Ratatouille (2007)

Let me preface this review by saying that although this movie is gorgeously done animation by director and writer Brad Bird (The Incredibles 2004), this fairytale about a Remy the Rat’s dreams of being a master chef coming true does have one significant problem for parents. The animation is so well done that the scenes of the rats fleeing one home at the beginning or swarming together to help Remy towards the end are so very well done that it was nauseating. It was like actually watching a tidal wave of rats and I’m sorry Disney and Pixar – you … Continue reading →

A Bug’s Life (1998)

Flick the ant is an inventor. Always looking for a way to make the lives of the ants easier, he spends his free time coming up with things like a harvester so they won’t have to work so hard to get the precious grain they need. The problem, however, is that Flick is also a little bit accident prone, and his inventions tend to flop. His greatest wish in life is to impress Princess Atta, but it seems that all he can do is make a bigger fool of himself. Each year, the ants must gather an offering to the … Continue reading →

The Incredibles (2004)

Imagine a world where superheros are the norm, where it’s quite common to see three or four in the course of your day. In “The Incredibles,” that’s just how things are, or rather, how they were. Once upon a time, there was a superhero for every occasion, and evildoers had no chance. But one day, Mr. Incredible saved the life of a man who was trying to commit suicide, and that man decided to sue. Things went downhill from there, and soon all the supers had to go into hiding. Mr. Incredible and his wife, Elastigirl, became Robert and Helen … Continue reading →

Toy Story 2 (1999)

In “Toy Story,” we met Buzz Lightyear, a toy who didn’t know he was a toy. In the sequel, “Toy Story 2,” it’s Woody’s turn to have an identity crisis. While saving a toy from a yard sale box, Woody (Tom Hanks) accidentally falls into a “for sale” pile and is eagerly snatched up by Al, owner of Al’s Toy Barn. Al is a collector who has spent years looking for a Woody doll, and he makes an offer to Andy’s mother. She explains the toy is not for sale, but Al tucks Woody under a pile in his arms … Continue reading →

Toy Story (1995)

What if toys came to life when their owners’ backs were turned? What if they had lives of their own that they lived while their owners were at school or asleep? This is the premise of the hit Pixar film, “Toy Story.” Andy is an imaginative little boy who loves cowboys. His favorite toy is a Woody doll, a cowboy dressed in a vest and hat. Andy has a cowboy bedspread, cowboy posters on his walls, and he spends most of his playtime pretending that Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is a sheriff who saves all the other toys from … Continue reading →

Cars

Lightning McQueen is a shiny, cocky red race car on the fast track to success (couldn’t resist that pun!). He’s adored by his fans and is an upstart in the racing community. Everyone wants to know him. But his latest race ends up in a three-way tie and he must race the other two cars again to prove he’s the best. But on the way to the big race, he gets separated from his rig and crashes (literally and figuratively) into a town called Radiator Springs. He accidentally causes a ton of damage to the road and is sentenced to … Continue reading →

Finding Nemo: A Pixar Classic

When Finding Nemo was out in theaters I went to see it literally ten times. It was just one of those movies that I thought was so fantastic I wanted to share it with everyone I knew. I think I did manage to share it with everyone I knew at the time, individually. Those few friends who missed the opportunity to see the movie in the theater with me were then invited/forced to come over to my apartment and watch it then. This is a fantastic movie, and most definitely one of my favorites. In the movie a fish Nemo … Continue reading →

Cars: Another Pixar Masterpiece

Since my first car, a 1986 Mazda 626, I have been in the habit of naming my cars. We do after all spend a great deal of time with our cars, we yell at them, pamper them on occasion, and in the case of my Mazda in the last days of its life, often congratulate them on actually arriving where you are trying to go. It makes sense that we should also give our cars names, they have a lot of personality, and they should have a name just like everyone else. In Pixars movie “Cars” all of the cars … Continue reading →