Coco (2017) – Review

Review Coco

For a long time Pixar was the animation studio that was the best in the field of computer animation and was known for its originality. The only film that initially got (two very good) sequels was Toy Story, but after the release of the very disappointing Cars it was no longer a given that every Pixar film was a must see. Although Inside Out reminded me of the “old” Pixar, other sequels like Monsters University, Finding Dory and Cars 3 did entertain, but didn’t manage to wow as much. The Good Dinosaur was a bit disappointing. In comparison, Disney has been able to score hit after hit in recent years with Big Hero 6, Frozen, Moana and Zootopia. So Pixar has something to prove and show that they still got it. Do they prove that with their latest film, Coco? Continue reading

Finding Dory (2016) – Review

Review Finding Dory

When I heard that Finding Nemo would be getting a sequel, I wasn’t immediately enthusiastic. The original movie is one of the best Pixar movies and the story of a father clownfish searching for his son, was very original.. The underwater world was interestingly realized, the movie had strong emotional impact on its viewers and lots of memorable characters. Reading that the sequel was called Finding Dory I was afraid that the storyline would be similar and this would result in a weak copy. With the Toy Story sequels Pixar did prove that they are able to keep quality at the same (high) level. Have they managed to do the same with Finding Dory?

Finding Nemo (2003)

Review Finding Nemo

Even though I don’t watch trailers anymore, I’m pretty sure that before this movie came out I still was doing so and can remember watching it several times. It was the fifth Pixar movie and after impressing audiences with their technology for fur used in Monster Inc, it was the first look into the world of Finding Nemo, which was jaw dropping to see. In 2003 computer graphics already had come quite some way, but it wasn’t the level yet it is now and much pioneering was done. Creating a convincing water world therefore was something special. With the release of the sequel, Finding Dory (which I will see next week), and the availability of the original on Netflix it was the right time to revisit this wonderful animated movie. Continue reading

Inside Out (2015)

Review Inside Out

If you look at Pixar’s history, the animation studio has released some amazing movies including Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Up, Ratatouille and WALL-E. People were always excited about new Pixar movies, because they weren’t only very original and moving stories but also because the animation was more beautiful with each movie. They have released some movies which weren’t as big a success critically as they might have hoped (the Cars movies immediately come to mind) and last year they didn’t even release a movie, something they did every year since 2006. Pixar now returns with Inside Out. Are they back on top or does the film disappoint? Continue reading

Monsters Inc. (2001)

After recently watching Monsters University I just had to revisit the movie which made me fall in love with its world, Monsters Inc. Although I remembered most of the story it was good to see it again and at the same time see if the two movies are consistent (the quick answer: not entirely) Continue reading

Monsters University (2013)

Review of Monsters University (2013)

Monsters Inc was the 4th movie which Pixar made in 2001. The story about monsters who scared children at night to generate energy for their own world was a big hit. The main characters of the movie, Sully (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) had a believable connection en the little girl in the movie, Boo, won over many hearts. The movie also brought new technical implementation with realistically simulating Sully’s hair en Boo’s clothing. With Monsters University Pixar returns to this world. The question is whether this prequel will manage to reach the high bar set by Monster Inc. Continue reading

Tron: Legacy (2010)

Tron: Legacy was a movie that had a lot of promotion. Disney had high expectations of the sequel to the 1982 original and threw a lot of money at marketing the film. It was almost impossible to not know the movie was coming. If you didn’t see the posters, you would see the toys, the games or other products. Even when I bought my Nokia N8 it had some clips of the movie installed on it. The phone also appeared in the film itself, so it’s logical, but it does show the reach Disney has to get you to notice this film. Luckily I don’t judge movies based on their marketing and promotion, because if I would have done that this movie would have surely received a 10. Of course the most important question is whether or not Tron: Legacy is a good movie. Continue reading

Tangled (2010)

Tangled is based on the brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel. Disney has taken this original story and modified it heavily. Rapunzel’s hair is magical and can give back youth and heal wounds when a magical song is sung. Rapunzel also doesn’t stay in her tower as long as was the case in the original story and there is no prince involved.
Did Disney change too much of the story or has it managed to give it a nice new twist to give it a breath of fresh air? Continue reading

The Pixar Story (2007)

At the moment Pixar is the leading company when it comes to succesful computer animated movies. With the combination of stunning graphics en extremely well written stories they have managed to build an impressive movie portfolio. This documentary shows how the company was founded and evolved. Steve Jobs, John Lasseter, Brad Bird and George Lucas are all interviewed and tell about its history and growth. Before Toy Story was made the company didn’t make any money and lost millions each year. Continue reading

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys are back for the final part of the Toy Story trilogy. The toys already have been through a lot in the first two movies. In the first one we saw the start of the friendship between Buzz en Woody, which they almost lost during the second movie because Woody was taken away by a collector. Because of their adventures the toys are a tight-knit group, who know that they can depend on each other.
Their owner Andy is getting older and is about to leave the house to go to college. He has lost interest in his toys and they are tucked away in a chest. Of course the toys are not happy, but it’s something they knew would come one day. Like in every relationship, they too enjoy the attention and affection they get, but those times seem to be a thing of the past. Continue reading