“In animation, we often film references of ourselves or act it out ourselves. When we’re doing these things, we’re thinking of our own life experiences. There’s so much of us in this movie. Hopefully you don’t see us, but it resonates because it’s real.”
– Kira Lehtomaki

The only thing that Ralph Breaks the Internet wrecked was my assumption the first film didn’t require a sequel, this animated jaunt into the online universe a complete and total delight.

Ultimately, Incredibles 2 matters because Bird understands we as an audience are fond of Bob, Helen, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack because they in turn love one another with selfless transparency. They’re the reason any of this has resonance, the reason we’ve been eagerly longing for a new adventure featuring each of them for over a decade.

Pixar’s latest animated offering Coco is a pleasant enough diversion, offering colorful visual delights that are as imaginative as they are gorgeous.

[Just] because Cars 3 is unlikely to win any awards or be remembered as one of the year’s great animated features doesn’t make it any less entertaining. Lightning’s return to the motor speedway is worthy of appreciation, the film’s eventual victory as unexpected as it is absolute.

Disney’s latest CG animated marvel Moana is gorgeous. It is colorfully imaginative, showcasing its Pacific Island and ancient Polynesian landscapes with eye-popping majesty.

Not only is Kubo and the Two Strings an original tale, it is one that is both culturally sensitive to its Japanese origins as well as universally accessible to viewers the world over. It is a movie that works beginning to end, practically every piece one worthy of cherishing as events work their way towards their heroic conclusion.

I’m just about done giving them a chance, and the next time this gaggle of crazy critters ambles back on-screen I think I’ll choose to stay home.

Finding Dory doesn’t need to go beyond what the first film did, doesn’t need to reinvent its own wheel. What Stanton does is to instead remain true to his characters, never belittling them, never undercutting their personal truths, and in doing so, crafts a portrait of family and togetherness so rewarding, it’s practically priceless. In other words, much like its titular character, it keeps swimming, and in doing so teaches all of us life lessons that we likely already knew yet still could use to revisit all the same.