Mouse Movies Review - Planes

Who has jumped onto the Planes’ bandwagon? Anyone, anyone, Bueller? You better get on now, because before it even hit the theater, opening at $22.5 million (though the empty theater I watched it in makes me want to demand a recount, the sequel was pre-approved just like those credit cards they send you in the mail! If anything can be gleaned from last weekend, finishing third in front of the newest Percy Jackson movie probably sounds the closing bell for the demigod.

Here are my thoughts on this Disney offering of a Pixar universe:

• If You Liked: Cars you might like Planes. Can we just break this down.  Cars has a red racecar with issues as its main character. Planes has an orange “race” plane with issues. That’s right kids, orange! I like orange. It reminds me of Aquaman. And it is not red! The main female character of Cars is a strong no nonsense blue Porsche. In Planes we have the strong, independent blue forklift named Dottie. The names do start with completely different letters! Both Lightening McQueen and Dusty Crophopper have an older mentor with a secret! It is not the same secret, so it is clearly different. And just to show there is no trend here. Lightening McQueen’s best friend is Mater, a larger vehicle who marches to the beat of his own drum. He sounds funny! Dusty does not have a plane best friend, instead he has Chug a larger vehicle, a fuel truck, who follows his own drum and sounds a little funny. But he is not really rusty so it is very different. I am now ready to write Boats, please call me. I’ve got this!

• Cliff: Planes is not a Pixar film, it is based on the World of Cars but is a Walt Disney Pictures release. It is specifically a DisneyToon Studios production, the people who brought you every Disney straight to home video sequel. And quality wise it stands beside the DisneyToon Studios better films, such as the Tinker Bell line. .....Wait, sorry I got distracted. So every Pixar movie has John Ratzenberger providing a voice. It is not hard to find Ratzenbergers’s audio cameo in this movie. I have had a lot of friends ask about Pixar’s Planes and how was it. I have to remind you that this is not a Pixar film, but it is easy to be confused with DisneyToon Studios pulling in this Pixar staple for a minor role. There is plenty of confusion out there about where this film came from.

• Product Placement: Well Synergy lives! Michael Eisner would be proud. American Airlines shows off its new plane design with Tripp, a Boeing 777. I cannot remember many animated product placements, but this one is very obvious thanks to the American Airlines commercial attached to the print of the film I saw. Disney is brilliant. American Airlines struck an exclusive deal to show Planes on their flights a month early. And for that they will always be in the movie. You cannot accuse Disney for not knowing how to make money. In fact, I am still convinced that they made a profit on John Carter.

• Second Team: I am sorry, Planes in many ways does feel like a direct to video production to me, regardless of how much money they have put into marketing the film. And here is just one example of why, where is the short? There is no short paired with Planes. All Pixar films get a short. Wreck-It-Ralph got a short. Where’s the short? You have trained me Disney. If you want me to take your film seriously, I need a short! It also does not help that Pixar did not produce this film. And knowing the history of DisneyToon’s studios past releases, it really does feel to me as a direct to video, the original plan. I like that Disney is trying to push their abilities to produce theatrical quality animated films. But I really do worry that many will see this as a 90 minute toy commercial that will soon be forgotten. Of course, that is me talking about the release and not the actual movie. 

• Baa Baa Black Sheep: The Between Kid loves planes. So it was nice to see a variety of planes, many of which I will be able to buy for pretend play. As someone who has studied World War II I did get a little thrill with the introduction of Skipper a World War II era Corsair. I really enjoyed the story of Pappy Boyington on Baa Baa Black Sheep as a kid and I really enjoy seeing an animated Corsair. Hey, did you catch that World War II happened in the World of Cars. Now that is a movie I want to see as Fords battle Toyotas in the Pacific Theater.  Speaking of the military, I did really enjoy the Top Gun cameos. Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards voice a pair of F/A-18E Super Hornets. Now that is a great tribute to a non-Disney yet classic film.

For me, and from other reviews I have seen Planes fell flat for me and those like me, adults. But unlike Up, or cough cough Pixar films, I do not feel like Planes was written for an all ages audience. It was produced for kids and both of the Between Family minors really enjoyed the film. And I will be purchasing it when it finally arrives in its intended home release.

So 2014, Planes: Fire & Rescue kids. I wonder how they will turn the three minute “Rescue Squad Mater” into a 90 minute film!

Mousey Movie Review - Wreck-It-Ralph

Headline: I like Wreck-It-Ralph.  I really like it a lot.  And I think you will like it too.  Go see it.   

As you can pick up from the trailers, Wreck-It-Ralph is a very traditional Disney story of belonging and identity.  Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly, is a video game villain and after 30 years finds himself struggling with the fact that he is not “nice” and is generally an outsider even in his own game.  He is constantly overshadowed by the hero and namesake of his game Fix-It-Felix Jr., a hero loved by the citizens of his game the Nicelanders.  Ralph goes on a quest to prove himself, a quest which requires that he leave his game.  On this journey of discovery he meets characters from other games including want to be racer Vanellope von Schweetz and Sergeant Calhoun the tough squad leader from a first person shooter game.  Will Ralph find his identity or will his actions cause mortal harm to the inhabitants of one or more of the games in the arcade?    

Here are my thoughts on this great movie, other than the fact that I love it:

·         A man of character:  In many ways Tron, which I dislike, and Wreck-It-Ralph share the same basic concept with “programs” playing out their lives inside computers.  But the important difference for me is that Wreck-It-Ralph very quickly establishes characters that I care for and understand.  Many have seen segments of the villain group therapy sessions in the trailers.  Yes, this scene is funny.  But in the trailer you see only parts of the segment, one that effectively and quickly makes us understand Ralph’s problem, Ralph’s character, and Ralph’s pain.  I really credit the writers by helping us understand and come to care for Ralph at this quick pace, it becomes easy for the audience to enter into the story and cheer for Ralph in his struggles.  We care about the story because we care about Ralph! 

Wreck-It-Ralph and Vanellope, Two Great Characters

   

·        Retro:  Let us be honest.  A big reason a lot of adults will be seeing Wreck-It-Ralph is the cameos of video game characters we grew up on.  There are a ton of cameos, though not everyone you may hope for.  I am not going to even pretend to be able to provide an exhaustive list of cameos, there are just too many.  But if you are coming through the door for the retro experience, be warned this movie almost entirely takes place in three environments created for the movie; Fix-It-Felix Jr., Hero’s Duty, and Sugar Rush.  And honestly, I am okay with it.  Since the animators and writers were not chained to the expectations the audience has about their favorite childhood video games they can focus instead on character, story and having fun with their backgrounds and scenery without angering fan boys.  And they do play; watch for the stylized movements of the Nicelanders.  So be warned, you will not be viewing a movie that is in Frogger or Super Mario Brothers.  But I believe using fictional video games was a better choice.   

·         I want to go there!:  Let me admit I am not a serious gamer, despite my attempts at casual game reviews from the Disney fan perspective.  I have played a iOS version of Fix-It-Felix Jr.  It passed some time, but honestly it is repetitive and I lost interest in a few days.  I would probably never play Hero’s Duty on a consistent basis.  I do not think I would be good at it.  For me the original game found in Wreck-It-Ralph that I want to play is Sugar Rush.  This racing game seems super fun with bonuses that are candy and ice cream.  I want to play this game so bad.  One can play on the Wreck-It-Ralph website.  But I want to play it on a device so I do not have to be chained to a computer.  I would not think it would be that hard to adapt games like MarioKart for this purpose.  Please someone put Sugar Rush on a game console or mobile device! 

·        Cartoon Violence:  Parents beware, there is some violence in this offering.  This violence is typically character fist fights.  However, some of these confrontations seem really severe.  I was taken aback by this, but as I thought about it the fights are really no more violent than the climatic fight at the end of Lion King.  However, the key difference is in Wreck-it-Ralph, the characters in these fights are human looking, where in Lion King we can explain the violence off as a part of the circle of life.  This is also a heavy story that may be too much for young viewers.  Death is a topic discussed in depth, well the video game version of death.  There are action violence sequences especially in Hero’s Duty that will remind you of action movies.  And there is one act of violence, yes I use a strong word for this, that got the intended desire of an emotional reaction from me.  Yes, Wreck-it-Ralph made my eyes sweat!

Along with violence there is a lot of bathroom humor.  It is humorous bathroom humor, but it is potty talk.  If you have a kid that is copier and tends to model bad behavior, you might want to pass for a few years. 

 

·        Pixarization: With Pixar and Disney Animation operating separately it is easy to compare the two units.  Both have their successes, but today many who view the two production units would not be afraid to state that Pixar is currently in the lead.  In many ways Wreck-it-Ralph is an outcome of this unofficial competition.  The story is good, Pixar good.  It uses computer generated animation, the style that Pixar for all intents and purposes invented.  This film is so very very far from the look of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid and looks stylistically more like a Toy Story (honestly the story somewhat mimics replacing toys with video games).  One of the reasons that Pixar has had so many story homeruns is the use of the Pixar Brain Trust, some of Pixar’s best and most experienced minds.  If you watch the credits carefully you will notice that the Brain Trust was consulted.  But so was a Disney Story Trust, which I assume is Disney Animation’s response to this highly successful consultative tool.  Yes, Disney Animation is learning from its sibling Pixar.  And we are benefiting as an audience for this mimicing.  

·         Who Knew, Ralph Did!:  Listen carefully, because I heard a Darth Vader breathing homage.  And to think Wreck-it-Ralph was released the same week that Disney purchased Lucasfilm!  If you look closely you may find another shout out to Disney’s newest business unit. 

·         End Cards:  The end credits are really fun.  So sit down for a bit when the movie ends.  The credits include the characters in a number of situations, including funny ones.  Additionally the music played over the credits include theme songs for the games found within the movie, and these got a few giggles out of me.  In fact, I like it enough the Between Wife purchased me the soundtrack.  There is a post credit scene, which those of us familiar with the Avengers Initiative are familiar with.  However, this scene is only seconds long, cannot really be called a scene, and really adds nothing to your experience. 

Okay, I have already spilled the beans.  I love Wreck-It-Ralph and I think it will appeal to both male and female, young and old viewers.  I have kind of forgotten about Brave.  And while I raved about the animation in Brave, I always knew I was watching a cartoon.  In Wreck-It-Ralph I forgot I was watching a cartoon as the production team had me focused on the story not on the animation.  Come for the nostalgia, but stay for the story.    

Mousey Movie Review - Brave

I admit it, I doubted.  I thought that families would flock to the opening of Disney Pixar’s Brave, but I still did not think that it would beat out the patriotic vampire slaying crowd.  Could I have been more wrong?  Yeah, 13 consecutive number one openings for Pixar!  And domestically and internationally Brave earned $80 million in box office.  Meanwhile Vampire Moments with Mr. Lincoln crawled to $16.5 million, coming in behind two family films.  Pixar, why do I doubt?

The movie itself is solid overall.  The story of Princess Merida and her search to keep her freedom will score high with the family crowd with its message of unifying family strife.  Personally, I enjoyed Brave, but I have to admit it did not crack my Pixar top five.  Of course that is a pretty big chore with Up, Monsters, Inc., and the Toy Story trilogy being pretty tough to unseat.  Visually the movie is impressive, but at this point we come to expect that from a Pixar production.  The Between Kids were divided.  The youngest did not see talking toys or cars and was pretty meh in reaction.  Maybe the movie was too real for his tastes.  The older Between Kid loved it.   But the older kiddo has more refined tastes.  Here are my overall hopefully non-spoiler thoughts on the Mousey Brave.

·    The Captain’s Seat:  Mark Andrews is the director who completed Brave.  For many Andrews may seem like an unknown but his Pixar resume is impressive.  He directed the highly enjoyable short “One Many Band”, was head of story for The Incredibles, story supervisor for Ratatouille, did some storyboarding for Cars and contributed (cough cough) to Pixar’s live action adventure John Carter earning screenplay and second unit director credits.  Andrews may be the next up and coming Pixar director and I am sure that executive producers John Lasseter, Peter Doctor, and Andrew Stanton felt very comfortable with him in the director’s chair.  And I think it’s a bet that paid off.

·    The Princess: Pixar has officially added their princess to the Disney Princess Pantheon.  And her strong willed attitude will probably help her fit in with Belle and Rapunzel.  But they may be shocked to find out that for Merida her solution to life’s problems is not something that can be solved with marriage, but something she is willing to fight for herself.

·     Skin Flick:  There is a ton of nakedness in Brave.  Okay, two scenes with a third hinting at it.  Luckily it is all good-natured innocent man flesh.  But I can remember when the debate around Beauty and the Beast was there too much cleavage!  I would say Pixar has jumped ahead of that debate.

·    The King: Billy Connolly voices Merida’s father King Fergus.  Connolly is perfect as this Scottish monarch and sometimes I forgot that the animated figure is not Connolly’s real image.  Connolly is not new to Disney animation having narrated the 2011 short “The Ballad of Nessie.” 

·     Clear Cool Water:  Pixar is really amazing.  For Finding Nemo they had to learn how to animate water and lots of it.  They did so good that they had to actually cartoon the water up so the audience would not believe it was real.  The water in Brave is so brilliant and realistic I was struck by it.  I felt like I could reach out, fill up a glass and have myself a cool refreshing drink.  Both Brave and Brother Bear have scenes in which a bear or bears fish in a river.  They cannot even be compared because the style in Brave could easily be part of our world.  Okay, I am weird and have heard others mock me when telling them this impression, so you may be ignoring the water in your viewing. 

·    Wooden Toys: In the witch’s shack you have to watch carefully because not every item is a bear amongst her wares.  Pixar fans will be pleased with one of the other items in her collection.  Likewise, listen carefully when the clan leaders arrive at King Fergus’ castle.  Though I did not catch an A113, Pixar has made at least two streaks extend to 13!  (If you found a A113, let us know in the comments.)

·     Magic: Merida wants to change her fate and the mind of her mother.  To do this she turns to magic.  Like my current favorite ABC show Once Upon a Time we get an important theme about magic, it comes with a price.  When Merida talks to the witch about the spell, the witch’s responses give hints that there are no shortcuts without penalty a fact all of us have learned faithfully on Sunday evenings.

Betweenlanders will surely be supporting Brave in the coming months.  Though, it has not broken into my Pixar top five, I am sure that it will be seen several times in the Between Family over the next few years on home video.  And I am sure if given the chance the Between Kid would love to meet Merida alongside her fellow Disney princesses.  But it does not come close to unseating Up in my heart.  But I hear plenty of love for Brave from the Disney community.     

Congratulations Pixar, you have a cowboy, an astronaut and now a princess. 

This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival. Head over there to see more great Disney-related posts and articles.

Mousey Movie Review - The Avengers

I have been waiting years for the fulfillment of a promise.  In Iron Man Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury told us he was looking to get the Avengers together.  Now Marvel and Disney have paid off on this promise, and most fans will not be disappointed.  If you like action films, if you enjoy things going boom, and if you love superheroes, The Avengers is probably going to be a hit for you.  Here are my initial thoughts about the film after a very early morning viewing (as spoiler free as possible):

·         Laugh-o-Gram:  I underestimated how funny this movie was going to be.  Quick quips, puns, and fun dialogue are traditional comic book tools.  And we have seen some humor in the past films.  But in The Avengers the fun lines are ramped.  I really should have expected this because Joss Whedon wrote the story and screenplay.  Overall my experience with his work is limited.  But the one franchise of his that I love is Firefly which shares this type of witty dialogue.  I quote Firefly lines all the time!   I cannot really tell you all of the lines that clicked with the audience because I missed some payoffs because everyone was drowning out the audio laughing.  I do think Whedon gave the best lines to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man who continues to shine in this role.   

·         Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.:  We have been introduced over the years to agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. including Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, Black Widow and Clint Barton/Hawkeye.  These agents have also been support but never the stars.  In a film with heavy hitters like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk the characters that get the most development are these agents along with the newest member of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill.  With the big guys we have seen them developed in their own films, so it honestly fells like these are the characters who should be built out further.  Honestly, these are the characters you will probably look forward to the most in the future.    

·         Reality Check:  So villain wise this is probably the most ambitious of the non-human villains to date, therefore a ton more of CGI.  Yet I still felt like these alien invaders fit within our world and were believable.  I think an element that works to help establish reality are heroes with basic earthly weapons.  Having Black Widow and Hawkeye with guns and bows sprinkled throughout scenes with CGI villains and heroes helps to ground the image in our world.   

·         Fearless:  The Avengers breaks the expected conventions.  So be prepared for a ride.  In The Incredibles we get an education on some of these clichés, like monologuing for example.  In The Avengers the story breaks these clichés.  Characters do the things that you would want to do in the real world.  If this was a horror movie, somebody on the screen would say “hey don’t be foolish and walk into the woods unless you want to die first.”  And the story takes risks.  I had done a really good job avoiding spoilers and I am glad I did because within the first 15 minutes something I had not expected had happened and changed what I thought of the story rolling out in front of me.          

As a side note, The Avengers is not really a Mousey Movie except for links to the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  But I will not be pointing fingers.  There is a lot happening in this film and I would not ask for them to force in hidden Mickeys just to impress a Disney fan!  No, I will take The Avengers as it is a popular and growing Disney franchise that we will love for years to come.  I am sure many of you will be assembling with your fellow avengers at a theater near you, maybe even for a second or third time.