Animation

Sing 2:

Storyline:
Buster Moon and his friends must persuade reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the opening of a new show.

Producing the same sequel, time and time again, each a complete remake and worse than the first, and more so without any change, Sing 2 is neither original nor well-made, which is the epitome of Disney nowadays.

Although delivering the same tiring jokes and storyline as its predecessor, the difference with this is not the subject matter or script, rather the constant run-around that amounts to no clear meaning. Bouncing around from life lesson to life lesson, the turnaround is uninviting as there is nothing to support the actions. Meaning with an excess amount of characters trying to resolve conflicts within, each is brushed past and skimped out quicker than the last, making for no one or thing to shine.

Not to mention the constant music playing, while this is a musical, the soundtrack was overwhelming by playing music (not including the characters - this is tracks playing during dialogue and any minute a character is not singing.) There should be a balance between silence, singing, and the score.

Given with any animation the graphics, picture, and entire production goes unsaid with the level of talent and appreciation that comes with it. However, this heavy feeling comes more and more with all Disney’s products now – and what truly makes a family cartoon good, is if it deserves re-watches, is unique enough to be memorable, and simply has a heart that is enjoyable, and this is not. Watering down life meanings and skimping out on things that truly matter, this is fine in the moment, but you could go your whole life without seeing it and be just the same.

5/10

The BAM! rating is a newly integrated rating scale in addition to the critic rating each film gets. BAM! is simply the entertainment value that is solely based on whether or not a film is worth watching. A film can have a high BAM! rating and a low critic rating or vice versa.

5/10

Encanto:

Storyline:
A young Colombian girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers.

While anyone can take a step back to appreciate the dedication, talent, and culture that went into creating this visually depicting animation, there is nothing to say to take away that rewarding aspect. Yet, the relevance or level of support I can give this film is on the other side of the spectrum.

Beginning with a lack of a connection to the characters, the presentation of the details that follow is out of order. Showcasing all characters at once, with no substance, makes it hard to latch on or relate to any given person. Not to mention, a surplus amount of characters, powers, and personalities is too much to take in any way.

Furthermore, the musical aspects wholeheartedly ruin this film. Singing too fast, not articulating, and overlapping duets create a confusing message. Becoming hard to hear the words, using the wrong moments of the powerful voices included, and mostly, transferring an off-putting feeling into the audience, are a result of nothing being on the same wavelength.

Although it is no surprise at this point, as Disney continuously pours out fabricated versions of the nostalgic family films, it becomes repetitive neglect for the opportunity to create something powerful. Instead, it is the same thing time and time again for a paycheck rather than what it represents.

5/10

6/10

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

Storyline:
Venturing out of the garden, Peter finds himself in a world where his mischief is appreciated; however, he must figure out what kind of bunny he wants to be.

With an urge to stop watching and leave the theater throughout every moment, this was thoroughly treacherous to get through. Being more agonizing and confining than anything amusing, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway positively is one of the worst films I have ever seen.

Unmistakably having no pride or achievement from Rose Bryne and Domhnall Gleeson, their lack of empathy, passion, or admiration present is visible. Battling with a stiff progression, the lack of chemistry and embarrassing pauses go hand in hand to result in a film that struggles with its storytelling.

Needing at least a portion of entertainment value to keep this film afloat, this overuses the same, not funny humor that was present in the first film. Going above and beyond in all the wrong ways, the poorly timed nauseating comedic value this has makes it hard to believe that this is a major motion picture.

2/10

Cruella:

Storyline:
Estella is young, clever, and determined to make a name for herself in the fashion world, but she soon embraces her wicked side as Cruella.

Although the effort is clear to make this Disney live-action worth your time, the faulty organization and unplanned chaos get the better of it.

Despite a lead performance from Emma Stone that is utterly and undisputedly dedicated, her character arc and details that coincide aren't implicated as smoothly. Developing all the wrong details result in screen time evolving nothing necessarily important - this feels more like a story filled with nothingness than anything prominent.

However, a fitting and unwavering wardrobe and color scheme did not disappoint. Embodying the character and emotions, this has its visually cinematic moments.

Expecting nothing less than poor CGI to go hand in hand with a film that did not need to be made, this becomes just another Disney film that was made for a paycheck than a solid film. Having its trivial appreciable moments that were overtaken by its largely random production, Cruella is flatly an insignificant watch.

4/10

Raya and The Last Dragon:

Storyline:
In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

While Raya and The Last Dragon delivered the expected visually pleasing picture and an enjoyable watch overall, it lacked the spunk that would differentiate itself from others. Turning into the average, forgettable and unmentioned film, this blurs too easily into the rest of the same story, different setting Disney films.

Having the fair share of humor that's laughable and relieving, the light-hearted nature keeps this afloat. However, repetition gets the better of this, as enough is enough in most instances, which is a concept that needed to be practiced in this. Overusing and tiring the comedic relief makes for dull jokes and a heavy tone at the end of this short run-timed film.

Yet, this wasn't torturous to get through, as it was quite lively and entertaining, but only in the moment. After the fact, the watch is not memorable, no specifics or anything worth talking about arise. Thinking it is more empowering and original than it is, this has been seen too many times to count, especially in a non-catchy manner.

5.5/10

6/10

Zootopia:

Storyline:
In a city of animals, a rookie bunny cop and con artist fox have to work together in order to solve the case that could destroy their city.

Although Zootopia is creative in the sense of stellar graphics and an easygoing progression it wasn’t in terms of providing a conventional theme and overused topics. Seeing this same thing play out every time a new film comes out, it is the same story just with different characters/settings; failing to prove itself as anything but the same Disney plot, this isn't much of a show-stealer.

Considering this, though, these will always be entertaining for anyone of any age. Having the fair share of adult humor and scenes that are easily memorable, this still features the feeling that draws everyone in. Additionally just creating a feel-good film, there are still positives this has to offer.

Having the utter consistency of a progression from scene to scene, this is without a doubt, visually pleasing. The diligence and effort that it takes to create something as clear as this is appreciable, to say the least.

All in all, this is not a bad film, rather unoriginal. Pleasing the targeting audience, there is something for everyone with a plot such as this since it's been done before. There is much worse than Zootopia, but there also is much better.

6.5/10

7/10

Soul:

Storyline:
After landing the gig of his life, a pianist finds himself trapped between Earth and the afterlife trying to get back home.

In light of this film having an utterly marvelous and remarkable picture, that is just about the only thing this offers. While it's clear that the focus was on the visuals, which is a gimmie for Pixar, the lack of creativity within the storyline was too prominent to hold my attention.

Despite the fact this felt like a remake of Inside Out, the conflicts, struggles, and the main course of development were overused concepts that weren't properly executed. Having dull humor that never got a laugh and spending too much time in areas that didn't need the screen time, Soul struggles in more aspects than it succeeds in.

The score, additionally, was not as substantial as it is made out to be. Admittedly, while it creates a vibe that is personable to the protagonist, the theme it correlates with is important but was carried out in an average way.

Given the time we are all in right now with little to no films coming out, it is prominent that Soul is treated in high regard because there isn't much else out. While this isn't terrible by any means, it rather is a conventional topic that has no spark to distinguish itself. Falling into a category of pointless films, the talent that was used to go into this could have used a better story to make it worth the watch.

5/10

Alvin and the Chipmunks:

Storyline:
Talking chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore have their home of a tree cut down and shipped to L.A. Once there, they meet Dave and he helps them show off their singing abilities.

Watching this as a kid compared to watching this now, my mindset and overall feeling have taken a shift toward the worst for this film. Though it's overall entertainment value may still reign true, I had remembered this being better than it was.

The actual animation of the chipmunks themselves was done very gracefully at times, but still featured numerous scenes that looked amateur. Although this is not necessarily the focus of this film, watching with not even a slightly critical eye, it will be noticed.

The soundtrack, though, was one of the best aspects. The choreography of Alvin and the Chipmunks, their singing abilities, and the flow between song and dialogue was the strong suit and highlight of this. The audience can easily find a time to dance with them and get their music stuck in your head.

Though this is a children's film and has the usual cheesy, scripted dialogue with the predictable antagonist, it is very watchable. Everyone can find some character to relate to at some point within the plot which makes for a lighthearted, family-driven story.

5/10

Onward:

Storyline:
Two elf brothers, Ian and Barley set out on a quest to finish the magic spell that will bring back their father for one day.

Having the entire production feel incredibly forced, there was a lack of originality and pizazz to draw the audience into the story. While it might feature some A-list voices, it's not enough to make the trip to see this.

The film consisted of a whiny protagonist, a stereotypical father figure and unlikable characters. Yes, this is a children's film where the targeted audience won't focus on this aspect, yet there are always characteristics that appeal to adult humor, which was nowhere to be found. On top of that, the plot was constructed with artificial instances that neither grasped my attention or made me laugh.

As cheesy and recollecting that these films can get, this pushed me to the max. Already losing my interest the further it went along, the elongated acceptance finale might have made the characters slightly more personable but stretched the story further than it should have.

Being a below-average animation film, this is nothing special. It provided a story that creators hoped would spark a monumental brotherly-bond, but instead only was something that was not meant to be created.

5/10

6.5/10

The Secret Life of Pets 2:

Storyline:
Max finds himself learning new life lessons and things about himself once his owner has a baby.

Coming off a film I didn't enjoy, this did the exact same thing. It is pretty hard to make a cartoon that isn't good, yet it seemed effortless in this. Genuinely the only positive this has to offer is the visuals and how interesting that aspect was.

The problem with this film is that it never achieved the unspoken innuendo animations have. They just provide an entertaining and engaging watch subconsciously. The first scene didn't grab my attention from its dull nature, which was followed by nothing better because the entire film was constructed by them.

Hardly any jokes made me laugh. With the few that did, the rest of the story was filled with the same lines in different ways. Having no variation, it became repetitive, predictable and truly passionless, there was no creativity with any of it.

The younger crowd probably can find a way to enjoy this because of the visually pleasing characters. For everyone else, though, don't waste your time. Having too much moralizing at the end from a meaningless story, this franchise should stay a sequel - but Hollywood will produce whatever makes money.

3/10

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Storyline:
Miles Morales is bitten by a radioactive spider which soon turns him into Spider-Man. With the help of others, he takes down the powerful villain Kingpin.

This comic book inspired animation was remarkable, keeping you alert with the movement and continuation of the film throughout its course. Taking a not so usual route as far as animations go, it worked well.

Throwing in aspects like split screens, speech bubbles, motion lines, and plenty more comic book-like features were used enough to be noticed but sparingly to where it was not overdoing it. Using these characteristics as useful points to further progress the story only adds to the numerous positive attributes this includes.

There is no arguing the fantastic achievements this film has with visuals, but the negatives come within the story itself. As far as the storyline goes, there were times I was very impressed and others where I was not. Starting off strong with a solid protagonist, development, and conflict in place, the plot was well established, though it felt like a familiar story. Yes, we all know Spider-Man, who he is and everything about him, yet this just was a repeat of his information with different characters; I wish this adaptation would have changed key aspects to make it a little more original.

8/10

Tangled:

Storyline:
Rapunzel has been locked away in a tower her whole life. On her 18th birthday, she decides to experience things for herself.

This modernized version of a Disney princess is well done in terms of entertainment. While it may lack some of the substance and grit of other contenders, such as originality, there is no doubt this is enjoyable.

The best part of this film is the soundtrack. Including catchy and upbeat music, it makes you want to sing along during the film and it gets stuck in your head after. This was teamed with lines that are laughable, which created a script that was coherent with the sound.

Rooted from personable characters, every scene achieves a high spirited sensation. Always going off one moment to the next with an effort to never miss a beat. This was commendably done by doing it nonchalantly.

Featuring a coming of age story, it offers humor for the older crowd likely watching with the younger crowd. Clever and engaging for all ages, this is definitely re-watchable. While all of these films have a cheesy, typical ending, it truly is cute and enjoyable.

7.5/10

8/10

Spies in Disguise:

Storyline:
Lance Sterling is a spy who is on the run to clear his name and recruits scientist, Walter Beckett to help save the day.

Always having an upbeat and clever plot, this film unfortunately had nothing extraordinary to set it apart from anything else in the film world, even with a groovy soundtrack.

The casting/relationship of the main characters was great. While that was part of the central idea put across, the chemistry clicked and helped the entertainment factor effortlessly push through the story.

The development was a little shaky. Starting off on a high note, all thoughts of setting the story was lost in the beginning and was never picked up again. While the kids watching this would never pay attention to this aspect, it is something that can be noticeable for others watching.

Although the humor was recognizably geared toward the younger crowd rather than older, it still was very effective. Not only having me laugh out loud, it left me discussing the quirky and cheesy lines once it was finished.

It's no secret all cartoons have the same message of self-acceptance and equality linked within, this was a little disappointing when it came down to it. While it still features a full circle discovery and friendship, there was no out of the box thinking or creativity in doing so.

6.5/10

7.5/10

Frozen II:

Storyline:
Elsa and Anna set out to protect their kingdom, Arendelle from evil, along with Olaf, Kristoff and Sven.

Following from a memorable and incredibly well done prequel, this film relies heavily on its famous characters/name it brings to viewers, rather than its own story.

No matter what, the first film will always come to mind when seeing a sequel, so comparing the two is inevitable. That being said, if you compare the two or not, this soundtrack was incredibly disappointing. Between forcing song into dialogue and never seeming to have the right song for each scene, it was patchy and offbeat.

Numerous characters and instances were either useless or one-sided, causing the flow of the film to get off track. On the same note with that, the storyline was all over the place. Jumping from one idea to the next, nothing flowed, which caused more questions than answers.

More ideas and concepts seemed to be targeting the older crowd rather than children, bringing in more life lessons that not everyone will understand right away. With this, it became confusing at the central concept of the film, as it was all a jumbled mess.

On the bright side, something positive this had to offer was the stellar cinematography. Not only was it visually pleasing, but the picture and characters felt incredibly real with every movement.

5/10

The Princess and the Frog:

Storyline:
Hardworking Tiana hopes to one day open her own restaurant in New Orleans but is soon turned into a frog when she is kissed by Prince Naveen, who was turned into a frog from an evil doctor. They have to work together in order to be humans again.

This is a fun and faced paced storyline which focuses on the feel good/romance aspects, is entertaining for all ages and is good every time you watch it.

Having an amazing soundtrack (as most Disney films do), it makes the film flow effortlessly throughout its course. Each song is catchy and uplifting, and works within the story. It makes for an easy watch that puts a great message across and is enjoyable.

The pace is the only negative I had with this film. While it does a good job with continuously flowing, the beginning was pretty rushed. It did develop some backstory in the protagonists life, but if there was more shown or if it was gone in depth more, it would have been more beneficial to the viewers understanding it on a whole. Same thing goes for the villain, while he was a round character and had an interesting story, if there was more time spent on his life, it could have been better.

Each character offered plenty of qualities that helped the enjoyability of the film. It is a captivating watch that offers great performances and is an inspiring story.

7.5/10

8/10

Aladdin (1992):

Storyline:
Charming street rat, Aladdin meets Princess Jasmine and wants to win her over. He soon obtains the power of the genie lamp where he gets three wishes.

Being one of my favorite Disney films of all time, there are reasons for it. Everything about this is spot on.

The storyline is suspenseful and high paced for any age. It keeps you on your toes and interested for the entire story.

The soundtrack is amazing. The set-up of each scene flowing into the next with seamless transitions is helped from the music. It's fun, enjoyable and catchy, even after the film is over.

The antagonist has depth and is portrayed in a way where the audience despises him, but enjoys the time he has on screen.

Robin Williams as the genie could possibly be the best part. He's high spirited, personable and relatable. His character brings a bigger message to the table and will always be an iconic role.

8.5/10

Aladdin (2019):

Storyline:
Aladdin, a charming street rat frees a Genie from a lamp and uses his magic to help him impress Princess Jasmine.

I did enjoy this film as it had many aspects of the original story, but modernized. That being said, it’s hard to get the cartoon out of my mind when it was so great.

The opening scene felt awfully rushed. The development, acting, singing, whatever was going on, could have been extended and heightened on more.

This film, on a whole, did do an even job of balancing both the musical aspects and the developmental ones. The choreography fit perfectly into each scene and kept the flow steady throughout.

The scenery and costumes were visual pleasing, but also accurate to how anyone would expect the live-action film to be, nothing ever lost its character or heart of the story everyone still loves today.

Will Smith is the only person I think could live up to Robin Williams legacy as the Genie, while he didn't overtake his performance, he created a different one- he fit is role entirely. He put his own spin onto things creating a Genie that is more current in the present day lifestyle. Not only his character is adapting, but the entire film had modernized aspects to a well-known story, and I think it worked.

Knowing this is a children's film, not everything is going to be perfect, but there were some plot holes and predictability to this that were just too obvious not to point out. They weren't that noticeable unless you're paying attention to the fine details, therefore, not a deal breaker.

7/10

Incredibles 2:

Storyline:
With superhero’s recently becoming illegal, Helen (Elastigirl) is hired to fight crime secretly. With her in the spotlight, Bob (Mr. Incredible) is left at home with the kids and is figuring out how to handle it.

Keeping in mind how long it took for this sequel, I thought it would be significantly better. This is another situation where the first installment was so great, it has some big shoes to fill.

First thing to acknowledge is the animation. Not only did it look incredibly realistic, but it was creative and visually pleasing with all the aspects of cinematography it included.

The plot was the basic, predictable kids movie that was over-hyped. That’s really all that can be said. Yes, there were parts that I thought were clever, funny or well made, but the majority of it just didn’t live up to its name.

The villain was just not as good as the first film. Not to compare everything to the first installment, but when this is what’s produced, it’s hard not to because everything was lacking with the development, creativity or depth.

This production on a whole was entertaining, but was lacking on a deeper note.

6/10

7/10

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Storyline:
Once Hiccup finally achieves his dream of a peaceful world between dragons and humans, danger approaches, effecting everyone from their land.

For being a third installment of an animated movie, I honestly was really surprised that this wasn't that bad. Yes, there were some issues, but on a whole it was decent.

The plot was average. For a kids movie, I didn't expect much more, but my issue wasn't of the quality of it, it was the flow of it. The beginning was really slow, the middle and climax felt really rushed, and then ended strong. The organization and timing of the story could have been better.

Along with the rushed storyline, the development between characters and relationships was slacking. I know that not everything can be developed, especially with attention span of children, but some things involved in relationships were just said and then shown, rather than actually developed and shown.

The animation was great. The visuals were realistic and interesting to see all the creative dragons and scenery that went into the production of the film.

On a whole, I did enjoy this. The ending tied the whole franchise together, made a statement, and finished the film on a high note.

6/10

7.5/10

The Lion King (2019):

Storyline:
Follow a tragic event, Simba is banished from his home. Teaming up with new friends, he challenges his uncle, Scar and figures out how to take what is rightfully his.

The animation was truly incredibly to see something with that level of believability in a live action film, that being said, some minor details could have been better. There were absolutely no expressions for any character, considering all the time, effort and talent that was put into it creating this, I think there could have been improvements on that end. In addition to that, there were many times I think the scenery and circle of life shots got out of hand, run on and took away from the heart of the story.

The heart of the story was lost in the making of this film. While these live actions that are coming out should create their own modernized picture, they never should loose what the story truly is, and that was a big setback.

Many famous, iconic scenes were left out, shortened, or done wrong in this film. I am disappointed with the way everything on a whole was depicted.

This film was just hard to create in the first place because of the big shoes it had to fill. Despite the negatives, this wasn't awful, it was entertaining. It is incredibly difficult to please considering I got the feeling it was trying to top the first, which is too memorable to be overlooked.

5.5/10

Toy Story 4:

Storyline:
While all of the toys are adapting to the new life with Bonnie, Woody is having a harder time than the others. His starts to question everything when he runs into Bo Peep.

As always, the animation, picture, cinematography and overall production was amazing. This is always something Toy Story has achieved and maintained in all their films.

I really was not expecting such a heartfelt and personal story from this film. While everything in this franchise does have that close feeling rooted within, this was more of a mature, seasoned, and coming of age story that we didn't know we needed in this franchise.

It offered its same comedic opportunities that had everyone enjoying, along with the high anticipation moments that kept you on the edge of your seat. Also, some new characters that were fitting with this plot and strong antagonist development.

With Woody, we saw a different side to the strong character we know, which made him as real as can be, and the story chose to focus on him more than the others. His feelings were perfectly expressed to not only get his point across and create a bigger message, but to attract the audience specifically to his struggles. While it was a hard ending, the audience understands the meaning and feelings behind the raw ongoing friendships and relationships that were expressed onscreen.

8/10

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

Storyline:
When invaders from outer space take over Bricksburg, it's up to Emmet and his friends to save their town.

While the animation and cinematography aspects were on point and consistent throughout the entire film, it wasn't enough to keep it going and hold my interest/entertainment.

The pace was a major downfall. A children's animation should not have me constantly checking the time and becoming bored during the heart of the story. Along with that, the developmental aspects were inconsistent, becoming rushed or too much time spent on one topic.

The plot was really relying on the comedic dialogue and humorous scenes to keep it going. While they didn't completely disappoint, there were only a few times that things were actually funny. Seemed to ride off the high of the first films success, rather than producing something good.

Basically, this just did things the first one did, but worse. It didn't live up to the name it created for itself, and overused/ruined popular, funny things that were done previously.

4/10

Ralph Breaks the Internet:

Storyline:
In this sequel, Ralph and Vanellope travel to the internet to look for a replacement part for her game, and have to make the money in order to pay for it.

This didn’t ruin the franchise, but was an unnecessary and pointless sequel.

This felt very unprepared, underdeveloped, and all over the place. The story jumped from idea to idea with holes and sub-storylines half way developed. Many things were happening all at once in the web that ended up being distracting and taking away from the point of the story.

The main idea of the story is my next issue. It was centered around family and everything cheesy of that nature, when so many times it drifted from the concept/life lesson it was trying to express to viewers.

Throughout the web, there was so much product placement, it was annoying. Yes, the web is going to have lots of common apps and websites frequently used, but it was going overboard in my opinion, by how much was going on all at once.

Taking everything into account, this had the right intentions, but didn’t execute, and producers should have just left the franchise alone.

5.5/10

YOUR CART

Sing 2:

Encanto:

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

Cruella:

Raya and The Last Dragon:

Zootopia:

Soul:

Alvin and the Chipmunks:

Onward:

The Secret Life of Pets 2:

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Tangled:

Spies in Disguise:

Frozen II:

The Princess and the Frog:

Aladdin (1992):

Aladdin (2019):

Incredibles 2:

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

The Lion King (2019):

Toy Story 4:

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

Ralph Breaks the Internet: