20 June
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TOY STORY 4 Director: Josh CooleyStarring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Tony Hale, Annie Potts, Keanu Reeves, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, June Squibb, John Ratzenberger It’s been a few years since Andy gave his toy collection to little Bonnie (McGraw). Bonnie is now entering kindergarten which means some separated time from her toys. In her orientation class, she makes a new toy out of some trash and names his Forky (Hale). He’s a spork with googly eyes, pipe cleaner arms, and a popsicle stick as feet. He becomes her new best friend so much so that she takes Forky along with WoodyRead More →

02 May
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UGLY DOLLS Director: Kelly AsburyStarring: Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Wanda Sykes, Lizzo, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX, Lizzo Not every toy that goes through the assembly line comes out perfect to its design. There are some made with the wrong pieces, parts, and shapes attached. Instead of being sent to live with a child, they bypass that tunnel into a land called Uglyville. The attitude there couldn’t be further from the name as all of the misfit dolls in Uglyville are happy, cheery, and living their best life. A little pink doll named Moxy (Clarkson) has bigger ambitions. Every day, she believesRead More →

27 February
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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD Writer/Director: Dean DeBloisFeaturing the Voices of: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, F. Murray Abraham, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Craig Ferguson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse Viking warrior Hiccup (Baruchel) takes great responsibility in keeping his dragon best friend Toothless, along with all of the other dragons, safe on a rescue island. The dragon population continues to grow and is now reaching the point where they’re overcrowding the island and exposing their secret cover. Hiccup thinks there may be a mythical land far out there in the cosmos, a secret utopia that could permanently hide them. Timing is key for Hiccup, hisRead More →

21 November
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RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET Directors: Phil Johnston, Rich Moore Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Ed O’Neill, Alfred Molina Ralph (Reilly) and Vanellope (Silverman) have become very accustomed to living their lives inside the arcade in both of their video games. That all changes when the owner, Mr. Litwak (O’Neill), plugs a wi-fi router into their outlet. They have no idea what’s inside the Internet, but Vanellope’s always up for an adventure. Vanellope’s game Sugar Rush malfunctions when the steering wheel breaks off the machine. A couple of customers inform Mr. Litwak that theRead More →

15 June
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INCREDIBLES 2 Writer/Director: Brad Bird Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Vowell, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener, Huck Milner, Eli Fucile, Isabella Rossellini Pixar has had varying success with their sequels ranging from unnecessary (Cars 2) to innocent fun (Monsters University, Finding Dory), to making you downright cry uncontrollably (Toy Story 3). Incredibles 2 has that quintessential Pixar touch where they ease you for a fun adventure and then packs a punch by its end, but this time without the tears. The Incredibles have to be careful, as being super heroes is considered unlawful in the city. When the Underminer wreaks havocRead More →

26 November
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IN CONVERSATION: CHRIS BERNARDI FROM PIXAR’S “COCO” Chris Bernardi began working for Pixar Animation Studios in November 2000 as a shading technical director on Finding Nemo. Since then, he has served in a variety of roles, including sets shading supervisor, sets shading technical director, senior shading artist on many of their films like Cars, WALL•E, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, and Inside Out. As he mentions throughout the interview, being the set supervisors has Bernardi working with other supervisors, directors of photography and the production designer. Long before his days working for Pixar his path was quite different. He studied biology and physics at WashingtonRead More →

21 November
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COCO Director: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor, Edward James Olmos, John Ratzenberger, Cheech Marin When Pixar isn’t cranking out sequels to their greatest hits (Finding Dory, Cars 3), they are creating timeless original stories that touch the heart and prove their staying power as one of the best studios in Hollywood. Coco comes from the mind of Pixar titan Lee Unkrich who’s the master behind Toy Story 2 and 3, Finding Nemo, and Monster’s, Inc. and shares directing credit here with animator Adrian Molina (The Good Dinosaur). They set off to educate children aboutRead More →

15 June
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CARS 3 Director: Brian Fee Starring: Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Nathan Fillion, Armie Hammer, Margo Martindale, Kerry Washington, Larry the Cable Guy I don’t know of too many people who were looking forward to a third Cars movie after the second one’s poor reception. It seemed a little unnecessary for Pixar to spend their time and talents with this franchise when they could be diving into new and original stories. I’d like to assume Cars 3 is the last we will see of Lightning McQueen and the gang as it ends on a high note. The world of race car driving is changing,Read More →

22 November
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MOANA Director: Ron Clements, John Musker Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Auli’i Cravalho, Jemaine Clement, Alan Tudyk, Nicole Scherzinger 2016 proved to be extra special for Disney fanatics as Moana is the second film from the Walt Disney Animation Studios this year following Zootopia. Both films are uniquely different proving Disney has no reason to slow down. If you grew up in the 90s during their renaissance period watching the likes of The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, or Hercules, Moana may just remind you of the traditional style you grew up on that shaped your love of their work. It feels all the more appropriate givenRead More →

22 November
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In Interviews

IN CONVERSATION: MARLON WEST, Heads of Effects Animation on Disney’s Moana When you think of animated movies, it’s safe to assume Disney is the first thing that comes to mind. Many of us grew up watching Disney movies and that love has carried on into adulthood. For me, movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, or even something older like Pinocchio never get old. Walt Disney Animations Studios was in a bit of a slump in the early ‘00s but over the last few years, films like Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Wreck-It Ralph have garnered acclaim from audiences putting them rightRead More →