Tag: animation

Will Jared Bush Save Disney?

AdamLeave a comment

Disney’s next feature film, Zootopia 2, is expected to hit theaters this upcoming week! And if early box office projections are anything to go by, this film is about to become the MASSIVE hit that both Disney and movie theaters desperately need for the Thanksgiving weekend and for the remainder of 2025! In China alone, the hype to the sequel of Disney Animation’s 2016 billion dollar grosser is UNMATCHED, the kind of hype that Hollywood hasn’t seen from them with one of their own movies since before the Covid-19 pandemic happened. It is currently tracking to make at least $200+ million in it’s opening weekend in China ALONE. Combined that with the $150+ million domestically and perhaps another $150+ million in other international areas, Zootopia 2 could make up over half a billion dollars in it’s opening weekend alone, which would make it the best opening weekend for an animated film of all time! If that is true, Disney will most certainly be able to end what has been quite an uneven year for them on the highest note possible with Zootopia 2 and Avatar: The Way of Water later next month, making up for their financial losses this year with films such as Snow White (2025), Thunderbolts*, Elio, and Tron: Ares. Right before we see Zootopia 2 come out in theaters, I want to turn our attention to the main behind the camera for Disney’s highly anticipated animated sequel, that man being Jared Bush.

For those who don’t know, Jared Bush has been a highly respected animator and artist who has worked for the Walt Disney Company since 2014. Since he’s been there, he has been responsible for some of the most beloved Disney films released for over the past decade. He wrote and co-directed the original Zootopia, he wrote the screenplay for the original Moana and it’s sequel, Moana 2, and wrote and directed Encanto. Even those that have been very critically of Disney for the past decade would admit that at least three of the four films I’ve mentioned are among Disney’s very best films in recent memory, some of which that stands proudly among Disney’s all-time best work in animation!

However, he now has a bit more power this time around with the company! Last year, it was confirmed that he was promoted to being the chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios after the previous CCO Jennifer Lee stepped down in order to put her focus on upcoming Frozen sequels, one of which is currently due for a release date in November 2027. This was a move clearly done to course corrected after the absolute mess that Disney has become since the brief era with former CEO Bob Chapek began.

Outside of the instant modern classic Encanto (which again was written and directed by Jared Bush himself) and the record-breaking smash hit that was Frozen II (which was co-written and co-directed by Jennifer Lee herself), the last five years have not been too kind to Mickey Mouse and friends whatsoever. That’s not to say the likes of Raya and the Last Dragon, Strange World, and even Wish don’t have their fans but those films were either completely forgotten about entirely from the general public by the time they came out or straight up IMPLODED at the box office in laughable fashion, resulting in over hundreds of million dollars lost for the higher ups at Disney! Because of that, they needed to make major chances with their main animation division and that starts with putting the man who has been largely responsible for the company’s most successful work in animated form that did not come for Pixar since 2014, that man again being Jared Bush!

And his tender has gotten off to a pretty good start, at least if box office numbers are anything to go by. While garnering mixed reviews at the time of release, Moana 2 ended up being a smash hit when it came out last November, grossing over a billion dollars in 2024, become the third highest grossing film that year and Disney Animation’s first billion dollar hit since Frozen II. Originally envisioned as a miniseries for Disney Plus, the follow-up to 2016’s Moana was reworked into being a feature length film, as a response to the multiple financial bombs and hundreds of million dollars lost that put a large dent in the company’s stock in 2023, the 100th year anniversary for Walt Disney, an anniversary that I’m sure everyone and their mother would love to forget about!

The next big film we have in Bush’s tenure is Zootopia 2, the film that I imagine he put the majority of the work in while he was the the current CCO for Disney Animation Studios and was given complete control over with little to no interference from the higher ups due to his solid track record. Because of that, I fully trust him to deliver an exceptional sequel that builds upon the original Zootopia in ways that are organic and respectful. Considering Zootopia 2 was always plan to be a feature film from the start, I imagine Jared had a much more creative vision for what he wanted a follow-up to Zootopia to be like, more so than he likely would have for a Moana follow-up before that got turned into a movie.

With both sequels to Moana and Zootopia being potential billion dollar grossers and then some, I don’t think Iger and company could not ask more from Jared Bush to start off his run as the main man in charge of Disney Animation Studios if they tried. He’ll be able to deliver the financial results that the company desperately wants and needs alone with continuing to expand some of the most beloved Disney brands throughout the past decade that will pave ways for future sequels and merchandise. Oh, and also keeping the movie theater going experience alive also helps too!

That really begs the question that I put on the title of this piece: Will Jared Bush save Disney? Is he the man that Disney has been looking for? Is he the creative consultant that the company needs to present themselves much more positively among the general public? Is he the one that can kickstart a brand new golden area for Disney, the era that matches the Renaissance era of the late 1980s to 1990s or even their box office juggernaut era of the previous decade? While I do think personally that Jared Bush is a very talented animator that can help guide the next generation of animators in ways that Disney legend Ron Clements is currently trying to do with the company, I still need to see more consistency and a greater look of his overall vision for me to make such a claim.

While Moana 2 was a big hit and I’m sure Zootopia 2 and future Frozen sequels will follow suit, I need to see more how he will help guide more original Disney projects for the future, being able to successfully launch brand new IPs instead of just banking on what has already worked and milking it until the cow is completely dry. While Bush has been successful in that regard in helping Zootopia and Moana becoming the successful IPs they have been since the 2010s along with making the lone 2020s Disney modern classic in Encanto, I need to see how other folks will fair in that regard under his supervision. While he was able to create new original Disney classics by himself, let’s see how he will fare in guiding others to do the same thing.

For me, the first big test with Mr. Bush will be with Hexed, Disney Animation’s next feature animated film that is expected to arrive for the holiday season in 2026. The premise we have gotten thus far for the film involves an awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom discovering that what makes him unusual, might just be his magical powers that will turn their lives and a secret world of magic, upside down. This is set to be directed by Josie Trinidad (writer for Zootopia and Ralph Breaks The Internet) and Jason Hand (director of Moana 2). While the premise itself sounds like an interesting departure from recent Disney films, particularly with a strong emphasis on a relationship between a mother and son being the potential driving force, I will need to see more info on that to be fully convinced.

And as much as certain folks claim that original animated films don’t sell anymore and that’s why Disney has to constant rely on animated sequels and live-action remakes to keep themselves afloat, the success of K-Pop Demon Hunters this year proved otherwise. It showed that people will indeed watch original animated films if it’s done exceptionally well. Despite having only a handful of theatrical screenings, that Korean animated flick was able to set the whole on FIRE when it hit streaming during the summer this year, breaking viewings records for Netflix and selling out merchandise left and right in ways that no one saw coming. That animated musical left such an impact on pop culture throughout 2025, with it being beloved by both girls AND boys all around the world, selling out Halloween costumes with boys and girls all around the world dressing up as their favorite member of the Huntrix or the Saja Boys. I can’t recall seeing an original animated film musical that left such a massive impact on pop culture since Frozen in 2013. K-Pop Demon Hunters was the kind of original animated films that Disney used to be able to do in their SLEEP but haven’t been able to wide AWAKE in recent memory.

The reason that films like Strange World, Wish, and Elio were massive bombs had nothing to do with the fact that they were original animated films, it was because they weren’t particularly good original animated films or ones that Disney themselves had any faith in. Those three films put such a stain on the company’s reputation and left such a sour taste in many people’s mouths, making them look at Disney in a completely different way than they have prior. It also didn’t help that the behind the scenes drama for these films were so disastrous and the marketing was so lackluster that you have to wonder if Disney was purposely trying to sabotaged them in order to justify their recent creative and business decisions. Those original animated films failed because Disney had no faith in them, not because they were original animated films.

However, if Disney actually has full faith in Hexed and other future original animated films going forward and Jared Bush is giving full reign to deliver in high quality films and stellar box office results like he’s done so far, then I will be happy to claim that the man did in fact save Disney and should be deserving of the majority of the credit for the company’s resurrection. All they have to do is find the right people for the job and not allow studio executives to butt in and mess their whole film up and they might be successful in launching original animated films and kickstart brand new franchises with fully original IPs.

To answer the question for this piece, while I do think we need to see how Jared Bush does settling into his new role as CCO and seeing how his overall vision for the company plays out in the next few years, I do believe he is the right man to lead the charge to get Disney back on top for the foreseeable future. The man has been solely responsible for the company’s greatest work since he joined them in 2014 and I fully expect him to continue delivering great work as both director and CCO. He may have some stumbles along the way but I think if everything comes together in the next 3-5 years once he’s comfortable in the full driving seat, Jared Bush might just put his name out there as being not just an exceptionally animator but as the man that saved Disney.

Let’s hope he puts just as much focus on creating new stories as much as the company will be demanding him to put focus on upcoming sequels and remakes. Let’s hope that he allows Jennifer Lee to take her time on Frozen III and IV so it doesn’t become a rushed mess like Frozen II was (I already have a whole piece about the history of that film). Let’s hope he’s able to usher in the next generation of animators that he will be able to pass the baton to successfully once he retires. More importantly, let’s just hope he is able to lead Disney to become the animation company that we all remember them being from our childhoods. As much as I can’t guarantee that any of this will happen, given his recent track record, Jared Bush does at least give me some faith that he will be one day be referred to as the man that saved Disney.

Now, if only he could stop that live-action Moana remake from happening (which he is writing btw).

Yeah, Disney is screwed!

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  • (FYI, did you know that the original Moana won’t be even 10 years old by the time this remake comes out?!)

  • (No joke! The live-action remake is coming out in July 2026 next year whereas the original animated film came out in November 2016!)

  • (Not even 10 full years and they are ALREADY making a live-action remake of Moana! Even before they get around to doing a live-action Tangled with Sabrina Carpenter as Rapunzel or a live-action Frozen with Anya-Taylor Joy as Elsa!)

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  • (I guess this is our punishment for not showing up to the theaters for Black Adam!)

  • (Curse you Dwyane Johnson and your “hierarchy of power”!)

  • (Bro actually thought he was cooking there?!?!?!)

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  • (I surely can’t wait until he finally gives up on acting and wrestling and becomes our president in 10 years!)

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  • (That’s actually gonna happen, isn’t it?!)

  • (Just like Sonic predicted!)

  • (And that will be our punishment for not showing up to theaters for The Smashing Machine!)

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  • (We’re all f**ked!)

Top 10 Worst Disney Live-Action Movies/Remakes (Updated w/Snow White & Lilo & Stitch)

AdamLeave a comment

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Disney nowadays. Whether it’s due to their inconsistent quality of recent years, overreliance on nonstop sequels, spin-offs, and remakes, constantly milking a property dry until the very last drop of milk, overworking their employees and staff, and their participation of the so-called “culture war”, you just can’t seem to have a reasonable conservation about Disney without one side going absolutely BALISTIC over it! However if there is one opinion that seems to united the majority of the human population, it’s the fact that the Disney live-action movies/remakes…..kinda suck.

Unless it’s something involving Pirates of the Caribbean or National Treasure, live-action movies/remakes from Disney generally do no work on multiple levels, with only the box office successes for a good chunk of them being the core reason as to why they still get made. That’s not to say that EVERY single one of them has been a disaster. Live-action remakes/movies such as Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Pete’s Dragon (2016), and Christopher Robin have had their fair share of fans but more often than not, these kind of corporate projects tend to have more backlash attached to them than acclaim.

I normally don’t like to “worst of” lists because the real world is already depressing enough and the last thing I want to do is throw more fuel into the already politically fueled toxic garbage fire that has plagued our world for the better part of a decade. However, in this case, I figured it would be fun to talk about Disney’s massive missteps in the live-action/remake department because everyone else seems to have fun doing it. And unlike most worst of lists out there, I highly doubt my picks will be that controversial among most reading this lists. But, who knows?

Dishonorable Mentions:

  • 102 Dalmatians

  • Alice Through The Looking Glass

  • Aladdin (2019)

  • Cruella

  • The Little Mermaid (2023)

  • Mufasa: The Lion King

Now onto the main list.

10.) Dumbo (2019)

The first 1/3 of Tim Burton’s Dumbo (2019) is a solid and faithful adaption of the original, that’s able to translate the aesthetics and heart of the animated original pretty well while standing proud on it’s own two feet. Unfortunately, there’s another 2/3’rds of the movie, which consists of nonstop filler to justify it’s modern movie runtime, that is about as boring, tedious, and repetitive as the majority of these Disney live-action remakes are. Also, what the heck was Michael Keaton trying to do with his performance here? Between this and Alice in Wonderland (2010), maybe it’s for the best to keep Tim Burton AWAY from these kind of movies.

9.) Lilo & Stich (2025)

The newest addition to these infamous pack of live-action remake flicks have two elements going for it: the superb casting of Maia Kealoha as Lilo herself and the lovable little misfit that is Stitch himself. Nearly everything else about Lilo & Stitch (2025) falls flat here. The changes made here feel like they are done for the sake of change, beloved supporting characters from the original are sidelined and feel more like a footnote than anything else, the editing is so bizarre and distracting that puts it on par with the fence scene from Taken 3 (Remember that?!) and the ending that involves Nina making a big life changing decision does not gel well at all with the message of ohana that the original explored so well (Regardless of what the post credits scene might have to say about!) Also, Jumba is the real villain in this one, yeah! Not even some decent performances, a couple of laughs, and Stitch himself can save Lilo & Stitch (2025) from being a dud. Unfortunately, if the stellar opening box office weekend is any indication, my opinion (along with plenty of others online) doesn’t matter.

8.) Mulan (2020)

Many people have this one at the top of their list for worst Disney remakes and it’s easy to see why. Mulan (2020) attempts to do a live-action adaption of the beloved animated classic with a much more serious tone and changes to the lore to make it stand out as it’s own thing. Unfortunately, Mulan herself is reduced to being an overpowered superhero with a bizarre chosen one storyline, completely undermine the point of the character and her arc from the animated original. And don’t get me started on the over-the-top action scenes, the clash in tones, the laughable main villain, and the very wooden performance from our lead (Less said about the initial controversy surrounding the lead actress, the better). I do give it points for ambition and trying to do something different to make it work on it’s own terms but when looking at the overall picture, Mulan (2020) is simply a dud and makes for one of the most heartbreaking live-action Disney remakes released thus far.

7.) Peter Pan & Wendy

While David Lowery was able to make one of the absolute best Disney remakes with Pete’s Dragon (2016), he unfortunately also settled with one of the absolute worst ones with Peter Pan & Wendy. Once again, this live-action adaption of two beloved characters in Peter Pan & Wendy tries to add new wrinkles to their origins, only to miss the point entirely and ruin the entire central metaphor of the story that it’s adapting. It’s certainly one of the more well-shot and photographed of the Disney live-action movies/remakes and Judy Law is EVERYTHING as Captain Hook but unfortunately, director David Lowery just did NOT have the sauce (Did I do that right?!) that he had with Pete’s Dragon.

6.) Beauty & The Beast (2017)

While this might not technically be the worst one, I can’t think of a remake that goes to show just how utterly pointless these Disney remakes are than Beauty & The Beast (2017). Despite having excellent material to work with and a star-studded cast, there is no new interpretation of the material that is presented throughout it’s bloated runtime that you didn’t already see be masterfully done in the animated original. It’s just the exact same story but longer, with unnecessary additions, confusing character motivations, ugly characters designs, and a new song you completely forgot the moment the movie is over. And don’t even get me started on the blink-and-you-miss-it gay characters (that would soon become a trend for the next seven to eight years with Disney movies). I won’t go as far to say that this ruins the original Beauty & The Beast in any way but all it does is make me want to go back to the original Beauty & The Beast over and over again and forget about this one entirely.

5.) Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Here’s the one that started this dark, corrupt path of Disney’s most lazy and creatively bankrupt packages of so-called “motion pictures”. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland (2010) tries to add his own spin on the classic animated tale, with a more bleak and twisted feel to it. Unfortunately, the final version to come off as cruelly murky, violent, and unpleasant to watch as a result. While you can see there’s an attempt at making Alice a more three-dimensional character and expand upon the world building of the Wonderland itself in the most Tim Burton-way possible, it gets too bogged down by it’s own bizarre direction, feeling like it belongs more in the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas than it does with Alice in Wonderland. You can always give a movie props for trying to do something different but like Mulan (2020), it’s the WRONG kind of different!

4.) Snow White (2025)

Even if you are that one sane individual that was smart enough to live under a rock over the pre-release discourse nonsense surrounding the live-action reimagining of Disney’s first ever animated motion picture, Snow White (2025) is FAR from the fairest of them all. Much like with 90% of live-action remakes, it can’t decide how far it wants to go with it’s new ideas or how much wants to walk with the same path line as the original. The style is all over the place for to be a nostalgic pleasing throwback, the new elements that are added in feel more like baggage than depth, the reshoots and rewrites are painfully obvious, and Gal Gadot gives by far one of the worst performances in any Disney film ever. Surprisingly, the best part about this disastrous remake is Rachel Zegler herself, fitting the role of Snow White as best as one could in live-action. (If only she knew when to give herself some restraint.) Too bad the rest of the film sucks so much that it justifies all the hate that these live-action remakes/movies get. While not quite #1, Snow White (2025) is a culmination of nearly everything wrong with these Disney live-action remakes and is (hopefully) a wake-up call to Disney to finally leaves these kind of films in the past and put that money to something more wiser.

3.) Pinocchio (2022)

If I were to describe the Disney live-action remake that feels the most soulless and creatively bankrupt, that honor would go to Pinocchio (2020). Robert Zemeckis takes the original animated classic and strips it completely of it’s magical charm, with a script and direction that feel as wooden as Pinocchio himself. The visuals effects are generally poor, Tom Hanks is awfully miscast as Gepetto, and the changes to the story undermine the movie’s central message at every turn. This is a remake that just feels like a remake that exists for the sake of existing, feeling the need to update and give the modern treatment for no reason whatsoever. Say what you will about any other remake on this list but at least you can understand where they were going for and understand it’s reasoning for existence from a business and even creative standpoint. I could not tell you why anyone thought that Pinocchio (2020) was a movie that needed to exist And I don’t think even Disney themselves could tell you either.

2.) Maleficent

11 years later and I’m still completely baffled how Disney was able to screw up what should have been an absolute WINNER for them in Maleficent, one of their finest and fairest foes throughout their history. Despite what the title would suggest, the Maleficent that we all know and love from Sleeping Beauty is NOWHERE to be seen throughout the entirety of the film. For whatever reason, Disney felt the need to overcomplicated things and give Maleficent a reason as to why she is as evil as she is, while unintentionally confirming she actually has a heart of gold and isn’t as vile as she makes herself to be. The fact that I just typed that out loud should go to show you how little this movie understands the character of Maleficent. Throw in hard to see cinematography, sluggish pacing, bizarre plot holes, and some of the ugliest CGI creatures I’ve ever seen and you a real crappy picture here. Poor Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are wasted here in a film that fails to capitalize a fraction of their talents. But hey, at least, they weren’t stupid enough to do it again with Cruella and Mufasa, right?! *runs away to go cry in the corner*

1.) The Lion King (2019)

There is NO live-action movie/remake to date that perfectly capitulates how bad, cynical, lifeless, and emotionally cold these kind of movies are than The Lion King (2019). Everything that made Jon Favreau’s prior Disney remake with The Jungle Book (2016) work is done COMPLETELY wrong here. There is no inspired direction, no engaging narrative, no unique art style, no convincing looking animals, no standout moments of it’s own, and no justifiable reason for this film’s existence to be found at any given moment. It only exists to remind you how great they got it right the first time around in animated form and for NO other reason than to make a bunch of dollar signs. (And it sadly worked!) Don’t get me started on the way it butchers beloved moments of the original in the most HILARIOUSLY awful way possible (Mufasa’s death scene KILLS me every time!) or doing everything in it’s power to be a complete by-the-numbers retelling of the original with no new ingredients of it’s own. The Lion King (2019) is a culmination of everything wrong with these Disney live-action movies/remakes and why they continued to be the most lazy, artistically bankrupt and pure spite of films that Hollywood is still releasing to this day.

The Insane Development History Of Frozen 2

AdamLeave a comment

Moana 2 is soon to hit theaters just in time for Thanksgiving, like most Disney films around this time of year! This is an upcoming animated sequel that has been receiving it’s fair share of hype while also sharing it’s fair share of skepticism as well. The main reason for the latter is not only so much of Disney’s rather iffy track record with sequels but more of the development history that has been reported with Moana 2! That development history being about how the film was originally going to be a streaming series for Disney Plus until it was reworked to be a theatrical sequel, around nine months prior to release. Disney may deny publicly otherwise but this was clearly done in the response of last year’s Wish being a massive flop at the box office, leading them to release their next film on a familiar IP in the hopes of making quick bucks to make up for losing hundreds of millions of dollars of that failure! And if early projections says otherwise, they might get exactly what they were hoping for, with having potential to making Inside Out 2 level box office numbers worldwide!

As much as I am looking forward to Moana 2, I feel like I’m more interested of hearing what went on from behind the scenes that lead to the development state that it’s been in than I am of the actual film itself. Not only because of the recent horror stories about the development of big animated films such as Across the Spider-Verse, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Inside Out 2, but what we learned over the years about what happened to another recent Disney sequel with an insane development history. That film I am referring to is no other than Frozen 2!

Frozen 2 released around five years ago. Despite not getting the same amount of praise that the first movie did, it went out to become a MASSIVE box office success, grossing over 1.4 billion dollars worldwide, becoming one of the highest animated grossing films of all time, only passed by Disney’s own The Lion King (2019) (Yes, that technically counts!) and Pixar’s Inside Out 2. And while those successful numbers are quite crazy, I don’t think it was anywhere near as crazy than the reported development history from it. A reported development history that was confirmed by no other than the Disney Plus exclusive documentary of Frozen 2 titled, Into the Unknown. The documentary that basically straight up admitted that the entire film was basically being made up on the fly, with the entire cast and crew being crunched and rushed for time in order for the film to make it’s Holiday 2019 release slate.

Now, I know the big question that most folks likely have is how Frozen 2 could have been rushed exactly? After all, the first film came out in 2013, six years before the sequel and it was confirmed by Disney that a sequel was in the works in 2015. That would have at least been four to six years of development time in between each movie. Well, just because something was ANNOUNCED to being in the works does NOT mean that’s when the active development of the film started.

Before they could get around to Frozen 2, Disney Animation have to work on films that were already planned for release slates beforehand such as Zootopia, Moana, and Ralph Breaks The Internet. There was also having to deal with the mess involving John Lasseter being forced out of Disney and Pixar after sexual allegations came about him in 2017, forcing Jennifer Lee to take over as Disney’s CCO the following year in 2018 and up until this year, where she stepped down to focus solely on Frozen 3 & 4 and will now be succeeded by Jared Bush. Because of all that and likely more, I would imagine Frozen 2 didn’t start any actual development until either late 2017 or early 2018. And even then, that was likely only the pre-production, with the actual production not starting until even later than that.

One last element you have to keep in mind was that 2019 was originally set to be Bob Iger’s last year as CEO of Disney before he would step down and let someone else take over. Of course, we all know that plan completely fell apart so hard to the point that Iger had to come back to fix the mess that he inherited/created but before that, 2019 was suppose to be the swan song for his time at Disney, with Bob Chapek acting as his successor. Because of that, he wanted to go out with a complete bang if not for the audience but also all the higher ups and stockholders as Disney.

In 2019, Disney had an ABSURD slate of theatrically released films from their IPs they owned that were set to come out that year, many of which had potential to be billion dollar grossers. You had the Marvel Cinematic Universe which was set to end the Infinity Saga with the likes of Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. You had Star Wars that was set to end the Skywalker Saga with The Rise of Skywalker. You had Pixar releasing yet another installment of their most critically acclaimed franchise with Toy Story 4. You had the live-action (or not) remakes/adaptions of beloved Disney animated classics such as Aladdin and The Lion King. And of course, you also had Disney Animation themselves releasing their long-awaited sequel to one of their most successful films ever in Frozen 2. Because of that, Disney was able to end the pre-covid era of cinema with SEVEN billion dollar grossers that year, with every single one of these films that I’ve mentioned cracking at least one billion dollars worldwide. While not all of these were critical successes, they certainly were successes in the eyes of the higher ups and shareholders at Disney.

Once you take into the context of the sky high expectations that fans of the original Frozen had along with the Disney corporation demanding that the sequel be out by the Holidays of 2019, you likely get a sense that this was going to be a nightmare of a film to make with so much pressure in and out for everyone involved. And if the Into the Unknown documentary is anything to go by, that was exactly the case for Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, and everyone else making Frozen 2.

I’m not going to go into every single specific mentioned in this documentary but there are PLENTY of points worth bringing up in the form of cliff notes. I will also share a link at the end of this article with Schaffrillas Productions’s video about this exact documentary and even repeat a few points he stated during it. But here we go:

  • The crew didn’t fully know the plot or even premise of the film at the start and would only figure out major key things later on down the road.
  • They initially had no idea who the voice was that kept calling Elsa, with many conflicting opinions on who the voice was and what it was suppose to mean for Elsa.
  • Songs were written before knowing how they would play a role in the story.
  • Show Yourself languished in development hell and almost got cut from the movie entirely because of how vague it was and unsure what it was suppose to mean for Elsa and the audience.
  • Lost in Woods came together really well, with little to no issues making it.
  • By the time the first trailer came out, no animation had actually been completed for the film outside of the bits shown off in the trailer. This was literally just NINE months before Frozen 2 was set to premiere.
  • The very first test screening that took place in May 2019 gained very mixed reactions from the audience. While adults liked it, kids were very confused about it.
  • This led to numerous rewrites to make the movie clearer towards kids and to answer questions that the crew still didn’t really know the answer to.
  • Additional rewrites included scenes of extra comedy, most notably the stand out sequence where Olaf is recapping the events of the original Frozen.
  • The ending got changed constantly, with the crew only deciding that the voice would be Elsa’s mom just a FEW months before the movie was supposed to be released.
  • Tons of scenes and shots that had been worked on for months got thrown out entirely because they were considered to be too “boring” for younger audience.
  • The crew were constantly crunched throughout development, especially in the final few months For ex.) Editor Jeff Drahiem had to constantly wake up at 3 AM to clock in and work from 14 to 15 hours a day during the final stretch of development to make sure the film got done on time.

So, yeah! I think you can understand why the reported development history of Frozen 2 was just INSANE! What makes it even more insane is how Disney had the audacity to release a full documentary of this, where the cast and crew are being as directly honest as they come with their experience of working on Frozen 2. What was likely treated as an absolute triumph with Disney patting themselves on the back for the movie turning out as we all it did instead basically explained entirely why the film turned out as uneven and all over the place as it did to many people that watched it.

And yet, none of that really mattered to Disney or even anyone working on Frozen 2 because the film turned to be a complete success anyway. It still made over a billion dollars, it still sold plenty of merchandise during the holiday season, the franchise is still moving forward with additional sequels, and Disney is still repeating the same song-and-dance routine they did back then and do this very day. The fact that the production was rushed and the crew was overworked to complete exhausting doesn’t matter at all. All that matters is that the movie made money and that’s the only thing that Disney cares about.

To make matters even worse is the fact that Disney did not learn their lesson at all from Frozen 2 and continues to double down on their mistakes to this very day. So much so that it’s not shocking in the year 2024 to hear stories about a big new animated film from ANY animation studio having a rushed and crunched development cycle! From Across the Spider-Verse to Wish to Kung Fu Panda 4 to Inside Out 2, animators are getting crunched and overworked beyond repair in this day-and-age with likely little to no extra aid or even remorse to go along with it. It’s all that and more of is what is leading the animation industry to go on strike in order to get the respect and fair payment that they deserved.

Which honestly makes me concern for how Moana 2 will turn out. While I’m sure the film will be as visually stunning as the original and the cast and crew will give it all their best efforts, I can’t help but feel like we are seeing yet another rushed development cycle for an upcoming Disney sequel, especially in the wakes of this originally starting as a Disney Plus series and only being announced that it was turning into a movie just NINE months before the film is set to release. Regardless of how the actual quality of the film turns out, I DREAD having to hear the behind the scene stories as to what everyone was put through in order for Moana 2 to meet it’s Thanksgiving 2024 release slate.

I will say one thing! After hearing about the development history for Frozen 2, it has given me a TON more respect towards animators and the people that worked on this film. They are all clearly giving it their all and trying their very best to make the best film they possibly can. It’s only the mega corporations and higher ups that keep giving them ridiculous deadlines that keep holding them back from realizing their full potential. I honestly think it’s because of them that the finished film actually turned out to be watchable and even mostly enjoyable. It just makes me wish they were able to get the proper amount of time they needed and a better work life balance which could have led Frozen 2 to be as much of a classic as the original was.

Now, we must all embrace ourselves for Moana 2 and the Disney Plus documentary for it that will to come out next spring, where we will discover that they couldn’t figure out who the main villain was suppose to be until the day before the actual premier of the film. I sure can’t wait to watch the Moana 2 documentary subtitled How Far I’ll Go about six months from now.

  • Seriously! Look at this poor man, he look so nervous!

Here’s the video from Schaffrillas Productions:

The Wild Robot (2024) Movie Review- DreamWorks’s Odyssey

AdamLeave a comment

DreamWorks Animation has had quite a history and reputation throughout it’s existence. They are probably the most hit-and-miss major animation studio out there. Whenever they have a hit, it’s up there with among the best animated features out there, rivaling the very best of other big animation studios out there such as Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli. Whenever they have a miss, it’s down there with some of the very worst animated features out there, rivaling the very worst of infamous animation studios such as Sony Animation (the Spider-Verse movies and the original Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs aside) and Illumination (the Super Mario Bros Movie and the original Despicable Me aside). Regardless of what you think of DreamWorks personally, they are certainly…..an interesting company to say the least.

However, things are changing MASSIVELY for the company with the release of The Wild Robot. It’s set to be the final film to be animated entirely in-house by DreamWorks, with every future animated release moving forward being operated heavily with outside animation studios. They also got an animation legend in Chris Sanders to helm this picture, the man who directed animated classics such as Lilo & Stitch and How To Train Your Dragon and has writing credits for many beloved Disney classics from the 90s such as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Mulan. Putting those two important, distinct factors side-by-side, you would think that DreamWorks and everyone involved with The Wild Robot will want to end this wild, uneven in-house run of theirs with an absolute bang! Well, I’m proud to claim that they did all of that and more!

The Wild Robot is my favorite film of the year and is easily one of the best DreamWorks films ever made. It represents the pinnacle of DreamWorks Animation, delivering one last final triumph before they have to rely on other tools and resources for the immediate future. The animation is jaw droppingly gorgeous, the characters are all engaging, endearing, and wonderful to follow, the voice cast is all terrific with everyone being 100% committed to their role, the musical score is mesmerizing and carries the film on it’s own on several occasions, and the way it tackles the themes surrounding survival, parenthood, kindness, purpose, and coexistence is nothing short of marvelous. If you are looking for an animated film that is manages to cross that fine line between being fun and entertaining for kids and smart and engaging for adults, look no further than with DreamWorks’s latest masterwork, The Wild Robot.

Plot Synopsis: We find a robot known as ROZZUM Unit 7134 (Lupita Nyong’o), A.K.A. Roz, that has been abandoned on a deserted island full of wild animals, with no memory of who she is or where she came from. These wild animals don’t take too kindly to Roz’s arrival, believing her to be some sort of monster that was sent to exterminate them. As she learns to adapt to the wilderness with these other estranged animals that don’t seem to like her or even each other, Roz finds herself having to take care for a little gosling (Boone Storme), due to the death of his parents, which Roz may or may not have been responsible for. All the while she casually meets a mischievous red fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), who, despite his sneaky and snarky attitude, helps the two of them with their battle of nature vs nurture among the other animal presence on the island.

Roz makes it her mission and purpose to be the mother of this goose, which is named Brightbill (Kit Connor), and raise him to be one with the other birds before she can return to where she originated from. However, the more that Roz spends time on the island with her batch of furry friends, family, and foes, the more she begins to realize she might just be more than just a soulless mindless A.I. robot that she was initially programmed to be. It’s then Roz must decide where her true home lies! In the wild forest with the animals or back with Universal Dynamics, the production company where she was created from?!

On the surface, you can probably guess all the impressive achievement that The Wild Robot is able to accomplish! Yes, the animation is BEYOND gorgeous with perfect artwork, character models, and texture to boost! Yes, there is plenty of funny gags and emotional beats that both kids and adults will react the way they are intended to! Yes, the voice cast and score is incredibly strong and should get numerous nominations for every award show out there! And yes, they manage to make another film about A.I. but never EVER feeling like it was written by one! But the most impressive achievement of The Wild Robot for me is how complex, multilayered and thematically packed it is for a story that, if we are being honest, has been told many times before!

There definitely are story elements throughout The Wild Robot that contains DNA of earlier animated pictures such as The Iron Giant, Fly Away Home, Ice Age, Wall-E, and even Chris Sanders’s own How To Train Your Dragon. However, it’s these themes and layers that The Wild Robot presents that helps make this story stand out as it’s own unique thing. So much so that it feels like we are seeing this story being told for the first time ever despite it being told several times before. Instead of borrowing plot elements from other beloved animated films and doing nothing else with it, it’s CONSTNATLY throwing curveballs at you with the way it goes about these traditional tropes and story beats. This is makes certain predictable story beats actually feel unpredictable in the way that it’s actually done and told throughout the film. This is something that Sanders himself did greatly in How To Train Your Dragon and he perhaps has done it even better here with The Wild Robot.

The Wild Robot is a story of many things! This is a story about the means of natural survival in an estranged, nurtured wilderness. This is a story about discovering our own purpose while helping others discover theirs along the way. This is a story about technology and animals co-existing with one another in a more futuristic Earth. This is a story about how the pros of A.I. can outweighs the cons of A.I. if we allow it. This is a story about unexpected parenthood and how your child grows up fast right before your eyes. This is a story about the needs to come together in a time of crisis or else all will be lost. And at it’s heart, this is a story about the odyssey that DreamWorks Animation has created throughout it’s history and how it will never be the same after this movie.

There’s not a single theme here that feels half baked or put together, there’s not a single setup that doesn’t have a proper payoff, there’s not a single plot thread that doesn’t have a connective tissue, and there’s not a single character arc that gets lost in the shuffle. It’s able to juggle so much while somehow not managing to feel disjointed or loose. Regardless of what overall story arc you like the most, you should no doubt be satisfied with the way that specific arc wraps up by the end. Even if at times I did question a story direction or two, it later on answered it in a satisfying and logical away that it wiped out any mild concerns. The amount of plates is able to spend in the air at once and how many hoops it dares to jump through is able to make the film stand out in ways that it had no business of doing so. This is animation and multilayered storytelling at it’s finest and The Wild Robot might just be the next prime example for that.

For as much development that Roz herself is giving throughout the film, it simply wouldn’t work without the excellent vocal performance from Lupita Nyong’o herself. She is able to evaluate every sequence of the film where she is required to. It’s that perfect sense of optimism and joy she brings on display that bring that extra two dimensions to the character, especially when Roz becomes more human and less mechanical as the film progresses. You just know the exact moments when Roz is still in her “A.I.” form as she was initially programmed and the moments where she grows beyond that while living among the wilderness with the other animals. All of that is thanks to Lupita Nyong’o, that is able to provide heart and soul to a character that by designed is not suppose to have a heart and soul, at least until she actually does. If the Academy Awards didn’t have a such a hate boner for animated films, I could definitely see her be nominated for Best Actress come next Spring.

The rest of the voice cast is genuinely terrific as well. Pedro Pascal brings plenty of energy and levity to the character of Fink, a fox that believes himself to be selfish at the start but then becomes more selfless as he evolves with Roz, Brightbill, and the others. Kit Connor as Brightbill is able to share the beating heart of the story with Nyong’o’s Roz, a young goose who, like Roz herself, is trying to adapt with the others as someone more “special”. Boone Strome also does good as the younger, more joyful version of Brightbill. Catherine O’Hara fits well in her role as Pinktail, the mother figure that Roz needs to learn to fit into in order to complete her mission. Bill Nighy as Longneck and Ving Rhames work well as the wise elder goose and falcon who helps Roz teach Brightbill how to fly high in the sky. Stephanie Hsu’s Vontra is incredibly suited as basically the closest thing that this film has to a main antagonist, even if she really only plays a major factor in the third act. And while Mark Hamill and Matt Berry’s characters of Thorn and Paddler aren’t in the film nearly as much as you would expect with big name actors, they blend together just well and even unrecognizably with the rest of the cast whenever they appear on screen.

There’s not enough great things you can say about the animation in The Wild Robot. It is purely stunning and a treat for the eyes from the beginning to the very end. There are so many beautifully done sequences that will take your breath away from both a visual and emotional standpoint, so many frame shots that you will want hung on the wall in your room, and so much imagery that adds to the pure visual and layered storytelling on display. Sanders has gone on record that he took inspiration from traditional Disney classics and the works of Hayao Miyazaki and he’s able to find that perfect balance to make the animation stand out in it’s own, unique form. Even in an age where just about every animated movie looks good, The Wild Robot shows that there is still plenty of room for animation to grow and push unexpected boundaries. This proves once again why animation is a medium that needs to be taken more seriously. You could not tell a story this good without the stellar animation to back it up every step of the way.

And of course, a special shoutout has to go to the composer Kris Bowers. The Wild Robot has one of the best scores of any film this year and perhaps any animated film in recent memory. It’s able to fit the tone and mood of every single scene, managing to find the right tune that perfectly captures the emotion that the characters and audience are suppose to feel at every given moment. In some ways, the score kinda feels like a character of it’s own, being able to fit right in with Roz, Brightbill, Fink, and the others, as they learn to grow and adapt into something of their own. That is about the best possible compliment you can give a film score and Bowers certainly earns it with his tremendous work here.

For a film where at least 99% of it’s cast is not human, The Wild Robot manages to be the most human feeling film I’ve seen in 2024. That one glimmer of joy and optimism in a world that is filled with sadness and despair. It’s one of those rare films that manages to be about everything but also is able to make room for everything at the same time. Just like with any movie I give a 4 out of 4 star rating to (Yes, that is the rating I’m giving this film!), there are definitely nits you can pick such as certain side characters being too sidelined and the pacing feeling a bit too breakneck at points, but the journey that The Wild Robot takes you will make everything feel completely whole by the end of it.

The most bittersweet part of The Wild Robot is how the overall arc of Roz can be seen as the direction DreamWorks plans to take moving forward. Even when being controlled by a mechanical and soulless corporation like Universal that is taking advantage of them for one distinct purpose (A.K.A. making money) and nothing more, there will still be a heart and soul DreamWorks will find within themselves that will make them continue to stand out in ways that go beyond what Disney, Pixar, Sony, or Illumination are capable off. The lows will still remain but the highs will make it all worth it by the end.

Thank you to all the folks at DreamWorks who worked in-house for the company and I hope the very best awaits you in the future!

Other comments:

  • I STRONGLY recommend staying through the credits. Not only because there is in fact a post credits scene but as a dedication to all the hardworking folks at DreamWorks, as they will now be outsourced by other animation studios overseas. It would mean the world to the animators and artists that worked on this masterpiece!

  • I’m relieved how we can have an animated kids film in 2024 that actually makes jokes about death and isn’t afraid to have characters say “kill” all the time.

  • This feels like the kind of animated film that I would watch with my brother and mom during the summer theater kids/family marathon that would always play at my theaters. I’m sure this film will be replaying CONSTANTLY throughout the next several summers!

  • Lupita Nyong’o has probably the most soothing voice ever!

  • We seriously need to talk more about Chris Sanders and all the amazing things he has contributed to animation. He has been responsible for several of our favorite Disney and DreamWorks movies since we were a child. The man just deserves more respect!

  • Also, one random fact, did you know that Chris Sanders also does the voice of Stitch as well? That is just……remarkable!

Inside Out 2 (2024) Movie Review- Emotional Boogaloo

AdamLeave a comment

Pixar is in quite a fascinating spot at the moment and even for the better part of the last 15 years! Even when delivering a handful of quality and/or downright excellent films over that time period, they’ve always seemed to be in a position to prove themselves with ever new entry they’ve released since the 2010s rolled around. It doesn’t matter that they put out Inside Out, Coco, Soul, and Turning Red during that time because Cars 2, Brave, The Good Dinosaur, and Lightyear all exist as well. This mindset especially takes center stage whenever they put out a sequel that is not Toy Story related (and even then, the last few they put out in Toy Story 4 and Lightyear got plenty of folks barking). Despite the majority of them turning out to be a success from both a critical and financial standpoint (Finding Dory, The Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4), they always tend to get heavily scrutinized for either not being as good as the original or just for the pure fact that they even exist at all. This thought process going into each non-original Pixar installment is very infuriating to me.

I understand in this day and age where people have more of an eye of what’s going on from behind the scenes then ever before and the corporate politics that come into play are as incredibly obvious as they come but at the end of the day, you have to judge each film as their own thing and not based on how much you detest the creativity black hole in Hollywood. I bring this up because for all the good that there is to be found in Inside Out 2, I can only imagine we will see those exact counter arguments against it that you would not find for other sequels made by other animated studios.

As for the movie itself, it’s about as good of a sequel to the original Inside Out as you can get, and in some ways is even better than the first one. It still does it’s job in taking the series to the next level, where we follow Riley taking the next steps into her life, not only becoming a teenager but being more aware of the world that surrounds here. It still has that same heart, it still has that same music, and it still has the same emotions but it is also has the same form of creativity that the very best of Pixar films have. If the original Inside Out is one that resonated the most with children, then Inside Out 2 is one that I can see resonating with teenagers and adults. Even if I slightly prefer the first one, the sequel is more than a worthy companion piece to it that should not be dismissed in any way, shape, or form.

Premise: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale) and Disgust (Liza Lapira) have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) shows up, they aren’t sure how to feel.

Even if you take into the account of the numerous amount of sequels that Pixar has made for the past 15 years, I’ve argued that Inside Out was the first Pixar film outside of Toy Story that had more than enough material to justify making multiple sequels out of here. Mostly because, just like with the Toy Story sequels, Inside Out 2 seems most interested in taking the characters to the next step on their journey along with continuing the themes involving growing up, getting older, and finding your place in the world along the way. Those themes ring true to not just the story with Joy and her fellow emotion companions but also to Riley herself.

While Joy and the emotions of old and new that come into play do have a main significant role in the film, the main beating heart reigns with Riley. Not that it wasn’t the case in the first movie but here, we clearly see that Riley is now in the part of her life where she must gain controls of her emotions instead of letting the emotions control her. As she is now hitting the age of a teenager, she has now become more aware of the imperfect and flawed world around her. She loves hockey and her friends but if she can’t make the right choices, then there’s a chance that neither one of those factors can happen. It’s only when finding control of her emotions where Riley can determine the outcome of whether or not she can make the new hockey team, and still connect with friends of old and new. Whereas the first Inside Out saw the original emotions due the heavy lifting for Riley because she was still at the age where she didn’t know any better, Inside Out 2 shows the character having to learn to keep the original and new emotions in check, and having to do so at the most crucial part of her life.

That makes the arc that Joy goes through be a perfect counterpart to Riley’s own growth. Much like with Woody in Toy Story 2, Joy must come to terms with the fact that she can’t control Riley, no matter how hard she tries. As you get older and get more experience in the real world, it gets harder to stay positive and optimistic because you are now more aware of the consequences that you can go through when things don’t work out. And this usually always come during a time where you must develop your own self conscious and have better control of your emotions. Even if she can’t make Riley into what she wants her to be, Joy must do everything she can to be there for Riley whenever her own kid needs her. It’s parallels like these that help make Inside Out 2 stand out as a really affective and worthwhile sequel.

It’s not just Joy that gets the spotlight but the other emotions get their time to shine as well. This time around, it sees the original group of emotions with Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust go on this adventure together as they must get back up to the tower to stop Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui from controlling Riley. Each one of them get their own standout moments and it’s interesting to see them all develop different emotions within them the way that Joy was able to in the original Inside Out and even now.

And of course, you got to mention the new players in Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Anxiety is definitely the biggest standout as the leader of the group and taking matters into her own hands. Much like with the way the first film portrays Sadness, I respect the fact that the film doesn’t look to portray Anxiety as a villain but more as an antagonist. She’s not trying to do everything because she’s evil but because she thinks that is the right thing to do, even if her methods are rather flawed. Envy is cuter than a bag of kittens, Embarrassment is able to get his own G.O.A.T. moment as perhaps the most relatable of the new emotions, and Ennui is just the perfect description of Generation Z always on their phones in a nutshell.

The voice cast from top to bottom is stellar all around! Amy Poehler brings just as much joy (no pun intended), charm, and energy as she did in the first film, the new additions of Maya Hawke & Ayo Edebiri as Anxiety and Envy are such an absolute blast as well, and even if the (unfortunate) departing of Bill Hader as Fear and the (fortunate) departing of Mindy Kailing as Disgust is noticeable, both Tony Hale and Liza Lapira fit into the roles rather well, with Lapira in particular standing out much better than Kailing. Also, a big shoutout to Adele Exarchopoulos as Ennui. And Ron Funches as Bloofy. And Yong Yea as Lance Slashblade. And pretty much anyone else I didn’t mention. Moving on!

The animation is as breathtakingly beautiful as you would expect for a Disney film in 2024, the expansion of Riley’s mind is explored as well as it can be, the music is as soothing as before, and while there’s not quite a sad bit on par with Bing-Bong or a funny bit on par with “GIRL ALERT!”, the film does provide enough unique beats of emotion and comedy of it’s own that it more than makes up for it. The standout sequence in particular is one that I imagine will be the main talking point of this movie and the moment that I imagine the folks behind Pixar took inspiration from Uncut Gems. I’m sure Adam Sandler would be proud of that.

The nine-year long awaited sequel to Pixar’s surprise hit in 2015 is as every bit of affective, earnest, and heartful as it’s predecessor. This is arguably the first Pixar sequel not related to Toy Story that seems to have more on it’s mind to justify it’s own existence other than branding and merchandising. Going from seeing Riley as a youth moving to San Francisco to a teenager looking to make it into the high school hockey team with the popular girls, this sequel takes the logical next step into showcasing the inner turmoil of taking the next step to puberty with anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment entering the picture, portrayed perfectly by newcomers Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adele Exarchopoulos, and Paul Walter Hauser. There are nits to be picked such as having a familiar plot and structure as the original and a wrap-up that perhaps is a bit too squeaky clean by Pixar standards but as a whole, Inside Out 2 is able to act greatly as a natural continuation and expansion of the first movie’s story and themes.

As much as plenty of folks have been down on Pixar as of late with it’s abundance of sequels, I sure hope that Inside Out 2 is good enough for them that they can let it all slide and appreciate the film the way it was suppose to be appreciate. I can only hope these same folks get their butts in theaters around this time next year for Elio and whatever original film that is slated to come out in March 2026. Only then will they have a right to complain! But for me, after two films this great, I would welcome a third film with open arms!

Bring on Inside Out 3 if you may! (Oh and please bring Lance Slashblade in Kingdom Hearts 4!)

Why Animators Need To Go On Strike

AdamLeave a comment

It has been announced that Pixar will be laying off 14% of current employees due to Disney’s cost-cutting measures. This will be the biggest restructuring in Pixar’s history. Even after undergoing similar layoffs last year, which included Galyn Susman, the woman who helped keep Toy Story 2 at bay during production, yet another restructure is occurring at the offices of Pixar. Never mind the fact that last year’s Elemental was able to squeeze a profit after it’s incredibly strong legs or that Inside Out 2 is set to have the biggest opening weekend at the box office in 2024 so far! Neither one of those elements were enough to continue letting talented animators get the hammer!

Unfortunately, this has not been the only layoffs in recent memory within the animation industry. Back in March, shortly after Kung Fu Panda 4 had a strong opening weekend at the box office, DreamWorks had announced massive layoffs with their company as well. Even more so than the ones with Pixars, DreamWorks confirmed that many departments were cut in half and the creative staff on movies were to be reduced at least up to 50%. Yes, around HALF of the creative staff at DreamWorks were laid off a few months ago. Never mind the fact that Kung Fu Panda 4 had a solid opening weekend at the box office and has managed to gross over 530 million worldwide, becoming the second highest grossing Kung Fu Panda sequel domestically and even outgrossing the previous Kung Fu Panda installment. Not to mention, the lower 85 million dollar budget that certainly allowed for higher revenue that perhaps any other Kung Fu Panda movie to date. None of that was enough to save DreamWorks from being forced to clean house and restructure their entire company.

There are multiple reasons why this is all occurring to not only within the animation industry but nearly all forms of entertainment in general. Mediums underperforming or tanking at the box office and/or sales, bloated budgets that makes return outcome nearly impossible, rushed development cycles which artists are constantly overworked and crunched for times, etc.. However, I do think the #1 reason behind all of this has to do with the higher ups of these studios. In the cases I just mentioned, Disney and Universal.

If you have been seeing how technology is becoming more advanced by the day, you likely are familiar with the way A.I. has been playing a bigger role now than before. With artificial intelligence features such as ChatGPT becoming more common in every day use, it’s clear that studios are looking to have that be more incorporated to the way entertainment is made now. Not for the sake of quality but for the sake of quantity. Companies want A.I. to play a big role now because it will save them extra bucks in not having to hire more animators or artists. That way, more and more money can be made that can light their own pockets and NOT be spend on actual content themselves.

Many people find it blasphemy that big studios and companies are still trying to convert A.I. into their products at the expense of actual human beings after going through at least two major strikes because of that push. However, it just doesn’t matter in the eyes of the higher ups. They don’t know how to shortened the budgets of their content that doesn’t involve laying off a good portion of their employees. They just think A.I. is the big answer to all of their problems. Not because they want to experiment on different ways to make new forms of entertainment but because that will save them a few extra pennies. It’s about as greedy, corporate, and cynical as they come.

All of those reasons and more is why whenever the contract inevitably expires this year between the Animation Guide and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a strike is going to 100% occur. It’s not a WANT per se but an absolute NEED for both sides, if the future of animation is to thrive in the best way it can. Companies need to learn that they can NOT take animators for granted and needs them to provide quality entertainment.

Even if you take out the constant push for A.I., the animation industry has been infamous with it’s troubled production with films in recent memory. You have Across the Spider-Verse which had animators being treated extremely poorly by Phil Lord, causing hundreds of animators to leave the project. You have Kung Fu Panda 4 which had plenty of back and forth between the creatives and being rushed out of door during the multiple strikes to get out by spring. And do I even need to bring up the development history surrounding Frozen 2, which had a Disney Plus documentary in which the people who made it unironically state that they were overworked, crunched, and was basically making the whole movie up as they went along. And I can only imagine the stories we will be hearing about Moana 2, the Disney Plus series turned movie, during the holiday season this year?

Working in the animation industry or any entertainment industry is certainly hard and requires you to be working a TON to get each project out on time. But it should never come at the cost of someone’s mental health, insanity, or skills as a human being. You might be able to get away with that once or twice but to have EVERY production in animation going this way is a big no-no. That’s how you wind up with something like Megamind 2, that was litter with animation errors that became noticeable to anyone once the very first trailer dropped. Not only is the poor treatment for animators along with this constant push for A.I. to take over is affecting the work-life balance of animators but also the quality of animated motion pictures. And once you got so many of those poor quality animated films in a row, eventually people will catch on and your movies will end up bombing at the box office. Just ask Disney with Wish!

Yes, there has been plenty of great animated work as of late, regardless of their production history, but more times than not, these rushed developments cycles, harsh treatment of animators, and wanted to replace them with robots is causing major harm to the animation industry. At some point, you as an animator has to put your foot down and stand up to the studio saying “No! You will just not tolerate any longer! Treat us with the respect we deserve or we go on strike!” While it’s unlikely that will occur on it’s own, the soon-to-be expired contract between the Animation Guide and the AMPTP will certainly make the voices of animators be heard. And there is not better time for them to start speaking up than now!

Just like how actors and writers had every right to go on strike last year, animators deserve that very right! With big companies performing layoffs within the industry in the hopes of avoiding a strike, that is only going to throw more fuel into the fire. Laying off hundreds to thousands of animators in the hopes of giving those extra bucks to those that deserve it is NOT the answer! Replacing those animators with robots is NOT the answer! Putting the animators through hell with every single animation production is also NOT the answer! The only answer is to give them the proper care, treatment, and respect that they deserve to deliver the best quality creative product that they can!

It’s only then that animators may not have to strike. However, in this case and under THESE circumstances right now, they have more than earn their right to do so once they get the chance!

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) Retrospective- The Perfect Villain

Adam2 Comments

After the surprising success of Kung Fu Panda in 2008, a Kung Fu Panda 2 just had to be made. As a matter of fact, according to DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, they were looking to do a complete saga’s worth of Kung Fu Panda installments with at least six total. However, with DreamWorks, it’s clearly one step at a time by focusing on one distinct chapter at a time, especially in regards to Kung Fu Panda. We would end up getting a follow-up the original Kung Fu Panda three years later with 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2.

As much as folks were doubtful that the first film could work at all given it’s bizarre premise, I believe there was even more doubt that a sequel could work in any way, shape, or form. Like what else could you do with a follow-up to Kung Fu Panda? Have Po be a bumbling idiot and learn the same lessons that he already learned the first time around? Clearly the first movie have to be a magical fluke and there’s no way DreamWorks could make lightning strike twice, right?! Right?! Welp, you would be wrong once again!

Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only as good as the original, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. It takes the characters into new and interesting directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. It’s not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s perhaps one of the best DreamWorks films ever made and even one of the best sequels of all time period. Not just in animation but in all films in general.

However, there is one strong element that’s able to hold this entire film together. One element that was perhaps a bit lacking in the first film compared to everything else going on. That is no other than the main villain of Shen, voiced BRILLIANTLY by Gary Oldman. Don’t get me wrong, Tai Lung was a fine antagonist overall but Shen easily blows him and any other antagonist in this entire series out of the water. The key to making a perfect sequel is to have a perfect villain. And Kung Fu Panda 2 is able to succeed GREATLY in that regard.

What makes Shen the best and most interesting antagonist of the entire series is his connection to Po. Unlike with Tai Lung and Kai, Shen is a villain that actually has a tie-in to Po’s past. Throughout Kung Fu Panda 2, you get a deeper dive into Po’s tragic past that was largely glossed over in the first film. A past that actually saw him with his fellow kin of pandas and his own biological mommy and daddy. However, there was one awful night where a good chunk of Po’s kind was wiped out and executed. That execution came from an army of deadly wolves that was lead by none other than Shen himself. It’s that connection that Shen has with Po that makes the conflict between him the most personal and engaging of the entire series.

Switching over to Po for a second, Po at this point has embraced his new life as The Dragon Warrior who now fights greatly alongside the Furious Five. However, he still has plenty to learn throughout his journey. One main component being that Po must achieve inner peace. Inner peace is a concept within the Kung Fu Panda universe to describe a peaceful state of mind and spirit. In the words of Shifu, it’s the ability “harness the flow of the universe”, enabling one to do basically the impossible. In a way, this is almost like what I imagine the special power that Po thought he was going to get with The Dragon Scroll but never got.

However, there is one road block that constantly gets in the way whenever Po tries to achieve inner peace throughout the course of the film. That being what happened the night that Po lost his parents, that night which was caused by Shen and his army. With that terrible memory he still has in his head that has come back to haunt him, finding inner peace seems impossible for Po because he can’t seem to put his past behind him. Something which Po can only be achieve once he discovered what happened that night. Unfortunately for Po, the only person that can answer that is Shen himself.

After Shifu sends Po and the Furious Five on a mission to Gongmen City after learning that Shin killed Kung Fu Master Thundering Rhino, Po is basically giving no choice put to confront his past head on in the hopes that it will unlock the secrets to not just inner peace but a brighter future as well. Shen, in this movie, is looking to do the unthinkable and destroy kung fu once and for all. He plans to do this by committing absolute genocide around China with cannons, hoping that will wipe out every single Kung Fu member and tradition.

The two first encountered with one another when Po and the Furious Five surrender to Shen and his army. However, Po claims he has a plan in motion and surprisingly enough, it succeeds. He’s able to catch Shen off guard and has the perfect opportunity to put an end to him right there but he doesn’t. The main thing that stopped him was symbol of Shen’s armor. It’s that exact same symbol Po saw with him when confronting bad guys at the village and it’s the symbol that calls back to that night where Po lost his parents. Because of that distraction, Shen escapes and destroys Gongmen Palace with his cannonade.

Tigress and the Furious Five demand to know why Po held back at stopping Shen. Despite initially hesitating, Po gives in and reveals that he believes that Shen knows what happened with his parents on the night that he lost them. With Po lacking clear focus on his mission, Tigress orders Po to sit the rest of the mission out and let the Furious Five handling it, refusing to let her friend get killed. But of course, Po can’t help himself and must seek answers from Shen. Not only will those answers make his past clear but it might just help unlock the inner peace hidden within himself.

Because of that eagerness, Po disobeys Tigress’s orders and goes to confront Shen himself. When Po demands answers from his new connected foe about what happened that night, Shen tells him that he was in fact there at night and watched as his parents abandoned him. That’s right! According to the words of Shen himself, it wasn’t him that caused Po to be separated from his real parents, it was themselves. With Po being horrified off the truth, that allows Shen to shoot the panda through his cannon, leaving him plenty of miles away from his fortress.

What I find the most fascinating about that exchange is that I don’t think Shen himself believes he is lying to Po there. Yes, he is clearly not telling the truth about Po’s parents abandoning him but I don’t think he himself realizes that. The main reason for that is with Shen’s own experience with his parentage. That experience which had fuel him into using his kung fu for evil and destroy China.

It’s revealed early in the film that the peacock rulers of Gongmen City actually invented fireworks for the purpose of peace. However, the ruler’s son, Shen, discovered that the gunpowder used to make the fireworks can also be used as a weapon. Once Shen’s parents take notice to their son’s sudden obsession with using fireworks as armory, they consult a soothsayer, who tells the two that if their son’s continues down this path of wrongful and sinful behavior, he will be defeated by “a warrior of black and white”. Overhearing of the prophecy, Shen believes that this supposed warrior has to be a panda, which is why he send his army of wolves to execute the pandas from all around the world, hoping this would lead to the prophecy not being fulfilled. Horrified by the panda genocide, Shen’s parents banished their own son from the city as he is no longer the boy they have come to love.

When saying that backstory out loud, you can actually get a sense as to why Shen would believe that Po would abandon his parents because he believes that is what parenthood is all about. With the way he was abandoned by his own parents, he only assumes that’s how the meaning of life is for everybody. Yes, they had ever right to do so but not in the eyes of Shen. This is because how much evil has blinded him from being the one good peacock he had the potential to be. The one that was able to use fireworks for good and not evil. The one that might have been able to fulfill his destiny and rule over Gongmen City for his parents. The one that would allow his past not to define him but only consume him. That right there spells out the perfect parallel that Shen has with Po.

However, the main difference between the past that Po and Shen share is how Po responds to learning the full truth about the tragic night with his parents. After getting blasted out of the cannon, Po is rescued by the soothsayer, the same one that was with Shen when she told the prophecy that caused him to wreck havoc. She tells Po all about the panda genocide and encourages him to face that past head on. It’s the only way that Po can do what he has been looking to do all movie long, achieve inner peace.

It’s then we get to what is not only hands down the best sequence in the entire franchise but one of the best scenes in any animated film period. This is the moment that the entire film has been building to. This is the moment where Po finally achieves inner peace. As Po unlocks the inner peace within himself, he is able to remember his father fighting off Shen’s army while his mother hid him in a little crate, drawing off the army so her son could survive. While the fate of his father is unknown, it basically all but confirms that Po’s mother is truly dead. It’s unlocking inner peace that allowed Po to unlock his past.

However, Po doesn’t have to be like Shen. He doesn’t have to let his past define him and motivate him to use his powers for evil. Instead, he can heal himself, leave the past behind him, and motivate himself to use his knowledge of kung fu for not just for the greater good but for a better and more uplifting future that awaits him. After all, he has already accomplished a great many things already during his time as the Dragon Warrior, as the rapid clip show of the events of the last two movies would show. This is where everything comes full circle for Po and this entire series in general. At the end of the day, Po is not Shen. Po is Po and he needs a hat!

One final master stroke of Po’s and Shin’s story is how both used their powers that they unlocked from their past. Shin is able to use the cannon of fireworks in the hopes that it would destroy China while Po is able use the knowledge of inner peace in the hopes that it would save China. However, because Po is the one that learned to not let his past define him, it is him that emerges victorious where Shen is defeated in the end. Whereas Po embraced his past as a scar that is a part of him forever, Shen embraced his past as a wound that never healed. Most of all, Po learned what Shen failed to. That the only thing that matters for yourself is what you choose to be in the here and now, not in the before or later. Because of that, Po was able to save the Furious Five, his master, and most importantly, all of China and kung fu from Shen.

When people talk about the best Part Twos of all time, a main strength that each and every one of them has is the perfect villain. The Empire Strikes Back had Darth Vader. Spider-Man 2 had Doc Ock. The Dark Knight had the Joker. And when it comes to DreamWorks Part Twos, Shrek 2 had the fairy godmother and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish had Death in the form of a wolf himself. Kung Fu Panda 2 has Shen and it’s all the more perfect for it.

There is an old saying that the hero is only as good as it’s villain. If that is indeed true, then I don’t think there has been an antagonist in any DreamWorks movie that was able to fit the exact meaning of that with Shen himself. Shen to this day is still the best villain in the entire Kung Fu Panda franchise and one of the best villains I have seen in any animated movie! I can’t imagine Kung Fu Panda 2 being the perfect sequel that it is if it wasn’t for Shen’s strong presence throughout the entire film. He make for a perfect parallel to Po and just makes for the perfect side of a coin in general.

If you are an inspiring screenwriter that is looking on how to make the perfect villain for your story, look no further than with Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2.

Next up: Kung Fu Panda 3– Finding Your Inner Chi

Best Animated Movies of 2023

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If there is one medium that was able to shine quite a bright light in the world of cinema, that would be animation. 2023 was an absolutely phenomenal year for animation! Regardless of what your favorite animation studio consists of, you were likely satisfied with at least one of their works in 2023. This is the first time in a while that whenever I hear someone say what their favorite animated film of the year is, I would have a legit hard time arguing with them. I could see almost any reason for any of the films I have on this list being someone’s absolute favorite of the year. If there comes a time where it’s time for cinema to quit underestimating the power of animation, that would be now!

To celebrate all the magnificent achievements in cinematic animation this year, I decided to go over my nine favorite animated motion pictures of the year! Regardless, these are nine animated films that are worth checking out if you haven’t already!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Acting as the highest grossing animated film of 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the one video game movie that feels like it was 100% ripped straight from the games in terms of it’s animation, style, world building, and amount of fan service throughout. It even works quite well as a simple story of a complete zero turning into a complete hero along with the importance of brotherhood. It’s just so much fun seeing characters such as Mario, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and Toad kicking butt together on the big screen for the first time ever. Not even the common tropes from Illumination Animation that brought down their prior movies such as an obvious celebrity heavy voice cast and awkwardly inserted song tracks are able to bring this one down, which likely has to do with Nintendo’s influence. I don’t know how I would feel about this movie if I wasn’t a Mario but since I am, I couldn’t help but be very satisfied with this movie.

Suzume

Makoto Shinkai was at it again in 2023 with Suzume and once again he was able to deliver big time! This is a gorgeous and beautiful film where Shinkai once again lets his imagination and ambitions run wild in the form of animation, proving once again why he is once of the best animation folks in the business and why animation is in fact real cinema. Suzume acts wonderfully as a touching coming-of-age tale along with a strong mediation on grief and dealing with loss, with a strong emotional core as it’s center with it’s lead character of Suzume herself. If you are a die hard fan of Makoto Shinkai, then I can’t think of a reason that you will not love this movie. Even if you are not a fan at all, give this one a shot and you might be surprise how much this will engage and move you.

Elemental

Perhaps it has to with personal life experiences throughout 2023 for me but I most certainly believe that Elemental will stand the test of time as being an absolute gem of Pixar’s library. Maybe not the very best but definitely one that plenty will find to be another worthy addition to their library. It’s looks gorgeous, it’s very charming, the characters are engaging, the music is beautiful, and even the similar themes it tackles are done very well and might even stand out greater than other Disney and Pixar films that have done it to some people. I’m sure glad this film was able to have strong legs at the box office as this might be an encouraging sign for Pixar’s future in movie theaters. I might have not enjoyed The Good Dinosaur but director Peter Sohn was able to win me over in Round Two with Elemental. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend it.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Here’s a movie that Universal basically left to die! With little to no marketing and only given a 17-day theatrical window before it made it’s way to VOD, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was a movie that was very easy to miss because it looks as though the studios were wanting you to do exactly that. Which is a shame because judging the film on it’s own merits, it’s actually pretty good all things considered. The animation is bright and colorful, the characters are all likeable, and even if the story feels like a more diet version of Luca and Turning Red, it still works completely well as it’s own thing that it doesn’t hurt the enjoyment. It’s far from the best movie on this list or of Dreamworks library but if you were one of those that dismiss this film or were unaware of it’s existence, I’d say check it out and I think you’ll have a decent time with it.

Nimona

Disney’s trash turned out to be Netflix’s treasure with this animated fantasy adventure in Nimona. A movie made for kids that pulls no punches and will likely find a bigger audience with teens and young adults due to the film’s own subject matter and mature themes that come to play. It’s beautifully animated, incredibly engaging, has messages and representation that feels genuine, stellar voice work from Chloe Grace Moretz and Eugene Lee Yang, and Nimona herself is one of the most generally lovable protagonists in recent memory, managing to being the right kind of an “obnoxious” character. If this truly is Blue Sky Studio’s last film they ever do, not only is it grateful that they got to see their final work in a complete form but they were able to save their best film for last in the form of Nimona! Disney will certainly regret letting this film get away from them!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Of all the feature films that have we have gotten so far involving the TMNT brand, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is probably the very best one since the 1990 original. The animation is top notch, learning the “right” lessons from Into the Spider-Verse, the characters are all well-utilized, defined, and bounce off each other perfectly, the story feels fresh yet faithful to the turtles themselves, the score is absolutely killer, the action is a lot of fun to sit through, and it’s able to exist in it’s own sandbox as being the kind of thing that can stand proudly on it’s own along with being among the best of what the Ninja Turtles have offered throughout their history. While I won’t go as far to say that it’s a perfect film in it’s own rights, it’s certainly a perfect TMNT film and one that will likely be the one to get a new generation into this successful running franchise. And if the next film and the new 2D series that’s in the works is as good as Mutant Mayhem, then this next wave of Ninja Turtles fans will have plenty to be spoiled by!

The Boy and the Heron

Perhaps the biggest animated film at the moment, The Boy and the Heron is another winner from the creative minds at Studio Ghibli. This makes for easily one of the best English dub anime flicks in recent memory, with the entire cast of Robert Pattinson, Mark Hamill, Gemma Chan, and Dave Bautista giving very strong vocal performances. Hayao Miyazaki succeeds once again in telling story that feels as witty as it is tragic, knowing how to balance both distinct tones and making it’s core set of characters feel more human than you could imagine. It’s not my absolute favorite from Miyazaki, with some issues in terms of pacing and certain story beats, but The Boy and the Heron is definitely worth your time and should be seen in a theater. Between this and the previously mentioned Suzume, it’s nice to see more animated films made outside of America getting the recognition that they deserve.

Merry Little Batman

What’s this? A new Batman animated film that takes place on Christmas and puts the spotlight on Batman’s own son in Damian Wayne? You bet and believe it or not, it works quite well. Nothing to get you in the holiday spirit in Gotham then a fun knock-off of Home Alone, where Damian has to learn at such a young age to become the Batman his father always wanted for him. It’s also neat to get a glimpse at a Bruce Wayne that is more happy and a Gotham City that isn’t as corrupt as before, giving the sense that Bruce had accomplished his destiny as Batman. And I don’t think the Joker has been this much fun in AGES! I’m not too crazy on the designs for most of the characters and you can definitely tell this was cater to young children, but for what it’s worth, Merry Little Batman is a cute, enjoyable superhero Christmas special that will likely put you in a good jolly mood the whole way through. It’s sure nice that this and eventually Coyote vs. Acme were able to escape the clutches of the evil Warner Bros and get released. Take that, David Zaslav!

And my pick for the best animated film of 2023 goes to…..

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

To be honest, did you really think it was going to be anything else? Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shows that the Spider-Verse could in fact make lightning strike twice. Everyone involved with the making of this movie wanted to take everything to the next level without holding anything back and they are able to exceed greatly with a sequel that manages to be as good as Into the Spider-Verse and in some ways, even better. The animation might be the very best I’ve ever seen in any film, the entire cast is perfect with everyone feeling like they are absolutely in LOVE with their roles, Miles and Gwen are some of the most interesting, engaging, and layered protagonists in any comic book film, the themes and morals of the story still resonate and fits the core elements of Spider-Man perfectly, and there’s plenty of well earned fan service throughout that never gets in the way of the main central storyline. While it does end on an obvious cliffhanger, it will no doubt make anyone excited to see how they will wrap up the story in the third and final installment. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the best animated film of the year and one of the very best films of the year, period! Bring on Beyond the Spider-Verse 

Also, to Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and the those at Sony Animation, PLEASE treat your animators right this time! Don’t put them through hell like you did with Across the Spider-Verse! We all can wait and be patience if it has to take a few more years for the next film to come out! Let’s not encourage crunch culture any longer and make sure the animators are treated with respect next time around! Please and thank you!