Trolls Band Together

Trolls Band Together; The film no one asked for returns w/blender of pop tunes only mildly pleasing in the first place, hoping for a hit of nostalgic dopamine before realizing the songs are only tolerable in bite size form. Animation cuts corners to keep cash grab profitable; D

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid; Suffers from lack of clear motivation for several characters and a skimpy storyline. Halle is a phenomenal Ariel, the true highlight amongst a decent recasting, many of whom don’t get to play around much w/their roles. New songs are awful or underwhelming; C+
 

Soul

Soul; If 2D/3D art expresses our interpretation of life, then Pixar is the filmic height of artistic representation. Taking abstract elements & weaving a narrative to explore them is a feat unto itself. A solid voice cast + music makes this mediation on life a simple pleasure; A

Hamilton

Hamilton; Wonderful filming of theatrical production manages to capture stage, lighting & choreography seamlessly while providing intimate, up close moments w/o missing a beat. Fabulously frames founding fathers in an equally groundbreaking energetic revolutionary performance; A+