Introduction
Why hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for the final adventure of 2024, and boy, we are ending off this 2024 voyage on an interesting high as we tackle a whopping seven more animated movies before we wrap up the 2024 season. That’s right, seven!
The first movie, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is the animated adaptation of the Tolkien series that inspired one of the greatest movie series of all time, set years before the events in the original series, when a ruthless lord seeks vengeance, a princess must summon her courage to lead the resistance against the deadly enemy who is intending to destroy everything in his path. I have never read the original novel series, nor watched the Peter Jackson movie trilogy that is so loved by fans from around the world, this movie has a lot of pressure going into this movie. Will my first venture to the Middle Earth be an epic adventure?
The second movie, Piece by Piece, is a unique animated documentary using LEGO stop-motion animation chronicling the origin story of legendary pop star Pharrell Williams and how music shaped his life forever. Even with the existence of the Lego movies, this is the very first time a mainstream animated movie was animated using LEGO stop-motion animation, which is extremely rare, even by stop-motion standards. With animation provided by Pure Imagination Studios, who had produced many LEGO-animated shows and movies (and also a certain right-wing Bluey rip-off that I will not say any further), will this unique animation style provide a new gateway to animation?
The third movie, A Greyhound of a Girl, is a mega European co-production on four generations of women who travel on a midnight car journey across Ireland as the grandmother is on her last legs, with the ghost of the grandmother’s mother guiding her out of this world. A Greyhound of a Girl is a rare breed of hand-drawn animated movies in the vast sea of CG animated movies, especially given this is directed by an Italian, and Italy does not have a proper theatrical animation industry at all. With this mega co-production, is this under-the-radar animated movie be something special?
The fourth movie, Pelikan Blue, is the 17th animated movie I am covering from this year’s Annecy Film Festival, and it is an animated documentary centring on three young travellers who got the chance to explore the outside world after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1990s Hungary. Well, I was not planning to see this movie as this was a very difficult movie to find, that until Klassiki, a streaming service that specialises in Eastern European content, had acquired this movie for a limited time only, so just like the three travellers who forge their tickets, I got out of my way to see it that way. Will this unexpected detour be worth it?
The fifth movie, Kensuke’s Kingdom, is a 2D hand-drawn animated movie about a boy and his pet dog stuck on an island after a shipwreck as they adapt to their life on the island with the presence of a mysterious Japanese inhabitant who had lived on that island since World War 2. Kensuke’s Kingdom is yet another hidden gem that only gotten a proper distribution this year, despite being released last year as part the 2023 Annecy Film Festival. Will Kensuke’s Kingdom live up to its high expectations despite its limited presence?
The sixth movie, Diplodocus, is a Polish hybrid animated movie, centring on a comic book diplodocus who one day finds his world disappearing, and found himself together with other characters from different worlds as they travel to different comic book worlds to discover the reasons behind the disappearance. This was a movie I talked about in my 2024 Non-Mainstream and Foreign CG Animated Movies Watchlist and debuted at this year’s Annecy Film Festival, but it was very difficult to find a copy of this movie… that is, until it unexpectedly landed on Netflix in some countries. Will this be worth another unexpected detour?
The seventh and final movie, Dongeng Sang Kancil, is a movie adaptation of a classic Malaysian folk story about a mouse-dear who outsmarts his enemies at the face of danger, this adaptation sees the mouse-deer faced off against even bigger dangers and more menacing animals who are threatening peace in his village. The Malaysian community turned heads with the recent release of its trailer, and it looked so different from the typical family-friendly foreign CG animated movies I had covered. This was especially because it is directed by the same studio behind the legendary Upin & Ipin animated series, so to see such a contrasting and more brutal animation style is unexpected. Will this movie be finally where the Malaysian animation scene takes up a notch?
If you are ready for this final adventure of 2024, then here we go!
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Key Information
- Director: Kenji Kamiyama
- Animation Studio: Warner Bros Animation (with WingNut Films)
- Country of Origin: Japan, United States, New Zealand
- Rating: PG13
- Release date: 5 December 2024 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Given I have never read the original J.R.R. Tolkien novels nor the movie trilogy itself, The War of the Rohirrim is my first venture into Middle Earth, which is a prequel to the movie trilogy as it took place 200 years before the events in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. That said, my first trip was honestly not too bad indeed.
In terms of the writing, it is not that surprising with its themes on female representation and the battle between the good Hera and the evil Wulf, and the writing is not too inspiring and the pacing is slow at times, thus making it a snore at parts of the movie; regardless it is nevertheless a well-crafted script that kept me entertained even with its runtime of two hours and 10 minutes that just needed cohesion to be good.
Speaking of that, the anime animation is good. It honestly feels refreshing to see an animated movie adaptation of a live-action movie instead of the culturally bankrupt and unnecessary live-action remakes of animated movies and indeed, the background and character designs are well-crafted with some brutal and exciting action sequences, as well as some usage of 3D CG that are well done and felt properly incorporated into its hand-drawn nature. With that said, I cannot pin-point on what was going on, but the animation style does not blend with the concept well, and till this day, I just feel that with so many fantastic animated movies in 2024, the animation does not stand out too well.
The score is also great and helps to capture the spirit of the original movie trilogy and as for my level of enjoyment, I had fun with it. While I had more fun and excitement with better animated movies from this year (and there are loads to choose from), this movie quenched my thirst into The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and why there is a huge fandom for it.
Overall, while The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is not a flashy or top-quality animated movie of sorts, it nevertheless fulfilled its mission in intriguing the moviegoers to explore the rest of the Middle Earth with its Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. I might not rush to explore that realm soon, but at least it convinced me to probably explore that land again when I get the chance, just that I am not sure whether this animation style truly works with the vast and excting realm of Middle Earth.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Piece by Piece
Key Information
- Director: Morgan Neville
- Animation Studio: Pure Imagination Studios
- Country of Origin: United States and Denmark
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 12 December 2024 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
As with some mainstream animated movies, I am sceptical of what to expect from Piece by Piece, especially given this is the first Lego stop-motion animated movie in some time, and also the first ever time Lego stop-motion animation was used in a documentary movie. As such, there were some moviegoers that went into this screening with few expectations, myself included.
As always, writing has been something I had been critical of and in the case of Piece by Piece, there were some issues I have to point out, particularly how the movie integrates Pharrell Williams’ life story into this one. I think what makes the writing not so strong was just that it did not go through some of the flaws within this movie, kind of like how movies like The Greatest Showman gloss through some of the bad stuff P.T Barum committed throughout his life as a world-famous circus entertainer. As much as I like how this movie discusses his origins and his successes, even though this movie did go through some of his failures, they did not go deep enough into his flaws, because that is what would have to make this documentary so complete.
However, in some movies, the animation is so impressive that it managed to make up for its otherwise flawed story, and that was what this animation succeeds in doing. Most mainstream animated movies use variations of 3D CG animation, and while we had seen a good number of them who excel in that style, since almost 95% of the mainstream animated movies utilise that technique, that resulted in a boring animation landscape. Thankfully, the animation style in Piece by Piece is anything but.
In fact, this has been the first time in a long while that the animators use Lego stop-motion animation, an animation style not seen since The Lego Movie 2 in 2019, and I am happy to report that the animation is fascinating. There is a creator feel in building those animation sequences using Lego bricks, and the animation in Piece by Piece is as spectacular as what the trailer shows. Nothing in this movie looks boring and there is a sense of energy in the animation style and how some sequences look so exciting and flawed that it lends its personality to the entire movie. This is yet another animated movie in 2024 where the animation style alone is worth seeing on the big screen.
Of course, considering this is Pharrell Williams, the movie will incorporate some of his biggest hits onto the movie, whether he produced it or whether he sang it, and indeed, the soundtrack is a reminder of his loose but energetic music style that feels like his songs did not fit inside only one music genre, but multiple at once. I have listened to only his recent hits, so Piece by Piece had convinced me to probably explore some of his earlier songs too. As for my level of enjoyment, despite its flaws in the writing, the animation is so amazing that I was enjoying myself through the movie’s runtime, which is always a good thing.
In conclusion, Piece by Piece is an animated movie documentary that, while not the best, showcases that mainstream animated movies can innovate and compete with the rest of the world. I just hope most mainstream animation studios realise this and try to do their own style of animation that fits their identity, just like what Pharrell Williams did when he was finding his own identity in what he wants to do with music.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
A Greyhound of a Girl
Key Information
- Director: Enzo D’Alo
- Animation Studios: Aliante, Jam Media, GOAG Production
- Country of Origin: Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland, United Kingdom, Estonia, Germany and Latvia
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 23 November 2023 (in Italy)
Trailer
The Review
Coming to this movie, I was not expecting much from it, but A Greyhound of a Girl managed to surprise me in how refreshing great this movie felt despite its shortcomings.
Considering Greyhound was a collaboration between various countries, including Italy where the director comes from and Ireland where this movie takes place, it is inevitable that there will be some rough patches in both the writing and animation and indeed, there was. I feel the story did not cover much ground in some of the minor side plots, which I wish they could to elevate the main plot even more. I also feel they did not stretch the character development in some of the characters enough, although given this a movie with about three main characters, it is very difficult to do.
However, I have to commend this movie for actually excelling in its messaging and its main plot. It is a low-stakes, slice-of-life animated movie that is rare to find, but it exceeds in connecting the bonds between Mary (Mia O’Connor), her mother Scarlett (Sharon Horgan) and her grandma Emer (Rosaleen Linehan) as Emer was at wit’s end due to old age. It is a generational trauma movie, yes, but it is one where you can feel the connection so well.
The animation is also worth commending, as despite the roughness in some of the slots, a lot of thought was put into this hand-drawn animation even with the limited budget, resulting in a good number of beautiful animation sequences that paints a vivid image of the setting. The dream sequences, which are rough pencil-drawn animation sequences, felt experimental but well-executed too.
The soundtrack is fantastic, blending the traditional Irish and Gaelic sounds with poise, and as for my level of enjoyment, despite its technical faults, A Greyhound of a Girl is such a sweet and charming animated movie that I did not mind its imperfections. In fact, the imperfections are what made this movie stand out, as it is clear this was done with a lot of heart.
Overall, A Greyhound of a Girl is not meant to be an award contender, but it did not need to, because this charming and under-the-radar animated movie is perfect for cozying up on a rainy day. I just wish more people get the chance to see this underrated gem that showcases the “simple but effective” formula so well.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Pelikan Blue
Key Information
- Director: László Csáki
- Animation Studio: Cinemon Entertianment and Umbrella
- Country of Origin: Hungary
- Rating: PG13
- Release date: 4 April 2024 (in Hungary)
Trailer
The Review
Considering there are many experimental animated movies that came out this year, especially Pelikan Blue, I find 2024 to be such a fascinating year, and this movie is yet another example of that.
Pelikan Blue is an animated movie documentary with audio recordings from the three friends and those that benefited from their scheme, and the blending of those recordings into an animation format is amazing, to say the least. The writing is very tight but also liberating in that we all desire a sense of travelling anywhere, even if it might be difficult to do so. Compared to Piece by Piece, the writing is more comprehensive and allows for various perspectives to blend together harmoniously.
The animation, as per usual for almost every Hungarian animated movie I had covered, is exquisite. It is clear that Hungary is starting to become a hidden force in the European animation scene, and the visuals and mixed media really deliver. Pelikan Blue has this slightly gritty and versatile animation style that feels very art-house, just like with Olivia & the Clouds last month. I have no idea how they pulled off this animation style, and I hope to see some behind-the-scenes footage of how this movie was made, because the animation felt so liberating and refreshing.
The soundtrack is also great though nothing to write home about, and as for my level of enjoyment, considering I am now unable to travel overseas (except for Malaysia, of course) as I am studying in my Masters program, Pelikan Blue showcases the lengths we will go to be able to see the world together. This is something most human beings should experience every once in a while.
In conclusion, Pelikan Blue is yet another example of the experimentation of animation in 2024, and is an unexpected but fun way to end my Annecy Film Festival 2024 journey. Having covered a whopping 17 animated movies that debuted at this year’s edition, I can understand why Pelikan Blue was selected in this year’s edition, because its wildly creative and experimental concept deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Kensuke’s Kingdom
Key Information
- Directors: Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry
- Animation Studio: Melusine Productions
- Country of Origin: United Kingdom, Luxembourg and France
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 2 August 2024 (in the United Kingdom)
Trailer
The Review
I got to be honest, 2024 is the year we are starting to get great quality family-friendly animated movies that are so amazing that they can compete with the major non-mainstream animated movie players, and Kensuke’s Kingdom is another example of that.
In a similar way to Flow earlier this year, Kensuke’s Kingdom has minimal dialogue, but despite this, it somehow has excellent writing and pacing, focusing more on a visual storytelling approach that does not spoon feed you much throughout this movie’s runtime. As a result, just like with Michael, the main character in this movie, you are exploring the world together and that results in a more engaging writing that does not rely on gimmicks to excel.
Additionally, despite the lack of dialogue, the character development is as excellent. Michael (Aaron MacGregor) and his dog Stella are well-written characters that have a lot of depth and personality. However, Kensuke (Ken Watanabe), the island’s only inhabitant, might be one of the best supporting characters for any animated movie this year. Even with his language barrier and his stern attitude, his actions “speak” his personality so well that he does not need any dialogue or exposition for me to enjoy his presence throughout the movie’s runtime. This is also one of the rare non-mainstream animated movies where the celebrity voice cast put in their all in this movie, because the voice acting, even with almost no dialogue, is excellent.
However, the hand-drawn animation is just as awe-inspiring as the writing. The character and background animation are very well-detailed and sell its concept so well, as do the animation sequences that play tribute to its natural surroundings. It does not look pretentious and managed to stand out in such an already crowded field of excellent hand-drawn animated movies from this year. Every animation sequence is an opportunity to gaze at its simplistic beauty, and that is what this animation style is all about: all beauty, no frills and gimmicks.
The score and sound design plays this sensory experience well and complement the movie’s writing and animation, and as for my level of enjoyment, I was honestly blown away by Kensuke’s Kingdom as an overall product. It is a movie that showcases that sometimes less is more, and I appreciate the minimalism this movie provides.
Overall, it felt refreshing to see a family-friendly animated movie that does not rely on the same old generic and cliché formula most family-friendly animated movies fall into, as Kensuke’s Kingdom is exciting and engaging as one catered to families. I am certain that the future of these movies are so bright with the existence of Chicken for Linda, Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds and now, Kensuke’s Kingdom.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Diplodocus
Key Information
- Director: Wotjek Wawszczyk
- Animation Studios: Human, PFX
- Country of Origin: Poland, Czechia
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 4 October 2024 (in Poland)
Trailer
The Review
Considering Diplodocus is an animated movie I had been looking forward to since its teaser trailer last year, I am happy to report that Diplodocus is worth the wait.
In terms of writing, the writing is not that polished. There were times where the writing and pacing lack enough depth for me to be engaged throughout the movie’s runtime, especially given that it is a writing that relies on creativity throughout the movie’s runtime. Some of the characters do play caricatures of typical animated movie characters, which rely in some overreliance on old animated movie conventions and cliches.
However, I do have to give Diplodocus credit for changing up the formula for the typical family-friendly foreign CG animated movie, which is refreshing to see thanks to its originality on the comic book characters in the world of Diplodocus and their real-world creator. This is especially important because the movie kicks into high-gear in the second half, resulting in a more engaging writing style in the second half where the heart, comedy and character do shine.
The animation also deserves a high mention, as even though it is using a similar style of animation to more recent family-friendly foreign CG animated movies, its stylised approach and comic book aesthetic stands out in a good way. So many creative animation sequences are present throughout the movie, the character and background designs blend well with the movie’s concept, and some animation sequences are fun to watch.
The score is great, but nothing to write home about, and as for my level of enjoyment, I was enjoying this movie so much due to its originality and playfulness, and in a world where there are too many family-friendly foreign CG animated movies that utilise the same old formula and not that well executed, you can tell everyone that worked on this movie are passionate and proud of their work, because there is a clear amount of effort put into Diplodocus, and I appreciate an animated movie that at least tries something different.
Overall, Diplodocus is proof that not all family-friendly foreign CG animated movies are hopeless, as you can find some pretty good movies in this sub-genre. Even with its technical faults in writing, I cannot deny the passion and energy this movie provides, and I will remember Diplodocus for being true to itself.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Dongeng Sang Kancil
Key Information
- Directors: Ahmad Razuri bin Roseli and Nik Ahmad Rasyidi bin Nik Othman
- Animation Studio: Les’ Copaque Animation
- Country of Origin: Malaysia
- Rating: PG13 (In actuality, it should have gotten a more mature rating)
- Release date: 26 December 2024 (in Malaysia)
Trailer
The Review
Remember in my Diplodocus review that not all family-friendly foreign CG animated movies are hopeless? Well, Dongeng Sang Kancil is yet another proof of that and yeah, don’t let its PG13 (or P12 based on the Malaysian classification system) fool you, this movie is easily the most violent and goriest “family-friendly” foreign CG animated movie I had ever the honour of reviewing, even if I was the only person during the screening as I opted for a premium cinema experience instead of a regular one. Yes, it was my first ever premium cinema experience.
In terms of the negatives, while parts of the writing and voice acting are well done, one problem I have is the lack of proper character development that would have made me more interested in the story at hand itself. Additionally, there were parts where the story felt like a style over substance, which makes parts of the writing not as satisfying as I hoped. As much as it is inevitable to say that the writing in most family-friendly foreign CG animated movies is not great on average, I just wish there was more thought put into the writing.
That said, you cannot deny that for an animated movie produced on only US$8 million and produced within less than two years (which I considered being nigh on impossible), Les’ Copaque Animation clearly did not take any shortcuts to produce its animation, because despite its roughness, the animation looks superb. The styling is honestly fantastic in translating the story’s style into the animation, as the character and background designs look way more competent than its limited budget.
Additionally, there are a lot of fantastic action sequences where the characters do “pop” out of the screen at times which makes up for a unique experience, and speaking of the action, there is a lot of violence and gore, and even some of the most brutal and goriest death sequences of any animated movie this year. Yes, you heard it right, this movie has a whole lot of violence and gore despite its PG13 rating, I did warn that you cannot let its rating fool you, didn’t I?
The soundtrack, just like with The Brothers Gruff Go to Splash World’s, is another unexpected banger of a soundtrack, with the villain song “Dikir Harimau Kumbang” sung by the main villain’s voice actor Amir Masdi being one of the best villain songs of any 2020s animated movie, and I am not kidding when I said the entire soundtrack is just as amazing as the entire movie. As for my level of enjoyment, this was the movie equivalent of a thrilling and well-thought rollercoaster ride despite being from relatively unknown players in the game built at a less expensive price than the norm. The first half of this movie was fantastic, but once the main villains come into play at the second half, this movie turns into one of the most brutally exciting animated movies of 2024, and I am so excited to see a “family-friendly” foreign CG animated movie that is anything but.
Overall, Dongeng Sang Kancil is one of those family-friendly foreign CG animated movies that is not willing to stick to the usual formula, and just produce something that is both magical and exciting. If that is not the best way to end one of the best years of animated movies of all time, I don’t know what will.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Conclusion
Despite covering a record-breaking 7 animated movies in one Rundown, these animated movies definitively describe everything great about 2024 when it comes to animated movies. Each has a different flavour worth savouring for, and shows the versatility of animation as a medium to showcase different stories worth celebrating.
Well, that’s it, that’s all the 2024 animated movies I was able to cover! Man, this is a long and epic adventure but finally, 2024 is finally over!
As we look forward to 2025, it is time we slowed down and look back to 2024 as we recap my least to most favourite animated movies of 2024. Until next year, see you on the next adventure!
