Category Archives: Animation

A Magnificent Life review — Animated biography disappointingly lifeless in English

March 27, 2026 flawintheiris

Directed by Sylvain Chomet | Written by Chomet, based on the memoirs of Marcel Pagnol, and an original idea by Nicolas Pagnol, Ashargin Poiré, and Valérie Puech | 90 min | ▲1/2 "Marseille without the accent wouldn't be Marseille!" So says Marcel Pagnol, writer-playwright-turned-filmmaker-turned-playwright. And A Magnificent Life in English doesn't feel especially, authentically French —…Read More

The Wild Robot review — Gorgeous, thoughtful, and moving animated adventure

November 3, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Chris Sanders | Written by Sanders and Peter Brown | 102 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Amazon Prime I'm a latecomer to this animated feature — it's been in cinemas for over a month — but I'm glad to have caught it on the big screen where its painterly visuals really look good. It…Read More

Inside Out 2 review — Exhausting sequel slips on the ice

June 19, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Kelsey Mann | Written by Mann, Meg LeFauve, and Dave Holstein | 96 min | ▲▲△△△ Pixar has had a stunning rate of success with its films, both as critical darlings and box office hits. I'd call the first couple of Toy Story movies, Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Up stone cold classics, and as…Read More

Nimona review — Fantastic animated adventure deserves a wide audience

January 31, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane | Written by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, based on a graphic novel by ND Stevenson |101 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Netflix First off, kudos to the world-building in this energetic animated adventure. Imagine a medieval Blade Runner 2049 and you're halfway there — a city of…Read More

Merry Little Batman review — “…And to all a Dark Knight!”

December 22, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Mike Roth | Written by Morgan Evans and Jase Ricci | 92 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Amazon Prime The trailer tells you something about this charming seasonal diversion — it highlights a Home Alone scenario with eight-year-old Damian Wayne (Batman's son) facing off against a couple of burglars at Wayne Manor. But that's…Read More

The Boy And The Heron review — Miyazaki returns with a dark, dreamy fable

December 7, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki | Written by Miyazaki and Genzaburô Yoshino | 124 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | (in original Japanese with English subtitles and English dubbed) A version of this review first appeared on FITI during my coverage of The Toronto International Film Festival 2023 I was thinking how universally beloved this animator is, and…Read More

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse review — Exalted but exhausting

June 4, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson | Written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham | 140 min | ▲▲▲△△ | Netflix When I saw the first entry in this animated Spider-Man franchise, I was certainly in the minority for not gushing wildly over it. It's good, but the various…Read More

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio review — An animated triumph from the gothic master

December 9, 2022 flawintheiris

Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson | Written by del Toro and Patrick McHale, from the book by Carlo Collodi | 117 min | ▲▲▲▲▲ | Netflix Any fan of Guillermo del Toro will know that the filmmaker's passion for monsters — from Pan's Labyrinth to Hellboy to The Shape Of Water —…Read More

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On review — Sweet and sad in equal measures

July 15, 2022 flawintheiris

Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp | Written by Fleischer-Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Nick Paley, and Jenny Slate | 89 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Crave I'm sure I'm not the first person to piece this together, but it strikes me having seen Marcel The Shell With Shoes On that the real recipe for successful whimsy is one part…Read More

Lightyear review — Brand extension falls with style

June 22, 2022 flawintheiris

Directed by Angus MacLane | Written by MacLane, Jason Headley and Matthew Aldrich | 101 min | ▲▲▲△△ You may have heard about the confusing original marketing of this film: Is this the Buzz Lightyear that was also the toy (voiced by Tim Allen) in Pixar's first feature, 1995's Toy Story, and the three sequels…Read More