Movies
A post-Spiderverse animation. It's nice to see Sony's animation wasn't just a random fluke, but that it managed to create a tangible impact on the American animation scene. After 2 decades of sporting more or less the same plastic look, it's a delight to finally see some (hesitant) experimentation. I didn't see any of the other Puss in Boots films, but that's not a problem at all. This is pretty much a stand-alone story, built around a character from the Shrek universe. Puss is living his final life and Death is on his heels. To make sure his future is guaranteed, Puss steals the map that leads to the final wish. A wish that could grant him extra lives. The comedy is horrible, some of the characters are grating and the dubs are hard on the ears. In many ways, it's still a very obnoxious American animated comedy, but at least it's nice to look at. Human characters are still a little bland, but the heavy brush-painted look applied to animals and backgrounds is pretty damn cool. It's a step in the right direction.Read all
A toothless sequel that once again delves into an origin story of conservative behavior. It seems to be a popular tale in US animation nowadays (with quite some potential), but to see it executed in the most bland and conservative way possible immediately undermines the very problems it tries to highlight. The Croods are on their way to the promised land, but Guy and Eep are getting a bit too friendly for Grug, who fears they may run off to start their own pack. Then they run into the Bettermans, who constructed a little paradise of their own. The two families don't get along that well, but they'll find a common enemy to bond over. The animation is nothing special, the comedy is very crude and there's just nothing here that surprises or excites. It's cookie-cutter animation for children, with the more mature themes handled in the most mind-numbing way possible. But they'll keep churning these out as long as they keep making money I guess.Read all