ANIMATED ROUND-UP

We live in a world dominated by Pixar, Shrek, the and the Ice Ages. Ask a child to name an animated feature and they would spout off more titles like Happy Feet, Monsters vs. Aliens and Toy Story. Personally, I miss the old days when all we had were hand drawn works to look forward to. That's not to say I'm not a fan of the computer age. In fact, Wall-E is one my favourite films of all time. The Iron Giant is brilliant and The Incredibles was just that. It's not about what we have, but what we're missing.

The first film I ever saw in theatres was Disney's 1986 picture, The Great Mouse Detective, and from the onset I was mesmerized. Sure, the talking, walking, fully clothed mice and rats had something to do with it, but more so was how grandiose this 'cartoon' was. Every subsequent year I looked forward to experiencing what new story Disney had to offer. And from The Little Mermaid, to Beauty and the Beast to Pocahontas, they hardly ever let me down. It wasn't just limited to Walt's company either. The Land Before Time and Fern Gully, anyone? Many films, like The Secret of NIMH for example, possess very dark undertones and scenes, proving that animation was not strictly for the younger generation. Nowadays, a lot of television programs are even moving in the computer generated direction, and I fear without artists like Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Ponyo), traditional animation will soon become a thing of the past.

On that note, here are trailers for four upcoming computer animated features:

TOY STORY 3
Toy Story was really the first film that launched the popularity of CGI's. It's actually quite incredible that the original came out in 1995. The look hasn't changed that much; I don't know if that's a good thing or not. The narratives have always been spot on, and TS3 should be no different.



DESPICABLE ME
I wasn't so sure about this one when the teaser came out, but the extended trailer has me feeling a little more positive. Steve Carell, as the lead character Gru, has a good voice for animated characters. Jason Segel plays his nemesis Vector, while the supporting cast is just as strong: Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, and Kristin Wiig to name a few. The young girl I like too. When she 'wins' that stuffed unicorn (it's so FLUFFY!), for some reason it just kills me.



MEGAMIND
Another star studded cast. Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt lead the way on a story that pits rival aliens against one another. Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and Bill Hader also star. I'm a bigger fan of Pitt's when he doesn't take himself too seriously; Inglourious Basterds is one that comes to mind, and this story looks just absurd enough to work. The Incredibles from a few years ago really hit the nail on the head when it came to superhero chronicling, so hopefully Megamind has something fresh to offer.



RANGO
I always hate when you watch a trailer and by the end of it, you can already play the entire movie out through your head, simply by the images you just watched in 2 1/2 minutes. I'm a fan of keeping it a little more ambiguous. This though, is on the complete other end of the spectrum. Take a guess of what the movie is about from the trailer; it'll be as good as anyone's. The word on the street is, it's about a chameleon with an identity crisis. It stars Johnny Depp--in a rare voice role--so you know it'll put the ladies in the seats.



All of these it seems have at least something interesting to share. And Rango has certainly piqued my curiosity. But, please do me a favour and rent The Brave Little Toaster. You won't regret it.