REVIEW: Hawaiian Vacation [2011]

“I just zip and unzip. I don’t fly.” Upon seeing Buzz and Woody onscreen for the Pixar short playing before Cars 2, my first feeling was disappointment. These abbreviated tales are sometimes the highlight of going to a family friendly animated film, generally heartfelt and funny in a minimal span of time to get audiences in the mood for the feature following. Instead of some new carefully constructed character—Presto and Geri’s Game—or a well-conceived, dialogue-free vignette—Lifted and the brilliant Day & Night—all we were to be given was Toy Story…

Read More

REVIEW: Day & Night [2010]

“Embracing differences” You have to enjoy the fact that Pixar continues to usher in new creatives from inside, grooming them to one-day helm their own feature film. The newest member of that club is Teddy Newton, a guy from Brad Bird’s crew on The Iron Giant, who has worked on a few films as an artist and voice actor, cutting his teeth on a short film with adult themes called Boys Night Out. With his latest, Day & Night, Newton has brought to life what could be my favorite of…

Read More