Storks (2016)

Genres

Adventure, Animation, Comedy

Directors

Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key, Anton Starkman, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Stephen Kramer Glickman, Danny Trejo, Chris Smith, Awkwafina

Storyline

Storks deliver babies...or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for a global corporation. But when stork Junior (Andy Samberg) accidentally creates a baby, he must fix the error by delivering the baby.

Opinion

This movie was not on my watchlist. Also, I was expecting a truly awful film. That said, I still decided to give a try because I'm an animation junkie, and I'm glad I did because it was quite a surprise. It may not be the best animated flick of the (past) year, but it still is a funny and entertaining family film.

That said, let's start with the first flaw, the story. It is paper-thin and feels forced, not to mention how little sense it makes. The setup is also a bit too complicated for a kid movie. The good thing about the silly story is that it explains to kids in a very imaginative/unrealistic yet nice way the decline in births in latest years, the reason being people picking objects over babies. Now, whether this does or doesn't suit little kids, it's up to you to say.

The characters really make the difference here. The film starts off pretty slowly and isn't very exciting but as soon as the character of Tulip, a goofy and silly young woman, is introduced, the film gets better. It's simply because the character is amazing and incredibly funny. And her chemistry with Junior, the stork, is beautiful.

The animation is also very cute and colourful. Everything looks beautiful, from the settings to the facial expressions of the characters. Especially the baby who is super cute and adorable, and that's a lot coming from someone who doesn't like kids. 

The Lego Movie (2014)

Genre

Adventure | Animation | Comedy

Directors

Phil Lord | Christopher Miller

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Cobie Smulders, Jadon Sand, Anthony Daniels, Dilly Dee Williams

Storyline

Ordinary construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) sees his life turned upside down when he is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant, Lord Business (Will Ferrell).

Opinion

Like I mentioned in a Thursday Movie Picks post a while back I had no intention to watch this film when it came out. Not to mention spending money on it. I thought it'd be just a stupid kids flick. But I let my brother convince me into going and I was utterly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Even now, after I don't know how many watches, I still find "The Lego Movie" an incredibly entertaining and fun film.

The story is quite light and kinda basic but the great thing is that the writers acknowledged that and used it to their advantage. They indeed decided not to take the story too seriously, mocking the prophecy and throwing in some clichés in a playful way, and it resulted into a very funny, interesting film with a surprising ending.

Something that will definitely win you over are the characters. From Emmet, a very likable, but ordinary guy who is said to the be one, to Bad Cop/Good Cop, they all are funny and each one of them has personality and some development. Especially Batman who is basically a parody of the Dark Knight.

What makes the characters even better is the cast. It really is impressive - I mean, there's Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and more - and they portray the characters in a very memorable way. Also they really add to the film's comedy which is made both of goofy and clever gags.

The animation also deserves a mention because it's fantastic. It looks like a stop-motion film with a tremendous amount of detail. It is so well done, at times it's hard to believe every single thing is made of Legos.

Oh, and there's also a very catchy song that says it all, everything is awesome!

The Polar Express (2004)

Genre

Animation | Adventure

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Country

United States

Cast

Daryl Sabara, Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari, Leslie Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, Steven Tyler, Michael Jeter, Josh Hutcherson, Isabella Peregrina, Ashly Holloway, Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak, Tinashe, Chantel Valdivieso, Meagan Moore, Hayden McFarland, Matthew Hall, Dylan Cash, Brendan King, Steven Tyler

Plot

The film - as the book - tells the story of a boy (Daryl Sabara), who absolutely does not believe in Santa Claus (Tom Hanks), that on Christmas Eve boards the train called the Polar Express, that is about to embark to the North Pole. The purpose of the trip is to verify the existence of Santa Claus.

Opinion

The Polar Express is visually good - though some characters are pretty ugly - but that's all. In my opinion it's boring, boring and, guess what, boring. I didn't find anything special about it. Maybe if I watched it 10 years ago when it was released, I would have enjoyed it more - I was 10 -, but I'm not that sure.

I don't get why on Christmas movies - besides the snow - people always sing: I find that really annoying.

The Conductor is so annoying: he always has something to complain about. And the Know-It-All Kid is even more annoying.

At least, I really like Tom Hanks, who did an amazing job. He did so many characters he basically was the film.

Quotes

Santa Claus: This bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas - as I am. Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.

Rating

4.0/10