Some animated films that range from terrific to terrible…
The Wild Life…One of the worst mainstream animated films I’ve seen in a long time. The film’s climax—in which an army of feral army cats try to eat the rest of the main cast—is endless and nearly unwatchable. Grade: D
Angry Birds…A movie I thought would be terrible but is actually good. The character of “Red” the angry misfit in an otherwise happy society is an important role model for kids who feel different. This could be the boy version of “Frozen” in asking for tolerance for boys who are different or angry. I’m not kidding. Grade: A-
Moana…Beautifully animated and brimming with creativity and imagination. The movie may be more of a musical than audiences are thinking when they go in, but some of the songs are great too. I particularly loved “Shiny” in which Jermaine Clement’s disco-crab from hell rocks out in one of the weirdest Disney sequences I’ve ever seen. Grade: A-