TIFF: "The Breadwinner" is a visual stunner

Our ongoing adventures at TIFF

 One of the most exciting animation houses in the world is Ireland's Cartoon Saloon. In its early years its largely been a showcase for co-founder Tomm Moore who made Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea (both deservedly Oscar nominated). Now Nora Twomey, also a co-founder, steps into the director's chair for their third feature, another visual stunner. (If you haven't seen their films yet get to it. They're doing the consistently best non-Pixar derivative animation on earth now that Studio Ghibli has slowed way down.)

This time we depart Ireland for an adaptation of The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis's bestseller about an Afghani girl who disguises herself as a boy to provide for her family when her father is imprisoned by the Taliban. Without a male relative to escort them around the city they're trapped in their home with no way to earn money or go shopping...

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Looking back at 1985: The Black Cauldron

Tim here. This month at the Film Experience, we're celebrating the year 1985 in movies, and in the chronicles of animation history, that can mean only one thing.  I refer to the evergreen tale of how Walt Disney Pictures nearly extinguished itself during the hideously protracted, agonized production of the animated feature The Black Cauldron.

This was near the end of almost two straight decades, following Walt Disney's death in 1966, during which time the company with his name on it couldn't put a single foot right. The days of Marvel, Star Wars, and billion-dollar cartoons weren't so much as a glimmer at this time; Disney barely existed as a film studio at all, but was internationally known almost exclusively for its theme parks. Still, live-action films trickled out every so often, and about once every four years, the animation studio would try its hand at a new cartoon. The most ambitious and expensive of these by far was an attempt at adapting the five books of Lloyd Alexander's 1960s series The Chronicles of Prydain into a high fantasy epic like the world of animation had never seen.

There were two main problems with this scheme...

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Beauty vs Beast: Hercules or Hades?

by Nathaniel R

Jason is on vacation so I'm stepping in for this week's episode of Beauty vs. Beast. Post Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast Disney seems to be greenlighting live-action retreads of virtually all of their animated films. How long until casting news on Three Caballeros? I kid I kid... but will second or third tier stuff get this treatment... like, say, 1997's Hercules? Make your case as to who should reign victorious in the comments

Last week's battle pitted The Truman Show's Truman (Jim Carrey) against his fake sugary screen wife Meryl (Laura Linney).

For once, a man emerged victorious in a gender split battle. Endearing baffled Truman took 64% of your votes, though y'all felt disloyal for turning on The Lovely Laura Linney!

I think Tom spoke for most of you when he said...

This may be the only time I don't vote for Laura Linney"

Link what you made me do

Cartoon Brew it turns out the new animated film Leap is actually a previously internationally released animated film named Ballerina, reworked by the Weinsteins for the US with a new voice cast. The difference: the reviews are terrible this time
Variety Orland Bloom to star in and produce an urban fantasy series called Carnival Row which has humans and mythological species interacting (sounds a smidge like the new Will Smith project Bright)
The Guardian James Cameron interview on Terminator 2. But the part that's getting quoted is his dismissal of Wonder Woman (though he says he enjoyed it)
Variety... but naturally Patty Jenkins has fired back

IndieWire lots of female directors hitting the festivals this year. Here's a list of 20
Nerdist we haven't heard anything about that ill-advised movie remake of The Birds (1963) in a while. But now there's news that another adaptation of the source novella is aiming to be a dramatic BBC miniseries
Mental Floss extensive piece on the costumes of Game of Thrones
Boy Culture Jay Thomas of Mork and Mindy and Murphy Brown fame has died of cancer
/Film casting for the live action version of Teen Titans (which will just be called Titans) has begun with Anna Diop nabbing the Firestar role.
/Film The best recent Asian action movies you probably haven't seen
Like Hacker Movie Pass is suddenly seeing a huge influx of subscribers. You guys I love the service so much. If you don't have it you really should get it. It saves you so much money if you like seeing movies regularly.

OffScreen
The Atlantic interesting piece on Taylor Swift's persona-shifting new single "Look What You Made Me Do"
The Stage Stephen Sondheim on what directors should and shouldn't do when restaging musicals
The New Yorker read this brilliant piece, please... "Louise Linton isn't mad. You're mad."

Exit Video
Ever wonder what it would be like to hang out with Madonna for a whole day on your birthday? Dennis Hensley enlisted his comedienne friend Nadya Ginsburg to play her all day and find out. "C'mon" hit play. Ginsburg is a brilliant Madonna impersonator and proves it again.

Link is an Open Door

let's catch up on news stories...

• Tracking Board ABC developing a live-action sitcom remake of The Jetsons
• Vulture a tribute to the bungled non-release of Tulip Fever
• Criterion a Joan Crawford double feature Daisy Kenyon and Sudden Fear on filmstruck
• Cinema Enthusiast polled cinephiles on the best films of 1969. Lots of opinions though it's beyond troubling that They Shoot Horses, Don't They? which runs laps around almost everything produced in 1969, just barely squeezes into the top ten 

more after the jump including but not limited to Wonder Woman 2, Obi Wan Kenobi, mother!, Frozen, and The Conjuring.

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