Month: December 2020

Soul review

Posted on by jacobsonbblog

Happy New Year everybody! Soul is the 23rd Pixar movie and it’s also the first Pixar movie to release on Disney+ instead of a theatrical release. I can’t really blame Pixar for making this choice considering what’s been going on. Soul is kind of a mix between Inside Out (same director) and Coco. Soul is about a music teacher named Joe Gardner who finally gets a big gig but dies shortly after. He ends up in the great before where he meets a soul named 22 who doesn’t see the point of Earth. Both work together to help Joe get back to Earth and to his gig.

Joe Gardner and 22 played by Jamie Fox and Tina Fey work off each other very well and work as great foils. Pixar really knows how to make a great duo. I love how 22 finds so much enjoyment in little things like pizza or falling leaves and in the end makes Joe realize just how special little moments like those are special. Speaking of which, Soul may be one of the more adult Pixar movies because of its existential themes. This movie makes you question the difference between passion and purpose. The whole concept of lost souls is a great representation of obsession. I will admit the whole idea of your personality being set before birth was kind of odd. I just always felt that people’s interests are from their own choices instead of being chosen from a system.  

I’ve said before that Pixar always has great animation two things stood out to me in this movie One is that Soul is probably the most realistic looking Pixar movie especially the scenes that take place in New York City. Two is the animation on the Jerrys. I really like there designs and the way they move. I was surprised that this movie had some really good comedy. One of my favorite jokes was when 22 mentions mentors giving up on her and we cutaway to a montage of those mentors getting pissed at 22. The way these jokes are executed reminds me a lot of the cutaway gags from Family Guy. I would be surprised if they took inspiration from that show.

Soul is one of the best movies of 2020 and a great Christmas present from Pixar. I am grateful that I was able to see it this year even if it wasn’t on the big screen. It’s a Pixar movie full of both passion, purpose, and of course a lot of soul put into it. However I do have to ask, where the heck was John Ratzenberger?!

Verdict:

+Existential themes

+Joe and 22

+The animation

+The comedy

-Preset personalities

Score: A

Hilda Season 2 review

Posted on by jacobsonbblog

Christmas has come early this year. Hilda in case you don’t know is my favorite Netflix show and after two years season 2 has finally come. Every positive thing I said about the first season is still relevant here such as the animation, music, and characters. So, I’ll won’t waste time rehashing season 1’s review and instead talk about what stood out to me this season. Spoiler Warning! This season is darker than season 1 with more tense and emotional moments. I also liked how a lot of throwbacks from season 1 return this season such as the tide mice and ghosts and serve a purpose.

This season builds on the characters established in season 1 and gives them a lot more development such as Frida becoming a witch and David becoming brave and getting beheaded twice (it makes sense in context). Season 2 also introduced Erik Ahlberg who works well as a good antagonist for Hilda. Biggest development goes to the relationship between Hilda and her Mum which becomes a lot more confrontational this season (like in book 5). Johanna becomes more concerned about Hilda’s actions to the point where she grounds her for lying. Their relationship while tense still feels very genuine. Also, Andy Serkis was an amazing guest star.

Most of season 2’s episodes were great but my favorite episode this season and the entire series has to be Episode 9: The Deerfox where Twig runs away and Hilda goes looking for him. We see in flashbacks how Hilda and Twig met and we find out where Twig and the other deerfoxes came from. This episode had pretty much everything I love about the show. It was beautiful, emotional and even the ending made me cry. The only other show this year that made me cry was Primal’s Coven Of The Damned. I’d even say it’s the best cartoon episode of 2020.

Hilda really is such a unique show that isn’t like anything you’d see on Nickelodeon, Disney, or Cartoon Network. Season 2 ends on a cliffhanger but it has been confirmed that Hilda will return as a movie (probably based on book 6). Hilda season 2 was worth the wait especially this year and I’ll be looking forward to seeing out favorite blue haired adventurer again.   

Wolfwalkers review

Posted on by jacobsonbblog

There are two reasons to get Apple TV this month. One is the Peanuts specials and the other is Wolfwalkers which is the fourth animated movie from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. Wolfwalkers is about this girl named Robyn who wants to hunt wolves like her father but after getting bitten by a wolfwalker named Mebh she becomes a wolf while sleeping and both girls grow a friendship. Cartoon Saloon’s movies have great 2d animation and this was no exception, the animation here is wonderful. Everything from the character designs, backgrounds, and angles look amazing. It kind of reminds me from Genndy Tartakovsky’s work. I wouldn’t be surprised if they took a lot of inspiration from him.

It does have that typical man vs nature story where nature is good and man is bad. I’m not saying its bad it’s just predictable and the story here doesn’t have any changes to this type of story. Can’t we have a story where nature was the bad guy? What also doesn’t help is that the villain is really weak. He’s sort of like Judge Frollo but without the depth to him. You could argue that he’s just suppose to be the embodiment of hatred and the system but he doesn’t do much for me.

The main characters however are what makes this movie enjoyable. I really like Robyn and Mebh. The relationship between both of them was great. I also think the stuff about the wolves is really creative and interesting. I like how the girls turn into werewolves only when there sleeping which gives off a creative and unique take on werewolves. I even like how unlike most stories where a characters turns into animals Robyn still has this ability when the movie ends. I also like how the pack of wolves move like a swarm, it’s a really unique idea.

Wolfwalkers takes the idea of werewolves and turns it into something unique and beautiful. The animaton and friendship between the two girls makes this one of the best animated movies of 2020 and worth getting Apple TV.

Verdict:

+ Beautiful animation

+ Robyn and Mebh 

+ The Wolves

-Typical man vs nature story

-Weak villain

Score: A

My Top 10 Favorite Dreamworks Movies

Posted on by jacobsonbblog

One of my favorite YouTubers is Schaffrillas Productions. He makes wonderfully edited and funny YouTube poops and analysis videos. He just did a huge ranking of all the Dreamworks movies which inspired me to make this list. Instead of a full ranking this is a top 10 list because it would’ve taken too long to rank all of them. These are also my personal picks.

Honorable Mention: Flushed Away

10. How to Train Your Dragon 2: Despite the weak villain there was still great stuff. I think Stoick’s death was really effective because we had a previous movie to flesh him out. I also like how badass Hiccup has become compared to the first one.

9. How to Train Your Dragon: The relationship between Hiccup and Toothless is really great and genuine. I think having Toothless act like a cat is a creative and fresh new take on dragons (especially for a cat person like me). The flying scenes are also beautiful.

8. Shrek: There are lot of adult jokes and ones that poke fun at Disney here. Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy work off each other wonderfully as Shrek and Donkey. The Fiona twist is clever and the conclusion is a well-done subversion of Disney.

7. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie: I’ve already talked about how much I love this movie in a review so I’ll say my quick thoughts. It’s really funny and clever and a love letter to the original series.   

6. The Prince of Egypt: The scale of the movie is huge, epic and grand. It’s also the most adult of the movies. The songs are epic and catchy especially the plagues song and the relationship between Moses and Ramese is tragic, complex, and genuine.

4/5. Chicken Run: Couldn’t decide which Aardman movie was better so both are tied. The first Dreamworks movie I ever saw. The idea of combining a prison escape story with a chicken farm is both unique, clever, funny and dark. The characters are likeable, the stop motion animation is astonishing.

4/5. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit: After three shorts the duo finally got their own movie. Even though this has a longer running time It still has the same heart, humor, and innocence the shorts had. The twist with the Were Rabbit is clever and also really funny especially when you find out who it is.  

3. Kung Fu Panda: The Kung Fu Panda trilogy is my favorite Dreamworks series. There first movie was awesome. Jack Black is wonderful as Po and I like how he becomes stronger throughout the movie instead of being strong to begin with (unlike Mulan 2020!). Both the action and music mix well together and the emotional moments are well done.

2. Shrek 2: These next two are top tier movies to me. Shrek 2 is just a perfect sequel. The relationship between Shrek and Fiona is at its best here and I really wanted them to stay together. The new characters are great, the Fairy Godmother is a great villain. Even the soundtrack is great, especially I need a Hero sung by the Fairy Godmother.

1. Kung Fu Panda 2: What makes a great sequel to me are a darker and edgier tone and a villain that has a personal tie to the main character. KFP2 fits all those critiques. The action is bigger and emotional scenes are more emotional. Lord Shen is one of my favorite villains of all time from his deisgn, voice, and like I said his connection to Po. It’s one of my favorite sequels of all time and my favorite Dreamworks movie.

What are your favorite Dreamworks movies?