Animated Views

A brand new trailer forĀ Coyote vs. Acme was shown at SDCC this weekend, and you can check it out in the player above. The movie, of course, looked like it might never get released at one point, but thanks to the unsung heroes at Ketchup Entertainment, it will finally arrive in theaters this August.

Before I start the review of Toy Story 5, allow me to talk about a little bit of the history of the franchise and point out a recurring theme in the films. The first Toy Story film was released in 1995. The film centered on Woody dealing with being replaced by a newer toy on Andy’s birthday. It ended with Buzz now worried about what new toy might replace him at Christmas, and Woody reassuring him. The film is an iconic classic in the Pixar canon and won a special Oscar.

The release of Laika’s Wildwood has been gaining anticipation ever since the reveal of its first breathtaking trailer, and now we might have an idea of how long the movie is going to be. But it should be taken with a slight grain of salt. Regal Cinemas now has a listing for the film on their website (indicting online ticket sales may be just around the corner), and they list a massive runtime of 139 minutes, or two hours and nineteen minutes.

Minions and Monsters is the seventh feature film in the Despicable Me franchise and, somewhat surprisingly for a series nearing the two decade mark, is the top rated outing according to the critical consensus at Rotten Tomatoes. What does the film do differently to deserve that distinction? Does it fix the scattershot plots that plagued previous films? Does it plus up the humor that has been somewhat lacking? Does it go back to its roots and bring music back as a focus?

Illumination’s Minions and Monsters opens today in around 4,000 theatres according to Deadline. The film has a surprising 89% at Rotten Tomatoes, easily the best of any film in the Despicable Me canon.

Illumination’s Minions & Monsters opens this week, and is faring extremely well with critics so far. So it makes sense for Universal to drop the first look at their next feature film to coincide with its release. Not Alonemakes contact next April. In his first-ever feature-length animated film, four-time Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe and Actor Award winner Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme, Dune films) stars as Joe, an introverted rocket mechanic who lives a quiet life alone.

The first trailer for The Angry Birds Movie 3 is now online, and can be checked out in the player above. It’s also safe to assume it will be attached to Minions & Monsters in theaters this weekend. The last entry in the series, 2019’s The Angry Birds Movie 2, got a surprisingly warm reception critically, but was considered a bit of a box office disappointment. This is possibly why Sony Pictures declined to distribute a third outing and Paramount will now be taking the reigns.

The full trailer for Forgotten Island is now online, and can be checked out in the player above. The preview is expected to be attached to Minions & Monsters in theaters starting next week. The movie earned very positive buzz following a preview screening at CinemaCon this year. Hopefully it won’t be Forgotten by audiences when it opens this September.

Pixar’s Toy Story 5 opens today in 4,425 theatres according to The Numbers. The film is a hit with critics, scoring a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Proving that old toys can learn new tricks while reckoning with an era of endless screen time, Toy Story 5 largely sidesteps franchise fatigue by reaffirming that children everywhere still got a friend in these lovable characters”.

The first trailer for Hexed has magically appeared online, and you can check it out in the player above. It is expected to be attached to all screenings of Toy Story 5 in theaters this weekend. The 65th animated feature from Walt Disney Feature Animation (well, at least according to their “official” count) bewitches the big screen this Thanksgiving.