Winnie the Pooh, 2011. I wanted to like this, especially when I saw it was going with the same idea of being inside a book and interacting with the words and the narrator. But ugh. They torture Eyore, who has lost his tail, by placing random objects on his butt. Then owl misinterprets a note and gets everyone crazy about the “back soon” monster. When everyone has fallen in a pit, Piglet offers a rope cut in 6 tiny pieces so that everyone can be pulled up. It was like they used google translate on the original.
Wreck-it Ralph, 2012This is an original, funny movie wrapped in nostalgia. The characters of a video game arcade are self-aware, and can meet and go into other video games. Ralph is sick of being the bad guy in his own video game, and sets off a series of disasters trying to get his shiny medal. This is a layered story- it’s not just about Ralph, it’s about the glitching character Venelope who wants to race, the invasion of alien bugs, characters trying to take over other games, a soldier with a tragic backstory, and the unlikely romance between her and Fix-it-Felix. There are so many little references in here- not just of video games.
Frozen, 2013. I have seen this many times, but I still enjoy it. There are some questions. Elsa is told not to be afraid, so her dad decides that means not to have any feelings at all. What does her mom say? Does the royal couple go out all the time, or was it just one fateful trip? Poor Anna-she’s so lonely, so ready for real companionship, that she falls for the guy immediately. The music is glorious. Anna is adorably awkward- I really relate to her. I forgot that it was her action, not Elsa’s, that broke the curse. Olaf is a delight. This whole movie is wonderful and is worthy of all the fuss that was made over it.
Big Hero 6, 2014 This is a cool story about grief. Like inside out, there were some tissues involved. And genius scientist superheroes. And a nurse robot turned into a powerful fighter. And inter dimensional travel. Young Hiro is enticed from his life of underground robot fight gambling by his older brother introducing him to his friends. Tragedy strikes, the robot Baymax is activated to help Hiro’s grief, and instead gets roped into becoming a super-robot (and eventually helps Hiro’s grief.) There is a Stan Lee secret scene! (Yes this is a Marvel movie) Baymax’s calm, reassuring voice is funny when it conflicts with the chaos and destruction all around him. “I am not fast.” and “oh no.”
I did the Pixar films from this time in a different post. Want to follow along? Ask for my list!
