Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Well, its been a busy two weeks, and one relaxing week of holiday, but I'm finally back and blogging. To make up for the missed weeks I'm going to review three films this weekend, starting with the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013). 

An animated CGI film for children based on the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and a sequel to the film of the same name, Cloudy is a roller coaster of colour, energy and puns that barely stands still for a second. 

It opens with a brief recap of the previous films events, explaining how wannabe inventor Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) created a machine that turned water into food, which started making food weather, and then got out of control and had to be stopped. This brings us up to the present, a few minutes after Flint has succeed in saving his home island from the food weather. On top of the world Flint and his friends - Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), Brent (Andy Samberg), Manny (Benjamin Bratt), Earl (Terry Crews), his Dad (James Caan) and pet monkey Steve (Neil Patrick Harris) - agree to set up a lab together now that everything is over. However, Flint's hero Chester V (Will Forte), a food bar inventor cleverly introduced during the recap, turns up and offers to clean up all the food leftovers on the island and hire Flint. With his white beard and sleek company Live Corp, that keeps releasing updated food bars, Chester V seems to echo the late Steve Jobs and the Apple corporation - though I don't if that's intentional.

Several months later however, it seems Chester's people are running into problems on the island -  giant, cheeseburger spider problems. Chester tells Flint he must return to the island, track down the machine and shut it down - before cheeseburger monsters learn to swim and attack the Statue of Liberty. A task Flint willing accepts. Of course all is not as it seems. Chester actually thinks Flint is a dispensable chump, and has a more sinister agenda for finding the machine.

I really enjoyed this film. It's a wonderfully colourful, and the world of the food island looks amazing, especially the candy rock mountain full of glowing crystals. Meanwhile the food creatures are really creative - shrimpanzees, potato hippopotami, peanut butter and jelly fish! Some of the creatures are also really, really cute - the marshmallows and a strawberry called Berry in particular look adorable. 

I think the design of the characters is great too - particularly Flint with his mad hair, and limbs that flail around wildly - watch him type, his fingers don't actually press the keys. Chester is also a fantastic creation, almost the opposite of Flint in his gentle, smooth movements.  

Most of all though, this film has incredible energy. The characters and the story can move very quickly, and there's always something happening on screen - its like the film is having a sugar rush. 

Now, personally I can't decide whether this is good or bad. On the one hand this energy makes it stand out. Other animated films like Tangled or Flushed Away have nowhere this much speed to them. On the other hand, I felt like it needed to slow down a tad, as it seemed to barely stop to breathe, and that some scenes perhaps should've been a bit slower or quieter - like the end scene on the fishing boat. 

Then again I am an adult, and honestly I think this film is more for kids. That's not a bad thing, in fact I think its nice to see a kid's film that doesn't seem to be trying to hard to appeal to adults. However, Cloudy perhaps does not have the same level of subtlety and maturity that say Monster's University (2013) or Toy Story 3 (2010) had to them. It's core message in the end is pretty straight forward, and its protagonist, is  also very childlike, making him more relatable to youngsters.

This does not mean adults cannot enjoy it enough. As I have said, it's incredible to look at, has a cast of genuine, likable characters and a playfulness to it you can't help but appreciate. And it has Neil Patrick Harris voicing a monkey - who doesn't want to see that? Whilst Gravity Falls fans will be thrilled to hear Kristen Schaal, the voice of Mabel, playing genius ape Barb. 

In summary
A creative, fast-paced film with a lot of heart. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 succeeds not just as a sequel but as fun film for both kids and adults. A recommended purchase for children this half-term. 

Scene 62: My Four Favourite Animated Films - that aren't Disney, Dreamworks or Pixar

Another list this week, and I've decided to look at feature length animated films. However I've also set myself a bit of challenge - I have to choose five films, that I really like, that haven't been produced by Pixar, Dreamworks or Disney! 

I decided to do this, firstly because I thought it would be nice to mention some alternatives to the big three animation companies, which let's be honest, do sort of corner the market on feature film animations, whether 2D or CGI.  

Secondly, over the last few months I've watched alot of reviews on Disney and Dreamworks films and its reminded me that though the films have managed to appeal to a wide audience they are still essentially family films.  

This means they can't deal with or depict certain things and certain issues, whilst films aimed at adults can - for example, Waltz with Bashir (2008) is about war and A Scanner Darkly (2006) is a sci-f thriller about drugs. 

1] Sita Sings the Blues (2008)

Animated films normally need vast amounts of people to make them, but not Sita Sings the Blues, which was animated by only one woman, Nina Paley.

Th film tells two stories. The first is from the great religious epic The Ramayana, and is about Sita, the incarnation of the Hindu goddess Lashkmi and her exile with her husband Rama and her abduction. The second story is an autobiographical one, about how the animator's marriage fell apart after he got a job in India. 

Sita's story is told in three different styles and through several different narrators. One of these versions is a series of colourful Flash animated musical numbers, using the songs of 1920's jazz singer Annette Hanshaw, and each song relates to a part in Sita's story and her feelings at the time. 

The film is very creative, and for a Western audience is a very entertaining and interesting introduction to the Ramayana. 

2] Persepolis (2007) 

The first time I watched this was late at night. It was in French and subtitled and I had to sit close to the television to make sure I caught all the words. I don't think I was quite older to fully understand it - the politics, the Marxism mentioned in it - but I loved it.

Persepolis is an autobiographical tale. Original a comic book, it is the story of one Iranian woman's life growing up - how the war and revolution in her country affects her, directly and indirectly, and how she grows and defines her own identity. 

The main character is fun, intelligent, strong and relatable, and the aanimation is lovely. It looks bold and simple, and yet there is a lot of detail in there. It is only black and white, but many tones are conveyed. It's really beautiful. 

3] Yellow Submarine (1968)

Yellow Submarine is an old favourite of mine. My father is a Beatles fan and I grew up watching this film in the same way I grew up with Disney films. 

Admittedly the story is nowhere near as epic or thought provoking as the previous two films I've looked at.  Its a simple tale of a bad guy taking over, and how one lone survivor finds a band of heroes (no pun intended), who must go on a journey full of wondrous adventures and eventually defeat the bad guy. 

However, what makes this special, other than nostalgia, is the creativity and the style of the film. The film is like one long series of set pieces or music videos for the Beatles music, using a variety of colourful, imaginative animation and mixed in from time to time with some photography and film. Look at the dull toned city during the song Elenor Rigby and then at the colourful, bold Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.  

Though the plot may be quite simple, there's a host of great characters and good dialogue the whole film is just an artistic 60's splash - an enjoyably musical and visual feature. 

4] Waking Life (2001)

This film is very strange. I watched this when after learning about rotoscoping, and wanted to see an example.

Waking Life, seems pretty much plot less, it is basically just a young man, walking around unsure whether he is awake or dreaming, and having a string of philosophical conversations with the people he meets. There is no resolution to the film, it is left very open-ended. The conversations and dialouge is thought provoking though, and it'll certainly leave you feeling intrigued. 

The  film's visuals are worth watching, and the film goes through a variety of rotoscoped styles - from more stylised and cartoony, to almost photographic. A mind-bending piece of cinema, visually and mentally. 

Scene 39: The Critic, A Cartoon Review

It's fascinating where a single memory, or a thought, can take you. 

Years ago I saw a Simpsons episode a character from another animated show, outside of the Simpson's universe, crosses over into the world of Springfield. I had never seen this other animated show, or heard of it, so I don't think I paid much attention to the character at the time. 

Then a few days ago, for some reason, I remembered that character again  - he had been a fictional film critic. This intrigued me. I promptly searched the internet, and I found what wanted - the episode had been A Star is Burns, the character was Jay Sherman and the show was The Critic. 

Still intrigued I then went and watched The Critic. This wasn't particularly difficult since there were only  two series, plus a clutch of webisodes much later on in 2000-2001. 

The show is set in New York  and centres around Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz, an overweight, balding, film critic in New York, who pans nearly all the movies he reviews. In the first series he also doesn't have much luck with women either. The supporting cast include his billionaire boss Duke, his make-up lady Doris, his parents, his sister Margo, his ex-wife, son and his Australian actor friend Jeremy. 

The episodes generally deal with Jay's relationships with his friends, family and women, and the struggle he has with his boss over the ratings for his show, Coming Attractions - Jay is not very popular with the viewers because he thinks every movie stinks, which is in fact, one of his catchphrases. 

The show was created and produced by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, with producer James L. Brooks who owns Gracie Films, in the early 90's - and yes, those names may look familiar because they have all been involved with The Simpsons, and there was fact actually some controversy over The Critic/Simpsons crossover episode, which Matt Groening apparently complained was just an advert for show, which had just moved to FOX.

Now, I have been trying not to compare to The Critic to The Simpsons, because even though it has a lot of links Springfield it is a totally different show.

However, the Simpsons is the biggest mainstream cartoon and I was introduced to The Critic through the same said cartoon, so perhaps its not to unsurprising, if I end up comparing Jay Sherman to Homer Simpson.  After all they are similar - fat, balding, attention seeking, useless at times, but also think Jay Sherman shares alot of qualities with another Simpsons character - Lisa Simpson.

Yep, Lisa. Why? Because Jay Sherman is often, like Lisa, the voice of integrity and reason in a world of stupidity. For example, in the episode Uneasy Rider where Jay quits his job rather than promote a chewing tobacco, pointing out to his boss that his audience includes children.  In other cartoons, including Family Guy and American Dad, the protagonist might have spent the whole episode realising that they should quit - Jay does in five seconds. 

Not to say that he doesn't put up with promotions for cigarettes and beer in his show in other episodes, but he does so unwilling. Much like Lisa, he can also be sensitive, considerate, insightful and sometimes unselfish. Jay generally wants to make the world better, though mainly in the film department.  

To be fair of course, the show isn't perfect. The stories, like any show, can be a bit hit and miss - and one episode even ended, annoyingly, without properly resolving a storyline. 

The fact that it was done in the early 90's does show too, from time to time - for example in a gag about Princess Diana. 

Also, if you are not American some of the cultural and political jokes may go over your head, more so than in current American cartoons - I am British, so I don't know who Milton Berle is, and whether its funny or not if he acts like a ninja. 

Nonetheless, I think it is an enjoyable cartoon which has a good mix of intelligent humour, silliness and slap-stick - and its I think its theme song by Hans Zimmer is  wonderful, especially the second series version. 

So it is rather a shame that The Critic was cancelled so early on. Though the series is on DVD now, and I hear that it has become something of a cult programme - so gone, but not forgotten at least!  To find out more about the series, check out this website: The Critic - starring Jon Lovitz.

Scene 30: Animated Movies, You Know, For Teens!

Whilst browsing through Empire this evening - looking for inspiration for tonight's blog post, as all I have been watching recently is How I Met Your Mother (he still hasn't met her yet...). I came across a trailer for an autobiographical film of Graham Chapman, which I think is set to be released in 2013. What makes it so unusual though and interesting though, is that the film is animated, by 14 different animation studios in fact! 

Because, lets be honest, it is not often that an animated film comes out solely aimed at adults. True, over the last few years CGI films have managed to appeal everyone with successes such as Toy Story (1995), Ice Age (2002), WALL-E (2008) and Monsters Inc. (2001).  As have some stop-motion films, such as Wallace and Gromit and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and Chicken Run (2000). 

However, an animated film, aimed solely at an adult audience is a rare thing indeed. After all, when is the last time you saw a Disney film with a 15 certificate? Exactly. 

There are only two films, off the top of my head, that I think of can be considered as more for adults. First of all is The Simpsons Movie (2007). Now, technically that is a family movie, but The Simpsons does lean much more to the adult audience in its use of humour and issues. Quite a lot of the stuff in The Simpsons will go over kids heads. 

The second, is the indie movie Sita Sings the Blues (2008). A beautiful film, completely animated by one woman, it would probably be best appreciated by adults. 

Of course, I don't think these can be the only films. So out of curiosity I decided to do a quick search and see what others I could find. What I found was a top twenty list that reminded me how many excellent animated films there were out there for adults. I couldn't believe I had forgotten them, especially some of my most favourite films, Persepolis (2007) and Yellow Submarine (1968)! 

Check out the full list of 20 Great Animated Movies for Adults here and please comment and tell me your favourite grown-up animated films.