WRITER'S NOTE: The following reviews were originally posted on my Instagram page @be.kerian in June of 2023 (with the exception of Lightyear, which was posted July 4, 2022).
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| Courtesy Disney 2020 |
Onward (2020)
Having successfully made a Pixar feature about monsters in college, Monsters University director Dan Scanlon presented an original fantasy-adventure-comedy that took mystical worlds and creatures and put them in a contemporary setting. But Onward really centers on two elf brothers who use a magical wizard staff to bring their late father back to life to spend one day with him. The siblings soon get literally half of what they expected before embarking on a cross-country quest.
MCU pros Tom Holland and Chris Pratt are perfectly cast as siblings Ian and Barley, respectively, as they drive around in a VW (known as Guenivere), encounter a warrior-turned-hostess Manticore (voiced by Octavia Spencer) and some biker fairies, and spend what little time they have with the father that Ian never knew (an impressive feat of character animation that's a cross between the anthropomorphic pants from Dr. Seuss's What Was I Scared Of, and the road-trip comedy Weekend at Bernies).
Despite a few crude elements, the film highlights familial themes and the life-affirming role of surrogate father figures ("I never had a father, but I always had you"). It's a poignant message in an overall fun and entertaining movie.
TRIVIAL FACT: This was the last Pixar feature to get a theatrical release before the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The studio's next three films (despite initial theatrical engagements) were released exclusively on the Disney+ streaming service.
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| Courtesy Disney 2020 |
Soul (2020)
Pete Docter has made some of Pixar's most unforgettable films, from closet-hiding critters in Monsters, Inc., to floating houses in Up and personified emotions in Inside Out. But none have been more ambitious or creative as his 2020 feature about a music teacher (and aspiring jazz musician) who ends up in a coma and in a metaphysical world known as "The Great Before".
The studio really branched out with a story that shines a light on the African-American experience, as the eponymous Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) takes up mentoring a "lost soul" known as "22" (voiced by Tina Fey), resulting in a twist that leads both on a journey of self-discovery and rediscovery.
This engrossing and brilliantly-written story is a visual feast, with many clever, surreal, and surprising sight gags and elements. It's imagery is thematically-driven, with a strong emphasis on lighting, photorealism, and unique hand‐drawn techniques, proving what animation, art, and cinema in general, are capable of. And the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (with jazz arrangements by Jon Batiste) is unlike anything heard on screen before.
While the film's worldview can sometimes be mystical and/or tribal, Soul does highlight characters who learn to live life as opposed to skipping it; both Joe and 22 dwell a lot on moments of rejection and failure throughout their own existences, before recognizing various life moments and connections that stick with them the most (no different than Russell the boy scout shared with Carl Frederickson in Up). It's an amazing kaleidoscope of music, imagery, story, and life.
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| Courtesy Disney 2021 |
Luca (2021)
The second of Pixar's exclusive releases on Disney+, Luca tells a literal fish-out-of-water story about two sea monsters (one, shy and introverted; the other, daring and mischievous) who sneak away from their undersea homes and discover a seaside town on the Italian Riviera. (If Disney's The Little Mermaid and Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo come to mind, as far as similar narrative beats, you're not wrong.)
Director Enrico Casarosa (who also made the wonderful 2011 short, La Luna) uses the same character designs to tell a fun-looking-if-passive story about two young characters who discover the world. It's an enjoyable love letter to Casarosa's home country. The film's animation style is also, in part, a wonderful homage to Studio Ghibli films like Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso. (The seaside town is named "Portorosso." Get it?)
As for the voice cast, Jacob Trembley (as the titular Luca) and Jack Dylan Grazer (as the free-going Alberto) make a terrific duo. I also enjoyed Emma Berman as the feisty Giulia, and Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan as Luca's parents. And the eye-popping illustrations over the end credits are icing on the cake. But as far as the film's themes go, while it does highlight genuine child friendships and underdogs, it also sometimes paints adults as careless antagonists, with adolescent disobedience, some macabre fish humor, and conventional prejudices (and perceived agendas?) thrown in. More discerning parents and/or families may want to say, "Silencio Bruno," to this one.
TRIVIAL FACT: Jacob Tremblay went on to voice another famous sea creature: Ariel's fish friend Flounder in 2023's live-action Little Mermaid.
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| Courtesy Disney 2022 |
Turning Red (2022)
Pixar is no stranger to taking risks. But no film has, perhaps, had more edge or pushed the envelope of computer animated storytelling like Turning Red. Essentially a coming-of-age fantasy-comedy, the story centers on 13-year-old Mei, a Toronto native (and only child of Chinese immigrant parents) who begins going through adolescent changes, especially when she magically turns into a giant red panda whenever her emotions are high.
First-time feature-length director Domee Shi (who previously made the Oscar-winning Pixar short Bao) and her team created a semiautobiography that draws upon Eastern family traditions (including spirituality and mysticism), the pressures of living up to expectations, and millennial obsessions over boy bands (the story is set in 2002). The titular Mei's fourth wall narration is clever (a first for Pixar?), and the character designs are distinctly cartoony and caricatured. A few thematic comparisons could also be drawn from Isao Takahata's animé masterpiece, Only Yesterday, and Judy Blume's beloved YA novel, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.
With that teenage demographic in mind, Turning Red is not really a film for children, not just because of its complicated family dynamics (including overbearing parents and teenage angst). More specifically, it embraces hot-button issues like menstruation (with a few references to tampons). Plus, while Mei's posse of friends may be genuinely supportive and endearing, they can also be as rebellious as her; one of the film's subplots involves the girls lying to their parents and friends to get concert tickets to see a popular boy band.
To its credit, the story does show the harsh consequences of giving into emotional rage, popularity and materialism, as well as the importance of friendship, accountability, and family. But its not enough to shake off its occasionally-crass attitude and mystical worldview. As Mei declares to her stern mother, "I'm 13! Deal with it!" Adolescence can be a beast, that's true. But it's shouldn't be taken lightly.
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| Courtesy Disney 2022 |
Lightyear (2022)
Full disclosure: this is not another sequel to Toy Story, but rather a spinoff about the character that inspired the Buzz Lighyear action figure. Nevertheless, there was bound to be a mixed reception, which Lightyear has been getting for more reasons than one.
First, the good news. The film looks and sounds great. Pixar has certainly come a long way in the last 30 years. And it shows in the visual designs of this story's central planet, its robots (I couldn't help but think of the various hardware and characters from WALL*E), and elements of dust, smoke, and light. While Tim Allen will always be the GOAT Buzz, former Captain America Chris Evans does an admirable job of making the role his own, despite the writer's recycling dialogue from the original TS series.
The film's story follows the intergalactic space-ranger on a years-long mission to get his colony off a marooned planet and back home. There are worthwhile themes of teamwork, embracing and learning from one's mistakes, and staying true to one's goals and beliefs, no matter how long it takes. Lightyear also has some brilliant moments of comedy and a few terrific new characters, like the scene-stealing robotic feline SOX (voiced by Pixar veteran Peter Sohn) and the determined rookie ranger Izzy (voiced by Keke Palmer).
One element that has stirred controversy, however, is a brief-but-very-present same-sex kiss. While a few of Pixar's previous films have had very subtle references to such characters (including Finding Dory, Toy Story 4, and Onward), Lightyear seems to put its own subplot front and center--and apparently as a direct response to Florida's recent banning of LGBTQ education in public grade schools. Sounds like a political agenda within a film marketed to kids and families. The goal should've been to tell an entertaining story and save such discussions for a different outlet, of which there are several. Those elements notwithstanding, Lightyear is a rollicking space adventure. But only time will tell if it holds up to infinity and beyond.
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| Courtesy Disney 2023 |
Elemental (2023)
CGI has certainly come a long way since the 1980s, when characters, environments, and various other effects resembled little more than plasticine. The data has become so significant that even the tiniest details and nuances can be so believable. Which brings us to Pixar's latest fantasy. Going one step further from Inside Out's anthropomorphic emotions, Elemental tells a compelling immigrant story in the guise of an animated adventure that personifies various elements, including fire, water, air, and land. (Imagine Captain Planet and the Planeteers in a more quirky and imaginative setting.)
There's a lot to like about Peter Sohn's second full-length feature as a director (following 2015's incredible and moving The Good Dinosaur). The eponymous Element City is a sight to behold, while the script offers many clever visual gags and puns. Leah Lewis is very engaging as the fiery Ember. Thomas Newman's score is evocative. And, aside from the evocative story of an immigrant family growing up and struggling in a new place, what may start out silly soon blossoms into a genuine, heart-tugging romance between Ember and the water city inspector Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie).
Where the film gets watered down (or fades) is in its middling environmentalist subplot during the second act. Add to that some passive appearances by LGBTQ characters, and a central love story that puts this into certified romcom territory, and Elemental is not really a film for younger or more discerning viewers, no matter how creative or clever it looks.
TRIVIAL FACT: In a first since 2018, the film is preceded by a short sequel to 2009's Up (titled, Carl's Date), in which the elderly and widowed Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner, in his final screen credit) wrestles with dating again, even while getting advice from talking canine Dug.
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