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War Horse. Dir. Steven Spielberg. DreamWorks. 2011.
Steven Spielberg’s War Horse (2011) tells the story of teenager Albert Narracott and his horse Joey, tracing their journey from rural Devonshire farm to the Western Front. Joey is the dominant character within the film with the plot line tied directly to his experience rather than Albert’s. Throughout the course of the film Joey encounters…
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Dumbo. Dir. Sam Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts and Ben Sharpsteen. Disney. 1941.
Walt Disney’s classic animation Dumbo (1941) was successfully released in order to uplift the war time atmosphere. A collaboration of directors worked together in order to make the film such as: Sam Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts (all sequence directors) and Ben Sharpsteen as supervising director. Dumboexplores the life of a baby elephant whose…
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I Am Legend. Dir. Francis Lawrence. Warner Bros.. 2007.
Synopsis: I Am Legend, a cinematic adaption of a 1954 horror novel of the same name, is a post-apocalyptic “zombie” film with a difference; the genetically-engineered virus which transforms humans into flesh-eating undead is also active in some animals. The survivors we meet, Robert Neville (Will Smith) and his dog, co-exist with these monstrous creatures…
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Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Dir. Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. DreamWorks. 2002.
The eponymous character Spirit in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)[1] is a stallion who lives freely in an area that would come to be known as the ‘Old West’. Unusually for an animated film, none of the animal characters partake in any spoken dialogue with eachother -instead expressions, naturalistic animal sounds and movement are used to…
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The Swan Princess. Dir. Richard Rich. New Line Cinema. 1994.
The Swan Princess follows the story of Princess Odette and Prince Derek. From the time they are children it is hoped that they will marry and join their kingdoms, and as they grow up they fall in love with each other. However, their romance is thwarted by the evil warlock Lord Rothbart, who kills Odette’s father…
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Spirited Away. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli. 2001.
Human and Animal Transformation in Spirited Away When ten year old Chihiro finds herself alone and her parents turned into pigs in the dazzlingly beautiful but dangerous world of the gods and spirits, she must overcome a series of challenges in order to uncover her true strength of character in a vivacious coming of age narrative.…
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March of the Penguins. Dir. Luc Jacquet. Warner Independent Pictures, Buena Vista International. 2005.
March of the Penguins is a 2005 Oscar winning documentary directed by Luc Jacquet depicting the annual journey undertaken by Emperor Penguins in the Antarctica, from the sea where they spent their summer months, to their breeding ground, miles away, to which they must waddle through harsh conditions to find a partner with whom to…
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Madagascar. Dir. Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. DreamWorks. 2005.
Synopsis Opening in Central Park Zoo, Madagascar follows the lives of Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippopotamus. The film explores the ideas which these domesticated animals have concerning their captivity and the great unknown ‘wild’. Marty, who longs for freedom and the open space which he believes the…
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The Prestige. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Warner Bros.. 2006.
Synopsis The Prestige (2006) is a film directed by Christopher Nolan and based upon an adaption of Christopher Priest’s 1995 novel. The film is set in twentieth century London and follows the lives of two rival magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and their competing struggle to claim ownership of the most…
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