Hello, readers! Welcome back to another week of Logan’s Home Video Update! This week’s edition will be featuring animated movies. Two of the films have new installments this summer, so I figured this would be a great opportunity to review them. The other was my favorite animated film from last year.
Despicable Me (PG, 95 minutes- starring the voice of Steve Carell)
A surprisingly huge box office and critical success in the summer of 2010, Despicable Me surprised everyone with its charm and wit. What a few detractors called Pixar-lite, I called a heart-warming film with an awesome soundtrack and some memorable characters (mainly Agnes and the Minions). I will use a slightly paraphrased version of Agnes’ now famous quote to sum up the movie. “It’s so good, I’m gonna die!”
Monsters, Inc. (G, 92 minutes- starring the voices of John Goodman and Billy Crystal)
Speaking of Pixar, Monsters Inc. was another overwhelming success from the Pixar assembly line. It was the first original Pixar movie to come out in three years after the underrated A Bug’s Life, and it was definitely worth the wait. It has become beloved enough over the years to garner a prequel 12 years later.
Wreck-It Ralph (PG, 101 minutes- starring the voice of John C. Reilly)
In my opinion, this was the best animated film of last year and one of the best non-Pixar animated films in a long time. The universe in the film was filled to the brim with eye-popping visuals and familiar characters from both past and present video games. The movie brings out all sorts of emotions in the viewer, balancing scenes of thrilling action, heartbreak and happiness perfectly. If you love video games, intense race scenes or Disney movies, this one is a can’t miss title.
I hope you enjoy this week’s recommendations!