Finding Dory (2016) review

In 2003, Pixar released what would become one of their most beloved films, Finding Nemo. Directed by Pixar mainstay Andrew Stanton and inspired by his personal experiences of being an over-protective father, the film told the story of a clownfish named Marlin who was forced to step out of his comfort zone and travel across the ocean in order to save his son Nemo after he is abducted by divers. Simply put, the film was a colossal hit. How big, you ask? Well by big I mean it grossed nearly a billion dollars worldwide, passing $900 million when it was re-released in 3-D in 2012, and is the best-selling DVD of all-time with over 40 million units sold. And of course it ended up winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature that year. For many people, one of the best parts of the film was the character of Dory, the optimistic Pacific regal blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. And now, 13 years after the original film’s release, Ellen’s iconic character takes center stage in her own sequel, Finding Dory, once again directed by Stanton. This time around, Dory finds herself on a journey to reunite with her family, whom she has separated from for many years. But as many of you know, fans of Pixar have been rather critical towards the studio’s attempts at doing sequels to their classic films, especially after their first non-Toy Story sequel, 2011’s Cars 2, became the first Pixar film ever to receive primarily negative reviews. However, I’m pleased to report that Finding Dory ultimately ends up being more than, to quote what certainly must have been a large chunk of folks on the internet, ‘an unnecessary sequel’. Not only does this film avoid being a ‘direct’ carbon copy of its predecessor but it also succeeds in being just as heartfelt and charming in terms of its story and the characters that inhabit it.

The main plot of this film takes place about a year after the events of Finding Nemo, after the overly-concerned clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) successfully rescued his son Nemo (now voiced by Hayden Rolence), who had been abducted by divers, with the help of their friend Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a Pacific regal blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss. One day while helping Nemo’s teacher Mr. Ray (Bob Peterson) during a field trip to witness the stingray migration, Dory suddenly starts to remember her long-lost parents; her mother Jenny (Diane Keaton) and her father Charlie (Eugene Levy). However, due to her short-term memory, the primary thing that she remembers about them is that they lived somewhere that is known as ‘the jewel of Morro Bay, California’. Marlin and Nemo join her on her journey back home and the trio end up at what they learn to be was Dory’s childhood home, Morro Bay’s Marine Life Institute, where sick fish are taken care of and are then either released back into the wild or moved to a new permanent residence at an aquarium in Cleveland. Realizing that her parents must still be there, Dory travels through the various parts of the Institute hoping to find them, gaining the help of some new allies including an ill-tempered octopus named Hank (Ed O’Neill) who lost a tentacle (resulting in him being referred to as a ‘septopus’ by Dory) and is looking to be taken to the Cleveland aquarium instead of being released back into the ocean, a beluga whale named Bailey (Ty Burrell) who believes that he’s lost his echo location ability following a recent concussion, and her old childhood friend Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a near-sighted whale shark.

When this film was first announced, I will admit that I was a little bit concerned that it was just going to rehash the exact same plot of the first film. Given that the title is Finding Dory, one could have easily just assumed that it would be just like Finding Nemo except that this time Dory would be the one who got abducted. Thankfully this is not the case with the actual film, as it instead focuses on Dory’s journey to find her parents. But at the same time this new film does maintain the same general story structure as its predecessor as far as being a light-hearted sea adventure in which the trio of Dory, Marlin, and Nemo end up in a strange place (in this case, a Marine Life Institute) and come across an eclectic bunch of characters that help them along the way. And ultimately that’s a good thing because at the end of the day this film manages to be just as charming and heartfelt as its predecessor through the different themes that it explores. Those themes include ideas such as the strength of family and teamwork and the ability to overcome one’s disability, which of course in Dory’s case is her short-term memory loss. All of these themes are handled perfectly and the film is full of both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments, as you would obviously expect from a Pixar film. And also as is common with Pixar films, the animation is excellent. In fact, I’d say that the Nemo films have been some of Pixar’s absolute best films animation-wise. The animators just do phenomenal jobs in regards to bringing the ocean to life in animated form. Pair that with Thomas Newman’s once-again excellent/eloquent score and you have a pair of films that evoke what I find to be a really nice sense of relaxation.

Of course this time around Ellen DeGeneres takes on leading role status as Dory and once again she is absolutely phenomenal in the role. Dory is just as lovable, and just as charmingly forgetful, as she was in the first film and this film also allows her to embrace her shortcomings (e.g. her short-term memory loss) instead of feeling ashamed about them. Albert Brooks also returns as Marlin, who’s just as apprehensive but still very much kind-hearted as he was in the previous film. As for Nemo, the 13-year gap between the two Finding films obviously means that he’s voiced by a different actor this time around due to the fact that his original voice actor, Alexander Gould (who has a voice cameo in the film), is now too old for the role. But like when Blake Clark replaced Jim Varney as the voice of Slinky in Toy Story 3, Hayden Rolence proves to be a solid replacement. He maintains a practically pitch-perfect Nemo voice compared to Gould’s in the first film, so much so that those unaware might not even notice a change in voice actor. Finding Dory also introduces a slew of new characters who are just as lovable as the original protagonists. First there’s Ed O’Neill as Dory’s ‘primary’ new ally Hank the Octopus and while he can be rather curmudgeonly at times he still has a good heart, or technically 3 given that an octopus has 3 hearts (a fact that is mentioned in the film). Dory’s childhood friend Destiny is just as bubbly as Dory is personality-wise and there’s also quite a couple of new humorous characters as well, including Ty Burrell as Bailey, a beluga whale who mistakenly believes that he can’t use echo location (Bailey and Destiny have a fun rapport with each other) and Idris Elba and Dominic West as a pair of easy-going sea lions who get annoyed when their fellow sea lion Gerald tries to sit on their rock.  

You might recall in some of my previous Pixar reviews that I’ve started to use the term ‘15/10 masterpiece’ when talking about the company’s output. Well that of course was in reference to the fact that the expectations towards Pixar are so high nowadays because of how successful they’ve been over the years that any film of theirs that is not outright critically acclaimed is treated like some kind of criminal offense. And no I’m not kidding I’ve actually seen some people describe their lesser films in that manner. Thankfully that doesn’t end up being the case with Finding Dory, a sequel I find that people were either really excited about due to their love of the original film or really apprehensive about given Pixar’s ‘track record’ with sequels. But at the end of the day, this film manages to very much be proof that Pixar can produce quality sequels (disclaimer: though if you ask me they already proved that three years ago with Monsters University) that are not directly connected to the Toy Story franchise. Finding Dory wisely does not copy the exact same plot of its predecessor, instead opting for a story in which Dory, easily this franchise’s most popular character, embarks on a journey to find her parents after being separated from them for so long. But at the same time, the film does what any good sequel does and maintains the same level of charm and heart as its predecessor. The end result is yet another fantastic and, for lack of a better term, ‘unforgettable’ effort from Pixar in every possible way that will very much appeal to those who grew up with Finding Nemo as well as those who were born after the first film’s initial release and are potentially general newcomers to the franchise.

Rating: 5/5!

Pixar: Sequel or Not?

In recent news, Pixar announced two sequels that were in development; one was the long-awaited sequel to 2004’s ‘The Incredibles’, with Brad Bird returning to write the film (no confirmation yet on whether or not he’ll direct it). The other sequel was ‘Cars 3’… which, simply put, was not as anticipated given the negative critical reaction to its immediate predecessor. This has all raised a few questions, and some worries, about the path that Pixar is currently taking with their animated movies. They do have two original films coming out next year in ‘The Good Dinosaur’ and ‘Inside Out’. However, after that, they have not only a ‘Cars’ and ‘Incredibles’ sequel in the works, but a ‘Finding Nemo’ sequel as well. Now, I’m not that worried about Pixar when it comes to them announcing ‘sequels’. But this did get me thinking about whether or not the films in Pixar’s filmography could possibly get a sequel because many of them have a real sense of finality, meaning that there’s really no need to continue the story through another film. But there are some possibilities here and there.

This was something I was going to do some time ago most likely around the time ‘Monsters University’ was released. Ultimately though I never published it on here, so with this recent news in mind, I decided to finally finish it. This is what I like to call ‘Pixar: Sequel or Not?’

TOY STORY FRANCHISE

Possible Sequel: It’s possible, but I don’t want it to happen

This has been somewhat of a developing rumor in regards to the possibility of Pixar doing a ‘Toy Story 4’, which might even lead into a whole new trilogy. Overall, I think it could be done seeing how at the end of ‘Toy Story 3’ Woody, Buzz, and the gang were left in the care of a new owner, Bonnie, meaning that there can possibly be some new stories for this franchise to explore. However, I really don’t want a ‘Toy Story 4’, or new trilogy for that matter, to happen. Why? Well, it’s quite simple… why should Pixar even attempt to follow up on one of the greatest film trilogies of all time; one where every film in the trilogy is fantastic. I don’t want to see the legacy of this franchise tarnished if this supposed fourth film doesn’t turn out to be that good. Quite frankly, I’m more of a fan of what Pixar is currently doing with the franchise right now in regards to the short films that they have been making. This currently includes ‘Hawaiian Vacation’, ‘Small Fry’, and ‘Partysaurus Rex’. There’s also the half-hour long special that they released this past Halloween, ‘Toy Story of Terror!’, and there’s another one coming out this winter, ‘Toy Story that Time Forgot’. I think that this is a nice simple way of keeping this franchise relevant without having to do another movie. Like I said, it could happen but that doesn’t mean I would want Pixar to do another ‘Toy Story’ film. Just leave the film franchise where it is.

A BUG’S LIFE

Possible Sequel: Can’t see it

It has been almost two decades since ‘A Bug’s Life’ was released in 1998… so I doubt if Pixar currently has, or ever will have, plans to do a sequel to this film. Nothing really screams ‘sequel’ with this one anyway.

MONSTERS’ INC/UNIVERSITY

Possible Sequel: Unnecessary

Pixar, you’ve already done a prequel and despite my, and many others’, initial hesitation towards it, ‘Monsters University’ turned out to be really good… in fact, considering how it was not nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, apparently now kind of underrated. I mean sure, it still wasn’t up to par with Pixar’s best films but it was still a very entertaining, heartwarming, and well-made prequel to ‘Monsters’ Inc.’, which has actually sort of become one of my all-time favorites from Pixar. But in regards to this franchise, the only step now would be to do a sequel and I don’t really see a possibility here for a follow-up to the first film. There is the whole scenario about the Monsters switching from scare energy to laugh energy but I can’t really see them doing another film just based around that. The only way I can see them continuing this franchise is by going the ‘Toy Story’ route and do short films instead. They just released a new short, ‘Party Central’, which ran in front of ‘Muppets Most Wanted’, and that one was pretty good.

FINDING NEMO

Possible Sequel: Confirmed- We’ll see where it goes

This was the first of the upcoming three sequels to be confirmed; ‘Finding Dory’. Currently set for a 2016 release date, this film will follow the amnesiac Dory (once again voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) as she reunites with her family… this one could go either way. There is the chance that it could be a very solid follow-up. Andrew Stanton returns to direct this film and they do have a few of the other members of ‘Finding Nemo’s cast returning, including Albert Brooks and Willem Dafoe. However, I’m fearing that this one could potentially go the route of films like ‘Taken 2’ or ‘Hangover 2’ and just do a retread of the first film’s plot. I mean, it doesn’t actually look like it will be that way, but regardless of that I’m going to be rather cautious about this one.

THE INCREDIBLES

Possible Sequel: Confirmed- Finally!

Out of all of Pixar’s films that have come out as of now, ‘The Incredibles’ is the only film in their filmography that truly demands a sequel; I mean, the film ended by basically setting up a potential future film. Thankfully, we are getting one, and Brad Bird will be back to write it. However, there’s no word yet on whether or not he’ll direct it. Also, it will probably be a few years for this film to come out seeing how Bird is currently busy with 2015’s ‘Tomorrowland’. I hope that Bird will be back in full capacity; not just as a writer, but as its director as well. Regardless, I’m very much psyched to hear this news and eagerly await this long-awaited sequel.

CARS FRANCHISE

Possible Sequel: Confirmed- But does anyone really want it?

‘Cars 3’ has been announced to be in development alongside ‘The Incredibles but the question here is… does anyone really want to see it? The first ‘Cars’ film did not exactly get the same amount of critical acclaim as previous Pixar films but it still got solid reviews from critics. ‘Cars 2’ on the other hand, while a success at the box office, got slammed by critics. I’ve only seen ‘Cars 2’ once and at the time, I didn’t think it was that bad but at the same time it wasn’t a ‘great’ film either. It had a solid idea for a ‘Cars’ sequel being that it followed the characters of Lightning McQueen and Mater on a world tour but the execution of it was where things went wrong; namely for focusing too much on Mater to the point where Lightning became a side character. So if they are doing a ‘Cars’ sequel, they should make sure that give these two equal roles in the film. I’m not entirely looking forward to ‘Cars 3’, but at the same time I’m not dreading it either.

RATATOUILLE

Possible Sequel: Not really

Just like ‘A Bug’s Life’, nothing about ‘Ratatouille’ screams sequel to me. I mean, the only way I can possibly see a sequel to this would require the filmmakers to have to revert back to square one seeing how at the end of the film, Remy the rat had become a successful cook in his own right. There’s nothing they can do to follow up on that.

WALL-E

Possible Sequel: I can kind of see it happening

Now here’s a Pixar film that could potentially be followed up on. After all, the plot of ‘Wall-E’ revolved around us humans leaving the Earth after it had become so polluted due to mass consumerism. At the end of the film, the humans began to return to the planet and that’s where there could be a sequel to this; we could see how they attempt to inhabit the Earth again and try to return it back to the way it once was. I have no idea how the characters of Wall-E and EVE would fit into this story, but as a whole, a sequel to ‘Wall-E’ is possible.

UP

Possible Sequel: Nah, not really…

While this film was based around the idea of adventuring to new places, I’m not sure how they can follow up to 2009’s ‘Up’. I mean even if they did, it’s unlikely that the character of Carl would be in it seeing how he’s, well, old. Besides, his relationship with Ellie, along with his future relationship to his new friend Russell, was the heart of the film. I hate to say it, but if they do decide to do a sequel to ‘Up’, which would probably take place a few years after the events of the film, it’s rather likely Carl would be dead by this point meaning that we would lose one of the great characters from its predecessor. Quite frankly, I don’t think it’s worth it to do an ‘Up 2’ for that exact reason.

BRAVE

Possible Sequel: If so, please do it better...

‘Brave’ was a rather disappointing effort from Pixar. I’m not saying that it was a bad film by any means; it’s just that the film starts off with an incredible first half before veering into ‘Kids film territory’ for the rest of the film and these two halves of the film didn’t particularly mix well. I’m not even sure that there’s potential for a sequel. I wouldn’t be too bothered if they did do a ‘Brave 2’ but if they did, I hope that it will turn out better than the first one.

For the record, I’m not trying to say that Pixar should absolutely do sequels to their film because as I’ve pointed out, many of these films have a great finality to them. There’s not much of a need to follow up on some of these stories, like ‘Ratatouille’ or ‘Up’ because they end at the right time. There is some potential for future stories with films like ‘Toy Story’ or ‘Wall-E’ but overall, ‘The Incredibles’ is the only Pixar film right now that deserves a sequel and thankfully, we will be getting one. I’m not saying that I want to see some of these films to get sequels but I wouldn’t mind if they did. However I hope that Pixar will continue to make more original films like the upcoming ‘Good Dinosaur’ or ‘Inside Out’. After all, that’s exactly how they became the company we all know and love today; through their original stories.

The Films of Pixar



At this point, Pixar is a company that needs no introduction. Once, it was just a small part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm, helping create visuals for films like ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ and ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’. Now, they are known as the company behind some of the best computer animated films of all time. Since 1995, they have made 13 animated films, which have grossed a cumulative total of over seven billion dollars worldwide. Pixar has earned 27 Academy Awards, seven of which for the Best Animated Film of the Year, along with many other awards (Golden Globes, Annie Awards, etc…). This weekend sees the release of their 14^th animated feature, Monsters University, a prequel to their 2001 film ‘Monster’s Inc’. Will it be another roaring success for Pixar? We’ll just have to wait and see when it comes out. But for now, it’s time to look back at the premier filmography of what is probably the best computer animation studio around today.

I apologize in advance if, at times, I start to repeat myself during this retrospective, but come on, it’s Pixar. What else can you say about them?

TOY STORY (1995)



Toy Story was the first feature-length computer animated film ever made. Obviously, there was a lot that Pixar had to do to get this film made. In fact, at one point, the production of the film was actually shut down because of a disastrous first cut of the film which was filled with, according to director (and head of Pixar) John Lasseter, ‘the most unhappy, mean characters that I’ve ever seen’. Even Tom Hanks, who voiced the main character Woody, once proclaimed that the original interpretation of the character was a ‘jerk’. Why was this happening? Well, Disney wanted the film to appeal to both children and adults and then-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg suggested that Pixar should make the film edgier. Obviously, this didn’t go far and after major rewrites (even Joss Whedon came in to help rewrite the film), the final product that we know today was finally complete.

Even after 18 years, ‘Toy Story’ still stands as one of the best computer animated films of all time. The visuals are still very good even after all this time but the main thing that holds the film together is the writing. As Disney had hoped, the film does appeal to both children and adults but instead of being edgy, the writing is both witty and sophisticated which works much better. The main characters Woody and Buzz (both excellently voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, respectively) are both very likable and Hanks and Allen work together very well. The rest of the voice cast (which includes Jim Varney, Don Rickles, and Wallace Shawn) is great as well. The bottom line is that if you haven’t seen ‘Toy Story’ yet, this is a must-see animated film that is great for the whole family.

Rating: 5/5!

A BUG’S LIFE (1998)



For now, let’s ignore the whole controversy surrounding 1998’s two ant-themed animated films, Dreamworks’ first computer animated film ‘Antz’ and Pixar’s second film, ‘A Bug’s Life’. Did Jeffrey Katzenberg steal the idea from Pixar? Who knows? But now let’s talk about Pixar’s second film which, as a whole, isn’t really as good as ‘Toy Story’ but it’s still an enjoyable animated film. Compared to ‘Antz’, which had more edge to it, ‘A Bug’s Life’ is more kid-friendly in tone. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; it’s just that I kind of prefer ‘Antz’ over this film. The main characters are a little bland, but the supporting characters make up for that shortcoming, namely the circus bugs that the main character Flik enlists to help his colony deal with the grasshoppers that oppress them. It’s not really one of my favorites, but it’s still a solid film from Pixar.

Rating: 4/5

TOY STORY 2 (1999)



Believe it or not, ‘Toy Story 2’ was originally supposed to be just a direct-to-video film, but just like how ‘Toy Story’ was re-done after its first cut, Pixar decided to make a full-length theatrical release instead and what a film this is. It’s hard for a sequel to top the original, but ‘Toy Story 2’ is one of those rare sequels that is not only as good as the original, but possibly better. It’s my personal favorite Pixar film for a few reasons; namely due to the broadened scope and new cast of characters. The writing is still fantastic, and the filmmakers do a great job at further continuing the story by bringing up the question of what will Woody do when Andy grows up and will most likely forget about him (which is developed further in Toy Story 3). The backstory for the character of Jessie is also a highlight of the film, and a guaranteed tear-jerker. ‘Toy Story 2’ is one of the best sequels of all time, and I have to say that I actually prefer it to the original.

Rating: 5/5!

MONSTERS’ INC (2001)



It’s the film that led to the upcoming ‘Monsters University’ and, as you might have guessed, it’s another great film from Pixar. It’s a nice creative take on the whole ‘monsters in the closet’ idea and Pixar does a great job at setting up the monster universe and its characters. The two main characters, Mike and Sulley, are both very likable and both Billy Crystal and John Goodman (Mike and Sulley, respectively) do great jobs in the roles. The two also have great chemistry together, and Crystal does pretty much steal the show here. It’s a heartwarming comedy and another great Pixar film.

Rating: 4.5/5

FINDING NEMO (2003)



I don’t think I need to go into this film that much because it’s already been done to death but I’ll give my thoughts on it anyway. Finding Nemo is one of the best Pixar films ever; it’s pretty much a masterpiece in terms of computer animated films. The story is based around a touching father-son message and both the characters of Marlin and his son Nemo are very likable. You can see where both are coming from; Marlin is afraid of losing Nemo after his wife and their other kids are eaten by a barracuda (also, on another note, that opening… um… DAMN! Talk about a way to open up a movie, especially a family film, no less) and Nemo is annoyed by how overprotective his father is. Ellen DeGeneres is also great and hilarious in the role of Dory, a fish with short-term memory loss. Finally, this is one of Pixar’s best films in terms of visuals, which are just beautiful. Not only is this one of Pixar’s best films, but it’s one of the best animated films ever.

Rating: 5/5!

THE INCREDIBLES (2004)



Speaking of the best animated films ever, let’s look at ‘The Incredibles’. It’s interesting that, with this film, it was the first Pixar film to be made by someone who was not directly affiliated with Pixar. However, because director Brad Bird was friends with John Lasseter (the two attended the same college, California Institute of the Arts), I’d go as far as say he’s pretty much part of the ‘Pixar team’. As for the first of the two films he has currently made for Pixar, it’s a loving homage to superheroes and it’s also a nice satire on suburban life, with the main characters being a family who just so happen to have superpowers. It’s also one of the funniest Pixar films (‘Honey, where’s my super-suit?’).  It’s pretty much a masterpiece and it’s another one of Pixar’s finest. On a final note, it’s also the only Pixar film right now that is truly worthy of a sequel. The ending of the film pretty much sets it all up. That probably won’t happen for a while (Bird’s currently busy working on his newest film, ‘Tomorrowland’) but I certainly look forward to an ‘Incredibles 2’.

Rating: 5/5!

CARS (2006)



The two ‘Cars’ movies have probably received the weakest ratings of any Pixar film to date (the second one getting even worse reviews than its predecessor) but in regards to the first film, I actually do really like it. It’s not really Pixar’s best film, but I do think it’s a solid animated film, even if it’s not really up to par with some of Pixar’s best work. It goes at a much slower pace than other Pixar films and admittedly the film may be a bit too long but I never found the film to be boring. Sure, the story is a little cliché, but the characters make up for it. All in all, the first ‘Cars’ is not really for everyone, but it’s still pretty entertaining.

Rating: 4/5

RATATOUILLE (2007)

 



Brad Bird returns to Pixar with ‘Ratatouille’, and once again Bird delivers another fantastic animated film. First off, the visuals of Paris are fantastic; they’re almost like works of art. In fact, that’s the best way I can describe the film. It’s pretty much a work of art. Granted, some of the dialogue is a little cheesy (no pun intended) but the film is very entertaining, as Bird’s talents at storytelling are once again evident in this great Pixar film.

Rating: 4.5/5

WALL-E (2008)



I think this film’s kind of hard to sell to people because the first half of the film contains little to no dialogue; the two main characters are robots who don’t speak much. However, the atmosphere is incredible and the main characters of Wall-E and EVE are both very likable. The film succeeds at connecting with the audience even though the main characters barely say anything. Then, the second half of the film takes them into outer space. Along with some of Pixar’s most breath-taking visuals, there’s a bit of satire on the idea of consumerism and the economic message that the film promotes (pretty much the following; don’t pollute) is executed well enough that it doesn’t keep hitting you over the head. I won’t say it’s really one of my favorites, but it’s still a well-made animated film.

Rating: 4.5/5

UP (2009)

I have to admit that I was not really interested in this film at first, most likely because I didn’t think a movie focused around an old man sounded that exciting to me. Thankfully, I was proven very wrong by another Pixar masterpiece. This film sells you just by the first ten minutes alone, which follows the main character Carl’s marriage to his wife Ellie, all without any dialogue and yet the music and emotions in this scene make it one of the best sequences ever put on film (not just in animated films). But that’s just the first ten minutes. Thankfully, the rest of the movie is also very creative, funny, and charming which makes this another must-see from Pixar.

Rating: 5/5!

TOY STORY 3 (2010)



After 11 years, the Toy Story crew returns for what is hopefully the final Toy Story film (there’s rumors of a fourth film circulating right now, but while it is possible, I believe that they should end the film series right here), and it’s a fitting conclusion to this series. It’s not afraid to take a dark turn, namely the scene near the end where the toys almost meet their own end. The writing is once again excellent, bringing the story arc of Andy’s toys to a close as they wonder about the future now that Andy is grown up and heading off to college. Of course, by the end, I will admit it… this is a film where, young and old, I guarantee you’ll be fighting back tears. It’s probably not the best Toy Story film, but even after a whole decade since the last installment, it ends the series on a high note and it’s a rare threequel that actually to be as good as its predecessors.

Rating: 4.5/5

CARS 2 (2011)



AKA the first major Pixar film to receive mixed to negative reviews. Is it Pixar’s worst film to date? It probably is, but as someone who was a fan of the first Cars film, I don’t think it’s that bad. However, was the first ‘Cars’ film in need of a sequel? It really wasn’t, and while the whole world-traveling idea seems cool, it’s not really the main focus of the film. Instead, the focus is on spies with the character of Mater getting caught up in international espionage. This film focuses on that plotline so much that Mater is pretty much the main character, and the other main character Lightning McQueen is now just a side character. Obviously, the film still looks great visually but the writing is not really as good as some of Pixar’s other films. I can’t say that it’s a bad film, but Pixar has obviously done much better.

Rating: 3/5

BRAVE (2012)



In a way, ‘Brave’ did get Pixar back on the right track after ‘Cars 2’. The film received better reviews and it even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. However, the reviews weren’t still up to par with Pixar’s classics and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who didn’t really agree with the Academy picking this film for the best animated film of the year when there were much better films in that category (Wreck-it Ralph, Paranorman, etc…) that year. But that doesn’t mean that this is a bad film. It’s just that this is just an okay Pixar film and it could have been a whole lot better. The first half is actually really good, as the filmmakers do a fantastic job setting up this universe and also taking a much darker route than some of the studio’s other films. But sadly the film starts to fall apart in the second half, where the film descends into typical kids’ film material. The trailers are actually quite mis-promoting. While it seemed like the film would follow the main character of Merida as she tried to ‘change her fate’, in reality the film is about Merida trying to save her mom after accidentally getting her turned into a bear. For the record, the whole mother-daughter aspect of the film is quite touching and well-done, but unfortunately this film just isn’t up to par with Pixar’s other masterpieces.

Rating: 3.5/5

And now, here are my overall rankings of the 13 Pixar films that have currently been released. For the record, if one of your favorite films is lower on this list, remember… this is Pixar we’re talking about. Aside from some less-than stellar efforts, pretty much every film they have made is a masterpiece.

Rankings:

13. Cars 2

12. Brave

11. A Bug’s Life

10. Cars

9. Wall-E

8. Ratatouille

7. Monsters’ Inc

6. Toy Story 3

5. Up

4. Finding Nemo

3. Toy Story

2. The Incredibles

1. Toy Story 2

2012 End of Year Preview: Part 1 (September)

We've had quite a year so far when it comes to movies. We've had three exceptional superhero flicks, some very funny comedies, and the birth of the next big book-adapted franchise after Harry Potter. But 2012 is not over yet and now Oscar season will begin, where the films that weren't big enough for the summer come out. However, it's these films that will the top dogs competing for Oscar nominations come February 2013, including the latest pics from directors like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg. Of course, there are still some movies that will no doubt please mass audiences, from the latest James Bond flick to the prequel to Lord of the Rings. Now it's time to take a look at some of these upcoming flicks, month by month.

SEPTEMBER



*If for some reason you're a fan of the Resident Evil film franchise, then you're probably waiting for the next entry in the series, Resident Evil: Retribution on the 14^th. Now the reason I say 'if' is because, to be fair, while the Resident Evil franchise has performed pretty decent at the box office, it has received the typical reaction from both critics and audiences that most video-game based movies get. How will this new one fare with a returning cast of characters from all throughout the previous films?

*If you're not into Resident Evil or more importantly if you have kids, then they'll probably want to see Pixar's classic 'Finding Nemo', which returns to theaters in 3-D the same weekend. What can be said about this flick that hasn't been said already? It is easily one of the finest animated films ever made with a really touching father-son story and some of the best animation Pixar has ever done. Finding Nemo is the latest film this year to be re-released in 3-D, following in the footsteps of Star Wars Episode I, Beauty and the Beast, and Titanic. It will be the first of two Pixar movies to be re-released this year in 3-D (more on the other one in the December preview).

*That's not the only major re-release this month though. That other classic film is director Steven Spielberg's 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', the first in the Indiana Jones series which will hit IMAX theaters for a special one-week engagement starting on the 7^th. This comes in conjuction with the upcoming Blu-Ray release of the film, and the process to convert the film to the IMAX format was supervised by none other than Spielberg himself.

*The weekend of September 21 is certainly going to be busy, with one of the most crowded group of wide-releases. The first is Dredd 3D, a new adaptation of the comic book series 'Judge Dredd'. It follows in the footsteps of a previous adaptation in 1995 starring Sylvester Stallone. However, this version was both a critical failure and a commerical disappointment. This new version stars Karl Urban (Star Trek) in the lead role of Judge Dredd and so far has received well by critics. At the time this is being written, Dredd holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

*Meanwhile, the next big release of the week is 'House at the End of the Street', a PG-13 rated horror film. Now, usually PG-13 horror films aren't really that good, but this flick might attract some big numbers at the box office as it stars none other than Katniss Everdeen herself, Jennifer Lawrence. But for the record, this was filmed before 'The Hunger Games' so this might just be the studio trying to bank on the success of its female lead.

*Finally, we have the main sports film of the year, Trouble With The Curve, a drama about an aging baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves who is given a last chance to prove his worth the organization. Why is this film worth bringing up? Because the lead is none other than Clint Eastwood, in his first major starring role since 2008's Gran Torino. This movie also has a solid supporting cast including Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, and John Goodman.

*For the September 28^th weekend, Sony Entertainment has two films competing for the number one spot. One is a animated family flick, Hotel Transylvania. The plot follows Dracula, the owner of a monster hotel who tries to defend his daughter from falling in love with a human who stumbles upon the place. The voice cast includes Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, and Selina Gomez. Now, I'm probably sure many of you already wrote this film off because of Sandler, but you might be pleased to know that this isn't from his studio Happy Madison. Instead, it's from the mind of cartoon legend Genndy Tartakovsky, who created cartoon classics such as Samurai Jack and Dexter's Lab.

*If you're looking for a more mature flick that weekend, look for Looper, a sci-fi flick from director Rian Johnson. In the lead role is 'Robin' from The Dark Knight Rises, Joseph Gordon Levitt who also starred in Johnson's previous two flicks, Brick and The Brothers Bloom. He also co-stars with Bruce Willis, who plays an older version of Levitt's character, who is an assassin for a criminal organization in the future who hires people like Levitt to get rid of their enemies by sending them back to Levitt's time. However, Levitt's character is faced with conflict when one of his targets is none other than his future self.

LIMITED RELEASES

Of course, there are also a few 'Oscar potential' flicks that will first hit theaters through limited releases. There's two worth noting for September.

*The first is 'The Master', the latest from director Paul Thomas Anderson. Joaquin Phoenix (in notably his first major acting role since his supposed retirement) plays a drifter who meets the charismatic leader of a new religious based organization in the post WWII era, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Expect this film to be released on the 14^th.



*The other major limited released flick is 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower', based off of the hit book of the same name by Stephen Chbosky, which was published in 1999. The film will be directed by Chbosky himself, and star Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Erza Miller in the lead roles. It hits theaters on the 21^st.

There are a few other releases this month, but these were the main ones I felt were worth talking about. Stay tuned for the next entry in this 4-part look into the rest of the year's films, where we look at the month of October with the sequel to one of Liam Neeson's biggest hits, the next Ben Affleck helmed flick, and the latest entry in a popular horror franchise.