The Boss Baby Rises to The Valley of the Wind - Renegade Animation #27
Tonight, on a very BOSSY episode of Renegade Animation, our animation amigos get all patriotic with a review of America: The Motion Picture, celebrate capitalism with a conference on The Boss Baby sequel, and get a double dose of Ghibli with Nausicaä and The Wind Rises!
What’s up, Renegades? THE DIRECTOR is back at it again with the hottest episode of Renegade Animation fresh out the oven! Now I’d normally come in here and give you a spicy meme in regards to The Boss Baby, but quite frankly, I don’t think I’m qualified to talk about it because I haven’t even seen the first one, and I think the jokes I’d make about it would be half as cringy as the trailers I’ve seen on both films.
Nevertheless, we’ve got a really packed episode, so here’s The Captain with his thoughts on the films covered in the latest episode!
AMERICA: THE MOTION PICTURE (2021)
“Look, this is stupid with a capital S and two O's, and they know this. I could be much harsher about the crass adult humor, the over-indulgence of hyper violence just for the sake of it, and some really rough sound mixing that makes it seem like some of the dialogue was recorded in the actors' bathroom. But when it comes to this style of comedy, I more or less trust Matt Thompson. I may not have seen every season of Archer, but I at least know that he knows how to make people laugh. I also think a lot of the weight is carried by the cast, and this movie is STACKED with A-listers. For as clunky as the execution may be, I'm always rooting for stories like this that remix American History. Sure, the "smarter" version of the exact same movie would have added an extra layer, whether it be a framing device where the actors are sitting around drunk on the 4th of July and making shit up as they go along, or toning down the crass humor and leaning into the ‘true untold story’ of how America was formed. But as it is, I had just enough fun to recommend it to those who are curious, while completely understanding if this just wasn't your cup of tea.” - Captain Kaye
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS (2021)
“I apparently caused a little controversy back in 2017, when I sung high praise for the original film, and I'm not afraid to do it again! In all seriousness, I get the lack of appeal of this franchise on the surface, to the point that I didn't even attempt to give the Netflix series its day in court. To tell you the truth, the biggest strength of both films is the wild imagination of the animation, which is why I had to see this on the big screen. In many ways, this franchise feels like Tom McGrath's second chance to stretch his comedic sensibilities he mastered in the Madagascar trilogy, and apply them to a story and characters who are a little more relatable. Admittedly, there may be a few moments that become a little too chaotic, some of which you may have seen in the trailers. But what grounds this movie emotionally is the characters and their relationships. The message of ‘growing up doesn't mean losing your inner child’ may seem a bit played out, but I thought it was executed quite nicely. I won't give away the twist, I'll just warn you that things get weird.” - Captain Kaye
NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (1984)
“There were so many times as I was watching where I exclaimed to myself "he is so damn good at this!" Even though technically this film came before the official foundation of Studio Ghibli, all of the necessary ingredients are right there! And although this wasn't Miyazaki's directorial debut, it feels like the first time he's had complete ownership of the material. Many of Miyazaki's recurring themes are present here, from his love for aerial flight to environmentalism, and of course, his anti-war sentiments. Even Nausicaä as a character is a great early example of how well Miyazaki writes strong female protagonists. Generally, she's a pacifist, but does have deep-seeded violent tendencies. But nothing is more important to her than protecting her people, and finding the most peaceful way to do so. As for the English voice cast, this was another example of Disney in the early 2000's striking that nice balance between hiring professional voice actors like Tress McNeille, Frank Welker, and Jeff Bennett to fill out the supporting cast, while the main ensemble consisted of A-list celebrities at the time like Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman, and Shia LaBeouf. Finally, I have to give credit to composer Joe Hisaishi, as this was his first of many collaborations with Miyazaki. While this might not be my favorite film Miyazaki has directed, I'd still consider it mandatory viewing for anyone who's diving into the Studio Ghibli catalogue for the first time.” - Captain Kaye
THE WIND RISES (2013)
“To reiterate what I said about Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, this man is just so goddamn good at this stuff! This movie in particular also just happens to be the perfect example of how to use the medium of animation to tell a story for adults. Not that kids wouldn't enjoy a dramatization of Jiro Horikoshi's love for aviation during World War II, it's just that narratively this is an outlier from the rest of Miyazaki's filmography. That being said, it still has all of his trademarks, most notably his incredible flight sequences, and the occasional dip into fantasy while Jiro is dreaming. When I insist that animation has no limits, this is exactly what I'm talking about! 126 minutes might seem like an eternity for an animated film, but Miyazaki seldom wastes a second, while letting certain moments breathe. As is consistently the case with these films, the English voice cast is stellar, particularly Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiro, Emily Blunt as his fiancée Nahoko, John Krasinski as his best friend and co-worker Kiro Honjo, and Stanley Tucci as the Italian engineer Giovanni Battista Caproni. Finally, it wouldn't be a Ghibli review without mentioning the beautiful score composed by the great Joe Hisaishi, and I think this is some of his best work. Had Hayao Miyazaki not decided to direct one more film to be released in 2023, The Wind Rises would have made a perfect swan song for a long, yet fulfilling career in animation.” - Captain Kaye
That’ll do it for this episode! Thanks once again to Cameron for editing the newest episode! We’ll see y’all next time for the next episode!
