Big Hero 6

 

http://www.disney.co.uk/big-hero-6

I happened to catch Big Hero 6 on an advanced preview back in January. But attendance on the reviewers accreditation course taught me the importance of timing. Posting a review too far in advance of the film's release will do about as much good as no review, as people will likely forget what that film was that such-a-body liked/didn't like. So I held off. By the time the film was released in February I'd still not written my review and then I was too busy to get it out there.

So I decided to wait until the film was due it's DVD release before unleashing my review on the world.

Those who know me already know that I love the film. And a select few of them would probably be confident to say how much I love it. But the rest of you are about to find out.

Big Hero 6 is the story of 14 year old Hiro Hamada and his big brother Tadashi. They are orphans who live with their Aunt Cass in the future mish-mash city of San Fransokyo. Hiro and Tadashi are both intelligent and talented boys, while Hiro uses his smarts to take part in illegal Bot Fights (I know - the fights aren't illegal, betting on them is!), Tadashi puts his to use in creating a healthcare robot that will revolutionise the healthcare system the world over. Baymax, the healthcare companion, can scan you, and is programmed with over 10,000 medical procedures. However, when Hiro finds he's faced with a more emotional type of hurt, Baymax steps up to the plate to find any way that he can to help him. And so begins the most adorable and heartfelt companionship since Wall•e and Eve.

Not only is the film one of the most beautiful Disney have ever produced, it's also simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. The first time I watched it I had to dab my eyes a couple of times, but in one of the final scenes of the movie the little boy who was sitting with the family in front of me started openly sobbing, and I could hold it together no longer.

Whilst recalling this moment I remembered when Up! came out a few years ago and my brother told me that he was planning to take my nephew to see it. I forewarned him that he would cry at the opening sequence but he asked how his son would feel. I said, he'll be fine, but YOU will cry. Because some things just don't effect kids the way they effect adults. But some things even kids know are sad. And Big Hero 6 definitely evokes the sad in all of us. Much like the first Disney movie I saw, Bambi. I remember crying a lot when I saw that and I must have only been around 5 years old.

When I wasn't bawling my eyes out I was able to appreciate all of the sumptuous cityscapes, the truly gorgeous inside of the teleportation portal, and all of the little nuances that Disney do so well. The things that make a Disney movie stand out. The main example would be when Baymax and Hiro are sitting on top of a balloon overlooking the city, and seeing that Hiro is swinging his feet from side to side, Baymax starts doing it too. Don't even get me started on the fist bump, I might cry again.

I will stick my neck out and say this is the best Disney movie (true Disney not Pixar Disney) in years. I just watched the special features on the Blu Ray and was surprised to hear one of the directors say that the first Disney movie he saw was Bambi (mine too - in fact I think it might have been the first film I ever saw at the cinema) and he actually started tearing up when he talked about the effect that had on him. If Disney keep employing guys like this, we might finally be getting back to a golden age of Disney. And that, well that is something I am very excited about.

See it. Buy it. Tell everyone you know to see it. And if you don't fall head over heels in love with Baymax I might have to deny all knowledge of knowing you. 10 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 4th January 2015

UK Release Date - 30th January 2015

Cast Overview

(Don't look if you don't like knowing who the voice actors are!)

Scott Adsit ~ Baymax

Ryan Potter ~ Hiro

Daniel Henney ~ Tadashi

T J Miller ~ Fred

Jamie Chung ~ Go Go

Damon Wayans Jr ~ Wasabi

Genesis Rodriguez ~ Honey Lemon

James Cromwell ~ Robert Callaghan

Alan Tudyk ~ Alistair Krei

Maya Rudolph ~ Cass

Directors ~ Don Hall and Chris Williams

Writers ~ Jordan Roberts (Screenplay), Daniel Gerson (Screenplay), Robert L Baird (Screenplay), Duncan Rouleau (Big Hero 6 Team and Characters Created by - as Man of Action), Steven T Seagle (Big Hero 6 Team and Characters Created by - as Man of Action), Paul Briggs (Head of Story) and Joseph Mateo (Head of story).

Muppets Most Wanted

http://www.disney.co.uk/movies/muppets-most-wanted

After the success of The Muppets in 2011, it was inevitable that there would be a further outing for Kermit and the gang in the not-so-distant future. But I certainly wasn't expecting anything on the scale of Muppets Most Wanted.

First, we have an international setting that takes in several European cities as The Muppets go on a world tour. Second, we have a human villain AND a muppet villain, double the trouble, and all the fun of the villain taking on the guise of the main man muppet Kermit. Third, we have lots of celebrity guest stars to help the story along. Oh wait, that part's not new, but still, stars are stars.

It moves at a bit of a faster pace than the 2011 Muppet movie, and I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. As with any Muppet movie they are best not taken too seriously, but if you sit back and just let the fun unfold you will have a great time. 

They take the time to introduce the new characters, whilst also giving the older characters plenty of room to manoeuvre, and even Walter from the 2011 movie makes several appearances. If you are a long time fan of the Muppets I don't even know why you're reading this, go and see it. If you're not, maybe wait for the DVD or if it's on TV, but then do give it a go, there's a lot worse you could see. 7 out of 10.

 

Viewing Date - 23rd March 2014

UK Release Date - 28th March 2014

Cast Overview:

Ricky Gervais ~ Dominic Badguy

Ty Burrell ~ Jean Pierre Napoleon

Tina Fey ~ Nadya

Hugh Bonneville ~ Irish Journalist

Rob Corddry ~ First AD

Mackenzie Crook ~ Prado Museum Guard 1

Celine Dion ~ Piggy's Fairy Godmother

Zach Galifianakis ~ Hobo Joe

Tom Hiddleston ~ The Great Escapo

Tom Holland ~ Theatre Manager

Toby Jones ~ Prado Museum Guard 2

Frank Langella ~ Beefeater Vicar

Ray Liotta ~ Big Papa

James McAvoy ~ UPS Guy

 Chloe Grace Moretz ~ Newspaper Girl

Miranda Richardson ~ Berliner at Window

Stanley Tucci ~ Ivan the Guard

Director ~ James Bobin

Writer(s) ~ James Bobin and Nicholas Stoller 

Based on Disney's Muppet Properties and Characters by Jim Henson 

Frozen

http://movies.disney.com/frozen

 

Disney have had a pretty good run recently, what with Tangled and Wreck It Ralph, as well as co-producing Monsters University and Brave with their colleagues over at Pixar. So when I learned (rather late) of Frozen's imminent release, I wanted to see it straight away, not even bothering to wait until the pandemonium of kids had calmed down. It's Christmassy too, what with all the snow, so best to see it now I thought.

 

Frozen tells the tale of two princesses, Anna and Elsa. Elsa discovers from a young age that she can magically create and manipulate snow and ice. Something her younger sister Anna uses to her advantage, waking her sister in the middle of the night to build snowmen with her, at all times of the year. However, when Anna is injured during playtime in the snow, the king and queen erase all memory of Elsa's power from her mind, and Elsa retreats into her room, and into herself. She locks herself away for fear of hurting her sister, and only friend, Anna. It's only when Elsa is to be crowned queen that she finally opens the doors, not only of her room but of the kingdom too. She soon discovers that letting her sister and the townspeople in is not easy, but keeping her secret is much harder still.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Frozen, although as with many 3D movies recently, I didn't think there was a huge benefit to the 3D. If you are a large family going to see this, especially with small children, I would recommend the 2D version over the 3D as I don't think it will be that noticable to the kids and will be a LOT cheaper in 2D.

 

As with any Disney movie, the animation and voice work is stunning, especially in the case of the two sisters. The 'fun' characters for the kids, Olaf the snowman and Sven the raindeer, are two of Disney's more endearing 'fun' characters, as these are usually a bit on the annoying side for adults.

 

It's a well made animation, for kids and adults alike and has a good story at it's heart, but it didn't connect with me as well as some other Disney stories. I can't quite put my finger on why, as it was as good as Tangled, if not better, but there was some personal element missing. I always cry at Disney movies and I didn't with Frozen. I'm not saying I have to cry for it to be good, but I associate the tears with an emotional connection, and if I didn't cry I can only assume that connection wasn't there.

 

It's still a fantastic film and one for all the family to enjoy, just make sure you go 2D so you've got money for popcorn too! 7 out of 10.

 

 

Viewing Date - 8th December 2013

UK Release Date - 6th December 2013

 

Cast Overview:

(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)

Anna ~ Kristen Bell

Elsa ~ Idina Menzel

Kristoff ~ Jonathan Groff

Olaf ~ Josh Gad

Hans ~ Santino Fontana

Duke ~ Alan Tudyk

 

Director(s) ~ Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Writer(s) ~ Jennifer Lee (Screenplay and Story), Chris Buck (Story), Shane Morris (Story) and Hans Christian Andersen (Inspired by his story The Snow Queen)

Monsters University

http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/

I might've mentioned my love of Disney movies, and that in recent years, this love has only grown with the addition of Pixar to the Disney family.

As I confessed in my recent Monsters Inc. review, that movie is my favourite Pixar movie. Without doubt. Only challenged by Wall•e, which I love, but which only manages second place to the tale of Sully, Mike and Boo. So of course, when Monsters University was announced 10 years after Monsters Inc. I was thrilled. But could it live up to it's predecessor?

Monsters University starts by showing us a snippet of the young life of Michael Wazowski, a small monster with big dreams. He's never found his place in the world until he visits Monsters Incorporated on a school trip. He is immediately drawn into the world of the amazing scarers and decides there and then that he must become one. He works hard at school and makes it all the way to Monsters University, which is where he meets James P Sullivan, or Sully as he's known to his friends. Despite the knowledge we have of what great friends they become later in life, they do not see eye to eye at first. But in entering the Scare Games with a group of misfit monsters, they must work together to make their team good enough to make the grade.

I picked Monsters University as my birthday movie this year. I'm not sure if that put more pressure on it or whether I still would have had high expectations due to my love of the first movie. Either way, sadly, Monsters University did not surpass the high bar set by Monsters Inc.

It was still a brilliant sequel/prequel to the first film, and it was fascinating to see how our well loved monsters started out in life, but without Boo the film did feel like it was lacking something. As far as kids are concerned I have no doubt that Monsters University will go down a storm. There just aren't many jokes for the adults to enjoy. 

As ever with Pixar, the animation is superb. They've really shown off their talents with some of the new monsters, there's a lot of detail so let your eyes just feast on it all. And at the end of the movie, if you don't come away with just a little bit more respect for these cute, err I mean terrifying little guys, I'd say you've missed the point. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 26th July 2013

UK Release Date - 12th July 2013

Cast Overview:

(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)

Billy Crystal ~ Mike

John Goodman ~ Sully

Steve Buscemi ~ Randy

Helen Mirren ~ Dean Hardscrabble

Peter Sohn ~ Squishy

Joel Murray ~ Don

Sean Hayes ~ Terri

Dave Foley ~ Terry

Charlie Day ~ Art

Alfred Molina ~ Professor Knight

Nathan Fillion ~ Johnny Worthington

Director ~ Dan Scanlon

Writer(s) ~ Dan Scanlon (Screenplay and Story), Daniel Gerson (Screenplay and Story) and Robert L Baird (Screenplay and Story)

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green

Mini Review

http://disney.go.com/the-odd-life-of-timothy-green/

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green has been sitting on the shelf since August last year. This is usually a bad sign for movies, but after Hansel and Gretel was a surprisingly enjoyable movie that had experienced set backs, I thought I'd give Timothy the chance to prove himself to me. It didn't hurt that the movie also features Jennifer Garner, who I'm a big fan of since I saw her TV show Alias.

The film tells the story of a married couple Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim (Joel Edgerton), who are sadly unable to conceive a child of their own. One night they fill a box with their ideals of what their child would have been if they'd been able to have one. They cite him or her having Cindy's heart, being a rock star and scoring the winning goal amongst many other things. They lock these notes in a box and bury it in their garden. That night Cindy and Jim are awoken by a storm and discover a boy named Timothy in their house. He says he has come from the garden and is their son. It soon becomes apparent that Timothy is no ordinary boy as he possesses all of the traits that were desired by Cindy and Jim. Could he really be meant for them?

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green may be a live action Disney movie but it's not as sentimental as you would expect from being associated with the famous animators. The acting is pretty decent from a lot of recognisable faces and the story is more heartwarming than heartbreaking. It's not outstanding but it's a nice film that all the family can watch and get something out of. 6.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 7th April 2013

UK Release Date - 5th April 2013

Cast Overview:

Jennifer Garner ~ Cindy Green

Joel Edgerton ~ Jim Green

CJ Adams ~ Timothy Green

Odeya Rush ~ Joni Jerome

Shohreh Aghdashloo ~ Evette Onat

Rosemarie DeWitt ~ Brenda Best

David Morse ~ James Green Sr

M. Emmet Walsh ~ Uncle Bob

Lois Smith ~ Aunt Mel

Dianne Wiest ~ Bernice Crudstaff

Ron Livingston ~ Franklin Crudstaff

James Rebhorn ~ Joseph Crudstaff

Common ~ Coach Cal 

Director ~ Peter Hedges

Writer(s) ~ Peter Hedges (Screenplay) and Ahmet Zappa (Story)

Wreck-It Ralph

www.disney.co.uk/wreck-it-ralph

If you've read my last review for Monsters, Inc. you'll know that I'm a massive sucker for Disney movies. So I knew I would see Wreck-It Ralph as soon as I saw the trailer. The fact that the movie was picked by my cinema buddy as his Birthday movie choice just made the decision to see it that much sweeter.

Wreck-It Ralph tells the story of a guy called Ralph who lives in an arcade game called Fix It Felix. Ralph's job is to wreck the building Felix manages. If you win the game, Felix fixes all of the things Ralph wrecks and it's game over for Ralph. But Ralph isn't a bad guy, not in the traditional sense of the word, and he wants to break out of his routine. He does this by jumping into another game, one that will make him a hero, but in the process he risks the lives of everyone else in Fix It Felix world, because without Ralph, they have no game.

Wreck-It Ralph, like most Disney movies, has an easy to follow premise. But it succeeds due to the finer details that only Disney think of. Although I didn't grow up in arcades, I can still appreciate the dedication that has gone into not only re-creating these games* for the movie, but also creating the lives of the characters in them. This is where Disney truly excel. 

The scene where Ralph is at 'Bad-Anon', which is basically alcoholics anonymous for bad guys, is so well thought out and executed you can't help but love every bad guy in that room. And if it doesn't make you look at bad guys in your gaming worlds differently, then nothing will. 

The voice work and animation are both superb as you would also expect, but Wreck-It Ralph's heart lies in showing us something we all want in our own lives, acceptance, and then making the characters work for it. 

Kids and adults alike will both get a lot from Ralph. Seeing it certainly didn't wreck my day. And if you get to the cinema early enough you'll also see the Oscar winning animated short film Paperman. Worth the admission alone. 7 out of 10. 

*All of the games featured in the movie are real games. Seriously. Go to You Tube, the games are on there!

Viewing Date - 8th February 2013

UK Release Date - 8th February 2013

Cast Overview:

(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)

John C Reilly ~ Ralph

Sarah Silverman ~ Vanellope

Jack McBrayer ~ Felix

Jane Lynch ~ Calhoun

Alan Tudyk ~ King Candy

Mindy Kaling ~ Taffyta Muttonfudge

Ed O'Neill ~ Mr Litwak

Director ~ Rich Moore

Writer(s) ~ Rich Moore (Story), Phil Johnston (Story and Screenplay), Jim Reardon (Story), Jennifer Lee (Screenplay)

Monsters, Inc. 3D

http://disney.go.com/monstersinc/index.html

My regular readers will know that I love Disney movies. My first cinematic memory is of seeing Bambi, and then being traumatised for life obviously. That aside, in recent years I have developed an even greater love of Disney Pixar movies. As the sister of an artist/animator I have always had an in-built appreciation for the painstaking process that goes into each frame, and I'm of the mind that Pixar's team not only pick out the best stories, but they animate them so beautifully that if you don't love them you must have a heart made of stone.

Monsters, Inc. was the first Pixar movie that I fell in love with. At that time I'd not seen Toy Story but even if I had I think Mike and Sulley would have surpassed any feelings I had for Woody and Buzz. The subsequent Pixar movies, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and even Wall.E were all wonderful but somehow the lovable monsters are always the ones I come back to. I will always remember seeing Monsters, Inc. for the first time. I was with my ex boyfriend and I cried like a baby when *spoiler alert* Boo had to go home. I still do. His reaction to my waterworks was less than understanding and made me feel ridiculous. I now refer back to my earlier statement that if you don't love them you must have a heart made of stone. It's now a requirement of any suitor that you have to have a love of Disney movies to date me.

So you can probably understand that with the impending release of Monsters University later this year, I was somewhat thrilled at the re-release of Monsters, Inc. in 3D.

For anyone who doesn't know the story, Mike and Sulley are the top team of scarers at Monsters Incorporated, the industry that makes energy for the monster world by capturing children's screams. One day Sulley finds a door, the gateway between the monster world and the human world, when the scare floor should be empty. He accidentally uncovers a plot by the second best scarer, Randall, to beat his score by kidnapping children. Meanwhile, the child Randall had planned to kidnap has escaped into the monster world. Believing children to be toxic to them, Sulley and Mike must try to find the girl and return her to the human world, whilst also putting an end to Randall's scheming ways.

Monsters, Inc. is not the most plot heavy of the Pixar movies but it's colourful and lively for kids whilst also having enough in jokes for the adults to keep them entertained. The voice actors do a fantastic job of making these characters lovable and memorable. And every time I hear the name 'Kitty' I will always well up a little bit. The animation is gorgeous, between the individual hairs that can be seen on Sulley and the expressions captured in Boo's perfect human face I can't fault the animators here one bit. It's all so well done.

If you haven't seen Monsters, Inc. I highly recommend it in 3D. And if you have, well then you know how great it is. Get down to your nearest cinema and see it again! 9.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 3rd February 2013

UK Release Date - 18th January 2013

Cast Overview:

(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)

John Goodman ~ James P "Sulley" Sullivan

Billy Crystal ~ Mike Wazowski

Mary Gibbs ~ Boo

Steve Buscemi ~ Randall Boggs

James Coburn ~ Henry J Waternoose

Jennifer Tilly ~ Celia

Bob Peterson ~ Roz

John Ratzenberger ~ The Abominable Snowman

Director(s) ~ Pete Docter, David Silverman (Co-Director) and Lee Unkrich (Co-Director)

Writer(s) ~ Pete Docter (Original Story), Jill Culton (Original Story), Jeff Pidgeon (Original Story), Ralph Eggleston (Original Story), Andrew Stanton (Screenplay), Daniel Gerson (Screenplay), Robert Baird (Additional Screenplay Material), Rhett Reese (Additional Screenplay Material) and Jonathan Roberts (Additional Screenplay Material).

Brave

www.disney.co.uk/Brave

I have considered myself a fan of Pixar's films since I first laid eyes on Sully and Boo. Sure I liked A Bugs Life, and hadn't yet discovered the joys of Toy Story, but Monsters Inc was the one that turned me back into a child. And it made me cry like a little baby.

I've gone to see every Pixar film since. I've laughed (mostly at the fun ones like Cars), I've cried some more (at Wall.E) and I've routed for a team of toys on more than one occasion!

So of course, when Brave was announced I couldn't wait to see it. Even though I didn't really know what it was about. Anyone who's seen the trailer will probably be scratching their head as much as I was. Let's just say that the bosses at Pixar have kept their cards very close to their chest on this one.

Brave is the story of a young princess in Scotland who has a very unladylike hobby. She loves nothing more than riding her horse and shooting things with her trusty bow and arrows. So when her mother tells her that three prestigious families are coming to their land to win her hand for their sons, she is more than a little against the idea. The princess Merida runs away as fast as her horse's legs will carry her and soon stumbles upon a witch who promises to solve all her problems. As tends to happen in these type of stories, the spell doesn't go quite to plan and Merida must work with her mother to try and undo what she has done.

I don't want to give too much of Brave's story away as the trailer doesn't at all really. What I will say is that it's not too complex for kids and not so dumb that adults won't appreciate it either. It's not overly sad for a Pixar film (no-where near UP or Wall.E standards) but one little kid in front of me balled his or her eyes out at the end. The animation is stunning as always. From the girl who loved Sully and just wanted to curl up in his beautiful blue fur I can say that the team have really pulled it out of the bag again with Merida's hair. What a stunning mane she has. Just take your time looking at those lushious locks of hers, you won't be disappointed that you did. 

Similarly stunning were the landscapes and the sky. Just gorgeous backgrounds on this film that really make it worth seeing in 2D. Yes you read that right. The 3D makes it darker so don't pay the extra for this film as it's really not required. The colours come to life in 2D so don't make the wrong choice by opting for 3D. 

It's not Pixar's best but it's stunning to look at and the voice work as ever is superb. 7.5 out of 10. 

  

Viewing Date - 19th August 2012

UK Release Date - 13th August 2012

Cast Overview:

(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)

Kelly MacDonald ~ Merida

Billy Connolly ~ Fergus

Emma Thompson ~ Elinor

Julie Walters ~ The Witch

Robbie Coltrane ~ Lord Dingwall

Kevin McKidd ~ Lord MacGuffin/Young MacGuffin

Craig Ferguson ~ Lord MacIntosh

Director(s) ~ Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell (co-director)

Writer(s) ~ Brenda Chapman (Story), Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi (Screenplay)

The Lion King

http://www.disney.co.uk/lionking/index.jsp

I have long been a fan of Disney, from classic Disney when I saw Bambi at the cinema as a child, all the way through to their recent collaborations with Pixar. But one of the Disney films I had never seen was The Lion King. This has shocked a lot of people I know as The Lion King is not only regarded as one of the best Disney films, it's also all about lions. Which I love.

So when I heard that The Lion King was being re-released at the cinema in 3D I knew I had to take the opportunity to finally see it.

*synopsis contains spoilers*

The story, for those unfamiliar, is of Simba, a lion cub born to the lion king Mufasa on Pride Rock in Africa. He is a mischievous cub, always getting into scrapes, until one day his father is killed trying to save him from a wildebeest stampeed. Convinced by his uncle Scar that he should leave Pride Rock to avoid the shame of his actions, Simba runs away vowing never to return. He soon collapses from the heat in the wastelands and is rescued by a meerkat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa who teach him their philosophy of 'hakuna matata' which means no worries. All is well with the three of them until one day when a lioness called Nala tries to kill Pumbaa. Simba soon realises this is the lioness he grew up with and she convinces him to return to his homeland and face up to his uncle who has run the kingdom into the ground.

I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed with The Lion King. I wanted to see it for so many years and I really wanted to love it. I thought the animation was excellent but the story left something to be desired. And considering my love of lions I feel that says quite a lot. I thought the middle section with Timon and Pumbaa was the most aimed at children and as such, the least enjoyable for me. I couldn't help but feel if I'd seen it when I was younger I might've liked it more.

I also found the voice actors very distracting. Whereas Disney/Pixar tend to go for unknown or character actors now, it seems back then they went for the most recognisable voices possible. *If you don't know who the voice actors are and don't want to know, don't read the rest of this.* The most recognisable of all the voices is James Earl Jones as Mufasa, the whole time I was waiting for him to say "Luke, I am your father". I mean who casts Darth Vader as a voice in a Disney film? The next was Rowan Atkinson as Mufasa's advisor Zazu, a very odd choice for a mostly American cast. And of course, the villain of the piece had to be English didn't he? Jeremy Irons seemed to relish his role as Scar, and did a wonderful job, but again, he has a very recognisable voice. *Okay, now you're safe to read on.*

Aside from playing spot the voice actor I just found the film to be a little on the boring side. Knowing that Elton John wrote the songs for the film I was also a bit disappointed that there weren't that many songs in it. I'd expected there to be lots more. And finally, I don't think the 3D really added anything. Even my friends who were fans of the film said the same. 

Having said all that, I think if you're already a fan, it will be nice to see on the big screen again. If you haven't seen it, try to keep your expectations low. And if you don't like it, well then why are you reading this? 6 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 8th October 2011

UK Release Date - 7th October 2011

Cast Overview:

(If you don't want to know, don't scroll down!)

Young Simba ~ Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Adult Simba ~ Matthew Broderick

Young Nala ~ Niketa Calame

Adult Nala ~ Moira Kelly

Mufasa ~ James Earl Jones

Timon ~ Nathan Lane

Pumbaa ~ Ernie Sabella

Scar ~ Jeremy Irons

 Zazu ~ Rowan Atkinson

Shenzi ~ Whoopi Goldberg

Director(s) ~ Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

Writer(s) ~ Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton (Screenplay),

Brenda Chapman (Story Supervisor),

Burny Mattison, Barry Johnson, Lorna Cook, Thom Enriquez, Andy Gaskill, Gary Trousdale, Jim Capobianco, Kevin Harkey, Jorgen Klubien, Chris Sanders, Tom Sito, Larry Leker, Joe Ranft, Rick Maki, Ed Gombert, Francis Glebas and Mark Kausler (Story),

J.T. Allen, George Scribner, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Jenny Tripp, Bob Tzudiker, Christopher Vogler, Kirk Wise and Noni White (Additional Story Material).

Tangled

http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/tangled/

Ah, the first Disney movie of the year, and who doesn't love Disney? *Cue everyone to leave a comment badmouthing Disney!* Well me personally, I LOVE Disney. Pixar have recently taken over in my animated affections but Disney movies still hold a place in my heart. The last 'pure' (see below # for definition) Disney film I saw at the cinema was The Princess and The Frog which really surprised me. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did as I'd been watching and loving Disney Pixar for so long.

Unfortunately this meant that I put quite a lot of expectation onto poor Tangled and I'm sorry to say that it did suffer a little under the strain.

Tangled is a re-jigging of the familiar fairy tale 'Rapunzel' and indeed features Rapunzel (and her abundant flowing locks) in the lead role. Rapunzel is a princess who was kidnapped as a baby and locked away in a tower. Her kidnapper, an old hag who has discovered that Rapunzel's hair contains magical powers that can make her young again, locks her in a tower and tells her frightful stories so that she will never leave. The hag, Mother Gothel, tells Rapunzel that she is her mother and is keeping her in the tower for her own good. Rapunzel grows up never knowing of her real heritage, and although she loves her (fake) mother, and would never defy her wishes, she longs for the outside world. In particular she longs to see the lights which appear in the sky every year on her birthday. Unbeknownst to Rapunzel, the lights are lanterns released by Rapunzel's parents, the king and queen, and of the inhabitants of the kingdom. They release the lanterns every year on Rapunzel's birthday hoping that one day, they will bring about Rapunzel's safe return. 

Through a series of events which I won't go into, Rapunzel meets handsome thief and general scallywag Flynn Rider, who agrees to lead Rapunzel to the castle so that she can watch the lanterns on her 18th birthday. Of course, this being Disney she meets a whole host of unlikely friends and dastardly foes along the way to her destination. 

I said earlier that Tangled suffered under the strain of my expectations of it. And it did. Please don't take this to mean that I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't recommend it. As I did, and I would. I just wouldn't necessarily rush out and buy it. For me Tangled felt like it lacked something? I have a feeling this was the lack of a real villain. Don't get me wrong, mother Gothel is far from a kindly old lady, she kidnaps baby Rapunzel and locks her in a tower for Pete's sake, but she isn't really evil? She takes care of Rapunzel for all of those years, doesn't overly seem to mistreat her and Rapunzel loves her as her own mother for most of the movie? This leads me to think she can't have been that bad? It's only when facing the loss of her secret youth that she strikes out. To me, this just ain't old school Disney. The villains used to be truly evil and strike fear into the hearts of small children. And I don't think Tangled's Gothel would scare a mouse, let alone the hardened youth of today.

As usual I digress. Tangled is as well made as you would expect from Disney's standards, the 3D is excellent, especially in the beautiful lantern scene. The characters have all been brilliantly brought into the 21st century (Gothel aside as she should have been scarier), the songs are good and not too annoying or too frequent for non musical fans and it's a movie that all ages can, and probably will, enjoy. 7 out of 10.

#'pure' Disney meaning the old style animation - although I appreciate Tangled is CG - and not in conjunction with Pixar

Viewing Date - 6th February 2011

UK Release Date - 28th January 2011

Cast Overview:

(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)

Rapunzel ~ Mandy Moore

Flynn Rider ~ Zachary Levi

Mother Gothel ~ Donna Murphy

Stabbington Brother ~ Ron Perlman

Director(s) ~ Nathan Greno and Byron Howard

Writer(s) ~ Dan Fogelman (Screenplay)

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (Fairy Tale)