The Despicably Imaginary - Renegade Animation #151
In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru discuss the latest installment in the lucrative Despicable Me franchise, Despicable Me 4, as well as The Imaginary, a new Studio Ponoc feature directed by Yoshiyuki Momose!
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, alongside my co-host, the Animation Guru! This episode of Renegade Animation is an interesting double feature, one that really demonstrates the wide range of family friendly options, be it in theaters or at home. If you’re looking for something more comedic, there’s Despicable Me 4. If you’re craving an Amblin-esque fantasy adventure, you have The Imaginary. Now, without further ado, please tune into the podcast to hear the full discussion!
Despicable Me 4
If you want my full thoughts on the Despicable Me franchise, we did a podcast on that a few years ago. I didn’t get the chance to rewatch them before going into this latest installment, though I doubt my opinions would have changed that much. With that being said, as enjoyable as certain moments in DM4 can be, it very much suffers from the same issues that 3 had, only this time with a less interesting villain, and Gru’s daughters given less than nothing to do.
“What feels like the final film in the franchise, it's a movie that's overstuffed to the brim with too many subplots that fall flat and undercooked minion antics that makes for an underwhelming experience. I wish I liked it more.“ -The Animation Guru
The Imaginary
That this movie is the best of the three movies released in 2024 that centered around the concept of imaginary friends isn’t what’s surprising, given my personal tastes. No, what’s surprising is how much this movie defiantly pushes Studio Ponoc out from under Ghibli’s shadow. Its visual presentation is a feast for the eyes, but the story and characters bare more resemblance to the classic family films from the 80’s and 90’s, particularly the main antagonist. The Imaginary is undoubtably one of the best movies of the year!
“The Imaginary is a wonderful new film from the amazing folks at Studio Ponoc. A story filled with unabashed creativity and how we use our imaginations to help us through tough moments in our lives and the connections we make with said creativity. I love it.“ -The Animation Guru
That’ll do it for this episode! Thank you all for joining us! We have provided resources for those who wish to support the victims of the Israel-Hamas war: https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/, https://www.ifnotnowmovement.org/, https://itch.io/b/2120/games-for-gaza, https://www.instagram.com/palestineredcrescent/, https://buildpalestine.com/2021/05/15/trusted-organizations-to-donate-to-palestine/, https://www.npr.org/2023/10/13/1205235922/help-israel-gaza-humanitarian-organizations.
