I believe this obsession comes from growing up in the 80's and all the great cartoons that graced the TV in that period, Transformers, He-Man, Silverhawks, Thundercats....so much dorkiness....even today these shows are being remade and reimagined keeping the series fresh and a part of pop culture. This was also a period when Disney went through their first resurgence in the theatres starting with The Little Mermaid. And the 80's even saw a small birth of Japanimation (which later got shortened to anime) carried over from the late seventies with Battle of the Planets (damn you Ted Turner for revising the series) and the first major theater release with Akira. Sadly in this period we first got our taste of Hayao Miyazaki's work with the heavily edited work Warriors of the Wind (originally Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind) and his work would not see such worldwide release again until the late 90's.
Plus there is that wonderful element of being transported back to being a kid again. Going to the movies with mom and dad getting the treat of popcorn and a drink. Seeing that massive screen ahead of you fill with bright colors and wrapping you up in the sounds and spectacle. This year I get an added bonus as my oldest is ready to head off to see his first movie in the theater. Like giving a kid his first bike or watching them in their first school play to me this is a moment I want to cherish. And in another or so his younger brothers will also be ready to go watch their first movie.
So animation has and always will be dear to my heart. And every year I look forward to the next new animated movies. And this year is no exception with not only some great new films but a couple sequels too.
Peabody and Sherman: A modern remake of the Jay Ward series Peabody's Improbable Histories with Ty Burrell voicing the titular character Mr Peabody.
Rio 2: The return of Blu and Jewel to the forests of Brazil with their friends and family. Searching for the lost members of their species and dodging the evil Nigel.
How to Train Your Dragon 2: A sequel I have eagerly anticipating as Hiccup and Toothless again take to the sky to save dragons and Vikings.
The Nut Job: A heist film using squirrels and their instinct to gather nuts for the winter (this did well in theatres and a sequel is in the works now).
The Book of Life: A surreal adventure amongst the Day of the Dead celebrations. I believe this may be a closet hit this year.
Big Hero 6: Disney's first foray into animating a Marvel property. About a boy and his robot becoming super-heroes.
The Boxtrolls: Some youngsters stumble into a hidden world of trolls living amongst the rubbish in their town and work together to unite their worlds.
Penguins of Madagascar: The quartet of fiest penguins join an elite force animal protectors to save earth. Get ready for some serious slapstick and flightless craziness.
Planes 2 - Fire and Rescue: The first Planes movie I really enjoyed and was surprised Disney had a sequel ready to go. Dusty and gang join up with some fire jumpers for new action and adventures.
The Lego Movie: Easily turned out to be the animated film to beat this year. As plain Emmett finds himself and proves to everyone that we are all unique.....EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!! (Sorry couldn't resist).
And these are just the major theatrical releases as worldwide there will be other animated movies coming out for all to see. And There are so many more animated movies coming straight out to home video.....I believe my head is going to explode.
This year is shaping up nicely for some really fun movie viewing.
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