Category: Animation

  • The Cat in the Hat. Dir. Bo Welch. DreamWorks Pictures. 2003

    The Cat in the Hat. Dir. Bo Welch. DreamWorks Pictures. 2003

    It’s fun to have fun but you have to know how! So, when up-tight, control-freak Sally, and born-to-be-wild child Conrad are left at home for the day, Welch’s reimagining of Seuss’ eponymous, anthropomorphic, wisecracking Cat in the Hat makes it his mission to show them how to enjoy themselves within the bounds of their constraining,…

  • Earwig and The Witch. Dir. by Gorō Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli. 2020

    EARWIG AND THE WITCH : Black Cats in Witchcraft Earwig and the Witch tells the story of Aya, an orphan girl adopted by a witch called Yaga and a demon called Mandrake. All along this adventure, Aya only has one friend, the cat of the house, Thomas. Through making potions, drawing and developing plans to…

  • Earwig and The Witch. Goro Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli & NHK. 2020

    The making of the potion scene Earwig and the Witch tells the story of Aya, a girl adopted by a witch and a demon. With a blend of CGI animation and Russian folktales, this film gives us a child story tangled with a witchy vibe—a mix too scary for kids, according to some.  Thomas, the…

  • Ringing Bell. Dir. Masami Hata. Crunchyroll. 1978.

    Ringing Bell. Dir. Masami Hata. Crunchyroll. 1978.

    “Wolf! Alright, I’ve decided to be your apprentice and learn to be strong! (…) I’m sick of being a sheep, all we ever do is stand in corners and shake!” – Chirin from Ringing Bell Ringing Bell was originally released in Japanese – this article focuses on the English dub.  Sanrio, the Japanese entertainment company…

  • The Little Prince. Dir. Mark Osborne. Paramount Pictures. 2015

    The Little Prince. Dir. Mark Osborne. Paramount Pictures. 2015

    “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” In The Little Prince the depiction of foxes defies conventional animality as they generally symbolise perfidy. But The Fox here is characterised as holding pragmatic intellectual power. He is a teacher but does not hold any other forms of power,…

  • Anastasia. Dir. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman. 20th Century Fox. 1997.

    Anastasia. Dir. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman. 20th Century Fox. 1997.

    Oh great! A dog wants me to go to St. Petersburg. Anastasia. 1997. An adventure with strangers and a new puppy! Twentieth Century Fox’s whimsically animated Anastasia follows an orphaned Russian princess, who befriends a scruffy puppy, Pooka. The real journey begins once Pooka is introduced, winning the audience’s heart with his doe eyed, emotive…

  • The Book of Life. Dir Jorge R. Gutierrez. 20th Century Fox. 2014

    The Book of Life. Dir Jorge R. Gutierrez. 20th Century Fox. 2014

    “I’m allergic to dying!“ -Pepe Rodriguez 20th Century Fox’s, 2014, animated feature film, The Book of Life, follows two best friends, Manolo and Joaquin, who are in love with the same woman, Maria, our independent and fiercely empathetic heroine. The married gods, Xibalba and La Muerte, exchange bets on who will win her heart first,…

  • Kubo and the Two Strings. Dir. Travis Knight. Laika. 2016

    Kubo and the Two Strings. Dir. Travis Knight. Laika. 2016

    Figure 1: Kubo lifted in the air by wings made of origami birds. Kubo and the Two Strings follows a boy whose life is made even more extraordinary when a perilous adventure, which his mother has tried to save him from, accidentally finds him. Kubo can tell stories using the magical music of his shamisen…

  • Hoodwinked!. Dir. Edwards, Cory. Kanbar Entertainment, Blue Yonder Films. 2005.

    Hoodwinked!. Dir. Edwards, Cory. Kanbar Entertainment, Blue Yonder Films. 2005.

    A retelling of the folktake Little Red Riding Hood as a police procedural, using backstories to show multiple characters’ points of view.[1] Hoodwinked! follows the classic who dunnit trope, deconstructing the fable of Little Red Riding Hood with a modern twist to narrate the mystery of the Goody bandit. It entertains basic animal stereotypes to translate the…

  • Sing. Dir. Garth Jennings. Illumination Entertainment. 2016

    Sing. Dir. Garth Jennings. Illumination Entertainment. 2016

    Illumination Entertainment’s Sing is a computer animated film that follows a group of anthropomorphic animals taking part in a singing competition that interferes in the contestants’ privates lives, representing society and human struggles through them. In this scene, the money heist, gorillas perform mundane human tasks like singing and driving. Johnny is a large and…