Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King; Miranda has lost his golden touch, as the songs are cringe inducing. The animation is spectacular but the stylized nature of using photo realistic rendering for fantastical elements seems to clash with its own ambitions. The result is off putting both aurally and visually; C

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Fresh animation and youthful voice cast breathes new life into these fun heroes from the 80s. The story stays fairly simple and keeps the quips and kicks coming fast, with a sprinkle of lessons learned alongside real life allegories; B

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie; Filled w/decades of references, demonstrating depth of available content, movie really economizes its characters for a short run time that appeals to the youngest viewers while offering adults a hit of nostalgia and fun. Launching a new universe; B+

The Fabelmans

The Fabelmans; Heavy handed, overwrought personal filmmaking that means more to its director than his audience. Suffers from the fact that it’s better suited for a documentary on a young film prodigy’s origins than this sentimentalized drama. Chloe East steals her scenes; B

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers; A fun romp stuffed chock full of cartoon cameos and nods to animation history. The premise is funny and the voice actors have the comedic timing to keep up with the cartoon lunacy. Not cinematic level material but perfect for a streaming feature; B+

The Lion King

The Lion King; Impressively spectacular photorealistic animated remake looks stunning. The original was already cinematic in its shot selection, so it hews closely to the angles and imagery. Voice cast excels and delivers lines both familiar and surprising with much delight; A-

Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 3; Great things come in 3s. My new favourite trilogy of all time. Spiritual elements infuse new kung fu tropes to series. A-

Being Canadian

Being Canadian; Entertaining cavalcade of famous Canucks can't rescue a sad rehashing of Canadian stereotypes. Lacks any depth or insight; C

This is the End

This is the End; If these guys are this funny all the time, where's the documentary series or 24 hour online feed? Outrageously silly; B