Movie review - "Inside Out 2" (2024) ****

 Funny how the public can smell a hit. They wanted to see it, sensed it was good, and came.

I was actually upset they wanted to make it, the first was so lovely but... actually it makes sense because the character is thirteen and there's a bunch of new emotions (anxiety, ennui, etc).

Good, cheap way to do therapy, clever script, typically strong animation, plenty of colour and action. I get why they avoided the boys issue.

Movie review - "Elemental" (2023) **1/2

 Much to admire. The animation is excellent, particularly on the big screen, some lovely gags and moments, I enjoyed the world of the different elements, fire vs water vs earth vs air.

It doesn't quite work. It's not really a film for kids its an intercultural romance - which I know so was Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast but they had songs and a more propulsive story, with villains and ticking clocks. This is more Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with clunky artificial story drivers like shutting down the store, and fixing the dam It needed more of a coathanger, like solving a mystery, searching for someone, or even just beating a villain.

Also it makes remarkable mistakes in identifying the audience with the lead. Good Disney/Pixar gives us time with the lead - why not show her as a baby in Fireland, with the parents as they leave for the new country, a decent time on the boat (a great moment in the film but far too brief), experience time with her as she experiences prejudice and sees what a great set of parents she has. This is all shown in flashback. The old, very effective mantra of taking time has been thrown out the window.

Not a mystery why people didn't go for it.

Movie review - "Lightyear" (2022) ****

 Great fun. Clever, with heart (I teared up at the time jump stuff), some twists. I wonder what happened to the rookie with the sad eyes - that was set up for a plot that's not paid off. Everything else is. Not an origin story so much as the story of the movie that inspired the toy in Toy Story. Some exciting action sequences. Funny cat - which is admittedly used a lot to get the writers out of tight corners.

Movie review - "Inside Out" (2015) *****

Stunningly good Pixar movie about the adventures of a girl's subconscious - in particular the trauma she goes through when she moved. I moved cities around the same age and went through a similar thing - like so many of these Pixar films this plunged straight into my heart.

There were other tear inducing moments as well: the re-discovery (and re-loss) of an imaginary friend, realising the importance of combining sadness and joy, the different emotions in everyone's head, the way your emotions become more complex as you grow up, the loss of childhood memories.

The animation remains as superb as ever. This one has more of an all star behind the mike cast than normal but its hard to fault their work: Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, etc.

Movie review – “Toy Story 3” (2010) ****

Another Pixar masterpiece and money-maker. The formula is followed – an odyssey mixed with heart. The toys are about to be kicked upstairs to the attic with Andy going away to college – a set up which gives this a great deal of depth and heart, because you know no matter what happens the ending isn’t going to be really happy. The toys wind up at a day care centre, which seems like paradise, but isn’t. As normal with Pixar, the last act is one big chase/race-against-the-clock scene.

There are some incredibly moving moments, such as everyone holding hands as they think they’re going to their deaths, and the finale where Andy says goodbye (I don’t mind admitting this brought tears to my eyes – Woody’s smiling face staring at Andy especially, giving it away to a shy girl… it’s all about rites of pages, and changes and surise/sunet… no wonder grown men were bawling in cinemas).

Tom Hanks/Woody is very much the star here – he’s the one picked to go to college, he gets the close ups at the end, he has his own adventures whereas Buzz is stuck with the others. Even in animation, star factor counts. Lots of funny bits throughout; I particularly liked the idea of toys watching each other do theatre, and getting on ebay to see how much they’re worth.

Movie review - "The Incredibles" (2004) ****

The concept of Super heroes in their everyday life is a bit tired now but this one just swooped in under the wire, helped by a fast pace and some unconventional animation. It's lively and skilled but does go on for a bit too long.