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NEWS ABOUT: animated movie

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Despicable Me Good, But It's No Toy Story 3

Animated feature is strong, if generic, hyper: critics

(Newser) - Critics agree that French studio Illumination Entertainment has made a strong first entry into feature animation with Despicable Me, featuring Steve Carrell voicing a cartoon baddy who adopts three little girls. But it has the misfortune to premiere within weeks of Pixar's beloved Toy Story 3.
  • Despicable Me "cannot
... More »

Toy Story 3 'an Instant Classic'

Pixar brings series to 'dazzling, emotional' finale

(Newser) - Toy Story 3 is a heartwarming masterpiece that easily ranks among Pixar's best, say critics in unanimously positive reviews (as of this writing, it has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes ). Andy's headed to college in this one, but instead of being stored in the attic or put out... More »

Magic Missing in Shrek Forever After

The movie's not bad, just phoned in

(Newser) - Shrek Forever After, the supposed last film in the green ogre franchise, isn't terrible, critics unanimously agree. But neither is it remotely necessary. Here's what they're saying:
  • “There's a soft, middle-aged complacency to the well-oiled mechanics of Shrek Forever After,” writes Lisa Schwarzbaum of EW . “What was
... More »

Date Night Conquers Titans

Fey-Carell vehicle wins down-to-the-wire weekend battle

(Newser) - Steve Carell and Tina Fey held off a challenge from a horde of 3D Greek gods as Date Night recorded a narrow preliminary victory over Clash of the Titans at the weekend box office, Variety reports. The mistaken-identity caper raked in $27.1 million to $26.9 million for the... More »

How to Train Your Dragon Soars

Critics love Dreamworks' latest animate tale

(Newser) - Dreamwork’s latest animated romp, How to Train Your Dragon, is earning nearly unanimous critical praise—it’s currently at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes . Here’s what they’re saying:
  • The story’s pretty conventional, but writer-directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (Lilo & Stitch) “make funny, touching, sublime
... More »

Animated Actors: Oscar Worthy?

Some argue 'Avatar' stars deserve nominations, too

(Newser) - Despite nine Oscar nominations, Avatar actors got snubbed—and some speculate it’s due to their “animated” looks on-screen. Performance capture is much more than animation, argue some, who say actors like Zoe Saldana should be recognized for their performances. “I like to think of it as digital... More »

Don't Land On Planet 51

Laugh-free sci-fi satire mediocre at best

(Newser) - It has a cool concept—a human is greeted with paranoia on an alien planet straight out of the '50s—but critics say Planet 51 never reaches orbit. Some reviews:
  • It’s a “bland, humor-free narrative,” with lame references to other movies instead of jokes, writes Glenn Whipp
... More »

Astro Boy: Lots of Flash, But No Soul

Remake of vintage Japanese series fails to impress

(Newser) - Astro Boy, David Bowers’ reboot of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Japanese manga and animé series, is an action-packed movie that tries to appeal to both kids and adults. Critics, however, were more impressed with the machine guns in the main character’s butt than with the film as a whole:... More »

9's Visuals a Perfect 10

Film tells of burlap robot battling through frightening world

(Newser) - The creepy tale of 9, which depicts a burlap-bodied robot’s (Elijah Wood) quest for his origins while battling bad guys in a post-apocalyptic world, looks incredible—but its script leaves something to be desired.
  • “Long on imaginative design but less substantial in narrative, this dreary story of fighting
... More »

Seuss' Lorax Slated to Be 3D Movie

(Newser) - Dr Suess' green-themed story The Lorax is becoming the first of his works to get the 3D treatment, Variety reports. Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment plan to release the animated picture in 2012, on what would have been the author's 108th birthday. His 1971 book told the story of a... More »

Ice Age Sequel Not So Hot

But animated sequel has a few redeeming moments

(Newser) - If you need an air-conditioned snooze on the busy holiday weekend, the third Ice Age film may be the answer. Still, it has its moments:
  • Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs frequently feels “so glacial that it's a wonder Ray Romano's Manny the mammoth doesn't freeze in his tracks,
... More »

Up Is a 'Buoyant Delight'

(Newser) - It's nearly unanimous: Critics can't say enough good things about Up, the latest offering from Pixar:
  • Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: The story of a curmudgeon who tries to fly his house to South America " is a soaring, touching, funny and altogether buoyant movie that lives up to its
... More »

Monsters Looks Great, Lacks Oomph

Dreamworks' 3-D stunner stuck with one-dimensional storyline

(Newser) - Monsters Vs. Aliens looks amazing on screen, but grownups may find the thin jokes and the storyline of Dreamworks' animated spoof of '50s flicks a little grating, say critics.
  • James Rocchi, Redbox: The movie "has amazing 3D, solid gags, wacky concepts and great animation; I just wish that at
... More »

Disney Under Fire for Black Princess's White Prince

Why isn't first black princess with black prince?

(Newser) - Disney has unveiled its first black princess—but her prince appears to be white, and the criticism is pouring in, the Mail reports. In the upcoming The Princess and the Frog, New Orleans’ Princess Tiana is voiced by Dreamgirls actress Anika Noni Rose—and while her prince hails from “... More »

Coraline Scares in Stunning 3-D

Dazzlingly creepy stop-motion animation conjures up children's worst fears

(Newser) - Coraline is an eerie marvel of stop-motion animation guaranteed to give little kids nightmares, say critics. The story of a young girl—voiced by Dakota Fanning—who stumbles into a strange parallel universe where life seems almost too good to be true is a "dazzling, delightfully dark children's movie,... More »

Despereaux a Beautiful Mess

Too many subplots in Mouse's tale

(Newser) - The Tale of Despereaux is a beautiful movie. It looks “like an illuminated manuscript come to life,” writes Adam Markovitz in Entertainment Weekly, its visuals obviously inspired by Flemish artists. “Too bad the story’s such a mess.” At the heart of the story is the... More »

Bolt Is Fetching Fun

Critics say frisky Disney animation is its best effort in years

(Newser) - Disney's latest animated movie may not win prizes for originality, but Bolt is barking up the right tree for family entertainment, say critics. John Travolta voices with "terrific tenderness" the super-powered pooch who's unaware that his life has been a canine Truman Show, writes Michael Rechtshaffen in the Hollywood ... More »

Disney Takes Aim at Family-Friendly Mideast

Company seeks to tap into Arabic appetite for family-friendly films

(Newser) - Disney has decided it's a big world after all, the Financial Times reports. The company is making its first Arabic-language movie, aiming to tap into demand for family-friendly fare in the Middle East. The Last Storyteller will be produced somewhere in the Middle East and distributed in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon,... More »

Audiences Flock to Madagascar

Animated flick wins weekend box office

(Newser) - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa had the year's best opening for an animated family flick, pulling in $63.5 million to win the weekend box office, Variety reports. R-rated gross-out comedy Role Models, meanwhile, surprised by taking second place with $19.3 million. The remaining top five: High School Musical 3:... More »

Madagascar Sequel Not Wildly Different

(Newser) - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa brings back the on-the-run New York menagerie, and DreamWorks hasn't monkeyed much with the first movie's winning, if slightly tired, formula, say critics. The celebrity-voiced animals' new adventure "is aimed mostly at children and should score a direct hit," Kirk Honeycutt writes in the... More »

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