Animated Drama – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: New ‘Avatar’ adventure offers fun reunion with lovable cast

Shame on Paramount for not putting this film in theaters.

While it was once set for release on the big screen, “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” was pushed to Paramount Plus as a streaming title. The movie, deserving a theatrical outing, picks up just over a decade after the original series from the 2000s ended. The flick picks up with Aang (Eric Nam) maintaining peace in the world while also trying to preserve Air Nomad culture.

On one of his travels, a series of events leads him to discovering another airbender, Tagah (Dave Bautista), who’s been frozen in ice for centuries. Upon awakening, Tagah informs Aang he knows a way to bring more airbenders back to the world. To make this happen, Aang recruits his old team to help. However, their journey becomes more perilous than originally thought.

REVIEW: Beautifully animated ‘Arco’ doesn’t fully realize interesting ideas

I can’t believe it’s not Ghibli.

That was the thought process with this French film, which was very reminiscent of the movies released by the Japanese animation company, Studio Ghibli. Featuring a look that’s very anime-inspired, “Arco” is set in two futures. In the distant future, we meet the titular protagonist, Arco (EVA Juliano Krue Valdi), who comes from a family of time travelers.

They are common in his timeline, but he’s too young to join in the adventures. That is until he takes his sister’s suit and goes on a time journey to the past, reaching 2075. There, he meets a young girl, Iris (EVA Romy Fay). As Arco looks to go back to his own time, he also develops a friendship with Iris, and the two learn about each other’s timelines.

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REVIEW: ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is a fine film about healing

The mind of Hayao Miyazaki continues to be a wonderfully mystical place.

He’s shared some more of his magical vision with his latest animated fantasy feature, “The Boy and the Heron.” The film, set during World War II, centers on a pre-teen boy, Mahito, who is struggling mentally and emotionally after the death of his mother in a fire.

The film picks up with the protagonist’s father recently getting remarried to the sister of his late wife, Mahito’s aunt Natsuko. Mahito is resistant to moving on and accepting the new reality, but when he discovers a path to a magical world, he’s thrust into an adventure where he has to learn to live and trust again, as well as embrace his family.

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