So, a little birdie’s after telling me there’s some animated films this year I haven’t reviewed.
So, I guess I’ll give them mini-reviews and adding them to the scoreboard!
JUILET: "It's not quite perfect, but it's ours."
GNOMEO: "Think of all the adventures we're gonna have!"
MANKINI: "Look, there's a pool! Ho-ho!
[splashes]
"I'm okay! [farts] Excuse me."
Sherlock Gnomes – a waste of time, by and large, and Gnomeo and Juilet was already
just another forgettable mediocre animated film that did not deserve a sequel.
This isn’t a complete failure – the rendering of the characters is nice,
and there’s a message that does teach kids to listen to and respect your romantic partner,
but otherwise it’s just another barely-better-then-awful kids’ film.
Except for how the film tempts you so much to nitpick it, it’s not worth dwelling on, aside for ironic fun.
Moving on…
MEECHEE [V-O]: "We have searched the entire mountain trying to find one."
MIGO: "Whoa..."
MEECHEE [V-O]: "And that day, has finally arrived."
MIGO: "So small foot...
"Oh my gosh! It's a Smallfoot!"
Smallfoot… this one surprised me a bit.
Warner Animation Group have now twice gotten Sony Pictures Imageworks to make a film for them,
rather then Sony itself, and much like Storks,
Smallfoot shows what Sony Animation films would be like
without executives making terrible decisions.
Okay, that holds no water with Spider-Verse out now, but you get my point.
Anyway, Smallfoot is more consistent then Storks was –
– it rarely hits that film’s best moments, but it’s decently enjoyable.
It has an intriguing setup, it’s cute,
its visuals are appealing, imaginative and technically effective,
and there’s an unusual message done well.
It might even be a really good film…
except it’s not especially fun or funny, despite still being a comedy.
The main thing I took was how well done the Looney Toons-type gags were.
It’s like Hotel Transylvania 3, except it isn’t bogged down by a boring plot,
or three films’ worth of characters that don’t add anything to the proceedings.
Finally, the songs are mostly okay,
along with one atrocious Under Pressure parody, and one pleasant surprise.
As an aside, there’s a lot in the film that it’s never quite sure how much it wants to focus on.
And much of that material is more complex then the physical gags it often retreats to.
In the end, that leaves us with a decent film.
WHO KID: "You're a mean one, Mister."
[muffled yelling]
And The Grinch… is just another junk food film from Illumination.
It’s not nearly as bad as it could have been, given how Dr. Seuss adaptations are often cinematic crimes.
As you’d expect, in order to stretch the original story to feature-length, a lot of extra material is added,
mostly in the form of numerous boring scenes on his plan,
and a backstory that ruins the point of Grinch himself, making him into a sad figure rather then an outright jerk.
There’s little outright bad about the film, just as much as there’s little good about it.
Some of the original’s warmth pokes through, even if the wit is all but gone.
I suppose young viewers and very forgiving adults might get value out of it, so it’s not a complete write-off.
Personally, I’m most disappointed at the world’s blandness, both visually and in weirdness.
Even if it wasn’t going to be anything like the original,
Illumination did make The Lorax, which, though awful, has lovely backdrops and colour.
It is what it is.
Okay, now we’re done with 2018 animated films.
It fared better then 2017, mostly because of less films, at only ten.
But the bottom two were the only ones I regretted watching,
whereas last year I regretted half of the thirteen.
And while Spider-Verse is the only one that’s going to have much of a legacy at all in years to come,
it’s a solid year, all things considered.
Hope 2019’s a good one!
Except…
I won’t be reviewing them.
These review videos take too much time,
most viewers don’t watch them, they don’t bring in new viewers,
and they take away time better spent on other videos, as well as channel growth.
I think the problem is… well, anyone can review films as they’re new, when they have to be spoiler-free.
These kind of videos are a dime-a-dozen.
And clearly, few people miss them when they’re not there.
No one complained when I skipped these films, after all.
These review videos of new films won’t go away completely –
– if I feel compelled, I might give the odd film a review.
But that’ll be the exception, not the norm.
I can’t say what yet, but these type of videos
will be resurrected into something more original.
I want to turn Cartoon Karma into a channel
where any kind of fun video about a given animation can be done, in whatever format works.
Not be locked down to only one thing, you know.
But, for those of you who have watched my review videos…
thanks.
That truly does mean a lot.
And hey, if I hadn’t done these review videos, I wouldn’t have seen the My Little Pony Movie.
If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have binge-watched the show in two months.
And, I wouldn’t have added another animation to those that are very personally important to me.
For that, I’m eternally grateful.
Fate has a strange way sometimes, folks, doesn’t it?
But hey, I’ll take it!
I hope you enjoyed the video, folks.
Be sure to let me know your thoughts on both the mini- reviews and Sherlock Gnomes, Smallfoot or The Grinch,
whichever of them you've seen.
Plus, liking, subscribing, all that good stuff, would really help spread the channel’s reach,
as would some social media follows.
Every little bit helps, you know.
Until next time, folks.