Cars
After an incredibly boring opening scene featuring a Nascar race (sorry, but I have no interest in cars whatsoever, not to mention racing), the film picks up and is rather enjoyable all the way. It’s definitely fun to watch, so my only objection would be that the story feels kinda old. We’ve seen this same story many times before, about the big city snob who finds himself after spending some time in a small town. The animations are great, though, and I absolutely love the way Pixar thought of all the small details. Flies in the form of VW Beetles leaving tiny tire marks on the windows is the kind of thing that gives this film that little extra something.
Happy Feet
Having heard so many positive things about this film, I was surprised to see what a sleeping pill it was. It’s slow, has too much unmotivated singing, and the tap dancing is really boring. I thought this would be about respecting people who are different, but instead, it’s implied that the reason Mumble is different from everbody else is that his father dropped his egg. Now that’s a great lesson for the kids, isn’t it? Pretty much the only good thing about this film is Robin Williams.
Monster House
A surprisingly good film. The atmosphere is a lot scarier than what’s usually the case in animated films of this sort, so it may not be appropriate for the youngest children, but personally I found it very refreshing to see an animated film free from the most childish aspects. The animations are wonderful, and the story works all the way, which is also quite unusual for these films.
