Wreck-It Ralph's Out Now in the US - What Are the Critics Saying?

Us unlucky blighters elsewhere in the world will have to suffer through months of rave reviews, but, as of today, American audiences can check out Walt Disney Animation Studios' 52nd animated feature film, Wreck-It Ralph, in cinemas! The film which takes place inside the world of arcade video-games, and is directed by Simpsons veteran Rich Moore, has been the most hotly anticipated animated film of the year, and, judging by reviews, it's been worth the wait.

ParaNorman's Out in the US - What Are the Critics Saying?

ParaNorman, the latest scary, stop-motion film from Laika, the house that brought you Coraline, is out today in US cinemas, and has been received thus far by the same enthusiastic acclaim that greeted their first film.

ParaNorman follows Norman Babcock, a young, outcast boy from the small town of Blithe Hollow, who has the inexplicable - yet somehow cinematically ubiquitous - ability to speak with the dead. Due to this, Norman is the only one able to try and stop the witch's curse that has plagued Blithe Hollow. Starring the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Jeff Garlin and John Goodman, and directed by Sam Fell (Flushed Away) and Chris Butler (storyboard supervisor on Coraline) was released today, with a new, intense, trailer (below), highlighting the scary parts of the film - rather than the comedy the earlier trailers focused on - released on the 14th.

The critics are enthusiastic so far; Laika's second film currently holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to Coraline's 90%), with a consensus reading:

"Beautifully animated and solidly scripted, ParaNorman will entertain (and frighten) older children while providing surprisingly thoughtful fare for their parents."

Top critics from all over the web seem enamoured with the film: Variety's Justin Chang writes "Few movies so taken with death have felt so rudely alive as "ParaNorman,"", and Rolling Stone's Peter Travers enthuses "Hey, it's not just Pixar that kicks ass in animation. Case in point: ParaNorman, a small miracle in stop-motion 3D from the wizards at Laika", rating it 3 out of 4 stars.

It certainly sounds promising!

Alas, ParaNorman isn't out here in the UK until 14th September (although we will have a review of The Art and Making of ParaNorman up soon!), but if you have seen it - or see it soon - please let us know what you think, either in the comments section, or on Twitter (@A113Animation).

In related news: The latest feature film from Henry Selick, who directed Coraline for Laika, has been dumped by Disney. Read the full story here.

Brave is Now in Cinemas! - In the US Anyway

Pixar's latest animated feature, Brave, is now out in US cinemas (although those of us in the UK - and indeed several other places in the world - will have to wait a while yet). As such, the reviews are now rolling in, and Brave currently stands at a 72% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a much better consensus than some early reviews might have indicated:

It may not live up to the lofty standards of the Pixar brand, but Brave offers young audiences and fairy tale fans a rousing, funny fantasy adventure with a distaff twist -- and surprising depth.

Roger Ebert, who seems to be on a roll of awarding Pixar films 3 stars - after doing so with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 - awards Brave 3 stars, echoing most of what we've heard up until now:

"Unlike such brightly original films as "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," "WALL-E" and "Up," this one finds Pixar poaching on traditional territory of Disney, its corporate partner."

In addition, the L.A. Times' Kenneth Turan says:

"If the Walt Disney Studios logo were the only one on "Brave,"this film's impeccable visuals and valiant heroine would be enough to call it a success. But "Brave" is also a Pixar Animation Studios film, and that means it has to answer to a higher standard."

No one seems to have particular gripes with the film, just that it doesn't live up to Pixar's self-imposed standards as much as we've come to expect. The review that I find myself most nodding my head approvingly to is that of Rolling Stone's Peter Travers, awarding it 3.5/4 stars, best summed up by:

"No one seems to review a Pixar film without comparing it to other Pixar films. OK, Brave isn't The Incredibles or Toy Story. So? It's still a rousing, gorgeously animated good time."

That addresses a lot of my problems with the majority of the Cars 2 reviews; judge it on its own merits, folks. I'm hoping that Brave's Rotten Tomatoes score grows, hopefully into the 80s at least - I'm predicting around the 81% mark - as Pixar truly deserve it.


Going to see Brave this weekend, stateside readers? Already seen it? Share your thoughts below or with us on Twitter (@A113Animation)!

--

As a brief aside, also be sure to check out the (finally) newly revamped, and suitably wonderful, Pixar website; chocked full of great behind-the-scenes videos and interviews!