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2014

Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story (2014)

#140RVW

Lovely little stop-motion love story from Disney & Google in time for Valentine’s Day. Sans dialogue, visuals need to be amazing. They are.

Blank

What’s more:

Disney puts together some great stuff sometimes that reminds you how the company started and what it still does best: animation.

Blank

This is a sweet short film (clocks in just under 40 minutes), without any dialogue, but with an excess of quality stop-motion. Decidedly old-school, the animation is top-notch and beautiful.

Blank

The story is small but not slight: Blank & Bow, two Vinylmation figures (a Disney collectible) fall in love at first sight, and seek each other out after being separated. That’s all it needs; it’s a nice little tale, full of emotion even with silent and expressionless characters. Quite a feat, really…

Blank

Poster:

Blank

Trailer:

Full Movie:

Movie is available until 2/23/2014 for free exclusively on Google Play:  https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=FitJ3hgxiAg

Bechdel Test:

Not applicable

Main Cast
Rating
Release Date Mon 03 Feb 2014 UTC
Director Mike Ambs, Paul Foyder
Genres Animation, Short
Plot In search of his lost soul mate, an unpainted Vinylmation finds himself on a quest that alters the destiny of his entire world.
Poster Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story
Runtime 40
Tagline
Writers Greg Shewchuk (story), Greg Shewchuk (written by)
Year 2014

The LEGO Movie (2014)

#140RVW

As much fun as you hoped it would be. May not be the Lego movie that ran in your head when you played with the toys, but looks just like it.

The Lego Movie

What’s more:

I don’t feel like this needs to be a particularly long review; the movie is great – go see it, preferably with some kids. It is exactly what is supposed to be – fun.

The Lego Movie

Primarily a straightforward story, the joy of the film comes entirely from the playful spirit that has always been synonymous with Lego. Anyone who has watched the countless Lego tv shows, tv movies or played the videogames knows that the creative talent involved with the company possess a wonderful irreverence and sense of humor. So it was no surprise how funny The Lego Movie was.

The Lego Movie

What may be surprising to viewers is a twist in the last third act of the movie (which I will not spoil here) that really touches upon the importance of play. Truly wonderful.

Visually, the movie is fantastic. While the previous Lego properties I mentioned earlier have always done a great job of retaining the physical look of the toys and not overdoing the CG, the creative team behind The Lego Movie have gone even further, completely replicating the look of those little plastic pieces. It often looks like a stop-motion film, as though they have merely animated the movements of your child’s toys. Masterful.

The Lego Movie

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

Main Cast Will Arnett Batman/Bruce Wayne (voice), Elizabeth Banks Wyldstyle/Lucy (voice), Craig Berry Blake/Additional Voices (voice), Alison Brie Unikitty (voice)
Rating PG
Release Date Fri 07 Feb 2014 UTC
Director Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Genres Animation, Action, Comedy, Family
Plot An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.
Poster The Lego Movie
Runtime 100
Tagline Assembling in 2014
Writers Dan Hageman (story) &, Kevin Hageman (story) …
Year 2014