Thomas Mayfield Uca Rochester

Figure 1: Kubo and The Two Strings This film review will focus on the film 'Kubo and The Two Strings' (2016) , this tale follows the story of a young boy known as Kubo. With no explanation, we see him with a magic shamisen that can control origami, a lucid/ill mother and an missing eye. He embarks on a journey to discover the full potential of his power, as well as avenge what his grandfather the moon king had taken from him and exact his revenge on the family that made him, but also broke him. The film was released in 2016, was directed by Travis Knight and was also produced by Travis Knight, as well as Arianne Sutner. The story was written by Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes, Dario Marianelli composed the music and the animation was done by Laika. Laika is known for doing stop motion animations, they have previously worked on 'Coraline' (2009) , 'Boxtrolls' (2014) and 'Paranorman' (2012) , all generally well received films, but Kubo is one of th...

Figure 1: 'The Secret of The Kells' (2009) This film review will be focusing on the film 'The Secret of the Kells' (2009) , this story follows the story of a bunch of Irish settlers, who are preparing for an attack by the Vikings. However when a man known as Brother Aiden, arrives with the legendary 'Book of Kells', said to be able to turn darkness into light, our main character Brendan begins to take an interest in him. After leaving the safety of the walls on multiple occasions he is finally stopped by his caretaker Abbott Cellach, Brendan is then faced with a choice, to stay home and learn from his mistakes or hit his fears head on and complete the Book of Kells. The film was released in 2009, was directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, produced by Paul young, Tomm Moore also wrote the story, and the music was composed by Bruno Coulais and Kíla. The Secret of the Kells is an interesting film in terms of development, the film is meant to be wholly Irish...

Figure 1: Ethel & Ernest This film review will be focusing on the film 'Ethel and Ernest' (2016) , this film follows the story of Ethel and Ernest. This film is based on the 1998 book Ethel and Ernest and is animated by the son of Ethel and Ernest, Raymon Briggs. The film is based on the real effects of WWII and before, showing what real British culture is and indulging in what some people would expect a 'Stereotypical Britsh Film' would look like. There are narrative elements in the film that like others films (Waltz with Bashir, Persepolis and Sita Sing the Blues) has its own little quirks. The film was released in 2016, was directed by Roger Mainwood, was written and partially animated by Raymond Briggs and the film was produced by Camilla Deakin and Ruth Feilding. The film was originally a book written by Raymon Briggs himself, so he lived the life written in the book, he then turned the book into the film and even animated it. It's worth mentioning t...

Figure 1: 'Persepolis' (2007) Poster This film review will be focusing on the film 'Persepolis (2007)' , this film follows the story of a young girl known as Satrapi. This story is based on the real events and effects of the time period in which the film is set (70's/80's), whilst all of the government corruption grows and festers this very innocent story of how a girl has to go about living her life is a simple story. However, through an interesting art style and clever animation, this film appears very human. The film was made in 2007, was directed by Marjane Satrapi, was produced by Xavier Rigault and the music for the film was produced by Olivier Bernet. In 2007 this film was nominated for Academy Award for the best-animated feature, however, it lost to Pixars 'Ratatouui' (2007). The theme of the whole film is very similar to waltz with Bashir, as the film is Iranian, but also French. It's interesting to note how deep and personal bot...

Figure 1: Waltz with Bashir Title This film review will be focusing on the film 'Waltz with Bashir' (2008) , this animation is based on the true story of the director of the film Ari Folman. Serving in the 1982 Lebanon War, Ari Folman has trouble remembering his time on the frontlines. He then embarks on a journey, finding old friends/colleagues who served in the same war in order to find answers. The message of the film depicts trying to recover a memory that he has lost, or is choosing to repress. This film was made in 2008, was written and directed by Ari Folman, Max Richter did the music. The thing that makes this film stand is for three major reasons, first being is that is an interpretation of an event in history, the second is that the film is Israelian in production and that this was the first animated feature film in Israel in over fifty years. The films content and message is something that isn't for the faint of heart, very dark topics are spoken about i...

Figure 1: Sita Sings the Blues (2008) Poster This film review will focus on the film Sita Sings the Blues, this animation tells the story of a girl called Sita, who finds the love of her life but due to a series of unfortunate complications, has to prove to her lover Rama. The story also follows Nina's journey in her life, as her boyfriend decides to move to India for work, only for them to break up. The film was released in 2008 and was completely done by one person, Nina Paley. The entire film is created by her, except for the music which was done by Annette Hanshaw and the voices were done by a number of voice actors. There is a lot of controversy in the film because it kept getting taken down due to copyright infringement the film had multiple issues at release. This film narrative is a little hard to follow at times, however, some serious credit does need to be given to the creator of the film. This entire thing was created by a single person which is a...

Figure 1: Spirited Away (2001) Poster This film review will focus on the film 'Spirited Away' (2001) , this animated tale follows a small girl known as Chihiro Ogino, who is on her way to move into a new home in a new country with her parents. On the way, they discover what they at first believe is a theme park but is quickly revealed to be a gateway to the spirit world. Upon discovering her parents have been captured and turned into pigs, Chihiro teams up with multiple characters along the way on an adventure of love, fear, and redemption. The film was released in 2001 and was created by the legendary, Studio Ghibli, and was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The music was composed by Joe Hisaishi and the cinematography was done by Atsushi Okui. This film for its time also the highest grossing of 2001, the film's budget was $20,000,000, but the film grossed in profit with a whopping $280,000,000 worldwide. Spirited Away is a good example of Japanese culture being b...