Pixar Movies

it_aint_easy wrote a recent post about taking his twins to see "Finding Nemo", which reminded me that I went to see "Finding Nemo" with John this weekend, too. I have a weakness for animated movies and Pixar is high on my list of favorite animation studios.

"Toy Story" was a revelation and it's still my favorite Pixar film. The premise is fun for both kids and adults, the characters were hilarious and surprisingly moving, the script and the humour were first-rate. The animation was a wonder and Randy Newman's music was a perfect accent to the fun and emotion of the movie (Urban Tapestry still sings "You've Got A Friend In Me" at children's concerts).

"A Bug's Life" didn't impress me as much. Partly, that's because I saw "Antz" just a month before, another animated "bug" movie with more grit and a more adult humour. "Bug's Life" seemed more light-weight, more pastel, it didn't stick with me the way "Toy Story" did.

Sequels are always something to be somewhat cynical and nervous about, so I didn't know what to expect of "Toy Story 2". It proved to be terrific, as good as the first movie, with great sophisticated humour, several strong new characters, a cheeky script with great media in-jokes and more great music by Randy Newman. Oh, my, the sequence when Jessie sings "When Somebody Loved Me" left me in tears (and it always disconcerts me when I cry over an animated character :)) and Newman was ripped off when he didn't win the Oscar for that song that year.

My expectations for "Monsters Inc." last year were really high and though I liked the film, it didn't quite reach those high expectations. I didn't connect with the characters as much as in the "Toy Story" movies and the whole thing had a cutsiness about it not surprising considering its target audience. Even the Randy Newman music didn't do much for me, though, ironically, this would be the movie that would win him that ellusive Best Song Oscar after so many nominations for more worthy songs.

Which brings us to this weekend and "Finding Nemo". I liked it a lot, it was great fun and in my ranking of Pixar movies I would rank it third after the "Toy Story" movies. The animation is gorgeous, the characters are highly appealing and quirky, the father/son plot is heart-warming and there are set pieces in the film that made me laugh out loud. John commented that the set pieces were often better than the overall arc of the movie, and I'd agree with that, but if you're looking for two hours of entertainment for your kids or yourself I'd recommend it.

Though my favorite children's movie by far this year so far is still "Holes", which was quite wonderful.