Topic: Critter's Animated Film/Anime Marathon

[Critter]

FernGully: The Last Rainforest



Year: 1992

Director(s): Bill Kroyer

Run Time: 76 mins

Plot: The magical inhabitants of a rainforest called FernGully fight to save their home that is threatened by logging and a polluting force of destruction called Hexxus.

Cast:
Tim Curry – Hexxus
Samantha Mathis – Crysta
Christian Slater – Pips
Robin Williams – Batty Koda
Grace Zabriskie – Magi Lune
Geoffrey Blake – Ralph
Robert Pastorelli - Tony

DVD Extras:
•   None

My Thoughts
Now here is an animated film that pushed forward a strong environmental message before it become the ‘in’ thing to do with this medium. Even though now it seems almost every second animated film has some environmental message I still feel none have been as powerful as FernGully. The message is strong, but not annoyingly in your face such as Happy Feet, but also not too small that it is unrecognizable.

The strange thing about this film is that humans aren’t the direct antagonists here, a large oil consuming monster named Hexxus is, of whom the humans unknowingly help along in his campaign to destroy nature. Because of this the audience is lead to feel sorry for the oblivious people in the film, despite the fact that it is they who are helping this monster destroy the Earth.

Batty Koda voiced by Robin Williams is an incredible character in this film, not since The Plague Dogs has a character of animal testing had such a prominent role in a film. Confused and disorientated this bat who had escaped from a science labs with a wire sticking out of his head delivers some of the film’s most outstanding moments. Such as a song that may sound upbeat when it first starts but once you actually pay attention to the lyrics you realize it is a gruesome tale of what happened to him under the hand of humans, “They used and abused me, battered and bruised me, red wires, green wires stuck em right through me”. I never noticed just how powerful these song lyrics were when I watched this as a child, but now I can fully appreciate it.

Aside from the strong message there are hardly enough words to describe how beautiful I consider this film. Set in an Australian rainforest the scenery and depiction of its wildlife is amazing, as well an amazing soundtrack which makes some scenes so magical and strong. The atmosphere in this film is created so well that I can practically feel the forest of FernGully sometimes.
 
Yes, this film is Avatar before it was Avatar, the stories are very similar (as it is too many other films). While Avatar was amazing in the cinema it is something that I can see get boring quickly, I can’t even imagine myself buying Avatar on DVD as the reason I feel I liked it so much was only because it was on the big screen and 3D. FernGully however is a film that I have already been watching my entire life but get excited again before each viewing.

I know I don’t usually put extras into my reviews but I found one of the scenes from this film on YouTube that I consider to be its most powerful. I have seen this film many times but to this day I can’t watch this scene without getting Goosebumps.



My Rating

[Tom]

I have never seen this movie. The only thing I know about it is through this review done by Nostalgia Critic and Nostalgia Chick. They seem to have the complete opposite opinion on this movie.

[Critter]

Haha I watched some of that review, I couldn't get through all of it though, that guy was just so in your face and I found him a bit annoying. Still everyone has different opinions of every film, I dislike a lot of the ones with the strong environmental messages but I think FernGully's is fantastic.

[Achim]

I have never seen this movie. The only thing I know about it is through this review done by Nostalgia Critic and Nostalgia Chick. They seem to have the complete opposite opinion on this movie.

Not even the recent remake?

Avatar, I think it's called, by a guy names Cameron.

[Tom]

I have never seen this movie. The only thing I know about it is through this review done by Nostalgia Critic and Nostalgia Chick. They seem to have the complete opposite opinion on this movie.

Not even the recent remake?

Avatar, I think it's called, by a guy names Cameron.

No, I am one of the very few people who didn't watch Avatar. Usually if a film has too much hype and I myself am not caught up in it early on, I refuse to watch it in the cinema. Even though everyone I know recommends it to me, I still have not the urge to watch it.

[Najemikon]

That's exactly how I am. The more hype I hear, the less I want to see it! I made the effort with Avatar because I wanted to have an informed opinion on this generations "3D revolution".

[Achim]

No, I am one of the very few people who didn't watch Avatar.

29, I read.

[Critter]

Monsters vs Aliens



Year: 2009

Director(s): Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon

Run Time: 94 minutes

Plot: When a meteorite from outer space hits a young woman and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years.

Cast:
Reese Witherspoon – Susan Murphy / Ginormica
Seth Rogen – B.O.B
Hugh Laurie – Dr. Cockroach Ph. D
Will Arnett – The Missing Link
Kiefer Sutherland – General W.R. Monger
Rainn Wilson – Gallaxhar
Stephen Colbert – President Hathaway
Paul Rudd – Derek Dietl

DVD Extras:
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Modern Monster Movie Making
• The Tech of MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
• Deleted Scenes:
• DWA Music Video Juke Box
• Trailers: >
- How To Train Your Dragon
- Penguins of Madagascar
- Shrek The Halls
- Secrets of the Furious Five
• MONSTERS VS. ALIENS Activision Game trailer
• B.O.B.’S BIG BREAK (in Monster 3D & 2D) bonus movie, plus more out-of-this-world features:
• Karaoke Music Party: > “More Than A Woman” with B.O.B.
• “Born To Be Wild” with Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. & The Missing Link
• “I Will Survive” with Ginormica
• Paddle Ball Game in Monster 3D
• DVD-Rom (2D): > MONSTERS VS. ALIENS Activision Game Demo with Cheat Code
• Creature Feature Fun Factory

My Thoughts
I have never been the biggest fan of DreamWorks computer animated films but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by this one, much like I was with Kung Fu Panda. I wasn’t expecting much going into this film as I find that DreamWorks films are usually flashy animation chock full of pop culture references and corny jokes. Now Monster’s Vs Aliens did have a few corny jokes throughout, but unlike most other DreamWorks films I found myself laughing out loud for a lot of the film.

Strewn throughout the film are some subtle, and some not so subtle references to almost every sci-fi and monster film I have seen. Some of these work very well and others such as a missile with ‘E.T Go Home’ written on it being shot at the Aliens are just well, lame. Almost all of the main characters in this film were quite lovable despite their varying appearances. The animation was fairly standard for DreamWorks, I didn’t see it in 3D but I heard it was good. In the end this wasn’t an outstanding animated film but it was a lot of fun and quite funny in a lot of parts.

My Rating

[Critter]

Noir



Anime Type: TV (26 Episodes)

Year: 2001

Director: Mashimo, Koichi

Plot: Mireille Bouquet is a professional assassin, and a very good one at that. But when she follows up an e-mail from a young Japanese girl named Yumura Kirika, inviting her to take "a pilgrimage to the past", her life becomes even more dangerous than it already is. Now, with a haunting melody invoking the memory of an event long past, Mireille and Kirika decide to work together to find the truth about a thousand year old organization that has controlled both of their lives since before they were born. And the only clue in their search, the only thing Kirika remembers about herself, becomes their working codename: a name designating an ancient fate, of two maidens who reign over death--Noir.

My Thoughts:
This series is the first in a trilogy of “Girls with guns” anime by Koichi Mashimo. I highly enjoyed this one and will now be tracking down the others. Noir is a fantastic piece of assassination work, but unlike most films or TV concerning assassins, the characters here are both female and aged 15-20. In fact the younger female assassins are almost reminiscent of Natalie Portman in Leon.

Noir is a stunning anime, set in Paris the backgrounds of the city, both day and night are beautiful, but it is not only Paris that looks amazing. Being a show about high class assassins we travel the world somewhat through the show, we see the streets of Russia, beautiful temples in Taiwan and even parts of Venice among other locations, each area looks just as fantastic as the last too.

The plot of this anime starts strong, then has a slight lull a couple of episodes in here I found it to be a bit dull, it soon picks up however to an extremely intriguing plot that really doesn’t full make sense until you have watched the show to the last episode. One thing I found interesting about the show, which is also very unusual for anime is that even though most of the episodes are high on violence, we never see any blood for the whole time. There are knife fights, sword fights and most importantly, amazing shoot outs every episode yet all of them are executed within a bloodless manor, the most gruesome parts here are hidden from the audience. That’s not to say however that the show isn’t violent, the two young female assassins in the lead are professional killers and I would say their body count for the whole show would have to be in the hundreds.

The music throughout this show was fantastic, one of the highlights for me and really suited each of the characters and all the different locations. If there is one thing that bothered me about the show it would have been the almost emotional void of the lead characters for large parts of the series, but in the end that is their characters, people who can kill without feeling anything for their victims. Overall though this is one of the better short anime series I have seen, I can definitely see myself watching this one again.

My Rating

[RossRoy]

I love Noir! I found it to be a marvelous series. I love how it develops the characters, and the mystery surrounding it.

I also watched Madlax recently (part of the trilogy you mention I think). I was a bit disappointed, but it might have to do with how high the bar was set by Noir.

But I have a question - what's the third part of the trilogy? (and 2nd is Madlax isn't it) I'd be very interested to hunt it down myself.

[Critter]

First is Noir, second is Madlax and the third is a series about Bounty Hunters called El Cazador de La Bruja (I hope I spelt that right). So far I have only seen Noir but I would love to track down the other two.
From what you say the standard might drop from the first one but I will probably watch them all anyway, I'm glad you also liked Noir. 

[dfmorgan]

  Sophie for the review and Sébastien for the endorsement  .

I have now ordered both Noir and Madlax

Dave

[Critter]

No worries Dave, I think you will like Noir, it's a fantastic series. As far as Madlax goes I am still yet to see it myself, but I am hoping to get my hands on it soon.
 

[Critter]

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni



Anime Type: TV (26 Episodes)

Year: 2006

Director: Kon, Chiaki

Plot: After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem. Based on the amateur mystery game by 7th Expansion, the story is told in a series of different scenarios.

My Thoughts:
Where do I even begin describing Higurashi… basically, if I thought Elfen Lied was a gruesome anime well, it has nothing on this show. Higurashi is based around a group of young people (we never really find out their ages but my guess would be 10-14) and what they go through living in the small and somewhat remote town of Hinemizawa. A town which is apparently cursed by an ancient God.

Imagine taking a handful of young, cute colourful characters and putting them in a room together, only to come back an hour later and find they have all hacked and tortured each other to death. Now do that same thing again and again, only it’s okay, because every time these horrific events unfold, we get one step closer to understanding, why the hell they happened.

Higurashi’s plot is told in violent bloody chapters, chapters in this series can be anywhere from 4-6 episodes long. Each chapter begins from the start of the series, almost as if we keep going back in time, but every time the circumstances and outcomes change dramatically, but a running theme within each chapter is insanity. Eventually, one or more characters (this changes for each chapter) becomes overrun with paranoia and turns into a murderous vengeful being, there’s murder, suicide, and lot’s of torture in a large amount of the episodes, definitely not an anime for the faint hearted. What makes a lot of these scenes even more disturbing is that it is the cute, young school aged characters who are the ones doing this.

From what I have said so far, Higurashi might sound like just some excuse for piles of animated violence, but I found it to be more than this. The plot line that repeats itself differently is intriguing, and a lot of the show plays out as a murder-mystery which leaves you watching through all the violence just because you want to know what happens, and who did it.

Visually the backgrounds in Higurashi are a major highlight for me, they are beautiful, although I did not like the character animation that much, I found it’s almost over simplistic style not quite right for this anime, although in a way that made it almost more eerie. The sound effects and music were also great, the eerie sound of cicadas and crickets can be heard in almost all of the outdoor scenes which really creates a strong atmospheric feel to the show. This anime is definitely not for everyone as it contains many highly disturbing themes, but it is highly interesting at the same time, I would recommend it to anime fans.

Also, this anime has probably my favourite opening and closing credits.



My Rating

[Critter]

Balto



Year: 1995

Director(s): Simon Wells

Run Time: 78  minutes

Plot: An outcast half-wolf risks his life to prevent a deadly epidemic from ravaging Nome, Alaska.

Cast:
Kevin Bacon – Balto
Bob Hoskins – Boris the Goose
Bridget Fonda – Jenna
Jim Cummings – Steele
Phil Collins – Muk and Luk
Jack Angel – Nikki

 DVD Extras:
•   Making of Balto
•   Theatrical Trailer
•   ET Trailer


My Thoughts
I grew up reading Gary Paulsen’s novels about the harsh arctic world of competitive dog sledding and because of that I have always had a keen interest in the Iditarod race across Alaska. Balto tells the history of this race and why the race is run along that track. While the plot of the film may be a slightly glamorized and sways from the true story several times it does follow the story of what actually happened, even if somewhat loosely. There was a dog named Balto, and he did lead a dog sled team halfway across Alaska with precious medicine needed to stave off death back at home for a lot of children.

Many things are added in the film, such as Balto’s background as being a half wolf half dog and also his rivalry with another dog in the film, Steele. These additions make for an interesting story which is told in superb animation. Many of the race scenes are exciting and there are a few funny characters which younger kids are bound to love. The story has many sweet moments as well as a few scenes that are quite sad. Some images in fact, such as Balto witnessing the local wood worker building small sized coffins for all the children of the town are very sad indeed.

This will always be one of my favourites out of the animated films that enjoyed as a young child and still enjoy just as much now. I am looking forward to watching it many more times in the future.

My Rating