Virtually everyone knows of the tumultuous hurdles Coyote vs. Acme has jumped across to get to this point. A timeline of being a straight-to-HBO Max release, to a tax write-off to save money by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, to possibly being saved through purchase by another studio thanks to online outcry, to being in limbo again. Then the film
Read MoreWatching Thomas Kail’s Moana, I felt a sense of finitude, which is something I don’t really feel while watching movies. But there was something about this dreadful shot-for-shot retread of Ron Clements and John Musker’s 2016 animated masterpiece that felt oddly melancholic. What was it, you ask? I finally realized that the era when Disney lazily releases live-action rehashes of animated
Read MoreI know, another Toy Story sequel? Are they ever going to stop making these? This is a valid question, given how many agree that Toy Story 3 ended the franchise perfectly and offered thoughtful conclusions for the toys many of us grew up repeatedly watching on VHS until the tape wore out. Toy Story 4, while enjoyable, existed only to print money, and many
Read MoreI Am Frankelda is a brand new dark fantasy musical, and Mexico’s very first stopmotion feature film. Directed and written by brothers Arturo & Roy Ambriz, the movie is the ideal introduction to their growing Frankelda universe of dark fantasy stories. The project originally began as a YouTube pilot in 2019. That short grew into Frankelda’s Book of Spooks (2021), a
Read MoreEvery now and again, there comes a film that might not break any barriers but surprises you with how much more it has to offer. The Sheep Detectives is the definition of a film that, at first glance many will dismiss as generic kiddie fare with an absurd premise, but The Sheep Detectives provides the heart and clever wit that more
Read MoreThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie has prompted deep reflection in me. Back in 2023, I was still a new writer here. In fact, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was one of my first reviews here at The Cosmic Circus. At the time, I called the animated film “an acceptable nostalgic delight.” My reasons were that the animated film embraced the game’s
Read MoreThe very first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on Nickelodeon on May 1, 1999. I was twelve years old at the time, and I remember thinking I was too old for a ridiculous-looking cartoon about a juvenile sea sponge. I watched the premiere with a close childhood friend, fully intent on mocking what I was certain would be a cringe-inducing flop of
Read MoreProducer George Miller, co-producers Judy Morris and Warren Coleman, and John Collee’s musical comedy adventure animated film, Happy Feet, briefly returned to Regal Theaters this past weekend. This is due to their “And the Award Goes to…” daily re-release of award-winning films for the month of March, from the classics to this year’s Academy Awards nominees. Revisiting Happy Feet I remember
Read MoreFor a long time, I’ve asked myself the following question: Have I aged out of Pixar, or has Pixar lost its magic? With Daniel Chong’s Hoppers, we finally have an answer to this question. It was the latter. In a post-Incredibles 2 era, only Turning Red felt like the masterpieces the animation studio consistently released and pushed the medium forward in
Read MoreDreamWorks Animation Studios is known for spawning franchises that define generations of children. With currently no less than nine separate series and franchises, there’s no slowing down this studio and the type of storytelling they are producing for families and audiences of all ages. That being said, I didn’t feel like a sequel to The Bad Guys was needed or necessary
Read MoreThe time has come for another Fantasia International Film Festival. The Canadian-based festival, which focuses on fantastical genre works, has been the home of numerous great titles over the years. For example, last year saw the premieres of high-profile offerings such as the Neon film Cuckoo and Chris Stuckmann’s debut feature film Shelby Oaks. Fantasia Fest has also welcomed up-and-comers such
Read MoreWhile I might not be a father, I do have three nephews, and I remember how excited I was to share with them my love of comic book movies one day. From the day they were born, I was counting down until I could take them to see their first Marvel film or wondered when was the right time to buy
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