Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for another 2024 Animated Movies Rundown, and after a rough Rundown the last time around, we got four more animated movies to cover and spoiler alert: these are much better animated movies compared to the last Rundown.
The first movie, White Plastic Sky, is another Hungarian animated movie, this time set in a post-apocalyptic Hungary where humans have to sacrifice their lives once they reach a certain age to become a tree. When a man discovered his wife has voluntarily signed up to donate her life for that cause after a failed pregnancy, he sets out on a quest to save his wife from becoming a tree. Four Souls of Coyote was my first introduction to Hungarian animation and the first impressions were great. Now, with White Plastic Sky, will this be yet another fantastic Hungarian animated movie?
The second movie, God with Three Eyes, chronicles the origin story of Erlang Shen, the god with three eyes. After he was banished to the mortal world, Erlang Shen must defeat a thousand-year dragon by opening his third eye to be allowed to return to heaven. While we had seen so many great animated movies from China that tell the story of the legends of Chinese folklore, no Chinese animated movie has told a story about Erlang Shen until now. Given it has just been released in China in July, how will this movie fare?
The third movie, Spy x Family Code: White, is the movie adaptation of the well-loved Spy x Family anime series. When the Forgers’ spy father Loid was to be re-assigned away from Operation Strix, he strikes a plan to bring his family to a winter weekend getaway to get a recipe for the Forgers’ daughter Anya to bake for the Eden Academy’s principal to stop that re-assignment from happening. This is my first ever Spy x Family venture, and knowing how popular this series, it is about damn time I covered this time. Will this make me fall in love with the Forgers?
The fourth and final movie, Into the Mortal World, is another adaptation of Chinese folklore, this time focusing on the immortal Jinfeng who embark on a quest to gather the 28 mansion spirits to clear his mother’s name. Into the Mortal World is a much more exciting Chinese animated movie as not only did the trailer piqued my interest, but I got the opportunity to see it in theatres. Now that I have seen it, how good is Into the Mortal World?
Well, without further ado, let’s get on to our adventure, shall we?
White Plastic Sky
Key Information
- Directors: Tibor Banoocski and Sarolta Szabo
- Animation Studios: Artichoke Film Production and Salto Film
- Country of Origin: Hungary
- Rating: NC16
- Release date: 30 March 2023 (in Hungary)
Trailer
Story and Characters
Probably my big issue with this movie is that this movie has too many storylines to go through that it can be quite exhausting to follow along, especially in the second half of the movie where this movie becomes unfocused in what it was trying to convey.
However, I appreciate its heavy themes about conservatism and protecting the environment, tackling complex themes in a future dystopian where humans have to give up their lives upon reaching a certain age for the sake of humanity’s survival. It opens up conversations about our views towards our world’s environment and climate change, and captures the spirit with their characters too, who all have different views and beliefs towards the world set in this movie. It also helped that this movie tones down its comedy to focus on being a more serious movie, and the few jokes in this movie are great too.
Even with the lack of focus, it was clear that the writers’ heart were at the right place and produced a script that, while not top-tier, have serious themes and great story that is already far and beyond the typical family-friendly fare.
Animation
Just like with its Hungarian brother Four Souls of Coyote, White Plastic also possesses a unique-feeling animation style that piques interest in this movie.
The animators chose a rather interesting but high-risk rotoscoping animation style to depict the rough edges of the dystopian world this movie was set in, and it definitely paid off. The character and background designs felt more authentic and charming, which was also helped by its colouring that accentuate the designs even further.
In fact, the background designs are worth highlighting more, as with every new place this movie was showcasing, I felt immersed into every new environment this movie showcases, whether it is the domed city, the tree sanctuary where the trees were cultivated or anywhere else, the environments are just a work of art. This movie also has great animation movements and quality to boot to make up for its unfocused script.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
The score may be simple, but it also helped to highlight the sheer brutality and melancholy this movie has, allowing an even more immersive experience for the audience.
As for my level of enjoyment, even with my slight disappointment, I was satisfied with what I was presented with White Plastic Sky. Sure, there are other non-mainstream animated movies that are better than White Plastic Sky, but White Plastic Sky is a well-executed animated movie that has some food for thought worth discussing, and I am excited to see what comes next in the future of Hungarian animation.
Overall Thoughts
Just like with Four Souls of Coyote earlier on this year, it seems White Plastic Sky is showcasing the future of Hungarian animation in a positive light.
While the script can be over convoluted and not all ideas it was trying to convey work, White Plastic Sky showcases a maturity in its messaging and has great tension with its plot and its characters. Complete with an interesting but well-executed animation style that showcases the uniqueness of Hungarian animation and a great score to boot, and White Plastic Sky is an animated movie that works like a well-oiled machine despite its shortcomings.
It may not be the best animated movie from Hungary, but I would rather support animated movies that are as thought-provoking as White Plastic Sky than digestible animated movies that I will forget easily.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
God with Three Eyes
Key Information
- Director: Jun Wang
- Animation Studio: Charming Fox Animation
- Country of Origin: China
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 13 July 2024 (in China)
Trailer
Story and Characters
Talking about the story, and it is about time an animation studio focused on Erlang Shen, the Chinese God with a third eye, and for what it was worth, the writing was honestly decent.
Honestly, it felt tiring that God with Three Eyes has similar story beats to that of other Chinese animated movies centring on the mythical heroes of Chinese folklore and with no unique element that makes it stand out. That felt pretty frustrating, since considering so many other Chinese animated movies tell its folklore story better, I was hoping something special.
With that said, what is not a problem has to be the rest of the movie. Even if you are not familiar with Erlang Shen like I am, you get to explore his origin story without being bogged too much with exposition, since this movie explains well enough for you to understand the story. The comedy, while nothing special, is decently executed and so are the characters and the voice acting.
In fact, the fact that I am not explaining much about this movie’s writing is all you need to know about my feelings about the movie’s story and script. It’s not a standout, but it does the job for me.
Animation
As do other top-tier Chinese animated movies, the animation is just as well-executed, if not very similar, to other Chinese animated movies set during the ancient China times, but it is nevertheless well-executed too.
The character and background designs are unique and well-thought of, not to mention well-executed, with interesting character designs that blend into the gorgeous landscape. The movements are crisp and the rendering is just as great as the rest of the animation.
Even if I had seen similar animation styles in other Chinese animated movies that are better than what I was presented in God with Three Eyes, the animation is nevertheless well done indeed with nothing major to complain about the animation.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
The score and the movie’s minor elements are great, though nothing much worth highlighting.
As for my level of enjoyment, even though I am suffering from fatigue watching the same old, same old, but still well-rounded and well-executed Chinese animated movie all over again, there is a reason I am still not tired of those movies. Compared to certain countries where their animated movies are not worth distributing into video-on-demand platforms, let alone in theatres, China continuously produced a good number of well-realised animated movies that are at least worth seeing in theatres.
Honestly, this is good reason enough for me to continue to stick around with Chinese animation, though I need to warn them to choose a different theme and story in their future Chinese animated movies, because this cannot go on for much longer.
Overall Thoughts
While God with Three Eyes is nothing new to the Chinese animation scene, it is nevertheless a well-rounded animated movie that does the basics right.
Even with a similar feeling story that does not possess anything special or worth going into, God with Three Eyes still has a well-written script with good comedy, decent character development and a good emotional core that makes this movie worth trying out. In addition, the animation is as gorgeous and well-executed as do other top-tier Chinese animated movies, and the score is just as great.
If you want a good Chinese animated movie worth trying out, God with Three Eyes is a good movie to start off your Chinese animation adventure, but be warned: once you see other fantastic Chinese animated movies, this will make God with Three Eyes more of a small stepping stone into finding out the best of Chinese animation.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Spy x Family Code: White
Key Information
- Directors: Kazuhiro Furuhashi and Takashi Katagiri
- Animation Studios: Wit Studio, CloverWorks and Toho Animation
- Country of Origin: Japan
Trailer
Story and Characters
To talk about the writing, I have to come clean: this is my very first time covering Spy x Family, so I am not that well versed in the anime series as much as those who are fans of this series. Hence, I will talk about this movie as if it is a standalone movie.
As far as writing in this movie goes, especially for those unfamiliar with the franchise, this is just a fantastic animated movie in terms of writing, regardless of if you are a Spy x Family fanatic or a first-timer like myself. This is because this movie keeps the exposition about the world in Spy x Family to just the right amount, so that you are aware of the key details about the lore and the characters in this movie. As such, Spy x Family Code: White does not feel too exposition-heavy, and focused more on this movie exclusively.
In addition, the pacing and story development of Code: White is just right, being exciting when needed to, and hilarious when needed to. As such, nothing is out of place as this pretend family takes an innocent looking winter vacation and with each moment, you understand more about the stakes of this movie and the characters and appreciate how seamless the story is.
The character development is just as exquisite, as even if you are unfamiliar with most of the regular characters in the original series, by the end you get to know the characters and their personalities. Loid Forger (Takuya Eguchi), the family’s espionage spy, is both charming and hilarious, while also having an important role in making the movie more exciting. Yor Forger (Saori Hayami), the family’s assassin who’s a terrible home cook, also has her own hilarious and crazy moments that showcase her skills and personality, and even the Forgers’ pet dog Bond is cute and hilarious, despite being a dog that can predict the future.
However, there is one huge reason why Spy x Family is a household name in the anime scene, and that is the Forgers’ star child, telepathic mastermind and the Queen of Memes herself Anya (Atsumi Tanezaki) who easily steals the show with her comedy and personality, without being not too overbearing as well. In fact, the comedy in this movie is so damn good, with a lot of fantastic jokes and funny moments that made this series so iconic. Shockingly, Code: White did the impossible by having a poop joke that is so original and hilarious that I was laughing by the end of that joke. Even though juvenile toilet humour has no place in any animated movie whatsoever, this movie exceeded my already high expectations with such a fantastic poop joke.
Honestly, I cannot fault the writing in this movie, even as someone that is unfamiliar with the Spy x Family series. The script is one of the most hilarious and comprehensive of any animated movie so far.
Animation
Talking about the animation, and even though I had covered quite a number of anime movies this year, what impressed me about anime movies in general is that even though they mostly the same 2D hand-drawn animation style that they are world famous for, each and every anime movie felt distinctively different, so much so that you can identify which movie is which based on the animation style alone. The animation in Spy x Family Code: White is no exception.
The animation style brings influences from Cold War-era Europe and blend them with the anime style seamlessly, resulting in character and background designs that paints the picture of this movie’s surroundings so well. The action animation and the lighting pair very well, especially during some of the darker scenes.
You can also tell the animators were having a blast with animating the scenes in the movie, and there are quite a good number of exciting animation sequences, even when there is not much action involved, where the animation is taken to the maximum, resulting in an animation style that is exciting to watch.
Despite a couple of editing issues that I noticed, the animation is still a joy to watch, and shows that the animation Is yet another Wit Studio win, which is not a surprise if you have seen my thoughts on Bubble, a Netflix anime movie by that studio too.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
While I do not have much to say about the score and the minor elements, they are still fantastic regardless.
As for my level of enjoyment, even though this is my first ever time watching something related to Spy x Family, I can understand the hype behind this anime series. I had missed out on watching this movie in theatres back when it had a screening in Singapore in February, and now that I had seen it, I had regretted not seeing it sooner. This was an exciting, hilarious and heartfelt animated movie made with a lot of heart, and to director Takashi Katagiri, thank you for providing us this fantastic animated movie worth celebrating for, even if it is a movie adaptation of a popular anime series.
Overall Thoughts
After seeing this movie, now I can finally understand the fuss about Spy x Family and yeah, this movie was worth the hype it is getting.
Spy x Family Code: White is an excellent movie for both Spy x Family fans and those that wanted to explore one of the most well-loved anime franchises of the last decade. A movie with a hilarious but well-thought script full of likable and well-developed characters, creative jokes that showcase the characters’ personalities, an exciting and action-packed story when needed and excellent and unique animation, even by anime standards.
If you want to venture into the world of Spy x Family, this is an excellent place to start. Even if I will most likely not have time to cover this legendary series, at least I finally get to taste of what Spy x Family offers, and I cannot wait to see what the Forgers have in store next.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Into the Mortal World
Key Information
- Director: Ding Zhong
- Animation Studio: Winsing Animation
- Country of Origin: China
- Rating: PG13
- Release date: 22 August 2024 (in Singapore)
Trailer
Story and Characters
Starting off with the writing, and if I was to talk about negatives first, I feel this movie does rely a bit too much on typical Chinese animated movie tropes and had a couple of butt jokes (though tasteful and not flat out gross anyway), but the major negatives end there; the script is just on point for me.
Even if it is another Chinese animated movie inspired by Chinese folklore as well as its near two-hour runtime, Into the Mortal World is still an exciting animated movie thanks to its well-crafted and well-paced script that makes this movie a breeze to watch despite its long run-time. There were a few twists and turns to keep the moviegoers on their toes and the relationship between Jinfeng (Xin Li) and Xiao Fan (Liu Xiaoyu) is as cute as it is well-rounded.
Despite some issues with the movie’s script, Into the Mortal World still has an exciting script that has all the right moves needed to make this movie a spectacle with substance.
Animation
As do other top-tier Chinese animated movies, the animation in this movie is just as exciting. Besides Winsing Animation, who is the main animation studio, there are 50 more animation studios that supported this movie, and it took 5 years to produce the movie’s animation. Seeing this movie, I can see that effort into this movie.
The character and background animation is amazing with great lighting in the animation sequences and some exciting action sequences, even despite the slightly excessive slow-motion shots and at times, the animation studios change up the animation style by changing the animation medium to make it exciting and versatile. This allows the animation to breathe new life and prevents it from getting boring real fast.
Overall, the animation is just as exciting as other fantastic Chinese animated movies, even if it is not as perfect as the likes of I Am What I Am and Deep Sea.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
The soundtrack, as do other music scores for other Chinese animated movies, is just as atmospheric and effective, letting the movie’s writing and animation shine.
As for my level of enjoyment, yeah, this movie is worth seeing. Even though this movie is not doing so well in the Chinese box office during its debut there, I still enjoy this movie, regardless. It is honestly fantastic when China still continues to produce great quality animated movies on a semi-regular basis. Honestly, I can appreciate that.
Overall Thoughts
There is a reason why I tend to look forward towards top-tier Chinese animated movies, and even if it was so close to reaching that tier, Into the Mortal World still provides a compelling reason why this is the case.
Despite some over-reliance on classic Chinese animated movie tropes and slow motion shots (which can hurt its otherwise splendid action sequences), Into the Mortal World still has an exciting script with great pacing from start to finish, with compelling and well-thought characters with good development, stunning and versatile animation and a great score to boot.
It may not be in the same league as the likes of I Am What I Am, Deep Sea and Chang An, but it is definitely damn close to that, and honestly, that is worth checking out.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Conclusion
Well, this is a much better Rundown compared to the previous one, as it felt clear that these movies are not only superior compared to most of the movies in the previous Rundown, but each has something special in them that is worth checking out.
We got one more Rundown before venturing to find the missing robot that was left behind in the wild, so tune in next time as we explore three more animated movies before that. Until next time, see you on the next adventure!
