The Bigness of Big Hero 6

Not one to shy away from death and despair, Disney returns with another movie about loss and coping… dressed up in ultra-nerd robotic warfare!

Yeah, yeah, I'm talking about Big Hero 6.

An animated action flick that boasts of tech genius in Bot Fights, nerd labs, and… you know, massive microbot attacks on the sweet city of San Fransokyo. (note: my boys want to move to San Fransokyo ASAP, by the way)

Now, if you'll only look at Big Hero 6 on the surface, you'll probably shrug and say, "Oh! So it's like the cartoon version of Kickass?"

Yes and No.

Yes, because these kids did make superheroes out of themselves, with costumes and weaponry to boot, eventually making the world a better place and all that.
No, because if you look deeper, the storyline will tug at your heartstrings BIG time.

Aaaand… SPOILER ALERT, ON!

Hiro's whole young life is riddled with losing people he loves. He's lost his parents. Then lost his big brother. And when he finally found a friend in an inflatable nurse (no, it's not what you think) named Baymax, he goes off and sacrifices himself to save Hiro, too.
When the world seems to eat at you like that, you get angry. You want revenge.
The cool thing is how Hiro's feelings are mirrored by the enemy, too. Kabuki Mask is also out on a rampage to avenge the death of his own daughter.
Ah, the irony of it all.

Ah, but I have said too much. Bottomline is that when you watch this movie, after marvelling at the awesome science behind the gadgets and gears, look beyond the lasers and smoke and see real people experiencing real emotions. And see how they cope and live again.

And if there's anyone who can tell you a thing or two about survival --whether it's from being typecast as a bad building wrecker in a video game or from being dubbed a freakish queen with freeze-inducing hands-- it's Disney.

So it you want to go big on flash and feels for this week's family movie, catch Big Hero 6.
And do hug the huge Baymax balloon man figure at the gate. You know you want to.


*Images from Hitfix.com.

JOLIEFICENT!

There is no denying Angelina Jolie was made for this role. The way she did Disney's iconic dragon sorceress was just beyond awesome. And I'm a huge animated Maleficent fan so that's saying something. I'm also big on villains taking the limelight for a change so this Maleficent back story is much appreciated.

Now, a rundown of the movie's goodies and baddies!

High Points:

1. I like the whole Human vs. Magical Creatures war. Okay, Shrek did that first, but the fight scene here was way cooler.

2. That shrill, blood-curdling scream when Maleficent lost her wings. That sound will stay in my nightmares forever.

3. LOVE THE MENTAL BREAKDOWN! The dramatic transition from good fairy to evil sorceress was beautiful! From Maleficent herself to the landscape eeriefication. 

4. True love does not exist as the plot trigger was harsh but realistic. 

5. In your face, Philip! I'm not big on Prince Charming… ever. So I loved the way he was ditched here. You don't save the day this time, mister. Mwahaha!

6. Wardrobe! Maleficent sported a series of fantabulous capes all throughout the movie. Props to you, stylist!

Ultimate High Points: 

1. GREEN FLAAAME!!!

2. The way Angelina said the curse was EXACTLY the way the animated version said it. "…on her sixteenth buuuth-day!"  The nostalgic hit there was pretty intense!

Low Points:

1. The three fairy godmothers aka the magical world's version of The Three Stooges. I just thought they tried too hard to be funny. Oh well.

2. The real True Love was between Aurora and Maleficent… which we also saw in Frozen's siblings Anna and Elsa. It's not exactly that original as a plot twist, but it did pull heartstrings so I'm letting it slide, somewhat.

3. Aurora is crowned the new queen of the moors? Huh? Say what?

Ultimate Low Point:

1. Maleficent didn't transform into a dragon. DUUUDE! That's the whole magic of Maleficent --her turning into a frikkin badass dragon! AND YOU STOLE IT FROM MEEEE!!! The glorious makeover was given to Maleficent's shape-shifting pet crow. *sniff* 

That said, did we like the movie? I'm giving it 5 super shiny stars. If you're as ancient as I am, it's a brand new take on a sentimental ride. If you're as young as my sons… well, let's just say my 10-year old boy is super crushing on Maleficent right now.

The Magnificent Maleficent. On cinemas. Watch her! 

FROZEN: Plot Twist Extraordinaire!

SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
You have been warned...

What is that one thing we loved about Disney's Frozen? PLOT TWISTS!
I mean, like always, you walk into a Disney movie with your kids thinking, "Oh, this is gonna be a love story... princess meets prince... they fall in love... evil appears... prince saves the day... kissy-poo... yadda-yadda... happily ever after." It's the time-tested, child-loved, money-making formula and Disney isn't about to break that!
Or so we thought.

With Frozen, all manner of rule-breaking was made to give families a spanking new taste of kiddie movie awesomeness!

First off, we knew Princess Anna had to have a love of her life (because that's just how it's supposed to be!). So Disney went on misleading us into believing it was...

PRINCE HANS. The first person to ever fill the void in this innocent yet love-struck girl's heart. It was a whirlwind romance. Yet we didn't question it.

But then there's also... KRISTOFF. Ice entrepreneur, mountain man, deer impersonator, and troll friend. He had googley eyes on Anna the whole mountain trip. It even warranted a lavish song number!

And... OLAF.
"Some people are worth melting for..." --this tear-jerker of a line made us all think Olaf, the naive snowman, might just have a shot at a love affair with Anna. Then we took a step back, shook our heads, and said... "Naaah..."

Who would've thought that LOVE doesn't have to be the usual 'guy meets girl' kind of love. Love can be SIBLING LOVE! And that totally blew us away! Boy, you had us there, Disney!
It totally sent a good message to our children, too. About loving each other because someday, they won't have anyone else but each other. A movie with a sincerely fresh and relevant message. Fabulous.

Another genius twist was naming the real bad guy in the movie.

Was it QUEEN ELSA? Uber powerful, snow-wielding freak of nature.

Was it the DUKE OF WESTLETON? A trader made mad with greed, power, and thugs.

Was it PRINCE HANS? 13th son of... OK, HANG ON! The number 13 is the most obvious clue in this riddle. 13! Bad luck! Duh. He's the bad dude! Geez.

But seriously, my boys were all, like, "WHOA!" the whole time in the theatre. In this day and age when nothing seems to surprise kids anymore, Frozen shattered our comfort zones with impeccable storytelling and pacing.

There's only one way to deliver the coolest plot twists in animation. Mittens down, it's FROZEN.
If you haven't seen it, do so. If this post ruined it all for you, sorry though. :P

Cars, In Planes' Sight

You've probably read it everywhere by now (maybe even saw it for yourself) --Planes is indeed Cars with wings. Observe these character spoilers!

HEROIC HAS BEEN
Doc is to Skipper as Skipper is to Doc. But we liked Skipper's back story better. Plus, he rose from it all and fought the bad guy in an aerial dogfight, creaking bolts and all. Coolness.

TOUR GUIDE LOVE
Sally toured McQueen down the Canyons. Ishani toured Dusty around India. Both to give emotional insights about the story and to create a spark towards a blooming love affair.

GREEN AND MEAN
Chick Hicks and Ripslinger. Separated at birth. Connected by... eeeeviiil!

RUNNING...er flying... JOKE
Mater and El Chupacabra are the comedians of each movie.  El Chupacabra is crazy in love while Mater is plain crazy.  El Chuppie, however, was given a better production number with a better singing voice.

Planes mirrored the formula Cars ran on except for the part where the hero, Dusty Crophopper, totally changed the game by going against what he's designed for to win an international race. That part is... 'Planes is Turbo with wings'. :P

Still, my boys loved this animation flick for its dynamic action scenes, brilliant colour, and that fact that it involved war planes. No plane can be cooler than fighter planes. And the scene where all the planes pitched in to help Dusty get back on his wings is a beautiful, genuine touch.

So, even if Planes is not the most original of Disney's offerings, I'm not totally knocking this movie out of the sky. It's for kids. And kids love airplanes!

Watch, release your inner child, and enjoy!

This weekend, 'Wreck-It Ralph' it!

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), Wreck-It Ralph is the Toy Story of video gaming.

As it was in Andy's room, we have an arcade where kids' play things come to life as soon as human's aren't looking.  As it was in the blockbuster enterprise where popular toys did cameo roles, here, we have popular video game characters popping in here and there to tickle kids and adults alike with warm, fuzzy familiarity.
(I gotta admit, seeing gaming pioneers like Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken, Pacman and the Blue Ghost, Super Mario's Bowser, and Sonic in a full-length movie gave me goosebumps.  I'm a geek.) 

As it was in Monsters Inc, Up, and Brother Bear, the movie's lead characters, Ralph and Vanellope, presented that Disney tried-and-tested, most heartwarming visual and emotional dynamics of Big and Small.
As it was in Finding Nemo, Wreck-It Ralph's hour and a half mission from one adventure to another was Finding Medal.

Buuut... despite riding on animated film formulas, Wreck-It Ralph does have something fresh to offer.
Its story is hinged on acceptance --and it was delivered pretty tight.  From Wreck-It Ralph's wanting to be accepted as a hero rather than a villain, to Vanellope von Schweetz wanting to be accepted as a true blue Sugar Rush racer, to madman Turbo wanting to be re-accepted as the gaming world's top game, to the dorky Fix-It Felix wanting to be accepted into the steel cold heart of Sargeant Calhoun.  It's all about wanting to make a huge difference in your life and actually breaking some molds to do so.

It's an empowering movie with a spattering of nostalgia and a huge dose of sweet success.

Plus, Sergeant Calhoun whom Jane Lynch voices looks EXACTLY like her.  How's THAT for the ultimate formula!  Haha!

It's the perfect package that should have you and your kids getting to the theaters this very instant.  Catch Wreck-It Ralph today!

The Phineas and Ferb Factor

Today on our TV show review, it's that wacky Disney ratings monster entitled... *drum roll*... Phineas and Ferb!
WTH!  This show has kids (and adults with a good sense of humor) eating out of its cartoon hands!  And why?  They've covered just about everything in kiddie programming.

It's all about action-packed sibling mischief and getting in trouble.  What kid doesn't want that, huh?  Miro and Kenji can totally relate to Phineas' and Ferb's ridiculously wild imagination.  The way they want to invent things for the ...well, my boys would invent for the greater bad than the greater good, but that's beside the point.

It's got a super spy in the guise of a platypus.  What can be more poetic than that?  And, of course, kids love spies and living double lives.  Plus, we as a family believe Perry can pin the dorkiness that is Agent Oso to the ground in one effortless sweep.

It has an evil genius!  Kids love evil geniuses.  I love evil geniuses!  Doctor Doofenshmirtz adds more relish to the stereotype though by being a bumbling idiot at the same time.  But he is hilarious!  He's our favorite, in fact.  As my kids say, he's the Rockinator!

It has Candace... bust-you-to-hell sister.  She may sound like a cliche bully to you, but she's not.  She's a regular teenager who falls in love and falls into the grip of madness when on the verge of exposing her brothers' over-the-top backyard inventions.  We love her for her issues, and her insanity is very charming.

The mastermind is in the characterization.  Each has a fun, quirky personality that's just impossible not to love.  Kinda like seeing a cute little puppy at the pet store window.  There's a connection.  Even the show's minor players have amazing personality depths.  Balijeet, the boys' nerdy, frequently bullied friend, never fails to give us gas.

And the music!  Wow.  Just wow.  They always have brilliantly crafted songs in the show which my boys bug me to download.  There should really be a website for that.  

Obviously, this show caught my giddybug parenting thumbs-up because I can't stop blabbering again.
To close, just allow me to offer one interesting bit of trivia.
Due to the show's popularity and recurring airtime, the opening theme line 'There's a hundred and four days of summer vacation' is no longer true.  As Miro pointed out, "Heeey... Phineas and Ferb have a longer summer vacation than we do!  That's so unfair!"

Yes, my son.  Yes, it is.

Mars Needs Moms Needs You

Nothing like a traumatic intergalactic experience to tighten the bond between mother and child.  Disney's Mars Needs Moms is --wait for it-- Gribbletastic!  This movie hits home for this blog because even as the premise is all about children learning to appreciate their moms, the deeper message is all about parenting. 

Metaphors flew everywhere!

The mommy Martians who had to design nannybots to discipline their little Martian kids because they have absolutely no time to do so stereotypes the human career woman mom who can't be bothered with parenting that she has to hire a babysitter.

When the Martian moms decided that the Martian dads did nothing but goof around and so had them all banished typifies the idea that men don't ever grow up.  Ok, maybe some don't.  But the movie also showed that it was the dads who connected better with their kids because of this.  The banishment is the Martian's over-the-top way of divorce.

The old, prune-skinned Martian dame of a supervisor represents good ol' mother-in-law who would do anything to get in the middle of her daughter's marriage and gingerly poke her gnarly fingers into the disciplinary process of her grandchildren.

In the end, Mars Needs Moms, although billeted as a kids' movie, is a parents' movie as well.  It's a wake up call.  Do great with your parenting and... and you won't have to kidnap a parent from another planet to do it for you.  Haha!  Or... or, do great with your parenting, earn the envy of your extraterrestrial peers, win a free trip to outer space, plus, a laser treatment!  Woohoo!
No, seriously.  Do great with your parenting as a unit of mother and father... and have a happy family.  The end.  Simple.  But like I said, it hits home. 

Wonderfully crafted from messages to images, Mars Needs Moms is a must-see for the whole brood.
"Prrrr...Tuk!"
(That's 'Awesome!' in Mars-speak.  Look it up.)