The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)

Posted on September 9, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

Based on the hit animated action cartoon from The Cartoon Network in America, Professor Utonium is the focus of this feature as we delve into his life and learn how he created the disc-eyed crime-fighting tots Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Along with their origin finally being told, we also learn how they accepted their superpowers and learned how to use them for good. Alongside the Girls, an evil is looming in the darkness, an evil mastermind genius chimp named Mojo Jojo, who uses the girls’ naiveté for his evil master plan.

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Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Posted on September 8, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

Michael J. Fox voices the character of Milo Thatch, an archaeologist who in his field is considered to be eccentric by his colleagues. Milo believes that the lost city of Atlantis is under water and he wants to retrieve the Shepard’s Journal, a book that proves to be a map to finding Atlantis. No one wants to provide the funding for his proposed expedition, until one night he’s taken to an eccentric old millionaire who wants to help him. He gives Milo the Shepard’s journal and tells him that his grandfather once wanted to explore Atlantis. So, Milo is then taken to a shipyard where he meets a team of explorers who are going along with him. All seems well, but after a while, Milo begins to suspect they have ulterior motives.

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Waking Life (2001)

Posted on August 24, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

A nameless young man walks out from a bus station calling his friend from a phone looking for a ride and in come a man dressed as a sea captain driving a boat/car. That’s where the journey begins as the man talks about philosophy which the boy merely disregards as yammering. A young boy in a dream world confronts characters who impart philosophical and existential ideas upon him forcing him to come to grips with his own purpose and existence. What he doesn’t know is where he’s going which the man is talking about in front of him. I was intrigued by where this movie was going and became truly engulfed within the context and meaning of the film itself.

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Ice Age (2002)

Posted on June 23, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

I was very skeptical about watching this at first. Usually, animated movies rarely ever keep me entertained, but this one certainly surprised me. I was in tears laughing as I watched these great characters go on a wacky mission to take this baby home. The banter between the three is top notch as they all give great dialogue along with excellent character depth. At one point, the threesome must take on a herd of karate fighting Dodo birds as they try to get the baby a melon to eat. In a sequence that had me practically falling to the floor laughing, the movie spoofs sports flicks as Sid must tackle Dodo’s in his path in slow-motion. I don’t want to give a lot away, but suffice to say, I could barely stop laughing.

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Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Posted on May 13, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

This is a very disappointing effort from Disney. The entire movie is very pedestrian and nothing entirely stands out within the viewing of this. First off, the plot, though sweet is very contrived and never brings to mind the words innovative, which most Disney movies are known for. The movie is a rip-off of “Extra-Terrestrial”, the only problem is, “E.T.” is a better movie.

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Scooby-Doo (2002)

Posted on March 17, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

“Let’s get jinkie with it.” Yes, folks, this is actual dialogue from the movie that is spouted by the “smartest” of the characters, Velma. The characters are poorly cast, including Daphne, who, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, looks nothing like her animated counterpart, Freddy, played by the atrocious actor Freddie Prinze Jr. has little command or charisma so it’s hard to take him seriously at all. Matthew Lillard is good as Shaggy but fails to gives the squeaky voice that Shaggy provides in the cartoons. Scooby is poorly animated and just looks weird and nothing like the original dog. At times he gives these odd expressions which made me furrow my brows a lot.

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Metropolis (Metoroporisu) (2001)

Posted on March 15, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

Based on the comic book by Osamu Tezuka, we visit Metropolis, a humongous city where high-class humans roam free and robots toil and work underground occasionally surfacing illegally. We meet detective Shunsaku Ban and Ken-ichi two people searching for a scientist performing illegal experiments with robots. This is probably one of the most unusual anime movies I have ever seen. The entire animated sequence and character designs closely resemble the works of legendary animator Ralph Bakshi (Cool World, and Fritz the Cat). No two characters in this movie look alike and no two characters seem alike. Many people who hear about this seems to think this movie is an animated Japanese remake of the 1929 Fritz Lang “Metropolis”.

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