Introduction
Why hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for yet another 2024 Animated Movies Rundown, and boy, we got six more animated movies to cover, so let’s get to it!
The first movie, The Most Precious of Cargoes, takes place during the Holocaust era of World War 2 where a woman discovered a baby in the middle of winter, who was soon under her and her woodcutter husband’s care, not realizing the baby is the child of a Jewish family sent to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, the same director behind the Oscar winning film The Artist, this movie was the opening movie at this year’s Annecy International Film Festival. Even with its slightly middling reception, will this movie be a worthy addition in the French Film Festival Singapore 2024?
The second movie, Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain, is based on an anime adaptation where a mysterious occult master travels across feudal period Japan to slay malevolent spirits called Mononoke. This was an anime movie that turned heads thanks to its animation style alone, and when Netflix picked it up for release onto their platform, it got the animation community talking. Will this unexpected detour be worth it?
The third movie, Moana 2, is the sequel to the hit 2016 Disney movie and this time, Moana and Maui set off on another adventure to the far seas within Oceania for an adventure unlike anything Moana had faced. Moana 2 was originally meant to be an animated series, until changes at Disney resulted in it becoming an unexpected sequel. Given I have not watched the first Moana movie, is this sequel be as good as the first?
The fourth movie, Olivia & the Clouds, depicts love’s complexities through a Rashomon effect of love and complexities from a woman’s past love. Easily the most unique looking animated movie of 2024 so far, and a rare animated movie from the Dominican Republic (I know Captain Avispa is also from that country, but the less said about it, the better), it was not on my radar until I discovered it is releasing in Singapore as part of the Singapore International Film Festival, with only one screening to boot. With its limited release, is this abstract animated movie worth the special detour?
The fifth amovie, That Christmas, is based on a novel and is yet another Christmas movie about love, family and Santa Claus. Animated by Locksmith Animation and DNEG who brought us Ron’s Gone Wrong, a very underrated animated movie from the 2020s decade, That Christmas is getting a Netflix release and with it getting a decent reception from its London Film Festival debut, is That Christmas yet another Christmas animated movie to look forward to?
The sixth and final movie, The Colours Within, is one of the two Annecy Film Festival 2024 movies featured in this Rundown, and in this movie, a girl who possess a special ability to see colours in people’s hearts joins a band with two other people as she embarks on an adventure of a lifetime. Directed by the ever-reliant Naoko Yamada who directed 2016’s breakout hit A Silent Voice, she is back with yet another unique feeling animated movie, this movie piques interest after its Annecy debut, but will it passed the colouring test?
If you are ready for this final adventure of 2024, then here we go!
The Most Precious of Cargoes
Key Information
- Director: Michel Hazanavicious
- Animation Studio: Ex Nihilo
- Country of Origin: France, Belgium
- Rating: PG13
- Release date: 16 November 2024 (in Singapore as part of the French Film Festival Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Unsurprisingly, The Most Precious of Cargoes delivered on its high expectations, and given that I do not have much to say about it, I will not waste anyone’s time and go straight to the point.
The Most Precious of Cargoes is an impactful and well-written animated movie, focusing on a different perspective of the Holocaust by focusing on a woodcutter couple in the woods tending to a Jewish baby thrown out of one of the many trains that transported many Jewish captives to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. This movie has a great script that keep me glued to the cinema screen from start to finish, the characters are well developed despite the minimal dialogue (although it is worth noting that the voice acting is still great).
This is also not to mention the hand-drawn animation sequences in this movie, bringing the harsh winters to life and with so much personality and beauty in these animation sequences, it is easy to be captivated by the setting. As usual, world-renowned movie composter Alexander Desplat delivered yet another fantastic music score, and I was honestly enjoying this movie from start to finish.
However, the biggest weakness with this movie is not mainly because of the fault of its own. 2024 is such an amazing year for animated movies, with some of the best animated movies this year providing a lasting impression, and The Most Precious of Cargoes simply did not deliver an impactful punch that makes people remember this movie. It is such a shame, because it is truly a well-made animated movie that just simply could not stand out in such a fantastic year.
Overall, The Most Precious of Cargoes delivered on its expectations in being a top-tier non-mainstream animated movie, but I just feel that there are better animated movies this year that are just more memorable compared to this one. Shame…
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain
Key Information
- Director: Kenji Nakamura
- Animation Studio: Twin Engine
- Country of Origin: Japan
- Rating: PG13
- Release date: 28 November 2024 (on Netflix)
Trailer
The Reviewmononokes
It is exciting to see more experimentation with animation in 2024, with more animated movies going out of the usual formula and embracing new animation styles and stories that go far and beyond the usual playbook and the Netflix Mononoke movie is no exception.
The Mononoke movie utilised a stop-motion style animation that is not as such, utilising Japanese paintings as its canvas, resulting in an out-there animation style where colours and characters are brought to life, while also keeping it traditional with its own style. Honestly, even by non-mainstream animation standards, Mononoke really punches itself above its weight with the animation alone.
The writing also deserves a mention as well. This was an anime series that was adapted to a movie form, and despite how confusing the plot was, I was excited to see such a unique-feeling story that feels so authentic to the time era itself. The animation is not just for style, as it also blends into the writing, resulting in excellent visual storytelling.The score is also fantastic and I was enjoying so much of this movie that even the slightly confusing plot did not bother me at all. The animation is just so fantastic that this alone puts me under the movie’s spell, literally.
Overall, Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain is an exciting, experimental and refreshing animated movie that breaks out of the usual notions of theatrical animation, especially with its animation. If you want to get out and try something new, Netflix has just the movie for you!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Moana 2
Key Information
- Directors: David G. Derrick Jr, Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller
- Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 28 November 2024 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Maybe it was because I had yet to watch the first Moana movie prior to seeing this, which was why I did not have many expectations to begin with. After seeing this movie, perhaps I was right, in the sense that I did not get it with Moana 2.
Given this was supposed to be an episodic sequel series for Disney’s streaming service Disney+ before it was supposedly converted into a movie sequel halfway through its production, writing and editing issues are bound to happen, and yeah, I had a lot of issues with this movie.
Firstly, because of the late conversion, this reduced the level of cohesion in its story elements within Moana 2, resulting in half-baked ideas and under-developed characters that add little to this movie. Secondly, while I do not completely loathe the usage of modern references in movies set in older timelines, I just feel the usage of such references felt too excessive and only cater to a certain group of audience that are seeing this movie (that is, the Disney fanboys that were loving this movie, even in my screening!). As such, I just could not follow along with the writing in this movie, and this could be due to the level of mismanagement going on within Disney itself.
It also did not help that, in spite of the soundtrack being actually decent at least, the songs are weaker in this sequel, which could be because the likes of Thelma the Unicorn and Spellbound, two particular musical animated movies, had more memorable and more impactful songs than what Moana 2 offers. Yes, some of the songs are great, but the overall package just felt peak. It also did not help that the marketing is almost non-existent, despite it being from one of Disney’s most popular movies as of late.
Even with its beautiful and well-appointed animation for Disney standards, with some of the best water animation this year, this alone is not enough for me to recommend this movie with confidence, but more importantly, my issues with Moana 2 goes beyond this movie. Given the many issues Disney is having these days, I am just worried that the business side of Disney is now interfering with the creative side of Disney in a knee-jerk response to it falling behind, especially given the rise of top-quality non-mainstream animated movies.
Until Disney figure out what is going on within their animation studio and fix it before Zootopia 2 next year, we are witnessing the slow death of Disney’s animation right before our very eyes…
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Olivia & the Clouds
Key Information
- Director: Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat
- Animation Studio: Cine Chani
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 30 November 2024 (in Singapore as part of the Singapore International Film Festival)
Trailer
The Review
In a similar fashion to the Netflix Mononoke movie, Olivia & the Clouds felt like a very experimental animated movie featuring a unique mixed-media animation style and a slightly unique story that makes it one of the most refreshingly unique animated movies this year, and indeed, this movie delivered on its concept.
The story can be confusing and hard to follow at first, but once you connect the dots on the themes of love and its complexities through its characters, this movie’s writing felt very enriching and powerful even with its chaotically delightful animation style. This is not to mention having a clear vision that resulted in good pacing that keeps the audience on its toes and a good sense of humour when needed.
However, the animation and sound design easily stole the show for me. This movie utilises a variety of animation styles mixed with some live-action footage and done in an extremely unconventional aspect ratio, but that is by design to prevent this experimental animation style from being too overwhelming to the audience. The mixture of hand-drawn animation, roto-scoping and some stop-motion, using real-life objects and crude drawings, makes this movie’s animation a one-of-a-kind, impressive given I just talked about the unique animation in the Netflix Mononoke movie. In addition, the unique sound editing that integrates real-life sounds and sights of its setting resulted in an art-house feel that is extremely difficult to find elsewhere, even the other top-tier non-mainstream animated movies we had explored throughout 2024.
As for my level of enjoyment, seeing such a unique animated movie felt very thrilling as it goes to show that animation studios are finally getting their turn to experiment with their storytelling and animation with no limits, resulting in an animated movie that breathe life into this already saturated crowd of excellent animated movies in 2024. It is such a shame that the Dominican Republic got a bit of a flak for Captain Avispa, an animated movie released this year that does not look good at all, when they should have been celebrated with Olivia and the Clouds for being perhaps the best animated movie from Central America that I have seen. This is truly an experience I will never forget.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
That Christmas
Key Information
- Director: Simon Otto
- Animation Studios: Locksmith Animation, DNEG
- Country of Origin: United Kingdom
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 4 December 2024 (on Netflix)
Trailer
The Review
If you are wondering, then yes, this is another pre-Christmas Christmas animated movie released weeks before the actual holiday, just like Animal Tales of Christmas Magic. Despite being a movie adaptation of three Christmas stories rolled into one interwoven movie and the concept being familiar, it is the execution of the said concept that makes it better than expected.
Yes, the concept is on the generic side and there are not much surprises in this movie. However, the writing quality is there with a well-realised story from start to finish with not much plot holes, the pacing is alright, the comedy is decent and the characters have decent development. I just feel there are other animated movies this year that has more daring concept and are much more exciting compared to what That Christmas was offering.
The same thing goes for the animation. If you have seen Locksmith and DNEG’s previous movie Ron’s Gone Wrong, which I find it to be underrated, then the animation style is slightly similar to that movie, but the animation style in this one at least has some pizazz compared to Ron’s Gone Wrong. Unlike the snow “animation” in Johnny Puff: Secret Mission, the character and background animation, and the rendering are all well-executed, with good colouring and an overall better quality animation that puts me in a Christmas spirit.
The soundtrack is decent and with not much complaints, and as for my level of enjoyment, in a similar manner to Animal Tales of Christmas Magic, I enjoyed the warm and cozy feel this movie provides. It’s not in the same league as perhaps the best Netflix Christmas movie with Klaus, but it does not matter because this movie was charming and well-executed.
Overall, while it does not offer anything new to the table, That Christmas is nevertheless a well-executed animated movie that succeeds in doing what it was trying to achieve, thanks to decent writing and animation. I might forget about this movie altogether, especially with better animated movies from this year, but I had fun with it, which is all that matters.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
The Colours Within
Key Information
- Director: Naoko Yamada
- Animation Studio: Science Saru
- Country of Origin: Japan
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 5 December 2024 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Considering I have yet to watch A Silent Voice, The Colours Within is my first time seeing a Naoko Yamada movie and after seeing it, I can understand why so many people raved her previous movie, because this movie is as exciting as the concept itself.
While the writing is not too original and it gets slightly lost at times, its original story about a girl that can see through other people’s colours and personalities in a Christian environment allows for opportunities to tackle serious issues that would be taboo in Japan, and indeed, this movie exemplifies that to the T. The pacing is good and the light-hearted comedy is on point. Plus, the relationship between Totsuko (Sayu Suzukawa), the girl who can see colours, with the dropout classmate of Kimi (Akari Takaishi) and the traditional minded but creative Rui (Taisei Kido) as they formed a music band together not only developed so well, it went into some unexpected directions that make it surprisingly exciting to see.
The animation also helps to accentuate the colours in this mood. The watercolour effects when Totsuko sees those colours creates Is both playful and effective, and the animation effects also complement the setting. Plus, the background and character designs are well-thought of to ensure the colours in the animation shine brightly.
That is also not to mention the soundtrack, because the songs are just as catchy and well-composed as the story and animation. I got to be honest, the songs presented are so catchy and exciting that I might consider adding those songs to my personal playlist, which is obviously a good sign. As for my level of enjoyment, it is not surprising I had fun with this one. There are other animated movies this year that are just more exciting than The Colours Within, but I seriously had a lot of fun with this one.
In conclusion, this is yet another fantastic animated movie from the director of A Silent Voice and is worthy of its debut performance at this year’s Annecy Film Festival. While we had seen similar movies to this before, The Colours Within has left a better impact on me compared to similar movies.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Conclusion
Just like the previous Rundown, this Rundown is full of exciting and more experimental and unique animated movies that show that the world of animation keeps turning and that animation never stops changing for the better. It goes to show some animators are willing to go up and beyond to produce animated masterpieces worth celebrating.
You may be wondering whether I forgot that one particular Annecy movie released this year that is also releasing in Singapore, and yes, I did not forget about it. In fact, strap on in, because we will continue to sail on to another adventure and hopefully, we would find that abandoned boat containing that black cat and the other occupants there. Until next time, see you on the next adventure!
