# 179 Hotaru no haka (1988)

Hotaru no haka, also known as Grave of the Fireflies, is a film about a relationship between two orphaned siblings, a teenage boy named Seita, and his younger sister, Setsuko. The story takes place in Japan towards the end of the World War II. After their mother's death, they end up staying with their distant aunt, but as soon as they run out of food, she becomes resentful and tell them that they have outstayed their welcome. Seita and Setsuko decide to start living on their own in an abandoned bomb shelter.

I have to admit that I had never seen anime until I was in college. Everyone around me was going crazy about it, and out of curiousity, I asked a friend of mine if she could recommend me a film she liked, to get me introduced to the whole thing. So guess what, she said that Grave of the Fireflies was a must-see, and I followed her advice. I really enjoyed it the first time I watched it, not to the point of falling in love with the genre, but at least I learned that there was some good anime out there.

Having watched it again, I have to say I have pretty much the same impression.  The movie makes you feel hopeless, from the beginning of it you know that nothing good is going to happen, and no matter how hard Seita tries, no matter how much he loves his sister and sacrifices himself, he can't help her. This is a story that has probably happened to many families and still happens to this day. But despite all of this, there are still some moments when we see how beautiful this life can be, like when you see fireflies in the dark. It's a very strong anti-war movie, and even though I didn't learn anything new from it, and may be it wasn't as deep as I expected it to be, it's also very emotional and beautifully drawn. 

Interesting fact: NTV in Japan produced a live-action version of "Grave of the Fireflies" in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Like the animated version, the movie focuses on two siblings and their struggle to survive the final days of the war in Kobe, Japan. However, unlike the animated version, the movie tells the story from the point of view of their aunt, and it deals with the issue of how a wartime environment could change a kind woman into a cold-blooded demon.

Favorite quote: "September 21, 1945... that was the night I died".

# 178 The Incredibles (2004)

The Incredibles is a computer-animated film about a family of superheroes. The father (Mr. Incredible) and the mother (Elastigirl) used to be the best crime fighters in the city, but now, after a surge of lawsuits, they and their three children are forced to hide their abilities and live a normal life. One day Mr. Incredible, who cannot wait for get back into action, travels to a mysterious island for a top secret assignment.

The movie came out five years after Pixar's Toy Story 2 and a year after Finding Nemo, but to me it stands pretty much on the same level, so this time I will not agree with those who say that the studio outdoes itself with every movie it makes. It's true in most cases, but not this time because we see the same texture-less surfaces and characters that look like plastic dolls as we saw in previous Pixar's works.

Still it's a very good film that can be found interesting by both, kids and their parents. As a matter of fact it's good for all age groups because the main characters are: Dash, a kid who cares about nothing but fooling around; Violet, a shy teenage girl who is having her first crush; and a married couple who go through the same problems all couples go through. The relationships and the dialogues in this movie are pretty realistic for a cartoon.

The movie is very funny, the people who provide jokes for Pixar's films surely have a very good sense of humor. A lot of jokes revolve around getting older, losing shape, and going through a mid-life crisis. I felt like there was too much action towards the end of the film, and after a ten-minute action sequence I just start losing track of what's going on, but I know that this is common for all superhero flicks.

Interesting fact: In order to give Dash a realistic out-of-breath voice, Brad Bird made Spencer Fox run laps around the studio.

Favorite quote: "No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!"

# 164 Ratatouille (2007)

Ratatouille is a movie about Remy, a rat who has an exceptionally good sense of smell and taste. After seeing a culinary TV show, he realizes that with his abilities he can become a very good cook. The problem is that he is a rat, and people usually associate rodents with disease and dirtiness. Remy meets a garbage boy, and tries to fulfill his dreams of becoming a chef with his help.

This time I'm going to start with the thing I did not like about the film. The only flaw of Ratatouille, in my opinion, is that it's naive. And I'm not speaking about talking animals here, which is common for most animated films. I'm talking about the scenes like the one where the head chef finds out that the reason the garbage boy can cook so well is because a rat manipulates him like a marionette and believes it so easily. Well perhaps a more precise word for this would be simple-hearted. But at the same time those moments made me laugh as if I was an eight-year-old, so I guess it's not a big flaw.

The tech side in Ratatouille, as well as in all of Pixar movies, is perfect. I've heard that it's very hard for animators to create textures like fur or skin to look natural, and not like plastic. The creators of this film went even further, they managed to make animated food look delicious. Seriously, this cartoon made me find a recipe of ratatouille, and, with the help of my little chef (which is my dog), spend the whole Saturday night cooking it. By the way, it turned out good.

Talking about the main idea of the movie, I think a lot of people like it because it's about what it means to be an artist and stuff like that. I understand it, but I can't say I really relate to it. What I really like about this film though, is the idea of of breaking stereotypes and going against what everybody is expecting you to do. Besides, the ending is probably not what most people expected it to be, and it teaches us that things don't always go the way you planned them, but whatever happens, happens for the best.

Interesting fact: Remy has 1.15 million hairs rendered, whereas Colette has 115,000 hairs rendered. An average person has about 110,000 hairs.

Favorite quote: "Food is fuel. You get picky about what you put in the tank, your engine is gonna die. Now shut up and eat your garbage".

# 159 Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story, as well as its sequels, is an animated movie about toys that come alive when people are nowhere around. Technically it's the first fully computer-generated feature film. I saw it after I saw Toy Story 3 in a movie theater, which I did earlier this year, and I still haven't seen Toy Story 2, so my perception of the movie may be a little distorted because of this.

Of course the graphics here are not as good as in Toy Story 3, and it would be surprising if they were. I'm not saying it as a bad thing, but it did make it a little hard for me to appreciate this film as much as most people did back in 1995. I'll try to stay away from comparing these two movies in my review because they came out in unequal conditions, so it makes just as much sense as comparing Billy Wilder with Christopher Nolan works.

The idea of toys coming alive when nobody is around probably has crossed every child's mind at least once. It crossed my mind many times. I wouldn't call it a children's movie because it's just too creepy. And that little boy that tortures toys just for fun, Sid, has turned this film into a thriller. May be I'm just a very impressionable type of person. Rated G? I don't think so... I can still see that spider-baby thing every time I close my eyes.

I believe this movie should be aimed at teens and preteens because it talks about things like envy and jealousy, it shows how cruel life can be, and the plot is pretty complicated too. I would never show a cartoon like this to little kids though. It's a very high quality work that basically started Pixar Animation Studios a production company that still raises the bar every time they release something new.

Interesting fact: Woody and Buzz Lightyear are inspired by director John Lasseter's own childhood toys. He based Woody on his own pull-string Casper doll, and once he grew out of Casper he moved on to a G.I Joe, a flashy toy at the time of his childhood. Sid Phillips is said to be inspired by a former Pixar employee of the same last name who was known to disassemble toys and use the parts to build bizarre creations.

Favorite quote: "What if Andy gets another dinosaur? A mean one? I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!"

# 152 Finding Nemo (2003)

I was lucky to see Finding Nemo when it premiered in the United States. I remember it being so overhyped, they wouldn't stop talking about it on Disney Channel, and everybody I knew couldn't wait for it to come out. So I was somewhat sceptical about it, but the movie turned out to be great. Back then it represented a revolution in feature film animation.

The cartoon is about a clownfish that became tired of being controlled by his father, and decided to prove that he's grown up by swimming near the fishing boat only to be caught by a scuba-diver. He becomes an aquarium fish, and tries to find a way to escape while his father travels across the Pacific to find him. The plot is simple but far from being trivial.

The world of Finding Nemo is full of interesting creatures (I think that the baby turtles were the most adorable), it's so diverse, and the creators of this movie provide so much detail that you start forgetting you're watching a cartoon. Both animation and storytelling are on a very high level here, and I still enjoyed it a lot when I was watching it again, despite the fact that I am seven years older now, and the technology has moved on so much.

The humor in this film was brilliant. What we actually see is a parody of human society, with a lot of hilarious jokes, like a group of sharks starting a mutual aid club that's so much like Alcoholics Anonimous. Another good thing about it is that there are no villains in this movie. "Fish gotta swim, birds gotta eat" - everybody's doing what they are supposed to do. There's no good and no evil. Everynody should see this one, no matter how old you are.

Favorite quote: "What is it with men and asking for directions?"

Interesting fact: Animators studied dogs' facial expressions, paying particular attention to the eyes, to animate the expression of the fish.

# 146 The Lion King (1994)

Who hasn't heard of The Lion King? It's an all-time Disney classic about a lion cub who is tricked into thinking he killed his father. The plot was inspired by Shakespear's Hamlet, and indeed is very simple. As Richard Bach once said, "the simplest things are often the truest". I think this quote describes the movie perfectly.

The animation is simple, yet very beautiful. I love traditional Disney animation, especially the use of highly saturated colors. You don't see all the little details, like textures and hairs, that you can see in modern animated movies, but it still looks great, and may be it's that fact that this type of animation reminds me of my childhood makes it so special to me.

The soundtrack is good, it's proably my second favorite soundtrack after Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (by the way, does anyone know why so many people dislike Spirit?!). And I'm not only talking about Elton John's hit "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". I think that "Circle of Life" and " The Lion Sleeps Tonight" were just as good as the Oscar-winning song.

I think that this cartoon is mostly for children, even though it is a little cruel from my point of view. To be honest, I can't see what lesson it's trying to teach us. If you have any idea, let me know. But still, the characters are too likable to criticize their actions. I find this movie very enjoyable, and I'm definitely going to show this one to my future kids.

Favorite quote: "Before sunrise he's YOUR son".

Interesting fact: Originally, Scar was going to send adult Nala away from Pride Rock because she ignored his romantic approaches, after which she finds Simba alive and well with Timon and Pumbaa. This idea was ultimately abandoned, as sexual harassment was considered improper in a family movie.