Trolls Migrate Together Under the Boardwalk - Renegade Animation #132
In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru continue their 2023 catch-up, discussing Under the Boardwalk, Trolls Band Together, and Migration.
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, alongside my esteemed co-host Cameron, the Animation Guru. We’re still catching up on things we missed in 2023, including a handful of really good animated features. From Paramount Animation, there’s Under the Boardwalk, from Dreamworks Animation comes Trolls Band Together, and from Illumination, we have Migration. Without further ado, please tune into the podcast to hear the full discussion!
Indie Spotlight: Atlas and the Stars
This week’s Indie spotlight shines on the pilot for Atlas and the Stars, a sci-fi space adventure created, written, and animated by Miranda Toney. Most, if not all of the previous indie pilots we’ve covered were put together by a team of animators of various sizes, but this might be the first one in this new wave that I’ve seen that was done entirely by a single artist. That alone is rather impressive, but the fact that I’m genuinely intrigued by the story that being set up in this pilot is what’s the most important. If you want to see this continue, please consider supporting their Patreon here, or visit the Mirandamations website to buy some merchandise.
“While it does spend a lot of its runtime building up its premise and world, this indie pilot offers a new atmospheric journey through the stars.“ -The Animation Guru
Under the Boardwalk
You’re probably wondering why you haven’t even heard of this movie until just recently, or why it never received a wide theatrical release. The reason for that is because Russell Brand, an actor who has received several complaints of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault, was cast as one of the main antagonists. It’s a role that could have gone to anybody, and the only reason I can think of not to hire a new actor is that Paramount did not treat this like a top priority compared to, say, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Nevertheless, I thought it was fairly enjoyable riff on Romeo & Juliet, filled with plenty of New Jersey flavor through Lorene Scafaria’s screenplay and a terrific ensemble voice cast.
“This victim of questionable corporate decision making that got a pretty solid animated feature to land with no fanfare. An earnestly crafted and well executed musical that offers up an enjoyable seaside family experience.“ -The Animation Guru
Trolls Band Together
It’s been forever since the last time we talked about the Trolls franchise, but we couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about the latest installment. Out of the two of us, I’m probably the biggest defender of this movie, though the further I get from my initial viewing, the more I start to see the flaws. Everything that has been great about the previous two remains here, from the incredible animation, to the wonderful music. However, narratively it can feel a little busy, as often seems to be an issue with Dreamworks’ 2nd sequels. On the whole, I can give this a comfortable recommendation.
“This third film in the popular franchise offers more familial drama and boy band joy at the expense of some clunky storytelling, and hyping up a reunion that only happens at the literal end of the movie. Even then it has some solid musical numbers and some amazing and experimental animation that do help make this franchise stand above the rest at DreamWorks.“ -The Animation Guru
Migration
This is probably my personal favorite out of the three films we’ve discussed on this podcast, and it’s definitely the best Illumination film since 2016’s Sing. What I love the most about this is the very old school approach that director Benjamin Renner and screenwriter Mike White took to crafting this story. It’s a gag-centric family road trip movie with a relatively small, but colorful cast of characters, brought to life by an excellent voice cast and gorgeous 3D animation that seamlessly translates Renner’s cartoony sensibilities.
“Illumination’s first original IP since 2016 offers a light and charming journey of a family of ducks from the director of the first Ernest and Celestine. The family is likable, the humor is quick and amusing, and the more painted cartoony visuals offer something different from the acclaimed studio that results in their best film to date.“ -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.
