The question of identity is one that everyone encounters in some form or another in their lifetime. Depending on your ethnicity, this may be a topic that you have to confront on a daily basis. Even in a multicultural country like Canada, the question of “what are you?” is one that pops up more often than people are willing to admit. The inherent need to associate people with categories is a topic explored in Jeff Chiba Stearns wonderful documentary, One Big Hapa Family.
Jeff Chiba Stearns, the product of an interracial marriage between his Japanese mother and white Canadian father, noticed at a fairly recent family reunion that everyone in his large family was of mixed race. Having had problems answering the question “what are you?” for most of his life, Jeff decided to explore why such a high percentage of Japanese Canadians marry outside of their race.
What starts out as a search to understand his own identity leads to the discovery of some startling facts that date back to the Second World War. Streans looks back to a time when Canada was not so accepting of other cultures as it appears to be now. The war brought out the worst in Canada in regards to racism toward people of Japanese ancestry. It even created a divide between the “hometown Japanese”, who were barely accepted by the communities they lived in for years, and the “coastal Japanese” who were seen as the villains of the war.
Stearns research shows that the need to assimilate with the white Canadians opened up the door to interracial marriages. Part of the appeal had to do with the offspring of these unions, the future generations would look whiter and would not have to deal with the same level of racism that their parents endured. Stearns’ documentary examines how these views have shifted over the years. He also looks at how the younger generations now, more than ever, want to identify with their Japanese roots.
While a well researched and constructed film, the element that really makes this film special is its use of animation. Stearns, an animator by profession, enlisted a slew of animators to give the film its unique look. Every artist received a different segment of the film to work on and designed it in the style they preferred. The film is really a visual treat to watch. One of the highlights is the chalkboard sequence that Stearns himself creates. It serves as a great way to digest all the historical information is woven into the film.
Uplifting without being preachy, One Big Hapa Family reaffirms it is the ones we love who truly define us and not our individual ethnicities.
Toy Story 3 is heralded by many, myself included, to be the frontrunner for the Best Animated Film award at next year’s Oscar ceremony. The creators behind Toy Story 3 may not want to get their acceptance speeches ready just yet. If there is one film that could pull off the upset, it will be The Illusionist. A humorous and touching film, The Illusionist could potentially steal some of Pixar's thunder come award season.
Helmed by Sylvain Chomet, the director who brought the world Les Triplettes de Belleville back in 2003, and based on an unproduced script by Jacques Tati; The Illusionist centres around a magician, Tatischeff, who goes to great lengths to keep a poor Gaelic girl believing in magic. Tatischeff seems to be the last vestige of a golden era of performers. The world no longer cares about folks who do magic tricks as rock bands, like The Brittoons, are now the focus for young minds. While performing in a small Scottish pub, Tatischeff comes across a young girl who works as a maid in the establishment. Seeing that the girl is in need of new footwear, Tatischeff uses some of the money he receives from the performance and buys her a nice pair of shoes. The girl believes Tatischeff magically pulled the item out of thin air and, as a result, decides to follow Tatischeff assuming his magic will bring her a better life. Not wanting to dampen the girl’s spirits, Tatischeff is forced to take on extra jobs in order to keep the charade going.
Behind Blue Valentine, The Illusionist ended up being my second favourite film at this year’s TIFF. The film is far more moving than you would expect from an animated feature. It nicely reaffirms how powerful a simple act of human kindness can be without being too sentimental. Although Tatischeff becomes a surrogate father to the young girl, his kindness does seem to influence the girl to do the same for others. In one poignant scene the girl makes stew for a few of the other tenants in their apartment, including a suicidal clown. Despite having several characters, like the aforementioned clown, whose lives are downright miserable, The Illusionist is a wonderfully uplifting work.
The Illusionist is as much a tribute to Jacques Tati as it is a look at the power of the human spirit. Tatischeff is not only a representation of Tati but, in one playful scene, actually ends up in at cinema that happens to be showing Tati’s film Mon Oncle. This scene, as well as numerous others, will evoke a smile from even the grumpiest viewer. Plus if the story does not grab you, which it will, the visuals surely will. The animation is beautiful especially the jaw-dropping details in regards to the Scottish landscape. The fact that the majority of the film was hand-drawn speaks volumes. Sylvain Chomet is able to evoke more genuine emotion out of the film, using very little dialogue, than most of the computer rendered 3D animated features that fill most multiplexes today.
I cannot recommend The Illusionist highly enough. I am confident that it will not only join Toy Story 3 in the animation Oscar race; but it shall also join that film on my list of best films of the year as well.
In Disney’s reworking of the classic fairy tale, The Frog Prince, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) has always dreamed of fulfilling her father’s legacy of starting up a restaurant. After one particularly bad day, Tiana meets a frog who calms to be a well known prince. Once a handsome young man, the penniless Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) was turned into a frog by the evil Dr. Facilie (Keith David). The only way to break the curse is for Prince Naveen to kiss a princess. As Tiana happens to be dressed as a princess for mardi gras, she decides to give Prince Naveen a quick kiss to see if that will work. Unfortunately the exact opposite happens and Tiana finds herself transformed into a frog as well. The pair soon find themselves on the run from Dr. Facillie’s shadow henchmen as they search for a cure to transform them back to normal.
It is nice to see Disney finally shine the light on a black princess for once, regardless of the fact that she spends the majority of the picture as a frog. I liked that Tiana is the most modern thinking female lead a Disney cartoon has had in a long time. Unfortunately the“traditional” Disney ending that this film incorporates is a bit of a slap in the face to both Tiana and young women everywhere. The Princess and the Frog uses the old-time Disney staple logic of “you can get what you want in life as long as you have a man first.” So instead of getting her restaurant first and then Prince Naveen afterwards; Tiana must do the opposite and first give up her dreams for love. Now I know that I am coming at this film from an older perspective, but is it not time for Disney to change the “prince charming is all you need” fantasy? Millions of young girls are growing up with the delusion that a husband is the key to achieving their career ambitions.
I would even be willing to ignore this fact if the male characters in this film were at least interesting, but none of them are. Prince Naveen, Lawrence (Peter Bartlett), and ‘Big Daddy’ LaBouff (John Goodman) are all one-note characters. Dr. Facilier has some nice musical moments but otherwise he comes off as a weaker version of Jaffar. Speaking of Dr. Facilier, he is by far the worst written character in the film. If you think back to all the great Disney films, the villains were just as interesting as the hero. Can you envision the Lion King without Scar? I cannot. When it comes to Dr. Facilier what do we know really? Everyone in New Orleans know he is a bad dude, but no one elaborates what he has done to earn that reputation. He apparently owes money to some evil spirits but the movie never explains how he incurred the debt in the first place. Also if Dr. Facillier has the ability to use dark magic, and is in desperate need of money, why did he not just impersonate Prince Naveen himself? It seemed rather silly using Lawrence to pull off such a ruse.
I will say this though, watching The Princess and the Frog reminded me of how much I miss the old school 2D animated films. Yes, there are some computer generated elements in the film but the bulk of the picture is a throwback to the animation style of classic Disney films of the 90’s and earlier. The character design, as well as many of the plot devices, reminded me lot of the film Aladdin. So it was not all that surprising to discover that directors Ron Clements and John Musker were also the directors behind Aladdin and other Disney flicks. The Princess and the Frog also does a good job at capturing the lushness of both New Orleans and the diverse mix of people who inhabit the city. The musical numbers are the highlights of this film as each one will have your toes tapping. The story in The Princess and the Frog may not be as compelling as the films in which it gives a nod to. Still, the movie did evoked enough nostalgia to keep me interested for a few hours at least.
There are times when, regardless of how much you like the director or cast, you just have to throw your hands in the air and concede defeat. It is tough to do, I know, but we must all face that fact that some films are simply not made with you in mind. Ponyo is an example of this for me. Despite being made by animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, whose works I normally love, Ponyo is a film clearly designed for people ages five and under. Anyone older may find themselves contemplating the various ways to bang one's head against a wall.
Based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, The Little Mermaid, Ponyo is a story about friendship and love. Sosuke (Frankie Jonas) is a five years-old boy who one day finds a goldfish, Ponyo (Noah Lindsey Cyrus), trapped in a jar near his home. Sosuke rescues Ponyo and treats her with the love and care that a pet goldfish deserves. Unbeknownst to Sosuke, Ponyo is no ordinary goldfish, her father (Liam Neeson) is a powerful wizard and her mother is the goddess of the sea (Cate Blancett). Ponyo soon falls in love with Sosuke and is determined to do anything to become human. Yet Ponyo does not realize the devastating consequences this may have on the world.
I was lucky enough to see Hayao Miyazaki in person, at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, when he held a brief Q & A session for his film Spirited Away. Miyazaki stated that after making films like Princess Mononoke, he wanted to make a film that his grandchildren could enjoy. Well if Spirited Away was made for his grandchildren, then I must assume that Ponyo is for his great-grandchildren. This is the only way I can see him justify this in coherent mess. Spirited Away was a film that did not talk down to the children who watched it. It offered several messages on family, duty, and love that both children and adults could understand. Ponyo is the exact opposite of this, Miyazaki tries to make grand statements about responsibility, love, taking care of the environment, etc. Yet opt to convey these messages by talking to core audience like they are babies. This uneven juxtaposition plagues the picture all the way to the very end.
On one hand Miyazaki revels in the innocence of youth and the friendships that often result from it. The relationship between Sosuke and Ponyo is similar to two kids at a family gathering. Inevitably one child, in this case Ponyo, will run around mimicking everything the other says and does. It may be annoying to the rest of us, but the kids are having fun in their own little world. It is this sense of play and abundant energy that Miyazaki wants children to cherish. Yet Miyazaki then turns around and gives Sosuke and Ponyo a quest which not only impacts their future together, but of the fate of the world as well. One of the most ridiculous scenes in the entire film comes when Sosuke's mom (Tina Fey) decides to leave Sosuke and Ponyo, at home alone, in the midst of a violent storm. Why does the mother leave? well she is worried about the folks in the retirement home where she works. Before leaving she gives Sosuke a speech regarding how, at age five, he is mature enough to take care of himself and keep Ponyo safe. Seriously. Worst mother of the year award goes to... .
Even if you are willing to ignore the ages of the two main characters in relation to the themes in the story, it is tough to ignore how sloppy the plot and overall editing is. Ponyo is heavy on childish repetition but slim on substance. The lack of a coherent plot is one of the most shocking aspects of the film. Especially when you consider the source material it is based on. The film often feels like it was thrown together last minute. Issues are raised but never followed through with, characters disappear for long periods of time, people make silly decisions for no other reason but to advance the story, etc.
The best examples of all the story and editing flaws become apparent when looking at the characters, like Fujimot (Neeson) for example, directly. Despite looking human, Fujimoto "dries out" when on land but still needs an air bubble to travel underwater. Fujimoto is in the house when Ponyo first tries to transform, yet somehow is nowhere to be found once Ponyo falls in the potions and sets the catastrophic events in motion. Also, one minute Fujimoto is determined to bring Ponyo home because her being human will set the world in flux. Yet, later on, Fujimoto and Gran Mamare (Blanchett) whittle the whole issue down to a "as long as he treats my daughter well, I'm fine with it" style discussion. Which makes the quest that Sosuke and Ponyo find themselves on seem rather pointless when you really think about it.
I know many will say that I am being too harsh on the film, but I refuse to use the "it's meant for kids" excuse to justify the film's many shortcomings. Hayao Miyazaki has proven in the past that he can make quality children's films that are full of substance and beautiful animation. Yet, with Ponyo, Miyazaki is merely relying on his wonderful animation skills to coast through. Unfortunately, it will take far more than pretty scenery to make Ponyo worth even a rental. While Miyazaki's overall track record speaks for itself, Ponyo is clearly one of his weakest films to date.
There is nothing harder on a movie lover than watching a film that practically screams “potential to be great” slowly falter into banality with each passing minute. Such is the case with director Shane Acker’s feature length debut 9.
One day #9 (Elijah Wood) wakes up to find himself in a post-apocalyptic world. Void of all humans, the world now belongs to fearsome machines that canvas the earth destroying everything in their path. Through his travels #9 comes across a small community of numeric clad beings like himself. Led by #1 (Christopher Plummer), the group moves from one hiding spot to another in order to maintain their survival. Tension arises when #9 joins the commune and starts to question how the world reached its current state. When #2 (Martin Landau) is captured by one of the machines #9 and # 5 (John C. Reilly), against # 1’s wishes, sets out in hopes of finding their friend and unlocking the mystery of their existence.
At times, visually speaking, 9 is a stunning work filled with many inventive character designs. The ramshackle world that the creatures and robotic monsters roam in allows Acker to create some thrilling action sequences. Unfortunately the overall story does not have the depth needed for a film this ambitious. A film such as this really needs to have a compelling story to match the visuals. The pacing of this picture is painfully slow which, as a result, causes several major plot points to take too long to unfold. While all the gaps are eventually filled, most of which you see coming from a mile away, it requires a lot of effort on the viewers part to stay awake long enough to see the whole thing through.
Another issue I had with 9 is that for all the visual flair, and great ensemble voice casting, the majority of characters are surprisingly one-dimensional. Since there is no real depth to any of the characters, many of the same scenes are repeated over and over in different settings. There are only so many times that you can sit thorough #1’s old cowardly lion routine before you want to smack somebody. The same can be said for #7's (Jennifer Connelly) numerous “jumping into battle by herself” sequences. While I am all in favour of strong female action heroes, Acker never really develops #7’s character any further than what we see on the surface. While 9 is extremely fascinating on a visual level, it lacks the substance needed to truly make it a beautiful picture.
