Moana

 Released Year: 2016

Directed by Ron Clements & John Musker

Voiced by:

Auli'i Cravalho as Moana

Dwayne Johnson as Maui

Rachel House as Tala

Temuera Morrison as Tui

Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa

Nicole Scherzinger as Sina

Alan Tudyk as Heihei

 Story:

A small pounamu stone that is the mystical heart of the island goddess, Te Fiti, is stolen by the wind and sea demigod, Maui, who plans to give it to humanity as a gift. As Maui makes his escape, he is attacked by Te Kā, a lava demon of Earth and fire, causing his power-granting magical fishhook and the heart of Te Fiti to be lost in the ocean.

A millennium later, Moana, daughter and heir of the chief on the small Polynesian island of Motunui, is chosen by the ocean to receive the heart, but drops it when her father, Tui comes to get her. He insists the island provides everything the villagers need. Years later, a blight strikes the island as fish become scarce and the island's vegetation begins dying. Moana proposes going beyond the reef to find more fish. Tui rejects her request, claiming that sailing past the reef is forbidden.

Moana's grandmother, Tala, shows Moana a secret cave behind a waterfall where she finds boats inside and discovers her ancestors were voyagers, sailing and discovering new islands across the world. Tala explains that they stopped voyaging because Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti, causing monsters to appear in the ocean. Tala then says Te Kā's darkness has been spreading from island to island, slowly killing them. Tala returns the heart of Te Fiti to Moana, which she had recovered after Moana dropped it.

Tala falls ill, and with her dying breaths, tells Moana to set sail. Moana and her pet rooster, Heihei, depart in a drua to find Maui. A manta ray, Tala's reincarnation, follows. After a typhoon wave flips her sailboat and knocks her unconscious, she awakens the next morning on an island inhabited by Maui, who traps her in a cave and takes her sailboat to search for his fishhook. After escaping and catching up to Maui, Moana tries to convince him to return the heart, but Maui refuses, fearing its power will attract dark creatures.

Sentient coconut pirates called Kakamora surround the boat and steal the heart, but Moana and Maui retrieve it. Maui agrees to help return the heart, but only after he reclaims his hook, which is hidden in Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters. At Lalotai, they retrieve it by tricking Tamatoa, a giant coconut crab who collects rare sea treasures. Maui teaches Moana how to properly sail and navigate. They arrive at Te Fiti, where Te Kā attacks. Maui is overpowered and Te Kā badly cracks his hook and repels their boat far out to sea. Finally having enough of Moana's meddling and fearful that returning to fight Te Kā will destroy his hook, an angry Maui abandons her.

Distraught, Moana begs the ocean to take the heart and choose another person to return it to Te Fiti. The spirit of Tala comes to her and encourages Moana to find her true calling within herself. Inspired, Moana retrieves the heart and returns to Te Fiti alone. Maui, having had a change of heart, returns and distracts the lava demon, but his hook is destroyed in the battle. Realizing that Te Kā is a corrupted Te Fiti without her heart, Moana asks the ocean to clear a path for Te Kā to approach her. Moana then sings a song to help Te Kā remember who she truly is, and she allows Moana to restore her heart. Te Fiti returns and gives a new boat to Moana and a new magical fishhook to Maui before returning to her island form.

Moana bids farewell to Maui and returns to her recovering island with Heihei. Later, the villagers and Moana (who becomes their new chief) begin voyaging and set sail in search of new islands, as Maui and Tala accompany them in their giant hawk and manta ray forms, respectively.

In a post-credits scene, Tamatoa, who has been stranded on his back during Moana and Maui's escape, tells the audience they would help him if he was a Jamaican crab named Sebastian.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment: 

A great production from Disney again :) This time a Polynesian's myth was brought into the cartoon. The myth is actually the demigod Maui, but disney as usual, they will focus more on a female character, that's why Moana's character occur...Love the storyline as its not like the usual Disney "princess & prince", but a bravery of a girl attracted me... And it has gross a lot, nice job :)

Finding Dory

 Released Year: 2016

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Voiced by: 

Ellen DeGeneres as Dory

Albert Brooks as Marlin

Hayden Rolence as Nemo

Ed O'Neill as Hank

Diane Keaton as Jenny

Eugene Levy as Charlie

Kaitlin Olson as Destiny

Ty Burrell as Bailey

 Story: 

Dory, as a child, gets separated from her parents. As she grows up, Dory attempts to search for them, gradually forgetting them due to her short-term memory loss. After accidentally running in with Marlin, a clownfish, who's looking for his missing son, she goes to help him.

One year after reuniting Nemo with Marlin, Dory has become a helping hand in raising Nemo. One day during a field trip with Nemo's class to learn about migration, Dory recalls through a childhood flashback that she has a family. She decides to look for them but finds her short-term memory loss to be an obstacle. The only thing she remembers is that they lived at the Jewel of Morro Bay.

Marlin and Nemo accompany Dory in her quest. With the help of Crush, they ride a water current to California. Upon arrival, Dory accidentally awakens a predatory squid, who immediately pursues them, almost devouring Nemo during the chase. Marlin tends to his son afterwards and berates Dory for almost getting him killed. Feeling hurt, Dory travels to the surface to seek help and is captured by staff members from the nearby Marine Life Institute after being caught in six pack rings.

Dory is sent to the quarantine section and tagged. There she meets a grouchy yet well-meaning, seven-legged octopus named Hank. Dory's tag shows that she will be sent to an aquarium in Cleveland. Due to a traumatic ocean life, Hank wants to live in the aquarium instead of being released back into the ocean, so he agrees to help Dory find her parents in exchange for her tag. In one exhibit, Dory encounters her childhood friend Destiny, a nearsighted whale shark who used to communicate with Dory through pipes, and Bailey, a beluga whale who believes he has lost his ability to echolocate. Dory subsequently has flashbacks of life with her parents and struggles to recall details, but finally remembers how she became separated from her parents: she overheard her mother crying one night, left home to retrieve a shell in hopes of cheering her up, and was pulled away by an undertow current. Subsequently, she learns that the rest of her regal blue tangs species are being moved to Cleveland.

Marlin and Nemo attempt to rescue Dory. With the help of two sea lions named Fluke and Rudder and a disfigured common loon named Becky, they manage to get into the institute, and reunite with her in the pipe system. Back in Quarantine, they locate the tank of blue tangs who tell them that Dory's parents escaped the Institute a long time ago to search for Dory but never came back. This leaves Dory under the impression that they died. Hank retrieves Dory from the tank, accidentally leaving Marlin and Nemo behind. He is then apprehended by one of the employees and unintentionally drops Dory into the drain flushing her to the ocean. Whilst wandering aimlessly, she comes across a trail of shells; remembering that when she was young, her parents had set out a similar trail to teach her how to find her way back home, she follows it. At the end of the trail, Dory finds an empty home with multiple shell trails leading away from it. As she turns to leave, she sees her parents Jenny and Charlie in the distance and joyfully reunites with them. They tell her they have spent years forming trails for her to follow in the hopes that she would eventually find them.

Marlin, Nemo, and Hank end up in the truck taking various aquatic life to Cleveland. Destiny and Bailey escape from their exhibit to help Dory rescue them. Once on board the truck, Dory persuades Hank to return to the sea with her, and together, they hijack the truck and drive it down a busy road before crashing it into the water, freeing all the fish. Dory, along with her parents and new friends, return to the reef with Marlin and Nemo.

In the post-credits scene, the Tank Gang from the first film, still trapped inside their (now algae-covered) plastic bags, reach California one year after floating across the Pacific Ocean. They are promptly rescued by the staff members from before, with Bloat asking for the second time, "Now what?"

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

Wow wow wow... This is really nice :) Love this movie as much as I love Finding Nemo. The crazy Dory seems to have a very pitiful background and its touching but at the same time funny as well. Marlin teams up with Nemo this time to look for the amnesiac Dory who is busying finding her parents when she managed to remember some of her memory. The whole story brought out almost the whole life Dory has... I couldnt stop laughing but at the same time feel pity for her...It really touched my heart at the scene where Dory thought her parents were dead... But finding them again, gosh, the story is real damn good.... By grossing over $1billion worldwide, this has cross the mark of Toy Story 3 in Pixar, let's hope it will win some awards this year, best of luck :)

Finding Nemo

 Released Year: 2003

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Voiced by:

Albert Brooks as Marlin

Ellen DeGeneres as Dory

Alexander Gould as Nemo

Willem Dafoe as Gill

Geoffrey Rush as Nigel

Barry Humphries as Bruce

Eric Bana as Anchor

Bruce Spence as Chum

 Story: 

Two clownfish, Marlin and Coral, admire their new home in the Great Barrier Reef and their clutch of eggs when a barracuda attacks, knocking Marlin unconscious. He wakes up to find that Coral and all but one of the eggs have been eaten by the barracuda. Marlin names this last egg Nemo.

Following his birth, Nemo develops a smaller right fin due to damage to his egg, which limits his swimming ability. Worried about Nemo's safety, Marlin embarrasses Nemo during a school field trip. Nemo sneaks away from the reef and is captured by scuba divers. As the boat departs, a diver accidentally knocks his diving mask overboard. While attempting to save Nemo, Marlin meets Dory, a good-hearted and optimistic regal blue tang with short-term memory loss. Marlin and Dory meet three Australian sharks – Bruce, Anchor and Chum – who claim to be vegetarians. Marlin discovers the diver's mask and notices an address written on it. When he argues with Dory and accidentally gives her a nosebleed, the blood causes Bruce to enter a violent feeding frenzy. The pair escape from Bruce, but the mask falls into a trench in the deep sea.

During a hazardous struggle with an Anglerfish in the trench, Dory sees the diving mask and reads the address located at 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. As Dory finishes reading the address on the mask, Marlin is able to trap the Anglerfish using the eyepiece of the mask. To her own disbelief, Dory is able to remember the address on her own despite her short-term memory loss. The pair swims on, receiving directions to Sydney from a school of moonfish. Marlin and Dory encounter a bloom of jellyfish that nearly kills them. Marlin loses consciousness and wakes up on a sea turtle named Crush, who takes Marlin and Dory on the East Australian Current. Marlin tells the details of his long journey with a group of sea turtles, and his story is spread across the ocean. He also sees how Crush gets along well with his son Squirt.

Meanwhile, Nemo is placed in a fish tank in the office of Phillip Sherman, a dentist. He meets aquarium fish called the Tank Gang, led by Gill, a moorish idol. The fish learn that Nemo is to be given to Sherman's niece, Darla, who previously killed a fish by constantly shaking its bag. Gill then reveals his plan to escape, jamming the tank's filter. The fish would be placed in plastic bags so that Sherman can clean the tank, and then they would roll out the window and into the harbor. Nemo attempts to jam the filter, but fails, almost getting himself killed in the process. Near the harbor, a pelican, Nigel, flies to Sherman's office and brings news of Marlin's adventure. Inspired by his father's determination, Nemo makes a second attempt to jam the filter. Unlike the first attempt, he is able to successfully render the filter useless, but to the tank gang's dismay, Sherman installs a new high-tech filter before they can escape.

After leaving the Current, Marlin and Dory are engulfed by a blue whale. Inside the whale's mouth, Dory communicates with the whale, which carries them to Port Jackson and expels them through his blowhole. They meet Nigel, and after helping the pair escape from a massive flock of Seagulls, he takes them to Sherman's office. Darla has just arrived and the dentist is handing Nemo to her. Nemo plays dead to save himself as Nigel arrives, causing Darla to scream. Upon seeing Nemo, Marlin mistakenly believes he is dead, before Nigel is violently thrown out. In despair, Marlin leaves Dory and begins to swim home. Gill helps Nemo escape into a drain that leads to the ocean. Dory loses her memory and becomes confused, and meets Nemo, who reaches the ocean. Eventually, Dory's memory returns after she reads the word "Sydney" on a drainpipe. She reunites Nemo with Marlin, but she is caught in a fishing net with a school of grouper. Nemo enters the net and orders the group to swim downward to break the net, enabling them to escape. After returning home, Nemo leaves for school, with Crush's son Squirt, and Marlin and Dory proudly watch Mr. Ray carry Nemo and his friends to school.

In a mid-credits sequence, the high-tech filter in Sherman's tank breaks down, and the Tank Gang escape into the harbour. Bloat realizes that they now have to find a way to get out of their plastic bags.

 L² Scored: 10/10

L² Comment:

Wow, I never realize it has been more than 10 years of this cartoon and this is only the second time i rewatch this multiple awards winner movie.This year Finding Dory is out but i didnt have the time to watch it in the cinema :( So before i watch it from any website before end of this year, i need to rewatch this first movie to refresh my memory of the crazy Dory hehe.

The whole storyline is just perfect, the character is damn cute. My favorite one is Peach "the starfish" in the aquarium haha...

Piper

Released Year: 2016
Directed by Alan Barillaro

Story:

A flock of sandpipers hunt for food at a seashore, rushing to peck at the sand when the wave recedes and retreating when it comes in. One baby is encouraged by her mother to join the flock, but she fails to retreat in time and is drenched by the incoming surf. The incident leaves the baby terrified of the water; she refuses to leave the nest, but soon notices a group of hermit crabs digging into the sand to find deeper food and keep from being buffeted by the tide. By copying their behavior, she starts to see the beauty of the underwater world and becomes skilled at discovering food for the flock.

L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

Even though this is only a 6 mins short film, but it spends the director 3 years to create it~ wow! Its cute and quite meaningful. From here, we can learn that, without taking a step ahead, we shall never know what is lied in front of us. Be brave and take the challenge :)

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2

Released Year: 2011

Directed by Alex Zamm

Casted by:

George Lopez as Papi - Chihuahua

Odette Annable as Chloe - Chihuahua

Marcus Coloma as Sam Cortez

Castulo Guerra as Mr. Cortez

Lupe Ontiveros as Mrs. Cortez

Erin Cahill as Rachel Ashe

Miguel Ferrer as Delgado - German Shepherd

Ernie Hudson as Pedro

 Story:

Just married, Papi and Chloe are trying to keep up with their five puppies Papi Jr, Lala, Rosa, Ali and Pep running around the house, creating problem after problem. However, Papi shows a soft side for the pups and occasionally tells them of their ancient ancestors the Chihuahua Warriors often creating another problem. Aunt Viv, Chloe's owner, is in the rain forest for the next 6 months with her niece, Rachel searching for plants for medical research. During this time Sam, Papi's owner and now Rachel's boyfriend, is caring for the whole chihuahua family. Sam takes Chloe, Papi and the puppies back home to meet his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cortez.

Sam finds out that his family is struggling to pay the mortgage on their house and the bank plans to take their home and sell it. Chloe and the rest of the dogs decide to compete in a dog show in order to win a large cash prize. Delgado, an old friend, also comes to the home and tells Chloe that he needs her help with a secret mission. The mission really is Delgado trying to tell his two sons the truth about why he left them as puppies, but he can't bring himself to do it. Later on, Papi had initially won the dog show, but because of the lack of breed papers, he is disqualified, and the dogs lose to an arrogant and vain French poodle named Appoline. After hearing that Delgado has sons in Los Angeles, the puppies set off to find them. In trying to help, the puppies get caught up in a bank robbery.

Meanwhile, Chloe, Papi, Pedro (Papi's brother) and Delgado are in a frenzy trying to find the puppies when they appear running across the television screen at the site of the bank robbery. They all run out to the bank to begin searching for the puppies. The puppies happen to crawl into the duffel bags of the crooks and end up at Hoffman's Bread Factory. Pedro finds a mask with the scent of bread on it which leads them to the factory. They foil the robbery then return home to find that they have been awarded more than enough money to save their house and that Rachel and Aunt Viv have returned. Delgado also goes back into the police force with his two sons, that now found out the truth on why Delgado left them as pups. Rachel accepts Sam's marriage proposal and the family celebrates. 

 L² Scored: 3.5/10 

L² Comment:

With the good success of the 1st movie, Disney decided to produce the 2nd movie of the chihuahua and released it on 2011 but on a direct-to-dvd movie. Beside maintaining George Lopez as Papi the main male chihuahua, almost all the vocal of the dogs & real human actors & actresses were changed. Eventually from the 1st class celebrities to "no-class" at all... No wonder the whole movie is kinda dull and mainly lead by the chihuahua in the movie. Seriously, its kinda boring in certain part of the movie which almost make me doze off...

Race to Witch Mountain

 Released Year: 2009

Directed by Andy Fickman

Casted by:

Dwayne Johnson as Jack Bruno

Alexander Ludwig as Seth

AnnaSophia Robb as Sara

Ciarán Hinds as Henry Burke

 Story:

An alien spaceship crashes near Searchlight, Nevada, outside Las Vegas. Project Moon Dust, a secret Defense Department unit led by Henry Burke, arrives in black helicopters. Men in Black seize the ship and search for its passengers.

Jack Bruno is a former mob get-away driver who drives a cab to avoid returning to jail. One of his passengers is Dr. Alex Friedman, a failed scientist who is in Las Vegas to speak at a UFO convention at the Planet Hollywood hotel.

After resisting two thugs who seek his services for a mob boss, Bruno finds two teenagers, Sara and Seth, in his cab. They offer $15,000 to drive to a certain destination. Burke's men follow the cab; Bruno believes that the government agents are more mob thugs, and evades them with his driving skills. Seth's ability to vary his molecular density helps the group to escape.

When they arrive at an abandoned house, Bruno follows them out of concern and curiosity. The teenagers retrieve the device they were looking for within a hidden underground laboratory, but the three are attacked by a "Siphon", a powerful armored alien assassin. The Siphon pursues the group until its spaceship crashes into a train and the creature is wounded. The three again escape Burke's agents, in part due to Sara's telepathy and telekinetics.

The teenagers explain to Bruno that they are from a dying planet 3,000 light years from Earth. Its government intends to invade Earth, despite the idea being unpopular among the majority of their race, so that their kind may survive. Seth and Sara's parents are scientists who sought a way to save their planet without invasion but were arrested before completing their experiment. The teenagers came to retrieve the successful results, but the alien government sent the assassin to stop them. To save both worlds, they must retrieve their spaceship and return home.

Bruno brings Seth and Sara to Dr. Friedman at the UFO convention, who realizes that the teenagers are what she has been searching for and joins the group. Fellow UFOlogist and conspiracy theorist Dr. Donald Harlan tells them that the spaceship was taken to the secret California government base Witch Mountain. Harlan and his men distract the soldiers with Bruno's taxi while the others escape to Witch Mountain on Harlan's RV. The group arrives at the base but are captured; Burke orders that the teenagers be prepared for vivisection, but frees the adults as no one will believe them.

The Siphon attacks Witch Mountain and battles the soldiers, allowing Bruno and Friedman to infiltrate the base and free Seth and Sara. They launch the ship, escape through the mountain's tunnels, and finally kill the assassin who has stowed away on the spaceship. The teenagers give Bruno and Friedman a tracking device that will allow the aliens to always find them, tearfully wish them farewell, and return to their planet.

Bruno and Friedman become successful authors of Race to Witch Mountain: A True Story. They promote their book and knowledge on the UFO convention circuit, explaining that the publicity protects them from government reprisal. As they leave a convention the alien device activates, implying that the teenagers may be returning to Earth.

 L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

This is a remake of Disney film 1975 "Escape to Witch Mountain". I missed it in the big screen that time, hey wait a minute.... it was almost 8 years ago!!! and WTF, i have been blogging on this movie blog for so long already ?!? 

Alright, back to the movie, kinda nice but just feel some part can be more excited, such as the part where they fight along with Siphon... Of course Dwayne Johnson still looks good but Alexander Ludwig is so yummy even though he was just 17yo in this movie; I just google his recent photos & he was fucking hell good looking, gosh~ Don't forgot about AnnaSophia Robb who looks stunning too in this movie & she is the young version of Carrie Bradshaw lol~ 

Space Buddies

Released Year: 2009

Directed by Robert Vince

Voiced by:

Field Cate as Buddha

Skyler Gisondo as B-Dawg

Liliana Mumy as Rosebud

Henry Hodges as Mudbud

Josh Flitter as Budderball

Jason Earles as Spudnick

Amy Sedaris as Gravity

Casted by:

Bill Fagerbakke as Pi

Diedrich Bader as Yuri

Kevin Weisman as Dr. Finkle

 Story:

The film starts as Buddha and his owner Sam are star-gazing. As a shooting star passes, Sam makes a wish that he can touch the moon. The next day is the day of Sam's school field trip to Vision Enterprises to watch a test launch of the Vision 1 space craft. However, since no pets are allowed to go, Sam has to leave Buddha at home. Buddha meets up with the other Budderball, Rosebud, B-Dawg, and Mudbud, and invites them to come with him to go to see the test launch. They hide in the school bus and the bus soon arrives at the Vision Enterprises where the launch is. The dogs go to a space-suit machine and put on space-suits before following the group of students, who are being led by Dr. Finkel. The dogs get aboard the space shuttle Vision 1. At Mission Control in the Vision enterprises, Pi confirms they are ready for launch. Meanwhile, the Buddies take a close look around until they are sealed in the shuttle, which prepares for launch. Astro, who will be piloting the ship from Earth, launches the shuttle, and the shuttle flies to space.

At Mission Control, the humans realize the third tank of gas in the shuttle was never fully filled. With ten hours until the gas runs out, they look for solutions. They eventually decide to pilot the space craft to the old R.R.S.S. (Russian Research Space Station), which was launched during the Soviet era. They contact the cosmonaut living in the space station, named Yuri, telling him to refuel the Vision 1. As Vision 1 connects to the space station, the dogs decide to explore the space station, and they meet a dog called Spudnick who is under the care of Yuri. Spudnick explains that Yuri is quite content to stay in space, yet he wishes to go home. Yuri finds the dogs and becomes happy because the buddies can keep them company. The buddies are trapped in the kitchen, and are saved later by Spudnick. After connecting the fuel pipe to the Vision 1, the gas starts to leak from the pipes. Meanwhile, the buddies and Spudnick rush back to Vision 1 to escape. Yuri activates lock-down to trap the dogs. They manage to get to the Vision 1. Yuri tries to stop them, banging on the control switches. However, some sparks drop on the gas, causing an explosion. Spudnick and the Buddies escape from the R.R.S.S. as it explodes. Yuri barely escapes using the "Cosmo-pod escape vessel".

The Vision 1 travels to the moon. Soon after, the Vision 1 approaches and lands on the moon (Before this event had occurred, B-Dawg had mistaken the moon for the Death Star). They soon begin to get out of the Vision 1 and walk around the area within the place they had landed. Mission Control finds that the sounds from their space helmets happen to be soft barks, and conclude they are golden retriever puppies, and this is broadcast on the news. The children find out through the news ("We're live at Vision Enterprises, where quite a furry tale is unfolding. It seems 5 golden retriever puppies have been accidentally launched into space."). The buddies, while on the moon, meet a ferret named Gravity, who is the Buddies' mission control assistant. But since their only communication is from audio, the buddies don't know Gravity is a ferret. Gravity orders the Buddies to get back on the Vision 1.

When returning to Earth, the path is changed by the untrustworthy Dr. Finkel. The path's telemetry is reverted into a meteor shower. The "auto-avoidance system", takes control of the Vision 1, rotating and shifting heavily between every meteor in its path. However, the Vision 1's data communications antenna is busted to the right when it becomes struck by a meteor. Budderball is sent to repair the antenna by doing a space walk outside of the Vision 1. At Mission Control, the adults are puzzled about the change of the telemetry course of the Vision 1 when Sam accuses Dr. Finkel of changing the path. As Dr. Finkel denies it, Pi uses the security camera to confirm that Dr. Finkel was indeed at the desk at 7:49 PM, the time when the telemetry course was changed. As Dr. Finkel is taken away by security, Sam approaches Dr. Finkel and calls him "Dr. Stinkle."

Mission Control receives Yuri's distress signal in the Cosmo-pod before the Vision 1 enters the atmosphere through the blackout zone. They wait 4 minutes until they arrive, but they arrive early. The Vision 1 ends its mission by slowing down on the take-off strip. The Buddies find out Gravity was a ferret, and so that Butterball replies he is related to skunks. Yuri crashes his pod, and is rescued by some soldiers, telling them he comes from space.

Pi awards The Buddies wings of true heroism, with their title as "Space Buddies". The Buddies review what they did (Budderball was taught how to eat his vegetables from the trip). Once at home, Buddha gives Sam a moon rock he had taken from his journey, fulfilling his wish of touching the moon. The film ends with Spudnick back at home with his old owner Sasha, saying, "It is the journey and friendship that matters the most."

 L² Scored: 3.5/10 

L² Comment:

This is the 3rd installment of Air-Bud series of Disney. For me, the storyline is special, but its a bit boring for adult, maybe it might be cute and special for children :) I really love those 5 golden retriever and the bull terrier~  the rest i don't wish to comment much...

Hercules 1997

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by John Musker

Voiced by:

Tate Donovan as Hercules

Susan Egan as Megara

Danny DeVito as Philoctetes/Phil

James Woods as Hades

Frank Welker as Pegasus

Rip Torn as Zeus

 Story: 

After imprisoning the Titans beneath the ocean, the Greek gods gather to Mount Olympus for Zeus, and his wife Hera have a son named Hercules. While the other gods are joyful, Zeus' jealous brother Hades plots to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus. Turning to the Fates for help, Hades learns that in eighteen years, a planetary alignment will allow Hades to locate and free the Titans to conquer Olympus, but only if Hercules does not interfere. Hades sends his minions Pain and Panic to dispose of Hercules. The two succeed at kidnapping and feeding him a formula that turns him mortal, but fail to remove his superhuman strength before Hercules is found and adopted by the farmers Amphitryon and Alcmene.

Years later, the teenaged Hercules becomes an outcast due to his strength, and wonders where he came from. After his foster parents reveal the necklace they found him with, Hercules decides to visit the temple of Zeus for answers. The temple's statue of Zeus comes to life and reveals all to Hercules, telling him that he can regain his godhood by becoming a "true hero". Zeus sends Hercules and his forgotten infant-hood friend Pegasus to find the satyr Philoctetes—"Phil" for short—who is known for training heroes. The two meet Phil, who has retired from training heroes due to numerous disappointments, but Hercules inspires him to follow his dream to train a true hero who will be recognized by the gods. Phil trains Hercules into a potential hero, and when he is older, they fly for Thebes. On the way, they meet Megara—"Meg" for short—a sarcastic damsel whom Hercules saves from the centaur Nessus. However, after Hercules, Phil, and Pegasus leave, Meg is revealed to be Hades' minion, having sold her soul to him to save an unfaithful lover.

Arriving in Thebes, Hercules is turned down by the downtrodden citizens until Meg says that two boys are trapped in a gorge. Hercules saves them, unaware that they are Pain and Panic in disguise, allowing Hades to summon the Hydra to fight Hercules. Hercules continually cuts off its heads, but more heads replace them until Hercules kills the monster by causing a landslide. Hercules is seen as a hero and a celebrity, but Zeus tells Hercules he is not yet a true hero. Driven to depression, Hercules turns to Meg, who is falling in love with him. Hades learns of this and on the eve of his takeover, offers a deal that Hercules gives up his powers for twenty-four hours on the condition that Meg will be unharmed. Hercules accepts, losing his strength, and is heartbroken when Hades reveals that Meg is working for him.

Hades unleashes the Titans who climb Olympus and capture the gods, while a Cyclops goes to Thebes to kill Hercules. Phil inspires Hercules to fight and kill the cyclops, but Meg is crushed by a falling pillar saving Hercules from it, allowing him to regain his strength. Hercules and Pegasus fly to Olympus where they free the gods and launch the Titans into space where they explode, though Meg dies before he returns to her. With Meg's soul now Hades' property, Hercules breaks into the Underworld where he negotiates with Hades to free Meg from the Styx in exchange for his own life. His willingness to sacrifice his life restores his godhood and immortality before the life-draining river can kill him; he rescues Meg and punches Hades into the Styx. After reviving Meg, she and Hercules are summoned to Olympus where Zeus and Hera welcome their son home. However, Hercules chooses to remain on Earth with Meg. Hercules returns to Thebes where he is hailed as a true hero as Zeus creates a picture of Hercules in the stars commemorating his heroism.

 L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

You all will be damn surprise that this is the very first time I watch this cartoon hehe~ Though it was quite some years ago, but it is nothing the same with all those classic Disney movie, it is fun to watch with its fast paced and packed with dozens of pop cultures. Drawing wise "Hercules" is also bit different than the Disney's heroes. Of course a lot of new elements were added in to make this myth look more interesting, yet it didn't "wow" me that much...

Toy Story

Released Year: 1995

Directed by John Lasseter

Voiced by:

 Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody

Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear

Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head

Jim Varney as Slinky Dog

Wallace Shawn as Rex

John Ratzenberger as Hamm

Annie Potts as Bo Peep

John Morris as Andy Davis

Erik von Detten as Sid Phillips

 Story: 

In a world where toys pretend to be lifeless in the presence of humans, Woody, a pullstring cowboy toy, is the leader of a group of toys that are owned by a boy named Andy Davis. With his family moving away one week before his birthday, Andy is given a week-early party to spend with his friends, while the toys stage a reconnaissance mission to discover Andy's new presents. Andy receives a spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear, whose impressive features see him replacing Woody as Andy's favorite toy. Woody becomes resentful, especially when he notices that Buzz also gets attention from the other toys. However, Buzz believes himself to be a real space ranger on a mission to return to his home planet, while Woody tries to convince him that he is just a toy.

As Andy prepares for a family outing at Pizza Planet, his mother allows him to bring only one toy along. Fearing Andy will choose Buzz, Woody attempts to trap Buzz behind a desk, but the plan ends in failure when Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out the window, which results in the other toys turning against Woody by accusing him of eliminating Buzz out of jealousy. Now that Buzz is missing, Andy reluctantly takes Woody to Pizza Planet, but Buzz climbs into the car and confronts Woody when they stop at a gas station. As they fight, they fall out of the van, which drives off and leaves them behind. While Buzz still believes he is a real space ranger, Woody spots a Pizza Planet delivery truck and convinces him that it can take him to a space port. As Woody looks for Andy at Pizza Planet, Buzz sees a rocket-shaped skill game and jumps inside, mistaking it for a real spaceship. Woody follows him in it, but Andy's toy-abusing neighbor, Sid Phillips, arrives and operates the machine, maneuvering the claw to snag Buzz and Woody who are then taken to his house.

At Sid's house, Woody and Buzz try to escape before Andy's moving day, encountering Sid's abused toy creations and his vicious bull terrier Scud. During an attempt, Buzz sees a commercial for Buzz Lightyear action figures and realizes that he is actually a toy himself. Disbelieving, he attempts to prove that he could fly, but falls and crashes down the stairs, breaks his left arm off and becomes depressed. Woody sees Andy's other toys from a distance and cannot convince them that Buzz is alive. After Sid's toys fix Buzz's arm to Woody's surprise, Sid decides to blow up the space ranger with a firework rocket, but a thunderstorm delays the plan. That night, Woody tells Buzz that he can bring joy to Andy as a toy, reinvigorating his spirit. The next morning, Woody and Sid's toys rescue Buzz and scare Sid into no longer abusing toys by coming to life in front of him. Woody and Buzz then leave Sid's house just as Andy's mother drives away toward their new house.

They manage to climb onto the moving truck, but Scud chases after them and tries to pull Woody off the truck. Buzz tackles the dog and is left behind. Woody tries rescuing Buzz with Andy's RC car, but the other toys, still thinking Woody is eliminating fellow toys, attack the cowboy and toss him off the truck. Having evaded Scud, Buzz and RC pickup Woody and continue after the truck. Upon seeing Woody and Buzz together on RC, the other toys realize their mistake and try to help them get back aboard but RC's batteries become depleted, stranding them. Woody then ignites the rocket on Buzz's back and manages to throw RC into the truck before they soar into the air. Buzz opens his wings to free himself from the rocket before it explodes, gliding with Woody to land safely into a box in the van, right next to Andy.

On Christmas, at their new house, Woody and Buzz stage another reconnaissance mission to prepare for the new toy arrivals. As Woody jokingly asks what might be worse than Buzz, they discover Andy's new gift is a puppy, and the two share a worried smile.

 L² Scored: 9.5/10

L² Comment:

Love rewatching this first movie of Toy Story, never realize it has been 20 years ago... This is the first animation movie (excluding the short film) that has been produced by Pixar together with Disney. Pixar is an American computer animation film studio, they don't have much films yet and most of them are incorporate with Disney. 

The storyline is fresh and nice back in 1995, and of course it didn't get bored either if you watch it now. Woody & Buzz LightYear are so hit during that time and even myself once dress up as Woody for a company event :)