‘Toy Story 4’ and the Consolation of Uselessness
Josh Cooley's addition to the Toy Story universe is injected with something altogether more cosmic in scope than the previous films -- a comedic reverie of all things disintegratory.
animation
The Cost of Comfort: Racial Hierarchies in ‘King of the Hill’
At its best, animation comedy show King of the Hill asks, Why are"race" issues in America always about white people?
Lisa Hanawalt’s ‘Tuca & Bertie’ Explores Female Friendships with Raunchy Humor and Compassion
Tuca & Bertie is decidedly female-centric and bold, featuring -- among other things -- a plethora of boobs: boobs on pastries, on plants, and boobs shaking on buildings.
Film Composer Carter Burwell Provides the Missing Link to Chris Butler’s ‘Missing Link’
Among today's most prolific film composers and a two-time Academy Award nominee, Carter Burwell ventures into animated fare with the Chris Butler's Missing Link.
The Catharsis of the Void in Anime Horror, ‘Vampire Princess Miyu’
Within the 26 hard-to-find episodes of Vampire Princess Miyu, there are murders, suicide, and even murder-suicides. There really is something for everyone. So why did it fail?
Hayao Miyazaki’s Films Help Us See Ourselves “with Eyes Unclouded”
Japanese Studies scholar Susan Napier's Miyazakiworld reveals an animation auteur with an urgent message to convey about our future -- and ourselves.
Not (Just) a Laughing Matter: Nuanced Representations of Depression in Three Netflix Sitcoms
One Day at a Time, Bojack Horseman, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt each offer insight and understanding into mental illness quite unlike television shows we've seen before.
Neuroses, Eccentricities, and the Status Quo in Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’
Visually enchanting and emotionally seductive, Wes Anderson's Japan-set stop-motion adventure marries aesthetic beauty with messy politics.
Outrageousness Takes a Holiday in ‘Archer S8: Dreamland’
This may be a clever homage to classic hard-boiled detective fiction from the '40s, but Archer in Dreamland is not the wild man we've come to love/hate.
The Subversive Creativity in Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’
Wes Anderson has created a powerful (though unassuming) sociopolitical statement about the causes and consequences of segregation.
I See Music: How Oskar Fischinger Influenced Disney
Remember the pre-CGI visual beauty of Fantasia? Fischinger, who also worked with Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, among others, invented the "lumigraph" (a machine for "playing" colors on screen). This guy should be put on a stamp.
‘Loving Vincent’ Is the “Sincerest Form of Flattery”
Seldom does a biopic about Vincent Van Gogh illustrate the depth of emotion many had for the artist.