Animation Archives | Otaku No Culture

The Garfield Movie, Just A Lazy Movie That Isn’t Feline Enough

Some long running franchises should be left alone, and others deserving of a continuation. But with The Garfield Movie, it seems the theatrical rights holders made the film just to hang on to this work for a little bit longer.

The Garfield Movie (2024) Honestly, the live-action CGI movies with Garfield are much better than this strangely titled film, which moves “the” word around. Instead of Garfield the Movie, it’s The Garfield Movie. It’s like someone at Sony Marketing was as lazy as this fat cat, and couldn’t think up another title.

Sadly, Chris Pratt cannot deliver everything I know this cat must be. He was okay in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but here, there’s just no excuse. The tonal quality, lack of sarcasm and not even an ounce of grump could be heard. Lorenzo Music is the definitive voice, and the only worthy successors before this recast was Frank Welker and Bill Murray.

Continue reading “The Garfield Movie, Just A Lazy Movie That Isn’t Feline Enough”

The Tiger’s Apprentice Mewling Roar. Looking into the Bold Differences.

Just what viewers can learn from The Tiger’s Apprentice is buried in a fairly standard monomyth. Had there been more emphasis on this aspect of the narrative, this work could have roared.

Now Available to purchase on Amazon USA (DVD)

Raman Hui‘s attempt to adapt the novel, The Tiger’s Apprentice, to become a possible new animated franchise sort of works. When it’s supposed to look at Chinese folk beliefs, what’s shown feels quite light. It lacks that sense of wonder which Light Chaser Animation‘s works excels at. The differences is well explored with the home video release due to the bonus content, and although this film has its heart in the right place, I wished it could’ve done more with why Ming yun (destiny) matters.

Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo) must be ready to become the next guardian and when he’s not even sixteen yet, the force determined to kill him must do so before the coming of every Lunar New Year. Most people know that a select group of animals represent each lunar cycle, and I get the sense that Loo (Michelle Yeoh) is not picky on when to destroy him. I’m also not sure if she’s been trying those few weeks before the end of every twelve months, but if she doesn’t do so quickly, he’ll be strong enough to defeat her! That sense of urgency isn’t conveyed, because during this film, the last time she successfully chased the boy down is during the Year of the Ox.

Continue reading “The Tiger’s Apprentice Mewling Roar. Looking into the Bold Differences.”

What’s Next for X-Men 97? And A Wish List for Storylines to Adapt

There’s still a lot of questions that needs answering in X-Men 97 when it comes to connecting with the original Fox series. But as it leaves one legacy era behind, what’s next is promising.

X-men 97 Logo With more than twenty years of new source material to draw from, there are plenty of new arcs to consider adapting for X-Men 97. Not everything has to be from the Chris Claremont years, and now that season one is over, fans, and critics can debate over what worked and did not. I’m glad the series recovered with the next arc being from Grant Morrison’s “E is for Extinction” from the New X-Men. Here, viewers learn Professor X’s evil twin sister Cassandra Nova is getting into the thick of things, and after the lacklustre “Inferno,” (review link) all hell breaks loose in Genosha! A lot of mutants die! Also, when the series is moving into storylines that I’m not as familiar with, I’m open to new interpretations.

That includes the eventual return of Apocalypse and a new team of Horseman for season two. Apparently, I still want answers to two lingering issues. Jean Grey’s connection to The Phoenix was never fully severed, and I’m wondering if that means some kind of return down the road.

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine Vol 1 Also, I miss Shadowcat aka Kitty Pryde. She’s quite important in the comic book version, and has had the quite the adventure and for some readers, they saw her grow up from being that not so confident teen hero in the X-Men to a Guardian of the Galaxy, and even has a few ninja type skills to boot! Although she didn’t have much to do other than be a damsel in distress in the non-canonical pilot for the animated series, and I still find it strange that there’s still no mention of her. She did appear in X-men: Evolution, set in an alternate universe, but when will she be in X-men 97?

Whether this series wants to address that or not, I’m still hoping! With the past days of Claremont no longer a reference point, what’s presented so far has me considering if I should try to get caught up with everything printed from 98 on up. In this series, I like that Bastion is a figure hard to deal with. He’s not your typical 90s style villain. Whether he’s been stopped for good in the season one finale, I shan’t say. Hopefully the next season’s arcs will consider his villain’s ongoing influence to build on the teased made.

Continue reading “What’s Next for X-Men 97? And A Wish List for Storylines to Adapt”

Welcome to TheNFB’s Hothouse 14! Showcase is Online and Fancy Free.

Hothouse is about reimagining ways of making animation—ways that are faster and more flexible, and that embrace the many possibilities of the animation process while achieving creative and technical excellence.

The National Film Board of Canada’s Hothouse animation apprenticeship program is a great way to see emerging talents showcase their visual design skills. It’s sometimes less about the stories presented and at other times more about what an individual can do within a medium that’s sometimes challenging to use to tell a story. What I find engaging is what each person can dream up.

Sometimes it’s just a melody and other times just an experience, and I offer a quick look at this year’s collection of works. The theme is “Small Things Considered,” where filmmakers had to consider how things grow from a germ of an idea. They’re now available to view online.

AMMA
Akash Jones

Amma - Hothouse 14 I’m sure everyone can relate to this work about a youngster about to leave the nest. Although his mother means well, even I get that when too much is too much and hope that there’s time to do what you want. It’s a classic why me scenario that many will get, and hopefully this filmmaker has his peace.

Continue reading “Welcome to TheNFB’s Hothouse 14! Showcase is Online and Fancy Free.”

The NFB at Sommets du Cinéma D’animation 2024

There’s a lot of amazing talent to find at Sommets du Cinéma D’animation and although I’m focusing on TheNFB, there’s much more to experience during closing weekend.

The NFB has an enormous presence at Montreal’s Sommets du Cinéma D’animation (May 6–11) with eleven productions and co-productions. With almost half being world premieres, it’s a good time to celebrate why filmmakers like animating their projects than go live-action. Sometimes, its due to what the visual arts can offer through direct symbolism.

And what I present are my takes on those works which impacted me the most. It was tough to nail a top five, so to break from the norm, I present my favourite three.

As this festival is all about celebrating why animation is wonderful. Sometimes what’s presented is heavy, and other times it’s light-hearted. There’s a bit of everything to enjoy, and for up-and-coming talents, who knows, they might find a job with a studio in town or somewhere in Europe next. Not everyone wants to work for specific studios, and to have a place to present their innovative works is important.

Continue reading “The NFB at Sommets du Cinéma D’animation 2024”

TheNFB’s May Release Schedule Celebrates More Than Asian Heritage Month.

And we offer a recap on titles we reviewed some months ago, and include a look at what’s coming, our top picks and trailers of a few TheNFB works too (where available).

TheNFB National Film Board of Canada LOGO Spring is in the air, and there’s lots happening over at the National Film Board of Canada. Not only are they also celebrating Asian Heritage Month, but also recognising new talents in the medium of animation and storytelling. It’s great to see that there’s some Asian talent being recognised in this TheNFB’s Hothouse program.

Here’s a list of what’s here and coming soon:

Starting May 1
Asian Heritage Month AT THENFB

Following a multi-award-winning festival run, Toronto creators Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma’s animated short doc Boat People uses a striking metaphor to trace one Vietnamese family’s flight across the turbulent waters of history. Our review can be read here, and it’s a strong piece to bring awareness about those grandparents who gave up a lot to give their children, and their kids a brand new life. (disclaimer: some of the video attachments are geolocked to Canada)

Continue reading “TheNFB’s May Release Schedule Celebrates More Than Asian Heritage Month.”