“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is… Fantastic!

Hello movie fans!

This week’s movie is another favorite of my family. Today I’ll be reviewing Fantastic Mr. Fox, which my parents love, but I didn’t really remember all that well before writing this review. However, I do remember loving the book by Roald Dahl that inspired this film. After watching it again, I realized that Fantastic Mr. Fox is a lovely film that I’m very excited to share with you.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is another example of a stop-motion animated film. This one, however, is different from the others, all because of the director. Wes Anderson is a well-renowned American director, and each of his movies has a very distinctive style unique to Anderson. It relies heavily on symmetrical shots and knolling in the compositions. Knolling is the arrangement of objects in parallel to each other or at 90-degree angles. Anderson’s style also uses a strong color pallet; in the case of Fantastic Mr. Fox, warm colors like orange, yellow, and brown create a fall mood that is perfect for this time of year. Overall, Wes Anderson’s style makes Fantastic Mr. Fox a beautifully arranged and aesthetically pleasing film.

Wes Anderson’s style of direction also affects the movie’s soundtrack. 70’s and 80’s pop music is a staple in most of his films, and often the soundtrack revolves around a specific band. In Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Beach Boys make up a lot of the songs used. Instrumental background music also draws inspiration from vintage pop songs and is heavily dependent upon stringed instruments, especially guitar. This choice in music creates a very specific vintage aesthetic that is supported by the movie’s visual style and animation.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on a book of the same name by children’s book author Roald Dahl. Both stories hold the same plot and entail similar details that make for a great story. It begins as such: Mr. Fox used to steal birds for a living, but now that he and his wife had a child, he has promised to move on to a safer career as a newspaper journalist. However, he still longs for that extra “je ne sais quoi” that came from being a robber. One day, Mr. Fox makes the decision to move his family from the underground burrow that they lived in to a tree, right by the properties of the farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. After getting settled, Mr. Fox returns to his ways as a robber and steals from the three farmers: chickens from Boggis, ducks and geese from Bunce, and apple cider from Bean. Enraged, the farmers unite and decide to kill Mr. Fox. They first try to shoot him, but only manage to shoot off his tail. Then, they try to dig him out from under the tree he and his family inhabit. Forced to dig deeper underground, and with the farmers following him, Mr. Fox realizes how big of a mistake it was for him to have stolen from the farms. The rest of the animals are in danger because of him, and now that his nephew has been kidnapped by the farmers, it is up to Mr. Fox and his wild instincts to fix the mess he has put himself and others into.

The characters of Fantastic Mr. Fox each have different dynamics between each other, and the resolutions of problems leads to some wonderful character development. The main dynamics I’ll be describing today are between Mr. Fox and his son, Ash, and Ash and his cousin, Kristofferson. Ash is, well, different, as the movie puts it. He wants to be seen as equal to everyone around him, especially his dad. He’s a son looking for affection, despite being socially awkward, and by the end of the film, he and his father see a mutual appreciation for each other.

At the beginning of the film, Ash is hostile and bitter towards his cousin, Kristofferson, after he comes to stay with the Foxes when his father falls ill with double pneumonia. Ash is upset by the fact that Kristofferson seems to be better than him at everything. He’s even getting more attention from Mr. Fox than Ash. Ash takes out a lot of emotions on Kristofferson, but Kristofferson being the nice kid he is doesn’t fire back as cruelly. In the end, Ash apologizes for his rudeness after Kristofferson is kidnapped by the farmers after Mr. Fox. The relationships between the characters of Fantastic Mr. Fox are realistic and amazing to watch.

In the end, Fantastic Mr. Fox is about how human nature can lead to both good and bad. On one hand, Mr. Fox’s inclination towards stealing birds began the plot’s conflict. On the other hand, it was Mr. Fox’s natural instincts that saved him and his friends. Like Mr. Fox, people aren’t perfect, and constantly going by one’s gut can lead to accidents, or happy times. It is important for one to think with their head as much as their heart, as logic and emotion are both valuable in making decisions in one’s life.

See a Movie of Heroic Proportions with “Hercules”!

Hello movie fans!

With the holidays coming near, everyone likes to remember the movies that they watch annually with their family. For me, the season wouldn’t be complete without my grandma putting on The Holiday or an old black-and-white Christmas movie. Of course, my family also has a collection of animated movies that we watch often. My mom’s favorite is Hercules, and that is the movie that I’ll be reviewing today. Disney’s take on the classic Greek myth combined elements new and old to create an entirely new movie full of laughs and fun. And like every animated movie, it contains a message important to the children of today. So, strap yourself in, because this review of Hercules is going to take you for a spin! (Also, there WILL be spoilers!)

Hercules’ art style has a bright color palette and exaggerated character designs that are a match made in heaven for kids’ movies. The bright colors, like those in the Muses’ musical interludes, keep the audience’s attention on the screen. The character design, on the other hand, provides all sorts of fun shapes that increase interest in the movie. The character design also accentuates important features of each character. Hercules, for example, has a massive, strong upper body and overall muscular build important for a heroic character such as he. Before he becomes a hero, though, Hercules is a gangly teenager with knobby knees and hands and feet too big for his body.

These awkward proportions add to the awkwardness in his character, and highlight the fact that he is unpopular amongst the people in his village because of his strength. Overall, the animation is great and what is to be expected of a Disney movie.

The music, too, meets the expectations of a good ol’ fashioned Disney musical. However, there’s a lot of uniqueness in this soundtrack as well. For instance, there is no villain song- that is, a song where the antagonist describes their desires for committing their evil deeds. Think “Be Prepared” in The Lion King or “Hellfire” in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. While there is no villain song, Hercules does deliver two other movie-musical backbones: an ambition song, and a love song. In and ambition song, the protagonist sings about their big goals that are probably going to be met in the next 90 minutes of film. In Hercules, the ambition song is “Go The Distance”, and sung by a young Hercules who is desperate for a place where he will fit in and be accepted and loved by everyone there. The love song is simple: it’s a song performed by the romantic lead about their love for the protagonist, or vice versa. Sometimes it’s even a duet, like “A Whole New World” in Aladdin. Hercules’ love song is “I Won’t Say I’m In Love”, performed by Meg as she tries to deny her romantic feelings for Hercules. Another unique element of the soundtrack is the music genre. Hercules is a movie that was created during the Disney Renaissance, when the company wasn’t doing well in sales and wanted to begin telling more classic fairytale-like stories. Thus, many of their movie musicals had a very showtune-esque vibe that added to the iconic feel of the movies. While some songs still carry that showtune feel, the soundtrack of Hercules also has a church gospel element to it. This is very apparent in the songs sang by the Muses, the goddesses of the arts and music in Greek mythology, and the backup singers of Hercules. In the song “Zero to Hero” and finale song “A Star Is Born”, the gospel vibe is very strong, and the music makes you want to get up and dance. While the choice of having a gospel may have been a bit odd in a movie about ancient Greece, it served its purpose of making the movie fun.

The storyline of Hercules is simple, and sounds a lot like a Greek myth that it was inspired by. It begins when the king of the gods, Zeus, and his wife Hera have a child, Hercules. Zeus’ brother and god of the underworld, Hades, has a plan to take over his brother’s power, but learns from the Fates that Hercules grows up, he will prevent that from happening. In an attempt to cheat fate, Hades gets his henchmen to kidnap the child, turn him mortal with a magic potion, and kill him. Hercules doesn’t finish the potion, so while he does turn mortal, he still maintains the strength of a god. As a baby, he is found and cared for by a farmer couple in Greece. As he grows, he is seen as a freak because of his strength, and wants nothing more than a place where he can fit in, and he’ll do anything to get there. When Hercules learns that he is Zeus’ son, he also learns that he can once again become a god and be where he belongs by being a true hero. Hercules is trained in heroism by the satyr Philoctetes, or Phil. At about the same time Hercules finished his training, Hades learns that he’s still alive, and that his quest for power will not go unchallenged. Hades begins sending monsters after Hercules to try to kill him, but Hercules only becomes stronger, and more famous. In basking in his fame, Hercules forgets the meaning of what a true hero is, and mainly works to acquire more fame and fortune. He also falls in love with Megara, or Meg, a young woman who sold her soul to Hades in order to save her boyfriend that in the end left her. Now, she is caught working for Hades, and even more struggle erupts when Meg falls in love with Hercules as well.

Hades takes advantage of their love and tries once more to get Hercules down for the count so he can take over Zeus’ throne, but it doesn’t work. In the end, Hades is defeated and Hercules becomes a true hero by risking his life for Meg. He is offered the chance to ascend to godhood, but turns it down in order to be with Meg, and everyone lives happy ever after.

Well, happy ever afters don’t exist in Greek tragedies. The mythical story of Hercules differs greatly from the Disney movie, and in fact, Hercules isn’t even the hero’s real name. The hero in Greek mythology is called Heracles; Hercules is his Roman counterpart. In the traditional Greek myth, Heracles is the demigod son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Hera, upset at Zeus’ infidelity, attempts to kill Heracles as an infant. He survives, but later on as an adult, Hera puts Heracles under a spell that forces him to kill his wife, Megara, and their kids. After he regains himself, Heracles asks the god Apollo what he could do to rid himself of this crime, and Apollo answers by telling him to complete twelve heroic trials for the king Eurystheus of Mycenae. If he completed the trials, Apollo said, he would become a god when he died. Heracles completes the trials, and as promised, he ascends to godhood after death. Of course, Hercules is a children’s movie, so it’s not expected that the Disney adaptation would include the part where he kills his wife and children. In removing that part of the story, another major plot point is lost: the reason why Hercules has to do so many heroic acts. In the Disney movie, it’s to become a true hero and become a god so he can be in a place that will accept him. In the myth, it’s to wash away his past crimes with the added bonus of being a god after he dies. The initial promise of godhood is one thing that Disney kept from the original myth. A lot of allusions were made to the original story, however they were so minor that it was easy to miss them. The farmer couple that adopted baby Hercules were Alcmene and Amphitryon, Heracles’ mortal mother and her husband in the myth. The very first monster that Hades creates to kill Hercules is a hydra, which is a reference to Heracles’ second labor of killing the Lernean hydra. There is also a part where Phil is describing Hercules’ schedule, and he says that Hercules has to go help Augeus with his stable problem, another reference to Heracles’ fifth labor of cleaning king Augeus’ cattle stables. While there are many differences between myth and movie, there are similarities as well.

As mentioned before, when Hercules begins gaining fame from all his heroic acts, he begins to lose sight of what it means to be a true hero. He relearns what it means when he puts his life on the line to save Meg after she dies. Zeus puts this into words nicely at the end of the movie: “A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but the the strength of his heart.” This supports the movie’s main message, which is that being a hero is about more than the material wealth you get from it, it’s about the love for humanity that gets one to do heroic acts. The movie is also about finding a place for yourself; initially, Hercules wants to be with the gods, where he’ll be accepted by his family. In the end, however, he finds a place of belonging in the mortal world with Meg. Hercules promotes selfless actions of heroism, doing good for the sake of being good, and finding a place for yourself with someone, rather that somewhere. These are all important lessons for children to learn, and from a movie such as Hercules, they are sure to remember them.

Come Alive with “The Book of Life”!

Hello movie fans!

As you know, the spookiest holiday of all, Halloween, was celebrated on Tuesday. However, if you are Mexican, like me, you may have also celebrated Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. From October 31 to November 2, it is believed that the spirits of past loved ones are allowed to revisit the land of the living and be reunited with their relatives. This return is highly celebrated in Mexican culture, and Día de los Muertos is one holiday in particular that is filled with happiness, love, and color. This week’s movie is inspired by traditional celebrations of Día de los Muertos, and with so much rich culture to draw from, it is no wonder why this movie is so phenomenal. Today I’ll be reviewing The Book of Life, one of my favorite movies that tells one of my favorite stories. (Also, there WILL be spoilers!)

The art style of The Book of Life is beautiful, and full of vibrant colors and textures. Much of the visual elements are real life symbols of Día de los Muertos. The design of the character La Muerte is a clear example of that. Her design is based off of the sugar skulls that are made in preparation for the holiday, and her dress is adorned with marigolds, the traditional flower of the dead. 

A lot of different aesthetics were used in tje character design, including those of the Aztecs and Spanish conquistadors.

There is also something about the character design that sets The Book of Life apart: the characters in Manolo’s story are designed to look like wooden dolls. They generally have blocky bodies and jointed arms and legs, and textures reminiscent of actual wood. Each character is unique, and retains the beauty of genuine craftsmanship in an animated form. 

The music, too, is beautiful and carries some references to the culture the movie is based in. Latinized covers of Mumford and Sons’ “I Will Wait” and Radiohead’s “Creep” serve as part of the soundtrack, which is filled with original songs. The main character, Manolo, does a lot of singing, considering that music is his passion. His voice is provided by Diego Luna, who can sing with the voice of an angel in my professional opinion. “The Apology Song” supports this beyond shadow of a doubt. With a soft tenderness and conviction, Manolo asks forgiveness from a massive bull that he was meant to fight. The importance of this scene will be explained later on, but the performance of Diego Luna in this song adds an immeasurable amount of emotional pull to an already emotional scene. 

As I mentioned before, the story that The Book of Life tells is one of my favorites. The story starts with a group of kids going to the museum on a field trip, and a kind-hearted tour guide shows them a special section of the museum, where she begins telling them the story of Manolo and his friends. This is how the framing device that is used throughout the movie is set up. In examples of successful uses of this classic storytelling device, well, this one is right up there with The Princess Bride. 

The plotline, too, is very well executed. The Book of Life tells the story of a trio of friends: Manolo Sanchez, María Posada, and Joaquin Mondragon. The fate of the world is placed on their shoulders when the two rulers of the underworld, La Muerte and Xibalba, place bets on which boy will end up marrying María. If La Muerte wins and Manolo marries her, Xibalba must not interfere with the lives of people in the Land of the Living. If Xibalba wins and Joaquin marries her, Xibalba will rule over the cheerful Land of the Remembered and La Muerte will rule over the dreary Land of the Forgotten. Xibalba cheats by giving Joaquin a medal that prevents him from being hurt or killed, and is also coveted by the evil Chakal, leader of the banditos. The years pass, and while María is studying at a convent in Spain, Joaquin trains to become a star general in order to follow in his father’s footsteps, and Manolo is forced to follow in his father’s footsteps as a bullfighter, when his real passion lies in being a musician. Upon her return, María falls for Manolo, but María’s father wants her to marry Joaquin in order to keep him in their town and have him protect them from Chakal. Manolo proposes anyway, but Xibalba once again cheats by sending a snake to bite María. Everyone believes she is dead, but she has only fainted. In order to see his love again, Manolo dies for real and is sent to the Land of the Remembered. With Manolo dead, María ends up marrying Joaquin and Xibalba wins the bet, even though he cheated. Now, it is up to Manolo to find La Muerte in the Land of the Forgotten where she now resides so he can return again to the Land of the Living and be with his love. There is a lot of complexity to this plot, but it is executed so well that is adds depth to the story that the viewer can appreciate, and does not create a wild storyline that only brings confusion. The ability to have such complex story and not allow it to devolve into a weird mess takes an incredibly dedicated writer, which is another part of what makes The Book of Life so spectacular.

Like the story, the characters of The Book of Life have an immense depth and realness to them, and each carries an individual message that is important to teach the children of today. Joaquin Mondragon is an egotistical macho man, who strives to be a hero mainly to make himself look better. By the end of the film, some extreme character growth takes place. Banditos are attacking San Angel for the medal Joaquin wears for protection. As Manolo is about to sacrifice himself to kill Chakal, Joaquin slips the medal onto him, and without it, Joaquin loses an eye, but Manolo survives. In the end, Joaquin learns that a true hero is selfless and helps others in order to make the world happier.

María Posada is a bright young woman, who is fierce and determined in her ways. Her message is simple: women are not objects or a prize to be won; they are people, and should be respected as such. There is one moment in particular where María stands up to Joaquin after he says she would “make a good wife” and that he mainly sees women as prospective wives. It is a strong scene that defines María’s character and makes sure this message is set in stone. 

Manolo Sanchez is a young man with a passion for singing and music, and dreams of being a musician. However, he comes from a huge family of bullfighters, and his father wants him to become a bullfighter as well. Manolo doesn’t want to disappoint his father, but he knows that he can never be a real bullfighter because he cannot kill a bull, and it’s not his dream to be a world famous bullfighter- it’s his father’s. His father knows his son’s real passion is music, but he disregards that in favor of making Manolo into a proper Sanchez, of making Manolo into the man that he wants to see, not the man that he is. In the end, both men learn to accept that Manolo isn’t going to live to the expectations placed on him- he’s going to to his own way. This is where the importance of “The Apology Song” and the scene it is sung in comes into play. In this scene, Xibalba conjures up Manolo’s worst fear for him to fight, and in winning, Manolo is allowed to return to the Land of the Living. Thus, he resurrects all the bulls ever killed by the Sanchez family bullfighters. The bulls combine into one massive bull, and this is when Manolo realizes that he cannot fight it physically, and that he must defeat the bull his own way- through song. So in singing “The Apology Song”, Manolo is not just asking forgiveness for all the killing that his family has committed, he’s asking for forgiveness from his father because he cannot fight bulls like his father wants him to. We learn that Manolo’s greatest fear was accepting himself, and in asking for forgiveness for not being able to meet expectations, he is allowed to follow his own path and accept that fact about himself. Manolo’s message is more complicated that those of his companions- it is that it’s good to separate yourself from impossible expectations, if what is expected of you is not part of a life that will make you happy. 

Along with the messages that each character provides, The Book of Life also carries a message that includes all of the others. It’s simple, and contrasts nicely with the complicated depth of the film. It’s the idea that love comes in many different forms. There’s romantic love, like that between Manolo and María, familial love like that between Manolo and his family, and even the love between friends that exists with our main trio. But there are also more complicated types of love, like the love of humanity that drives people like Joaquin to be heroes. There’s also self-love that comes from self-respect like that of Marían, and self-love that stems from self-acceptance like that of Manolo. Overall, The Book of Life is a movie about all kinds of love, and watching it is an absolutely wonderful way to enjoy a bit of Día de los Muertos.