Rick and Morty Go to the Owl House on Poppy Hill! - Renegade Animation #36
Tonight, on the episode that time forgot… The Captain and the Guru discuss the latest season of Rick and Morty, more of The Owl House, and take another stop on their Ghibli journey From Up on Poppy Hill!
How’s it going, fellow Renegades? THE DIRECTOR is back to give you guys the latest in the world of animation from our resident animation amigos! There’s a lot to cover (such some trailers, and a Pixar short!), but if you’ve got a high IQ, I’d recommend sticking around for a discussion on Rick and Morty!
Well, I’ll go ahead and kick it over to the Captain himself! TAKE IT AWAY!
TWENTY SOMETHING (2021)
“Twenty Something is another great Pixar Spark Short that touches on the insecurities we all have about adulthood. Even though the visual metaphor is a little on the nose, it's perfect for the story they're trying to tell.” - Captain Kaye
RICK AND MORTY (2013 - Current)
“Overall, Rick and Morty Season 5 was a frustrating experience. The premier and the two-part finale were great, but the rest of the season didn't have quite the same consistency as previous years. But the finale proves there's still gas in the tank, and if this show is really going to last another 5 seasons, perhaps what Dan and Justin need is time to regroup and figure out what they want this show to be.” - Captain Kaye
THE OWL HOUSE (2020 - Current)
“The Owl House Season 2A takes everything that worked about the first season and continues to build on that foundation, resulting in a story with a tighter focus, and some of the best character development I've seen from most modern serialized animation in the west.” - Captain Kaye
FROM UP ON POPPY HILL (2011)
“Honestly, I think the jury is out on whether this was a bad movie elevated by Hayao's script, or a good movie weighed down by Goro's direction. I know how unfair that sounds, nobody wants to be negatively compared to one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, let alone their own flesh and blood. But I'm sorry, they're just not equals, and that's perfectly okay. Part of me thinks this might have worked better as a television special, at least judging by the rather unpolished looking animation. The story itself is not not terrible, in fact I really enjoyed this relatively low stakes slice of life period piece involving the students renovating the Latin Quarter clubhouse. And right up to the big reveals, I got sucked into the blossoming romance between Umi and Shun. My problems with that particular thread begin towards the end of the second act, then get worse at the very end of the film, like two rugs being pulled from under me in opposite directions. The story can get messy, but it's not unwatchable by any means. A Ghibli movie will never be worse than The Earwig and the Witch, a poor adaptation of an already incomplete story. There are still enough positives to make this an overall satisfying film, from the (shocker) incredible English voice cast, to the jazzy, upbeat score by Satoshi Takebe. Objectively, this is Goro's best directorial effort so far, and I hope he doesn't give up on filmmaking per se. I just hope he's one day able to step out of his father's shadow and find his own voice.” - Captain Kaye
That’ll do it for this episode! Special thanks to Cameron for editing this episode, and I’d keep a weather eye on the horizon for more episodes! We will see you in the next one!
