disney

Cartoon Corner: The Ghost and Molly McGee Season 1 Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Sweet Baby Corn! It’s time to Enhappify!

What’s the Story?

Scratch is one cantankerous old ghost and, honestly, he wouldn’t have it any other way. His town is miserable so, even if the ghost council wants to, they can never send him to the Flow of Failed Phantoms. What does it matter if all the other ghosts shun him and he eats mainly out of trash cans? The only way things could possible go wrong for him is if some super excitable and worryingly exuberant tween girl happened to move into his house. But even then, Scratch has a full proof plan, he’ll just curse the girl so that he will forever follow her around until she leaves his house for good! It’s not as if this girl, Molly, will interpret the whole ‘follow her wherever she goes’ thing as meaning that Scratch is her new best friend, right? Wait…uh huh. Oh dear. Sorry Scratch, you’ve really only yourself to blame for this one.

The Review:

And once more the Disney train comes a rolling into this station. For however much we fear our corporate overlords I can’t deny they have an eternal grip on my soul, or in other words… like a parasitic worm, they live in my heart! (Sorry for the rather disturbing analogy but this show’s songs are alarmingly catchy and several lines like that are currently stuck in my head). Disney has been on it’s A-game with cartoons in recent years, from Gravity Falls to the Duck Tales reboot they have knocked it out of the park again and again. Admittedly a very noticeable pattern has emerged with these Disney shows, usually focussing on a cast that includes an energetic, if slightly odd, middle school girl, some sort of over-arching mystery and a dark sense of humour. Does ‘The Ghost and Molly McGee’ follow this same pattern? Mostly, I’ll get into the differences in the next paragraph, but the far more important question is, is this another win for Disney? In my humble opinion, absolutely yes.

Let’s get into those differences though, starting with my check list. Energetic, slightly odd middle school girl as a main character? Check. Dark sense of humour? Also check, I’ll refer you back to those song lyrics about the parasitic worm (plus an alarming amount of things die in this series, mostly animals but we do see one old guy die on screen. At least until Scratch grabs his ghost and shoves it back into his body). That just leaves the over-arching mystery and that’s where the checks stop. There is a single plot thread that could become over-arching, but so far it’s only really been important in two episodes and there’s no mystery to it. Outside of that this is very much a slice-of-life style series with each episode consisting of following Molly and Scratch on two different misadventures.

This is a very fun and charming show. Not only is it wittily written, but it has a host of lovable characters to fill up each episode. Molly’s exuberance is infectious and Scratch is a big softie at heart, as much as he tries to hide it. Then of course there’s the turtle-obsessed Libby, Molly’s mad family and all the ghosts and the townsfolk. It’s not a laugh-a-minute, but you won’t have to wait long before the show has you smiling again. Part of that I want to put down to the animation. This is a very expressive show and it isn’t afraid to exaggerate or make things look a little, well, ugly in order to make a joke really land. In a way this series reminds me of a lot of cartoons from the late 90s/early 2000s. There’s something a bit ‘Ren and Stimpy’-like about the way Molly’s face scrunches up from time to time. Throw in some top notch vocal performances and you have the recipe for well-produced comedy that can suck you right into its world.

Talking about those vocal performances though, that brings me to the songs. Each and every episode features at least one song and all of them are some of the catchiest tunes I’ve heard in a while. My hat goes to the performers and the writers that managed to cover a wide array of styles with some odd-yet-killer lyrics. My three personal favourites are ‘Abraham Lincoln’, which gives Hamilton a run for its money, ‘Just Give’ which feels like the Disney theme song in how it demands your money and ‘Awesome Best Friends Day’, which while short perfectly sums up Molly’s personality. There’s also the opening theme which is what got me interested in this show in the first place.

The Verdict:

In the end, The Ghost and Molly McGee is a another winner for Disney’s vast cartoon library. I’m a little sad that they’re stepping away from the more mystery-focused adventure series and back towards slice-of-life comedies, but I have to admit this is a top notch comedy. With catchy songs, witty dialogue and a great cast of characters backed up by some truly expressive animation I really don’t have a single complaint with this show so far, I’ve loved it from beginning to end. However you want to describe this series it certainly can’t be as any sort of a curse. Sign me up for forever with this show!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

The Infallible Fish Reviews: Encanto

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Welcome to the Family Madrigal!

What’s the Story?

Deep in the mountains of Colombia there lives a magical family, the Madrigals! Chased from their home generations ago this family was blessed with a magic candle that never goes out. Now, when they come of age, each generation of Madrigal children is granted their own special gift by that candle. One can make flowers bloom out of thin air, one is super strong, one can control the weather and another can hear a pin drop from a mile away. Everyone has a gift, well, except for Mirabel. She never got a gift and while she loves her family, it can be hard being the only one who isn’t special. When Mirabel sees cracks spreading through the walls she might have just found her chance to show everyone what she’s really capable of. Can she work out what’s threatening her family’s magic before it tears them all apart?

The Review:

I feel like I haven’t talked about a Disney film on this blog in a long while, the last film I reviewed was Frozen 2 all the way back in 2020. I have nothing against ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ or any of the recent Pixar films, but I just didn’t have anything to say about them. They’re all just the usual standard I expect from Disney, great animation, good voice cast and a heartfelt story. Raya had some issues but nothing that would have taken up a 1,000 word review. I wasn’t planning on reviewing this film either, but having finished watching it a couple of hours ago its still sat in my head. It could be the songs, I am a sucker for a good musical and this is a damn good musical.

Let’s start there. All the songs are catchy and had me bopping along, plus they all advance the plot/explore the characters as musical songs should. Then there’s the added bonus that the songs are all perfectly spread out throughout the film so it doesn’t feel like the film forgot it was a musical halfway through (I’m looking at you Frozen). I guess this is what happens when you have someone like Lin-Manuel Miranda writing your music. The guy’s so talented it is legitimately frustrating.

Also, I just want to take a moment to talk about the staging in this film because a lot of this feels like a Broadway production. Time freezing around Mirabel as she wanders off and sings her ‘I Want’ song. The dynamic visuals of Luisa’s song showing off all her fears in their full hallucinatory glory. In fact dynamic is the key word for this film, there’s so much energy and movement that you feel like the characters are just a second away from grabbing you and pulling you right up alongside them in the scene. Each song feels like an event and I love the way we transition into, through and out of them.  I take my hat off to the animators and directors.

Enough about the music though, what about the actual characters? I have to say Mirabel has to be one of my favourite Disney leads in a few years. She’s completely adorable, full of energy and so easy to sympathise with. It’s not easy being the only ‘ordinary’ one in a family of super-talented people, not that I have any experience of that, I’m an only child, but the film makes you emphasise with Mirabel. I also like the fact that this doesn’t make Mirabel bitter, she loves her family, truly and deeply, she just wants to help out and know that she’s a part of things. I also give the film credit for showing that things aren’t exactly easy for her siblings either. Yes they have superpowers, but the pressure and expectations that puts on them isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

That’s what this film is about in the end, family and coming to understand one another. Across the film, Mirabel’s quest to find whatever it is that’s threatening the magic candle leads to her getting to know her family better and they get to know her. There’s no villain in this film, surprise or otherwise. There’s some antagonism sure and a few arguments, but what family doesn’t have those, and in the end everyone works through their issues and comes together. This film is also a good study of generational trauma and how the fears of one generation can get passed on down through the family. It’s not as good as say, Coco, but it’s a little extra seasoning to an already enjoyable story. There isn’t really much else to say other than if you haven’t already checked this film out then you need to. I’m happy to report that the Disney magic is alive and well.

The Verdict:

In the end, Encanto, is a tremendous amount of fun. Full of colour and energy it’s got some great songs and striking visuals matched with a really likeable cast. Mirabel might just be one of the most sympathetic Disney leads I’ve seen in a while and her journey to save her family and getting to know them along the way is full of laughs and tears. Throw in Disney’s top notch animation and there really is no other word for this film than magic, so if you’re in the mood to get your foot tapping then just find your door and walk on it. Welcome to Encanto!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Cartoon Corner: DuckTales (2017) Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Life is like a hurricane, here in Duckburg,

Race cares, lasers, aeroplanes, it’s a duck-blur!

Might solve a mystery or rewrite history!

DuckTales! Woo-oo!

What’s the Story?

When their Uncle Donald drops Huey, Dewey and Louie off at the home of the richest duck in the world, Scrooge McDuck, they have no idea how their lives are about to change. Whether its battling the wicked sorceress Magica De Spell, saving the world from an invasion of moon people or even taking on the schemes of the villainous F.O.W.L. organisation, there’s danger around every corner, but also a real adventure! Together the McDuck family are going to cross the globe, tracking down mystical treasures and uncovering lost secrets, even a few related directly to their family. What did happen to Huey, Dewey and Louie’s mother? Who are Webby’s parents? And, most importantly of all, why does Scrooge hate Santa Claus so much? All the answers and more are waiting for you, so grab on and let’s Dewey this!

The Review:

The Disney train has rolled once more into this blog and, honestly, I couldn’t be happier. Disney has really been on their A-game with their cartoons in recent years. Gravity Falls and Tangles the Series are two of my favourite cartoons ever (almost reaching the same league that I put Batman the animated series in, almost). Owl House (you can read my review of season 1 HERE) and Amphibia (season 1 review HERE) are both doing great things, though the news about the former ending so soon is a disappointment. We’re not here to talk about any of them though. No, we’re here to discuss what is, in my opinion, Disney’s absolute best cartoon they’ve produced so far.

I want you to understand just how strong that praise is coming from me and for that you need context. I can remember watching a couple of episodes of the original DuckTales cartoon when I was a kid, but I was never particularly beholden to the series. Disney movies had me glued to the screen, but when it came to cartoons? I was more of a Warner Bros guy. I have no nostalgia for DuckTales, Huey, Dewey and Louie were non-existent characters and Scrooge was fairly one note as far as I was concerned.

Now? Now I want to hug them and cherish them and go on crazy adventures with all of them. This show has worked it’s magic on me and across it’s three seasons it’s made we fall deeply, passionately in love with each and every one of it’s characters, and this show has a lot of characters! Whether it’s cheering at the reinvention of Darkwing Duck, my heart bursting at the reunion of the boys with their mum, Della, or even just watching the boys and Webby bonding, I have nothing but love for this show and I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now it’s all over.

I mentioned reinvention and, really, that’s what this show is best at. Just take our primary characters for starters, Huey, Dewey and Louie, for the first time that I’m aware of, all have distinct and fun personalities. Dewey is the overly-eager young daredevil, always rushing into trouble with a desperate need for attention and approval. Huey is the nervous boy scout, always looking for the solution, planning forty steps ahead and panicking when things don’t go according to plan. Louie is our little conman, always able to talk his way out of situations, even if he’s as lazy and greedy as they come. Then there’s Webby who’s gone from the ‘girl’ to an awkward adventure-seeker, who spent much of her early life in isolation but makes up for it by being an absolute badass!

Then there’s that extensive cast that I mentioned and, while I may not have watched that many Disney cartoons in my youth I can recognise a cameo and a deep cut when I see one. From Rescue Rangers to TaleSpin, if there’s a Disney cartoon out there it’s got a mention in here somewhere (honestly I was expecting Gummy Bears and Gargoyles to get a mention by the end) and all the characters get smart and fun updates for the present day. I love this show’s version of Darkwing Duck and the journey that the character goes on across the seasons (from a cameo on a TV screen to a fully-fleshed out character with a new backstory!). You can feel the passion and the attention to detail that the creators of this show have poured into it.

Of course it’s not just classic characters getting a revamp, we actually have a fair few brand new characters that are added into the mythos, and all of them fit perfectly! This biggest and most important is one I’ve already mentioned, Huey, Dewey and Louie’s mum, and Donald’s sister, Della Duck! Yes, I’m as surprised as you are, a mother character in a Disney property who isn’t dead or magically vanished off screen before the first act begins! (Admittedly she is missing for the first season as the over-arching plot is about finding out what happened to her, but she makes her way back in season 2 and from then on she’s a part of the main cast!).

Della is a perfect example of what this show does so well, adding to the wider mythos of the show while also being her own unique character and smart and funny and just brilliant in every way. I could go on and on about this show, I haven’t even gotten into how this show perfectly balances episodic adventures and an over-arching plot, or some of the impressive blending of 2D and 3D animation, but this review is long enough already. Just watch this show guys, you won’t regret it.

The Verdict:

In the end, DuckTales (2017), is the best Disney cartoon to date as far as I’m concerned (sorry Gravity Falls and Tangled). It’s a beautifully crafted show with smart, funny writing, engaging characters and some really top-notch animated sequences. All the while it also pays homage to a legitimate classic (even if I don’t particularly care about it) while still going in its own direction and being additive rather than reductive. If you want to know how to reboot a franchise, heck if you just want to know how to write a stellar cartoon, then you need to check this show out. So what are you waiting for? Grab on to some DuckTales! Woo-oo!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Cartoon Corner: The Owl House Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

“This is clearly not the PG fantasy world I always dreamed about.”

What’s the Story?

Luz is a self-assured teen just bursting with imagination and creativity, unfortunately that often gets her into trouble. Her latest stunt, a book report involving live snakes, is about to get her sent to summer camp to learn to curb her wild behaviour, that is until a tiny owl steals one of her fantasy books! Giving chase, Luz finds herself transported to a strange, and often grotesque, world, the Boiling Isles! There she is taken in by rogue witch Eda and her adorable demonic partner, King. This may not be the kind of fantasy adventure that Luz has always dreamed about, but it could be just the one she needs. Who needs summer camp when you can instead become an apprentice witch!

The Review

One last stop on the Disney train for this year (they’ll be more next year. Sorry, not sorry. The last couple of weeks have really put me in the mood and there’s a couple of shows that I should have talked about before. So look forward to them!) Anyway, let’s talk about The Owl House. I have been dying to watch this series ever since I saw the promotional images for it last year, it’s first season has finally dropped on Disney+ (part of the reason I even signed up to that service) and it is pretty much everything I wanted. Now I’m not going to claim it’s the ‘Greatest Thing Eva!’, it’s only a first season after all and it’s still got plenty of potential it can grow into, but at the same time I had a lot of fun with this show. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for the current tend of fantasy cartoons with an often hinted at mystery in the background and The Owl House handles all of those elements really well. I like the Boiling Isles as a setting, the series has a great colour palette and I love the grotesque-without-being-gross designs of the locations and inhabitants. What’s really hooked me in though is the humour and the characters.

I knew this series and I were going to get along with the very first joke, in which we see a typical fantasy witch confronting a snake monster and declaring that she’s a ‘warrior of peace’. Then she screams ‘Now eat this sucka!’, turns her staff into a bazooka and just blasts the monster. ‘My only weakness! Dying!’ I could quote the jokes of this series all day long and never get tired of it. That’s not to say the series is wall-to-wall jokes, some of my favourite moments are actually some of the more quieter, characterful ones, like when Luz admits to Amity that she’s not a witch, but she’s training hard to be one (that scene breaks my heart every time).

Let’s talk about the series’ two best girls for a second (Yes I’m a Lumity shipper, what of it?). Luz is energetic and impetuous, which often gets her into trouble even though she has the best of intentions. The series is very obvious with it’s themes of Individuality VS. Conformity and Luz is right in the middle of that. She has her own way of seeing and doing things and the series is very much on her side when it comes to her expressing herself as she wants to, as the show says “Us weirdos have to stick together”. Yet, at the same time, it’s not completely dismissive about joining in with the group either. There are benefits to being in a group, not least surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Eda may gripe about the series’ coven system that locks you into one way of magic, but it’s pointed out a couple of times that Luz has to make up her own mind. Conforming without compromising your individuality, that’s a more nuanced lesson that I’m glad this show is putting forward. Plus Luz is an adorable dork that I just can’t help but root for, watching her learn magic in her own way is a joy across the season.

Now let’s talk about Amity, who may just be the most well-developed character in this series. When we first meet her it looks like she’s going to be the typical school bully character, picking on a fellow classmate for being weaker at magic than her. Yet with each episode she appears in we learn a little bit more about her, and why she’s the way she is. From her overbearing parents to her tormenting siblings, Amity strives for perfection and doesn’t believe she can show any weakness. Yet each time she comes in contact with Luz, her character grows, adapting to this strange new person in her life and pretty soon Amity has evolved from the bully into a potential love interest. (On a side note, check out the song ‘Little Miss Perfect’ on the Write Out Loud youtube channel, it perfectly sums up Amity and has been embraced by us Lumity shippers as our national anthem.) I’m really looking forward to where the show is going to go next with her character and what more we’ll learn about her history.

As for the rest of the characters, Eda, King and Hooty probably take my third, fourth and fifth favourite spots, in that order. They’re all really fun and the banter that they share always brings a smile to my face. Before I wrap this up though, there’s one last aspect of this show that I really want to talk about, the animation. Disney always has quality animation, even when it’s stuck with a TV budget, but there are some spectacular moments throughout this series. The duels between Eda and Lilith and Luz and Amity’s dance magic combo in the Grom night episode being my particular highlights. The animation just flows so beautifully I couldn’t help but be carried away by it.

The Verdict

The Owl House is a good show and a great starting point with a lot of potential going forward. The characters are all funny and likeable, each in their own adorkable way, and they continue to grow and change across the season. There’s a strong theme of Individually vs. Conformity, with a more nuanced answer than I was initially expecting. If you’re after a fun fantasy adventure and don’t mind some grotesque character designs and setting, then I’d definitely recommend this. I can’t wait to see what season 2 has in store for us!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Cartoon Corner: Tangled the Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Plus Est En Vous!

What’s the Story?

Freed from the tower and the clutches of her kidnapper/abusive parental figure, Mother Gothel, it looks like Rapunzel finally has her happily ever after. She’s reunited with her real parents, has the man that she loves, Eugene, in her life and the whole kingdom of Corona to welcome her home, what more could she possibly want? Whatever it is that’s missing it’s enough to convince her to take a late-night trip out beyond the walls with her new handmaiden, Cassandra, to where the Sundrop Flower once grew. Now there are indestructible black rocks growing out of the ground where the Sundrop fell, and when Rapunzel touches one they suddenly begin to grow. That’s not the only effect though as the magic inside Rapunzel is reawakened, giving her back her incredibly long golden hair and brand new magical abilities. Adventure is calling for Rapunzel, it will take her to the Dark Kingdom and back, test her closest friendships and even see her facing a near-immortal evil from Corona’s past. Nobody said being a princess was easy…

The Review

I love Disney, always have always will. Doesn’t mean I won’t make fun of them or call out the machinations of our corporate overlords, but when the business suits get put away and the creators and talent working behind the scenes can just do their thing, Disney produces some of the best in the business. That brings me to Tangled the Series (also known as Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure from the second season onwards). I’ve talked about this show a couple of times before on this blog, which you can check out HERE and HERE, and I am very much in love. Is it the greatest cartoon that Disney has ever produced? No, that’s a three-way death match between Gargoyles, Gravity Falls and the latest DuckTales cartoon (potentially the Owl House, but we’ll talk more about that next week). That being said, Tangled the Series genuinely inspires me as anyone who’s ever visited the Disney folder on my Deviantart account will probably be able to tell. (In fact, to save you the trip I’ve put some of my favourite pieces throughout this post!)

This show is proof that it doesn’t matter what your idea is, what matters is how you do it. I have no idea how this series got the initial green light. You want to make a series following on from Tangled? A film that pretty succinctly wrapped up its plot, has no dangling plot threads left over and even has a short to give us all the wedding scene we wanted. Also you want to set the series in-between the film and said short so we know for certain nothing is going to happen to any of the characters that appear in the short, because they have to be there. What are you supposed to do with that? If it was me I’d have thrown my hands up in defeat at the first script writing session, but luckily I wasn’t on staff for this series because they did have a plan. Not only that, they pulled out literally all the stops, bringing back Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi to voice their characters again and putting Alan frickin’ Menken on music. Tangled the Series is what happens when you take an idea and pour as much talent and passion into it as possible.

Let’s talk about the animation, which is another highlight of this series for me. I’ll admit it took me a few minutes to get used to it, but now I’m fully onboard. Disney’s been trying out this style in some of their shorts for several years now, it’s this weird mix of 2D and 3D where I’m not sure if it’s 3D models textured in such a way that they look 2D, or if it’s 2D characters somehow ported into a 3D space, or a mix of the two. Whatever it is it really works, even on a meagre TV budget. There are certainly some shots where you can tell that something is off, but then there are other times when the animation is free to dive into these big sweeping shots that just take your breath away. Add on the utterly gorgeous backgrounds and the storybook look to everything and it’s like you’ve stepped into a Mary Blair sketchbook. (FYI, Mary Blair was an artist/animator who worked for Disney back in the early days, think Sleeping Beauty and you’ll get the look I’m talking about. Also, check out her concept art because it’s all gorgeous). When I’m in love with a series’ art style I often say I want to take each frame of animation and hang them up on my wall, well, for this series I want to cover every wall of my house with frames from this show. I love it and, honestly, I’m praying that Disney will try this style with a big budget film some day.

What about the story though? It’s all well and good bringing in all these talented people and making everything look really, really pretty, but it’ll all fall flat without some substance behind it. Thankfully I love the story of this series as much as I do the artwork. What took me by surprise the most was the attention to character detail. Admittedly I was just expecting this series to be silly princess hijinks in the capital, which is how the series starts, but there’re little bits that show just how much the creators get these characters. Rapunzel’s reaction to returning to the tower for the first time, her dad waking up in the middle of the night, terrified that he’ll lose his daughter again and the things that fear makes him do… all of it is spot on.  Rapunzel is by far the most interesting Disney princess to me, she’s spent her whole life trapped in a tower, she knows nothing of the outside world and is probably the most child-like princess in the Disney canon. She’s never had to make difficult choices, she’s never had responsibility, but now she does and we follow her as she struggles along that journey. Honestly it’s been a joy to watch her grow up as she’s tackled everything from friends betraying her to ancient evils and shocking revelations about those around her.

That’s something else I have to give this series credit for. It effortlessly adds and expands on the mythos of the film, turning it from a fairy tale story about a flower with healing properties into a grand adventurous epic. I mean I never expected ancient wizards, goat-headed demons and alchemists’ robots to turn up in a Disney princess story, but somehow it all works. The only real complaint I have about the story is the amount of filler episodes it has. Tangled the Series works very much on the tent pole format, where there are several episodes in each season that progress the series’ arc and need to be seen, but all the ones in-between just tend to maintain the status quo and keep things chugging along. The tent pole episodes themselves are all fantastic, and I love them, but the filler are a bit more hit and miss. Don’t get me wrong, some of the filler episodes are my favourites in the series, but others are very much just padding. Fun padding, but also obviously padding. It’ll probably be less of a problem on a binge watch, but watching it week to week it can wear you out waiting for the story to get properly going again. It’s not a major problem though and I do enjoy if not outright adore 99.9% of this series.

On a final note, I can’t leave this review without mentioning the music of the series. As I mentioned earlier they got Alan Menken back and I am so glad that they did. The songs of this series, in my opinion, are actually better than the movie’s. Nothing against Tangled’s songs, I do have a great deal of fun with them, but nine times out of ten, the ones in this series pack so much more of a punch. From the sheer joy of songs like ‘Wind in My Hair’ and ‘The View from Up Here’, to the heartbreak of ‘Waiting in the Wings’, the Broadway power of ‘Nothing Left to Lose’ and the epicness of ‘Ready As I’ll Ever Be’. These songs are scattered throughout the series, mostly in tent pole episodes and the majority of them knock it out of the park, especially the villain songs (though personally I think of them as ‘antagonist songs’, but I can’t talk about that without spoilers so I won’t). Just go listen to them, you won’t be disappointed, though some songs may come with spoilers so be warned.

The Verdict

All in all, Tangled the Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure is a fantastic series and a true testament of what you can do when you put talent and passion into your idea. Combing a clear understanding of the characters with a dramatic storyline, expanding mythology, breath-taking art style and some toe-tapping songs, it’s been a joy to watch. I’m still sad that this series has ended now after three brilliant seasons, but I’m also incredibly grateful that I’ve gotten to go on this journey with these characters in the first place. It’s not perfect, but this is the series that cemented Rapunzel as my favourite Disney princess, potentially my favourite Disney character period. Check it out, maybe you’ll have had as much fun as I did.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

There’s one last stop for the Disney train this year as we take a look at one of Disney’s latest productions, Next Week…

Take a trip to the Boiling Isles!

The Infallible Fish Reviews: Frozen 2

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Cursed into the form of a talking cartoon fish by a half-mad deity known only as the Writer, the Infallible Fish has no idea who he is, or where he comes from. All he does know is that he has a burning urge to watch some animated stuff.

And he did! For 6 glorious years he gushed over the exquisite and bemoaned the dull and infuriating. He tried genres he’d previously shied away from, found new favourites, made friends, and celebrated classics and unsung greats alike. Yet there was a foe waiting for him on his 6th anniversary. The first foe. The Frozen Foe. It is time to close the circle. It is time to review…

Water has memory, apparently.

What’s the Story?

Everything is just perfect in Arendelle. Since the end of their last adventure, Queen Elsa and Anna have an unbreakable bond, Kristoff is so in love he has marriage on his mind and everyone is just so content and happy, what could possibly change that? How about the strange voices that have been calling to Elsa? Or the four nature spirits that have spent years locked away behind mists, only for Elsa to unleashed them on an unsuspecting Arendelle. To save their home, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven will have to travel beyond the mists and into an enchanted forest. There they will learn the truth of the sister’s heritage and face a potentially destructive choice for their kingdom. Nothing lasts forever and autumn is the season of change…

The Review

I’m 6 years old! Okay, I’m not, I’m five times that age now (physically at least, mentally I’m still in my late teens), but I’ve been writing this little blog o’mine for six whole years and that surprises me more than anyone else. I never really had a plan for this blog, a few stray ideas like the backstory for my character that you saw at the top of this post, but that was it really. I just needed some place to talk about what I wanted to talk about, plus it’s done wonders for my writing and my confidence in my own voice. Honestly I’ve had a blast writing this blog these past six years and I hope to have a blast writing it for the next six years and beyond. If you’ve read even one of my posts, then you have my heartfelt thanks, I hope you’ve enjoyed what I do here and will continue to enjoy it going into the future. Enough preamble though, let’s get down to business. October 31st 2014, I wrote my very first review for the, at the time, latest Disney animated film, Frozen (which you can check out HERE if you’re curious). I had mixed feelings about the film at best and really those feelings were the catalyst for this whole blog. It took me a long time to come to terms with my disappoint in the first film, most of which was really the fault of my own overhyping and expectations clashing with what the film actually was, plus a few minor complaints.

I was nervous coming into this sequel, I mean Disney does not have the best track record with sequels to begin with. Then the first trailer hit and my hype rose to the ceiling. It was so dark and moody, showed a perfectly executed scene and promised exactly what I wanted from the first film. Elsa using her powers in an action sequence for more than five seconds! Hints at where Elsa’s powers come from! Anna wielding a sword like the knight she truly is! Then the film released and the reviews were…middling, which brought my hype right back down and, honestly, that was probably for the best. So what did I think of the film? It’s…okay. It’s not terrible by any stretch, it’s also not going to break into my top 10 Disney films any time soon. It’s just…okay and that’s fine. I did enjoy watching the film, but I can also see its problems pretty clearly and why it didn’t resonate with people as much as the original did.

I think there’s a fair argument to be made that Frozen 2 does improve on its predecessor in some areas, just not all. As the trailer promised, Frozen 2 gave me several things that I’d been crying out for in the original. Elsa is the shining star of this film, she’s throwing her ice powers around like a total badass, taking on all comers, and honestly her fights with the different spirits are probably my favourite parts of the film. The animation is top notch, as I expect from Disney, I mean the whole reason I sold my soul to this company was on the understanding that they consistently produce work from animators and creators at the top of their craft. The textures and the colours are just superb in this film, I mean just watch that cascade of water at the end of the film it is just outstanding from a technical standpoint. Part of my disappointment in the original was from the animation, honestly I think Tangled looked better (yes I’m a Tangled fanboy). The autumnal landscapes of Frozen 2 add that little extra bit of colour that the original was lacking, plus six years of technological development.

Where the original Frozen beats Frozen 2 though, and this is by far the more important area, is in its story. Frozen had a very clear story. Elsa has ice powers, which she is afraid of. She loses control of her powers and runs away, Anna must then travel up the North Mountain to find her sister and help her gain control over herself and her powers. The story is a single straight line, with every element and character playing into that story. Frozen 2 is much more muddled. Everyone has their own separate storyline and they barely intersect at all. Kristoff keeps trying to propose to Anna, and keeps messing it up (also Anna is paying him no attention at all and I think that’s something they need to work on before the idea of marriage comes up). Honestly it’s a one-note joke that has been done better elsewhere, even by Disney cough Rescuers Down Under cough. Olaf has nothing to do whatsoever expect for make bad jokes and it quickly takes him from loveable doofus to the annoying comic relief we all feared he’d be in the first film. Anna’s story is good in concept. After fighting so hard to reconnect with her sister she’d desperate to keep a hold of her, so much so that it’s consuming her and that is a fascinating development for the character. Unfortunately the storyline just doesn’t get the time it needs to develop and the resolution is kinda lacking.

Elsa’s story is the primary focus of this film, delving into where her powers came from, her family history and, really, Elsa discovering who she truly is. That storyline is very well done, the whole ‘Show Yourself’ sequence is probably my highlight of the film, it’s one of the few times where the film actually got an emotional response out of me. That smile as Elsa sings with her mother, truly, finally, understanding who she is was just magnificent. Back to the problem though, because none of the other characters are actually really needed for this plot. Elsa is the only necessary character, potentially Anna as she tries to hold Elsa back, but all the other characters are just kind of there. Honestly it does make me wish that this film was just Anna and Elsa. If it was me I’d just have them encountering wild spirits and dealing with the dangers of the forest, all the while paralleling the first film. This time, instead of chasing after her sister, Anna has to learn to let Elsa go and discover things for herself, and that that doesn’t mean they’ll never see one another again, far from it. It would also mean that we wouldn’t have to include random tribe and random soldiers that are also just kind of there.

I mean, if you do want to introduce this tribe into the lore of the series, as well as these spirits and mythology, as well as giving everyone something to do you’re going to need more than a film’s run time to do it. We really need to get to know these people and this locale if you expect the audience to care and there’s just not enough time or focus to do that here. Maybe if you had like a series worth of episodes you could do it. Nah, that’s silly. I mean what Disney film would get a series expanding its mythology and developing it’s characters. Cough Tangled the Series cough Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure cough. Sorry, I swore I wouldn’t compare this film to Tangled, no, I’ve got a review specifically for that franchise later in the month!

The Verdict

In the end, Frozen 2 is a decent film. If you’re an Elsa fan you’ll probably love this as she is the shining star, leaping into the action and finding herself while also finally explaining exactly where her powers come from. If you’re a fan of anyone else however, I’d suggest going back to the first film. The animation is spectacular and more than up to Disney’s usual standard and the songs are all enjoyable. It’s a fun film, treat it as such and you should have a good time, but this is not the start of yet another Disney renaissance (that honour still belongs to Tangled and I will fight anyone who says otherwise).

Thank you again to my wonderful readers, I hope you enjoyed this and will continue to enjoy my work here. Next week we’re back to anime as I have my first impressions of the current season, but after that we’re getting back on the Disney train for the rest of the month as there’s a couple of series I just have to talk about!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

The Infallible Fish Reviews: Tangled the Series Queen for a Day

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Blog Tangled Queen for a Day Review Title

“That is one determined horse.”

I’m four years old! Well, the blog is and to celebrate I’m getting indulgent again and looking at a franchise I love, and this year I’ve picked Tangled! A little while ago I reviewed the TV movie Tangled Before Ever After (you can read it HERE) and to sum up, I loved it! Tangled is the film that got me back into Disney and it will always have a special place in my heart, and whatever my initial worries about the TV series were, I’ve gone from pleasantly surprised with it to blown away. It takes a little while for it to properly find its footing, but when it does it’s really good. It’s smart, it’s funny and its wormed its way into my heart in much the way the original movie did. (Seriously, Disney, release the whole series on DVD, I will buy it in a heartbeat). That brings me to today’s movie, though movie isn’t entirely accurate. Really this is an extended episode of the series (episode sixteen if I remember correctly, though don’t fear, this works perfectly fine in isolation and is suitably epic enough to be released by itself), but enough waffling I’d better get on with the review!

Now while you don’t need to have seen any of the series to watch this film, you will need to have seen Tangled Before Ever After, but in case not, here’s the main stuff you’ll need to know. Rapunzel is out of the tower and struggling to acclimatise to life as a Royal and all the rules and pressure that brings with it. Needing a bit of breathing space Rapunzel and her best friend Cassandra went beyond Corona’s walls and came across some strange, indestructible black rocks. Upon touching one of these rocks Rapunzel’s hair started to glow and returned to how it was in the original movie, i.e. blonde and seventy foot long. The black rocks started to chase after Rapunzel, but she got away.

This story picks up in Old Corona, where the village there is being torn apart by the spreading black rocks. We’re introduced to Varian, a young alchemist who wants to study the rocks and his father, Quirin, the head of the village who wants everyone to stay as far away from the rocks as possible. Varian is, in a word, adorable. He’s the perfect mix of goofy and sweet, he’s like a puppy that you just want to hug, seriously the joy in his voice as he says he’s going to make sandwiches is infectious. Rapunzel meanwhile is shadowing the King and Queen and learning all the royal duties she’s one day going to have to take on, like listening to the worries and complaints of her subjects. In fact Rapunzel is going to get a trail period for her future role as the King and Queen plan to go on a two-day vacation for their anniversary, meaning that Rapunzel is going to be Queen for the day! (Title drop). Unfortunately Rapunzel is soon to learn that being in charge isn’t as easy as she thinks.

That’s what I love most about the Tangled the series (or Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure as the series has been renamed in season 2), it’s not afraid to progress the characters. Rapunzel is probably the most child-like Disney princess there is, which is understandable. She was locked up in a tower for eighteen years, never given a chance to grow up or get any experience with other people or the outside world. Back in the original film she makes the assertion that she never, ever, breaks a promise, and however much I love Rapunzel, that is something a child would say. Unfortunately for her this story is here to teach Rapunzel that sometimes promises get broken.

Now, back to the story, where a vicious snowstorm is blowing into Corona. At first Rapunzel is super excited seeing as how she’s never been outside in the snow before, but things start to get dangerous as the winds pick up and the temperature drops (Anyone else getting the urge to sing Colder By The Minute from the Frozen musical? No? Just me, okay). Though the rest of the cast aren’t having a much better day, the King and Queen get into an accident, their carriage going over a cliff. Meanwhile Varian is experimenting with the black rocks and ends up slowly encasing his father in amber. That’s one of the things this episode does well, it may have a fair amount of plot to jungle, but you can’t deny it does a good job of ramping up the danger again and again until things are as dire as they’ve ever been in Tangled.

Anyway, Eugene and the pub thugs convince Rapunzel to let them go out into the storm to find the King and Queen, Eugene showing that he may make a good king one day after all (character growth, love it!). Then comes the moment. This is the moment that this episode and the series as a whole went from pleasantly surprising (with the odd amazing episode, seriously go watch the Pascal one, it’s heartbreaking.) all the way up to mind blowing. You see Varian comes running in, begging for Rapunzel to come with him and help his father. She has some kind of connection to the black rocks and is the only hope Varian can think of, plus she did promise to help him. On the other hand though, the whole kingdom is in danger. This blizzard is threatening everybody on the island and if Rapunzel doesn’t stay and figure something out, that’s a lot of people that’ll be in trouble. Rapunzel has to make a choice and no matter what she picks, someone is going to get hurt. In the end Rapunzel picks her kingdom, meaning the girl that swore she would never, ever, break a promise, finally does, Varian having to be dragged away by the guards.

Character growth aside, that’s not going to stop a blizzard, but maybe an old legend can. Another thing I love about this series is that it’s unafraid to expand and add to the mythos of the original film. This time we get a legend about an evil warlock and the engineer who defeated him with a combination of magic and science, all of which leads Rapunzel to a machine hidden deep under the Corona Mountains. Of course we can’t just get the machine turned on and sort this out, no we have to risk the life of Pascal, who sacrifices himself in an overly dramatic, yet at the same time heartfelt way. The machine starts and its no surprise to anyone that Pascal survives. The series is maturely written, but that doesn’t mean a Disney cartoon is going to kill off a character (not unless their a parent anyway, actually it’s a wonder that Rapunzel’s parents have lasted as long as they have).

After all that the storm disappears and the King and Queen return home in one piece, all’s well that ends well, right? Well, Rapunzel is a little traumatised, over the course of the episode she’s sent her boyfriend out into a deadly blizzard, turned away a desperate friend, risked the whole kingdom on a legend and almost got her oldest friend killed, so, yeah, she’s not feeling super. In fact Rapunzel wonders if she can ever be a queen, though in a really sweet scene Eugene is there is comfort and encourage her (I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned, but Eugene and Rapunzel are probably one of my favourite couples, period, they have terrific chemistry and are always there to support one another, as a good relationship should be). Even that isn’t the end though because the episode decides it wants to step things up even further as we return to Varain. Feeling betrayed by Rapunzel and with his father completely encased by the black rocks, he swears that he’ll find the answers to free his father, no matter who gets in his way. Wait, did a side character, my cute puppy dog Varian, just turn into a villain? He did! In a Disney cartoon no less! Okay, I’ll admit, I know Varian’s story isn’t over yet, but Varian has the potential to be one of the greatest Disney villains ever. I can’t even think of a time that Disney has done the whole friend-turning-into-a-villain thing, they normally either stick to cackling, pure evil like Maleficent, or surprise villains like Hans in Frozen. There’s a lot of dramatic weight and story potential with Varian, and while I’ve seen some of what they’ve done with him, I can’t wait to see where else his story has to go. Again, it shows how this series isn’t afraid to evolve and grow things in a natural way, which is a heck of a lot more than I was ever expecting from this series.

Just to pull back on the praise of the series for a second, I do have a couple of gripes with the episode, most of them are pretty minor, but it just stops the story reaching perfection. For starters, while the episode makes the most of its run time, giving the main characters quiet, emotional scenes for them to grown in, this does come at the expense of some characters. Cassandra hardly gets anything to do in this story, outside of a couple of lines and a bit of a song. Considering she’s on the cover of the DVD I feel that’s a little unfair to her (I’ll admit I didn’t like her character that much at first, but she’s grown on me). Also because there’s so much going, a few scenes and plots feel a bit squeezed, I mean we’ve got to deal with the blizzard, Varian’s story arc, Rapunzel dealing with being a queen and Eugene going to rescue the King and Queen. It’s not a major problem, but I feel like a couple of scenes could have used a few more seconds to let them breath to get a bigger impact out of them.

My last quibble isn’t really the stories fault and more one of how this episode has been released (i.e. as a standalone with no sign of the full series being released any time soon). Now the story works perfectly fine by itself, you can jump straight into it after Before Ever After, but I do feel it’s so much better if you watch it as part of the series, as intended. As a part of the series you get introduced to Varian before this story and get to spend a few episodes getting to know him and even the Pascal fake out is better because the series genuinely made me care about the little guy prior to this point. Also the episode does leave a few things hanging, like the secrets that Varian’s father has been keeping and what Varian is going to do next, so you’ll have to watch the series to find out what all that means (though not everything has been revealed yet). Minor quibbles though as I said.

On the whole, I love this episode as I love the series. The characters, voiced again by some superb talent, and the story is allowed to grow and evolve in natural ways (something I appreciate so much). The animation is bright and energetic, it’s well written and it has a couple of really catchy songs. Rapunzel’s ‘I’ve Got This’ is toe-tappingly infectious and Varian’s ‘Let Me Make You Proud’ is stunningly sung by Jeremy Jordan. Worth it for any Tangled fan. Now, Disney, about that full series DVD release…

As I mentioned at the beginning this is my four-year anniversary of running this blog and I just want to thank everyone that has commented on, liked or even just read one of my posts. I still get an immense amount of pleasure out of just rambling on about shows and films that I love and shows that frustrate me and I thank you for putting up with me while I do it. It means a lot to me, so here’s to the next year, I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday.  

Infallible Fish Reviews: Tangled Before Ever After

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Blog Tangled BEA Review Title

“Piece of cake! Have you not seen the seventy feet of my-father’s-going-to-kill-me growing out of my head?”

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Disney fan and Tangled in particular is a favourite of mine (it’s on my top 10 Disney films list HERE). Tangled was the film that got me back into Disney after those dark teenage years were I thought Disney, and even cartoons in general, were just for kids (I can only admit that I was an idiot and throw myself on the mercy of our Mouse Overlord). Tangled was, and still is, smart, funny, gorgeously animated and Princess Rapunzel herself was brave, hopeful and strong in all the ways that’s needed.

Yet, when I heard that Tangled was getting a TV movie and even a series to follow, I will admit to some trepidation. On the one hand its great to have a chance to further explore Rapunzel’s world, however, Disney sequels tend to be notoriously…bad and we’ve yet to get to Frozen 2 or Wreck It Ralph 2 (please be good. Please be good.), so I didn’t know if the curse was broken. That and it’s a TV movie and no offence to the TV branch of Disney (you’re wonderful people, keep up the good work), they don’t have the budget or the full might of Disney animation backing them up, so, yeah, I was nervous.

The DVD has finally been released over here in the UK though and I am so glad to report that this is a good movie. I just slipped right back into the world and it was as if I’d never left, probably helped by the fact that Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are here to reprise their roles as Rapunzel and Eugene respectively. Sure things look a little different that the original movie due to a new animation style (I’ll come back to this in a minute), but the characters and the world are all as they were and yet more at the same time. The characters get to evolve in logical and understandable ways, we even get a bunch of new characters to add to the cast, the script is smart and funny and we even get a quick look around Corona with a little bit of added history and plenty of mystery.

The story picks up six months after the film, and before the short Tangled Ever After, with Rapunzel finally returned to her loving family, getting used to being a princess in a fancy castle and with her boyfriend, Eugene, always by her side. Things couldn’t be more perfect, or could they? Something doesn’t feel right to Rapunzel and while she loves her family, she can’t help but feel restrained by all the rules and expectations now placed on her as the one-day-to-be-Queen. You can’t help but wonder if Rapunzel has just traded one tower for another. Things aren’t made any better when Eugene puts her on the spot and proposes! Rapunzel can’t take this and storms out. She just needs to breathe. She just needs to get out! Luckily Rapunzel’s new friend Cassandra has a way to sneak her outside.

Which just about brings us to the songs. There are two new songs in this film (well, technically three, but the last one is a reprise of the second) and in an example of how the creators behind this film really wanted the best for it, they got the Alan Menken back to do the songs. He’s really on form with ‘Wind in My Hair’ and ‘Life After Happily Ever’, both are catchy and great and brilliantly preformed, especially by Mandy Moore. I really love some of the lyrics, with them ranging between poignant and funny.

Back to the story though and I do have to commend how it treats the characters so maturely. This could so easily have been such a clichéd story, but it’s the writing and the performances that really raise it above the bar. My hat especially goes off to Levi and Moor who effortlessly fill their characters with such familiar warmth its as if they never left. Moments like the King stood at the window, hearing the night that Rapunzel was taken from him all over again, help you to get inside his head. Yeah he’s being harsh and frustratingly overprotective, but you get why. He’s afraid. He doesn’t want to lose his daughter all over again and he’ll do whatever he deems necessary to protect her. There’s a beautiful line where he admits that the night she was kidnapped the best part of him died.

Even Eugene is handled maturely, admitting that while he doesn’t understand why Rapunzel turned down his proposal, he’s going to keep trying until he figures it out. It’s nice to see an actual relationship in Disney that goes past the initial honeymoon period, with a few bumps in the road, but that doesn’t dent their love for one another. Well done Disney.

Anyway, plot, Rapunzel and Cassandra sneak out and find a bunch of mysterious black rocks that are unbreakable. What’s more, once Rapunzel touches them, the rocks start multiplying, growing out of the ground and chasing after the two. Then Rapunzel’s hair starts to glow and grow until she’s back with the long golden locks she’s known for. They manage to escape the rocks, but now Rapunzel has the small problem of hiding her, now unbreakable, hair from her family, something she can’t do when a bunch of thugs crash her coronation party and try to kidnap the king. This is my only real complaint about the film, the villain. While Lady Cain is a good villain, she’s a threat and has a good motivation (hinting further at the tyrannical rule of the King of Corona, but that’s for another day) the problem is she’s hardly in the film. She hardly interacts with Rapunzel and her motivation is something that we never get to see, it’s just told to us. I couldn’t help but feel she’d be a much better antagonist if the film had an extra twenty minutes to give some time to her.

Finally, the animation, I will admit it took some getting used to, but I like it. It’s simple and clean, very much looking like a flash cartoon, but in a painted style and is done in these gorgeous pastel colours. It moves well and there are a couple of shots and camera movements that are just breathtaking. It’s very much 3D animation masquerading as 2D and if this is the way Disney is going I’m on board with it. The greatest strength this movie has though in the visual department is its use of colour. There are some achingly beautiful uses of colour in this film, from the bright and vibrant colours of the castle and the town to the darker shades of the kingdom beyond the wall. Everything just really pops and I really like it.

All in all Tangled Before Ever After is a great continuation of the original film, allowing the characters to evolve and grow in a natural way. It’s filled with great performances, catchy songs and smart writing, even if the villain could have used a few more scenes. True there isn’t much resolution to the mystery of the unbreakable rocks and Rapunzel’s return to being blonde, but that’s for the series to deal with. This move is very much set up for that, but with enough warmth and effort put into the production that it’s clear that isn’t the only reason for its existence. Now, when’s the series coming out on DVD?

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates (usually) every Friday.

The Infallible Fish: Moana Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Blog Moana Review Title

Remember who you are, Simba…wait, sorry, wrong movie.

I think I may just have a new favourite Disney princess film (Sorry Tangled, oh who am I kidding, I still love you, but you’re happy to share the top stop, right?). Sorry to spoil my opinion on this film so early, but I am properly in love here, it has its flaws sure, but what it gets right, it really gets right.

For starters, this film is gorgeous. From the natural radiance of tropical islands to the high contrast of the realm of monsters, every single scene is a treat for the eyes. Every frame is filled to bursting with vibrant colour and I’m actually drooling here, sorry. Add on to that some fast and energetic animation and you have a recipe for awesome. Seriously, this film knows how to do action and weight, the best example I can think of is when Moana first tries to sail past the reef and gets hit by a series of rolling waves. You feel every hit, you feel the panic and the dread as Moana fights to free her leg and that is only the start. Moana runs and jumps and sails her way through this film and you feel all of it. Also if you’ll allow me a small animation nerd moment, oh my gods that water! Sorry, but I studied animation at university and I know how hard it is to get water right, mostly because it’s a liquid and has a tendency to go where it wants and trying to animate something random is a pain. Yet this is most realistic water I have ever seen in an animated work, it makes you just want to dive straight into it and you completely get why Moana is so obsessed with the ocean.

Let’s talk about our lead. Moana has to be the second most badass princess (sorry chief’s daughter) that Disney has ever introduced us to. Of course Mulan still rules the roost in that regard, but Moana comes close and she has a charming personality to boot! Let me put it this way, outside of Mulan, what other Disney princess can you picture slow-mo walking through an ocean split like the Red Sea, while a lava monster comes barrelling towards her from the other end? Yes that scene is as awesome as you are imagining it. Moana is an action hero without being unbelievable. She fights her way through a ship full of coconut pirates, outsmarts giant crabs and plays a deadly game of tag with the previously mentioned lava monster. And you know what? She’s terrified throughout and I appreciate that. Moana is a young girl trying to find her way, riddled with doubt and trepidation about what her heart is telling her to do. She’s not perfect, she does mess up, either getting too in over her head or letting her self-doubt get the better of her, but she finds her way through it and is better for the experience.

On to our other main character, Maui. A couple of people I know raised their eyebrows when the Rock was cast for the part, but there’s no need to worry. Honestly Dwayne Johnson is as charming as he always is and sinks right into the part. Now I don’t know about the myths surrounding this particular demi-god so I can’t make any comment on how accurate he is, but he fits the film. Speaking of the myths this film is based on, like I said I don’t know much about them, but I certainly want to now I’ve seen the film, which is how I like my films based on cultures I’m not familiar with. Anyway back to Maui, he’s a very charming and fun character, even when he’s doing stuff that should really turn you off to him, like say stealing Moana’s boat and locking her in cave. He straddles that fine line between being loveable and a jerk. He’s way too in love with himself and does what he does for the adoration of the humans, though when you learn the guy’s back story that’s kind of understandable, he’s got some world class abandonment issues.

Honestly one of the best parts of Maui is his relationship with Moana, they really bounce off of one another, whether it’s them bickering, comforting one another or just having fun. They’re both people unsure of who they are in one respect or another and they make one another better, you feel the bond that grows between them. It’s a good thing that they are so good together, because the majority of the film is just the two of them together. Okay so there’s a chicken with an IQ in negative numbers and the ocean itself along as sidekicks, but neither of them talk so I’m taking this film as a two-hander for the most part.

There are other characters, Moana’s family and the villagers, but once Moana leaves the island we don’t get to see that much of them, outside of a dream sequence and a ghostly visit later on, but that’s okay, they fill their roles and move along. That’s all that’s needed. It does bring me to one of the problems with the film, the story (outside of the mythology stuff) is kind of generic. Moana dreams of leaving her village, but her father forbids it and the two are at loggerheads because of this. I mean at least they give the dad a reason for not wanting Moana to go beyond the reef so he’s not just the normal disapproving parent, but it doesn’t change the fact this story has been done before. It’s the battle between heart and head and Moana does try to please her parents, but it’s just not in her. Yeah we’ve seen this story before, but with these characters and these visuals, I honestly don’t mind, though I completely get it if it puts other people off.

Also, notice that there has been no mention of a love interest in any respect, that’s because there isn’t one! Yay, no forced romance because Moana doesn’t need one for this story, its not about her loving anyone other than her family and her village. This is about Moana finding herself and the film sticks to that, thankfully.

All in all Moana is a fantastic film with an endearing and badass young heroine. Visually it is stunning and the characters are fun, even the comedy sidekicks. Yes the story has been done before plenty of times and outside of the cool mythology stuff it doesn’t offer all that much new, but personally I can look past that for these characters and visuals. Also the songs are pretty fun too, nothing that I think will dislodge ‘Let It Go’ from the collective consciousness, but they’re all toe-tapping and fit seamlessly into the film. I am Moana! Sorry, that scene is also awesome and I couldn’t resist.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday.

The Infallible Fish Reviews: Zootropolis

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Sorry this one’s a bit late guys, heck of a week, anyway on with the show!

blog-zootropolis-review-title

Huh? I could have sworn this film was called Zootopia.

So, Disney made this, I don’t know if this era of the studio’s history has an official title yet (I know over on the Unshaved Mouse’s blog he refers to this as the Redemption Era, which I like), but after this film I might just start referring to it as the ‘Grown Up’ Era. I mean I can’t see this film being made in any previous era and that’s not just because its message is so right for our current turbulent times. Disney has always had the image of being light and fluffy (even if every now again they try to scare the stuffing out of us, looking at you Coachman from Pinocchio) and they’ve helped to establish several tropes, like always follow your dreams and wishes can come true. Over the past few films they’ve tried to do some repair work on those ideas, to expand upon them and be a bit more adult about things. Life isn’t black and white and happy endings can sometimes be hard to come by, and kids should be aware of that, as long as we don’t dent their worldview too much. Informed, but still innocent that’s how kids should be, in my opinion anyway.

Back to the point, Zootropolis is Disney’s most adult film so far, and I love it for that. I love Disney for making this film and having the confidence to let the creators tell an important story. It shows a maturity and faith in the product that I think old Disney was sometimes lacking, especially during some of its more lacklustre periods. Maybe some of the theme and scenes of mass panic and stereotyping will go over the kids’ heads, but it’s something they’ll come back to and appreciate, and the lesson is a good one to learn, for adults as well as kids.

Enough of the hyping, let’s tear into this film. What’s the Story? It’s a world where predators and prey have evolved and now live together in peace, a lot of them cohabitating in a city called Zootropolis that has different habitats that cater to each species’ needs, and can I just say the place is amazing. I love the design of Zootropolis. It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into how all of these species would live alongside one another; they’re not just animals in clothes doing human things. This place takes size into account, there’s a lot of difference between a tiny mouse and a giant giraffe. All the little details of how these animals get around and interact with one another is great and I love to see them. Also it’s pretty fun to one minute see only the ears of our bunny cop sticking over the table and the next have her towering over a miniature village of rodents. My only real complaint is that we don’t see enough of the other zones, we get little snippets, but I want more!

Also this film is gorgeous. That light, that eye-catching colour, that soft fluffy texture on the fur, take me Zootropolis, I’m yours! Sorry, I think I got a bit over-excited there, where was I? Oh yes, the story.

We meet Judy Hopps, a little bunny with a big dream, ‘cause she wants to be Zootropolis’ first ever bunny police officer and here’s where the film plays us a little. It starts off looking like this is going to be that well-worn trope, always follow your dreams kids, no matter how many people tell you otherwise, which Disney has done in the past and has since rephrased it as follow your dreams, but it sometimes might take a little hard work. That isn’t Zootropolis’ message though and Judy’s little thing about trying is going to come into play in a different way, but I’ll get to that later.

Anyway, Judy won’t give up and through some serious hard work and study graduates the top of her class and is assigned to work at the head precinct of Zootropolis. Things are looking up, then they’re looking down. See none of the other cops take Judy that seriously and pretty soon she finds herself sticking parking tickets on cars all day. In true buddy cop film tradition though, Judy gets herself a big case and 48 hours solve it, otherwise she has to hand in her badge. Predators are going missing, but as Judy investigates she discovers something more sinister could be at work, could animals be going savage? Along the way Judy gets help from a conman fox (confox?) called Nick Wilde, he’s the street cred to Judy’s straight arrow, as per buddy cop formula.

I know I’ve talked this film up pretty high and the story is…good. It’s a good little detective story, with a nice little mystery and clear beats that we can follow along, it’s simple but that’s all the story needs, anymore and we’d just get bogged down and it would distract from what matters with the story. There’s a fair bit of action as well, which is really nicely done. The jokes are likewise good, for the most part, there wasn’t anything laugh out loud funny, but it got a smile and a chuckle out of me. There were two jokes that did disappoint me. The Mr. Big joke I saw coming from a mile away and then there’s the sloth jokes, they really went on far too long. It’s a two second gag that got dragged on for minutes (I’ve watched this film twice on my DVD and I actually skipped the DMV bit when I got to it, and I hardly ever skip anything on a DVD). Though for balance my mum absolutely loves the DMV scene, so maybe it’s just me.

Where the humour and warmth of this film shines though is in its stars, Judy and Nick. I love these two characters and their chemistry is brilliant. I could watch these two banter and try to outsmart one another all day long, you feel the friendship and love growing between them, which is why it’s so heart-breaking when we get to that press conference scene. That scene is also where this film gets serious. Suddenly we have a good character saying something bad, not because she’s bad, but because even if she doesn’t see herself as prejudiced there is an ingrained fear deep down inside of her. I don’t think she really believes that, but that’s what she was taught when she was young and prejudices are often passed down, compounded by generations, but it’s up to us to be better than those who came before us, to recognise the mistakes of the past and not repeat them. We have to try (told you I’d get back to the trying thing).

In the end, Zootropolis is a good film made brilliant by two great main characters who are both funny, heart-warming and heart-rending. Neither of them is perfect, but then what in this world is? All they can do is try to be better, which is what this film is all about, and that’s a wonderful message and one that should be spread. I recommend Zootropolis with all my heart, it’s worth a try.