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Animation Scoop

Animation Scoop is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Charles Solomon.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
Sword of the Stranger (2007) Charles Solomon For years, American animators have complained that their artform is too often restricted to bland fairy tales and harmless fantasies. Sword of the Stranger demonstrates that talented artists can use animation to tell a swashbuckling period adventure.
Posted Feb 13, 2023  Edit critic review
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) Charles Solomon Travis Knight's Japanese-influenced Kubo and the Two Strings ranks as the best film the artists at the Portland-based Laika Studio have made, with a strong story, assured direction and strikingly original designs.
Posted Aug 17, 2016  Edit critic review
Only Yesterday (1991) Charles Solomon At a time when the Hollywood studios have been criticized for their failure to present women's stories, Only Yesterday offers a warmly engaging account of a woman learning who she wants to be by exploring who she was.
Posted Feb 24, 2016  Edit critic review
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Charles Solomon Kung Fu Panda 3 provides a welcome reminder of what the talented artists at DreamWorks can do when they're given worthwhile material.
Posted Jan 28, 2016  Edit critic review
Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) Charles Solomon the animators communicate so much through the almost microscopic adjustments of the wrinkles in a character's forehead or shifting the angle of an eye. It reminds viewers that character animation is the art of caricatured movement, not sitcom wisecracks.
Posted Aug 04, 2015  Edit critic review
Minions (2015) Charles Solomon Having main characters who jabber in nonsense syllables punctuated with real words in English, Spanish, etc. quickly cloys, like an overextended Danny Kaye routine.
Posted Jul 09, 2015  Edit critic review
Inside Out (2015) Charles Solomon Inside Out is an exceptional film, even by Pixar's elevated standards.
Posted Jun 23, 2015  Edit critic review
Home (2015) Charles Solomon Sadly, Home feels very derivative, borrowing heavily from Lilo and Stitch, Despicable Me and several recent DreamWorks features.
Posted Mar 26, 2015  Edit critic review
Song of the Sea (2014) Charles Solomon In an era of big studio 3D CG films, The Song of the Sea offers a lovely reminder of the personal visions drawn animation can offer.
Posted Dec 17, 2014  Edit critic review
Big Hero 6 (2014) Charles Solomon The artists are challenging the big ticket live action superhero/ comic book movies that occupy such an important place in contemporary popular culture, just as they challenged the fantasy films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg three decades ago.
Posted Nov 05, 2014  Edit critic review
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) Charles Solomon With its delicate lines, understated palette and exquisite water color backgrounds, Isao Takahata's The Tale of Princess Kaguya ranks among the loveliest animated features of recent years.
Posted Oct 15, 2014  Edit critic review
Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) Charles Solomon Fire and Rescue isn't the kind of terrible film that makes viewers snap at each other over coffee afterward: It doesn't make a strong enough impression.
Posted Jul 17, 2014  Edit critic review
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) Charles Solomon Writer/director Dean DeBlois has created a powerful, exciting and touching film that proves animation can challenge the summer's big-ticket live-action movies, just as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King did 20 years ago.
Posted Jun 11, 2014  Edit critic review
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014) Charles Solomon Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return reunites Dorothy Gale, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man-and just about every clich of low-budget CG animation.
Posted May 09, 2014  Edit critic review
Rio 2 (2014) Charles Solomon Like an obnoxious relative at a family gathering, Rio 2 grabs you by the arm and insists you're having fun, even when you both know you're not.
Posted Apr 10, 2014  Edit critic review
The LEGO Movie (2014) Charles Solomon Often clever and erudite...Unfortunately, that visual imagination is often negated by the filmmaker's failure to realize that every story has an appropriate length.
Posted Feb 06, 2014  Edit critic review
The Nut Job (2014) Charles Solomon a CG feature that has all the originality and individuality of a Dixie Cup.
Posted Jan 15, 2014  Edit critic review
Walking With Dinosaurs (2013) Charles Solomon A rehash of elements borrowed from Disney's largely forgotten Dinosaur and Don Bluth's The Land Before Time, Walking with Dinosaurs finally answers the question,'What killed off the dinosaurs': Birds talked them to death.
Posted Dec 18, 2013  Edit critic review
A Letter to Momo (2011) Charles Solomon Its many warm and charming moments, which sometimes recall the work of Studio Ghibli, should earn the film a solid fan base in America.
Posted Nov 11, 2013  Edit critic review
The Legend of Sarila (2013) Charles Solomon The Legend of Sarila grafts a veneer of Inuit culture onto a very formulaic story that borrows heavily from mainstream American animation.
Posted Nov 06, 2013  Edit critic review
The Wind Rises (2013) Charles Solomon If The Wind Rises has the unhappy distinction of being Hayao Miyazaki's last feature, it shows the director at the height of his powers making a premature but glorious exit.
Posted Nov 06, 2013  Edit critic review
Free Birds (2013) Charles Solomon A veritable holiday fun fest - for people whose idea of a good time is listening to Owen Wilson scream.
Posted Nov 06, 2013  Edit critic review
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