FILM: Advancements in Animation

Whenever an animated film comes out in theaters, I never make plans to see it. The last animated movie I rented and enjoyed was The Incredibles (2004), which lived up to its title. Since then, I have not been in the least bit amused by what Pixar, Dreamworks, or Disney has had to offer. I mean, the plots of this year's animated films (Ratatouille, Bee Movie, Meet the Robinsons, Persepolis, Beouwulf, Surf's Up, TMNT, Happily N' Ever After, and Shrek the Third) were good, but they didn't really interest my college graduated mind (lol). However, after watching the trailer for Horton Hears a Who! and Coraline, I just might fork over $12

Horton Hears a Who! is the 2nd book in Dr. Seuss' Horton series that focuses on the adventures of an elephant. In this story, Horton discovers that there is an entire city on a speck of pollen living on a flower when he hears the voice of The Mayor of Who-ville. Realizing how fragile their existence is, Horton takes up the quest to make sure that that speck doesn't get destroyed, which leads to a lot of slapstick comedy and dangerous adventures. Horton is voiced by Jim Carrey, while the mayor is voiced by Steve Carrell. Other amusing voices happen to be voiced by several comedians and great actors: Jonah Hill (Superbad), Seth Rogen, Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Will Arnett ("Arrested Development"), Dane Cook, Dan Fogler (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Jamie Pressley ("My Name is Earl"), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ("Lost"), Amy Poehler ("SNL"), Carol Burnett, and Josh Flitter (Nancy Drew). But none of that would be as entertaining if it weren't for the amazing CGI graphics:

Release Date: March 14, 2008


Then there's the Neil Gaiman comic Coraline made with stop-motion animation. It's a ghost story about a little girl who is extremely unhappy about her new home and her neighbors. Then she discovers a secret door (a la Chronicles of Narnia) that leads to a world that is the "perfect" version of her present life, complete with an Other Mother who gives her everything she wants. But when she tries to leave, her psycho other-mother kidnaps her parents and Coraline is forced to fight back. Dakota Fanning voices Coraline and both her mothers are voiced by Teri Hatcher. I thought CGI was the only acceptable format in our generation, but this stop-motion animation is just as impressive.

Release Date: January 16, 2009