Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

Would Ready Player One count considering

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I don’t think it’d count in a live-action Challenge.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

Thanks! Don't think I've ever heard that line before or if I did, it didn't register. Still, I'm confused why they just dig even though they don't know why!

Yeah, saw this when it was in the theater with my nephew. I think there is definitely enough CGI for it to qualify.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

:up:

I liked the movie fine, and the '80s references were fun. It left me a little cold somehow, like I was watching a video game in which I wasn't that invested in the characters.

:lol:

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2 yesterday. At first I was just watching it because I wanted to finally see it. Within 20 minutes I'd fully decided it qualifies as animation as there's more CGI on display than "live" action. I don't remember in the first one - but the CGI is quite obvious this time out, sometimes painfully so. It all just looks so fake. Almost as bad as some of that done for the Hercules and Xena TV shows. I was somewhat taken aback that it would look that obvious in a very major, high budget, motion picture.

That said - I did enjoy the movie. :)

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

It had been a couple days since I watched anything for the Challenge, so I decided on a marathon tonight. I kicked it off with a couple episodes of The Transformers.
It had been quite a while since I watched that show, and I forgot how good it was. It still holds up pretty good.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

As I go through the challenge, I try to see if there can be additions or changes to the check list for next year. The last few days, I've had a couple suggestions come to mind.

First: What would people think about adding Pixar to the studio list? I think by now, they have a pretty good sized catalog and while owned by Disney which is already there, I think there's a good argument for keeping them separate.

Second: I thinking of moving the stand alone list item, Watch a Saturn Award for Best Animation Film winner, down to the 4 stand alones (watch an animated non-fiction movie, Academy Award Short film, watch something that had a tv spinoff (or vice versa) and watch an Academy Award animated film) and make all 5 of them watch 3 out of 5.

OR I could move all 5 of those to the other one of those (with watching an anime/puppet show/etc...) and just make it one big section. Thoughts?

And don't forget to post here if you have any suggestions!

I wasn't completely enthralled with it either, though I did enjoy the watch much more than I did going into it. I had heard the name through bad reviews but not what it was about so when I got shanghi'd into bringing my nephew to it, I figured it'd be a long 2 hours. But even when the film wasn't that entertaining, I enjoyed looking for the 80's Easter eggs.

I would not disagree that it would qualify. It's been awhile since I've watched it, but I don't remember the CGI being THAT bad. I do hate when you can tell it is CGI, totally kicks me out of the fantasy the movie is making.

I don't think this will be in time for this challenge, but the original Transformers: The Movie is going to be showing on some theater screens soon.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I heard about that too, LJG. I’m on a Facebook group for collectors and fans of the original Generation 1 Transformers. I believe it is the end of September.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

September 27th, I can't wait!

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

Another first time live action CGI fest I watched this weekend was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was OK... but just OK. There were no characters I really cared about and the whole thing felt like a overlong visual effects showcase. I'll have to watch it again to get what story is there but it just felt lackluster in that area. The visuals were very good but one section reminded me of Dr. Doolittle (the original) with all the different beasts on display. That's not a good thing as it, too, feels overlong with visual effects trying to tell a lackluster story. At least Fantastic Beasts... doesn't have distracting songs making it feel even longer. And there's a sequel coming next year. I have to decide if I like this one enough to even care. Right now, the answer is not really.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

:thumbsup: I do have to admit, I'm not a huge fan. I enjoy it, but I doubt I'll be hunting it down to watch. Though, I do wish either of my two local theaters would do things like this! I'd love it if they would show classic or even just older movies once or twice a month. As it is, we don't even get some of the smaller new movies.

I kind of liked Fantastic Beasts. I thought it looked pretty and was entertaining. I do wish that the "real" actor for Grindelwald isn't who it is. While I like his acting generally, he tends to go way over the top. Still, I'm eager for it to come out.

Also, did you know that they are remaking Dr. Dolittle AGAIN? The original has a special place in my heart and I hated the Eddie Murphy ones. I do have some hope that they do alright by the books (which yes, are very dated, but like many classics, you have to remember that they were written a very long time ago and times were different. Doesn't make it right, but I also don't think rewriting history is the way to go either) which I enjoyed as a child.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

Pixar is a good addition, and not difficult because there are so many shorts available. I could see possible complaints if all their content goes to the Disney streaming service, but many if not most of us should have some kind of representation in our collections. This would also be one of the more reliable checks in terms of quality. :)

I thought it was fine but agree that it felt overlong as they were trying to show off all the different creatures. Caveat that I've seen all the Potter films multiple times but not read the books (one of these days!) so I'm not a superfan who was familiar with this extended universe.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I'll be finishing off season 7 of Voltron Legendary Defender tonight, as well as Den-noh Coil (Denno coil). Den-noh Coil is quite good and worth seeking out.

I'll start Disenchanted this Friday and in the meantime I'll finish off the current arc of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle I'm watching and maybe squeeze in a few episodes of SuperMansion. I am debating what anime to start next. Something I've already watched, but not for a long while (say, Magical Project S or Magic Users Club) or new (to me), like Clannad or Steins;Gate, etc... I'll have to see what I've got collecting dust on my shelves.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I did not know that. I do like the Rex Harrison one better than the Eddie Murphy ones, in spite of the music that I don't care for. I've read both are very different than the books so maybe, like you hope, they'll "do right" and actually make a really good movie.
I saw all the Potter films before reading any of the books. I have all of the books and have now read the first three. They're easy reads, so far, and entertaining although somewhat spoiled by having seen the films and knowing how it all works out. At least they offer more story than was filmed so there's that... I'm also not a "superfan" and don't know anything about the extended universe and really don't much care. I think that, too, played into how I felt about Fantastic Beasts...

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I'd consider myself a fairly large fan of HP. I've read the books several times, seen the movies, even been to Diagon Alley at Universal. That being said, the books 1-4 are great, but 5-7 could be better. Obviously they get darker as the danger gets worse, but I feel the real problem is around book 4, Rowling really became super popular. Popular enough that no one spoke up and said, "these books need to be edited better." Especially the last one where there's a huge section (2-300 pages) were not a lot happens and could have been condensed. There are a fair amount of inconsistencies. I know she had some sort of "bible" before she wrote them, but I'm pretty sure she changed her mind about different plot changes half way through the series and sometimes it shows.

I actually appreciate the movies a lot as they cut a lot of that filler, random stuff. Almost like William Goldman's good parts edition of The Princess Bride. :)

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I’ve been working my way through both The Transformers and GI Joe . I’ve just finished the first set of GI Joe that included the first three mini series, and the first set of episodes.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I just finished watching Persepolis for the 2nd or third time. This is one of those movies where I like it, but it's a little slow starting. About the time she goes back to Iran, is where it really draws me in.

Random: I appreciate having access to a lot of movies through Vudu and my Roku, but when my cat walks in front of the subtitles during a very series and dramatic part, trying to back up only a few seconds is pretty hard. The rewind and fast forward options could do with a bit of tweaking.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

If you still need a check for the foreign language part of the check list, some of you may be interested in Neco z Alenky, a very, VERY surreal version of Alice in Wonderland. Let me put it this way, not only are the characters generally made out of taxidermy and skeletons, but Alice frequently is turned into a doll, and her eyes stay human at times. Not sure if there could be creepier "puppets" for them to use.

I'm not sure if I'm liking it or not, had to take a break half way through but it's definitely intriguing enough that I'm finishing it in a bit.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

Yesterday I was in the mood for a documentary series, so I started a rewatch of Walking With Dinosaurs. I've watched the first two episodes of the show so far. It's a nice change of pace from cartoons, yet still counts. It also doesn't hurt that I love prehistoric animals.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

OK... I have that one in the unopened pile somewhere. I may have to dig it out.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

Matt Groening's Disenchantment is up on Netflix. I haven't gotten to it yet, but the reviews have generally been guardedly positive. Mind you those are for the first seven eps (the first season is ten eps, though). This may be a case where the show doesn't find it's legs until the second season.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I’ve been watching a show I just discovered on Netflix yesterday afternoon, Digimon Fusion . I have always enjoyed the Digimon series, ever since the days when I used to watch it as part of Saturday morning cartoons. This incarnation is close to being as good, and adds a new wrinkle in that digimon merge together. The only thing I don’t like is the names for Shoutmon’s fused forms. They are Shoutmon X 2, and Shoutmon X 3.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

Finished off One Punch Man and I love it. I found this more entertaining from the beginning and it’s just keep getting better and more ridiculous. Saitama is so clueless about social interaction and the other heroes, villains and monsters are not any better.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I marathoned S4 of King of the Hill. For me, it works pretty well that way, but it's also more of a traditional sit-com series that just happens to be animated.

I also stumbled across V3 of Batman: The Animated Series while looking for a volume of Family Guy I wasn't sure if I'd watched (I did - I found it misfiled on a "watched" shelf). I thought, and have marked, that I've watched that volume of Batman so I either didn't or purchased two copies (unlikely as I'm pretty careful about logging the TV series I purchase). I'm rectifying that oversight right now.

Re: The 9th Annual Animation Challenge Discussion Thread!
 

I have the entire series of Batman: TAS Bob, as well as the entire series of Superman: TAS. I might give them a view. I've seen all of Superman, but it is worth revisiting. As for Batman, I've only seen part of Season One.

I'm working my way through two series right now. Both The Transformers, which I only have one episode of Season Two left, and I believe Scramble City, since I believe that is on YouTube. After that, I will watch my Blu Ray of the movie, before moving on to Season Three. I also just started Walking With Beasts, since I recently finished Walking With Dinosaurs.