2015 will see two new Pixar animated features come to theaters and win over audiences worldwide. But while this year looks like it’s going to be a profitable one for the studio behind films that have become pillars of computer animation, 2014 was a quiet year for them. As a result, other studios like WB and “The Lego Movie” or Dreamworks and the second installment in the “How to Train Your Dragon” series had much less competition during most of the year.
Another great side effect of this Pixar-less year was the attention given to much smaller features with inventive stories and handcrafted visual artistry. Among these, traditional animation soared with the release of new films from acclaimed animators like Bill Plympton, Cartoon Saloon's Tomm Moore, and Studio Ghibli’s Isao Takahata, as well as Signe Baumane’s mind-bending feature debut. There were also 3D animated alternatives from two pairs of French filmmakers, Hélène Giraud & Thomas Szabo and Stéphane Berla & Mathias Malzieu.
From the 20 films competing to be nominated as Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards, only 6 were created using 2D animation and only one, Laika’s “The Boxtrolls,” represented the stop-motion technique. But despite being outnumbered by works done solely using digital tools, these films prove that intimate storytelling and laborious work can certainly be more rewarding than following the industry’s conventions.
Since these films and their creators often don’t have the resources that major studios do for promotion, several of them might have slipped through the cracks. However, they are worthy of as much, or even more praise as any big budget animated feature released last year. Here is a list of 8 of them that deserve a wider audience. Many of them are visual wonders that challenge our imagination in heartwarming, intelligent, and even provocative ways. Furthermore, two of them managed to become Academy Award nominees against the odds.
"Cheatin'"
Dir: Bill Plympton
Country: U.S.
Language: English
U.S Distribution: None Yet
PC: Bill Plympton Studios
Where to Watch? Plympton's latest screened at numerous festivals around the world during 2013- 2014 and it had a one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles back in August. For information on future screenings and a possible Blu-ray/DVD release visit the film's official site Here or follow the director on Facebook and on Twitter @plymptoons
"Giovanni's Island"
Dir: Mizuho Nishikubo
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese/Russian
U.S Distribution: Gkids
PC: Production I.G.
Where to Watch? After playing at several festivals the film received a one-week qualifying run in Los Angeles last November. For future information on a broader theatrical or home entertainment release visit Gkids or Production I.G.
"Henry & Me"
Dir: Barrett Esposito
Country: U.S.
Language: English
U.S Distribution: Henry & Me Productions
PC: Reveal Animation Studios
Where to Watch? Following a short NYC theatrical run in August, the film became available on DVD and digital platforms on September 30, 2014.
"Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart"
Dir: Stéphane Berla & Mathias Malzieu
Country: France/Belgium
Language: French/English
U.S Distribution: Shout! Factory
Isa: EuropaCorp
Where to Watch? The film opened theatrically in select cities on September 24, 2014. It's now available on Blu-Ray/DVD and digital platforms.
"Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants"
Dir: Hélène Giraud & Thomas Szabo
Country: France/Belgium
Language: No Dialogue
U.S Distribution: None Yet
Isa: Futurikon
Where to Watch? The film had its qualifying one-week theatrical run in December. For a future opportunities to see the film check the official site Here.
"Rocks in My Pockets"
Dir: Signe Baumane
Country: Latvia
Language: English/Latvian
U.S Distribution: Zeitgeist Films
Isa: New Europe Film Sales
Where to Watch? Although the film opened back in August, there are still a few theatrical engagements coming up. Find them Here. It will also be released on DVD/Digital Download on January 29, 2015 via the film's official site.
"Song of the Sea" - Academy Award Nominee
Dir: Tomm Moore
Country: Ireland/Luxembourg/Belgium/France/Denmark
Language: English/ Scottish Gaelic
U.S Distribution: Gkids
Isa: WestEnd Films
Where to Watch? Currently playing in Los Angeles, NYC, and Toronto and expanding to more U.S. cities in upcoming weeks. For exact dates visit Here.
"The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" - Academy Award Nominee
Dir: Isao Takahata
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
U.S Distribution: Gkids
Isa: Wild Bunch
Where to Watch? Currently playing in several theaters around the country. For exact locations and dates visit Here . The film will be released on Blu-Ray/DVD on February 17, 2015.
Another great side effect of this Pixar-less year was the attention given to much smaller features with inventive stories and handcrafted visual artistry. Among these, traditional animation soared with the release of new films from acclaimed animators like Bill Plympton, Cartoon Saloon's Tomm Moore, and Studio Ghibli’s Isao Takahata, as well as Signe Baumane’s mind-bending feature debut. There were also 3D animated alternatives from two pairs of French filmmakers, Hélène Giraud & Thomas Szabo and Stéphane Berla & Mathias Malzieu.
From the 20 films competing to be nominated as Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards, only 6 were created using 2D animation and only one, Laika’s “The Boxtrolls,” represented the stop-motion technique. But despite being outnumbered by works done solely using digital tools, these films prove that intimate storytelling and laborious work can certainly be more rewarding than following the industry’s conventions.
Since these films and their creators often don’t have the resources that major studios do for promotion, several of them might have slipped through the cracks. However, they are worthy of as much, or even more praise as any big budget animated feature released last year. Here is a list of 8 of them that deserve a wider audience. Many of them are visual wonders that challenge our imagination in heartwarming, intelligent, and even provocative ways. Furthermore, two of them managed to become Academy Award nominees against the odds.
"Cheatin'"
Dir: Bill Plympton
Country: U.S.
Language: English
U.S Distribution: None Yet
PC: Bill Plympton Studios
Where to Watch? Plympton's latest screened at numerous festivals around the world during 2013- 2014 and it had a one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles back in August. For information on future screenings and a possible Blu-ray/DVD release visit the film's official site Here or follow the director on Facebook and on Twitter @plymptoons
"Giovanni's Island"
Dir: Mizuho Nishikubo
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese/Russian
U.S Distribution: Gkids
PC: Production I.G.
Where to Watch? After playing at several festivals the film received a one-week qualifying run in Los Angeles last November. For future information on a broader theatrical or home entertainment release visit Gkids or Production I.G.
"Henry & Me"
Dir: Barrett Esposito
Country: U.S.
Language: English
U.S Distribution: Henry & Me Productions
PC: Reveal Animation Studios
Where to Watch? Following a short NYC theatrical run in August, the film became available on DVD and digital platforms on September 30, 2014.
"Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart"
Dir: Stéphane Berla & Mathias Malzieu
Country: France/Belgium
Language: French/English
U.S Distribution: Shout! Factory
Isa: EuropaCorp
Where to Watch? The film opened theatrically in select cities on September 24, 2014. It's now available on Blu-Ray/DVD and digital platforms.
"Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants"
Dir: Hélène Giraud & Thomas Szabo
Country: France/Belgium
Language: No Dialogue
U.S Distribution: None Yet
Isa: Futurikon
Where to Watch? The film had its qualifying one-week theatrical run in December. For a future opportunities to see the film check the official site Here.
"Rocks in My Pockets"
Dir: Signe Baumane
Country: Latvia
Language: English/Latvian
U.S Distribution: Zeitgeist Films
Isa: New Europe Film Sales
Where to Watch? Although the film opened back in August, there are still a few theatrical engagements coming up. Find them Here. It will also be released on DVD/Digital Download on January 29, 2015 via the film's official site.
"Song of the Sea" - Academy Award Nominee
Dir: Tomm Moore
Country: Ireland/Luxembourg/Belgium/France/Denmark
Language: English/ Scottish Gaelic
U.S Distribution: Gkids
Isa: WestEnd Films
Where to Watch? Currently playing in Los Angeles, NYC, and Toronto and expanding to more U.S. cities in upcoming weeks. For exact dates visit Here.
"The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" - Academy Award Nominee
Dir: Isao Takahata
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
U.S Distribution: Gkids
Isa: Wild Bunch
Where to Watch? Currently playing in several theaters around the country. For exact locations and dates visit Here . The film will be released on Blu-Ray/DVD on February 17, 2015.
- 1/18/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
By Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
This year’s best animated feature Oscar race, which is already jam-packed with as many as 17 eligible contenders — having just 16 automatically triggers an increase in the number of eventual nominees from three to five — is about to get even more crowded. That’s because Barrett Esposito‘s Henry & Me, a simply animated but charming and inspirational children’s film that features the vocal talents of Richard Gere and many other big names, including quite a few members of the New York Yankees organization, is in the process of being qualified for Oscar eligibility by its independent distributor, Reveal Animation Studios.
Read the rest of this entry…...
The Hollywood Reporter
This year’s best animated feature Oscar race, which is already jam-packed with as many as 17 eligible contenders — having just 16 automatically triggers an increase in the number of eventual nominees from three to five — is about to get even more crowded. That’s because Barrett Esposito‘s Henry & Me, a simply animated but charming and inspirational children’s film that features the vocal talents of Richard Gere and many other big names, including quite a few members of the New York Yankees organization, is in the process of being qualified for Oscar eligibility by its independent distributor, Reveal Animation Studios.
Read the rest of this entry…...
- 9/18/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
This year's best animated feature Oscar race, which is already jam-packed with as many as 17 eligible contenders — having just 16 automatically triggers an increase in the number of eventual nominees from three to five — is about to get even more crowded. That's because Barrett Esposito's Henry & Me, a simply animated but charming and inspirational children's film that features the vocal talents of Richard Gere and many other big names, including quite a few members of the New York Yankees organization, is in the process of being qualified for Oscar eligibility by its independent distributor, Reveal
read more...
read more...
- 9/16/2014
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
WOUNDINGS
A terrific cast, including the newly hot Guy Pearce ("Memento"), Jonathan Schaech, Emily Lloyd, Ray Winstone and even Twiggy, is the main point of interest in this futuristic thriller about a remote island in wartime populated by soldiers whose emotional and sexual needs are taken care of by women imported for that purpose. While writer-director Roberta Hanley, adapting a play by Jeff Noon, displays real imagination and a powerfully bleak visual style, she's less effective in terms of narrative and characterization, and the film's anti-war message is blunted by a meandering plot line involving the strained relationships that develop among three couples. The acting is first-rate, with strong turns by Schaech as an aggressive officer and a sexy Lloyd as a new recruit who's more than a match for him.
TEA CAKES OR CANNOLI
Probably the only movie you're ever going to see featuring Abe Vigoda in a leading romantic role, Francine Pelligrino's comedy-drama, set in the North End of Boston, depicts the romantic travails of several generations of an Italian family. Joey (Conor Dublin), a hunky 16-year-old, is torn between a local Italian girl and the blueblood debutante who offers sexual and societal upgrading. His mother has a similar choice between her unfaithful boyfriend and the loyal local baker. Meanwhile, Joey's dying grandfather (Vigoda) is reunited with his childhood sweetheart. Although the film is sweet, it suffers from amateurish acting and helming, and the stereotypical dialogue and characterizations are often wince-inducing. And while Vigoda is undeniably touching as the aging romantic, lead actor Dublin looks at least 10 years too old for his role.
MOURNING GLORY
As its punning title might suggest, this debut feature from writer-director Barrett Esposito is too obvious. The tale of two brothers, one of whose moral code is shattered when the other one is senselessly murdered, the film displays an admirable seriousness and sense of purpose, and Bill Sage and Jon Abrahams deliver strong and charismatic performances in the leading roles. But this low-budget effort suffers from a heavy-handed screenplay that sacrifices subtlety for sensation. What is meant to be a gritty morality tale too often comes across as patent melodrama.
A terrific cast, including the newly hot Guy Pearce ("Memento"), Jonathan Schaech, Emily Lloyd, Ray Winstone and even Twiggy, is the main point of interest in this futuristic thriller about a remote island in wartime populated by soldiers whose emotional and sexual needs are taken care of by women imported for that purpose. While writer-director Roberta Hanley, adapting a play by Jeff Noon, displays real imagination and a powerfully bleak visual style, she's less effective in terms of narrative and characterization, and the film's anti-war message is blunted by a meandering plot line involving the strained relationships that develop among three couples. The acting is first-rate, with strong turns by Schaech as an aggressive officer and a sexy Lloyd as a new recruit who's more than a match for him.
TEA CAKES OR CANNOLI
Probably the only movie you're ever going to see featuring Abe Vigoda in a leading romantic role, Francine Pelligrino's comedy-drama, set in the North End of Boston, depicts the romantic travails of several generations of an Italian family. Joey (Conor Dublin), a hunky 16-year-old, is torn between a local Italian girl and the blueblood debutante who offers sexual and societal upgrading. His mother has a similar choice between her unfaithful boyfriend and the loyal local baker. Meanwhile, Joey's dying grandfather (Vigoda) is reunited with his childhood sweetheart. Although the film is sweet, it suffers from amateurish acting and helming, and the stereotypical dialogue and characterizations are often wince-inducing. And while Vigoda is undeniably touching as the aging romantic, lead actor Dublin looks at least 10 years too old for his role.
MOURNING GLORY
As its punning title might suggest, this debut feature from writer-director Barrett Esposito is too obvious. The tale of two brothers, one of whose moral code is shattered when the other one is senselessly murdered, the film displays an admirable seriousness and sense of purpose, and Bill Sage and Jon Abrahams deliver strong and charismatic performances in the leading roles. But this low-budget effort suffers from a heavy-handed screenplay that sacrifices subtlety for sensation. What is meant to be a gritty morality tale too often comes across as patent melodrama.
- 5/15/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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