Annecy ’26: Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd… and the Minions?

by Cláudio Alves

This year, I was lucky enough to attend the 50th edition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market. The festivities ended this past weekend, with Ervin Han and Raúl García’s The Violinist taking the prestigious Cristal prize for Best Film from the feature competition. Past winners include such titles as Arco, Memoir of a Snail, Flee, I Lost My Body, Coraline, and many other unforgettable pictures. But it wasn’t all fun and games and glory. While the festival was underway in the Alps, France was suffering through its worst heatwave in recorded history, and before it all ended, the tragic death of animator Luis de La Rosa shrouded the event in a sense of collective grief. Between good and bad, triumph and unexpected sorrow, there is much to discuss. 

No better place to start than at the beginning, with the slapstick extravaganza that had the honor of opening the festivities – Minions & Monsters, which comes to theaters this week, worldwide…

Click to read more ...

Weekend Box Office: How was your (holiday) weekend?

by Nathaniel R

Fourth of July is historically a huge box office weekend and as such, it's strange that only one other new wide release film, the low profile period rom-com Mr Malcolm's List, tried to compete with the Minions: The Rise of Gru.  Naturally then, the animated franchise installment swept the table with a record-breaking gross....

Holiday Weekend Box Office July 1st-4th  🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	PLATFORM RELEASES
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU	THE FORGIVEN

Click to read more ...

Film Review: 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' Delivers More of the Same

Wherever the Minions go, mayhem follows.By: Christopher James

Everyone knows what their mileage is on Minions mischief. Since exploding onto the screen in 2010’s surprise animated hit Despicable Me, these goofy yellow helpers have become part of popular culture. Like demented, individualistic oompa loompas, the Minions do not need speech in order to win over their audiences. In fact, they hew closest to the Three Stooges in terms of their appeal. It’s pure physical comedy amped up by the frenetic dexterity that animation allows.

The newest entry, Minions: The Rise of Gru, doesn’t reinvent the wheel, to say the least. It’s broad, loud and frantic, barely stopping for a minute to craft a story. At 107 minutes, the energy sputters out, particularly in a rushed third act. Yet, the movie gives exactly what it promises, a fun ride full of antics galore...

Click to read more ...

April Foolish Oscar Predix Pt 1 - Best Animated Feature

by Nathaniel R

It seems almost cruel to begin a new year of Oscar punditry with Best Animated Feature since the hot trailer of the moment is Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, which probably won't be eligible. The film combines live action with its endearing stop-motion and that's mostly a no-no. The only film we remember that's been deemed eligible that did that was The Lego Movie though it's live-action section was extremely brief (and it's worth noting that it was a surrprise snub in the end).

Already in the year one possibly major Oscar contender has emerged with Pixar's Turning Red though it will face stiff in-house competition with the release of Toy Story prequel Lightyear in the summer.  After the jump a preview of Animated Features coming our way in 2022. Which of them will delight the Academy... 

Click to read more ...

Annie Awards Give Love to Pixar (and "Judy" in The Revenant!)

The Annie Awards, now in their 43rd year, seemed to have stabilized after their controversial laden years when people felt they were to beholden to Dreamworks Animation (am I remembering this correctly?) within their voting ranks. But their nominations often still feel quite random as in voice acting where Richard Kind was shut out for "bing bong" in Inside Out. Or Tom Noonan, who voices almost every character in Anomalisa, being ignored. Or their character design and visual effects nominations sometimes specifying individual scenes or categories and sometimes just labelled "all". And the varying number of nominations per category.

In short: their executive body really needs to sharpen up their rules so they feel more respectable / consistent.

But it was a good morning for Pixar since Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur dominated with 14 and 10 nods respectively. As for their competition for Oscar gold, good showings for Anomalisa, Shaun the Sheep and Peanuts with 5 nominations each. The low profile but reportedly excellent Brazilian feature Boy and the World received 3 nominations.

Even some live action films get honored by the Annies since most films get computer animated assists these days so... what's that? The Revenant was nominated? See more after the jump...

Click to read more ...