R.I.P., Catherine O'Hara

 

ANI-MOVIES, *The Deer King

The Deer King was originally a series of novels written by Nahoko Uehashi who had anime adaptations done of her works including Moribito and The Beast Player as episodic TV series, but this was the first time that a motion picture would try telling an entire fantasy saga in single feature-length movie. Production IG was the studio behind this 2021 release directed by former Studio Ghibli animators Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, and their prior experience is on full display as there are major influences in this from films like Princess Mononoke of which one of the animators actually worked on. The quality of animation is up to Hayao Miyazaki standards, but what really bring it down from the reputation of a Ghibli production is bad pacing and the rush to fill in the entire novel series plot into a 114-minute-long movie.

In an alternate reality, the Zol Empire had taken over the country of Aquafa, but rebellious Aquafese wish to liberate themselves from Zol even though they have maintained peace with their conquerors a decade ago. A bizarre plague is sweeping through the land while taking the form of spiritual wolves, a bite of which causes Zolians to eventually die while the Aquafese are unaffected. In a prison mine, former resistance leader Van and an orphaned girl Yuna are the only survivors after a wolf attack. Van is one of the last of an Aquafese tribe known as the Lone Antlers and they had a special kinship with the deer of this land here called pyuika, and manages to wrangle one of his lost bucks into giving him and Yuna passage to a village of pyuika wranglers. Van seems content in this new home with Yona as his adopted daughter even if he lost his family during the Zol occupation. Meanwhile the new lord of the Aquafa is preparing for a visit from the Zolian emperor which is threatened by this virus, and a young doctor seeks out Van and Yuna as their blood might be the cure to the disease. The hunt is on now for the doctor, his eager bodyguard, and a tracker woman to locate these survivors, but Yuna is taken away by the wolves leading to Van teaming up with his unlikely allies to bring her back from the Aquafese liberators planning to use the outbreak to free their nation no matter who gets hurt along the way. Van realizes that his immunity to this virus is giving him enhanced strength and supernatural powers, but he has to suppress his emotions in order to not let it give in to rage.

The Deer King contains spectacular visual aesthetics with rolling landscapes and a very rich lore to it, however the dense lore is what prevents it from achieving any replay value. There is more than enough backstory to comprehend and several conflicting terms to keep up with. Many critics shot down the movie for its bad pacing and trying to understand the post-credits conclusion, plus there are too many comparisons to Princess Mononoke as both films are eerily similar. I'd suggest catching the film on streaming first before you decide whether or not if you want to actually add this to your library.

ANI-MOVIES, *Cosmic Princess Kaguya!

No, you are not mistaken! There was a movie titled The Tale Of Princess Kaguya released by Ghibli Films in 2013, but that and this new film, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! are both based on the monogatari about a bamboo cutter who becomes the adopted father of a child from the moon. Unlike in Over The Moon which is inspired by Chinese folklore, this one also follows the Japanese legends of the moon being a heavenly domain ruled over by divine beings. Studio Colorido finished out the third of a 3-picture deal with Netflix after Drifting Home and My Oni Girl which would all premiere on the streaming service with this movie, and the level of reality-bending they implemented in Penguin Highway is on full display in this tilt-a-whirl which is constantly switching between the real world and the online world. Similar to Belle and Summer Wars, this takes place in the soon-to-be future with slightly more advanced technology where VR is a commonplace, however like Belle this movie is also a musical at least in the slightest sense with the occasional number that is intended as a performance and not a plot-halting song that gives way to a miniature music video. The soundtrack was scored by some of the Vocaloid producers of numerous J-Pop bands, so the songs are more like an impromptu concert than a musical scene that adds to the storyline. After being in production for 3 years, Studio Colorido drove a lot of online culture into this movie, even though this can drag on with the runtime of 142 minutes, not to mention the multiple endings that were tacked on like you're playing a visual novel instead of watching a movie. A good thing is that this is one of the most sapphic anime movies ever made.

Happening in 2030, struggling high school student Iroha is barely making ends meet as she lives on her own as she desperately tries to achieve a college scholarship. On her way home from her part-time job, Iroha comes across a glowing telephone pole when a baby inside comes out. Now, Iroha has to be the caretaker of this child who rapidly ages into her teens, and it's determined that she is the reincarnation of Princess Kaguya from the old story, so she decides to give the moon child the same name as her progenitor. While getting used to having a needy alien girl declaring her love to her, Iroha also has an active life in the digital community of Tsukuyomi where everyone has online cosplay personas in a cyberspace modeled after feudal Japan where the virtual idol of Yachiyo is the apple of Iroha's eye. Kaguya decides that she's not going to let her story end the same way as her namesake where she is taken back to the moon by celestial spirits, so she nudges Iroha into using her hidden songwriting talent to help her be the newest online sensation. After gaining enough support and finances from their efforts, Iroha and Kagura move into a high-rise pad with the two of them growing together as a couple. Of course, just like in the fairy tale, the moon folks come to collect Kaguya, but not after she and all her allies put on a banging concert even if Kaguya does reluctantly give in and goes back home. Now, you would think that this is where the story ends, in fact there's a faux pas ending that any Netflix subscriber will recognize which turns out to be totally fake. There is an additional 20 minutes left where a great deal of secrets are revealed involving time travel, alternate history, retro-cyberpunk cliches, and a love story spanning thousands of years.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is a total recommendation for anyone deep into online culture and its future possibilities, although it might not completely appeal to non-otaku who have as yet to pop their anime cherry. Studio Colorido along with Studio Chromato did a spectacular job producing this with spontaneous battle sequences when the characters abruptly go into Fortnite mode along with the dreamy asthetics of the virtual world. The music gives off the appearance that it was extemporized instead of planned in advance and make for a banging soundtrack, despite that the Japanese language version of the songs are leagues better than the Americanized lyrics even though the dub actors do have singing potential. Netflix ran across this same hiccup last year with their release of The Rose Of Versailles where the English versions of the song don't fit all that well into a musical not originally written for western audiences, so this film will probably not gain the same fanbase that K-Pop Demon Hunters made bank on. Fans of shoujo-ai will appreciate the yuri representation on display here as its left up to the viewer to interpret whether Iroha and Valkyrie have a genuine girls love anime.

ANI-MOVIES: *Alpha And Omega

Open Season screenwriter Steve Moore along with Christopher Denk started the franchise of 8 movies that all began with a single slightly successful box office release of Alpha And Omega in 2010 that was done by Crest Animation who some might remember from producing The Swan Princess films. Crest's streak didn't go on for long as the latter half of the Alpha And Omega movies were completed by Splash Entertainment because Crest folded in 2013 after their other animated project Norm Of The North bombed in theaters which ironically spawned a series of made-for-video sequels headed by Assemblage Entertainment who also drove that franchise into the ground. Lionsgate distributed all the Alpha And Omega films, but the original directed by former Simpsons animator Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck who had directed of few sequels to Disney films both had trouble configuring how to translate the original 2D designs for this 3D production. The first movie had big stars like Justin Long, Danny Glover, Christina Ricci, and Dennis Hopper in one of his final roles, even though none of them return to the video sequels and were replaced by anime voice actors Benjamin Dikson and Kate Higgins. Whether or not the first movie was originally intended to start a franchise like an animated TV series or multiple sequels or not is a pretty wavy bet.

Set in Canada, a pack of wolves have separated from a rival pack whose leaders plan to unite with a marriage with their firstborns, one of which is Kate, an alpha wolf. A promising omega wolf named Humphrey has had his eye on Kate for some time, and the two of them happen to get tranked by rangers who send them both to a park in Idaho to repopulate. Despite Humphrey's prospects looking up, Kate wants to get back to their home to prevent a turf war between the packs. Luckily, the get help from some golf-obsessed birds who help them return after hitching rides on a camper and then a train. The would-be couple make it back just in time to stop the packs from eating each other, even though there was still an extra 20 minutes left in the film. Kate realizes that she loves Humphrey and they manage to save the heads of each pack after a caribou stampede nearly kills them off like Mufasa, so they become mates and plan to repopulate an entire box set of sequels.

For one thing, the concept of alpha and omega wolves doesn't actually exist, so the entire concept behind the actual title is completely stupid. For a CGI movie, the animation is only a little above average at least for a theatrical release, although this feature still doesn't really anything all that significant. If the story had more of the two leads learning to love each other on their trip back home then it might have fared better, but the story keeps cutting to a completely different wolf couple getting together and the pointless antics of the bird golfers that pad out the plot to a definitive humdrum. This movie was a tedious watch and doesn't contain much anything eventful, which makes you wonder how this went on to colonize an entire cinematic universe.

Thundercats 2011: A Worthy Successor

The 1980s were the era of toy-based animation with Transformers and GI Joe leading the pack. Fantasy and sci-fi were also big with Masters Of The Universe first picking up the ball for that genre combo, but a rival soon appeared in thanks to toy/game creator Ted Wolf which he titled Thundercats. He had the idea of merging anthropomorphic humans and took it to Telepictures who in 1984 made it into one of the most successful franchises ever, which is pretty good considering it was their first animated series. The TV show was originally animated by Topcraft who had just finished production on Nausicaa And The Valley Of The Wind, although the production was handled by Rankin/Bass Productions and had worked with Topcraft on previous animated projects like The Last Unicorn. The later seasons were done by Pacific Animation Corporation who were formed when Topcraft folded while most of the other animators went on to form Studio Ghibli. Despite lasting for four whole seasons which was a rarity in the 80s, the TV series eventually ended even though the toy line for it had long since ceased. Topcraft was eventually bought by Warner Entertainment who held onto the property into 2011.

Warner decided to bring back the franchise in 2011 with Bandai handling the new action figures. Done as the last collaboration between founders Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass before they passed away, Thundercats was part of a new lineup of action/adventure cartoons that were premiering on Warner’s Cartoon Network. The entire remake lasted for a single season of 26 episodes over the span of a year with some good ratings at the beginning, but as Cartoon Network decided to start culling their episodic action shows, Thundercats was among its number. The series almost fell completely due to low toy sales, Lego however stepped in and were going to produce their own line of toys based on the new show, even though Warner’s taking Thundercats off the air prompted Lego to rebrand their toys as Legends Of Chima with reusing many of the character designs for the standard Lego blocky model.

The 2011 Thundercats was a totally new take on the series whereas instead of the Thundercats coming from a doomed planet to Third Earth and battling the evil Mumm-Ra and his Mutants, this new version took place entirely with all the characters on Third Earth. The Thundercats were an entire race of feline humanoids living in the kingdom of Thundera which had been decimated by Mumm-Ra and his reptilian forces thanks to the sabretooth traitor Grune who turned against his own people. Thundera’s king dies leaving behind his two sons Lion-O and Tygra along with the superfast cleric Cheetara and the homeless twins Wilykat and Wilykit all setting out to avenge their people. Lion-O and the others come across lost general Panthro who had survived on his own riding around in an abandoned Thundertank.

The collected team discover that all the animal races on Third Earth were originally enslaved by Mumm-Ra who used them to collect four powerful stones that he would use to take over the universe, each of which would be used on a special gauntlet. So basically, the new Thundercats show borrowed Marvel Comics’ Infinity Gauntlet premise just before the MCU started rolling out their first Avengers movie. Throughout the series, Lion-O earns his place as Thundercat lord while befriending the other animal races who unite to help them prevent Mumm-Ra from gaining the other stones. Along the way, they are joined by Thunderian female Pumyra who was secretly working for Mumm-Ra the whole time. Mumm-Ra does gain one of the stones while Lion-O had two with one more left to be found. However, the second season of the series was never produced.

Season Two would have seen the retrieval of the last stone, Pumyra being transformed into an insect monster, a betrayal by Wily twins, the reveal of original series character Lynx-O, and how Mumm-Ra was responsible for the creation of Snarf’s clan. The Fukushima disaster caused a major financial upheaval in Japan which plummeted the cost of the US dollar which nearly doubled the price of production for each episode. Even though the remake had great ratings in the beginning, the numbers began to sink due to the advent of streaming which was slowly replacing network broadcasting. Combined with low toy sales, Cartoon Network decided to cancel it along with most of their other toy-based programming.

The 2011 remake had a lot going for it. Fans of the original series praised it for carrying on the legacy of the original series, and newcomers found the refreshed anime style appealing. It was developed by Avatar: The Last Airbender animator Ethan Spaulding and Teen Titans Go co-developer Michael Jelenic. The two of them added much new lore to the Thundercats history along with a leap forward in worldbuilding. Overcoming racism also played a large part of the story as in the beginning of the series there is much discrimination between the other animal humanoids which are split up into cats, reptiles, apes, birds, dogs, fish, and more as most of them band together to defeat their common enemy as well as defying inequality.

The new Thundercats show had a stacked cast. Lion-O was voiced by Will Friedle which most would know as Batman Beyond and Ron Stoppable who went on to write a few episodes. Tygra was voiced by Matthew Mercer a few years before he helmed the Critical Role empire, so Thundercats played a big part in a whole new generation discovering Dungeons And Dragons. Snarf was rendered mostly mute in this series but was still voiced by Satomi Korogi who has portrayed several anime critters in Japan including the lead in Chi’s Sweet Home. One of the best is Clancy Brown playing the traitorous Grune who had a way larger role in this show than he did in the original. Pamela Adlon who some would know as the voice Bobby Hill also played a more aggressive version of Pumyra.

Despite all that it had going for it, the 2011 Thundercats had numerous things working against it. The series premiere was epic and set the stage for a sprawling adventure, however there were a good deal of episodes dedicated to side quests which diverted from the main journey. Nearly a fifth of the series is comprised of flashbacks that rammed truckloads of backstory, which is helpful but meandering. Another detraction was that you could tell that if an episode focused primarily on the Thunderkittens that it was ultimately filler. The fact that the series ended with a whole half of the story left to be chronicled is the biggest shame of all.

With talk of a Thundercats movie flickering on and off over the last few decades, then the 2011 series was really one of the best adaptations of the original 80s show outside of the some of the comic book remakes. Cartoon Network’s attempt to rekindle the franchise with the viciously sabotaged Thundercats Roar didn’t help either with any fans by trying to make it appealing to modern day kids while turning it into a spastic spoof of the 80s show like Teen Titans Go in the overused CalArts style. Thundercats 2011 is worth looking up as it is currently streaming on Hulu, but you’ll get the best experience from watching the Blu-Ray set which has the best visual quality and highlights the crisp animation that Studio 4°C Co put such effort into producing.

ANI-MOVIES, *The Cat Returns

If anyone remembers the story from Whispers Of The Heart that the main character was writing, then this is that story. The Cat Returns was based on a manga by Aoi Hiiragi inspired by the original movie that was first intended as a short film for an amusement park but was lengthened to be a 75-minute-long feature from Studio Ghibli written by Reiko Yoshida who brilliantly did the screenplay for A Silent Voice, as well as directed by Hiroyuki Morita in his theatrical debut. Despite what some might think, Hayao Miyazaki was not heavily involved in what was Ghibli's first spinoff movie. Released in 2002, The Cat Returns is one of the earliest examples of a 21st Century isekai which reflects elements of various portal fantasy tales like The Wizard Of Oz and Alice In Wonderland, although this is more of a fairy tale than RPG-inspired high fantasy. The movie's fluid animation doesn't contain the lush details that most other Ghibli films are known for, however the backgrounds, humor, and character portrayals are still priceless.

Haru is an inhibited high schooler who saves the life of what she thinks is a stray cat but turns out to be Lune, the prince of a kingdom lying in its own little realm inhabited by talking felines, and now she is engaged to marry Lune. Haru tries to get out this arrangement by going to visit a small anthropomorphic cat called The Baron along with his vastly rotund partner Muta who act as ambassadors between the human and cat worlds, despite this Haru does get abducted by the Cat King's servants and taken to the pussycat planet where she slowly begins to change into a cat. Baron and Muta manage to infiltrate the King's castle and rescue Haru, leading into a long merry chase for our heroic trio and the King's soldiers and escape after being shown an exit at the end of a maze thanks to Lune's true fiance Yuki who happened to be another cat Haru had saved years ago. The King reluctantly gives up and retires, Haru returns home as a full human again along with a renewed sense of self-confidence.

The Cat Returns is a short but thoroughly sweet jaunt into an adventurous otherworld that is charming for anime fans and even the occasional watcher of Ghibli movies, and certainly the most charming family feature Ghibli has done since My Neighbor Totoro. Similar to Spirited Away, Ghibli knows how to create a believable isekai where not everything is dreamlike as there is a healthy amount of danger lying within this otherworld. Hiroyuki Morita brought a unique sense of wonder to the whole production which is largely an enchanting piece of escapism. The dub Disney put together for this is overwhelming with a younger Anne Hathaway as Haru, Cary Elwes reprising his role as The Baron, and Tim Curry totally steals the show as the bipolar hippie King Cat going from Garfield in one moment to the Tasmanian Devil in another. The Cat Returns is not an epic up there with the likes of Princess Mononoke but clearly outshines most of the Disney animated movies since the turn of the century.

ANI-MOVIES, *In Your Dreams

For the next original production from Netflix Animation Studios, they got Alex Woo to direct and write the somewhat original title, In Your Dreams. Teaming up with Sony Pictures Imageworks, which by the way is not the same studio as Sony Pictures Animation that did K-Pop Demon Hunters, Alex Woo took his experience as a former Pixar animator in his first duty as director to come up with his own creation. However, sharp animation fans will notice a few similarities between this movie and Over The Moon plus Turning Red along with Orion And The Dark, as In Your Dreams is a comedic adventure involving a dysfunctional family trying their best to stay together through magical means. The movie did get a short stint in theaters although it gained more notice once it premier on Netflix. Kuku Studios assisted in the animation, but both their efforts and Imageworks' made for a seriously uncanny valley with most of the main character designs. It's like they were going for some of the earlier character models resembling The Incredibles with somewhat lifelike details can make watching the movie slightly uncomfortable.

Stevie is a tween with specific point of view which her younger brother Elliot is constantly disrupting with his obsessions in magic and lunchmeats. The two of them are from a mixed-race couple who used to have their own band which nowadays has the father longing to release his own album while the mother is more realistic trying to get a reliable source of income as she sees about a job in a separate town. This has Stevie worrying that her parents might be splitting up, but a magic book from a thrift store that Elliot stole leads them both into the world of their dreams which they can only enter together. They learn about the Sandman who controls dreams and could make them come true, so Stevie wants for her parents to not split up and talks Elliot into going along with him, even though they need to get through an onslaught of scares by the antagonistic Nightmara who prevents them from reaching the Sandman's castle. The siblings do manage to finally get to the Sandman who offers them a reality where their parents are together which is where the lines start showing about whether or not the Sandman or Nightmara are the actual villain of this picture, even though technically there really isn't one in this story as it explores people's intentions and perspective.

In Your Dreams is a story that children who lived through a divorce can reflect upon along with a generous number of innovative landscapes when the children are in the dream realm. The casting is largely acceptable despite the fact that they had voice actor veterans like Lizzie Freeman and Scott Menville playing minor roles as the Sandman's little helpers. Alex Woo along with co-writer Erik Benson does a fair job of demonstrating how a child's dreams is a perfect place for an animated feature, however they seem to neglect how most of the family's problems stem from the father's reluctancy to move on from his glory days. This is a decent reminder of classic children's stories like Little Nemo In Slumberland, especially with the flying bed that acts like a horse, nevertheless there are a few noticeable story flaws that could detract some from rewatching it.