Across the Universe

I love when movies acknowledge each other, whether it be an easter egg or it's a commonality that ties a movie universe together. One of my most favorite things that a movie can do is make references to other movies.

Marvel is tying all of their movies together for the Avengers movie that will be hitting silver screens across the world in only a couple of years. Marvel has been doing this by making reference to other superheroes in its recent films. Iron Man made a brief cameo in The Incredible Hulk a couple of years ago and Captain America’s shield made a brief appearance in Iron Man 2. The one commonality that is tying all of these films together, of course, is the presence of SHIELD, which is the organization that puts together the Avengers. At the end of Iron Man 2, they were uncovering Thor's hammer. Thor is Marvel's 2011 summer tentpole.

Pixar is another studio famous for easter eggs. I love easter eggs. It creates replay value since it is fun finding them. In every Pixar movie, the creators throw in a million little things to honor one thing or another. A113 makes an appearance as a nod to the classroom that many of the animators took a class in. The Pizza Port delivery truck makes an appearance in every film. John Ratzenberger also voices a character in every one of the Pixar films, such as Hamm in Toy Story, or John in WallE. Pixar also hints at new characters that appear in upcoming films. In Ratatouille, a shadow of Dug from Up can be seen. In Up, a Lotso doll, from this weekend's Toy Story 3, can be seen in a little girls room as Karl's house flies by. It's so exciting to find these references!

I don't know why, but easter eggs like some of the ones mentioned make watching a movie so much more exciting! What do you think? Do you like looking for easter eggs, or is it too much of a bother?

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Monsters, Inc. 2

The new Walt Disney chairman, Rick Ross, announced today that there is going to be a sequel to Monsters Inc. We can expect it to hit theatres in November 2012, just a few short months after Brave, Pixar's other offering that year. It would be exciting if Pete Docter is attached to the film. He is responsible for how emotionally powerful Monsters and Up are. There is no word on whether or not he will be involved in the movie. Newt was supposed to be coming out instead of Monsters 2, but their is no word on if that project has been delayed, or scratched altogether.

The studio was questioned last year when they announced a sequel to Cars. Although a great film, it isn't exactly known for being their best. I know a handful of people who really want an Incredibles sequel, and most of their other films deserve a sequel more than Cars. Maybe they are doing a follow up to coincide with a Cars land/attraction being built in Disney's California Adventure. I also know that the merchandise for the film sells really well, so it makes sense... it's just not what I want! Expect that to hit theaters as their 2011 offering.

I wonder why Pixar is reviving some of their older films with sequels. The studio is known for their really strong and original ideas, such as Wall E or Up. I know that the Toy Story sequel did really well, but I look forward to their original films every year. Yeah, I'm grateful for the Cars and Monsters sequels because I'll take anything Pixar gives me, but I'm not as excited as I would be if they were releasing original concepts instead.

Disney and Pixar have some strong films hitting theatres over the next couple of years. It should be really exciting! Look forward to Prince of Persia and Toy Story 3 this summer, and Sorcerer's Apprentice and Tangled (aka Rapunzel) later this year. Read more!

How to Train Your Dragon

Dreamworks is the David to Pixar's Goliath. In recent years, Dreamworks has been producing high quality fare; Although not on par with Pixar's repertoire (I'm a Pixar fanboy), they at least hold their own. Dreamworks usually relies on gags and pure star-power to pull people into the theatre, so it's a breath of fresh air to see the studio step out of their comfort zone. Dreamworks manages to release a film that pulls at the heart strings by showing depth and growth, traits that many of their previous films lacked (*coughbeemovieandoverthehedgecough*).

'How to Train Your Dragon' is a story about a boy, Hiccup, who doesn't quite fit in with the rest of his village of dragon-slaying vikings. All he wants is to fit in and gain his father's approval. His life is forever changed when he meets a dragon, Toothless, that challenges everything he once knew. It sounds like any other underdog story, but it is still a very well-rounded movie. Movies like this, despite their cliches, manage to become timeless because of their universal themes. That is probably why they film's source material is so popular.

One of the only things I had a problem with was the voice-acting. Although well-done for the most part, I struggled to understand why all of the adults in the village had strong, Scottish accents and all of the children had plain, American accents. Maybe it was to show the vast separation between the generations, but all it managed to accomplish was distracting me. Another thing was the voice of the main character. Although I can see why they cast Jay Baruchel as the lead, his voice lacks any emotional range. Baruchel is usually cast as the wimpy underdog, and he matches his character's personality perfectly... It was just difficult to get in sync with the character's emotions unless he was interacting with the dragon.

One of the other problems I had with the movie was the design of most of the dragons. Some of them were beautiful (ie, Toothless) and others seemed amateurish in design. Many of them looked like they were designed by students in a beginner's 3D modeling class. It created a disconnect for me between the humans and the dragons because the art direction for the two of them seem so different. It didn't help that the design of the dragons prevented them from showing as much emotion as the star dragon could. I think that is what angered me the most.

Speaking of anthropomorphic design, my favorite part about the movie was Toothless. I was so glad that they didn't give any of the dragons a voice. One of Dreamworks' trademarks is giving voices to its animal stars. This forced the designers of Toothless to rely on the dragon's facial expressions and body language, creating, in my opinion, one of their most memorable characters to-date.

Overall, the movie is one of the studio's best releases. I would recommend it to just about anybody. The pacing of the movie was exceptional and it never failed to deliver an exciting moment, up until the credits rolled. Catch this flick whenever you get the chance. You won't be disappointed. :) Read more!