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The Bad Guys: Bad Guys Steals Your Heart

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The film may be called The Bad Guys, it’s definitely filled with good fun.

For many years, The Bad Guys have been the world’s most wanted criminals. Led by dashing pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), the team is highly skilled and impossible to catch. However, when their biggest heist ever goes wrong and the team gets caught, Mr. Wolf concocts a new plan. In order to save them all from prison, this crew of Bad Guys promise to go good. Allowing themselves to be trained by the adorable guinea pig Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), Mr. Wolf and his crew work towards redemption but also secretly intend on using their new reputations as heroes to their benefit as thieves. But will they be able to follow through with their plan? Or will these Bad Guys see the benefits of becoming good guys after all?

Directed by Pierre Perifel, The Bad Guys is a fast and furry-ous trip outside the law. Based on Aaron Blabey’s children’s books of the same name, Bad Guys pops with lovable characters, stunning animation and genuine fun. Pulling in the charm of the Ocean’s Eleven crew, this crew of misfits has some enjoyable chemistry and fun exploits on screen that invigorates the franchise with life. Featuring some solid voice work by Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson and more, the characters have an energy and likability about them that makes them endearing. This enthusiasm is especially noteworthy in Rockwell who seems to be having more fun than he’s had in years as the sly and scheming Mr. Wolf. (It’s also worth noting that any comparisons to the Ocean’s franchise are absolutely intentional. Not only was Aquafina involved in Ocean’s 8, Mr. Wolf’s attempt to charm the police chief is referred to as going “full Clooney“.) 

Unraveling like the pages of a children’s book at story time, the variety and style of the visuals also gives Bad Guys an extra pop that makes it feel different than other current animated fare. Like other companies such as Pixar and Illumination, the film makes use of CGI animation yet the style feels entirely unique. At times, Bad Guys feels like a water colour illustration. However, in other moments, the film exhibits wildly different influences, ranging from anime to stop-motion animation. 

At its heart, The Bad Guys is [obviously] a film about what it means to be a good guy. As the film begins, we know instantly that these are expert thieves who are the top of their craft. Even so, as the crew attempt to manipulate the public by convincing them that they’ve changed their ways, they begin to discover the joys of helping people. The shivers down their spine that they experience when they do good deeds reveals an almost physical joy that comes from putting your own needs aside to help others. Hated for their appearance, they decide that, if everyone thinks they’re bad, they might as well be.

Interestingly, Bad Guys also recognizes that toxicity of stereotyping (and, potentially, even racially profiling) others. While these Bad Guys definitely do bad things, they do so almost as a result of the expectations of others. Hated by the general public simply for being a wolf, snake, spider and more, they begin to lean into the characters created for them by others. 

After all, a wolf must mean that he’s big and bad, right? 

Though they start out by trying to make friends, public perception presses these characters down until they believe they can be nothing less than villains. In fact, it’s only as others begin to feed positive messages into their heart that they realize that they can live up to their potential. In this way, Bad Guys demonstrates the power of encouraging and supportive voices to those in need, especially when others are doing the opposite. 

Now on 4K and Blu-ray, its worth noting that the animation especially pops on your home entertainment. Though, admittedly, the disc contains some surprisingly solid features that make it worth the purchase. While the disc includes the traditional fare of ‘making-of’ featurettes, the additional animated short, Maraschino Ruby, is cute and Snakes Frozen Pop Shop provides some simple fun for the family. But, sound the alarm! Easily the best feature is its full-length commentary which contains some valuable insight into the creation of the film. (Commentaries continue to be more rare nowadays so they’re always worth your time.)

Fueled by stunning animation and fun characters, Bad Guys pops with the energy of the best of heist films. More importantly though, the film carries an important message about looking past our perceptions so that we can bring out the best in people. As a result, Bad Guys is one animated adventure that is worth opening your wallet for (if they don’t steal it first).

The Bad Guys is available on 4K and Blu-ray on Tuesday, July 19th, 2022.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Little Shell, Big Love

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For the first time in a while, there seems to be a lot for families to see in theatres. Between Minions, Lightyearand, arguably, Jurassic World, there’s a lot of frenetic action and crazy special effects that are designed to draw eyeballs to the multiplex.

But the best family film of the year is probably the least likely.

Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a delightful film that tells the story of an adorable knick-knack and his search for family. Marcel (voiced by Jenny Slate), one-inch-tall shell with a single googly-eye, lives with his Grandmother as the sole survivors of a tragedy that saw his family disappear into the night. When a documentary director rents their home as an AirBnB, he cannot help but make Marcel his next subject. But, when the video goes viral online, Marcel begins to hope that these simple videos might lead to him finding the family that he lost and loves so dearly.

Told in documentary style, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On may be the tale of one tiny trinket’s journey to find his family but it could it feels like it’s everyone’s story. As stop-motion animation brings the characters to life, Marcel becomes a soulful tale that speaks directly to the heart of all ages. There’s a charming inexperience about Marcel yet he contains a certain sardonic wisdom. Although he approaches the world with childlike innocence, he is also responsible, caregiving and intelligent. 

Similarly, the film has an authenticity and beauty about it as it approaches its subject with respect and joy. Admittedly, it may seem odd to refer to the character as a ‘subject’ as the film is clearly fictional. But there’s something so real about Marcel. 

Fueled by creativity, joy and heart, Marcel is a film that calls the young trinket to adventure. However, he has suffered a great loss and abandonment. Reeling from the loss of his family, Marcel wants desperately to be reunited with those who left him behind (even if it was unintentionally). He is young and feels the loss deeply. Now, with only himself and his grandmother remaining, he yearns for community. 

And Marcel is very much a film about the nature of community. 

However, rather than simply acknowledging that we need relationships, Marcel explores what it means to truly mine the depths of those connections. This is best exemplified between Marcel and his relationship with filmmaker Dean. Wanting to remain the unobstructed observer to Marcel’s life, Dean desperately wishes to remain off camera. But that’s not what Marcel wants. 

Marcel wants a friend. 

As he shares the stories about his life, he can’t understand why Dean will not share stories of his own. Eventually though, Marcel manages to crack Dean’s shell and gets him to open up. Suddenly, what began as a relationship between filmmaker and subject becomes a deep friendship. You see, Marcel doesn’t nearly want to be around people. He wants to people in his life that he can invest in emotionally (and can invest in him). Even in his youth, Marcel understands that real love can only happen when everyone lets down their guard to truly care for one another. 

That’s an awfully mature understanding of relationships for a googly-eyed shell.

While Marcel the Shell with Shoes On may not draw the attention of children at a time of Minions and Lightyears, the sweetness of the film cannot be underrated or underestimated. With one loving googly-eye, Marcel penetrates the heart and remind us of the need we have for authentic community so that we may deal with the pain storms that inevitably comes in life. On the surface, Marcel may appear to be an insignificant (and inanimate) trinket. 

But this tiny knick-knack has a lot to teach us about what it means to love.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is available in theatres on Friday, June 10th, 2022

Minions: The Rise of Gru – The Sequel is Bananas… but not Rotten

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I was 13 years old when I first saw Despicable Me and I absolutely loved it.

So, it made perfect sense to me that Universal would keep making more films with Gru–Mr. Despicable himself, played by the amazing Steve Carell–and his loveable yellow minions, the… uh… Minions (all voiced by Pierre Coffin, which has earned him my respect). In fact, the Minions were loved by so many that they even got their own movie without Gru, appropriately titled Minions.

But I’m not going to lie. I did not enjoy the first Minions movie. Maybe it came with age or more “grown-up” interests but, after following the tiny creatures around for 91 minutes, I found them incredibly annoying. (In fact, I thought my enjoyment of this franchise ended with Despicable Me 2.)

(from left) Minions Kevin and Stuart in Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, directed by Kyle Balda.

So, admittedly, with the release of its sequel, Minions: The Rise of Gru, I wasn’t sure that I was going to enjoy myself… but I did.

A lot.

Set in the 1970s, Minions: Rise of Gru sees a young Gru as he wants badly to be a part of the Vicious 6, a group of super criminals who have just ousted their leader, Wild Knuckles. But, when things go horribly wrong, Gru and his Minions are forced to go into hiding as they’re hunted by the Vicious 6. Running for their lives, they find help in an unlikely ally in Wild Knuckles and they team up to save their lives.

Gru (Steve Carell, center) in Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, directed by Kyle Balda.

Genuinely clever with its humour, Rise of Gru has many laugh out loud moments. (Even the sillier jokes gave me one of those “forcefully let air out your nose” laughs that made the auditorium full of kids and their parents roar.) The Minions are always at their best when they’re interacting with Gru, and maybe that’s why I found this movie more enjoyable. It reminded me of something I feel like we forget when deciding whether a movie is good or bad: if its target audience likes it, no matter how badly that we think it is done, it has done its job.

The film also made me pause and consider a few things. First, it reminded me how hard animators work. While animation continues to impress, I have to take a moment to acknowledge those who worked on this movie because I just thought it was so beautiful. Secondly, I am reminded that Taraji P. Henson is a fantastic voice actor. The whole cast was great but Henson really stands out here as the villainous Belle Bottom. While I’m more accustomed to seeing her as Cookie on Empire()or just herself in interviews or hosting the BET Awards), Henson really embodies that villain role and created a character that sounds distinct from every other one we’ve seen her play. Job well done. Finally, I realized that Gru’s mother has been voiced by THE Julie Andrews this entire time?! She has made herself relevant to every generation, and I love that for her (and for us).

(from left) Minion Stuart, Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh) and Minions Bob and Kevin in Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, directed by Kyle Balda.

As a true prequel to Despicable Me, Minions: The Rise of Gru not only shows Gru’s origins, but also what some other characters from the past were up to during this time period. I grew up loving cartoons and something that got me really excited as a kid was seeing situations in one movie or TV show iteration crossover into another. These sort of interactions made me understand the world of the characters better. (In fact, this is why Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed remains my favourite film to this day. Seeing random monsters that the gang had fought before allowed 7-year-old me to view it as a continuation of those stories and excited me that they even remembered they had created those monsters in the first place.) This meant even more to me when I grew up and so, to me, the inclusion of random details created by other people showed that they cared about the story and their audience. As a viewer, I appreciated The Rise of Gru taking its time to concretely link itself to the other movies and know that young fans of the franchise will find that fun too.

Minions: Rise of Gru is available in theatres on Friday, July 1st, 2022.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie: Flippin’ Hilarious

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After many years, Bob’s Burgers finally gets a chance to serve up some fun on the big screen. 

Admittedly, it a little bit of a surprise that the film is going to really be released in theaters. As the pandemic bit the box office receipts, Disney has shown its willingness to bump its films from theatrical to streaming. (Sorry Pixar.) So, because of their network connections, it was almost expected that Bob’s Burgers would be sent onto Disney+ for subscribers. However, Disney has shown tremendous confidence in their product and have waited patiently for restrictions to loosen in order for Bob’s Burgers to properly open to the public. 

It seems as though their confidence has paid off. 

To those who are unaware, The Bob’s Burgers Movie (re)introduces the world to Bob Belcher and his family. As the owner of the fast food restaurant Bob’s Burgers, Bob and his wife, Linda works hard to keep their small business afloat. With summer vacation almost here, Bob, Linda and their three kids, Tina, Gene and Louise are shocked to discover an enormous sinkhole blocking the entrance to their establishment. To make matters worse, Louise accidentally discovers a dead body in the hole, unlocking a mystery that threatens to close the business forever. As the danger continues to rise, Bob and his family work together to crack the case and, more importantly, keep the doors to Bob’s Burgers open.

It should be stated that my experience with Bob’s Burgers Is somewhat limited. With only a handful of episodes under my belt and limited knowledge of the series, it’s hard for me to know whether or not this film particularly pays off any fan expectations. However, as a new customer myself, I can tell you that The Bob’s Burgers Movie is delightfully hilarious with a biting sarcasm that makes it worth ordering up. (But, note to parents who aren’t familiar with the series, this is another example of an animated film that’s not targeting little ones with its humour.)

Interestingly, in a lot of films for established series, the film often tries to get bigger in its scope. Long road trips or massive storylines designed to break the characters out of their traditional roles are often the order of the day. (For example, The Simpsons Movie took Homer et all on a trip to Alaska while the entire city was captured by the US Government.) Though Bob’s Burgers keeps it relatively simple. Though the story involves a murder investigation (literally) outside their own front door, the furthest the family travels is down the street. In fact, Bob and Linda are more concerned about their ability to keep their floundering family business up and running than they are any potential suspects.

At its heart, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is ultimately about what it means to lean into our fear. Here, almost every one of the characters are struggling to prove themselves. Whether it’s Tina’s desire to ask out a boy from school, Bob trying to keep his business afloat or Louise’s attempts to show that she’s not a ‘baby’ (The ‘B’ Word!), each of these characters have their deepest insecurities exposed. 

But with summer fast approaching, the clock is ticking for them to make their big moves.

Although summer is usually awaited with anticipation, it spells dread for the Belcher family. What should be a time where dreams come true runs head first into a wall of cold, hard reality. Bills to pay, missed opportunities and the challenges of growing up weigh heavily on the Belchers and leave them trapped by their own fear. Though, as their troubles increase, each member of the family is called to lean into their anxiety and find the courage to make things right. 

So, yes. Even if you haven’t been in on the series, The Bob’s Burgers Movie remains deliciously funny with its biting, adult-skewing satire. In fact, I might even go back for seconds.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is available in theatres on Friday, May 27th, 2022.

Poupelle of Chimney Town – Conviction of things not seen

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“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NRSV)

Faith in the unseen is the driving force in Yusuke Hirota’s animated film, Poupelle of Chimney Town. It is a faith that seems ridiculous to some and dangerous to others. But for the boy at the center of the story, it is so strong that he must find a way to show the world the truth that has been hidden for centuries.

Chimney Town is a town filled with smoke belching chimneys that run day and night so that the sky is nothing but dark smoke, Lubicci is a young chimney sweep without friends. He remembers that his father Bruno would tell stories about what was beyond the smoke—a sky filled with stars. But there is no one in all of Chimney Town that has ever seen such an unlikely thing.

A bright object falls through the clouds and land in a trash pile, and transforms into a creature made of garbage. Lubicci befriends him and names him Poupelle. Together they dream of seeing the stars that Bruno spoke of. But the authorities are on the look out for anyone who speaks of stars or anything beyond the smoke. Inquisitors are constantly seeking out heretics who do not accept the official belief system. When the Inquisitors start coming for Lubicci and Poupelle, Lubicci comes up with a plan that can show the world the truth.

Lubicci operates out of faith. He knows that there is nothing to prove that stars really exist. But there is also nothing to disprove their existence. But such open-mindedness is a threat to the tyrannical regime that has created the world of Chimney Town. The stability of the society is built on accepting the key dogma, “There is no outside world; there is only this world.” As Lubicci lives out his faith in the unseen stars, he challenges the very fabric of the society. As such the story serves as a fable about speaking truth to power.

Faith, as we see in this story, can be an oppressive force, as with the Inquisitors who seek heretics. It can also be a liberating force when it opens a world to new ideas that may not seem obvious. Within the political world, there is a constant struggle to find truth among the massive amounts of “smoke”. No doubt those who buy into QAnon believe that they know the stars are behind the smoke of mainstream media. Others will see the conspiracy theories of QAnon as the smoke we must get rid of.

We can see the same if we look at religious life. Dogmatism and the thought that one group has the truth are always divisive and destructive.  Evanglicalism and broad ecumenism seem hard to put together. Multi-culturalism and diversity may seem to be smoke or they may be the forces that prevent calcified belief systems from obscuring our view of the truth.

Lubicci didn’t just speak of his faith in starts; he acted out that faith. It was through his actions that the truth had a chance to be known by all. And by acting on his faith, he discovered new depths within himself that allowed him to expand his world.

Poupelle of Chimney Town is available on VOD and will soon be available digitally and on DVD.

Photos courtesy of 11 Arts.

Poupelle of Chimney Town: Keep Looking Up

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Sometimes, when you can’t see beyond, it’s only the belief in something more that keeps you going.

Directed by Yuusuke Hirota, Poupelle of Chimney Town takes place in a city covered by a thick layer of black smoke that has prevented its population from ever seeing the sky. Though the people have accepted the darkness, young Lubicchi (Antonio Raul Corbo) clings to the stories of stars told to him by his late father, Bruno (Stephen Root). Working as a chimney sweep in order to care for his sick mother, Lola (Misty Lee), Lubicchi has become a social outcast and struggles to connect with other kids. However, his life changes when a man made of garbage stumbles out of the night. Naming his new friend ‘Poupelle’ (Tony Hale), Lubicchi accepts this ‘monster’ when others won’t and the two begin to look for the stars together.

Featuring stunning animation and the purest of hearts, Poupelle of Chimney Town is an absolute joy from start to finish. Based on the children’s book by Akihiro Nishino, Poupelle looks and feels like a bedtime story. Bursting with colour, the film seamlessly fuses 2D animation with 3D rendering in a unique and stylized manner that gives every scene an artistic aura. First time director Hirota has created a world that consists of both incredible beauty and dark oppression and the blend of visuals absolutely pop onscreen. 

While voice work can be forgettable in animated projects, most of the cast seems fully engaged with their characters, especially its leads. Young star Antonio Raul Corbo gives an emotionally engaging performance as the over-burdened but hopeful Lubicchi. At the same time, Root and Lee provide solid supporting work as his parents. However, the standout here is Hale who turns in some remarkable work here as Poupelle. Best known for his work as more manic characters such as Arrested Development’s Buster Bluth or the existential toy Forky from Toy Story 4, Hale is an absolute joy as the mysterious ‘garbage man’. As Poupelle, Hale infuses his character with innocence, humility and even an aura of wisdom. In the midst of a chaotic world, Poupelle becomes an anchor of love and support for the young Lubicchi and, as a result, Hale becomes the soul of the film.

And there is a remarkable amount of soul within this Chimney Town.

With a number of different lenses through which to examine its story, Poupelle of Chimney Town manages to work on multiple levels. For example, the film explores a number of social issues, especially through the relationship between economics and power. Without giving any spoilers, the greatest problem within this particular world is that it remains rooted in the acquisition of money. Whether it’s economic disparity between social classes or the power dynamics that create those divisions, Poupelle shows the damage that can be done when money is given priority over the people and their well-being.

Furthermore, the film works as an exploration of the nature of friendship. Broken by the sudden loss of his father over a year ago, Lubicchi and his mother are struggling to get by. Forced to support his family financially, he lives in a world of adulthood and responsibility. As a result, Lubicchi has closed himself off to friendship and pulled away from those his own age. However, with the arrival of Poupelle, his hardened heart begins to show signs of cracking. Even though others view him as a ‘monster’ and Lubicchi initially tries to push him away, Poupelle’s undeniable love and grace begins to get through. Their relationship may be imperfect but Poupelle’s commitment to the young man never fades. Even though he is hunted by the villainous Inquisitors, Poupelle constantly looks for ways to support Lubicchi and remind him of how much he matters.

No matter what oppression Poupelle faces, he never ceases to be loving. 

Similarly, Poupelle also becomes a film about the relationship between hope and belief. Covered by ‘black smokey smoke‘, Chimney Town lives under a blanket of darkness. Having never seen anything other than the congested pollution above, the people of Chimney Town cannot fathom anything larger than their own experience. (In fact, they feel threatened by it.) However, Lubicchi refuses to believes that that’s all that there is to the world. Having been told stories of wonder by his father, he believes that there is more above the clouds. Although the world around him attempts to squash his faith in the stars, he can’t help but believe there’s something more. Just like his father before him, Lubicchi cannot help but ‘keep looking up’. (He even takes a job as a chimney sweep so he can get closer to the mystery of the skies.) To Lubicchi, the mystery beyond is of greater significance than the world in front of him. Though others struggle to accept his stories, his belief in the unseen gives him purpose and restores life to his soul. 

With its emphasis on seeing beyond what’s in front of us, Poupelle of Chimney Town is a bright light in a time marred by an endless pandemic. This is a film that serves as a reminder of the power of love, friendship and believing that things can be better than they are. As Poupelle and Lubicchi work together to pierce the darkness, so too do they spark hope to those that have none. 

All because they choose to ‘keep looking up’.

Poupelle of Chimney Town is available in select theatres now on Friday, December 17th, 2021. Click here for available showings.

To hear our interview with star Tony Hale, click here (YouTube) or here (audio).

To hear our interview with star Misty and Antonio, click here (YouTube) or here (audio)

Poupelle of Chimney Town is nominated at the 2022 Annie Awards for ‘Best Music Feature’.

7.14 Creating Kumandra in RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

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With their latest animated tale Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney transports the viewer to Kumandra, a nation that has remained divided for centuries. However, when an attempt at reconciliation goes horribly wrong, it falls on Raya, princess of the Heart region, to embark on a quest to find the mythological last dragon and restore peace to the world. This week, we form our own Fellowship of Butt-kickery as Jolie Featherstone and Miriam Ibrahim assemble to talk about the evolution of the Disney Princess, the meaning of Kumandra and the power of soup.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.14 Raya and the Last DragonDownload

Reporting from Slamdance – Animated Shorts

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The Slamdance Film Festival has a section set aside for animated shorts. (Some of the films is other sections are also animated, but this report will focus on the Animated Shorts Section. There are a wide variety of styles and approaches represented. Some of these films are art school projects. Some strike me as somewhat experimental with the form. Here are some of my impressions.

Bad Mood. (10 minutes, directed by Loris Giuseppi Nese) A recounting by a girl/woman at ages 11, 16, and 21 of her mother working as a domestic worker taking care of dying people for €5/hour. She must deal with getting attached to patients, then losing them. As the girl grows older, she too must go to work.

Friend of a Friend. (15 minutes, directed by Zachary Zezima) A story of a sexual assault, revenge, and sexual ambivalence.

Knife Hanging From a Tree. (4 minutes, directed by JiHee Nam) This is a piece that is really more about experiencing the art and sound, rather than a traditional telling of a story.

Lizard Ladder.(6 minutes, directed by Ted Wiggins) Another that isn’t so much about story, but the artwork around the dog, lizard, and snake that are in the film is interesting.

Molly Dane. (7 minutes, directed by Ida Lasic). A cocktail party fundraiser and a death occurs. Not really fond of the artwork in this one.

Opera. (9 minutes, directed by Erick Oh) A mesmerizing world of tiny people in a pyramidal hierarchy. Each little section is busy with its own activity. There’s working, worship, war, and rebirth. What a pleasure to explore!

Papa Sun. (7 minutes, directed by Noah Gallagher) Music and poetry mixed with some interesting art work. A bit uneven.

Poise. (8 minutes, directed by Luis Soares). What to do with a handful of flies? As a man tries to decide, the whole world is set in indecision.

Return to the Peach Blossom Wonderland. (19 minutes, directed by Haoman Peng, Yue Huang, and Yuchao Luo). This harkens back to a 1600 year old Chinese fable of a utopian vision. It contrasts that with modern life in China (or an any modern city). Interesting view of modern life.

Something to Treasure. (3 minutes, directed by Annapurna Kumar). This has an experimental form and is an experiential piece. It’s the kind of thing I wouldn’t be surprised to see as a visual installation in a museum of modern art.

The Land of Whim. (9 minutes, directed by Bettina Bozek). This is an animated world of Dali-esque surrealism. Objects shift and evolve in bizarre ways. It has a very pleasant visual style and energy.

Urges. (2 minutes, directed by Angela Stemple). Bright, colorful pop-art style of animation seeking to visualize sensual pleasures and desire.

White Horse. (8 minutes, directed by Yujie Xu). A dreamlike world in which a man follows a horse through a maze, then they transform and really can’t get together.

Among this section of shorts, my absolute favorite is Opera. Others that I found especially enjoyable (for reasons I can’t quite explain) are Lizard Ladder and Return to the Peach Blossom Wonderland.

The Little Prince – The Value of Childhood

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littleprince2“Growing up isn’t the problem. Forgetting is.”

Childhood is meant to be a magical time when play and exploration are the “work” a child should be about. But more and more, some children are being pushed to achieve just as adults are. In The Little Prince a girl who is being groomed for the “right” school by her mother is living a very organized and regimented existence—until her possibly mentally unbalanced neighbor opens her eyes and her heart to another way of seeing things.

If the title sounds familiar, it’s because this is an adaptation (or sorts) of the well-loved children’s book Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. However, the Saint-Exupéry story is a story within the bigger story in this film. But it is also the engine that drives the larger story.

The world of this story is one of efficiency where everything is valued according to what it can add to the bottom line. It is a very mathematics oriented world. We hear news in the background that is all in some way about numbers and productivity. That seems the only thing that matters in the world—what can be seen and measured. Even when The Girl (voiced by Mackenzie Foy) is doing her constant studying it is always some form of math. She is being prepared to be another cog in the machine of this world.

But her house is next door to an old, wildly-bearded Aviator (Jeff Bridges). One day he sends her a paper airplane with the beginning of his story about The Little Prince who came to earth from an asteroid and taught The Aviator the importance of things that cannot be seen. (Fans of the Saint-Exupéry story may know that Saint-Exupéry was an aviator.) Slowly The Girl warms towards him and begins a friendship that leads her away from her books and into a world of imagination. Essentially she is being lured away from business school to instead study the humanities. (That is a tension that is very real—not only in higher education, but even in the ways we approach childhood education.)

Stylistically the film is divided by two forms of animation. The story of The Girl and The Aviator is done in CG animation, while the story of The Little Prince (which comes from the original book) is done in stop-motion animation. That works very well to remind us of the two worlds the film is living in.

What matters in this film are relationships: The Girl and The Aviator, The Aviator and The Little Prince, The Little Prince and a fox, The Little Prince and a rose. These relationships are based not in what one can get from another, but the joy and love that can be shared—not in anything that can be measured, but that only be seen with the heart. As we learn at one point, “It is only with the heart that we can see rightly.”

That means not only love, but also faith. When The Aviator speaks of what became of The Little Prince, The Girl wants to know how he knows The Prince is among the stars. How can he be sure? He responds, “It would comfort me very much to know for sure. But I choose to believe that he’s up there.” That, for me, speaks far more clearly than the historical creeds of the church.

This is a film that speaks of many deep things: the bottom line and its immeasurable spiritual cost, love and loss, the joy of childhood that we so often forget, and life and death and life after death. Yes, it’s a children’s story. Yes, it’s animated. And yes, it may make you want to be a child again. Hopefully, you’ll remember how to do that.

The Blu-ray edition includes the making of featurette and the music video of “Turnaround” by Camille. 

Soul – Pixar’s Holiday Present (but…)

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“You can’t crush a soul here; that’s what life on earth is for.”

Since Pixar’s Soul is coming to us on Christmas Day, I can’t help but compare it to a present. This is the largest present under the tree. It has the most amazing wrapping paper and beautiful ribbons. We can hardly wait to get to it, but when we open it up . . . we discover it has clothes from Grandma. It’s not shabby clothes, but still ….

This really is a big package, as are all Pixar films. Not only is it Pixar, but it’s Pete Docter, who co-directs along with Kemp Powers, and co-writes with Powers and Mike Jones. Docter’s writing and directing credits include some of Pixar’s best: Toy Story, WALL-E, Inside Out, Monsters Inc, and Up. Originally slated for a summer theatrical release, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed it into the Christmas slot with in home viewing on Disney+ streaming service.

As to the amazing wrapping, Pixar always brings its A-game to animation. The animation here is a mixture of its familiar round seeming three-dimensional characters, astonishing realistic renderings of cities and nature, with some Picasso-esque art thrown in. Add to this the music. Jazz is integral to the story line, and it adds life, joy, and anguish to the film.

That gets us to the content.

Here is the story of Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), a middle school band teacher, who has struggled for years to be a jazz musician. The same day he gets an offer to make his teaching job full time, he gets a call from a former student who now plays drums for a well-known jazz quartet that needs a pianist to sit in with them. On his way home from a successful audition, there is an accident, and Joe wakes up as a sort of peanut shaped being on a conveyor belt headed to a bright light—The Great Beyond. Not ready to go there, he tries running back, but ends up falling through a strange vortex into The Great Before—a park-like setting filled with new souls waiting to get their personalities, and most importantly their “spark”, before they go to earth.

The counselors of the camp assume he has been sent there to mentor a soul. He is assigned Number 22 (Tina Fey), a cynical soul who has burned through a plethora of mentors—some pretty big names among them: Gandhi, Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Copernicus, Marie Antoinette, and Mohammed Ali. 22 just isn’t interested in living. And as her failures to find her spark accumulate, she has settled into being a loner who will never go to earth.

Joe’s plan is to help her find her spark, then steal her ticket to earth and use it to get his life back and begin his career as a jazz pianist. But when the two of them get past the barriers between the worlds, 22 ends up in Joe’s body, while Joe is in the body of a cat. They can speak to each other, but naturally no one else knows that the cat is speaking. He must try to shepherd 22 though the streets of New York to try to find a way back to Before and set things aright. That process gives them both new understandings that tell us all that every moment of life is worth cherishing.

So what makes this clothes from Grandma? First of all is that there are a whole lot of concepts that won’t be understood by many of the children who see it. But that really is only a minor problem since I don’t think Pixar makes movies for kids. Pixar makes movies that will draw kids into the theaters (or in this case to Disney+). The real audience for Pixar films ais the adults who bring the kids. Since it seems like a kids’ movie, adults watch with their defenses down. We often pay more attention to what we overhear than what is said directly to us. Pixar makes movies that adults will overhear.

In this case, however, there really isn’t that much to overhear. Here the film is clearly aimed at adults. We see a character facing a midlife crisis. In one scene Joe tells his mother, “I’m just afraid that if I died today, my life would have amounted to nothing.” Some of the language may even be over the head of many adult viewers. For example, 22 explains that “I was a theoretical construct existing in a hypothetical waystation between life and death.” The only real façade of this being for kids is that it is animated. The usual multi-layered humor that is a hallmark of Pixar films is missing. I wouldn’t be surprised if children came away deeply disappointed in the film. There really isn’t that much here for them.

I also note in my Christmas present analogy that these aren’t shabby clothes. There are times when the message about the importance of enjoying the life we have comes through. Sometimes it’s when Joe is told that he is important to students. He doesn’t really seem to appreciate that, but we do. Perhaps my favorite scene in the film is when Joe (inhabited by 22) goes to the barber. The barber tells of his dreams that didn’t play out, but the happiness he has as a barber. It is something Joe needs to understand in his own life. But that revelation is actually countered in a scene about rescuing a lost soul—an account manager who is stuck in his job without having any joy. The key should not be escaping your life, but rather finding joy in it. In the end, we have hope that both 22 and Joe will have a chance to live life more fully than either ever imagined.

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But the best thing in the box is the concept of the “spark”. Joe and 22 mistakenly think that the spark is a purpose that animates your life, as music does for Joe. But it turns out the spark is really more akin to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” The spark is the light we share in the world to light the way for other. Maybe Joe will share that spark through his music, or maybe through his teaching, or finding a way for both. But he now knows that taking that spark into the world is the real purpose in his life.

And yes, I suppose I should write Grandma a thank you note for the clothes. They are, after all, very nice and I need them. It’s just not what I really hoped for or expected.

To hear our conversation with director Pete Docter and producer Dana Murray, click here.

Photos courtesy of Pixar.