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Monsters, Inc.
: :The folks at Pixar can do no wrong with Monsters, Inc., the studio's fourth feature film, which stretches the computer animation format in terms of both technical complexity and emotional impact. The giant, blue-furred James P. 'Sulley' Sullivan (wonderfully voiced by John Goodman) is a scare-monster extraordinaire in the hidden world of Monstropolis, where the scaring of kids is an imperative in order to keep the entire city running. Beyond the competition to be the best at the business, ...
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The Prince of Egypt
: :Nearly every biblical film is ambitious, creating pictures to go with some of the most famous and sacred stories in the Western world. DreamWorks' first animated film was the vision of executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg after his ugly split from Disney, where he had been acknowledged as a key architect in that studio's rebirth (The Little Mermaid, etc.). His first film for the company he helped create was a huge, challenging project without a single toy or merchandising tie-in, ...
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Dinosaur (Walt Disney Pictures Presents)
: :Dinosaurs come alive like never before in this costly computer-animated film from Disney. After a breathtaking opening (a dino egg is kidnapped), the film changes style; realistic dinosaurs are given human characteristics and voices. The kidnapped egg grows into an iguanodon named Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney), who is raised by lemurs (shades of Tarzan) on a lush island void of other dinosaurs. When a meteorite destroys their island home in a thrilling sequence, the lemur family and Aladar ...
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Peanuts: Happy New Year Charlie Brown (Slip)
: :Dinosaurs come alive like never before in this costly computer-animated film from Disney. After a breathtaking opening (a dino egg is kidnapped), the film changes style; realistic dinosaurs are given human characteristics and voices. The kidnapped egg grows into an iguanodon named Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney), who is raised by lemurs (shades of Tarzan) on a lush island void of other dinosaurs. When a meteorite destroys their island home in a thrilling sequence, the lemur family and Aladar ...
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The Rainbow Fish and Dazzle the Dinosaur
: :Based on the books by children's author Marcus Pfister, the adventures of the Rainbow Fish and Dazzle the Dinosaur are brought to life through animation. The Rainbow Fish tells the story of a beautiful fish so mesmerized by his own sparkling scales that he fails to realize how his vanity compromises his friendships. In Dazzle the Dinosaur, Dazzle and his pal Maia take on the mean Dragonsaurus to win back their home. Featuring songs and quaintly drawn characters, the ...
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Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood
: :The only mystery here is whether Scoob will leave the Mystery Machine gang to go solo. Featuring a laugh track, some musical numbers (!), and the Great Dane hanging with such '70s icons as Charlie's Angels and a disco queen in Qiana, the framing for this 49-minute show is framed as a screen test for a show- biz heavyweight. Shaggy plays agent while his canine sidekick gets to play cowboy for a face-off at high noon and don a ...
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Ice Age
: :Just as A Bug's Life was a computer-animated comedy inspired by Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, the funny and often enthralling Ice Age is a digital re-imagining of the Western Three Godfathers. The heroes of this unofficial remake (set 20,000 years ago, during the titular Paleolithic era) are a taciturn mastodon named Manfred (voiced by Ray Romano), an annoying sloth named Sid (John Leguizamo), and a duplicitous saber-toothed tiger, Diego (Denis Leary). The unlikely team encounters a dying, human ...
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Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
: :This sweet, heartwarming 1973 offering from the Peanuts gang (and Charles Schultz) once again shows Charlie Brown in a pickle, as his erstwhile friends impose upon the hapless would-be-host to provide a memorable and traditional Thanksgiving feast. And as much as Charlie Brown would rather forget the whole thing, he just can't help but try for fear of being labeled a failure. Ultimately it's up to Snoopy and Woodstock to save Charlie from certain embarrassment, and it falls to ...
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Joseph - King of Dreams
: :As the millennium turns, the crazed trend to produce direct-to-video sequels swells. Very few of these sequels are inspired, although most do not harm their origins. One might understandably pick up something labeled 'from the makers of The Prince of Egypt with trepidation. Happily, the makers leave Moses alone and tell the tale of another Bible star, Joseph, known for his coat of many colors and a fantastic destiny. Joseph (voiced by Ben Affleck), his father's favorite son, is ...
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