Kokone escapes everyday life by dreaming about Ancien, a princess in a land ruled by a car-obsessed king. In her real life, things take an odd turn when her father is arrested at the start of her last summer before graduation and just a few days before the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. This leads Kokone to use skills she didn’t know she had and come into her own.
Tag Archives: Animation
Born of Woman 2017 [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Last year saw the first time where the programmers at the fest felt a need to have a short film block dedicated entirely to women-made short genre films as they had received a big selection of very strong titles. This year continues this with its second edition or the 2017 edition. Here are short reviews for each film involved in it this year (in no particular order).
Spectrum Fest: Films from the Autism Spectrum [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]
Spectrum Productions works with a day camp in Montreal which offers filmmaking mentorship and classes for people on the autism spectrum. Spectrum Fest was a presentation of some of the films made by participants over the years for the first time at Fantasia. It was a free screening for anyone interested in going and it was hoot.
Teletubbies: Bubbles (DVD)
Released to coincide with “International Bath Day,” the Teletubbies release yet another edition of their episodes on DVD. Comprised of six episodes total, this new volume features the alien—monster—children things dancing and singing once again with the help of their special Tubby Custard Machine. Said Machine concocts all kinds of scenarios and fun activities including allowing them to play with bubbles, and dance the new “Tubby Phone Dance.”
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
It’s surprising how well Disney adapts their own version of the shockingly beloved fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast.” While their Oscar winning animated version reigns supreme, Bill Condon manages to deliver his own interpretation that tweaks the tale here and there for new audiences with a great effect. I was quite stunned at how enjoyable “Beauty and the Beast” ended up being. While it has the familiarity of the 1991 movie, it’s also a unique experience that allows for a new angle on songs that are now deemed legendary. Condon approaches the live action remake/adaptation with a well balanced tone of whimsy and dread, allowing for a very subtle romance between Belle and the Beast.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
George and Harold have been best friends since kindergarten, pulling pranks left and right and having creative imaginations that lead them to create Captain Underpants. One thing leads to the other and their creation lives to save lives and cause chaos.
Seoul Station (2016)
Yeon Sang-ho and the studios were wise to capitalize on the running juggernaut that was the success of “Train to Busan” in 2016. Often times studios or directors wait two to five years for a prequel or a sequel, but “Train to Busan” gets an almost immediate prequel that helps expand the story and mythology of the live action film. One of the best zombie films of the last fifteen years, and perhaps of all time, “Train to Busan” was an action packed blockbuster disaster film set to the tune of the zombie apocalypse. The animated prequel is a bit more downbeat but still maintains the same social relevance and commentary that “Train to Busan” did so well.