KUNG FU PANDA [Ani]

Written by Funn Lim




"This movie has it all"











SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released in
2008

Produced by
Dreamworks

Genre
Animation - 3D

Cast-Character
Jack Black ... Po (voice)
Dustin Hoffman ... Shifu (voice)
Angelina Jolie ... Tigress (voice)
Ian McShane ... Tai Lung (voice)
Jackie Chan ... Monkey (voice)
Seth Rogen ... Mantis (voice)
Lucy Liu ... Viper (voice)
David Cross ... Crane (voice)
Randall Duk Kim ... Oogway (voice)
James Hong ... Mr. Ping (voice)
Dan Fogler ... Zeng (voice)
Michael Clarke Duncan ... Commander Vachir (voice)

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Malaysian audiences be very careful when buying the tickets because there is a Cantonese version. Oh come on, nothing beats the original. So watch the English version. I beg you!

Plot

Po, a panda is the son of Mr Ping, a noodle seller (he is a geese, don't ask). Whilst his father has express his desire for Po to takeover the noodle shop one day, Po has always dreamed of bigger and almost impossible dreams of becoming a kung fu hero. He dreams, eat, talks and even worships the famous Furious Five, who are the town's kung fu expert, trained by the much respected Master Shifu. They all live on top of the mountain in an idyllic settings surrounded by nature that Po wishes he could take part in. But he is the unlikeliest candidate as a kung fu expert since he is big, clumsy and overweight.

Meanwhile Master Shifu who is the sifu of the Furious Five which consists of Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Praying Mantis and Crane has suffered the most devastating betrayal in his career as a sifu. He took in a snow leopard named Tai Lung, trained the gifted child who grew up to be a cruel kung fu expert. Bent on getting the legendary Dragon's Scroll high up the ceiling of the monastery, where it is foretold that one day a Dragon Warrior will be chosen to open the scroll and learn the highest form of kung fu from the scroll. Not even Master Shifu has seen the scroll and it has been there since 1000 years ago when Master Shifu's own sifu, the old Master Oogway started this kung fu monastery. Unwilling to kill Tai Lung whom he sees as his own son, Master Shifu was defeated by Tai Lung but Master Oogway successfully stopped the onslaught and from thereon Tai Lung was imprisoned several layers deep into earth guarded by 1000 rhino guards with state of the art weapons. What they didn't expect was Tai Lung's cunningness in his escape from the prison and he is now on his way back to his sifu to take the dragon scroll at all cost. Therefore the finding of the Dragon Warrior became even more urgent.

A competition was held between the Furious Five and Po wanted to join the crowds to see the new Dragon Warrior. After much hilarious tries trying to get into the monastery which was locked, he sat himself on a chair tied with fireworks and off into the sky he went and dramatically amidst those fireworks he fell right in front of Master Oogway and Tigress standing behind him. Much to his groggy surprise, Master Oogway chose him. Immediately celebrations ensued and Po became the Dragon Warrior. The Furious Five, especially Tigress who have been trained for this moment her entire life was not pleased, but none was as furious as Master Shifu himself who felt Po was a mockery to the status of the Dragon Warrior. He was supposed to train him, and train him he did with the aim to make it so difficult for Po, that Po will have to quit and a new Dragon Warrior will be chosen.

Po stumbled clumsily through his practice but the Furious Five, however much they laughed at him, except for Tigress, all began to warm to his sincerity in wanting to learn. But Master Shifu has other plans and just as Po was about to quit, Master Oogway parted some wise wisdom to him and persuaded him to stay. Meanwhile Master Shifu was out of his wits trying to make Po quit when Master Oogway under the falling leaves of the peach tree imparted his final advice to his student and then became one with the wind as he became an immortal and floated to I suppose heaven. Master Shifu was now truly alone and after some thoughts, he trusts his sifu's wisdom and was now keen on training Po. But Po panicked when he found out about Tai Lung on his way to the village at that moment and when Po wanted to run, it was Master Shifu who persuaded him others. Tigress was very disappointed with Master Shifu and set out to find Tai Lung and she was joined by the other Furious Five.

Meanwhile Master Shifu was trying to find ways to train Po when he discovered Po became exceptionally agile when Po tried to get to Monkey's cookie jar at the top of the shelf. Master Shifu saw potential in Po and from thereon used food to train Po to hilarious results. At the end Po became very agile and was able to execute some moves that even stunned Master Shifu who was very satisfied with the results. But he was a long way to defeating Tai Lung.

Meanwhile the Furious Five found Tai Lung and a spectacular battle began at the long and dangerous bridge which ended with all 5 being thrown back to Master Shifu's feet, all stunted by Tai Lung "dim yuet" skills. Thinking it was time, Master Shifu took down the dragon scroll and asked Po to open it which he did but inside the scroll, there was nothing. It was only a blank scroll. Master Shifu feared Po did not have the skills to defeat or even stop Tai Lung since the scroll revealed no wisdom. Master Shifu ordered the evacuation of the entire village and told the Furious Five and Po to run whilst he alone will try to stop Tai Lung. Reluctantly they ran.

Tai Lung arrived and demanded to see the scroll. When he found out the scroll was taken down, Tai Lung and Master Shifu engaged in a battle but Master Shifu was no match to Tai Lung. When Tai Lung was about to kill Master Shifu, Po arrives, huffing and puffing from running up the stairs. Tai Lung laughed at the sight of the so called Dragon Warrior and thought defeating Po was easy. What he didn't expect was the agility and earnestness of Po who battled him from the top of the mountain down to the village when Po sucessfully defeated Tai Lung and as implied, killed Tai Lung using Master Shifu's infamous kung fu style that not even Tai Lung has learned.

The village rejoiced but Po only concern was Master Shifu and he rushed to see Master Shifu who was finally at peace with himself because all his life he lived with the guilt he had created a monster in Tai Lung. Po finally became the warrior he has always dreamed of and the village thereafter lived in peace.

The end.

Comments

I can't imagine for the life of me loving an animation by Dreamworks. From the graphics to the story and the execution of the story, Kung Fu Panda is as refreshing as any Pixar new flicks and I can say even rivals some of Pixar's best. What I hated about Shrek and all of Dreamworks products previously were not present in Kung Fu Panda. What this one had was heart and soul. This animation successfully created many characters that many could relate to and even learn to love. There was no wise cracks, no fart jokes or even the usual boring pop culture references. There were some fat jokes but that turned into Po's advantage and of course it has one of now most popular pop reference that is kung fu but even that was done tastefully. Not much parody in here but what you have is a homage to the many kung fu movies we have seen over the years, one that Kung Fu Hustle did several years ago. In everyway this animation reminds me a lot of Kung Fu Hustle; from an insignificant nobody who in the process became a significant somebody. I love stories about the underdog and Dreamworks wisely decided to stop all those nonsensical whatever they did for their previous creations and just let the story speak for itself.

And what a story! It is simple, sometimes some plot holes but other than those minor grouses, it has a fool proof story that young and old alike could enjoy at various levels. I love the characters Po, Master Shifu and especially Master Oogway. Whilst Angeline Jolie and the other Furious Four such as Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu were wasted and anybody could have voiced them, this animation would not have so much fun if it had not been the really funny Jack Black. Surprisingly he didn't sound cocky or even confident in here as he always was and he gave Po a certain vulnerability and yet sincerity that just gets to me big time, in a good way. His performance was top notch and I just love the fact that he didn't go overboard. He controlled himself and was funny when he should be funny, tender when he should be tender and at all times he made Po a believable good guy who just worships his heroes and found his own way to become one.

Then there was Dustin Hoffman, probably the biggest surprise of this animation. I would never have thought he could do voice overs since he tend to mumble but here he spoke with a clear voice, with a voice that is at times wise, at times tender and sometimes quite stern. His Master Shifu is my most favourite character in this animation other than Master Oogway. He imparted character and personality to his alter ego the red panda. Whilst he may look cute, Dustin Hoffman's great performance gave Master Shifu a very "don't stand near me" stance.

I also love Master Oogway. The actor is Randall Duk Kim and after some googling, I realised he was the keymaker, key keeper, whatever, that guy on the motorcycle with Trinity in Matrix II!! Choosing a tortoise to be a zen like taichi master is pure brilliance. From his first appearance to his last, Master Oogway was zen all the way, calm, cool, wise and all knowing. The actor who voiced this character exuded all these qualities and is a sharp contrast from a tense and serious Master Shifu or the bumbling Po.

Ian McShane did an excellent job voicing the arrogant and very angry Tai Lung. Why the villain must be British I have no idea but his voice, growling and all reminded me so much of Jeremy Iron's Scar in Lion King.

Everybody else did well within their own character although except for the few exceptions as mentioned above as well as Po's father, Mr Ping voiced by James Hong, the actors were not given much time to develop their characters. But then the focus is on Po and Master Shifu and in that case this animation succeeds in fleshing out to the fullest these two main characters.

Other aspect to marvel is of course the animation. I love the dream sequence of Po which was drawn like those Chinese animation of the past and then the present time was still quite Asian influenced. The scenery, the water, etc were rendered beautifully. For a moment I thought they were hand drawn but then realised they were actually computer generated like all of their other animation. If the story fails to impress you, surely the graphics will impress you to no end. The colours are bright and colourful, unlikes the dull Shark Tale or the green themed Shrek or even the one colour tone Antz. Somehow it seems more brighter, more colourful and the colour are more pleasing to the eyes. Fantastic work here.

But the best had to be the kung fu sequence itself. Whilst Jackie Chan and Jet Li moves are beginning to bore me, in this animation the kung fu is reminiscent of all those Jing Yong series we grew up on. I am sure the directors didn't know Jing Yong and drew their references from Kung Fu Hustle and the many movies that inspired Kung Fu Hustle itself but I can't help but notice some seems more like those Wuxia styles. Like the fighting for the dumplings using chopsticks between Po and Master Shifu. I love these sequences, very beautiful rendered and some heart stopping action, especially that battle between Furious Five and Tai Lung at the bridge. But other small moments like how Master Shifu took down the dragon scroll or how Master Oogway with one movement defeated Tai Lung were just beautiful and gracefully executed. The fight between Tai Lung and Po was really funny, more like clumsy fighting than real fighting but you know I have a theory which the writer did not really specify.

Tai Lung is a hard snow leopard who kicks and punches his way through. The directors said they contrasted this to Po's flabby self since Tai Lung is all muscle and Po is all fat. How Tai Lung was defeated by Po was Po flexibility because of his fats. How Master Oogway is a taichi master, quite obvious with his slow but powerful movements. This wasn't specified but I feel when Po was fighting Tai Lung, he was using the principles of Tai Chi or rather fluidity of the body. Tai Lung is hard but Po is soft. He fights like how the river flows. So Po became a Taichi master! Of course the movie didn't specify this but I made my conclusions at the style I saw. It is the only way to explain how Tai Lung lost when he was the expert. Also never undermine your enemy I suppose.

Then there was the hilarious name. Not Tigress or Mantis or such. No big deal. It took me a while to recognise Master Oogway. Oogway is a tortoise and that is the name in Cantonese! I thought wow brilliant name! Then there was Chogarm prison and I was thinking what? And after just a moment I realised Cho-gam! In the prison in cantonese and hence Chogarm prison! Now that is the king of whatever pop culture reference that I like to see more, not a parody of snow white or singing to the bird until its head explodes like in Shrek which I hated.

If this is the kind of quality animation Dreamworks intend to create in future, I will surely become its fan. Never a moment from the beginning till the end did I stop laughing. The only scenes I didn't laugh was the very tense fighting scene and the relationship between Master Shifu and Tai Lung. Notice how expressive the red panda's eyes was. This movie has it all. Humour, tension, action, great scenery, witty script and great acting by those who matters. If you loved Kung Fu Hustle I can see no reason why you won't love this. Don't be put off by the idea of a panda doing kung fu or a tortoise or praying mantis or such. They're representative of the characters. Replace them with human beings and the story would be as funny and as touching and suspenseful as this animation was. And it has a great lesson in it. What you take home with you after the viewing of this movie is up to you but to me, it is dare to dream big because like Po, with some talent, support and hard work, he achieved what he dreamt all his life. Even if he was a big fat panda.

My Most favourite scene

The fighting for dumplings with chopsticks scene between Po and Master Shifu

Verdict

Excellent animation, do not miss this. For all the dissenters who feel this is the same old stuff, clearly you have never seen Dreamworks' other works. I have never seen an interpretation of such Asian-ness in an animation made and voiced predominantly by westerners. I feel it was respectfully done and yet oh so witty and the end credits was beautiful where the characters' names are in Chinese instead of English. Deserving of a big screen treatment and a serious contender for Oscar next year although I am still eagerly awaiting Pixar's next offering. As for Dreamworks this may be one of those rare cases because in the cinema I saw Madagascar 2. So whatever big dreams I have for Dreamworks for quality animation, I am sorry to say those dreams were a bit too early. A pity. But for Kung Fu Panda, it is a pure joy to have watched it. Go see it now!!

P/S

There is one final scene said to be touching and poignant at the end of the credits. Didn't know so didn't stay for it. Must watch it on DVD. So do stay back even if you're last man standing and 2 aunties are waiting to vacuum the cinema.

Some pictures

The actors and their characters

Seth Rogan as Mantis

Jackie Chan as Monkey

Lucy Liu as Viper

Jack Black as Po, the Panda

Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu (red panda)

David Cross as Crane

Angelina Jolie as Tigress

Randall Duk Kim as Master Oogway

Ian McShane as Tai Lung the snow leopard

James Hong as Mr Ping (a goose? geese?)

Michael Clark Duncan (remember Green Mile?) as Commander Vachir, a Rhino.

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RATATOUILLE [Mov] [Ani]

Written by Funn Lim

"A masterpiece and to me perfection."

SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Year Released
2007

Genre
3D animation, 100% guaranteed by Pixar themselves.

Reminder
This review is on the English/US version.

Cast-Character
Taken from IMDB.com

Patton Oswalt ... Remy
Ian Holm ... Skinner
Lou Romano ... Linguini
Brian Dennehy ... Django
Peter Sohn ... Emile
Peter O'Toole ... Anton Ego
Brad Garrett ... Gusteau
Janeane Garofalo ... Colette
Will Arnett ... Horst
Julius Callahan ... Lalo/Francois
James Remar ... Larousse
John Ratzenberger ... Mustafa
Teddy Newton ... Lawyer (Talon Labarthe)
Tony Fucile ... Pompidou/Health Inspecto
Jake Steinfeld ... Git (Lab Rat)

Summary
Taken from IMDB.com

Remy is a young rat in the French countryside who arrives in Paris, only to find out that his cooking idol, Gusteau is dead after a scatching review by the feared reviewer, Anton Ego who took offense with Gusteau's motto, "Anyone can cook". When he makes an unusual alliance with a restaurant's new garbage boy, Linguini who did not have the culinary gift but has a good heart, Remy defies all odds to become a cook despite the hatred of his species in teh kitchen world and the scepticism of his rat father against the humans who kill them mercilessly.

Comments
There may be disputes as to whether Bugs, Monsters Inc and the recent Cars were good enough to be called Pixar productions, the truth is I love all of Pixars' previous efforts, including those dissed by many. I love the colours of Bugs, the humour and touching scenes in Monsters Inc and the sheer imginativeness of Cars. Any Pixar flick, whether good or those they say very bad is still much better than any 3D animation out there, Disney included although I love Chicken Little. It has become a standard argument to compare Pixar's latest effort with Pixar's previous efforts because in terms of the looks, the story and the execution of it, no other productions can ever compare with Pixar except Pixar themselves. Of course this is like blowing your own trumpet but when one is good, one is good. My most favourite Pixar movie seems to be dictated by which is the latest, because each one seems to get better than the previous effort. The last effort was Cars. Although The Incredibles may be funnier or more relevant, but Cars to me is a better effort because how can you tell a story occupied 100% by cars? How do you animate cars? Well let the sifus at Pixar show you the way. My most favourite Pixar flick is still Finding Nemo because even now what I could see is still as gorgeous as the first time I saw it, the story as funny and the characters as engaging. I am also a sucker for those against the odd types of stories that if done well can be inspiring but if done badly seems too forced just so to let the underdog win. The ads for Ratatouille was on since a year ago and I was immediately captivated by the premise of the story; a rat who wants to be a cook and who is picky about what he eats. How can that be?! Immediately I knew this poor rat was in for the biggest fight of his life to realise his ambition and I knew it was going to be fun. I may sound like a psychic or a seer but when it comes to Pixar, anything is possible and if it is impossible, let Pixar do it and anything will become possible. After watching Ratatouille, I now believe rats can cook and rats do know how to keep themselves clean. Call that the power of entertainment.

I will make no doubt my love for this movie. But my love goes beyond just being entertained. Like all other reviews that have been positively glowing towards this Pixar's latest effort, this review will be as glowing, if not more so. Do be forewarned; you may need your sunglassess when reading this review.

This movie reminds me of Babe which remains as my most favourite movie of all time. I am sucker for underdog stories, especially when one is not supposed to do that particular thing. Like Babe, a pig who dreams of being a sheepdog. Or like in Happy Feet, a penguin who can't sing but has a talent for tap dancing, a movie which ranks quite high in my all time favourites. I love a story about breaking the mold, going beyond what is expected of you and achieving the impossible. And combine that with a story about food, to me that's pure perfection.

However, for the life of me I really didn't know what to expect from this movie to tell you the truth. How were they going to show a rat cooking? Like how could Marlin from the sea save Nemo who is in a fishtank? Well, this is where the power of imagination, a little bit of over the top dreaming and some dose of practicalities could make this possible.

I was so eager to watch this movie, the moment it came out on Thursday 16.08.2007, I was buying the ticket on 17.08.2007 and watching it on 18.08.2007 at 11.00AM show at TGV cinema at Cheras Selatan. The ticket was RM7-00! Morning show you see. The time seemed to go by so slowly that week but once the weekend came, boom! Went by so fast. The movie was not very long, since I left the cinema at 1pm. But every moment in that movie was magical. The graphics were beyond excellent, the music score very suitable, the dialogue witty, the characters engaging especially little Remy himself, the ending was unexpected but still as great and the food....oh the food...so hungry...so very hungry.... all looked so real. I especially love the scene where the animators tried to animate what good food feels like as Remy showed to us the musical colours and musical beats. Reminds me of The Three Caballeros.

But what makes the movie so great is the story, the unbeatable aspect of this movie. Whatever others may criticise it as saying it is the usual fare, unbelievable or even insulting to the French, the point is I believe French culinary is chosen because I suppose it is the epitome of high class dining and being an art form and Remy a rat simply because it is capable of being cuter than a cockroach and a rat is an enemy of the kitchen. It is like an oxymoron or whatever when the entire premise of the story is a rat who dreams of being a cook.

What is great about the story, believe it or not is that it is highly original. Of course nothing is original about an underdog fighting for a place in this big bad world, but a rat? In a kitchen? Cooking? How then does he communicate? How does he move the saucepan? Isn't a rat dirty? Diseased even? Remy is a very clean rat, he likes being clean and he takes particular care on what he puts into his stomach, eventhough he may be a rat. He is also nimble and agile, so he can jump up and down as he finds the ingredients, the herbs and spices to add into a soup or a dish. As illustrated in an earlier scene, he could even operate a saucepan and made an omelette. But how can he cut, clice, stir and serve?

Well the genius at Pixar figured that out by the help of a very clumsy but nimble kitchen boy, Linguini. When we first met Linguini, he was desperate for a job and he really can't cook. In fact even the rat can cook better but then the rat has talent. Linguini has heart and since Remy is a very smart rat who can read and understand human language, Linguini can talk to Remy and Remy could respond by gestures. And oh, how expressive a simple gesture can be and the genius at Pixar has outdone themselves in that department. But then if a car can emote, why not a rat? After much trial and error, Remy discovered he can control Linguini's movement like a puppet by pulling his hair. So Remy stays hidden on the top of Linguini's head inside the top hat and pulled Linguini's hair to move him around. Linguini himself didn't mind these manipulation as he slices and cooks and reaches for the spices whilst trying to hide the fact that there is a rat under his hat. His boss, the executive chef by the name of Skinner was no amused when clumsy Linguini turned out to be a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and he thought he saw a rat with him all the time. At the same time Linguini was to inherit the restaurant Gusteau, once headed by the great chef Gusteau whose words of advice to aspiring chefs inspired Remy and also infuriated the fearsome food critic, the pale thin glum looking Anton Ego, whose last review on the restaurant practically killed off the restaurant's reputation and Gusteau himself. But Remy took to heart Gusteau's advice that he heard over the TV and also with Gusteau appearing as his conscience, that anyone can cook and not everyone can be great but greatness can come from anywhere which has become the driving force behind the story. When Anton Ego heard of Linguini's success he was eager to crush it and challenged Linguini to cook him something. But Remy and Linguini were having some misunderstanding thanks to Linguini who didn't acknowlege Remy and Remy taking revenge on Linguini by opening the door of the kitchen and let his fellow rats steal food from it and Remy in a moment of weakness almost resigned to his own fate as a rat but then he realised he wants to cook and he is a cook. His passion and love for food and cooking led him back to Linguini who was felt he didn't do justice to his Little Chef. The last stand was between Remy and Anton Ego and there lies the significance of the title of this movie, ratatouille. To see how Anton Ego reacted to this dish and what he subsequently wrote and narrated at the end of the movie which closely reflect myself as an amateur critic was a powerful statement of admission of when something's good, you can't destroy it even if you wanted to simply for the sake of destroying it. Whilst I doubt anyone can ever know the executive chef of a restaurant is a rat, I love the ending with Remy and Linguini's story. But what I love most is the story of Anton Ego. His scenes may be few but pivotal to Remy's fate and in the end he is the heart of this very heart warming story.

And what a heart warming story it is. It won't cause you tears, it is not a tear jerker but it does make you think. Just because it has a cute cuddly looking rat by the name of Remy doesn't necessarily make this movie about a cute cuddly animal. It is about daring to dream, it is about going beyond what others think is your destiny, it is about being passionate about something, about talent, about reflection, about a good heart and most of all it is about recognition. Recognising a good person and payment in kind of his kindness, it is recognising talent even from the most impossible source and encouraging that talent and it is about recognising what is missing from ones soul and when found, fill it with joy and warmth and admitting that "anyone can cook". Like that tagline of this movie, greatness can come from anywhere, and it takes an animated movie about a rat who dreams of being a cook to tell the cynic in all of us just that.

The voice acting is also excellent and I am just too glad that it is not filled to the brim with famous stars just for the sake of having famous stars. I have never heard of the actor who voiced Remy, the voice that voiced Linguini is reportedly a Pixar employee, Ian Holm, Brad Garrett and Janeane Garofalo's voices were unrecognisable to me and each one has the French accent and as in the tradition of a pixar flick, we have again John Ratzenberger. But it was Peter O'Toole that nearly stole the show from the other cast with his sinister, dark and arrogant Anton Ego, whose character quite live up to his own name. You could hear his disdain, his arrogance and his hatred for what Gusteau stood for. He does look like Christopher Lee and I am quite surprised why Christopher didn't voice this character instead. He would have done a great job too but you know, Peter O'Toole really nailed the character, as in every voice actor in this movie.

Only the most foolish will have anything to criticise about this movie. And to those who feels this movie transmits sublime insults and stereotypes of the French or women, I am sorry to say the point of this great story is lost in these people. But then you can't cater to all, and to each his own opinion. Of course certain things are universal and if one chooses to be a rebel for the sake of being a rebel, the plight of Anton Ego is perhaps most apt to describe these special group of rebels. And hopefully like Anton Ego, they will be able to have the capacity and the broadmindedness to admit that when something is good, it is good.

Verdict
Pure brilliance and stunning visuals. But the best is the heartfelt story. A masterpiece and to me perfection. I know some boycott animated film, thinking it is for children only but this story has many levels and on deeper levels on adults who have been through that stage in life where we doubt ourselves eventhough we know we have what it takes to realise that dream, this movie will tap into that inner you and hopefully like Remy, despite the odds against us, I hope we too can achieve our dreams. This movie deserves repeated viewings and it is a must to watch it on the big screen to appreciate the level of details. But most of all, this movie can be enjoyed by everyone of all ages and it is perhaps one of those very few things in life in entertainment that both adult and child can both find something they like, like the Harry Potter books.

Bon appetit!

What is Ratatouille?
I believe the dish is chosen in part due to its humble roots (so it is like Remy himself) and the play of word, RAT-tatouille. The name as reminded in the posters is pronounced at Rat-Ta-Too-Ee. Rat as in a straight rat and not the rat's rat.

Taken from imdb.com, Ratatouille is a tasty French Provençial dish made from stewed vegetables. The dish is versatile and can be served with rice, potatoes, French bread or itself can be a side dish. Its main basic ingredients consist of tomatoes, onions and zucchinis. The name of the dish appears to derive from the French touiller, "to stir", although the root of the first element "rata" is slang from the French Army meaning "chunky stew".

From what I can read in the forums, some didn't find it tasty. Maybe that is because of the universal dislike for all things vegetables I suppose. It sounds tasty and from what I could see in the movie, it looks quite delicious. By the way all the food in the movie is real, prepared by a real chef.

Virtual set tour
Yes! You can actually visit the set pieces in Ratatouille itself! Click HERE to find out more.

The DVD
Is out! A pity though. I can't find the The Making Of feature. I really wanted to know the actors behind the voices! So I searched it and found a featurette in youtube!





More Info
For more info, pictures, screencaps and stirring reviews by us commoners, visit Imdb.com.

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Howl's Moving Castle [Ani][Jap]

Written by Funn Lim 

"A must buy for any Hayao Miyazaki fan. What a treat! What an amazing treat!"

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

AKA
Hauru no ugoku shiro

Released In
2004

Languages
You name it, there is probably a version with it. I do know for a fact there is the Japanese, English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French version. My favourite is English version because no need to read subtitles but for some voices the Japanese version is better. Mandarin version I do not like but Cantonese is great because it is cute. Reminds me of Spirited Away whether the Cantonese version is my favourite. As for subtitles, there's Chinese, English, Malay and I think that's about it. I personally hated the English subtitles because if you watch the Japanese version, when the song is played, the subtitles will show the lyrics of the songs BUT the characters are still talking and whatever they said are lost in translation drowned by the translated lyrics.

Funn, can I possibly get the DVD with all the above languages in it?
Why yes, of course. Go to Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur. You can find it there.

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

Writing credits
Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Diana Wynne Jones (novel)

I have been trying to find the novel at MPH and Kinokuniya and guess what? YES! SOLD OUT!

Cast-Character
Chieko Baisho .... Sofî (voice)
Takuya Kimura .... Hauru (voice)
Akihiro Miwa .... Arechi no Majo (voice)
Tatsuya Gashuin .... Karushifâ (voice)
Ryunosuke Kamiki .... Marukuru (voice)
Mitsunori Isaki .... Koshô (voice)
Yo Oizumi .... Kakashi no Kabu (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka .... Kokuô (voice)
Daijiro Harada .... Hin (voice)
Haruko Kato .... Sariman (voice)
Jane Alan .... Honey (voice: English version) (as Mari Devon)
Carlos Alazraqui .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Newell Alexander .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Rosemary Alexander .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Lauren Bacall .... Witch of the Waste (voice: English version)
Christian Bale .... Howl (voice: English version)
Julia Barnett .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Susan Blakeslee .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Leslie Carrara .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Mitch Carter .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
David Cowgill .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Billy Crystal .... Calcifer (voice: English version)
Blythe Danner .... Madam Suliman (voice: English version)
Holly Dorff .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Moosie Drier .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Ike Eisenmann .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman .... Prince Turnip (voice: English version)
Will Friedle .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sofie Gråbøl .... Sofie (voice)
Bridget Hoffman .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Richard Steven Horvitz .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sherry Hursey .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Josh Hutcherson .... Markl (voice: English version)
Hope Levy .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Christina MacGregor .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jena Malone .... Lettie (voice: English version)
Joel McCrary .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Edie Mirman .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Emily Mortimer .... Young Sophie (voice: English version)
Liliana Mumy .... Madge (voice: English version)
Daran Norris .... Additional Voices
Peter Renaday .... Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Pete Renaday)
Kristen Rutherford .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Mark Silverman .... King (voice: English version)
Jean Simmons .... Old Sophie (voice: English version)
Warren Sroka .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)

Note
My review will be of the English version with passing mention of the Japanese version

Plot
Taken from IMDB.com

Young Sophie Hatter is cursed by the Witch of the Waste, and turns into an old hag. Ashamed of how she looks, she flees into the hills where a moving castle roams the hills. It is said to belong to the young and handsome wizard Howl, who has a bad reputation. Within the castle, Sophie befriends the fire demon Calcifer, who promises to help her become young again. One catch: she must help Calcifer to be free of Howl, and Calcifer cannot tell her how. However, Sophie agrees to stay and try to find out about the contract through other ways. Still, Howl can see that Sophie is under a spell like Calcifer can, and he falls in love with her for who she is and not for what she looks like. Sophie manages to bring life to the moving castle, and she helps Howl to face his former tutor, Madam Suliman.

Comments
Wahhhh! Takayu Kimura! I was like "woahhhhh! Takayu Kimura!" and then I read the English version was Christian Bale and I was like "woahhhhh! Christian Bale!". I don't know why, this movie just had me in awe. It is not a perfect story, in fact Spirited Away is better in the story department but somehow I could watch this movie again and again and never feel bored with it. I suspect it is shorter than Spirited Away but no less imaginative. For one, the landscape is dreamy and gorgeous. I totally love the Japanese anime's version of landscape plus total silence. I could feel goosebump. I especially love the drawings of wind blowing the green grass, river, rain, you know natural stuff.

But the sight to behold is the moving castle itself. To call it a castle is an overstatement. It looks more like a fish with legs but every bit as imaginative and beautiful. I totally love the moving castle which has personality of its own. Inside the castle is suprisingly smaller. I expect bigger since the fish is so big but inside somehow looks tighter in space. But still as imaginative as ever. It may look like a pigsty before Sophie cleaned it but still what a place. What I like is the ability to change space and the location by the switch of the dial at the door. Like Sophie, I too wanted to explore the castle and like her I too fell in love with that place. Amazing animation, amazing stuff.

But let's get back to the story.

I have never read the book and I was told there were some differences between the book and the movie. In fact the movie may not have explained certain things that the book may have explained in detail, hence my hunt for the book, quite unsuccessfully at the date of this review. For one, I didn't quite understand the relationship between Calcifer and Howl. I didn't quite get it the relationship between Howl and The Witch Of The Waste. In fact the translation from the Japanese version and the English version itself is so different. One said Howl rejected The Witch because he found out he was Ugly (English version) whilst the other said Howl ran away from The Wicth because she was horrible (Japanese version). If you read carefully they're very different. The former implies that Howl once had a relationship with her whilst the other implied a more neutral relationship. I was confused. Other than that the ever changing look of Sophie, from old to young to old again confused me as to whether she was still old or not. But after repeated viewing I understood that to some people they saw her in her true form. But the most confusing was the ending; so was she young again? Someone explained yes, the curse was broken. I need to read the book to know how since the movie did not elaborate on that.

Whilst there are serious flaws with the story, the characters themselves are such a delight to watch.

I like the older Sophie rather than the younger one. Even in the Japanese version I found the younger Sophie lacking personality and such a boring character. This is even so when the scene had her changing from old to young and back to old. But the older Sophie is really something. As Sophie was no longer shackled by the fact of her unattractiveness as the younger Sophie (yes hard to believe she was supposed to be plain since the animation really drew her in a very pretty way), the older Sophie could do more like scolding, complaining, even with sarcasm. I was so sorry to see her being young again but then how can Howl be with a 90 year old woman? Even the voice was suitable. In the English version, Jean Simmons truly gave Sophie spunk and attitude. Her voice is kind and yet forceful with an opinion to share. Her observations also truly witty. Emily Mortimer as the younger Sophie fell flat like the character. Truly excrutiatingly boring. The Japanese version surprisingly has the same effect!

I also like Howl although I find him a bit childish and placed too much emphasis on beauty. Like he said "How can I live if I can't be beautiful?". Just shows how shallow he is. And yet there were some scenes that show the sinister side of it, and although Howl looked more like a very beautiful man (almost like a woman, like in all Japanese anime), there is no doubt there is a certain dangerous edge to Howl however shallow he may be. He seems pretty cool too, unperturbed by the fact that Sophie suddenly took up residence in the castle. And he fell for her despite her looks. As for the voice, Christian Bale really nailed the mysteriousness and playfullness of the character. In fact he sounded like Bruce Wayne, on a very happy day. He has such a beautiful voice well suited for animation and I feel he did the role justice. I really like the way he flirted with the older Sophie, very playful. The Japanese version is also just as great. Takayu Kimura has such a deep soothing voice that can be said as sexy. Perfect casting as well. Frankly I like the English version better because I like Christian Bale more and I am more familiar with his work. Takayu Kimura I know by reputation.

Markl, Howl's young apprentice is super cute. I like this character very much and his playful interaction with the older Sophie. Voiced perfectly by Josh Hutcherson, this young boy really gave Markl such a cute disposition.

The Witch of the Waste is an enigma. I am not even sure if she is good or bad or senile or pretend to be senile. But a very interesting character. Lauren Bacall who voiced this character did an amazing job. Just watch and I bet you wouldn't know it was her! I saw the Japanese version in some parts to hear the voice of the Witch. It is deeper, lower and manlier and may I say, somewhat fits the character more. However both actors did their interpretation and both were wonderful although the Japanese voice was more scary, more menacing.

Madam Suliman is an interesting character. She appears very late in the movie and doesn't much but this is one character that I wonder is she good or bad? Very nicely voiced by Blythe Danner who sound similar to the Japanese voice, I for one prefer the Japanese voice though. That voice is more womanly, more high pitch and in a way more sinister which makes Madam Suliman such a mysterious character and I know why Howl feared her. However her scene also involved a very strangely translated scene. That scene was where Howl escaped with old Sophie and Madam Suliman in the English version said she now knows how to deal with Howl because of his love for Sophie which meant she will do something sinister to Sophie AND YET in the Japanese version in the same scene she said Sophie looked very young. That was it! It indicates that she knew Sophie was under a curse and nothing more. Why the difference in translation?

My most favourite character in this movie, apart from the very cute dog called Hin is Calcifer. I feel the English version is way better than the Japanese version because in the English version, Calcifer is so funny. His animation is wonderful, imaginative and so very cute. Like a walking talking fire ball actually. I didn't know who voiced him. I thought Nathan Lane, but Nathan Lane had a higher pitched voice. I thought Kevin Spacey but couldn't be. And then I read in imdb.com that it was Billy Crystal! I would never have guessed! I believe he was the best in here, giving Calcifer such a delightful funny and witty personality and I enjoyed his interaction with Sophie. What I like best though is the animation. Look at the way he eats the egg shells and all! What a beautiful animation.

Everybody else were just as well cast and the animation superb. I have a few favourite scenes in here, one of which is when Howl threw a tantrum and how old Sophie dealt with his temper. The other was Sophie, a 90 year old woman carrying Hin an old heavy dog up some hundred steps of stairs to see Madam Suliman and the Witch Of The Waste was made to walk the same steps. The way they two walked up slowly with the Witch sweating profusely and old Sophie breathing loudly and all, it was just one of the really funny scenes in this movie. It is also nice to see Sophie encouraging the Witch, despite the fact that the Witch cursed her to be as such and yet had no counter curse because she didn't know any. Why she was cursed was because Howl helped Sophie earlier and out of jealousy the Witch who was obsessed with Howl's heart (you can saw love, you can literally his heart) cursed Sophie in one of the scariest scene in the movie. The way Sophie dealt with her sudden aged body was also interesting although unbelievably calm. But that is not a flaw, rather an observation.

What more can I say? Despite the poor story and sometimes patchy translation, I just love this movie. I must admit though Sophie's character is more like an observor than a participant, and Howl is rarely seen but heck! The moving castle, cute boy, cute scarecrow, cute everything, great animation, beautiful scenery? Just look at this movie which is boasted as one of the best English dubbed there is.

Verdict
A must buy for any Hayao Miyazaki fan. What a treat! What an amazing treat!

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Grave Of The Fireflies [Ani][Jap]

Written by Funn Lim

"Whilst this movie would have been better if it was acted by real people, animation itself may have lessened the impact of the war."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

AKA
Hotaru no haka

Why such an English title?
I suspect it has to do with one scene where if I remember correctly Setsuko buried the dead fireflies into a small makeshift grave in honour of her dead mother.

Released In
1988

Cast-Character
Rhoda Chrosite .... Setsuko (voice: English version)
Shannon Conley .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dan Green .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Amy Jones .... Aunt (voice: English version)
George Leaver .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
J. Robert Spencer .... Seita (voice: English version)
Nick Sullivan .... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Veronica Taylor .... Mother (voice: English version)

Plot
Taken from imdb.com

Seita and Setsuko are brother and sister living in wartime Japan. After their mother is killed in an air raid they found a temporary home with relatives. Having quarreled with their aunt they left the city and made their home in an abandoned bomb shelter. While their father's destiny who was a soldier is unknown the two must depend on each other to somehow keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. When everything was in short supply, they gradually succumb to hunger and their only entertainment was the light of the fireflies.

Comments
This movie is depressing. Because you know the ending even before it began. The very first words uttered by the young teenage, Seita was that on a certain date in 1945 he died. We also know his sister, Setsuko died as well as the very first scene was him lying in a modern looking facility, dirty and in rags and dying of hunger. The next scene was his sister and himself reunited by a small tin container that used to contain his beloved sister's beloved fruit drops. It's a tragedy and the story is not interested in telling you how they died as we know by hunger or even when they died although we know this was set during WWII but why they died. The why is pretty grim and what is good about this story is it is pretty honest. Told through the eyes of the young children, the story takes a poignant and sad turn as we watch how the children slowly succumb to death.

There are several scenes in this movie that will definitely tug your hearts. Their mother's burnt body, as she laid dying possibly in lots of pain, the way the flies were flying all over her, the maggots, etc. Whilst the children were sent to live with their relative, an aunt who herself is married with teenaged children, they were very warmly welcomed and well fed. But once the aunt knew the mother had died and the fate of the father (who was in the navy) unknown, she turned nasty. Perhaps this is even more real than most depicted in movies because I believe in real life people, even relatives can be that cold hearted. She began to nag and said things that no child could understand. She blamed Seita for not working and contributing, calling him lazy and all sorts of name but in a very subdued way, not all out screaming. Even her husband seemed fed up with their presence although the daughter was more tolerant. Much later she conned Seita to handover his mother's expensive kimonos, she bartered them for rice which was a precious commodity and in a very hypocritical way generously gave them less than half which prompted Setsuko to say "But it is our rice ..." which had her launching her into lectures about how ungrateful the children were. Even adults conned children in times of desparation. Further scenes has the children finally moving out after Seita could no longer take her criticism and a happy Setsuko happily following her brother but that was the first step towards doom. Seita didn't have the heart to tell Setsuko that their mother died but Setsuko knew because the mean aunt told her and she took it like a mature adult would. Anyway, they basically died of malnutrition as rashes covered their bodies and Setsuko growing weaker and weaker by the day. Advice to Seita to swallow his pride and return to his aunt fell to deaf ears, desperation turned Seita into a petty criminal but in the end Setsuko died in her sleep. I think when Setsuko died, it was very sad because moments before she offered mudballs to Seita saying their were rice balls and when Seita refused she could not understand why he refused. Hunger by that time was playing tricks on her mind and after her death, scenes of a very active and happy Setsuko playing around the bomb shelter will sure tug at your hearts. In the end even Seita perished.

Whilst this movie would have been better if it was acted by real people, animation itself may have lessened the impact of the war. Imagine if you see a real child covered with rashed and only skin and bones, surely that would cause an outcry. But because of that, the animation seems distant to me, unable to draw me in except as a spectator. I once also foolishly mentioned that some may not be drawn into the story because it was about the Japanese during WWII. I remember when I was watching this movie and I was almost in tears, my sisters were unmoved. Reasons need not be stated, just suffice to say we are Chinese. But I remember telling them, this is about children and war, the most universal suffering one can see and it does not matter if they were Japanese or Iraqis, they're children, pure, simple and innocent victims of the foolishness of adults. In a way this movie depicted just that and more. What I like about it is it did not attempt to show the adults in a good light. Most of the adults in here are selfish, uncaring and unmoved by the children's plight, probably because there were million others. Even the children made mistake, in an attempt to strike it out on their own, they did not realise the gravity of their action. It is a very harsh look at the results of war in the eyes of the children and luckily it is animation, because like I said if it was a real movie acted by real people, it would be a very difficult movie to watch.

But yet I am not entirely moved by their plight, again caused by my own foolishness. In a way and I shall confess, when Seita said "the Great Emperor lost?" in total disbelief, I was rather annoyed. History is the reason why I did not like this movie as much as I should. Animation wise, it is passable but considering it was made in 1988, and not by the famed Hayao Miyazaki although I was told by the same studio, colours didn't get much prominence. in here. They're mostly black or brown, rather dreary. I didn't think it was beautifully animated, eventhough the firefly scene was nice. Worse still is the voice casting. I watched the English version and I disliked the voices, too high pitch, too cartoonish, too plain.

But the story itself is universal. It can happen anywhere and it can happen in any century for as long as there is war, the victims, most likely children and adults alike would have gone through what Seita and Setsuko went through.

In what I believe is a brilliant ending scene to a rather dreary looking animation with a heavy theme, we see a healthy looking Seita telling a healthy looking Setsuko to lie on his lap and sleep whilst sitting on a bench. The camera then zoom away to their back, where they were on a hill facing a very beautiful night view of tall modern buildings with very beautiful bright lights. If I am not mistaken, they were seeing modern Japan and surely looking still as young, they're both very dead. It was a poignant end. They were suffering in life but in death they were united and time stood still for them in terms of looks but Japan has moved on. It would have been even better if we get to see their parents joining them.

All in all, a very sad movie indeed, and moving but not the movie that I would declare as making the most impact on my senses. I felt the movie was a tad too long. I wouldn't dare call it entertaining because how can watching 2 children die be called entertaining? How shall I term it? Stark reality perhaps?

Verdict
Story wise a good watch but depending on how you view animation showcasing pain and suffering, get ready to be surprised or even shocked at the children's plight and the adults' indifference.

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Princess Mononoke [Ani] [Jap]

Written by Funn Lim

"All in all, the animation is superb."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

AKA
Mononoke-hime

Released In
1997

Language
Japanese with subtitles. But the DVD I bought got also English and French dubbing and the English one is done by big Hollywood stars whose voices are very hard to recognise, for me. The version I watched is the English version.

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

Writing credits
Neil Gaiman (English adaptation: US version)
Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)

Cast-Character
Gillian Anderson .... Moro
Billy Crudup .... Ashitaka
Claire Danes .... San (Princess Mononoke)
Keith David .... Okkoto
John DeMita .... Kohroku
John Di Maggio .... Gonza
Minnie Driver .... Lady Eboshi
Sherry Lynn .... Iron Town Woman/Emishi Villiage Girl
Tress MacNeille .... Ironworker
Jada Pinkett Smith .... Toki
Tara Strong .... Kaya
Billy Bob Thornton .... Jigo
K.T. Vogt .... Complaining wife


Summary
This is the land of myths, demons and Gods. Gods come in the form of animals from the magical forest but because of men logging and destroying the forest, many Gods became very angry and turned into senseless demons where the very touch of their oozing blood will kill the humans and everything in their paths. Prince Ashitaka, a young prince from a village occupied by really old people was defending the village from a demon boar called Nago and he himself got touched in the process. This meant he will die a painful death as the poison in the form of the demon ooze spread around his entire body. The boar died. The village elder, like the witch doctor advised him to forever leave the village, go to a place she named to see the world without hate and to seek a cure for his illness. And so he went and he encountered a seedy monk in the process with an agenda of his own and he came upon Iron Town which was situated near a great magical forest where animals still dwell there. The forest is considered healthy with appearances of tiny magical creatures and is run by the respected Forest Spirt which by day takes the form of an elk and by night a magical big transparent creature as he walked around the forest. Iron Town is run by lady Eboshi, a ruthless woman who cares very little for the forest and has been for many years slowly encroach onto the forest land in search of iron. The animals in the forms of Gods were naturally very angry but did little over the years except to wish her dead. As Prince Ashitaka stayed at Iron Town for some time, he realised Lady Eboshi was not as bad as the animals would see her. She saved young girls from brothels and gave them jobs, she treated the lepers with respect and she genuinely wanted to build Iron Town into a place for those without much hope but she has little respect for the forest and the Gods. One night Iron Town came under attack by the wolves and a wolf girl adopted by the Wolf named Moro. This girl was Princess Mononoke and she was fearless in her attempt to kill Eboshi but failed and Ashitaka instead saved her and left Iron Town. Mononoke distrusts humans and wishes only to kill Eboshi. As Ashitaka left, someone shot him but amazingly he didn't die. Mononoke took him to the Forest Spirt who healed his wound but not that demon scar. And then suddenly the boars appeared, led by the very old and very blind Okkoto who wanted to wage a war against the humans. As the boars prepared for war and Eboshi agreeing to help the monk with an agenda to kill the forest spirit (the Emperor wanted to live forever so he thought by eating the forest spirit's head he will live forever), Iron Town came from under attack by the samurais who wanted to take Eboshi's irons. Mononoke was busy helping the boars to save the forest whilst Ashitaka was busy finding Eboshi to stop the killings. Very hectic time and in the end Eboshi's arrogance and action nearly destroyed the forest and killed everybody but Ashitaka and Mononoke set things right once again.

Comments
It is very hard for me to summarise the entire story without the summary sounding like some out of this world fantasy tale. This is a fantasy movie, an animation by the famed animator who later gave us the delightful and enchanting Spirited Away. Both movies dealt with spirits, Gods, respect and arrogance. Knowing ones place in the order of the world. I am sure Asians, although you may not be a Japanese may be able to identify with the many aspects of this movie. Quite simply this movie is about environment, respect for the environment and if not dire consequences shall follow. It is a tall tale, the animals as Gods who seem way too big. But it is interesting to see the animator choosing the boars to play a certain role, the wolves another, the deers and etc. You won't see tigers and lions and basically African type of animals but enough to sense certain animals have certain characteristics so well connected to this movie. The boars are a hateful irrational bunch, the wolves the wise ones, the deers the loyal ones and etc. I am simply amazed by the suitability of the animals.

Humans in here are portrayed as the ignorant ones, the ones who caused chaos without knowing it. Whilst it does not portray humans in a favourable light, nor is there a clear cut line between good people and bad people. The two extremes are Ashitaka, the bystander drawn into the war and Lady Eboshi, the one who fueled the war with her disrespect for nature. The animals themselves aren't that innocent at all, in fact the animals themselves are almost human-like in many aspects; the boars are the extremes in one hand and there are the wolves who tried to stop the war eventhough they hated the humans. The contempts by the humans for the animals and the animals for the humans are equal in strength; basically they hated one another. Humans hate the animals for occupying valuable space and taking up valuable resources whilst animals hate humans for driving them away and taking valuable space and using valuable resources. You see the similarities? If there is a message that this movie tries to drive home, I feel it is the need to seek a middle ground, an equilibrium and the balancing of needs, wants and resources. Sharing of resources and preservation of nature that provides these resources together with all the inahibitants are equally important because one can't do without the other. Of course this movie makes it like really out of this world but the theme and its message is universal and very true, more so in today's world. Whilst scientists acknowledge that nature as in the forest provides for cures to some illnesses that we are only beginning to comprehend, humans are logging away at such rate that by the time we do understand, the cure is destroyed. Life is like one big chess board, every piece on it is as important to complete the game. I think in the end that's the movie's ultimate message.

I must say though, this movie is by no means easy to watch. For an animation feature, some scenes are very violent such as one arrow could basically decapitate a head (and you see the head falling) or sexually suggestive such as the women of Iron Town whose dress are rather loose and you could see cleavage. This is not a child's animation but a very adult themed (not porno type but serious issues) packaged in a cute looking anime which in retrospect isn't that cute. It is more suitable for adults since the message may be geared towards adults.

There are many characters coming in and out of a given scene, but never did I feel a particular scene seems crowded. I feel each character has a role to play, however insignificant or irrelevant they may be.

For me, the most boring character is actually Ashitaka because he is a bystander, observing and later taking part mainly to save the girl he loves. If you must know he couldn't be with the girl in the end as the girl rationalised that they may love one another but their ideals are different so it may be better for them to be apart.

The most irrelevant is Mononoke herself who seems to be involved in this war without realising and acknowledging she is human too. It at times seem silly that she can ignore such an obvious fact. For a title character, she has very little role and only appear much much later into the movie.

The most confusing one is the monk, Jigo who is not really a monk I guess since he is so keen on killing the forest spirit on the orders of the Emperor. He is quite ambigous in character; even until the end I am not sure if he is good or bad. But one thing for certain, he is greedy and he cares very little for the consequences of his actions.

The most interesting character is actually Lady Eboshi. You think she is evil and yet she genuinely cares about Iron Town and the people in it. She is mostly arrogant, thinking that the forest and the Gods are nonsense and it is to be exploited and not to be preserved. But she is by no means evil or mean spirited. She just have very little regard for environment, and to me Lady Eboshi is very much like you and I. I too sometimes can't understand why we must give way to the forest, why we can't just chop them all of to build more houses for needy people, why we must create a forest reservation whatever when we can better use that big chunk of land. But that was me before I watched National Geographic Channel almost every night and remembering the delicate balance between nature and humans and the effect on the environment. After all, like the campaign says, Earth is the only home we have right now and if we don't do something now, it will die sooner than the expected expiry date. We will definitely not see that day any time soon, maybe your great great great great grandchild will. To put it simply, if you believe in reincarnation, you may as well be that great great great great grandchild. And isn't that just a drag?

All in all, the animation is superb. The Japanese have been drawing their animation the same way for decades, the difference is the attention to details and the vibrant colours. This movie boasts some very beautiful drawings, and very life like especially the way the wind blew over the grass and the way the grass swayed to the wind. It was such a sight. One of my favourite has got to be those that involves water, the river, the way it interacts with the touch, the wind, the rain ... so very real and so very beautiful and yet you know it's animation. The animation in this movie does not try to be realistic but yet everything feels real. Essentially the drawings captured the essence of the subject and not merely copying the subject itself. Much like those Chinese paintings you see in the olden days where a black inked bamboo still feels like a green coloured bamboo because the feel of it is captures, rather than just a photographic capture of it. The humans are still as cartoonish as ever, with western features that most westerners may not even have. I think it is deliberate to draw the humans so un-human like, so cartoon-ish looking so as to differentiate between reality and fantasy. But the best had to be those moments of complete silence but with a music playing in the background, softly. The Japanese are very good with silent type of scenes, it kinda gives you goosebumps and that you suddenly feel like you're all alone in that big wide space.

The dubbing ... mostly excellent. I didn't like the actor who dubbed Ashitaka who sounded like half dead. Claire Danes was quite ok as the very emotional Mononoke. Jada Pinkett Smith had a small role only and I find her character too "in your face" type of personality whilst Billy Bob Thornton as the monk did well. Gillian Anderson as Mono was strange; almost didn't recognise her voice but she sounded wise although again like half dead. The best was the voice of Lady Eboshi; at times arrogant, sometimes cynical, sometimes kind, it was English accent and I couldn't recognise who. Only in the credits did I know it was Minnie Driver. What a voice if you ask me but yet didn't quite notice it before. I must say though the timing of the dubbing was perfect. It is funny to hear them speak too fast and then I realise Japanese do tend to speak very fast so the dubbing had to follow the rhythm of the movements of the mouth. It will be mighty interesting how the Germans will be able to dub it this way since generally it takes the Germans far longer sentence to say the same thing as in Japanese. Chinese will have no problems since we are generally fast speaker and we use less words to describe something that the Japanese would have in their native tongue.

Anyway, superb animation, great dubbing, interesting storyline and a great message in the movie also, this movie's only flaw is the length, like Spirited Away. Very long which at times gets to my patience. But still a great watch.

Verdict
A must buy.

Interesting Ermm Illegal Activity
I know it is wrong to buy pirated DVDs but my conscience is clear. You know how much is one DVD these days? RM69-90 to RM89-90 for those with special features and all. What a ridiculous amount of money.

Anyway, when I chanced upon this movie in a DVD store at some undisclosed shopping complex, and it only costs RM8-00, I bought it. I thought it was you know pirated. When I got home, to my delight I realise the guy sold me the original DVD which would have cost more than RM8-00. How I know it's original? For one the special features in the DVD actually had special features from this movie and not from other movies. Then I noticed the DVD itself, the disc itself looks very original and then I saw the hologram sticker on the disc that no pirated DVD would ever bother to produce. It was real indeed. Maybe nobody wanted to buy this movie?

It is also frustrating though that Korean movies are so IN these days and yet not much selection. Very frustrating.

Anyway the art of buying such DVDs is simple. Wait for the real original DVD to be released and rest assured all the pirated ones you buy will be of high quality, except no trailers, special features, and etc. And may not play also. If you want to watch latest movies, take my advice, don't buy the pirated DVD which will spoil your viewing pleasure. Go to the cinema. I enjoy going to the cinema to watch movies, big movies with special effects which will worth the RM10-00 ticket. I only buy DVDs of the pirated type when I can't find the original OR if the movie is like Untold Scandal. I hate editing and cut scenes so what to do eh? Buy pirated ones lar. But even pirated ones got different versions! Not easy to get the pirated DVD that you want.

My point is, pirated DVD is the last resort. I hate it when I am watching original DVD and there is this ad which says buying pirated DVDs is illegal when hey, I bought the original. You won't have such nonsense in the pirated DVD though. Of course the entertainment industry will protest and say what you're doing is illegal. But it is for my own private "consumption" and if DVD is maybe RM30-00 cheaper, you bet I'll buy the original. In fact I bought the original for Harry Potter movies and also School Of Rock and those Korean movies, each one of them over RM69-90 and sometimes as much as RM150-00! I am willing to spend on my favourite films. To tell you the truth, I rarely buy pirated DVDs or VCDs unless I can't find the original or the original is cut, edited and then butchered.

The art of making people ignore pirated and buy all things original is to give it a fair and reasonable price. And I mean fair and reasonable to us and not to the industry. To me VCDs at RM14-90 to RM16-90 is fair. DVDs with all the special features at RM40-00 to RM50-00 is fair. Anything above that will only encourage piracy to bloom.

If you're in KL, check out the Berjaya Times Square GSC cinema. Big, new, clean, spacious and best of all, the popcorn. Definitely worth the RM10-00.

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CHICKEN LITTLE [Mov][Ani]

Written by Funn Lim

SOME SPOILERS

Released In : 2005

No review for this one, just a short comment.

I have always been a fan of Disney's animation but also realise that perhaps Pixar got a bad deal from the whole partnership. Whatever their business tactics may be, Disney has always brought us great family entertainment in terms of animation. Frankly Lion King is my most favourite 2D animation ever, Finding Nemo is my most favourite for 3D animation. Every single animation made by Pixar before Cars (which has yet to be realeased) are all excellent stuff and will be classics forever. Disney sometimes made bad ones, for example Pocohontas.

Chicken Little is the average type. I love the chicken, he's cute. The story is not that great, but some scenes are very touching and many others very funny. I can't help but root for our little hero, especially that baseball scene and I thought those bits about his friends (I love the fish but the porcupine is just too cool!) and the bit about the vending machine was just simply hilarious. How true I thought, especially if you've tried paying the parking fee at KLCC.

The animation isn't great though, a bit dated compared to The Incredibles. But the soundtrack is cool (no original score I think, but the songs were great!) and Disney has always excelled in choosing the right voice for the right character and it is of no exception in this movie.

To put it simply, Chicken Little is an excellent first stepping stone for Disney to get into the 3D animation market but it will not be remembered as a classic. Nevertheless, it is fun, enjoyable, heart warming, cute and entertaining. It may not be Pixar material BUT it is so much better than what Dreamworks churned out, especially the boring Shrek I/II and especially that horrible Shark Tale.

Give this movie a chance and find yourself laughing silly or feeling a bit sorry for the title character for at least the entire length of this movie.

By the way I loved Brother Bear for its unconventional ending. I can never understand what's the big deal with Shrek (except for the part about Shrek falling for the uglier version of the Princess), Madagascar and that god awful Shark Tale unless you prefer dumb entertainment. I refuse to sink to that level.

For more info on Chicken Little, check out imdb.com

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