‘Cinderella’ Cure for ‘Frozen Fever’

I prefer bad news first, so let’s begin with Frozen Fever. This 7 minute short that precedes Kenneth Branagh’s masterpiece retelling of Disney’s 1950 animated classic, Cinderella, is just annoying. Pandering, cheap, ridiculous premise (Elsa sneezes and snow babies pop out of her), cliché song and overall, just an obvious attempt at selling some new Frozen merchandise in the form of teeny stuffed snowmen and an Elsa dress that’s the same–but now in green! I pray this short is not indicative of what Frozen 2 is going to look like, but if the snowshoe fits…run away. Luckily, this brief, gratuitous sequel is not 90+ minutes long (yet) and the film that follows it is magical enough to almost make you forget Elsa singing, “a cold never bothered me anyway” (Get it? Cause she’s got a cold! And that’s also a line from “Let it Go.” Get it? Insert gun emoticon.) Almost.

Top Ten Most Fascinating Animated Characters: Number 6

It may be unfair to rank animated characters from television on the same list as those from film. A long running cartoon series has so much more time to develop the character. This character has had over fifteen years, four hundred episodes and two full length feature films in which to pique our fascination. However, I believe that SpongeBob Squarepants won this spot on the top ten most fascinating characters from the first moment we met him in episode one, “Help Wanted,” which aired on Nickelodeon on May Day of 1999.

Top Ten Most Fascinating Animated Characters: Number 7

So far (and for most of the rest of the list) males have dominated as most fascinating original characters in animation. One reason for this seems to be that most female protagonists who are interesting have been derived from literature, so I nixed them in accordance with my rules for this series. A few examples of girls I absolutely love from Disney would be Alice, Rapunzel, Tiana and Ariel. However, today’s character wasn’t imagined by Hans Christensen Anderson, Lewis Carroll or a Grimm brother, but by a man with one of the most imaginative artistic styles in all of animation history.

Top Ten Most Fascinating Animated Characters: Number 8

So far in this list of the ten most fascinating original characters in animation history, we have seen a little boy, Norman from ParaNorman, animated using very advanced, gorgeous, stop-motion animation and a far-out space ranger, Buzz Lightyear, a character from the first fully computer animated feature whose design and overall character appeal continues to dazzle audiences twenty years later. However, number 8 on the list did not enter the spotlight in such an aesthetically appealing fashion.  D’oh!

Top Ten Most Fascinating Animated Characters: Number 9

In case you missed the first installment, this is a little series I’m writing as a lark to identify ten of animation’s most fascinating characters. These characters are supremely interesting in-and-of-themselves, regardless of their varying fascinating plots/settings, etc. Check out number 10, Norman from ParaNorman, if you haven’t already. Today’s spot belongs to a character that is so out-of-this world that you have to go to infinity and beyond to find someone as fascinating as him.

Top Ten Most Fascinating Animated Characters: Number 10

Yesterday I began to contemplate specific aspects of character development in animation and my musings have turned into a series of articles—namely, analyzing which animated characters from history are the most fascinating. First, as any Socratic thinker knows, I have to define my terms: by fascinating characters, I mean interesting—in and of themselves. These characters attract as much attention—or more—than the plot, itself. They are like disco balls (or train wrecks in some cases)—you can’t not watch them.

2014: The Year Without a Pixar Movie

Do you remember where you were when you heard the news that The Good Dinosaur was being pushed to 2015, leaving a gigantic Pixar shaped void in your 2014 calendar? It was an incremental realization for me.

“Okay, it’s being reworked, I thought, that’s fine…but then what movie are they going to fast-track for 2014? (Cue Homer Simpson’s brain explaining reality to him.) No movie from Pixar at all?!? @#&*%!”

Like a spoiled brat, this animation company has got me so expectant for their annual masterpieces, I all but threw myself on the floor in an Angelica Pickles-worthy tantrum (forgive the Rugrats reference, but I’m lamenting the loss of Christine Cavanaugh). So, now that we made it through the year without a Pixar movie and look forward to the prospect of TWO films for 2015, a little reflection and contemplation seems appropriate.

Watch This: Disney UK Releases New ‘Inside Out’ Trailer

I can’t remember an animated trailer getting so much widespread hype in a long time. The new Inside Out clip released in the United Kingdom Wednesday was texted and tweeted and emailed and Facebook messaged to me by friends and colleagues of mine from many walks of life—most unrelated to animation. They were all bubbling with intrigue, “Have you seen this?” “What is this?” “This looks so interesting!” And I am not surprised by their fascination—this trailer is epic!

Fascinating Rants: The Year of a Million Elsas

Walt Disney’s birthday was on December 5th, which also happened to be the day that Disneyland announced the full-blown Frozen overhaul coming to the resort in less than a month. Both of these milestones meant a lot to me, and in maddeningly different ways.

A Fascinating Day in Animation History: Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles’ (2004)

Today marks ten years since the release of a film that is not only a phenomenal accomplishment in the realm of animation, but is perhaps the greatest superhero movie of all time. Too much? Not even close! The story Brad Bird developed has profundity effervescing from practically every line of dialogue. The film’s messages against praising mediocrity and of promoting heroism, duty and family resound as relevant and revivifying in our squishy, politically correct world. I could go on for two and a half years about how much I think of this film, but I may lose a few of you in my philosophical musings along the way. You got me monologuing!