Encanto haunts in a happy way
Movie review: Encanto
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music, clever writing and an animation style that reveres racial difference ensure Encanto casts a durable spell with enough power to make you forget it’s Disney formula.
Chris Buck was on the verge of quitting, then he won an Oscar
Interview with Chris Buck, co-diretor of Frozen
The Kansas-born director was finishing Frozen when tragedy struck in 2013. "I was ready to kind of say: Cartoons are a joke. Why am I doing this?” Yet, in persevering he found purpose, and a deep belief he was put on this planet for a reason: “to bring hope and inspiration.”
Aladdin’s magic remains, but we could always wish for more
Movie Review: Aladdin
Director Guy Ritchie brings the animated classic to life with a greasy edge, some updated songs and a knack for action. He even succeeds at turning the magic carpet into a tightly-knotted character that steals every scene with its manta like moves and sassy tassels. It’s only when the movie stands still long enough that we start to notice a strange lack of dramatic tension.
How Bao’s house of women brought new dimensions to Pixar animation
#OscarCheck2018
Interview - Bao Filmmakers Domee Shi and Becky Nieman-Cobb
The Oscar nominations come out January 22 and Canadian director Domee Shi is already on the shortlist with Bao. She can’t talk about the Academy Awards, but the Toronto-raised animator says just making the short at Pixar feels like a victory.
Benson Shum brings joy to Disney destroyer
Interview: Benson Shum
He grew up sketching trees in Stanley Park, now the Vancouver animator is breathing life into the pixels behind Ralph Breaks the Internet, the latest adventure for two arcade characters learning to console each other.
Ant-Man and The Wasp Give a Nice Buzz
Movie Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp
The laws governing the very big and the very small are different, and this ant-hero story of a nice thief and outlaw physicists taking on big foes brings fragmented intimacy to the ever-expanding Marvel Comic Universe.
Incredibles 2 Too Much Toon, Too Little Tone
Movie review: Incredibles 2
The long-awaited sequel to The Incredibles picks up the Parr family where we left them, but the world and our innocent sense of wonder has changed. Maybe that’s why Brad Bird’s Incredibles 2 feels a little out-of-sync, despite its cinematic skill.
Pixar’s Ted Mathot Talks Technology, Education, Incredibles’ Design
Interview: Ted Mathot
The talented artist says working under the wing of Oscar-winner Brad Bird helped him make the big leap from storyboard artist on The Simpsons to story supervisor on The Incredibles 2. But this could just be the beginning for the Boston native. Now a fledgling graphic novelist, Mathot's own stories seem poised to fly.