Frankenweenie [2012]

Frankenweenie is the newest Tim Burton production, inspired by a 1984 short film he made for Disney, but ended up being rejected. It tells the story of Victor,a young man passionate about science and his dog, Sparky, who also is his best friend. When it dies, the kid suffers, but after an inspiring and interesting lesson of mister Rzykruski, the science teacher, he decides to bring his dog back to life by using electricity. He keeps him a secret, but after a classmate finds out, more youngsters decide to do the same with their pets and things get out of control when some don't turn out to be as cool as Sparky.

* Before going into details, let me explain the conditions of my viewing. 9 am, got there late, I was very hungry, slightly sleepy, and the very cold room I was in made me feel very uncomfortable and again, sleepy, so I might not be the best or most objective reviewer, especially when it comes to my overall opinion.

Moving on to the actual film, Frankenweenie is Tim Burton's return to his golden age; he comes back to a more interesting, less flashy side of art, and creates a funny, yet dark story for people young at heart. Although the entire process of making the movie is long, complicated and intricate, the setting and direction seem to be quite simple and smooth. It doesn't try to be more than it is, visually speaking, because it puts the focus on the story and the characters, but doesn't stop in offering the viewer a visually beautiful film, in all its darkness and simplicity, and the black&white definitely helps put across the story better.

One of the strong points were definitely the characters- they are awkward, they are quirky, and they are dark, but somehow you feel for them and understand their actions, although it's not something you see day to day. My favourite has to be the Weird Girl and her furry white cat- they stole the show for me (can we have a spin-off, mister Burton?). The science teacher, Edgar and Elsa are also highlights, in great cast.

But here's my problem and overall observation. Is Frankenweenie a good film? Yes. Is it very well made, with good direction and script? Yes. Is it visually beautiful? Yes. Was I excited about it afterwards? No. Did it touch my heart or move me emotionally? No. Do I think ParaNorman is better? Yes. Why? Because ultimately, it's funnier and more appealing.

In the end, do I recommend Frankenweenie? Yes, but only because it's Burton at its finest and it will probably be one of the animations most people will see this year.

ParaNorman [2012]

Bucharest has, from time to time, some very cool events, and one just started a couple of days ago: Animest, an international film animation festival. The event's premiere on the first day was ParaNorman, a Laika studio production. Written by Chris Butler and directed by him and Sam Fell, it tells the story of a kid who can see and talk to ghosts, for that being considered a freak in school. Things get complicated when a weird old man entrusts him with the vital task of stopping the witch's curse over the town.

ParaNorman turned out to be a fantastic film, one of the best animations I have seen in a long time- might even crack my top 2012 film choices, and that is surprising, considering I don't particularly like animated movies.

Let me tell you why you should see this. First and foremost, it's extremely funny most of the time, and that we can "blame" it on the script, a definite strong point of the film: its lines and hilarious situations make you laugh out loud. Moving on, we also have a lot of action, some scary moments, and great, lovable, down to earth characters, with slightly exaggerated traits to make it more funny. Mix that with fantastic visuals, dynamic direction and an appropriate soundtrack and score, and you've got yourself a hit.

I enjoyed this much more than Frankenweenie- maybe because of the use of colors (as opposed to F, which was Black&White), or because of the much funnier script, with the more realistic and hilarious characters, but overall, in my eyes, ParaNorman is a class above Frankenweenie, not to mention much more entertaining than the Tim Burton film.

Please go see ParaNorman, I think you will like it! 

Spirited away [2001]

Spirited away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy-adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by the famous Studio Ghibli.

It tells the story of a young girl who moves to another city with her parents, but on her way to her new house, gets trapped into an alternative reality, full of spirits and monsters. She quickly meets a boy who protects and guides her through the new world, which is basically a bath house for the spirits. She gets a job, by signing a contract with evil Yubaba who changes her name to Sen. Things get complicated when she lets into the house a monster called No Face, who causes trouble, and when Haku comes home wounded and followed by Zeniba, the twin sister of Yubaba. Sen must fight to save the bath house employees and the boy, and soon embarks in a journey that forms friendships and helps loved ones.

I must say I was mesmerised by Spirited Away- it is my first Japanese animated film seen, and I loved it, not only for the beautiful graphics or the enchanting storyline, but also for its heart and courage. Sure, in comparison to present day visual effects, the film is not perfect, but the animation has something that most visually-concentrated movies don't, and that is magic, because it breathes emotion and it captures your attention and heart with little effort. The direction is on point, and I very much liked the score, which flooded almost every scene, using a lot of orchestral pieces that give a natural flow to the animation. Two favourite moments I have to mention, for their majestic visual, directorial and editorial efforts: the chase and the fall of dragon Haku whilst being followed by Zeniba, and a following one, with Sen, as she takes a ride to the woman's house with her new found friends.

The alternative world, full of spirits, monsters and mystical creatures, was beautifully created and I loved it, although some scenes, especially towards the end, weren't actually children-friendly. My favourite characters were Lin, the boiler room man, his little spider helpers and Zeniba. (quirky, overly analytical observation: rather sudden change of the twin sister between her time at the bath house and the way she is in her home, wouldn't you say?)

To continue the overly critical behaviour with every film I watch, I have noticed something I didn't quite like- you're probably going to be surprised, but I was a little underwhelmed and bored of the cliche and overused storyline of coming of age, with a weak young woman, who transforms herself into a powerful, fearless lady who is willing to risk her life for her friends. Plus a knight in shining armour type of characters, villains and new friendships.Does this sound familiar? Fairytales, comic books, young adult novels and so on. Yes, I am the first to admit I still fall for these kind of stories, but I don't know why, here it bugged me, maybe I have seen too much of them lately or maybe I just needed a reason to not score it 100%, because otherwise, the film was mostly perfect. I especially liked the ending, which although some might say it was predictable, for me it was incredibly sweet and emotional (I am talking about the flying scene, but also the one where he leads her back to her parents).

Spirited away will definitely be regarded as a classic and a film that everyone should see. It is one of the most successful movies in Japanese history- it overtook Titanic in the national box office and ended up winning an Oscar for Best Animated feature and the Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival.

I hope, actually urge you to see Spirited Away, if you haven't already, for its peculiar style, the world and the characters Miyazaki created, and for its simple, yet appealing beauty and emotion.

Which other animation/Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki productions do you recommend?