When Blitzen suddenly announces his retirement from Santa’s elite team of reindeer, Santa needs to find a replacement. Filled with dreams of pulling the famed sleigh, Elliot the pony and his best friend, Hazel the goat, set out to prove that he is the horse for the job. As Elliot and Hazel take on the… [Read More]
Animation is Film 17: Virus Tropical
Adapted from the graphic novel memoir by Colombian-Ecuadorian cartoonist Power Paola, Virus Tropical follows the story of a young girl in Ecuador named Paola, as she grows and matures from infancy to striking out on her own as a young adult. Raised by a mostly single mother, Paola struggles through her relationships with family, friends and… [Read More]
Animation is Film 17: Tehran Taboo
Directed by expat Iranian filmmaker Ali Soozandeh, Tehran Taboo tells the stories of three strong-willed women who cross paths in Tehran’s divided society where sex, corruption, and drugs coexist with strict religious laws and patriarchal traditions. Through rotoscoping technology, its use of real actors provides genuine depth to the characters yet the animation also provides a safe… [Read More]
The Red Turtle – Mythic, Poetic Story of Humanity
It is rare that a film can seem to be poetry, and that may be even more difficult when the film has no dialogue. Yet The Red Turtle manages to be just that.
AFIFest – Animation Sandwich
Yesterday I had a really interesting sandwich: a dark brooding film from one of my favorite Romanian directors placed between two animated films.
The Little Prince – The Value of Childhood
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.
Finding Dory – Finding a Way to a Forgotten Home
Like Odysseus, Dory is on a journey to get home. The difference is that Odysseus knew where he was going. Dory is just following a longing for the family she remembers she once had.
The Jungle Book – Updating a Classic of a Classic
The Jungle Book is Disney’s new high-tech live-action (sort of) remake of their 1967 animated film based on Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 book. The new version tries to find a middle path between the more light-hearted earlier film, and the darker, more mythic Kipling story.
April and the Extraordinary World – Is Science Our Best Hope?
Will science and technology be our salvation? Of course, the obvious response is: has it yet? For every advancement we make through science, there is price to be paid or an abuse of that discovery.
Podcast: Dividing ZOOTOPIA
This week on the show, ScreenFish writer, Darrel Manson and Steve Norton talk about the racial barriers between lions, foxes and bunnies (Oh my!) in Disney’s ZOOTOPIA! 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… [Read More]
