“With kids, what’s the first language they speak? Well, that’s emotion…Even if they don’t understand the specifics of what is being talked about, if they see a character is upset or fearful or happy, they respond to that.”

What’s fascinating is just how many levels this ingenious bit of storytelling virtuosity works on. The youngest of minds will be mesmerized by the dazzling colors and the enchanting characters, while more seasoned viewers will be just as deeply engrossed by the complexity of the themes being examined.

The Boxtrolls is a divine, intoxicating fantasy, and in the end is a first-rate marvel of originality and inspiration.

Charming Mr. Peabody & Sherman a Jovial Historical Jaunt After the opening prologue to DreamWorks’ Mr. Peabody & Sherman I was deathly afraid I was about to watch an animated movie that was going to outright murder a beloved piece of my own personal childhood. The first act of the movie, set in and around […]

Imagination Runs Wild in Idiosyncratic LEGO Movie I can’t say I was looking forward to The LEGO Movie. Much like Transformers or G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (or their sequels), the whole idea seemed like nothing more than an extended commercial solely engineered to sell millions of dollars in toys and nothing else. As […]

[As] trivial as the majority of this story turns out to be, Monsters University is undeniably entertaining, this prequel making me laugh and keeping me smiling pretty much start to finish.

Wreck-It Ralph is a ton of fun. It is a total delight, immersing me right into the center of its inspired video game world with confident ease.

Chicken with Plums is frequently mystifying, yet it still remains an emotionally captivating marvel in all the ways that matter most.

Burton’s Frankenweenie a Monstrously Delightful Resurrection Frankenweenie isn’t so much an extended version of director Tim Burton’s famed 1984 short film of the same name as it is a reinvention of it. Taking the idea of the original (young boy loses his dog in a tragic accident only to bring him back to life Mary […]