animation

A peppy but inconsequential globe-trotting sequel to forgettable 2017 French animation The Jungle Bunch, this instalment pits the plucky defenders of the forest against a new foe. Stepping into the bad-guy shoes of Igor the evil koala is a deranged beaver, complete with an army of brainwashed hench-beavers. His aim, which seems ill thought-through given the beavers’ natural affinity for trees, is the complete deforestation of the jungle.It’s basic stuff, stronger on action set pieces than it is on humour, which veers…

The release of a new Pixar film, once a major, all-attention-securing event, has received a notable downgrade in recent years, not just because of a considerable dip in quality (arguably just Inside Out and Coco are the only indispensable offerings in the last decade) but because of an inevitable change in release strategy. Just a month before the pandemic truly took hold, the fantasy caper Onward (yet another underwhelming effort) became one of the only 2020 films to get a wide theatrical release and as everything…

The latest release from the US animation studio Illumination (best known for all things Minions-related), Migration is a perky, inoffensive family crowdpleaser and the studio’s first original (nonfranchise, non-IP) title since Sing in 2016. But although it is technically a new story, this tale of a family of mallards who leave the safety of their small pond to see the world recycles some fairly well-worn themes and plot devices. Most notable are the similarities between this film and the recent Chicken Run sequel Dawn of…

It’s easy for children to be feel apprehensive and overwhelmed by the world. (To be fair, it’s also easy for a lot of adults to feel apprehensive and overwhelmed by the world, which, you know — thank god for therapists!) You could do a lot worse than to show a fretful youngster Orion and the Dark, a Dreamworks/Netflix animated movie that mounts a full-frontal attack on the notion of fear as a default state of mind. Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is an 11-year-old who’s afraid of a lot of things: cancer, clowns, dogs,…

This perky, likable but profoundly derivative animated feature arrives just in time for both lunar new year and the February half-term school holidays. Like a shop-bought char siu bao, it’s over-sweetened but moreish: Chinese-flavoured comfort food in cinematic form. The story, based on a novel by Laurence Yep, revolves around teenage Tom (voiced by Brandon Soo Hoo) who lives in San Francisco with Amah (which means “grandmother”), voiced by Tan Kheng Hua; the latter is an eccentric old dear who insists on slathering their…

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the state would generate 30,000 new high-quality jobs in the state by 2028 in the AVGC-XR (animation, visual effects, gaming & comics) sector. Speaking at the inauguration of the Bengaluru Games, Animation and Visual FX Conference (GAFX) 2024, the chief minister said his government would ensure that 80% of the sector's revenue would come from exports. Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering CollegeCourseWebsiteMITMIT Technology Leadership and…

Infosys cofounder Kris Gopalakrishnan on Monday said governments and policy makers need to support sectors that generate wealth and employment. The Axilor Ventures chairman was speaking in a fireside chat with media and gaming firm JetSynthesis CEO Rajan Navani at the Bengaluru Games, Animation, and Visual FX Conference (GAFX) 2024.“Governments need to provide incentives to attract investments to states in the competitive environment…companies need a reason to, say, invest in Karnataka over any other state,” said…

A mainstream children’s movie from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, creator of Being John Malkovich and Synecdoche, New York? It has to be worth a look, if only for the pleasure of wondering how much of his own adult neurosis has crept in. For this DreamWorks/Netflix family animation, Kaufman has adapted a picture book by Falmouth-based British author Emma Yarlett, and Sean Charmatz makes his feature directing debut, having worked chiefly on storyboarding films such as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Lego Movie 2.It is about…

Is jazz dead? Yuzuru Tachikawa’s Blue Giant certainly begs to differ. Following three 18-year-old boys who doggedly pursue their musical dreams, the film hits the familiar beats of the coming-of-age anime, yet it also deviates from the format in interesting ways. There are trials and tribulations, quarrels and reconciliation, but what makes Blue Giant really shine is its masterly rendering of the physical ecstasy that emanates from live performance.Jass, the band at the film’s centre, represents three different approaches…

Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the classic 2006 RPG, is due to release on February 2. Between 2013 and 2016, AIC ASTA and A-1 Pictures released four animated films on Persona 3. The question is: are they worth watching before Reload‘s release? For many, myself included, seeing your favorite franchises adapted into a new form is thrilling. So when I heard there were four full-length animated films based on Persona 3, I knew I had to watch them. It’s too good to be true! Well, in a way, it kind of is. Spoiler alert for…