Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for yet another animated movie adventure, and after diving deep into a 50-year adventure, it is time to return onto the surface for three more adventures, the first in a tiny ant and cricket town, the second being a Chinese animated movie that I was not expecting to review, and the third starring perhaps one of the most beloved children TV animated series of all time, Paw Patrol!
The first movie, Cricket and Antoinette, inspired by an Aesop fable, is an accidental love story between an ant heiress from an anthill where music was strictly forbidden and a guitar-playing cricket who is part of his band. This is the very first animated movie from Croatia that I had heard of (and I feel so do pretty much everyone else), and despite its relative obscurity, it has gotten positive reviews across various movie review websites. Will I be convinced to join in this fun from a Balkan country not known for its animation?
The second movie, Oh My School, is based on a popular Chinese animated series about a hardworking teacher and a scumbag schoolboy that swapped bodies suddenly, and must adapt to their new surroundings before the school’s open class competition. To be fair, I was not expecting myself to review this movie, given this was fairly obscure and was not on my watchlist. With that said, I realised that I had a rather empty schedule of animated movies in October, so I might as well give it a shot, then!
In the third movie, Paw Patrol: The Movie, and once again directed by Cal Brunker, one part of the Brunker-Barlen writing duo that has worked on various movies, including the first Paw Patrol movie, and who have returned to co-write for this sequel, Ryder and the PAW Patrol are on the mission to save the city once again, this time with the pups gaining superpowers through a magical meteor that turned them into The Mighty Pups. The first Paw Patrol movie turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of 2021, as it exceeded its very low expectations with some predicting for it to be the worst animated movie of 2021 (that goes to Monster Family 2, but that’s besides the point). In fact, it was so successful that it greenlighted this sequel. Will The Mighty Movie be once again another hit from this legendary franchise?
Only one way to find out, on to our 7th 2023 Animated Movie Rundown!
Cricket and Antoinette
Key Information
- Directors: Luka Rukavina, Kristijan Milic and Dino Krpan
- Animation Studio: Diedra
- Country of Origin: Croatia
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 5 January 2023 (in Croatia)
Trailer
Story and Characters
I will be honest, I covered a lot of foreign CG animated movies, a majority of which came from Europe. Loads and loads of foreign CG animated movies. However, this is my very first animated movie from the Balkan side of Europe, specifically Croatia, so I came into this movie with no expectations. However, because of that, I was honestly blown away by how solid the writing was.
Most foreign CG animated movies suffer from lacklustre writing, but Cricket And Antoinette, which on the generic side as it is an accidental love story between a cricket and an ant, just like with Elemental this year, makes up for with how well-rounded the story is. The romance just felt authentic and well-developed enough for me to care about the story, and the third act is one of the most solid third acts for any foreign CG animated movie this year. The humour was also not overbearing enough for me to be annoyed too, which helps to make the experience more bearable.
It also helped that the characters are developed enough. There was enough wittiness between the cricket singer Ket (Marko Petric) and the ant heiress of Antoinette (Tara Thaller) that once they hang out together, their relationship just blossoms even with the ants being mystified by music due to a strict taboo. Anteodor (Filip Vidovic) is a typical, but compelling villain who is an absolute above-it-all, and the voice acting, especially from very unknown voice actors, is very decent. This movie had more compelling voice acting than Rally Road Racers even if the latter had a “larger” budget than Cricket and Antoinette.
Animation
f there is one weakness from this construction of the anthill this movie had built, it has to be the animation.
I will be honest, the character designs are definitely the least bizarre insect-related designs I had seen for the past few years, especially when compared to a certain spider-based movie called Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow, which I covered in the very first rundown of 2023. There was not enough detailing in the characters to make it stand out, as the characters do look like the characters in DreamWorks’ CG debut of Antz. And that came out in the late 1990s!
Also, it was clear that the movie lacks the budget to work on the backgrounds, because the background animation looks cheap. I understand that this is from a Croatian animation studio with probably not a lot of backing, so I was not expecting well-detailed backgrounds a la Deep Sea. Still, I wish the background animation has more life, as do some of the character movements that felt stiff at times.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
I honestly did not expect as foreign CG animated movie to have a good soundtrack, let alone one that is very enjoyable in a similar vein to Rock Dog, Capture the Flag, I Am What I Am, Deep Sea and Mavka: The Forest Song, five particular foreign CG animated movies with great soundtracks. Well, make that six because Cricket and Antoinette has one of the most enjoyable soundtracks of 2023 so far.
While it helped that I had enough exposure to songs from Croatia thanks to Eurovision, the songs, which are Croatian folk rock songs, are very catchy and memorable indeed. It is a very good soundtrack.
As for my level of enjoyment, I was not expecting much from this movie, but Cricket and Antoinette was so much fun! In a similar vein to Seal Team last year, this movie went far and beyond any foreign CG animated movie I cover this year coming from a country not known for its animation like Croatia, even when I cover foreign CG animated movies like Deep Sea and Mavka. It is proof that you can find great foreign CG animated movies, just that they tend to be hard to find.
Overall Thoughts
In my previous essay defending foreign CG animated movies, I mention that every once in a while, you get a foreign CG animated movie that turns out to be excellent, to a point where it can stand up to a few mainstream animated movies. This movie is another great example to showcase that fact.
Cricket and Antoinette is one of the rare foreign CG animated movies that, despite its shortcomings especially with its simplistic and less detailed animation, it made up for in its surprisingly heartfelt and well-rounded story with a surprisingly strong third act, well-timed emotional moments and one of the best animated movies soundtracks of the year so far.
It’s very rare that a foreign CG animated movie can leave a lasting impression especially from a lesser known country like Croatia, but Cricket and Antoinette did that, and I can recommend you to give it a shot if you get the chance. Believe me, it is this great.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
Oh My School!
Key Information
- Directors: Xia Mingze and Kai Yan
- Animation Studios: Coloroom Pictures and Joyshipper Animation
- Country of Origin: China
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 14 July 2023 (In China)
Trailer
Story and Characters
First and foremost, certain animated movies are going to be lost in translation, especially if you do not grow up in a similar experience as the events in the movie. In the case of Oh My School, it is in the context of a typical Chinese boarding school, and while I have slightly similar classroom experience in Singapore, it is nothing compared to the Chinese boarding school in this movie.
With that said, Oh My School is a hilarious movie. Certain gags, especially during the moments the two main characters swapped bodies and had to adapt to their new surroundings, are hilarious with great subversions that I did not expect. In addition, it has a great last 30 minutes when the movie rounds up pretty nicely, and showcasing how difficult a student’s and teacher’s life could be, especially given the current issues facing the Chinese education system. It also helps that the cast of characters, while some not having enough screentime, have good enough personalities with hilarious moments that make this movie entertaining. Also, it helped that the voice acting is as strong as the cast.
However, what this movie falters is the level of cohesion in the movie. Like some other animated movies, Oh My School tries too hard to push the envelope when it comes to social commentary about the Chinese education system, but it stops just short in criticising the system fully, for fear of upsetting the higher ups. As a result, there are moments where this movie plays too safe, which makes the experience a bit too empty. It is a similar case for last year’s Goodbye Monster, but unlike that movie, this movie has enough personality and creativity to drive it forward.
Animation
Unlike the majority of the Chinese animated movies I covered, rather than going for the classic Donghua photorealistic CG style that is apparent in their movies, including the excellent Deep Sea this year, Oh My School went for a goofy, slightly stylised CG aesthetic that makes it stand out among the other Chinese animated movies I cover so far.
While a lot of the character and background designs tend to be too simplistic, the execution of the animation is very solid. Because of the simplistic style, the team at Coloroom Pictures and Joyshipper executed the style near flawlessly, with a lot of sequences very solid and deliberately goofy. Plus, the colour palette used is not overblown and there are variations in the animation style used in certain moments.
While it may not be the most original animation style for Chinese animation standards, Oh My School does well in terms of executing its animation style, making it a standout regardless. Yes, the style is pretty safe, but when Oh My School does this style well, there is not much complaining about it.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
Soundtracks in Chinese animated movies are great on average, and this one is no exception. The songs blend pretty well in the animation, and they do not overstay their welcome at all. Overall, just a good soundtrack that does the job.
As for my level of enjoyment, even though I feel this animated movie was good, it was not a great enough movie for me to enjoy, particularly due to the lack of cohesion and substance in its writing. It resulted in an experience that felt pretty empty for me, and I wish there was more to the movie’s story.
Overall Thoughts
I was not expecting myself to review this movie, but now that I did it, I enjoyed it for the most part.
Oh My School is not a ground-breaking animated movie that suffered from writing issues that prevented it from being great. However, for what it is, Oh My School excels in having decent comedy, a well-liked cast of characters with personality and a goofy and fun animation style that makes it different from the other Chinese animated movie. Given its sheer obscurity so far, I had fun with it, though not as great as other Chinese animated movies I watched this year.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie
Key Information
- Director: Cal Brunker
- Animation Studio: Mikros Animation
- Country of Origin: United States, Canada
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 28 September 2023 (In Singapore)
Trailer
Story and Characters
I always go into every movie screening with an open mind, but sometimes, for certain movies, I go and watch them knowing what to expect, and let myself free of any notions or expectations even if I may feel disappointed in the end. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is one of those movies and knowing that I had watched through Paw Patrol: The Movie, I knew I was going to watch a Paw Patrol movie. Man, that was a great decision, because it is exactly what you would expect.
Do not go into Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie expecting any originality of sort, as the sequel is basically a copy and paste in terms of the formula set. With that said, despite getting points docked for the lack of originality and having similar juvenile humour that works simply it is targeted towards the kids, what matters is the execution, and once again, the writing duo known as Brunker-Barlen (aka Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen, whom I talked about long before the existence of the Blog ranging from their failures with The Nut Job 2 and Arctic Dogs, to successes in Son of Bigfoot and Paw Patrol: The Movie, and they had helped out in writing once more for the upcoming movie The Inseparables) understood that assignment, because just like with the first one, they gave me a Paw Patrol movie, and then some.
Compared to the first one, The Mighty Movie is more “balls to the wall”, turning the familiar Paw Patrol into superheroes (or the Mighty Pups as they call), bringing back fan-favourite villain Humdinger and making him gigantic (I can say this because it is in the trailer) and bringing in celebrity cameos.
Besides the writing, we have to talk about the characters as well. Just like with the first movie where the focus is on Chase (Christian Convery), this movie focuses on another pup in the smallest pilot pup in Skye (Mckenna Grace), and once again, expect the characters and archetypes to be similar to the first one. Expect funny character quirks, tragic backstories and not one, but two villains because it’s the second one. And just like with the first, the voice acting is solid for the most part, but do not expect anything different or original from the first one.
Animation
Once again, Mikros Animation (hot on their heels after collaborating with Cinesite for the excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) worked on the animation for this movie, and just like with the first, the animation work is as impressive as the first one, except I feel this is better than the first one.
While the character, background and action animation are similar to the first one (in other words, great), considering the concept of this sequel, especially with its superhero concept, Mikros turned it up a notch. Not only were the concepts of the Mighty Pups cooler than I expected, but their superpowers have a lot of expression and variety that makes the quality so much better than the first.
If you ask me, apart from me wishing for more variety in the animation concepts and sequences, I do not have any major complaints about this movie’s animation. The animation in Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie might be safe, but it is executed well.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
Again, just like with the first, the soundtrack is relatively generic, typical celebrity singers type of stuff as far as animated movie soundtracks go, but at this point, The Mighty Movie is going for brownie points for generic, family-oriented animated movies done right, so I will give this movie credit for at least having a decent soundtrack. Better a good soundtrack than an annoying one.
As for my level of enjoyment, it all depends on the mentality when you go and watch this movie. If you go in knowing you are going to watch a Paw Patrol movie, and just let it runs its course, you will have a great time. I did, and I had some fun, though not as fun as other more exciting animated movies that came out this year so far.
Overall Thoughts
At the end of the day, I came to watch Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, and I would expect a Paw Patrol movie. I got exactly what I ordered.
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie might be as cliché and bonkers as the 2021 movie, but when the formula works so well the first time, does it need any tweaking? While it has similar beats, similar comedy and the similar stunning animation quality, the sequel is slightly more enjoyable than the first thanks to the unexpected rising stars in the writing department courtesy of the Brunker-Barlen writing duo. If you know you are going to watch a Paw Patrol movie and just go with it, you will have a great time with this one, just like I did. Even if I am clearly not the target audience for this movie.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
Conclusion
With three more animated movies under my belt, I had now completed 31 animated movies for the 2023 season! It is a lot of movies, I know, but don’t forget that I watched 38 animated movies last year, and there is plenty of time before the year ends.
Considering October is a rather empty month for animated movies, I will be taking a short break while I study for my final professional exam. However, once we return to our regular programming, expect more exciting animated movie adventures coming our way. I will see you on the next adventure and until then, k thanks bye!
