Lessons learnt

Learning lessons, I mean life's lessons and not the school lessons that we learn by rote, is actually fun and not boring when the lessons are packaged beautifully and are delivered to us in an endearing manner by our favorite films. Especially, the animation films from Pixar - which have been not only entertaining us but also making us learn and accept and welcome things for positivity and harmony, over the years. Here's taking a look, and taking a nod as well, this post is courtesy a mail sent to me by a friend as he found it in a compilation on the Net.

'The Croods'

Unadulterated fun and extra special zing with the 3D effects make 'The Croods' a must watch family film this summer, with an extra emphasis on the word family!

'Rio' - a riot of colors, a feast for all!

'Rio' (directed by Carlos Saldanha, produced by Blue Sky Studios & Twentieth Century Fox Animation) is the latest family animation flick that has hit the screens here in Kolkata, and has won the hearts of young and old alike. 
It has been wooing audiences all over the world; naturally, as the film is a real treat, a feast for the eyes and the ears, and a feast for all.








Watching it in theater, in 3D, is so much fun. One should not miss this experience first-hand. Even the skeptical and the cynical ones won't escape the warmth of a film like this. Take it from me, 'Rio' is every bit enjoyable, and worth the price of the multiplex ticket. The colorful visuals are simply mind-blowing, and, though the original musical numbers may not be absolute classics by themselves, the music has an infectious energy that will positively have its grip on the audience. 3D animation can be experienced in all its splendor as one watches the computer generated animation that glows lavishly.
The best thing about the film is surely the wackiness that peppers the script. Making the dialogues resonate in more ways than one for the diverse range of viewers is something that's been continually experimented with in animation features in recent times; here, the wit just sizzles perfectly. The birds and other animals and the human characters are equally charming and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. From the nerdy-friendly macaw named Blu (voiced flawlessly by Jesse Eisenberg), the wide range of other feathered beings whom he gets to meet (voiced by a stellar ensemble that includes Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Jermaine Clement, George Lopez, Will i Am), plus the bulldog Luiz (voiced by Tracy Morgan) to sweet Linda (Blu's companion, voiced by Leslie Mann) and Tulio (the ornithologist voiced by Rodrigo Santoro) - the characters enthrall us for the running time of ninety-six minutes.
No wonder, I found the kids with rolling with laughter, the adults chuckling gleefully, and the youthful romantics swaying to beats of Samba and tapping their feet as the Carnaval unfolded on screen. And my personal 'favorite' connect: the use of the Lionel Richie song 'Say you, say me' and the glib comment thereafter, "Lionel Richie, always works!"

'Bolt' has won my heart!

Dogs in films aren't new. And dogs in animation films aren't new either. The Disney brand-name itself has had many successful associations with cute and lovable dog characters in the past, yet what makes their animation flick 'Bolt' stand out, and stand tall, is its clever narrative that has been blended beautifully with the picture-perfect animation.

'Bolt' is the story of a small white dog who has spent his entire life on the set of a television series without being aware of that reality. He thinks he is having a normal life, and yet it is just part of a one big act, orchestrated by the studio majors. The eponymous character thinks that he has super-powers - a whole lot of them ranging from super-bar & super-speed to laser vision. When he learns the truth, he is absolutely crushed. And then begins his real and biggest adventure to get back to his owner, co-star, Penny, a young girl with a heart-of -gold. Bolt is joined in his adventure by Mittens, the female alley cat, and Rhino, a TV-obsessed hamster.

The film's voice cast features John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Malcolm McDowell, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Greg Germann, James Lipton, and Grey Delisle. It is directed by Chris Wiliams and Byron Howard. The original music has been scored by John Powell and the soundtrack has the brilliant track 'Barking at the moon' sung by Jenny Lewis, and also the Miley Cyrus and John Travolta end-credits number 'I thought I lost you'.
This computer generated animation flick has been handsomely produced by Walt Disney Animation Studio, who had released it in theaters in 2008, but I couldn't catch it on the big screen due to poor exhibition schedule (once again for an English-language film) here in Kolkata. I am thankful to my sister for making me watch it eventually.

Rapunzel

Rapunzel is the age-old fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

This classic tale, with all the standard ingredients of a well-told fairy tale has charmed us for generations. But, now, the story is all set to make a re-emergence as a new-age 3D animation film from the Walt Disney Animation Studios as the forthcoming big ticket release, 'Tangled'. It features the voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi along with several others.

The original music for the film has been composed by Alan Menken and the lyrics have been penned by Glenn Slater. Slated for a theatrical release this winter, the film is making all animation feature buffs wait in eager anticipation. Hence, a look at the beautiful visuals.

Pics - courtesy: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Purely illustrative. No copyright infringement intended.

3 Wonderful Animation Films from Hollywood

This year I am delighted as an animation film lover that 3 really beautiful Hollywood animation features were released at the Kolkata multiplexes. 'Wall - E' surely tops the list with being the most 'out of the box' kind of Hollywood film. Though I am a great fan of the previous Pixar hits, 'Ratatouille' and 'Finding Nemo', this is surely a film that is a must-see for all film-buffs. Director Andrew Stanton has created a sublime, captivating animation adventure that is surely going to feature in the textbooks of cinema.


'Horton Hears a Who!' is the other film that charmed me early this year. The simple delight of Dr Seuss fantasy is unmistakably imprinted in this adaptation. It is touching and utterly entertaining for all ages. Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Isla Fisher, Seth Rogen, Jesse McCartney, Carol Burnett are among the voice-cast members.


'Kung Fu Panda' is the third noteworthy animation offering from Hollywood. It has the Dreamworks magic working in its favour. The film is noteworthy, especially for its exquisite animation and the splendid ensemle voice-cast, which includes the likes of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Michael Clarke Duncan and Lucy Liu.

AniMagical Preferences

In the words of Francis Bacon, 'Imagination was given to Man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is'. The world of animation-films opens the floodgates for entertainment for mankind, through a pampering of both imagination and humor. Here is a selection of animation films that have enthralled me over the years, and as they transport me and all others to a world of fantasy, fun and magic, I call this listing AniMagical Preferences, albeit personal and biased. The films have been enlisted in a ranking that is exclusively mine, given alongside are the years of release:
1. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
2. Finding Nemo (2003)
3. The Lion King (1994)
4. Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)
5. The Little Mermaid (1989)
6. Aladdin (1992)
7. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
8. The Rugrats Movie (1998)
9. Robots (2004)
10. Happy Feet (2006)
11. The Polar Express (2004)
12. Shark Tale (2004)
13. Toy Story (1995)
14. Antz (1998)
15. Shrek (2001)
16. Shrek2 (2004)
17. Ice Age (2002)
18. Cars (2006)
19. Chicken Little (2005)
20. The Incredibles (2004)
21. Anastasia (1997)
22. The Road to El Dorado (2000)
23. The Prince of Egypt (1998)
24. Pocahontas (1995)
25. Mulan (1998)
26. Titan A.E. (2000)
27. Madagascar (2005)
28. Brother Bear (2004)
29. The Jungle Book (1967)
30. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

Aladdin

The Lion King