Napoleon Review (Australia Day 2015)

Napoleon


Release Date: 26th December 1996 - Australia


Production Companies
Adelaide Motion Picture Company
Australia Film Finance Corporation
Film Australia
Fuji Television Network (in association with)
Furry Feature Films
Herald Ace
Nippon Herald Films (in association with)
Pacific Link Communications Japan

(produced with the participation of)
Pony Canyon (in association with)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 81 minutes


Budget: A$4,300,000

Box Office Gross: A$2,051,855 (Australia)


Plot Summary
A young pup named Napoleon

has often dreamed of adventure

and imagines himself as a

conquering hero. One day, he

hears the call of the wild and

yearns to roam free in the great outdoors. Napoleon gets more than he has bargained for when he gets into a basket with air

balloons, and it takes him to

the sky. The wind carries him

to an island, where he lands

and embarks on a journey

where no pup has gone,

trekking across the barren

landscapes of the outback,

facing deadly enemies,

discovering unknown

territories and meeting all

kinds of animals. En route,

he makes some new friends.

Voice Cast

Jamie Croft - Napoleon
Phillip Quast - Birdo
Carole Skinner - Cat
Olivia Hack - Nancy
Ashley Malenger - Sid
Frank Whitten - Koala
Brenton Whittle - Owl/Frog/

Wombat/Other Wallaby/

Desert Mouse

Anne Louise-Lambert - Spider/

Earless Wallaby/Desert Mouse
David Argue - Frill Necked

Lizard/Galah
Steven Vidler - Snake/Galah/

Desert Mouse/Turtle

Susan Lyons - Napoleon's Mum/

Other Wallaby

Lucia Mastratone - Lone Lorikeet

Catherine Lambert - Lorikeet/

Rabbit

Tracey Canini - Lorikeet/Rabbit

Annabel Sims - Lorikeet/Rabbit

Neusa Timms - Lorikeet/Rabbit

Debbie Horn - Lorikeet/Rabbit

Edward McQueen-Mason - Echidna
Stuart Pankin - Perenti Lizard/

Father Penguin
Mignon Kent - Nancy
Michael Wilkop - Sid
Fiona Press - Mother Dingo/

Other Wallaby/Galah
Barry Humphries - Kangaroo
Casey Siemaszko - Conan
Joan Rivers - Mother Penguin

Stuart Zagnit - Penguin

Carolyn Sloan - Penguin

Crew

Writer/Producer/Director -

Mario Andreacchio

Writer/Producer - Michael Bourchier
Writer/Producer: The Samuel Goldwyn
Company/Lyrics: Songs - Mark Saltzman
Additional Written Material - Steve J. Spears

and Ivan Menchell

Executive Producers - Masato Hara

and Ron Saunders
Producer: Herald Ace - Naonori Kawamura

Casting Directors - Brian Chavanne

and Marion Levine
Dog & Bird Handler/Trainer -
The Cuong Truong

Diego Sequence Trainer - Luke Hera

Animal Consultant - Evanne Cheeson
Dog Consultant - Barbara Moore
Production Designer - Vicki Niehus

Art Director - Ian Jobson
Director of Photography - Roger Dowling

Additional Director of Photography -

Nino Gaetano Martinetti

Sound Designer/Effects/Dialogue Editor/

Foley Performer - Craig Carter

Sound Designer/Chief Mixer - James Currie

Chief Mixer/Foley Recordist - Tony Young

Editor/Post-Production Supervisor -
Edward McQueen-Mason

Music - Bill Conti

Music Supervisor - John Boylan


Review

Another obscure movie I saw in my childhood, I decided to revisit the Aussie family-oriented adventure NAPOLEON. After seeing this old feature about a young pup journeying through adventure and peril, my impression was its cinematography, filmed in most Australian landscapes in South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Sadly, this direction sophisticatedly captured the local scenery and setting, which could have been more worthy if it was a nature film. The film gets weakened by low production values and the inability to match the standards of its rival movies, such as Babe. It is unlike the two Babe films because it did not need lip-syncing movements through mechanical and CGI effects, which is just simplistic old-fashioned filmmaking.

The songs have little meaning because the lyrics only appeal to child audiences rather than adults. I did enjoy a few of its numbers, which feel like a breath of fresh air, "How High I'll Fly" and "My Hills to Climb". Then comes its unresolved cliffhanger ending, which is a bit nightmarish for children who aren't ready. It surprises me that the film's ending has left an opportunity for a sequel. It never happened and might have been due to the low grosses at its box office charts. I was delighted that Barry Humphries was one of the voices as he used his Dame Edna Everage impression as a kangaroo.

NAPOLEON is an obscure movie that is decent enough to watch despite having the most obvious deficiencies. It would be my advice for some parents to skip the last scene.

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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My Seventh Important Message

G'day, it's Film Guru Lad. I apologise for writing these spelling errors in my recent and old reviews unless you have not looked into a few of them, and I repaired the mistakes by adding words like "I've forgotten to mention about" and a few other changes. These reviews are listed below as you click all the names of the films linked to their posts.

• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
• The Castle
• The Muppets
• X-Men 2
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Big Year
  

In addition to minor upgrades, I've also installed an application with a list showing ten of my popular posts that have gained the most page views. Check these reviews if you have already seen or commented on them.

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Dumb and Dumber To Review

Dumb and Dumber To

Release Date: 8th January 2015 - Australia

Production Companies

Universal Pictures (presents)
Red Granite Pictures (presents)
New Line Cinema (in association with)
Conundrum Entertainment

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 109 minutes


Budget: $40,000,000

Box Office Gross: $169,837,010 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Harry Dunne needs a
kidney transplant and

discovers he has a long-lost
daughter, so he and his

equally dimwitted pal,

Lloyd Christmas, set out on
another cross-country road
trip to find her. They cross
country by any means of
transport and end up in
one place on Earth where
they least deserve to be:
a summit of the world's
brightest minds.


Cast
Jim Carrey - Lloyd Christmas
Jeff Daniels - Harry Dunne
Laurie Holden - Adele Pinchelow
Rob Higgins - Travis/Captain Lippincott
Kathleen Freeman - Fraida Felcher
Steve Tom - Dr. Pinchelow
Rachel Melvin - Penny Pinchelow
Paul Blackthorne - Dr. Meldman
Brady Bluhm - Bill
Dalton Gray - Young Harry
Michael Yama - Harry's Dad
Nancy Yee - Harry's Mom
Grant James - Mr. Stainer
Taylor St. Clair - Mrs. Stainer
Carly Craig - Fraida
Bill Murray - Ice Pick (Cameo)
Tembi Locke - Dr. Walcott
Mike Cerrone - Trucker
Sean Gildea - Trucker's Pal
Jo Helton - Mrs. Snergle
Kassidy Claire - Fanny Age 5
Erika Bierman - Fanny Age 13

Crew
Based on Characters/Writers/Producers/
Directors - Peter and Bobby Farrelly
Based on Characters/Writer -
Bennett Yellin
Writers - Sean Anders, John Morris
and Mike Ceronne

Associate Producers - Linda Hill

and Ellen Dumouchel
Executive Producers - Danny Dimbort,
Marc S. Fischer, David Koplan,
Brad Krevoy, Christian Mercuri
and Steven Stabler
Producers - Charles B. Wessler,

Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland and

Bradley Thomas
Co-Producer/First Assistant/Second Unit

Director - J.B. Rogers
Production Designer - Aaron Osborne

Art Director - Erin Cochran

Set Decorator - Jennifer M. Gentile
Costume Designer - Karen Patch

Special Makeup Designer - Tony Gardner
Director of Photography - Matthew F. Leonetti
Stunt Coordinator - Tierre Turner
Special Effects Supervisor - Russell Tyrrell

Animatronic Effects - Peter A. Chevako
Visual Effects Supervisor - John Heller
Editor - Steven Rasch

Additional Editors - Debra Neil-Fisher and

David Raymond

Supervising Sound Editors - Andrew DeCristofaro

and Kelly Oxford

Re-Recording Mixers - Joe Barnett,

Marshall Garlington and Seva Solntsev

Score - Empire of the Sun

Music Supervisors - Tom Wolfe

and Manish Raval

Review

Years ago, after having my blog set up on the web. One of the first movies I reviewed besides two Tron movies is the mid-1990s smash hit comedy Dumb and Dumber. Unknown to me is that many people consider it the best film of the genre, which brought the faces of Jim Carrey and the directors of the Farrelly brothers to the public. I would never have expected five years from now that the sequel of Dumb and Dumber has reunited Carrey and Jeff Daniels to dazzle the fans once more. I never watched Dumb and Dumberer, as the critics gave disappointing reviews. Also, the lack of involvement from the original directors hurts the movie even more. I didn't want my opinion of my favourite comedy tarnished, as this prequel would be detrimental to this kind of film because the primary element of the film is not having the creators' ideas and not following the original.

I didn't care much about the cheap laughs in DUMB AND DUMBER TO, which has too much obscenity. It retains a mild dosage of its belly laughter to please some audiences. It's been twenty years since Jim and Jeff had once played the loveable goofballs in the original instalment. The two have not lost touch with each other. They still deliver their comic timing. Unfortunately, their performances and Bill Murray's barely noticeable guest appearance could not save the movie from its mediocre input.

I guess the Farrelly brothers were not the comical geniuses they were in their early years, with movies like the first Dumb and Dumber as their breakthrough to comedy. They should have spent more time on the plot and humour, as this sequel is average. Hopefully, they'll improve this comedic saga with a third, and then I can say that Dumb and Dumber Thee has redeemed itself!

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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87th Academy Awards

87th Academy Awards 


Broadcast Date: February 2015 - Australia


Greetings, film enthusiasts and critics
everywhere, once again, the official
nominees for the 2015 Academy
Awards have just been announced.
The ceremony's host will be famed
movie and television actor and four-

time Emmy Award winner Neil

Patrick Harris.

I wasn't disappointed that The Lego Movie got left out of the Best Animated Feature award ballot. Most moviegoers are displeased with this exclusion. The Oscar adjudicators thought that the feature wasn't fully animated enough to be received that award.

Also, the more coming surprise happened in the best-animated category is Big Hero 6. I have heard all the great things about the movie, and it occurred to me unexpectedly that I didn't get to watch it. I have felt so hard on not watching a full-length animation made by Disney since I largely ignored and didn't see Frozen, and most of the blokes that don't like Disney princesses would soon find it overrated. Naturally, if Big Hero 6 wins an Oscar, it will mark the second time for the Disney animation studio since Frozen.

Click on the link "oscar.go.com" and which name of the film or group that you want to vote for!

Best Visual Effects

Captain America: The Winter Solider - Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl,
Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon
Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
Guardians of the Galaxy - Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi,
Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
Interstellar - Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter
and Scott Fisher
X-Men: Days of Future Past - Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora,
Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer

Best Film Editing

American Sniper - Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach
Boyhood - Sandra Adair
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Barney Pilling
The Imitation Game - William Goldenberg
Whiplash - Tom Cross

Best Costume Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Milena Canonero

Inherent Vice - Mark Bridges
Into the Woods - Colleen Atwood

Maleficent - Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive

Mr. Turner - Jacqueline Durran

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Foxcatcher - Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Frances Hannon and 

Mark Coulier 

Guardians of the Galaxy - Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiu 

and David White

Best Cinematography

Birdman - Emmanuel Lubezki

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Robert Yeoman

Ida - Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczweski 

Mr. Turner - Dick Pope

Unbroken - Roger Deakins

Best Production Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Adam Stockhausen

(Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)

The Imitation Game - Maria Djurkovic (Production 

Design); Tatania MacDonald (Set Decoration)

Interstellar - Nathan Crowley (Production Design); 

Gary Fettis (Set Decoration)

Into the Woods - Dennis Gassner (Production 

Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)

Mr. Turner - Suzie Davis (Production Design); 

Charlotte Watts (Set Decoration)

Best Sound Mixing

American Sniper - John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff 

and Walt Martin

Birdman - Jon Taylor, Frank A Montaño and 

Thomas Varga

Interstellar - Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker 

and Mark Weingarten

Unbroken - Jon Taylor, Frank A Montaño and 

David Lee

Whiplash - Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and 

Thomas Curley

Best Sound Editing

American Sniper - Alan Robert Murray and 

Bub Asman

Birdman - Martin Hernádez and Aaron Glascock

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - 

Brent Burge and Jason Canovas

Interstellar - Richard King

Unbroken - Becky Sullivan and Andrew 

DeCristofaro

Best Original Song

"Everything Is Awesome" from The Lego Movie - 

Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson: 

performed by Tegan & Sara and Lonely Island

"Glory" from Selma - John Legend and Common

"Grateful" from Beyond the Lights - Music and 

Lyric by Diane Warren: performed by Rita Ore

"I'm Not Gonna Miss You" from Glen Campbell: 

I'll Be Me - Glen Campbell

"Lost Stars" from Begin Again - Music and Lyric 

by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois: 

performed by Adam Levine and Keira Knightley

Best Original Score

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Alexandre Desplat

The Imitation Game - Alexandre Desplat

Interstellar - Hans Zimmer

Mr. Turner - Gary Yershon 

The Theory of Everything - Jóhann Jóhannson

Best Animated Short Film

The Bigger Picture - Daisy Jacobs and Christopher 

Hees

The Dam Keeper - Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi

Feast - Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed

Me and My Moulton - Torrill Kove

A Single Life - Joris Oprins

Best Live Action Short Film

Aya - Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis

Boogaloo and Graham - Michael Lennox and 

Ronan Blaney

Butter Lamp (La Lampe au beurre de yak) - 

Hu Wei and Julien Féret

Parvaneh - Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan 

Eichenberger

The Phone Call - Mat Kirkby and James 

Lucas 

Best Documentary - Short Subject

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 - Ellen Goosenberg 

Kent and Dana Perry

Joanna - Aneta Kopacz

Our Curse - Tomasz Śliwiński and Maciej Ślesicki 

The Reaper (La Parka) - Gabriel Serra Arguello

White Earth - J. Christian Jensen

Best Documentary - Feature

Citizenfour - Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefey and 

Dirk Wilutsky

Finding Vivian Maier - John Maloof and Charlie 

Siskel

The Salt of the Earth - Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick

Salgado and David Rosier

Virunga - Orlando von Eisensiedel and Joanna 

Natasegara

Best Foreign Language Film 

Ida (Poland) in Polish - Pawel Pawlikowski

Leviathan (Russia) in Russian - Andrey Zyvinagintsev

Tangerines (Estonia) in Estonian - Zaza Urushadze

Timbuktu (Mauritania) in French - Abderrahmane Sissako

Wild Tales (Argentina) in Spanish - Damián Szifrón

Best Animated Feature Film

Big Hero 6 - Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli

The Boxtrolls - Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annabelle

and Andrew Knight

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Dean DeBlois and 

Bonnie Arnold

Song of the Sea - Tomm Moore and Paul Young

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - Isao Takahata and 

Yoshiaki Nishimura

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

American Sniper - Jason Hall from American Sniper - 

Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice

The Imitation Game - Graham Moore from Alan Turing: 

The Enigma - Andrew Hodges

Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson from Inherent 

Vice - Thomas Pynchon

The Theory of Everything - Anthony McCarten from 

Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen - Jane 

Wilde Hawking

Whiplash - Danielle Chazelle from his short film of 

the same name

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

Birdman - Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárittu, Nicólas 

Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and 

Armando Bo

Boyhood - Richard Linklater

Foxcatcher - E. Max Eyre and Dan Futterman

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson

and Hugo Guinness

Nightcrawler - Dan Gilroy

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette - Boyhood as Olivia Evans

Laura Dern - Wild as Barbara "Bobbi" Grey

Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game as Joan 

Clarke

Emma Stone - Birdman as Sam Thomson

Meryl Streep - Into the Woods as The Witch

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall - The Judge as Judge Joseph Palmer

Ethan Hawke - Boyhood as Mason Evans, Sr.

Edward Norton - Birdman as Mike Shiner

Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher as Dave Schultz

J. K. Simmons - Whiplash as Terence Fletcher

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night as Sandra Bya

Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything as Jane 

Hawking

Julianne Moore - Still Alice as Dr. Alice Howland

Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl as Amy Elliott-Dunne

Reese Witherspoon - Wild as Cheryl Strayed

Best Actor

Steve Carrell - Foxcatcher as John du Pont
Bradley Cooper - American Sniper as Chris Kyle
Benedict Cumberbatch -  The Imitation Game as 
Alan Turing
Michael Keaton - Birdman as Riggan Thomson
Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything as
Stephen Hawking

Best Director

Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárittu - Birdman
Richard Linklater - Boyhood
Bennett Miller - Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum - The Imitation Game


Best Picture

American Sniper - Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz,
Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan
Birdman - Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárittu, John Lesher
and James W. Skotchdopole
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, 
Steven M. Rales and Jeremy Dawson
The Imitation Game - Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky 
and Teddy Schwarzman
Selma - Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner 
and Jeremy Kleiner
The Theory of Everything - Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, 
Lisa Bruce and Anthony McCarten
Whiplash - Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook and 
David Lancaster


Academy Honorary Awards

Jean-Claude Carriere
Hayao Miyazaki
Maureen O'Hara


Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Harry Belafonte 


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Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Review

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Release Date: 28th April 1994 - Australia

Production Companies

Morgan Creek Productions

Distribution
Roadshow Films

Genre: Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 87 minutes


Budget: $15,000,000

Box Office Gross: $107,217,396 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Someone has kidnapped the mascot of a football team (a dolphin) just before the Super Bowl, but who would do that? Ace Ventura, a zany private investigator specialising in finding missing animals, is on the case. Soon, Miami Dolphins star player Dan Marino gets kidnapped, making Ace's sleuth work even more pressing.

With the help of a team

representative named

Melissa, Ace must crack

this case and look for

the culprit, but only

after many ridiculous

misadventures.

Cast

Jim Carrey - Ace Ventura

Courteney Cox - Melissa Robinson

Sean Young - Lt. Lois Einhorn

Tone Lōc - Emilio

Dan Marino - Himself

Troy Evans - Roger Podacter
Raynor Scheine - Woodstock
Udo Keir - Ronald Camp
Noble Willingham - Riddle
John Capodice - Sgt. Aguado
Frank Adonis - Vinnie
Tiny Ron - Roc
David Marguiles - Doctor
Judy Clayton - Martha Mertz
Bill Zuckert - Mr. Finkle
Alice Drummond - Mrs. Finkle
Rebecca Ferratti - Sexy Woman
Mark Margolis - Mr. Shickadance
Randall 'Tex' Cobb - Gruff Man

Cannibal Corpse - Themselves

Crew

Screenplay/Director - Tom Shadyac

Story/Screenplay - Jack Bernstein

Screenplay - Jim Carrey
Executive Producer - Gary Barber

Producer - James G. Robinson
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Peter Bogart
Co-Producer - Bob Israel
Project Consultants - Eugene Lebowitz
and Steve Oedekerk

Lead Animal Trainer - April Mackin

Production Designer - William Elliott

Art Director - Alan E. Muraoka

Set Decorator - Scott Jacobson
Costume Designer - Bobbie Read

Director of Photography - Julio Macat

First Assistant Director - Terry Miller
Stunt Coordinator - Artie Malesci
Special Effects Coordinator - Michael Arbogast

Film Editor - Don Zimmerman

Supervising Sound Editor - Michael Hilkene

Re-Recording Mixers - Paul Massey,

Steve Pederson and Scott Millan

Music - Ira Newborn

Music Supervisor - Peter Afterman

Review

The first ACE VENTURA movie was just as solid as the other works featuring the funny man Jim Carrey; even the sequel, When Nature Calls, which I once explored, is equally a great chapter. I now find myself a confessed fanatical viewer of the comedian and his creative genius of unleashing spontaneous/manic humour and energy into some of his well-known roles. Because the Dumb & Dumber sequel came out in Australia, I decided to critique the first instalment and several other Carrey classics (if some are lesser-known) in preparation to celebrate the new and latest addition. It was the inception of Jim's career as a talented movie star, and in this film, what a solid beginning to a man's career. It was truly satisfying to master an amusing plot that presents complex plot twists.

Jim is responsible for shaping and crafting his unique/memorable title character. The one quality Carrey achieves in every scene is exceptional humour, which can appeal to a market of movie-goers. His co-stars Sean Young and Courteney Cox are good as they were competent in their roles but never matched the finesse from Jim. I remember loving the part where Ace disguises himself as a patient in a mental institution.

ACE VENTURA was almost one of the greatest top Carrey films of all time, which gets outclassed by Dumb & Dumber, as it shines through as the un-defeated comedy that Carrey is particularly proud of starring in that movie. While a few bits aren't politically correct, it doesn't stop ACE VENTURA from being a funny movie. I recommend it to fans of Jim Carrey.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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Battle for Terra Review

Battle for Terra

Release Date: 1st May 2009 - USA


Production Companies
Menithings Productions
Snoot Entertainment

Genre: Animation/Family/

Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 90 minutes


Budget: $4,000,000

Box Office Gross: $6,195,553 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary

Terra is a beautiful planet inhabited by a peaceful race. That is until the humans arrived and changed everything. The last

survivors from Planet Earth

have travelled across the

galaxy to search for a new

home and have begun an

invasion on Terra to ensure it

would be theirs. Fortunately,

a friendship between a young

female Terran and an injured

human pilot would stop the

war and save the planet.

Voice Cast
Evan Rachel Wood - Mala
Justin Long - Senn
Luke Wilson - Lieutenant Jim Stanton
Brian Cox - General Hemmer
David Cross - Giddy
Amanda Peet - Maria Montez
Dennis Quaid - Roven
Chris Evans - Stewart Stanton
James Garner - Doron
Danny Glover - President Chen
Mark Hamill - Elder Orin
Ron Perlman - Elder Vorin
Danny Trejo - Elder Barum

Crew

Story/Director/Production

Designer/Cinematography -

Aristomenis Tsirbas

Screenplay - Evan Spiliotopoulos
Consulting Producer - Guido Baechler

Producers - Keith Calder, Ryan Colucci, Dane Allan Smith and Jessica Wu

Character Animators - Tom K. Gurney, Heather Shrewsbury, Jeremy Collins and Harry Porudominsky
Senior CG Sequence Supervisor - Will Wira
Lighter/Visual Effects Supervisor - Dimitri Loginowski

Film Editor - J. Kathleen Gibson

Additional Editor - Jim May

Supervising Sound Designer - Mark Allen
ADR Recordist/Sound Designer/Supervising
Sound Editor - Nathan Smith

Sound Supervisor - Trevor Jolly

ADR/Re-Recording Mixer - Donald Lyles

Foley Artists - Dawn Fintor and Alicia Stevenson

Music - Abel Korzeniowski

Review

Happy New Year, possums! I hope you'll forgive me for not publishing the first review late last year. So, here is the description, and I hope you enjoy it! BATTLE FOR TERRA came out the same year when James Cameron unveiled an unforgettable moment to his audience known as Avatar. Two years before, it even got shown in specific film festivals. BATTLE FOR TERRA is one of the rarest pieces of animation that has faded into obscurity and got mixed reviews from critics. It is one of those films that cannot compete against its similar rival (which came out months later) and was unsuccessful at beating X-Men Origins: Wolverine at the box office. I applaud its unique art style despite being on a lower budget. But TERRA is a letdown shaken by the cluttered storytelling, slow pace and heavy-handed morality. The characterisation in this film is bland, and the character designs lack realism and detail.

Shown in this CG aesthetic, the graphic imagery, battle sequences and ending are pleasing alike, but unfortunately, these won't save the movie from its missteps. Some of the film's voice performances are below par, including Evan Rachel Wood, David Cross, Justin Long and Luke Wilson. These actors are entirely miscast and don't add much to their animated characters.

If Pixar's and DreamWorks' executives had gotten a hold of this project, this film could have been an expensive and more impacting smash hit. This movie had potential, but in my opinion, it felt short. Due to these factors of TERRA, it's qualified as below average. Those who haven't seen BATTLE OF TERRA would probably watch it only once.

Star rating: (4/10) Below Average

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