The Queue: Pixar and Steamboy
I watch almost all of my movies through Netflix, either by mail or the Xbox Live Netflix streaming service, so a lot of the movies I see are neither new nor currently in theaters. However, this doesn’t mean that they are not worth watching, or worth knowing that they need to be avoided. Since I watch these movies, and would most likely write about them on my blog — see Dragon Wars — I have created what I call The Queue.
The Queue works like this: I want to write one to two paragraphs about the movie — trying not to spoil anything — and then sum it up with the high point and low point — which may have spoilers — and give it a final review out of 5, as I would rate the movie on Netflix.
Cool? Let’s get started.
The Pixar Story
The Pixar Story is a documentary about the formation and success of Pixar, the animation studio. They are best known for creating Toy Story, the first ever 3-D animated feature film. The documentary follows the ups and downs of John Lasseter and company as they stave off threats from Disney, near bankruptcy, and cold shoulders from a film industry that just didn’t believe in them.
As far as documentaries go, this one works really well, especially if you’re a fan of animation or the Pixar films. It’s truly an inspirational story about a group of artists, scientists and storytellers that just wanted to have their voice heard.
High Point: John Lasseter sticking it to Disney after they fired him for his The Brave Little Toaster idea.
Low Point: It would have been nice to see a little more of the design processes or equipment, but really, I don’t think that’s what this film was supposed to be about.
Rating: 3/5
Steamboy
Steamboy is a Japanese Anime by Katsuhiro Otomo, the acclaimed director of Akira. The movie is set in a world around the time of the Industrial Revolution — though many liberties are taken with realism, as is the case with most Anime. The story follows a young boy, Ray, who is an aspiring inventor, as he learns about the project that his father and grandfather have secretly been working on in England. Their ground-breaking work has developed a small “ball” that can create enough steam power to run entire cities, all without the need for a boiler.
As tension between competing inventors builds for the rightful owner of the steam ball and the true purpose of science, young Ray finds himself caught between the desire to do what is right and honoring his family. While I enjoyed the animation and the story itself, the film felt like it was lacking the “something special” that keeps you coming back for more viewings. If you’re a fan of Japanese animation and storytelling, it’s worth a watch.
High Point: The animation, hands down. There is nothing better than seeing full-emotive animation and character actions.
Low Point: The middle of the movie slows considerably, which may make it hard to watch again.
Rating: 3/5
Comments
Thanks for reading! If you liked, or didn't like, what you read, let me know by leaving a comment.
Danny Posted on 02.25.09 at 13:52
I saw Steamboy in the theaters when I was trapped by myself in Phoenix for a day(before I lived there). I really didn’t like it. It was too long ago to give any details on why, I just remember finding it uninteresting and lacking a ‘hook’. I was tired and cranky though.
Tumus Posted on 03.03.09 at 14:29
Princess Mononoke will forever be my favorite. With Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle as very close runner ups.
If you wanna go old school Venus Wars, hands down my favorite. Have yet to find this on DVD. Need to convert Vampire Hunter D to DVD as well.
Heck I should just make a damn list of animes I have yet to buy that I love. I miss you Bubble Gum Crisis
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