films seen
5
average score
1.80*
nationality
status
Alive and kicking

Movies


The Land Before Time

1988 / 69m - USA
Drama, Adventure - Animation
2.5*/5.0*
The Land Before Time poster

Titan A.E.

2000 / 94m - USA
Sci-fi, Adventure - Animation
2.0*/5.0*
Titan A.E. poster

US sci-fi animation. While hardly a film for adults, it's remarkable to see a US (mainstream) animation that doesn't feel the need to service every age group. So much in fact that I tried to come up with another example from the past two or three decades and felt stumped when nothing came to mind.

Read all

That doesn't mean Titan A.E. is a great film, but it's at least remarkable. Back in the day it was also notable for combining oldskool 2D animation with CG backgrounds and characters, 20 years later it looks more than a bit dated, but not as much as some purer CG animations of that time.

The story is very basic, the characters and sci-fi designs are rather flat and the voice acting feels uninspired, but it's nice to see some action-driven sci-fi animation for a change and some of the more adventurous sections of the film were pretty decent. Not a film I'd actively recommend, but it is a good reminder of how shallow and targeted the US mainstream animation scene really is.

The Secret of NIMH

1982 / 82m - USA
Fantasy, Adventure - Animation
2.0*/5.0*
The Secret of NIMH poster

A slightly darker version of Disney's The Rescuers. Not sure if there was a pressing need to have a more serious film about a mommy mouse trying to save her child, but apparently Don Bluth thought it would be a good idea to go for it anyway. The result is a bit lackluster though.

Read all

The film follows Mrs. Brisby, a timid mouse who lives in a farm field. The farmer is about to start plowing his field, so Mrs. Brisby has to find their family a new home. The problem is that her little boy is sick and can't be moved for the next three weeks. Desperate, Mrs. Brisby sets out to find Nicodemus, the mysterious but all-knowing leader of the rats.

The animation is decent, the art style a bit bland, the soundtrack and dub pretty poor. It's a decent film for young kids who are ready for a slighter darker tale, apart from that the appeal is very small. Not the worst US animation I've seen, but I can't say it did too much for me.


Anastasia

1997 / 94m - USA
Romance - Animation
1.5*/5.0*
Anastasia poster

An American Tail

1986 / 80m - USA
Comedy, Adventure - Animation
1.0*/5.0*
An American Tail poster

An American Tail fails because of the big mismatch between the cheery mice and the dark setting they inhabit. Bluth tries to deliver a darker tale, but gets stuck in childish nonsense and unsubtle musical bits. The patriotism here is absurd, the animation is overdone and the plot is boring and predictable. Blah.