It is now time that I show you my list for what I think are the best in each catagory for Best Animated films of 2015 first off, I will show you the list of entries
Strange Magic
SpongeBob movie: Sponge out of water
Home
Inside Out
Minions
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F
Shaun the Sheep movie
Hotel Transylvania 2
The Peanuts Movie
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
The Good Dinosaur
Now, let us begin by giving out the awards
Best Story
Inside Out
Runner Up: Shaun the Sheep Movie
Inside Out has without a doubt one of the most unique story's to tell in which you get to see the young girl Riley's inside feeling all manifested as indevidual characters and how two of them, Joy and Sadness, must come to terms with one another to get back home. It brings us to such interesting places never before thought of in an animated film, sure their have been similar kind of films like Osmosis Jones, but Inside Out takes it on a rather fresh journey with not just the feelings, but also the girl who has said feelings and that makes it all the more fasinating. Pete Doctor is one talented writer along with Ronnie Del Carmen. Credit must also go to the runner up, Shaun the Sheep movie where, while its story is pretty simplistic, it was how they were able to tell the story with little to no diolouge relying on animation, facial expressions, and body language and I wish their were more movies like it, but because it's such a simple story, it can't compare to Inside Out in how it's just more unique
Best Character Animation
The Peanuts Movie
Runner Up: Shaun the Sheep Movie
Now, Im not the biggest fans when it comes to computer animated films since the market is just saturated with them, and I would have chosen Shaun the Sheep's for being stop-motion and being able to tell it's story mostly with it's animation, but after watching the Peanuts Movie, I had to do a double-take. The Peanuts movie manages to do what a lot of animatied movies and live-action/cgi hybrid movies tend to forget, sticking with the source materials original style and design, and thats what the folks at Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age, Rio) have tackled here. It's animation really is a throw back to the old Peanuts designs but with a CGI coat a paint, and it also mixes in that bit of less fluidity in the movements to give it that sort of a 2-D feel along with only sticking to certain aspects like the eyes, mouth, and head positions. It is really refreshing to see a company notorious for not being to revolutonary with their animatd movies, but the Peanuts Movie is gonna be one of those films that fans will keep going back to again and again for decades in the future.
Best Enviornment Animation
The Good Dinosaur
Runner Up: The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
While the Good Dinosaur was Pixar best efforts of 2015, it does have it's moments where it does shine, most particularly in the enviornments which are vast and gigantic and just teaming with such fine detail it almost looks like viewing a postcard. The effects of weather, terrain, wild-life, plant-life, and water are used to their highest potential in The Good Dinosaur and really show just how powerful an engine Pixar can weild in the industry where computer animation is so abused. commendment to Lion Guard for returning us to Pride Rock with a nice new coat of paint thanks to the use of digital coloring to really show off nice lighting effects not usually sen in old traditional animation.
Best Traditional Animation
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Runner Up: Dragon Ball Z; Ressurection F
The Lion Guard did one of a few things right, it stuck with traditional animation, and it is nicely done. it may not be up to the standards of such animaton gods that worked on the original Lion King, but it is quite faithful to it's source material in it's old characters as well as new ones. Wonderful use of color and great use of shadows and lighting to really help the Pride Lands stick out in the field of over-saturated use of Flash animation and computer animation. DBZRF is also good with its animation in showing off great use of it's action sequences, but thats pretty much it, otherwise, it's basically the same DBZ style but with improved visuals from the tv adaptations.
Best CGI Animation
Inside Out
Runner Up: The Peanuts Movie
This was a hard one to think about because you heard me gushing about The Peanuts Movie, but in the grand sceme of things, it's Inside Out that brings the whole package of it's animation together with unique and colorful animation with the addition of incredible set-pieces and imaginative enviornments that make this entry of "exploring the mid" all that much more inviting. whereas Peanuts has a great sence of character animation, it does have some nice enviornments to look at as well, but they are for the most part basic. it doesn't bring anything new to the table, and that is why I choose Inside Out for best Computer Animation.
Best Art Direction
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Runner Up: Inside Out
Second Runner Up: The Peanuts Movie
Two words: Traditional Animation. It's my favorite animation, period, and with the Lion Guard: ROTR, it was handled brilliantly. everything about it's art screams Lion King and it doesn't try to not hide the fact that while their may be some computer animaed parts, it does texture them nicely to not make them seem too out of place. Inside out is the runner up in the case of being able to think of intersting set pieces to destinguish what the mind could look like with its use of colors like purple and yellow, but also what lighting helps set the mood. The Peanuts Movie is on here for the fact that they stuck with the original style and not tried to change anything about the character designs to be modern like DreamWorks Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Best Score
Inside Out
Runner Up: The Peanuts Movie
Inside Out proves to use once again that Micheal Giacchino (Up, TomorrowLand, Zootopia) knows how to nick a mood. soft serene music that really captures emotional sequences and tug at your heart strings without having to be too grand or big blockbuster sounding. With the Peanuts movie, I like how Christophe Beck (Frozen, Muppets: Most Wanted) was able to fit music in without being to far off from what would fit in the Peanuts universe, especially since the film also uses bits from the original tv specials.
Best Voice Cast
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water
Runner Up: Inside Out
Second Runner Up: Peanuts Movie
When it comes to SpongeBob in general, you can't argue that it has a good cast of characters all provided by talented voice actors. While they may not have the star qualities of A-list celebrities that appear in most animated film productions, the voice actors in SpongeBob know how to put on a show with their vocals of the characters whenever they get excited, deranged, meniacel, heart-broken, you name it, they can pull it off. Inside Out had a interesting cast of actors that ranged from people like Amy Poehler to Richard Kind, and they all give off such lovable performances, kudos to Phyliss Smith for her performace of Sadness and winning an Annie for it. The one thing about Peanuts Movie is that the kids they hired to voiced the characters aren't even famous, and yet they could all give off such convicing and believable performances and I admire that.
Most Under-rated
The Good Dinosaur
Runner Up: The Peanuts Movie
Second Runner Up: Shaun the Sheep Movie
Now normally when it comes to this catagory, I choose the films that are praised well, but make less money, with the case of The Good Dinosaur, I think it's a simple case as "while it's not as good as Inside Out, it's still a pretty solid movie" It has what most people would expect in a Pixar film. Good animation, a great voice cast, likable characters, and heart-warming moments. not to mention tear jerker moments. It's just a shame that it didn't manage to get a lot of people's attention like Brave or Cars 2 did to which I say The Good Dinosaur is a much better film. and with the Peanuts movie, I think a lot of people didn't find the story all the exciting to be able to flood out and see it, which is a shame because isn't that what Peanuts is all about, the basic lives of children in general? Truely, more films should try this kind of approach. and lastly for Shaun the Sheep Movie. Three words: Stop-motion animation. No one seems to apprechiate it.
Most Over-Rated
Minions
Runner Up: Minions
Second Runner Up: Minions
I like the Minions, I really do, but did they really need their own fucking movie? not to mention, did this movie really need to earn over 1 Billion dollars at the box office? It is not better then Dispicable Me 2. Say all you want about Inside Out being over-rated, but at least the movie oesn't degrade itself from the shameless money making schemes that Minions is OBVIOUSLY trying to cash in on, and thats why I find it to be the most over-rated animated film of 2015
Worst Movie
Strange Magic
I will admit, I found myself to kind of enjoy Strange Magic to some degree, but when you get down to the real grit of it, it's just not all that good compared to the other entries on this list. The story is cliche, the charactrs are pretty bland, the songs are so out of place, and the villain is a complete and utter douchebag. the only good thing about it is it's character designs, but even then they are pretty simplar to other films like Epic and FernGully. I will at least give LucasFilms credit for this film in that they tried for something here, but in the end, it just can't hold itself against the rest on here.
Funniest Movie
SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water
Runner Up: Hotel Transylvania 2
Second Runner Up: Minions
The SpongeBob movie did what I thought would be impossible for the series to do since the first movie, it managed to be funny. its jokes and situations were written very cleverly without trying to be cruel to anyone (particularly Squidward) and none of them felt too forced. Hotel Transylvania was quite funny in that along with jokes came the studios famous use of animation being so zany and over the top. and yes, I will admit, Minions had me laughing at times, but thats just it, it only made me laugh, it didn't make me feel for the characters all that much.
and Finally
The Best Animated Feature is
Inside Out
Runner Up: Shaun the Sheep Movie
This one was a hard one to decide cause these movies did something unique in their own ways that I didn't know which one had the superiority over who. But when I got down deep into it, which one had the more interesting story, the more vibrant characters, the more extrodinary scenery? It most certainly had to be Inside Out. It is one of those films that don't come very often with not just an exciting film for kids, but an engadgin film for all movie-goers around the World. and that is why I truely think that Inside Out is the greatest animated film of 2015
Now its time for the Indevidual Awards catagory
Best Main Character
Riley: Inside Out
Runner Up: Arlo: The Good Dinosaur
2nd Runner Up: Charlie Brown: The peanuts Movie
Ok, some may argue with me on this one, but hear me out. All of the emotions, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear are all inside Riley, so doesn't that make her the main character as well? I do. I feel like she is one of the most realistic portrayals of a child character in any animated film, going through a typical mindset of a kid her age, trying to manage in a new setting with new people, it can be scary for children and Riley is quite a relatable character in that sense, plus Katlyn Dias gives up a pretty realistic voice portrayal that is both admirable and powerful. Bringing up Arlo cause he has to go through a lot of things to get over his fear and sort of become his father when he grows up and there's good growth to him, as for Charlie Brown, well, he's Charlie Brown. He wants to do the right thing, but a lot of times he's a screw up, but he is willing to commit to something and not give up, even if it meant having to give up certain things like trying to impress his crush by helping his sister out in the Talent Show or turning down the award given to him after realizing he had someone elses perfect test score.
Best Supporting Character
Spot: The Good Dinosaur
Runner Up: Snoopy: The Peanuts Movie
2nd Runner Up: Bing Bong: Inside Out
Spot is one of those characters that I never thought they would tackle in the way they did. Sure, he behaves like a dog and a few other animals, but he is still a human on the inside and shows a loving side to him when Arlo is feeling down about the loss of his father, and through no diolouge whatsoever, he is able to communicate his feelings to Arlo in a very sutle way. Snoopy, while not as complicated as Spot, is still a likable companion to Charlie Brown. Sure, there are his moments when he might come off as a smartass, but he is more then willing to help out his owner whenever he has a problem that would, otherwise, need his help, plus, he is quite hilarious in his antics and all done without any speaking lines is quite admirable. Bing Bong is one of those supporting characters that, while he may not be smart at times, he is still lovable and is quite helpful. He goes to great lengths to protect the bag that contained the core memories and not lose it like a typical supporting comic relief which makes him more likable.
Best "Animated" Character
Spot: The Good Dinosaur
Runner Up: Snoopy: The Peanuts Movie
2nd Runner Up: Farmer: Shaun the Sheep Movie
As stated in the Best supporting character catagory, it's through the animation of Spot where he shines in his character. The animators went to great lengths to not only portray Spot with movements and behaviors like a couple opf different animals, but their are times when Spot can be a compasionate character during Arlos times of grief and friendship, and nowhere is that more relevent then in the scenes where they talk about their family and the ending sequence. seriously, the ending sequence I would love to talk about, but I feel like people need to watch it to get where I'm coming from, it is just so emotional. As for Snoopy, the animators did fantastic with being able to replicate the animation based on the original art style of the comics, but in the execussion of the movements is nothing short of incredible. Snoopy moves just like you would expect him to with fast antics and swift movements, but not to much to distract from the overal scene going on or be to out of place in the artstyle that Blue Sky has shown off to us. As for the Farmer, its through his movements that you can get a great idea on his personality and how he is feeling through sequences whenever he is shaking his fist or running away. I could include pretty much every character from this movie on here, but their is just something quite silly about him I find more mesmurizing.
Best Villain
Trumper: Shaun the Sheep Movie
Runner Up: Thunderclap: The Good Dinosaur
I'm gonna be quite honest, this year didn't have that many memorable villains, but for the ones we have here, they are still quite good. Starting off with A. Trumper, sure, he is that kind of typical guy who had dreams of becoming part of the CIA but ended up getting stuck with a Animal Control Unit job and is making the best of it, but towards the end of the movie, he gets quite sinister with trying to kill Shaun and his flock. I mean holy cow, he goes from locking up animals, to complete animal slaughter. damn, all those years of locking up poor defensless quadropeds really got to him. Also, with the case of Thunderclap, you expect him to be nothing more then some sort of washed up hippy-ish character in the beginningg of the film, but when he eats the animal Arlo helped rescue, you quickly understand his objectives in life as prey of small animals and creatures, including Spot. You could argue that Thunderclap deserves it more then Trumper, but it's in the personality of Trumper that he gets the winners medal for this. He acts badass when capturing aniamls, or suave when he's tryng to hit on the sheep dressed as a woman, and through that reason alone, I love Trumper more then Thunderclap.
Cutest character
Baby/Toddler Riley: Inside Out
Runner Up: Dennis/Winnie: Hotel Transylvania 2
Come on, who can argue against a baby being cute. Riley as a baby and toddler is nothing short of cuteness off the radar. We get to experience what Riley was like as she was developing her personality through the first act of the movie and the animators really captured that perfectly through young Riley, learning about how she got her love for hockey, where her goofyness came from, her honesty, and family and friendship as well. plus, who could forget the scene where she ran naked through the house? cute and funny. With Dennis and Winnie, how could you not like them? Dennis with his big eyes and giant fluffy orange hair, and Winnie is a cute little Werewolf girl whom I'm not to sure if the creators still treat her as a baby or a child cause in the first movie, she dones a pacifier, then she doesn't have it in the second movie, but is pictured on the DVD of the second movie, donening the pacifier. Sony, please clear this one uip for us. it's confusing.
Best Voice Actor
Raymond Ochoa: Arlo: The Good Dinosaur
Runner Up: Noah Schnapp: Charline Brown: The Peanuts Movie
Second Runner Up: Khary Payton: Rafiki: The Lion Guard
Coming off from works from Pixar like aditional voice work and the voice of Dash Parr in the Disney Infinity franchise, Raymond Ochoa has his first real main character role and I gotta say, it is quite good. Raymond really knows how to act in times of true emotion and be quite determined in Arlo's change towards the end of the movie. Noah Schnapp, on the other hand, came from no acting background and yet, he gives off such a believable performance as a really good soundalike to the original Charlie Brown voice. and for Rafiki, once I heard it was not Robery Guillume not doing his voice, I was kind of worried, but when I heard Khary Payton (Cyborg from Teen Titans) doing his voice, my worries were put to rest, he is a great soundalike and hope he will do more for the character in the future, kudos to Cyborg voicing a manderon/baboon
Best Voice Actress
Kaitlyn Dias: Riley: Inside Out
Runner Up: Hadley Belle Miller: Lucy Van Pelt: Peanuts Movie
Despite being in one film prior to Inside Out (The Shifting) This is Kaitlyn Dias' first big pertformance in a film and oh my god, it is quite good, much better then Raymond's performance. Kaitlyn really dives deep into whan makes Riley Riley by giving us a believable 11 year old girl and all the things she would go through at that age. It makes you look at child actors in a different way. same with Hadley Belle Miller. just like Noah, she came from no acting background and yet gave us a very well performed Lucy that I dare say rivals the original.
Biggest Bitch/Bastard
Roland: Strange Magic
Runner Up: Lucy Van Pelt: Peanuts Movie
2nd Runner Up: Kiara: The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
I know it seems like cheating when I put a villain as the biggest bitch/bastard because villains are like that by nature and I never put them on the list for that reason. but when it comes to Roland, he's just too much of a douchebag to even be considered as a villain. he cheats on the main character just before their wedding, he tricks a supporting character to get him a love potion, and sends an attack party on, who might be considered the villain, the Bog King's hideout, plus the way he acts and talks just pisses me off. as with Lucy, yes, she is a bitch in some cases, but it can be quite funny to hear her lash out at certain characters in a very exagerated way. Kiara just didn't feel like Kiara in this movie, she was too focused on trying to follow in her dad's foot, er, paw steps that she felt like she was breaking the character portrayal that was already established in the second film, and thats why I didn't like her that much in this film.
Best Song
Towards the Sun: Rihanna
Rap Battle: Spongebob: Sponge out of Water
Tonight we Strike: Hyena's: The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
While Home was not exactly the best animated film during 2015, or the best of DreamWorks had to offer, you can't argue that it had some pretty good songs written for it. Towards the Sun is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head cause of how catchy it is and how positive and upbeat it is. with the case of Rap Battle, I could have chosen the song Teamwork, but when I really thought more about, the Rap Battle was the one that really suprised and entertainted me the most cause it felt so out of place, even though this is Sponge Bob we are talking about, and the lyrics are just pretty funny how a dolphan and a group of seaguls are insulting one another. plus it was written by the online talent group ERB. (Epic Rap Battles) and for the last song I chose Tonight we Strike from the Lion Guard. let's get this out of the way, the songs in Lion Guard are nowhere close to the original songs of the film, they don't even come close to memorability, but with Tonight we Strike, it has this nice beat and melody along with it's lyrics that make it a nice attempt from the songwritters and can't help not to mention it.
Best Credits song
Feel the Light: Jennifer Lopez: Home
Runner Up: Squeeze Me: N.E.R.D.: SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water
2nd Runner Up: I'm in love with a Monster: 5th Harmony: Hotel Transylvania 2
as I stated in the last catagory, Home wasn't DreamWorks best film, but I'm one of those who enjoyed it, and even the songs were some of it's best features, like the winner for this catagory. Feel the Light is an emotional ballad performed by Jennifer Lopez (who also voiced Tip's mom in the movie) that helps illustrate that even though their may be lose in your life, that you should never give up in times of darkness and search for a small bit of light to help you see through. since the death of my grandma was also a strong reason I picked this song, it seemed like a perfect pick for this winner. When it comes to Squeeze Me, its just one of those fun songs with this bit of laidback attitude mixed with a bit of psycodelicness to make it feel like a stoners acid trip XD not to mention the group who sings it has one member that you probably know about, Pharral Williams, you know, "Because I'm Happy" Yea, him XD. With I'm in love with a Monster, it's all a matter of a fast and fun song about a weird topic that fits the movies theme just like how Winnie and Dennis kind of have this cute little kid love for one another, but also could do with Johnny and Mavis' love for one another too, and the group 5th Harmony have this sense of, well, harmony that really helps encapsulate you in their song abotu being in love with horror creatures, and thats why it's on here.
Well, thats it for last years films, heres looking forward to what 2016 will bring us. whats first on our list? NORM OF THE NORTH!?? (looks at everyone) I think we are off to an interesting year.
