaO, Space Cadet, and Arco, there’re also full-fledged festivals like Animation is Film and… Read More ›
Upon its release in 2022, The Bad Guys proved to be a surprising smash hit. The reviews were quite positive, with praise on all accounts. This included the screenplay, voice performances, and very entertaining action. Add in a gross of… Read More ›
There’s this strange argument that comes up anytime a remake is announced regarding the “justification” for it. There was a time when this reviewer felt the same, especially as the remake was often of a beloved title or, at the… Read More ›
They may not be the draw that they once were, but never discount the Looney Tunes. Those who think the general population has forgotten the kooky cartoons will find themselves on the wrong end of public opinion, whether it’s by… Read More ›
Of all the video game adaptations made (and there are several folks may not even realize are adaptations), none have met or exceeded expectations like director Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. Each one is an entertaining family film with… Read More ›