The Best Animated Feature Films of 2015
This year we have seen many brilliant films from familiar giants including Pixar, Disney and Aardman, along with releases from independent studios such as Cartoon Saloon with Song of the Sea. It’s been a great year for animated film with some movies being released that will become treasured classics in years to come.
Minions was highly successful at the box office and delighted audiences with slapstick comedy from the now world-renowned yellow creatures, however the film lacked a great story arc and emotional depth. Most characters felt one-dimensional and the Minions themselves fit better as sidekicks within the Despicable Me series than as protagonists. Similarly Home had a fantastic cast and score, but this was sometimes given greater value than the story and scenes where the potential for emotion went overlooked. Here is an overview of some of the best releases of 2015:
Big Hero 6
Big Hero 6 was Disney’s animated adaptation of a lesser-known Marvel comic and was released in the UK in January 2015. Taking around $56 million on its opening weekend in the US, Big Hero 6 continued its success in the UK becoming Disney’s third most successful animated feature ever and winning the Oscar for best animated feature film. The story follows protagonist Hiro on his adventure with robotic companion Baymax who replaces his brother, Tadashi, after he dies in a tragic fire. Hiro teams up with Tadashi’s classmates in this heart-warming action comedy to defeat a mysterious villain who has stolen Hiro’s invention and intends to use it to a disastrous consequence. With laugh out loud comedy, endearing characters and fantastic animation, Big Hero 6 is a visual feast that will no doubt become a Disney classic watched by both children and adults for years to come.
Shaun the Sheep The Movie
Shaun the Sheep Movie was the only stop motion film to be released in 2015. It is based on the popular British television series Shaun the Sheep, whose protagonist first appeared on our screens in the Wallace and Gromit short A Close Shave by Aardman Animations in 1995. In his feature Shaun and his flock go on an adventure to rescue the farmer after he ends up in the big city with memory loss and becomes a hairdresser with no memory of ever working on the farm. The film has absolutely no dialogue and therefore relies entirely upon diegetic noises from the characters along with great acting and expressions to convey how they are thinking and feeling. This was a huge challenge for the animators, but it’s great to see that the studio stayed true to the series and created a fantastic feature length film. The lack of dialogue means that more thought has gone into conveying the story and mood through lighting, composition, colour and other cinematographic techniques that make the film visually pleasing. The juxtaposition of the city against the farm, where we are used to seeing Shaun, added a level of excitement and exploration that was needed to elevate the story to feature film level. The characters, environments and props are all lovingly crafted to produce a beautiful setting which is used well in telling the story.
Song of the Sea
Song of the Sea is the second animated feature film by Cartoon Saloon. Following the success of The Secret of Kells (2009), director Tomm Moore set out to create the tale of siblings Ben and Saoirse, a young girl who can change into a seal. After the loss of their mother they must go on an adventure to free the faeries and save the spirit world from the owl-witch Macha. Although the film is a fantasy adventure, the story focuses on the relationships within Saorise’s family, in particular the heart warming relationship between the siblings which in turn helps the audience empathise with Ben’s struggle to be a better big brother. The film is inspired by Irish folklore and the mythology of the selkies, a race of creatures who can transform from human on land to seals in the sea. This inspiration runs throughout the film’s design, score and story, to create a 2D masterpiece that celebrates Ireland’s rich culture. Using a combination of traditional and digital techniques, Cartoon Saloon have evolved their production process to create another stunning work of art that showcases their unique visual style, creating a magical setting for the film to take place. Following it’s predecessor Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea was also Oscar nominated for best animated feature and is a must see film of 2015.
Inside Out
Inside Out was the first of two Pixar animated features released in 2015. The story features a young girl called Riley, who is uprooted from her life and moved to San Francisco where she knows nobody and becomes homesick. This in turn sends her on a journey through many emotions, which she hasn’t experienced in great depth before as her life predominantly consisted of joy and happiness. The main conflict happens in Riley’s brain, where her emotions are literally represented by five characters Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. Joy is used to Riley being happy and to try and keep her that way, even through the trauma of moving, she attempts to stop other emotions from playing their part in helping Riley deal with her situation. The story is highly complex due to the issues it addresses, yet is presented in a clear, understandable manner that takes the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster along with Riley. Although the story is essentially about Riley’s move and how she deals with it, the audience sees the events from Joy’s perspective and the story actually focuses on Joy’s growth as a character, in particular her relationship to Sadness who she views as detrimental to Riley. Each character represents their emotion through colour, acting, expressions and design, which is all beautifully done and well thought out. The film is a heart-warming tearjerker that takes place in the vibrant colourful landscape of Riley’s brain, which is strongly juxtaposed by the dulcet tones of the real world, clearly differentiating between the two. Overall Pixar have taken what could have been a disastrously complex film and masterfully told the story of a girl and her emotions through fantastic use of cinematography, design and animation.
Hotel Transylvania 2
Sequels, prequels and spin off movies often lack something that lead to their predecessors success and the triumph of Hotel Transylvania in 2012 was a tough act to follow. However Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Lab) has produced another gem, perhaps even outshining the original as Hotel Transylvania 2 was one of the funniest films to be released this year. The sequel is set in Dracula’s hotel which is now allowing humans through its doors. Mavis and Johnny have married and had their first child, Dennis, and the wait begins to find out if he is a vampire or a human. As Dennis is nearing the age of five and has still not shown any signs of vampirism his parents have a big decision to make – will they stay in Transylvania where it could be potentially dangerous for a human child to grow up, or move to California where Johnny’s family lives?
Here we begin to see some fantastic comedic moments as Dracula desperately tries to find the monster in Dennis to prevent his precious daughter Mavis from moving away. The film features some fantastic animation using 2D techniques such as squash and stretch to the CG rigs full potential and Dracula has a huge range of hilarious, over the top facial expressions, which add to his eccentric personality. Dennis’ young innocence and adorable design contrasts the monstrous, adult-filled hotel, drawing the viewer into the story and creating some gut wrenching moments as his childhood is almost shattered on numerous occasions. Often sequels seem to be produced just to make money off the backs of their forerunner, but the story was well written, taking a completely different angle to the original, yet using the existing characters in a clever new way to produce a hilarious family film with endearing moments that is well worth seeing.
The Good Dinosaur
The Good Dinosaur was Pixar’s second animated feature this year and had some of the most outstanding visuals ever seen in a film. The movie is based around clumsy, scared dinosaur Arlo who is desperate to prove his worth to his family. After Arlo’s dad dies in a flood while trying to teach him not to be afraid, Arlo attempts to catch the creature whom he blames for his father’s untimely demise. This catapults Arlo and his unlikely human friend Spot on an adventure to get back home after they are washed downstream by the river and end up hundreds of miles from Arlo’s farm. The pair travel across many stunning vistas which have an uncanny realism to them and breathtaking beauty. This does however detract from the visual style, which other than in the characters seems unexplored and underdeveloped. The story is simple yet has some heart warming moments when Arlo and Spots friendship reaches its pinnacle.
Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie
There has been much speculation about The Peanuts Movie and how Blue Sky Studios were going to take a 2D comic strip that ran for fifty years accumulating a huge fan base, and turn it into a 90-minute CG feature film. Fortunately the film has been lovingly created, with the time and attention taken to keep the characters and design recognisable, while still bringing it up to date to attract a new audience. The facial expressions have a hand drawn quality to them and the movements mimic that of 2D animation translating Schulz’s doodles into modern day CGI. The story is based around elements from the comic strip to create a new narrative with regular features included such as Lucy’s psychiatry booth and Charlie Brown’s attempts to fly a kite. The story follows Charlie Brown as he sets out on a quest to win the affections of the new girl in class by proving he is a winner, but unfortunately this doesn’t go to plan.
Kahlil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’
Based on the book of the same title, The Prophet brings to life celebrated Lebanese-American Kahlil Gibran’s poems about love, life and loss, to make a statement about freedom and human expression. The story centres around Mustafa, an exiled artist and poet, who must evade the authorities who fear his words may spark public rebellion, along with Kamila his house maid and Almitra her trouble making daughter, left speechless by the loss of her father. Beautiful cut scenes interject the narrative to illustrate Gibran’s poems each by a different director adding their own individual touch to the film. Directors including Tomm Moore (Song of the Sea), Bill Plympton (Guard Dog) and Nina Paley (Sita Sings the Blues) contributed to the film, making it a beautiful collaboration spearheaded by Salma Hayek (Frida).