beastwarsfan

I watched "Spycies" with my 9 year old daughter and we both enjoyed it quite a bit. I can honestly say that I wasn't bored for a minute and I'd even gladly give "Spycies" another watch after some time.

When it comes to Chinese CG animated films I can clearly see why people are cautious and somehow prejudiced. There have been numerous badly animated, borderline unwatchable rip-offs and mash-ups of popular western hits by Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Blue Sky, etc. Well, I'm happy to say that "Spycies" is not one of them, even if being an action-thriller with anthropomorphic animal characters it surely bears some obvious similarities to Zootopia, but hey, it surely is not a copycat. "Spycies" is its own thing and it is awesome!

The animation quality is high above average, the character designs, the machines and the environments are really something. The action sequences are stylish and dynamic. But what makes it a great watch are the likable characters, the comic relief hits the mark, and the plot is intriguing, with some nice twists and turns. The villain is properly motivated and the reveal who's behind it all is surely a surprise for the younger audience.

It's not the very best animated film out there, but it certainly deserves more credit and the current IMDb rating is below 6, which I think is not really fair. If you're a fan of anthropomorphic heroes such as "Blacksad", "Biker Mice from Mars", "Zootopia", "DuckTales", etc. you should give it a try.

The Day Time Ended. That's right. Not "The Day The Earth Stood Still". It's "The Day Time Ended" (1980). I decided to pull one out that probably none of you reading this post have watched or remember. I'm a sucker for sci-fi and I definitely enjoy well-made B-movies, and I would watch almost anything with practical special effects just to enjoy the atmosphere and the visuals. However "The Day Time Ended" is a whole different story. I actually LOVE this one. It's one of the best flick that Charles Band ever produced and it features some pretty neat cast, most notably Jim Davis. I rented it from a local video store, because come on, who can resist THAT VHS cover! And it totally blew me away! It is about a family that gets together in a remote house and suddenly the whole location goes bananas, as if they are all in the center of some inter-dimensional whirlpool, a place where space and time get all mixed up. There is no explanation for what is going on, weird, fantastic, creepy, scary and beautiful things happen and the characters react in their own way, not knowing what is the meaning of it all. It is so chaotic and random that it actually feels real, like when you are just thrown in a situation beyond your understanding. And as a kid I really related to that. Various creatures, from tiny aliens to giant reptiles, UFOs, spaceships and artifacts appear out of the blue and I was just bewildered. The stop motion special effects are lovely and they are more than enough to make "The Day Time Ended" worthy of your time. Matte paintings take you out of this world. Maybe you need to be a child when you watch it for the first time, I don't know. But "The Day Time Ended" captures the imagination, makes you wonder and dream, makes you wanna curl up under a blanket and imagine what the light through your bedroom window could be... Give it a try! :)

Utterly cute, with beautiful animation and great character design, the new "Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz" (2017) TV series are both fresh and true to the classic. A great addition to the vast Oz universe which will please old fans and definitely will be a great introduction to the characters for the younger generation!