Once the Oscar nominations were announced, there was a sudden backlash against The Boss Baby. How could such tripe be nominated for Best Animated Feature over popular franchise gems like The Lego Batman Movie or Cars 3? In my opinion, easily, like taking candy from a baby.
You see, Dreamworks’ The Boss Baby isn’t about a baby in a suit hungry for power. Not really anyway. The real story is about an imaginative seven-year-old named Tim and how he processes the news that he is going to be a big brother. As soon as his parents gently ask him if he’d like to have a baby brother, we are launched into Tim’s fantasy about where babies come from, how his new brother would arrive and how it would take over and change his family and his life. And the whole thing would be because of a big conspiracy, where a corporation of babies are competing for love against their rival: puppies.
How silly, right? But the mind of a kid is silly. And it allows the movie to take some very fun and imaginative liberties with what these babies and Tim can do. What would really be a humdrum play-date, turns into a chase scene in the back yard complete with epic exploding fireballs and the Boss Baby being thrown through an upstairs window. Tim’s Gandalf inspired alarm clock becomes a cute sidekick. A puppy product launch involves actually launching a rocket filled with puppies. And my favorite scene is when the brothers sneak onto a plane full of Elvis impersonators headed to Vegas! So many animated films lately strive for realism or draw the line very neatly between fantasy and reality, while The Boss Baby goes for broke and blurs the line in such a fun way that I think it works and adds to the film’s charm.
For my growing family, The Boss Baby has become a favorite lately. It came on Netflix not long after my husband and I told our three-year-old that he’s going to be a big brother. While he has his own questions and worries, watching a story about a kid learning to love and accept the new baby, and his new role as a big brother is helpful. Sure, they have a rocky start, as I expect my son and his future sibling will, but my son always ends the movie with his hand on my belly, asking if the baby can feel him yet. It’s helping him bond already and the film’s message about love is strong enough that a three-year-old gets it.
Sure, The Boss Baby isn’t some cutting edge animated masterpiece, but to write it off as a running Alec Baldwin baby in a suit gag doesn’t do it justice. It’s a cute, surprisingly smart, film about love that families, especially growing families, can enjoy together.
“This is not about Lamb-lamb!”
Pixar’s latest addition to their lineup of amazing animation is Coco, a colorful, vibrant film about remembering the importance of family while following your dreams. 
The story centers on the Rivera family celebrating Dia de los Muertos. Young Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) wants to be a musician, but his family forbids music since his great-great grandfather left his family to pursue his musical ambitions. The rift caused by this patriarch’s absence has been upheld through the generations. The family offering does not even feature him, his head has been ripped out of the family picture. When Miguel discovers that the picture has also been folded to crop out his great-great grandfather’s guitar, he realizes that the guitar belonged to a famous musician, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice by Benjamin Bratt), who happens to be Miguel’s idol. When Miguel is accidentally transported to the land of the dead, he meets his ancestors and tries to find his great-great grandfather, so he can get his blessing to pursue music.
The writers at Pixar have done it again crafting a smart story that entertains and compels their wide audience. My husband and I took our three year old son to see Coco and all three of us loved it. My husband said it reminded him of Up, from the poignant family story and all the color. Our son loved all the skeletons and thinks Coco is a Halloween movie, even though I’ve explained the differences between that and Dia de los Muertos. I spent much of the movie with tears in my eyes, I found the themes and characters so moving. I think a good portion of the audience was wiping tears away as the film ended. 
Visually, Coco is another beautiful step forward for animation and reminds us of the importance of color. In depicting a Dia de los Muertos celebration, color is so important and juxtaposed against the white skeletons and brings both the characters and the celebration to life. The Land of the Dead is an amazing feat of animation, depicting a huge city with a wide variety of buildings stacked and layered. The scenes in the Land of the Dead have a lot of depth and character. The animation of the skeleton characters is a great blend of accurate and imaginative. It takes a bit of creativity to give skeletons so many facial expressions, yet seeing one play a guitar so accurately is a delight. And the art nerd in me loved the comic use of Frida Kahlo.
One of my favorite scenes is when Miguel auditions to perform at Ernesto de la Cruz’s party. It’s his first musical performance, ever. Thankfully, he’s met Hector (voice by Gael García Bernal) who helps him stay calm and confident and becomes a wonderful addition to his performance as they sing Un Poco Loco and steal the show. It’s a wonderful mix of energetic animation and catchy music where we start to realize there is more to Hector than he seems. While I would not call Coco a musical, this scene gives me confidence that Pixar could make musicals just as well as Disney.
As the lights went dark in the theater last weekend, I watched my son’s face in anticipation. I’ll always remember how I felt at the start of The Lion King. The singing call and the sun rising startled and shook me inside. I remember being amazed, mystified and engrossed in the film, especially in that stunning beginning. I think The Lion King pushed me from a kid who liked movies to a young film fan. I was eight then, my son is only three now. As the opening number slammed shut with the title in red on the screen, my son asked in his movie-theater whisper, “Can I hold the drink?” I sighed with nostalgic tears in my eyes and handed over the drink. I hope one day he finds a movie the defines his childhood like The Lion King defined mine.
The Lion King is more grand than your average animated film. The story isn’t a fairy tale, but a story of power, family and destiny set within the animal kingdom on the African savanna. Simba (voiced by 90s teen star Jonathan Taylor Thomas and 80s teen star Matthew Broderick) is a young prince excited about his future as king. His wise father, Mufasa (voiced by the even more iconic James Earl Jones), tries to teach Simba what it means to be king while his uncle, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), plots to worm his way onto the throne. After Scar murders Mufasa, in one of the most devastating scenes known to Disney, he convinces young Simba the death was his fault. Afraid, Simba leaves the Pride Lands and Scar rules with his band of hyenas. After years of Hakuna Matata, Simba learns that his kingdom is in ruins and he must face his uncle to reclaim it and fulfill his destiny. The story is basically Hamlet with animals, but most American 90s kids didn’t realize it. 
Everyone loves the music from The Lion King. Many kids grow up knowing all the songs by heart. And rightfully so, even the bouncy I Just Can’t Wait to be King has aged wonderfully. Three of the songs, Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata were Oscar nominated, with Can You Feel the Love Tonight winning. 
I personally believe The Lion King defines the height of the Disney Renaissance. Never before had Disney animation been so crisp, flawless and intense. And the level of storytelling was raised to a level that could fulfill the hearts and souls of all. I feel very lucky to have been at the perfect age to see this film in its original release and to grow up on its ideas of owning your past, fulfilling your destiny and stepping up to take charge of your own life. Now, sharing this film with my child is an amazing treat, and give the circle of life greater meaning. 
Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) is a young, optimistic rabbit who dreamed her whole life of being a police officer. She’s the daughter of a carrot farmer from her little country town and plans to move to Zootopia, where anyone can be anything. But there are big obstacles for this little bunny, from a childhood bully, grueling physical police academy tests better suited for lions or bears, and her dismissive boss who doesn’t seem to care for a rabbit on his force. When she tries to make a difference, promising a distraught wife that she will find her missing husband, Hopps’ boss gives her an ultimatum to find him within two days or she is fired. 
This leads Hopps to seek help from a local hustler she met on duty, Nick (voiced by Jason Bateman), a fox. Foxes are seen as a very untrustworthy predator. With Hopps’ childhood bully being a fox, her parents warning her against foxes so much so that they give her pepper spray like fox repellant, we understand the tension between the two right away. But a friendship forms between them as they work to crack the case of the missing otter and discover a conspiracy that could destroy Zootopia.
The writing about social issues is smart, the mystery plot that unfolds is brilliant. This is one of the more elaborate stories I’ve seen from Disney and I really enjoyed it. I think it can best describe it as an animated buddy cop noir with a touch of Chinatown for inspiration. And adults will enjoy the Godfather and Breaking Bad references. 
For the past thirteen years Dory (voiced by the wonderful Ellen DeGeneres) has been the world favorite forgetful fish. Between speaking whale, befriending sharks and forgetting the whole thing, she stole the show in Finding Nemo. And let’s face it, Marlin wouldn’t have gotten far without her. It makes perfect sense for the magic makers at Pixar to tell her story. 
In Finding Dory, we see flashbacks and fragments of Dory’s childhood (and Baby Dory so stinkin’ cute!). Dory starts to remember bits about herself, including her parents. With Nemo (voiced by Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks), she sets off across the ocean to find them in California. They are led to an aquarium, The Marine Life Institute, and find their way inside. Dory gets some help from a runaway octopus named Hank (voiced by Ed O’Neill) who has some great camouflage tricks while Marlin and Nemo meet Becky… I love Becky too much to spoil. Dory also meets old friends, finds her old home, faces heartbreaking revelations and shows off her amazing strengths. By the end everyone will be asking, “What would Dory do?”
One of my favorite scenes was when Dory and Hank are in the Touch Pool. Those are those shallow, kid height aquariums full of starfish and sea sponges that kids put their grubby hands in to touch the fish. They looked cute and harmless when I let my kid check it out at the aquarium. In Finding Dory, it’s a bottom dweller’s nightmare. My kid jumped a mile on my lap when the first hand dove into the water. He gripped my arm during this scene and I just felt bad for all the creatures trying to hide. Maybe next time we’ll skip the touch pool.
I suspect Finding Dory will be the front-runner for best animated feature, as Pixar films usually are. Visually, it is superb taking us from familiar oceans to the inner workings of the aquarium. And Hank’s camouflage antics are a huge hit. The story springboards off of Finding Nemo, but with it’s zanier antics and quick pace builds it’s own unique tone. However, like Nemo, it still has it’s heart in the right place with the parent-child dynamic flipped around as Dory searches for her parents. It will make you cry just a bit and laugh a whole lot. I think I laughed the most at the use of Louis Armstrong
Many of Disney’s films feature anthropomorphic animals. In most we are either completely in an animal world (The Lion King) or a in human’s world with animals who band together (101 Dalmatians, The Aristocats). While The Jungle Book comes close, 1999’s Tarzan beautifully bridges the human and animal world in a way Disney never had before. The opening scene and song, appropriately named Two Worlds, shows this connection perfectly as a grieving mother finds an orphaned baby. 
Tarzan (voiced by Tony Goldwyn) is raised by Kala (Glenn Close) among the other gorillas. As a child, Tarzan is frustrated by his differences from his playmates and is often counted out. The way his mother accepts him and encourages him is moving and encourages Tarzan to be the best ape he can be. He grows into one of the strongest males in the family and just when Tarzan has defeated the jaguar that has been stalking the gorillas his entire life, a new predator comes to the jungle. 
One of my favorite aspects of this film is the soundtrack. Who doesn’t enjoy a little Phil Collins? All the songs are written and performed by him, and they all rock. Unlike most Disney films, these songs are not sung by the characters, which I like. I can’t imagine Tarzan breaking into song, it’s just too out of character. Trashin’ the Camp is the only song that gets the characters actively singing, but it keeps to the gorillas’ character in a very fun way. This soundtrack includes one of my all time favorite Disney movie songs, You’ll Be In My Heart. It’s the ultimate parent/child song and it makes my heart swell when my kid dances to it with me. 
Besides the lovely mother-son relationship, Tarzan shows a great message about being a man. Son of Man is another great song here that helps drive the point home. In the end, we hope boys are inspired to be a man like Tarzan rather than Clayton. The moment where Tarzan breaks the gun, rather than firing it, is a powerful gesture. Staying with his family as their new leader is an even better one. 
In 1959, after nearly ten years in production and Disneyland’s castle named in its honor, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty was finally released. It was the first film animated in 70mm and a true feat of artistic achievement. To this day, many consider it to be the visual high point of animation in the golden era. 
The story is a beautiful retelling of the fairy tale, where the infant Princess Aurora is cursed by an evil fairy, Maleficent (voiced by the amazing Eleanor Audley). Maleficent’s spell says that Aurora will prick her finger on the needle of a spinning wheel and die. Thankfully, the last good fairy, Merryweather, still has her gift to bestow on the baby and lessens the spell, so that Aurora will not die, but only sleep until she is awakened by true love’s kiss. Aurora is then raised in the forest by the three good fairies, (away from spinning wheels) until her sixteenth birthday, when the spell will be broken. But Maleficent is always looking for her and Aurora’s chance encounter with a prince complicates what should be her joyous sixteenth birthday.
However, the film was nominated for best scoring of a musical picture. In addition to the well known songs like Once Upon a Dream, Sleeping Beauty makes great use of instrumental pieces, some of them from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty. One of my favorites is the piece used as Maleficent lures Aurora way to a spinning wheel, Puss in Boot and the White Cat. It starts slow, then speeds up, perfectly creating suspense but is still light enough for a children’s movie. 
I know Sleeping Beauty has some problems. Aurora is a very simplified girl who doesn’t get so say much, even when being the title character. However, looking past the story and character faults, the film is visual masterpiece. Personally, I’d love to see it released in IMAX, there are so many ornate details to soak up, you can find something new every time. 
