Lilo & Stitch Review

Lilo & Stitch

Release Date: 19th September 2002 – Australia

Production Companies

Walt Disney Pictures (presents)

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Animation/Family/

Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: G

Runtime: 85 minutes

Budget: $80,000,000

Box Office Gross: $273,144,151 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
A young Hawaiian girl gets more than she bargained for when she adopts a new "pet" named Stitch, who, unbeknownst to her, is a wild genetic experiment from another planet. Despite Stitch's initial intentions, the two bond and become a formidable team in fending off alien bounty hunters, a mad scientist, Dr. Jumba Jookiba and Agent Pleakley.

Voice Cast

Daviegh Chase – Lilo

Chris Sanders – Stitch

Tia Carrere – Nani

David Ogden Stiers – Dr. Jumba Jookiba

Kevin McDonald – Agent Pleakley

Ving Rhames – Cobra Bubbles

Zoe Caldwell – Grand Councilwoman

Jason Scott Lee – David Kawena

Kevin Michael Richardson – Captain Gantu

Miranda Paige Walls – Mertle Edmonds

Kunewa Mook – Hula Teacher
Susan Hegarty – Rescue Lady

Crew

Based on an Idea/Writer/

Character Designer/
Director – Chris Sanders

Writer/Director – Dean DeBlois

Story Supervisors – Ed Gombert and Chris Williams
Additional Story Supervisors – Roger Allers and John Sanford

Producer – Clark Spencer

Casting Directors – Ruth Lambert and Mary Hildago
Production Designer – Paul A. Felix
Art Director – Ric Sluiter
Artistic Coordinator – Jeff Dutton
Character Designer – Buck Lewis
Character Designer/Supervising

Animator: "Cobra Bubbles" – Byron Howard
Visual Development Supervisors –

Jim Martin, Sue C. Nichols and

Marcelo Vignali

Layout Supervisor – Arden Chan

Background Supervisor – Robert E. Stanton

Supervising Animator: "Lilo" – Andreas Deja
Supervising Animator: "Stitch" – Alex Kupershmidt
Supervising Animator: "Nani" – Stephane Sainte-Foi
Supervising Animator: "Pleakley" and

"David Kawena" – Ruben A. Aquino
Supervising Animator: "Jumba" – Bolhem Bouchiba

Lead Animator: "Grand Councilwoman" –

James Young Jackson

Lead Animator: "Captain Gantu" – Theodore Ty

Lead Animator: "Hula Teacher"/Animator:

"Cobra Bubbles" – Dominic M. Carola

Lead Animator: "Hula Dancers" – Mark Henn
Clean-Up Supervisors/Lead Key Clean-Up

Animators: "Miscellaneous" – Philip S. Boyd

and Christine Lawrence Finney
Computer Animation Supervisor – Eric Guaglione

Digital Animation Supervisor – Rob Bekuhrs
Visual Effects Supervisor – Joseph Gilland

Editor – Darren T. Holmes

Consulting Editor – Michael Kelly

Associate Editor – Eric Dapkewicz
Sound Designer/Supervisor/Supervising Sound
Editor (Uncredited)/Re-Recording Mixer –
Christopher Boyes

Supervising Sound Editor – Frank E. Eulner

Sound Effects Editors – Scott Guitteau,

Al Nelson and Christopher Scarabosio

Foley Mixer – Tony Eckert

Foley Artists – Dennie Thorpe and

Jana Vance

Re-Recording Mixers – Mel Metcalfe,

Terry Porter and Dean A. Zupancic

Music Production Supervisor – Tom MacDougall

Music – Alan Silvestri

Executive Music Producer – Chris Montan
Choir Arranger/Composer: "Hawaiian Coaster

Ride"/Performer: "He Mele No Lilo" and

"Hawaiian Coaster Ride" – Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu
Conductor: Kamehameha Schools Children's

Chorus – Lynell K. Bright
Producer/Performer: "Burning Love" – 

Wynonna Judd

Awards

2003 Academy Awards
Best Animated Feature – Chris Sanders (Nominated)

Review

LILO & STITCH may have been a great Disney animated classic, but it's certainly not the last. This film was funny and managed to create some heartwarming themes. The story explores family issues and shows its message of true friendship. I praise its terrific watercolour backgrounds, good classic songs from Elvis Presley and quirky hand-drawn animation. The music score by Alan Silvestri is also a remarkable aspect of this movie, fitting the scenes and creating a mood of sorrow with some of the emotional drama.

LILO & STITCH is Disney's only 2D animated feature to have succeeded at the box office in the early 2000s, where other movies had failed. For many of you who have enjoyed LILO & STITCH, try the directors' next film, How to Train Your Dragon, as this feature raised the benchmark for animation.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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Dumb & Dumber Review

Dumb & Dumber

Release Date: 16th March 1995 – Australia

Production Companies

New Line Cinema (presents)

Motion Picture Corporation
of America (MPCA) (in
association with)

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 107 minutes

Budget: $17,000,000

Box Office Gross: $247,290,327 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Two simple-minded pals,
Lloyd and Harry, go on
a road trip to Aspen to
return a briefcase full of
money to its supposed
owner, a beautiful woman
named Mary Swanson,
with whom Lloyd has a
crush. Little does Lloyd
know about Mary that
she has a husband who
was kidnapped and is
trying to find him. This
pair of morons go on
endless hijinks. All the
while, they get followed
by the crooks and the FBI.

Cast

Jim Carrey – Lloyd Christmas

Jeff Daniels – Harry Dunne

Lauren Holly – Mary Swanson

Charles Rocket – Nicholas Andre

Mike Starr – Joe ''Mental'' Mentalino

Karen Duffy – J.P. Shay

Cam Neely – Sea Bass

Victoria Rowell – Beth Jordan

Brad Lockerman – Bobby Swanson
Connie Sawyer – Elderly Lady
Hank Brandt – Karl Swanson
Teri Garr – Helen Swanson
Brady Bluhm – Billy
Felton Perry – Detective Dale
Joe Baker – Barnard
Harland Williams – State Trooper
Fred Stoller – Anxious Man at Phone
Lin Shaye – Mrs. Neugeboren

Crew

Writer/Director – Peter Farrelly

Writer/Co-Producer/Director

(Uncredited) – Bobby Farrelly

Writer – Bennett Yellin

Script Supervisor – Martin Kitrosser
Associate Producer/Assistant: Mr Wessler –
Ellen Dumouchel
Associate Producers – Chad Oman
and Bradley Jenkel
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager/
Second Unit Director – Gerald T. Olson
Executive Producer – Aaron Meyerson

Producers – Brad Kevoy and Charles B. Wessler
Producer/Assistant Director: Second Unit –

Steven Stabler

Co-Producer/Production Supervisor –

Tracie Graham-Rice

Co-Producer – Bradley Thomas

Production Designer – Sydney J. Bartholomew Jr.

Art Director – Arian Jay Vetter

Set Decorator – Bradford Johnson
Costume Designer – Mary Zophres

Special Makeup Effects – Matthew W. Mungle

Director of Photography – Mark Irwin

First Assistant Director – J.B. Rogers

Location Manager – Garrett Grant
Stunt Coordinator – Rick Barker
Special Effects Coordinator – Frank Ceglia

Editor – Christopher Greenbury

Supervising Sound Editor – Craig Clark

Sound Designer – Tim Gedemer

Sound Effects Editors – David Farmer,

Ann Scibelli, Ricardo Broadus and

George Nemzer

Re-Recording Mixers – William Freesh,

Tim Philben and Tony Sereno

Music – Todd Rundgren

Music Supervisor – Dawn Soler

Review

As a kid, I only watched the animated TV spinoff of DUMB & DUMBER on Cartoon Network and didn't watch the film until I was finally old enough. DUMB & DUMBER is a terrifically hilarious movie that mixes toilet humour and slapstick comedy. I have high praise for the performances of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, and I liked the hilarious dialogue and chemistry they put in this film. The funniest moments include the dead parakeet incident and Lloyd having to pee in the empty beer bottles before the cop on the motorcycle subsequently drinks it. Another memorable scene is when Harry is on the broken toilet and has a severe case of flatulence.

DUMB & DUMBER is the best Jim Carrey movie I've ever watched and is now one of my favourites. Everyone will laugh at this film by the time they watch it when they see the duo's outrageous and funnier antics.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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Tron Review

Tron

Release Date: 3rd December 1982 – Australia

Production Companies

Walt Disney Productions

Lisberger/Kushner

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: G

Runtime: 96 minutes

Budget: $17,000,000

Box Office Gross: $50,000,525 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

A young computer genius named Kevin Flynn tries to hack into the mainframe of ENCOM, where he searches for evidence that the video games he wrote got stolen by a senior executive of ENCOM, Ed Dillinger. Unfortunately, Dillinger's Master Control Program (MCP) zaps Flynn into the digital world where computer programs are the alter-egos of the people who created them and sentenced him to die within the game. With the help of an electronic security program named Tron, Flynn escapes and has to help Tron defeat the MCP before he can go back to the "real" world.

Cast

Jeff Bridges – Kevin Flynn/Clu

Bruce Boxleitner – Alan Bradley/Tron

David Warner – Ed

Dillinger/Sark/Master

Control Program (Voice)

(Uncredited)

Cindy Morgan – Lora Baines/

Yori

Barnard Hughes – Dr.

Walter Gibbs/Dumont

Dan Shor – Ram/Popcorn

Co-Worker

Peter Jurasik – Crom

Stuart Thomas – Peter/

Sark's Lieutenant

Craig Chudy – Warrior #1

Vince Deadrick –

Warrior #2

Sam Schatz – Expert Disc

Warrior

Jackson Botswick – Head

Guard

David S. Cass Sr. – Factory

Guard

Gerald Berns – Guard #1

Bob Neill – Guard #2

Ted White – Guard #3

Mark Stewart – Guard #4

Michael Sax – Guard #5

Tony Brubaker – Guard #6

Charlie Pirceni – Tank Commander

Pierre Vuilleumier – Tank

Gunner #1

Erik Cord – Tank Gunner #2

Loyd Catlett – Conscript #1/Video Game Cowboy

Michael Dudikoff – Conscript #2

Richard Bruce Friedman –

Video Game Player

Rick Beck – Boy in Video

Game Arcade

Jon Kenworthy – Boy in

Video Game Arcade

Crew

Story/Writer/Director/Visual

Effects Concepts – Steven Lisberger

Story – Bonnie MacBird

Associate Producer/Visual Effects Supervisor –

Harrison Ellenshaw
Executive Producer – Ron Miller

Producer – Donald Kushner

Technical Advisor – Sam Schatz (Uncredited)

Production Designer – Dean Edward Mitzner
Pre-Production Concepts – Roger Allers,

Chris Lane and Peter Mueller
Pre-Production Concepts/Production

Storyboards/Effects Animator – John Norton

Conceptual Artist: Electronic World – Syd Mead

Conceptual Artist/Design: Electronic World –

Jean 'Moebius' Giraud

Conceptual Artist: Electronic World/
Background Designer – Peter Loyd
Production Storyboards – Andy Gaskill
Production Storyboards/Computer Image

Choreography – Bill Kroyer and Jerry Rees

Electronic Conceptual Design/Computer/
Visual Effects Supervisor – Richard Taylor

Art Directors – John B. Mansbridge and 

Al Roelofs

Set Decorator – Roger M. Shook

Costume Design – Eloise Jenssen and

Rosanna Norton

Makeup Supervisor – Robert J. Schiffer

Director of Photography – Bruce Logan

Camera Operators – Gregg Heschong,

Rexford L. Metz and Ronald M. Vargas Sr.

First Assistant Camera – Jamie Anderson,

Horace Jordan, Lynn Tomes and Michael D. Weldon

Stunt Coordinator – Richard E. Butler

Effects Technical Supervisor – John Scheele

Effects Unit Managers – David V. Lester

and Stephen McEveety

Technology Concepts: MAGI Synthavision –

Phil Mittleman

Scene Creation Concepts: MAGI Synthavision –

Larry Elin

Scene Programmers: MAGI Synthavision –

Chris Wedge and Nancy Hunter Campi

Design Supervisor: Robert Abel & Associates –

Kenny Mirman

Systems Programmers: Robert Abel &

Associates – Frank Vitz, Bill Kovacs,

Richard Baily and Tim McGovern

Systems Supervisor: Robert Abel & Associates –

Robert Abel

Computer Production Supervisor: Digital

Effects Inc. – Jeffrey Kleiser

Photographic Process Lab Supervisors –

Art Cruickshank and Peter Anderson

Opticals – Bob Broughton

Matte Production Supervisor – Arnie Wong

Sound Effects Design & Synthesis – Frank Serafine
Sound Design/Music Supervisor – Michael Fremer

Sound Department Supervisor – Robert Hathaway

Supervising Sound Editor – Gordon Ecker Jr.

Re-Recording Mixers - Bob, Lee &

Michael Minkler

Film Editor – Jeff Gourson

Music – Wendy Carlos

Songs – Journey

Awards

1983 Academy Awards

Best Costume Design – Eloise Jenssen

and Rosanna Norton (Nominated)

Best Sound – Michael, Bob & Lee Minkler

and James LaRue (Nominated)

Review

TRON is an iconic, dazzling, imaginatively conceived movie filled with terrific state-of-the-art (though now dated) CGI visuals. It is one of my favourite movies ever and is the cornerstone of computer animation. Because of this, the film inspired countless filmmakers and animators to explore computer-generated imagery. One of my favourite scenes in the movie is the Light Cycle battle, which has become iconic in film history. It has a brilliant cast, including Jeff Bridges, Cindy Morgan, Bruce Boxleitner and David Warner, all of whom are engaging.

TRON is a true classic and a must-see for anyone interested in the history of computer-generated animation and this film. If you have seen this movie and have liked it, you will enjoy its sequel, Tron: Legacy. Did I mention that the Disney studio is planning a third Tron movie? This film should be exciting for all Tron fans.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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The Transformers: The Movie Review

The Transformers: The Movie

Release Date: 26th December 1986 – Australia

Production Companies

Sunbow Productions

Marvel Productions

Hasbro

Genre: Animation/Family/

Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 85 minutes

Budget: $6,000,000

Box Office Gross: $5,860,601 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
In 2005, the Decepticons were in control of the planet of Cybertron, while the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, tried desperately to reclaim their home. What neither side expects is an even worse threat, which is Unicron, a devourer of worlds! Can the Autobots find the Chosen One and destroy Unicron before they lose everything?

Voice Cast

Peter Cullen – Optimus Prime/Ironhide

Judd Nelson – Hot Rod/
Rodimus Prime

Robert Stack – Ultra Magnus

Neil Ross – Springer/Slag/
Bonecrusher/Hook

Susan Blu – Arcee

Lionel Stander – Kup

John Moschitta Jr. – Blurr

David Mendenhall – Daniel Witwicky

Buster Jones – Blaster

Paul Eiding – Perceptor

Gregg Berger – Grimlock

Scatman Crothers – Jazz

Casey Kazem – Cliffjumper

Dan Gilvezan – Bumblebee

Eric Idle – Wreck-Gar

Norman Alden – Kranix

Frank Welker – Megatron/
Soundwave/Wheelie/Frenzy/
Rumble

Leonard Nimoy – Galvatron

Chris Latta – Starscream

Corey Burton – Brawn/
Shockwave/Spike Witwicky

Stan Jones – Scourge

Roger C. Carmel – Cyclonus/
Quintesson Leader

Regis Cordic – Quintesson Judge

Arthur Burghardt – Devastator

Orson Welles – Unicron

Victor Caroli – Narrator

Crew

Co-Producer/Director – Nelson Shin

Writer – Ron Friedman
Story Consultant – Flint Dille

Associate Story Consultants – Douglas Booth and Roger Slifer

Executive Producers –
Margaret Loesch and Lee Gunther
Producers – Jules Bacal and Tom Griffith
Supervising Producer – Jay Bacal

Voice Director – Wally Burr

Original Concept Designer – Floro Dery

Production Manager/Animator Director –

Gerald Moeller

Background Art Directors – Robert Schaefer,

Takao Sawada and Dario Campanile

Supervising Animation Director – Kozo Moroshita

Animation Directors – John Freeman,

Bob Matz, Norm McCabe and Margaret Nichols

Supervising Film Editor – Steven C. Brown

Film Editor – David Hankins

Supervising Sound Effects Editor – Brian Courcer

Re-Recording Mixers – Peter Reale,

Bill Thiederman and Howard Wilmarth

Music Score/Score Arranger and Producer –

Vince DiCola

Performers: Songs – Stan Bush,

Lion, "Weird Al" Yankovic, N.R.G. and

Kick Axe (Spectre General)

Review

The animated movie adaptation of my favourite animated series, Transformers, was thought to be the only film in the franchise until 2007. That same year the live-action movie by director Michael Bay was released, followed by its sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, in 2009. It is known for its surprisingly dark tone, which differs from the usual lighthearted kiddie fare in the classic eighties cartoon. At the time of its release, it received backlash from many children who saw it that they were traumatised by the deaths of several characters and walked out of theatres. Today, for its contribution to the mythos and its sheer awesomeness, it has a cult following among fans of the franchise.

From a narrative standpoint, the story is too brisk, and there's too much action. However, all is not lost. The soundtrack includes excellent songs from various artists such as "Weird Al" Yankovic and Stan Bush and terrific voice acting with some well-known celebrity actors such as Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek and the great Orson Welles (in his last performance as the planet devouring transformer Unicron). The animation was decent, and the movie has a hard-hitting emotional moment that we Transformer fans remember.

It remains a worthy addition to the Transformers series, but if you prefer live-action, the first two Michael Bay movies will suit you better.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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