Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is here for one final animated movie adventure and I am so excited to wrap up 2023 on a high! This time, we will cover four final animated movies, two available on Netflix and two that are available in theatres (although one came out unexpectedly).
The first movie, Running Man Revengers, is based on a popular animated series that is based on one of the biggest Korean variety shows of all time that spanned across 13 years, even if most of the original cast has left the show. This time, on the eve of the annual Running Man competition, the players race against each other in a series of challengers before the actual competition to win the “Super Belt” which gives its welder an advantage for the competition. I covered a lot of unexpected animated movies before, but this was one of them. Given that I thought that movie was cancelled, it was so surprising to see this movie coming out, let alone in theatres. If that’s the case, perhaps I need to see it to provide my opinions about it…
The second movie, Leo, centres on comedy icon Adam Sandler as an old lizard reaching the end of his life and with the help of his turtle companion, escapes from his terrarium to enjoy life outside of his caged habitat. Let me be fair, Adam Sandler had produced many bad comedy movies with his production company Happy Madison Productions, but with him venturing out of comedy and showing that he can do more than just comedy, this inspired him to produce another animated movie, years after his infamous Eight Crazy Nights. Will this be a redemption animated movie for Billy Madison?
The third movie is the sequel to one of the most beloved stop-motion animated movies of all time, Aardman’s iconic Chicken Run. With the chickens escaping Tweedy’s farm and living in paradise, Ginger and Rocky took a step back and relax. However, when they face a different threat, Ginger and her coop hatches a plan to break in and stop that threat once and for all. Considering that Chicken Run ended off on a very high note, I did not expect Aardman to return back and make a sequel to this. However, considering its positive reception when it debuted at London Film Festival and Animation is Film Festival, will this sequel be worth it?
The fourth and final movie, Migration, is the second Illumination Entertainment movie of the year, and focused on a family of ducks taking a brave step into flying from their home and taking a vacation to New York City to explore a whole new world. While this being an Illumination movie does not give me high hopes, that changed when Benjamin Renner, the director and producer of the iconic Ernest and Celestine, I knew this was something worth giving it a shot. Will Renner be able to work on his magic with a bigger movie compared to his 2013 masterpiece?
With that said, let the final animated movie rundown of 2023 begin!
Running Man: Revengers
Key Information
- Directors: Young Sik Uhm and Kim Da Hee
- Animation Studios: Locus, Sidus Animation
- Country of Origin: South Korea
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 16 November 2023 (in Singapore)
Trailer
Story and Characters
Coming to this movie, I am not expecting much from this movie in terms of the writing, and while I was right, for foreign CG animated movie standards (which the overall writing quality of those movies is on average quite low), Running Man: Revengers is honestly better than first thought.
First off, the writing is VERY predictable, and felt like an extended episode of the Running Man cartoon series, which is honestly not wrong given I suspect that the writers intend Revengers to be as such. Still, the lack of any notable surprise in this movie resulted in this movie feeling almost nothing when we talk about substance. This is especially so if you are like most moviegoers and had not watched many episodes from the Running Man cartoon series (based on the globally popular Korean variety competition show of the same name) and you are not familiar with the main characters of the cartoon.
In fact, the movie’s weakness goes to the lack of familiarity with the movie’s plot from the cartoon, which is coming off season 1 of the cartoon series, which is a problem given that most viewers, especially those outside of Asia, would not be familiar with the cartoon series, nor the original variety competition show.
The same is so with the characters, which would require some understanding from watching the series. Even though most of the characters are inspired from the original cast of the original show, there are some differences between the original cast and the cartoon cast, which would put some Running Man fans like me off guard. The voice acting is not great unfortunately, and I would have preferred to watch it in the original Korean dub.
Even with those issues, I will say that the story, while predictable, is decently executed. There are certain moments that made the audience I was in laugh and they really enjoyed this movie. This movie is not for me, but I can say that at least the story is good enough for a theatrical experience, especially given I covered the likes of Rally Road Racers and Headspace unfortunately.
Animation
Coming from the same studios behind the decently produced Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarves, I find the animation to be very charming.
There were enough variation and style in this movie to prevent it from being overly generic, and the facial animation in the characters is surprisingly great. In fact, I love the fact that each of the characters is based on the animal motifs of the original Running Man cast, I just love the style that was in this movie.
Also, the animation does not feel too slow and there were some level of interest in terms of the movie’s dynamic action, which again is based on the cartoon series. Even if the animation style itself is not as interesting as other foreign CG animated movies that came out this year, especially with Deep Sea and Scarygirl, at least the animation is executed well enough for theatrical animation standards.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
I honestly do not have any thoughts about the score, but as for my level of enjoyment, I was on the fence. On one hand, I honestly did not enjoy some parts of the movie, but at the same time, I find this movie to be watchable, regardless. It is not the type of the movie meant to be award contenders, but one to be enjoyed by the intended family audience. Given that there are way worse animated movies that somehow got theatrical releases, at least this movie is acceptable for theatrical standards.
Overall Thoughts
I had seen my fair share of watching foreign CG animated movies and chances are, most foreign CG animated movies are not great. That said, Running Man: Revengers is far from being the worst.
Despite its very predictable writing with some pretty mediocre voice acting performances and lack of character development, the animation is well-executed and has a pretty cute aesthetic that is better than some of the foreign CG animated movies I covered this year. I just feel that this is not so surprising and is good enough for families, especially those that had watched the Running Man cartoon series, which I only watched a few of those.
It might not be a memorable animated movie, but it’s very harmless and not too annoying, so yeah, I recommend it, but only for the specific family audience. Animation fanatics like me have other, more exciting non-mainstream animated movies to look out for.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
Leo
Key Information
- Directors: Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel and David Wachtenheim
- Animation Studio: Animal Logic (with Happy Madison Productions)
- Country of Origin: United States, Australia
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 21 November 2023 (on Netflix)
Trailer
Story and Characters
I came to this movie not knowing what to expect, especially considering that I did not bother to watch most Adam Sandler comedy movies, not even his previous animated movie, Eight Crazy Nights. As such, this is my first Adam Sandler comedy movie in a while, so I came in with not much expectations. I will be honest, there are certain things I genuinely like.
First off, let’s get the negatives out of the way. I honestly feel that the movie is kind of predictable. Once you watch through the first two acts, it is probably clear on how the ending is going to be like if you had seen previous animated movies before. This is not to mention some of lack of characterisation in some of the supporting cast, making the characters feel less relatable and the pointless musical numbers (more on the soundtrack later) distracts the main plot of this movie, as well as a handful of unfunny gross jokes that felt too mean-spirited.
With that said, there were some writing elements that I like about this movie, particularly with Adam Sandler’s iguana Leo for instance. I honestly could not believe that Sandler’s contribution elevated what should have been a mediocre animated movie. His presence and the heartfelt advice he gave to the class’s students whenever it is their turn to bring Leo home for the weekend makes this a heartfelt animated movie at times, something you don’t expect from Sandler himself.
In another shocking twist, some of the jokes are pretty hilarious and helped by the chaotic pacing that brings the Adam Sandler experience into the forefront. Normally, having chaotic pacing ruins a typical animated movie, but this type of pacing is perfect for something like Leo, which makes this movie entertaining at times.
All in all, even though the movie’s weaknesses in writing outweigh its shining writing moments, Leo’s writing was not as problematic as I thought. I know I had not seen some of Sandler’s comedy movies, but in terms of Netflix’s animated movie standards, this is definitely not a Marmaduke, I am certain of that.
Animation
Given that Animal Logic is involved in the movie’s animation, coming off from the decent but forgettable Netflix animated movie The Magician’s Elephant earlier this year, the animation is once again perfectly chaotic.
Despite having a somewhat generic animation style for the most part, I love the detailing some of the characters, particularly Sandler’s Leo and his class pet companion of Squirtle. It also helps that the animation quality is relatively solid, and it gets more appropriately chaotic in certain scenes, especially with how the animators designed the second-grade kids. I will stop on describing them to keep it a surprise.
Now sure, Leo does not have very creative visuals nor stylised action, but like I say, Leo does not need to be this exceptional as long as the animation is well-executed, and it is exactly so.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
I honestly do not think most of the musical numbers are necessary, but this is honestly coming from someone that has listened to his fair share of bad animated movie soundtracks. With that said, the score and soundtrack is far from being the worst, given I had heard worse soundtracks from a few animated movies that somehow got theatrical releases.
As for my level of enjoyment, as I thought through what I saw, I initially do not like it at first. However, I realised how much I had fun with this movie upon further rewatches. I know, it is definitely not a technical achievement, but I find this movie to be so relatable that I am willing to let that movie off the hook due to how much fun I had. It goes to show that even when a movie is not a technical achievement, if it manages to be enjoyable enough even for me, then I will recommend it.
Just like with Mummies this year, Leo is quite entertaining, and admittedly more so than Mummies. This is because while the plot for Mummies is rather bizarre, Leo’s has more heart that makes this movie easier to pick up.
Overall Thoughts
While I was certain that I will not likely enjoy another Adam Sandler movie, I find Leo to be shockingly decent in spite of the many issues I have with this movie.
Leo suffers from baggage that prevented this movie from soaring, from the lack of characterisation with some of its supporting cast, a handful of very unfunny or cringe jokes and pointless musical numbers that do not add much to this movie. With that said, what I also got with Leo is a relatable and endearing protagonist that kept this movie from going stale, decent animation that plays to the chaotic nature of this movie and a lot of heart that turns an otherwise Adam Sandler dud into perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises of 2023.
As far as Adam Sandler comedies go, given the low bar Leo has to clear, it definitely clears the bar with ease, and I feel that some might enjoy this movie even more than me.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Key Information
- Director: Sam Fell
- Animation Studio: Aardman Animations (with Netflix Animation)
- Country of Origin: United Kingdom
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 8 December 2023 (on Netflix)
Trailer
Story and Characters
Considering that Aardman’s priority is their next Wallace and Gromit movie slated to come out next year, I would not be surprised if they had to make some sacrifices in the writing department for their Chicken Run sequel. While this is the case, it is thankfully a slight drop.
Say what you will about whether the plot was kind of trying too hard, whether the lack of Julia Sawlha as Ginger had affected the overall quality of its story or even whether Zachery Levi as Rocky was a bigger issue, but the writing, despite the downgrades that were obvious when seeing the movie, still holds up. It is still hilarious with its well-timed gags and comedy that made the first one so beloved. Despite being smaller in terms of the stakes in this movie compared to the first, it is still a romp.
Also, Bella Ramsey’s inclusion as Ginger and Rocky’s child Molly is an absolute scene stealer every time she appears in this movie, something most viewers who had seen this movie would agree upon. In fact, I would honestly recommend this movie for not just the comedy, but for also Molly as well. Plus, we get to see good old Mrs Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) back with the same mannerisms that made her an iconic villain in the first movie.
Even with the change in directors (although Aardman maestros Nick Park and Peter Lord who helped in the first also helped in the production for this movie) and voice actors, Dawn of the Nugget still feels like the iconic first movie, although not as great as the first one.
Animation
It is very rare to see a bad stop-motion animated movie and if there is one that exists, it is very likely that I had never seen or heard of it. For Dawn of the Nugget, Aardman spares no stone unturned into making the animation as stellar as the first.
Dawn of the Nugget still has very similar aesthetics that made the original so beloved, but updated with modern techniques thanks to improvements to the stop-motion medium to produce this movie. The background animation feels reminiscent of the first movie, character designs and movements are delightful and overall quality is as great as the first one.
In fact, I honestly do not have any major complaints regarding the movie’s animation. It may be a copy-and-paste of the first one, but trust me, there is both style and substance in the animation in Dawn of the Nugget.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
The score by Harry Gregson-Williams, while not the most impactful of animated movie scores in 2023 (especially given the number of animated movies this year with fantastic music scores), it is still a great score that helps to enhance the scenes in this movie.
As for my level of enjoyment, I enjoyed this one. Yes, I would prefer the original to Dawn of the Nugget probably 9 out of 10 times, but I still enjoyed the sequel for what it was trying to do. Even though I do not think a sequel was necessary given how the first one closes out the movie very nicely, Dawn of the Nugget is great in the end.
Overall Thoughts
Despite my reservations as to whether we really need another Chicken Run sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is a very good sequel indeed.
Despite not being able to reach the absolute highs of the original, especially when it comes to the story and some of the voice acting, Dawn of the Nugget is a fantastic tribute to the original that made Aardman who they are today, with hilarious comedy, charming stop-motion animation and a fun score, making this sequel worth watching out for.
Even if the impact is not as strong compared to the original, there is more than enough of the classic British charm that makes the original movie one of the all-time stop-motion classics.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
Migration
Key Information
- Directors: Benjamin Renner and Guylo Homsy
- Animation Studio: Illumination Entertainment
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 28 December 2023 (in Singapore)
Trailer
Story and Characters
Considering this is Illumination’s first original movie in 7 years and released in a year when mainstream animated movies flopped both in terms of overall quality and box office returns, there are doubts on whether Migration can succeed and from my sneak preview of this movie… the doubts are squashed within the first 10 minutes.
First, let’s get the negatives out of the way and probably the only major flaw in the writing was that Migration is a movie that does not need a villain. There is a main villain in this movie, but I do not feel that the villain was necessary and in fact overcomplicates the movie’s story and messaging. Some might argue that the main plot itself is generic, but this is not a major concern if I were to be honest, although since Illumination loves playing it safe when it comes to writing, I was expecting a bit more.
However, the positives in this movie’s writing clearly outshines the negatives in this movie, mostly thanks to the input of director Benjamin Renner, who previously directed Ernest and Celestine and The Big Bad Fox (And Other Tales). This is because Migration felt like a breath of fresh air compared to Illumination’s previous movies, even their better ones like Sing 2 and The Super Mario Bros Movie.
For starters, Migration is absent of any significant pop culture references and toilet humour that is present in most of Illumination’s movies (well, except for one but even so, that was used to transition to the next sequence), and instead focused on delivering a great movie with calm and charming vibes, hilarious comedy and jokes that does not feel forced and great messaging and morals that the audience can appreciate. Even with its chaotic pacing, I find the pacing to be actually just right when it comes to delivering laughs and joy with almost every scene.
In addition, the well-executed writing also translates to well-realised and memorable characters with fantastic voice acting performances and in all honestly, it is difficult to pinpoint which is my most favourite bird character in this movie since all of them are great. While it would be easy to go for Danny DeVito’s Uncle Dan since he is hilarious despite his limited screen time, I am shocked at how good Kumail Nanjiani was in his performance as Mack since it is the first time I see him voice acting in a major animated movie.
In fact, I loved the characters as well as the story so much that in all honestly, seeing Illumination Entertainment finally writing a good script for the first time in a very long while is an encouraging sign that they can indeed make a good animated movie if they put in the effort.
Animation
I honestly never doubted Illumination for one element only: the animation. Chances are, if the script in an Illumination movie is not great, the animation saves the movie. However, since it has such a shocking great script for Illumination standards, the animation stands out even more than the Migration script.
In all honesty, Migration is a Benjamin Renner animated movie translated from his usual hand-drawn 2D storybook-like animation style to CG animation (although there is an opening 2D sequence), which also meant colourful character and background animation, dynamic action with great colour palette, particularly with the flying scenes which are absolutely stunning. There is a massive sense of scale with those scenes that it felt as if I was also flying with the Mallards during the flying sequences.
In fact, I have no complaints about the animation in Migration whatsoever, it is that flawless. I would say that compared to The Super Mario Bros Movie which also has fantastic animation, the animation in Migration is way more breathtaking, but that just proves how much the animators at Illumination worked to produce one of the best animation performances for any mainstream animated movie this year.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
Getting John Powell to compose the score for this movie really helped to elevate this movie even further, as you can hear a level of scale and range with the compositions Powell produced throughout the various scenes in this movie. While not as strong as the scores in other animated movies this year, I love Powell’s contribution to the movie.
As for my level of enjoyment… I am honestly ecstatic to see an original Illumination Entertainment movie that sticks the landing in the execution. Like Renner’s two previous movies, Migration is a wholesome animated movie that is absent of unnecessary cliches and tropes, well-written characters and gorgeous animation. I honestly cannot believe that this is an actual movie from Illumination considering the movies they produced, and that is obviously a good thing.
Overall Thoughts
I am going to be honest, even I could not believe over what is happening to Illumination Entertainment in the 2020s, because most of the movies they had been releasing have been nothing short of stellar.
While there are the usual issues regarding the writing just like with Illumination’s movies, namely the slightly generic story and the unnecessary villain that took up a bit too much space, Migration holds a level of charm that is akin to Renner’s previous movies with its comedy and well-rounded characters, not to mention near-flawless animation and a surprisingly great music score.
Honestly, I am quite surprised over Illumination suddenly producing great animated movies during the 2020s decade, but I am glad they are because now, they are giving their parent animation studio DreamWorks a run for their money.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
Conclusion
It is officially over. I have covered all the animated movies I was able to cover in 2023, all 45 of them. That means that now I am preparing for the 2024 lineup.
However, with not much action for the first two months of 2024, except maybe for The Inseparables which is releasing in most territories except for East and Southeast Asia which I am based in (although given NWave Pictures’ previous success in that territory, I am expecting them to announce the Asia release date soon) and DreamWorks’ Orion and the Dark, perhaps it is time we look back into the animated movies of 2023 and do my final ranking.
Tune in next time on the Worst to Best Animated Movies of 2023. Have a happy new year, and I will see you in 2024 for more animated movie adventures! Until then, k thanks bye!
