Tag: Feature Length
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Alice in Wonderland. Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, and Jack Kinney. Walt Disney Pictures. 1951.
A distinctive croquet game featuring flamingos as mallets and hedgehogs as balls becomes a symbol of societal norms and power dynamics in human-animal relationships, reflecting the era’s outlook on animal rights. Whimsy deviates from the real-world issues depicted in the original text, becoming rose-tinted rather than a mirror.
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Rushmore. Dir. Wes Anderson. 1998. Buena Vista Pictures.
Bees in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore The swarm of the bees scene in Wes Anderson’s 1998 comedy film Rushmore sees Herman J Blume (Bill Murray) subjected to further revenge for his romantic involvement with Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Blume is rattled by an infiltration of bees in his hotel suite, orchestrated by the outraged Max Fischer (Jason…
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Watchers. Dir. Jon Hess. Universal Pictures, Alliance Releasing. 1988.
If humans and animals navigate separate spheres within their shared world, then what becomes of creatures whose existence crosses into both realms? Jon Hess’s 1988 science fiction horror film Watchers queries the animal presence within humanity through the camera techniques used during the genetically-engineered OXCOM’s first attack on Travis Cornell. (Above) Humanity’s Fascination with Human-Animal…
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Dir. James Gunn. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. 2023
Though James Gunn’s 2023 Sci-Fi/Action movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3[1] reunited audiences with the beloved Guardians, the opening scene instantly insinuated this film’s darker tone due to its immediate focus on the horrific nature of animal experimentation and how it can be physically and mentally catastrophic for the creature. Gunn presents this by…
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The Muppet Christmas Carol. Dir. Brian Henson. Walt Disney Pictures. 1992.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is not only a heart-warming Christmas story from the Victorian period, it also speaks volumes about social class inequalities. In The Muppet Christmas Carol, Director Brian Henson uses the species of rats to emblematise the impoverished, low social class. This contributes to Dickens’s interpretation from the original novel, this…
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X. Dir. Ti West. A24. 2022
Alligators and Pornstars Ti West’s 2022 horror film, X, follows a group of adult-filmmakers in their endeavour to create ‘a good dirty movie,’ in spite of the looming persecution of their Bible Belt location. In this scene, central protagonist and self-proclaimed star Maxine swims nude in a bayou and, unbeknownst to her, is stalked by…
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The Darjeeling Limited. Dir. Wes Anderson. Searchlight Pictures. 2007
Animals Articulating Emotion and Inspiring Growth in The Darjeeling Limited In an attempt to remedy their stagnant relationship, three brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) board a train travelling around India. Each brother harbours his own inner turmoil which contributes to the complex relationship between the brothers and is often…
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The Banshees of Inisherin. Dir. Martin McDonagh. Searchlight Pictures. 2015
“Do you think God gives a damn about miniature donkeys, Colm?” “I fear he doesn’t. And I fear that’s where it’s all gone wrong.” Martin McDonagh’s, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022), is a Tolstoyan tragicomedy combined with macabre naturalism which works to present the asperity and invaluableness of life and friendship. One significant friendship occurs between…
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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,…
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Kedi. Dir. Ceyda Torun Oscilloscope Laboratories (2016)
Have you ever wondered what the everyday life of a street cat looks like? ‘Kedi’ is an observational documentary film that follows the stray cats of Istanbul through their daily life, soundtracked by interviews of real-life people that become our narrators and storytellers for the history of these cats. The documentary goes beyond the stereotypical…