WELCOME TO 2015

May this truly be a good year for all! I don't think I ever mentioned that a good portion of my DVD collection consists of animated movies. The technology they use these days for animation is so advanced that it is astonishing how life like they have become. Think of films like The Polar Express (2004) and The Adventures Of Tintin (2012) to name just a couple. Animation, as far as I am concerned, is the ultimate escape. It is as if you are transported back in time to your own childhood when you could revel in the cinema cartoons before the main flick starts. That is why I thought of kicking off this year's posts with a look at two animated DVD's I watched again recently.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (2013)

In this Dreamworks production, the Guardians of this world, Santa Clause, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, The Sandman and a very reluctant Jack Frost all get together to do battle with Pitch Black, aka the Boogie Man, in order to stop him from taking over children's dream with his Night Mares (literally black horses). In order for them to defeat the villainous foe they must prevent the children of the world from stop believing in their existence.

The action and special effects (if you could call it that) is nothing short of spectacular. One can hardly believe that everything you see on screen has been generated by some animation artist on some computer somewhere. Yes, these days the creators of these stories and characters have become true artists in own right and animation an art form in itself. This one I rated 3 out of 5 stars.

Trailer link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPLiBxhoug0

The voices behind the characters...
  

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT (2009)

Although this one is not all animation, I believe it can still be classified as such. This form of movie (partly real, partly animated) is of course not quite unknown. The entire Arthur And The Invisibles series comes to mind. Perhaps it leans more towards fantasy than pure animation but still a good part of it was created by the proverbial stroke of a paint brush (or rather computer stylus as mentioned earlier).

  

The story too is not quite an unfamiliar one and reminds of movies like A Christmas Memory of 1997 as discussed late last year as well as Pollyanna (discussed on 07/04/2014). Once again a child is dropped off with an estranged family member. This time it is the bereaved and recently widowed father with his stuck up mother. Initially the relationship between older woman and young boy is uneasy and strained. But then he discovers a fantasy world in the attic of the old family house and the adventure starts (and so does the animation parts). However, soon grandson and grandmother warm up to each other and what follows is truly heart rendering. Even tough the animation used in this movie is more of a traditional type, it is still full of magic and charm.

This movie is highly recommended, especially during the festive season. So, keep it in mind later this year when you are again looking for something different to watch for Christmas as mentioned in my last post of 2014. I rated this little gem a solid 4 out of 5 stars. 

Trailer link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wcR01QmxjY

Toby turning into a cartoon character...