Cars 2 (2011) Dir: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis

The most poorly received Pixar movie to date.

The plot:
An oil fiend, Sir Miles Axlerod, sees the error of his ways and creates a new, environmentally sound fuel to rival petrol.
In order to promote his new fuel and to demonstrate that you lose none of the power, he organises a world grand prix, in which the world's fastest cars will race.
Mater, the dumb pick-up truck from the original movie, convinces Lightning McQueen to take part.
Meantime, a pair of secret agents are on the trail of villains and, somewhat foolishly, become convinced that Mater himself is a fellow agent sent to assist them.

The criticism this has received seems a little mystifying, as this is surely more action-packed and energetic than the first, with less of the gloopy sentimentalising which that film was guilty of.
With three grand prix's, and the bolt on espionage plot line, hardly a minute goes by without something occurring, which certainly holds the interest.
If there is a flaw - and there is - it is the choose of Mater as, effectively, lead role. He was bloody annoying first time round, so it seems a strange choice to feature him so prominently this time. It's a bit like giving Jar Jar Binks his own movie.
Still, for harmless, family entertainment, Pixar remain hard to beat, though this one won't stand the test of time quite so well as genuine classics like Wall-E.
Still good, though.

4 out of 5

Ponyo (2008) Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

After the spellbinding Spirited Away and the hauntingly beautiful Howl's Moving Castle, Hayao Miyazaki here gives us an altogether more simplistic tale.
The plot:
Sosuke is a young boy who lives with his mother and father on a rocky outcrop right next to the sea, his father passing by occasionally on the ship he captain's.
One day, Sosuke discovers a small fish with a human face, names her Ponyo and keeps her in a bucket. When Ponyo disappears after having been 'rescued' by her wizard like father, she puts all her efforts into becoming human so that she can return to Sosuke and live life as a little girl instead of a fish!
And it is certainly enchanting, though somehow lacks the scale and scope of most of Miyazaki's previous output.
Coming across as slightly more 'child-friendly' than before, this didn't captivate to quite the same degree and, the worry is, now that Miyazaki has the support of Pixar, could we be seeing a slight watering down of his imagination to fit the Disney model more appropriately?
I hope to God not, as it was the riot of creativity that set him apart, and brought him to the attention of Pixar's John Lasseter in the first place, so to adapt to blend in would seem to make little sense.
With a sequel to Porco Rosso currently in production, I guess we'll find out soon enough.
Ponyo was good, but it was no Princess Mononoke.

4 out of 5

Toy Story 3 (2010) Dir: Lee Unkrich

The best of the Toy Story movies and, it must be said, one of the best third parts in any movie franchise, with the movies getting stronger as the series progressed.
The plot:
Andy's all grown up now, 17, and heading off to college. His mom instructs him to sort out his room before he leaves, take what he wants with him, store what he wants to keep in the attic and junk the rest. Intending to keep Woody with him, and store all the other toys, his mother misunderstands and mistakenly sends the bag with the toys out for the bin men to collect.
So begins a rollercoaster ride as Woody tracks them down and tries to convince them to return home. Along the way, they'll be imprisoned, be menaced by a giant baby-thing and a large purple bear, and slide inexorably towards a fiery pit of death.
With lashings of humour, this is multi-layered to the point that it is almost like two films are playing at once; one for the growed ups, and one for the kids.
The sentimental stuff is dealt with wonderfully well - at no point is the bile gland ever activated.
With some genuinely heart-plucking moments, an ending so riven with pathos, seriously, if you aren't touched you have no fucking soul, and a really fantastic cameo from Studio Gibli's Totoro, John Lasseter paying due deference to Miyazaki, as well he should.
Don't be put off by the thought that these are kids films.
They are that, but much more besides.
Loved this.

5 out of 5

Toy Story 2 (1999) Dir: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich

Four years in the making, this sequel to 1995's Toy Story is a more mature, more ambitious affair.
The plot:
A toy collector steals Woody from a yard sale, knowing something that Andy and his mom clearly do not: the cowboy toy is actually valuable, being the only piece missing from his collection associated to an old TV show and, with Woody now procured, he is set to make a mint.
But Andy's toys are having none of it, and set off on a quest to rescue their friend from the thieving collector's clutches.
With more thrills and spills than the original, and the blessed relief of only one fucking song, this seems altogether more accomplished.
Laugh out loud funny at times, even for adults, the creators chuck plenty of entertainment at the screen, including some knowing nods for movie buffs, my personal favourite being the Jurassic Park reference as Rex chases the toy car.
With a great plot, a cast of characters you can't help but like and an excellent script, this can't help but entertain.

4 out of 5

Toy Story (1995) Dir: John Lasseter

Pixar's breakthrough smash hit is a sentimental, though reasonably engaging affair.
The plot:
Woody is a toy cowboy whose owner, Andy, receives a birthday gift of Buzz Lightyear, a swanky, confident spaceman, with wings, a laser beam and communications systems.
Understandably, Woody is concerned that, with Lightyear in the picture, he will be cast aside with all the other unwanted toys.
And it is really enjoyable.
Pixar somehow manage to walk that line between sentimental cosiness and puke inducing saccharine, always staying just this side of acceptable, their movies feeling warm and lovely rather than racking you with stomach cramps.
Even the presence on lead voice of Tom 'despicable entity' Hanks can't ruin this one.
Not perfect - the songs are a little hard to take - this is nevertheless a confident, engaging introduction to the creative powerhouse that Pixar would swiftly become.

3 out of 5

Cars (2006) Dir: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft

Possibly the least highly rated of the Pixar movies?
The plot:
Young, brash, arrogant racing champion Lightning McQueen learns a few life lessons when he becomes lost in Radiator Springs, a town the world seems to have forgotten since a flyover was built. Having caused much damage to the towns' only road, Lightning must stay until everything is fixed and restored, perhaps to the towns' former glory, before returning to the limelight to compete in the biggest race of his life which, if he wins, will claim the much sought after Piston Cup.
Charming, funny, warm-hearted without being saccharine, Pixar have a knack for delivering high quality entertainment.
I must confess, I was a late convert, having seen Toy Story upon initial release and finding it too 'kiddy', the latter Pixar work seems a vast improvement.
With animation that will leave you speechless, this is family entertainment that anyone can enjoy.
Really, really liked it.

4 out of 5

My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

Let me just put this in context for you.
I've just finished writing my review of A Serbian Film, one of the most ghastly, disturbing, emotionally draining horror movies I have ever seen.
And now I've got to write this one, about a Miyazaki movie.
Simply put, I can't think of a more jarring contrast.
Anyway.....
Hayao Miyazaki, the brilliant mind that later brought us such delights as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, here delivers a more sparing, slighter fantasy, but one that is just as effective.
The plot: A young family are forced to move as the mother is taken ill, leaving the two young daughters in the care of their father. The house they move into sits adjacent to a small wooded area. Investigating one day, the younger of the daughters discovers a magical land apparently existing within the hollow of a tree, and befriends a giant, furry creature that serves as some sort of spirit of the forest, with power over the nature that surrounds it.
What follows is simply a delightful adventure as the girls get to know the spirits that dwell within the woods.
Achingly beautiful in places, laugh out loud funny at others, weirdly jarring on occasion, this is a sensory overload that is just a joy to experience.
Miyazaki's gift is to fuse the extraordinary with the really very ordinary indeed in ways which simply melt the toughest of hearts; the two girls at a bus stop in the pouring rain, standing beside the large furry spirit; acorns sprouting as forest spirits dance ritualistically beside them, and too many others to mention.
Though one of the more 'kiddie' of his offerings, this is far from a children's movie.
Simply enchanting.

5 out of 5

WALL-E (2008) Dir: Andrew Stanton

Lovely.
Just lovely.
The plot: WALL-E, a rubbish processing robot, lives a lonely, simple life on an abandoned Earth of the future, pottering around collecting up the litter and debris and compacting it into small cubes. One day, a ship descends and from it emerges a new robot, EVE. After some initial confusion and the occasional laser blast, the robots seem to be getting along, right up to the moment EVE is exposed to a small plant, at which point she sticks it in her chest and seems to deactivate.
Confused, WALL-E tries to bring her round, unsuccessfully. Then, suddenly, the ship returns and takes EVE away, but WALL-E manages to clamber aboard, and the race is on to save EVE and discover just what was so important about that small piece of vegetation.
Beautifully animated, this is thoughtful, warm, truly heart-aching stuff.
Normally, when something is considered family friendly and 'life-affirming' (shudder) my bile gland goes into overdrive, but here, it was impossible not to be enchanted.
Incredibly, for a movie aimed at kids primarily, there are very few lines of dialogue, most of the plot development done by visuals alone, be it action scenes or the expressionism of the robot creations themselves.
After being burnt by Toy Story 1 way back when - I HATED that - I have been giving Pixar a wide berth but, with Finding Nemo and now WALL-E, I'm starting to get the feeling my prejudices may have been misplaced and that, far from being pale shadows of the mastery of Hayao 'Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away' Miyazaki, maybe, just maybe, Pixar are worth another look.
Excellent, indeed.

5 out of 5