I have vivid memories of seeing the trailer for The Phantom Menace for the first time, and dissolving into a puddle of tears and emotion. Of course, it was 1998, so it was on the big screen instead of on my phone, but the new trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens still had the same effect all these years later. You can see the trailer on the big screen this weekend in front of any movie at 30 select theaters across the country, or you can see it right now right here. Check it out below and read on for my thoughts and analysis.
At this point it’s pretty safe to say that the Disney Revival is now in full swing. The era which began with either Bolt or The Princess and the Frog depending on your tastes, and which so far seems to mirror the trajectory of the Disney Renaissance in the 1990’s, has seen Disney producing some seriously outstanding films in the last few years. Tangled is an underrated masterpiece, Wreck-It Ralph is a creative, kinetic marvel, and Frozen has reached the point where it no longer requires description. Big Hero 6 represents not just the next big step for Disney Animation, but also the first attempt by Disney at creating its own Marvel-based content outside of the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. And while Big Hero 6 could never hope to live up to something like Frozen, it’s still wildly entertaining and enjoyable in its own right, and another solid rung in the Disney Revival ladder.
I’m definitely a fan of the recent resurgence of animated shorts preceding feature films. It harkens back to an earlier time when cartoons and news reels were a part of the cinema experience (though I hope they don’t bring back news reels!). Pixar, of course, has always had a short attached to each of their new releases, but Disney Animation has gotten back in the game for their last three movies and the results have been impressive. Paperman (which aired before Wreck-It Ralph) is nothing less than a masterpiece, while Get a Horse! (attached to Frozen) was a fun, creative use of 3D that captured a bit of that historical Disney magic. The recent debut of Big Hero 6 brought with it a new short, Feast, that serves both purposes of an animated short: it serves an hors d’oeuvre for the main film while also telling an endearing and entertaining story of its own.
Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies.
Marvel’s plans to premiere the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer during next week’s episode of Agents of SHIELD were altered when the trailer leaked online last night. Instead of waiting, Marvel decided to go ahead and officially release the trailer early, so without further ado I’m bringing it to you. Take a look below, and read on for my shot-by-shot thoughts and analysis.
Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies.
How long will Pixar be able to get us excited by merely referencing their past triumphs? There may not actually be any limit on that timeframe, considering they have movies like Toy Story, Ratouille, WALL-E, Up, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, all of which are permanently etched in the public’s consciousness. For their newest film, Inside Out, they use the familiar tactic (also used in their first trailer for WALL-E) of reminding us why they’re so awesome, and of course it works. But I’m more interested in the small taste we actually get of Inside Out at the end of the trailer. Take a look at it below, and read on for my thoughts:
The Love Pirate 