Moana is a brilliant crown jewel in a treasure chest overflowing with legendary gems.

The Angry Birds Movie misses the mark and instead caused me to exclaim, “What the flock!”

A trio of would-be henchmen search for a new master in the animated spin-off film Minions. Minions are a curious species of creature finding contentment only when they’re in the employ of an evil overlord.That’s the flimsy main plot of the first film featuring the strange little yellow characters made famous in the Despicable Me […]

If you ask anyone about the Despicable Me movies, they’re sure to mention the Minions, the tiny yellow creatures that steal the show. It was only a matter of time before the Minions had their own film. I really looked forward to this feature because the Minions appeal to those of us who like slapstick […]

In the ‘90s, there was a sitcom on Fox called Herman’s Head in which four actors portrayed the emotions at odds in lead character Herman’s brain. The show was funny and creative, and it lasted for three seasons. When I first heard about Inside Out, I immediately thought of Herman’s Head. If this animated Pixar […]

A young girl’s inner emotions struggle to cope with major change in Pixar‘s intriguing animated film Inside Out. 11-year-old Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) has lived a bit of a charmed existence up to this point in her young life. She’s popular with all of her friends, she’s a natural hockey player and she has two […]

A brainy young teen, his robot companion and a group of misfit friends form an unlikely clan of crime fighters in the animated adventure Big Hero 6. Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) is a natural whiz at robotics engineering. That’s quite an accomplishment for an otherwise typical 14-year-old boy. He uses his skills to craft […]

A nefarious villain plans to gain entry into elite society by exterminating the creatures dwelling underground in the town in The Boxtrolls. The town of Cheesebridge lives in fear of flesh-eating monsters called Boxtrolls who, as their name suggests, wear discarded boxes over their ghastly figures to more easily hide among the town’s refuse. Each night, […]

An adolescent viking and his pet dragon encounter a disturbing clan that threatens the peace in How to Train Your Dragon 2. 2010’s animated film How to Train Your Dragon was one of my five best for the year. It introduced us to the story of young Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), the awkward but inventive son […]

A mismatched pair of blue macaws return for adventure in the Amazon with their new family in tow in the animated sequel Rio 2. When last we saw Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway), they were together and safe in their brand-new bird sanctuary in the jungles of Rio de Janeiro. With a […]

A blue macaw and his human owner form an unbreakable bond that’s jeopardized when he’s stolen by smugglers in the animated Rio. Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is a blue macaw who’s made the most of his coexistence with humans. He and his adoptive owner Linda (Leslie Mann) spend their days in symbiotic bliss. They do […]

An erudite beagle and his adopted son meet history’s most famous figures as they travel through time in the animation redux Mr. Peabody & Sherman. In this new, slightly reimagined update of a classic cartoon spin-off, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) grows up as an outcast. He’s not at all interested in conventional canine cavorting. […]