We Look Back Piece by Piece - Renegade Animation #161

In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru discuss Kiyotaka Oshiyama's feature film debut Look Back, as well as Pharrell Williams' LEGO animated musical documentary Piece by Piece!

What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, alongside my esteemed co-host, the Animation Guru! We are delighted to share this episode, which happens to shine a much needed spotlight on some of the best films of the year. So without further ado, please tune into the podcast to hear the full discussion!

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Look Back

Unfortunately, those who wanted to see this movie in theaters, but haven’t had the chance yet are going to have to wait till it hits home media, as GKids only gave this a very limited release. The good news is, the film itself will absolutely be worth the wait. I may have a few narrative nitpicks, but on the whole I see why fans of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga were eagerly awaiting this adaptation.

“Look Back is yet another best-of-year contender. A loving tribute and ode to the power of friendship and living life. An amazing cinematic experience told through the power of animation.“ -The Animation Guru

Piece by Piece

Surprisingly, Cameron and I had so much more to say about this movie than perhaps we originally planned. I was always looking forward to this, simply because I was curious about how director Morgan Neville’s strengths as a documentarian were going to translate to a new medium. However, I left the theater obsessed with how wonderful the final product turned out to be, and my appreciation has only grown the more I thought about it.

“Piece by Piece is a dazzling documentary in the style of an animated LEGO movie that tells the highs and lows of one of music's best artists. It might be set up like a traditional music doc, but the animation and how the story is presented make this a gem of 2024!“ -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.

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