Movies in the Animated genre

25 years ago, Space Jam took the gimmicky concept of having the beloved stable of Looney Toons characters join forces with Michael Jordan for a basketball game. It made money, landing in 15th place for the year (between Star Trek: First Contac...

Across the Spider-Verse, the middle installment of the “Spider-Verse” trilogy (following 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse and ahead of 2024’s Beyond the Spider-Verse), is just as rambunctious, psychedelic, and occasionally spastic as its precu...

If you want something shaken up, who better to turn to than (Phil) Lord & (Chris) Miller? Apparently, their brand of concussive trembling was a little too much for the Star Wars universe but not so for the “Spider-Verse,” a strange and won...

All animated films are not created equal. Some aspire for greatness, seeking to bring wonders to the screen that live-action can’t fully capture. Others exist for purely commercial means – cynical brand-management put together not to touch...

Does anyone remember the 2002 animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron? I didn’t either until I looked it up. That nearly-two decades old hand-drawn movie provided the basis for the apparently popular Netflix series Spirit Riding Free ...

To animators across the world, Hayao Miyazaki is a god. Within the animation community, his work is revered, and fans of “anime” (Japanese animation) await each new Miyazaki film with the same degree of ill-concealed impatience as displayed by...

When I was sitting in a theater during the summer of 1977 enthralled by the spectacle that was Star Wars, never did I imagine that, some 31 years later, I would find myself wishing it would go away. Overmerchandising, fan unfriendliness, and greed...

It’s bright, colorful, overflowing with energy, and possesses a story so basic that even the most inattentive viewer will have no trouble following along. I think my 3 ½-year old daughter would love it. Older viewers may enjoy the jolt of nosta...

By now, I'm tired of penguins. After Madagascar, March of the Penguins, and Happy Feet, it's time to move on to some new species of beast or fowl. Yet I must admit that of the four recent penguin-centered movies, Surf's Up is the most entertaining...

As animated films go, The Tale of Despereaux represents adequate family entertainment. The quality is nowhere near the level we have come to expect from Pixar but, since there are no Pixar films in theaters this time of year, The Tale of Despereau...