I remember a year ago when I went to see this movie. I think of that day as a turning point in my life in how I view animation.
I am surprised I have not written a review for this movie. After reading through every single bad review by every paid critic on the planet and watching this movie fail because of it (taking Fox Animation with it), I have decided it was about time I added my insight into the pile. Kind of late, but bear with me. I know more now than I did then.
First off, the storyline isn't what the critics have brainwashed you into thinking. If you are a sci-fi fan, I guess it is easier to grasp. In the wide world of science fiction, this movie seems to have struggled to find originality and found enough of it. Set 1000 years into the future, Humans have discovered an extremely advanced technology which drives a race of almost indestructible aliens to destroy Earth in it's entirety. A teenage boy is left with the power to find the key to bring humanity back before it is killed off forever. When I saw this movie, I had a breath of relief. Finally humanity isn't the all-powerful! The movie puts humanity in the act of a downtrodden, confused, holding-on race manipulated and shunned by other races. The emotion I felt from the story in this film and the characters in it is extraordinary.
The animation by far is a turning point in the world of animated features. From the start, you can tell the animation is exceptional. Extra time was taken to make the characters lifelike, as well as the environments they are in, the coordinating of colors, and even the shadows from a tree on the character's faces. It's unbelievable. And the 2D animation mixes so well with the 3D animation - it just adds to the thrill of the movie. The scenes in the movie are exceptional - from the ice rings scene with the reflections to the wake angels scene in space.
The characters are just portrayed so well, like I said. The actors doing the voice-overs put so much emotion into what the characters actually felt, and the characters portrayed it well. There is a nice variety of characters as well, all the way down to the comic relief of Gune and the angry kangaroo-like alien, Stith.
Overall, this movie just blew me away. I couldn't think for days. The animation, the story, the characters - all of it. And I have gotten others to see this movie, and they agree on it. So next time you are in the video store, not sure what to rent, think about this movie. I guarantee it is in stock and it will change the way you see animation forever.
