Showing posts with label DreamWorks Animation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DreamWorks Animation. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Movie Review: The Bad Guys 2

 



Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent animated adventure film. 

This sequel captures all the charm of the first film, while even building on it. This movie has all the same fast paced and wacky energy that is still a compete blast to watch. It also has all the incredibly well executed action scenes that can hold their own with those from live action flicks or anime. The story is once again full of a great sense of adventure and fun one-upmanship between the characters. Speaking of the characters, they are wonderful here. What I love about these characters is that not only are they likable on their own, but they work even better together. The friendships between these characters feel completely real and heartfelt (without ever being mushy or overly sentimental). The comedic interplay between these characters is also a lot of fun and it is a joy to watch them play off each other. This film also does a great job of examining who these characters truly are deep down as they struggle when life after reforming doesn't go as smoothly as they hoped. Watching them struggle with wondering if they truly did the right thing makes for some surprisingly good drama. This is where the movie actually transcends the original. The new characters are also excellent, and this film has a wonderful new trio of villains that have more than a little in common with our heroes. 

While this film has a few laugh out loud moments, I do admit to finding the first film stronger in the humor department. The majority of gags here were more likely to make me smile or chuckle than truly laugh. There was nothing bad about any of these gags (except that one fart joke went on much too long) but it just simply isn't as string in this department as I had hoped. 

This is the second feature film directed by Pierre Pernifel, whose first directorial feature was the first Bad Guys (2022). He however served as an animator on such Dreamworks movies as the first three Kung Fu Panda movies, Shrek Forever After (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014) and Penguins of Madagascar (2014). His co-director is JP Sans for whom this is his first feature film as a director. He had worked as an animator on such movies as Rio (2011), Rise of the Guardians, Trolls World Tour (2020) (for which he was a supervising animator), The Bad Guys (for which he was head of character animation), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) and Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (2023). 

This is an excellent sequel. 

Friday, January 31, 2025

Movie Review: Dog Man

 



Michael's Movie Grade: B

A delightfully silly animated comedy. 

This movie about a half-man and half-dog cop is based on a series of popular kids' books by Dav Pilkey (who produced the film). I guess as someone who grew up with Pilkey's Captain Underpants books, I have a predisposition to enjoy this type of zany humor. This entire film is full of extremely silly gags piled on top of one another. While this does make this an acquired taste in some ways, it is a taste I acquired. Not every gag is funny and some fall flat. However, the gags that do work made me laugh out loud. There is mixture of smart and clever humor with juvenile dumb humor and silly slapstick gags. Yet there are gags in each of these categories that hilarious. However, what really makes the movie work is not the gags themselves but how (like a classic Looney Tunes or similar cartoon short), the whole film has a delightfully silly and cartoony feel that is a joy to watch. I have always had a fondness for animated feature films that are simply feature length cartoons and that is exactly what this is. This even goes down to the look of the film. Though this is computer animated, the artists have done a great joy capturing Pilkey's delightfully cartoony art style. This art style brings us back to being kids ourselves and puts us in the right state of mind to enjoy something as silly as this movie. 

Despite all the silly gags, this film has a real heart to it. The relationship between Dog Man and the main villain's "son" is actually rather touching and many charmingly sweet moments come out of this. I found myself not only laughing at these characters but really caring about them as well. 

I will admit though that the third act is too overstuffed with ideas, and this can make it feel exhausting and overlong. 

This marks Peter Hastings' first time directing or writing an animated feature. However, he has worked heavily on Dreamworks Animation's TV and streaming series including Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants and Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight. Before that he had worked on such TV cartoon series as Animaniacs, Tiny Toons Adventures and Pinky and the Brain

This movie is preceded by a delightful short film featuring the characters from The Bad Guys (2022). This short is just as fun as the feature. 

Friday, September 27, 2024

Movie Review: The Wild Robot

 



Michael's Movie Grade: A+

One of the best Dreamworks films. 

This movie perfectly shows the beauty of a simple story simply told. The storyline is one that on its surface is incredibly simple. A robot grows to care for and look after an orphaned baby goose, despite not being programed to do such. The basic and straightforwardness of this storyline gives the feeling of reading a very good children's book (something that is also helped by the beautiful story book art style). This feeling gives the movie a certain charm that will make even the most cynical adult viewer feel like a kid again for a short time. As well as not being afraid to be outwardly simple, this film is also not afraid to unabashedly sentimental. This is a film that wants to tug at your heartstrings, and it does so it so in a specular fashion. The relationship between our main robot character and the baby goose is incredibly touching. Both these characters are extremely likable and work off each other perfectly. Underneath the outward simplicity, this movie delves into some deep themes. It looks into the importance of individuality in a world that seems to be doing everything it can to prevent it. In a way we are all programed by this world to be something. Yet to truly become all we can be, we have to in a way rewrite our own programing. At the same time this film takes a beautiful look at parenthood and how it completely changes who someone is. Adding to all this is a great sense of humor and some wonderful side characters. 

This is one of the best Dreamworks movies.    

Friday, March 8, 2024

Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 4

 



Michael's Movie Grade: B

While it doesn't quite live up to the previous three films, this is still definitely a good movie. 

Where this movie really works is with how it handles Po. It is easy to see how he has matured through what has happened in the previous films, but he is still easily the same character. Rather than being a character who has great kung fu talent but lacks the amount of experience of his peers, here he is greatly more experienced than those he works with. Having him truly become the mentor and actually grow to fit the role, shows just how much this character has grown. Here however his biggest flaw becomes simply that he is too trusting of everyone. In fact, the focus of this film is simply that Po is such a nice guy. This shows that even with how much he has become more experienced he has not let this stop him from being such a kind good hearted person (or panda). To me this is the essence of the character, and this movie captures it very well. His relationship with the young thief, he befriends, is very well handled and even kind of touching. The two truly bring out the best in each other and help them evolve as characters. As well as this I simply enjoyed watching the characters share the screen. This movie also benefits from a really fun villain. While she is not as complex as the villains of the previous films, she still does her job very well. Her shapeshifting abilities also lead to some great visuals, especially during the climatic action scene. Actually, all the action scenes here are great. 

While there are some funny moments here, I admit I did not laugh as much as I did at the previous films in the franchise. Many relying on easy puns, there are even some jokes here that really fall flat. However, even there were fewer great jokes here, the jokes that worked were really funny. Though I didn't laugh as much, there were still times I laughed out loud. 

The storyline is a clever one that takes Po on the necessary next steps of his spiritual journey. However, there are many times it was too predictable. I foresaw the film's ending very early on (in fact as soon as one character was introduced). The film has a few plot twists, but each one you can easily see coming. 

Unlike the previous two movies which were both co-directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. This movie was directed by Mike Mitchell with co-director Stephanie Ma Stine. Mike Mitchell has worked at Dreamworks for a while. He was a story artist on such films as Antz (1998), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007) and Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009). He also Shrek Forever After (2010) and Trolls (2016). This is Stephanie Ma Stine's directorial debut. 

While it may not fully live up to the previous three films, this movie is still a delight for fans of the franchise. 



Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Movie Review: Trolls: Band Together

 



Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable but easily forgettable animated movie. 

The third feature film in the Trolls franchise does not revitalize the series in any way but it is enjoyable, and fans of the previous films should have quite a bit of fun. The story is very basic, but it does its job quite well. What makes the basic story work is that you care about these characters. Branch and Poppy are pretty much the heart of this franchise, and they are just as likable here as they were in the previous films. Branch still continues to be a very likable and relatable character, who remains our main emotional connection to the story. Poppy continues to be a fun to watch very energetic (but never annoying) character, who also has a very sweet heart that makes us equally like her. Though their relationship is not the main focus of the film, it is very well done here, and it is always nice to see these two characters share the screen. However, the new characters of Branch's brothers and Viva, are also very likable here. None of them are complex characters, but they are all easy to care about and their relationships with Poppy and Branch are very well done. Meanwhile the story as basic as it is, moves at a quick place and the hour and a half go by very quickly. The animation and design work are excellent here and a joy to look at.

Like many current family movies, the humor here is very hit and miss. There are some gags that are quite funny but there are just as many that simply fall flat. To be honest the ratio of gags that work and those that fall flat are pretty near even. 

This film does suffer from weak villains. They are never either that interesting or entertaining. There is also the problem that this movie is a little too predictable and you always know exactly what will happen next. 

This movie was directed by Walt Dohrn, who directed the last feature length Trolls film and was co-director on the first. The co-director is Tim Heitz. Heitz has previously worked as a storyboard artist on some of DreamWorks' other animated features starting with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008). Though this is his first feature film as a co-director, he did direct the Trolls Christmas special, Trolls Holiday in Harmony (2021). 

This is not going to be a new DreamWorks classic but makes for an enjoyable trip to the movies. 

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Movie Review: Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken

 



Michael's Movie Grade: B+

A sheer delight of an animated movie. 

What makes this film really stand out is how well it handles its world building. This movie takes mythology and legends (and even Disney's 1989 film version of The Little Mermaid) that we are all familiar with and not only builds upon them, but often subverts them. This makes it seem like this world is a world all of its own rather than a simple rehash of what it is influenced by. I honestly found myself really getting involved in this world and by the end of the movie, I simply wanted more of it. Helping out is wonderful design work that has a real cartoon-y feel to it, while also being quite detailed and completely believable. Even the animation of how these characters move is wonderful. I love how the main Kraken family (while disguised as humans) move in a rubberier and more exaggerated manner than the actual human characters. I love how also you can tell when they are taking note of this and begin to move like the human cast to blend in. This attention to detail really adds a lot to the film. It also helps that we have a wonderful main character. As soon as the film starts we already grow to care about this character and very much relate to her. Because of how easily likable and relatable she is we are with her every step of the way. This even makes moments that might otherwise seem too cliché be quite emotionally effective. The storyline, while following some very familiar tropes, actually works very well. It moves along at a fast pace, never loses an audiences' interest and always makes you care about what is happening. Our main character's relationships with her family are very well thought through and are very easy to relate to and understand.

This movie does have some faults though. The big twist is much too easy to see coming and many of the story points are very predictable. As wonderful as our main characters are, the supporting characters come off as very bland with little more than a few character traits. The humor in this movie made me smile and I enjoyed it but it rarely made me really laugh out loud. However these flaws are completely overshadowed by the movies very strong strengths. 

This is simply a delightful family film and it shows just why I am a big fan of Dreamworks animation. 

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Movie Review: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

 



Michael's Movie Grade: A-

The most unique film in the Shrek franchise is also one of the best.

This movie has possibly the strongest storyline of the whole franchise. This is heavily due to how it is not afraid to enter darker and more serious territory than the previous films. Much of this film revolves around Puss being on his last life and having to face his own mortality. Though he has spent his whole lives laughing in the face of death, now he feels complete and utter fear. Looking into this side of Puss that we haven't seen before offers a whole new depth and relatability to the character. This is especially effective as Puss goes through a major and completely believable arc. He truly grows up as a character, yet at the same time no matter how much he grows, he still always feels like the same character. This is held together especially well by a wonderful vocal performance from the always great Antonio Banderas. However Puss isn't the only with a character arc. Despite the sheer number of characters in this movie, the majority of them have satisfying and well thought out arcs (this is especially true of Kitty Softpaws and Goldilocks). With this in mind the drama here is more effective than any of the previous films. You truly care about the characters and the film has some shockingly good emotional moments. I also love that this whole movie has a quite different feel from the other films in the franchise and it is amazing that even six movies in, a franchise can still feel fresh and try out new things. 

Yet none of this is to say that the humor is in any way lacking. Humor plays a major role in why the franchise is so beloved and this movie fully meets its predecessors in that area. This is a very funny movie. The opening scenes are especially hilarious and even if the previous deaths joke was shown in the trailer, it is even funnier here. Puss' wonderful self-congratulatory song also put a huge smile on my face. This picture combines wonderful slapstick with some of the great satire we have come to except from these films. However this movie can also have a really dark sense of humor as well. There is a surprisingly high death count here and most of these deaths are played for laughs. This might have seemed off-putting, if it wasn't so darn funny. Big Jack Horner is a villain with no redeeming qualities, and it is obvious that the filmmakers had a wonderful time writing for such a character as some truly hilarious comedy comes from his pure evilness. His interactions with a Jimminy Cricket type character are especially hilarious. And the interactions are made even funnier by Kevin McCann providing a very funny Jimmy Stewart impression as the cricket. 

The animation here is also wonderful. This movie goes for a real storybook feel that pays off wonderful. The action scenes in here look like they could have come right out of a storybook and it was simply a joy to look at. As well as this it adds to the fairytale type feel and makes the film even more effective. 

This is a truly wonderful movie and can hold its own among the best films of the franchise. 

Monday, April 25, 2022

Movie Review: The Bad Guys

 



Michael's Movie Grade: B

A really fun feature length cartoon. 

What I really liked about this film is that it never tried to hide its cartoon roots. Instead this movie =embraces its cartoon roots. Despite being CGI, the film never tries to look more realistic and is instead stylized in the best UPA style manner. The design work alone gives the movie a unique feel in the Dreamworks cannon and makes the film automatically appealing. Also helping this film is the great use cartoon style gags and action. This is especially true of the opening scenes, which are simply a lot of fun. Speaking of gags, this ranks as possibly the funniest Dreamworks movie in years. Not only do the gags come fast and furious but many of them are quite funny and I laughed more watching this picture than I excepted too. A few times I admit to really laughing out loud. However the jokes that didn't make me laugh out loud, still kept a smile firmly set on my face. The movie is also helped by great main characters. Despite being bad guys these characters are automatically quite likable. They all have their own unique personalities and true to the message of the film, they are more than the stereotypes they first appear to be. Not only are these characters good on their own, but they work even better together. The interplay between Wolf and Snake is fantastic and it is simply a joy to watch those two characters share the screen. 

On the downside this movie is incredibly predictable. If anyone couldn't see any of the big twists coming than they have probably never seen a movie before. There was not a second in which I could not easily figure out what was going to happen next. However if the destination is predictable that is forgivable if the journey is a lot of fun and this one is. 

Pure cartoon silliness and fun from start to finish. 

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Movie Review: Spirit Untamed

 



Michael's Movie Grade: C+

While nowhere near as good as the first Spirit movie, this film is still quite charming and fun.

What makes this movie work is that it is pure wish fulfillment for both kids and horse lovers. I know that have often dreamed about simply taking off a horse for a huge adventure into dangerous place, yet unknown to me. Taming a wild horse and having him love me like one of his own herd (something that will be amplified for kids with the grown-ups not being able to do the same), just increases the wish fulfillment as does proving everyone who doesn't believe in you wrong. While this wish fulfillment will definitely speak to kids, it will also speak to those of us who remember what it was like to be a kid and the fantasies we had. This film is also is helped by a very likable and relatable lead character. While this movie is less than an hour and a half and is not slow moving by any means, it still gives us the time and all we need to connect with this character and see ourselves in her boots. Also while I do miss the beautiful hand drawn animation of the first Spirit movie, the horse animation is pretty darn good here. It may be exaggerated for cartoon-like effect but there is no doubt the animators studied and learned how horses interact with humans and there are some nice little acting touches that horse lovers (like myself) will notice. It is also nice to see such an pretentious movie tell a simple story simple. In a time with so many "big" movies, it is nice and charming to see a small one sometimes.

This movie certainly does have its share of faults though. Though our main character is very easy for us to relate to, much of the supporting characters are rather bland and one note. This is especially true of the villains, who are not only boring but never even as threatening as they should be. While this movie is full of jokes most of them fall flat and the very few that work raise only a smile. This film also has a story that is very familiar at times and it is hard not see where it is going at any time. 

This is definitely rather minor compared to the best of DreamWorks' animated out put, but there is a sweet and simple charm that works despite the faults.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Movie Review: Abominable

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

A lovely sweet film that overcomes its clichés with pure and utter sincerity.

This movie was a project of passion. Writer and director Jill Culton came up for the idea for this movie seven years ago while working at DreamWorks Animation. She did some work on it, but then left the studio. However one of the heads at DreamWorks saw some of her work and called her back to make the film. She then spent a year and half making this movie. During that time Jill didn't lose her passion for the project.

This passion and work can certainly be felt in this movie. The storyline may contain many clichés we have seen before, but few of them feel forced. Our main character Yi, is extremely likable and relatable. Her emotional arc feels very real and it is hard not to feel for this character. Her talking about her dad bring some surprisingly very emotional and well written lines. They bring a surprisingly very intelligent look into the different effects loss can have on different people. While some may cry, others may just isolate themselves from everyone and everything. This is what Yi does as she spends no time at home with her family and avoiding her friends. Instead she is doing small jobs. Her emotions become numb as all that becomes important are tasks that will never fill the hole inside her. This reality keeps this fantasy movie grounded and completely believable to us. We believe her, so we have no problem believing the fantasy. The film is also visually gorgeous. Some moments of this movie are completely breathtaking. You really begin to feel like you visited these places and went on the adventure with them (which is exactly what I want from an adventure film). Since Everest cannot speak words, character animation is very important. Luckily this was done extremely well. Everest feels as fully formed as a character as Yi. While some humor falls flat much of it is actually quite good. I wouldn't call this a hilarious movie, but the jokes made me smile and sometimes laugh.

However as much as this movie made its clichés work, there was one cliché that felt forced as all get out. This is the villains. These are bland stereotypical movie villains we have seen a million times before and there is nothing about them to cause any interest. Also much of the modern day references about selfies and social media felt unnecessary and will date this movie that should feel timeless.

All in all this is an excellent film and a definite recommendation from me.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Movie Review: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

Michael's Movie Grade: B+


Review: An excellent film with lots of atmosphere, heart and a heck of a good ending.


What makes this movie great is what has made the previous entries so great. This is the world and the characters. While it is one thing for an animated fantasy to look visually beautiful, it is quite another for it to make you feel like you are transported to another world. This is what this series has done so incredibly and what makes it stand out. Like the second movie this film also expands upon the world, however this film takes that even further. The sheer scope of this movie is incredible, and some of the new places this movie takes us feel just as real as Berk. One thing I really appreciate about this film is that it doesn't feel like a tacked on sequel, but something that was well built up to. It is amazing to look at Hiccup as we saw him in the first movie and how he is here. He was grown and matured considerably. Not only has he taken on the role of chief after the events of the second movie, but he has fully grown into and encompassed the part. He may not be like his father, but he is a great leader none the less. Having watched him grow up during the last two movies, we take pride in him. Yet despite how much he has mature, he has not become a new character. He is still completely and utterly Hiccup. His maturity is also shown heavily through his relationships with Astrid and Toothless both of which are very touching here. I also love that this movie takes its time in its storytelling. It is not out to give us action and laughs every second but rather to make us as emotionally involved as possible. The slower pace (certainly slower than the last two movies) helps make this movie feel all the more real and we are sucked further into the world because of it.


This movie does have it faults though. Most of all is much of the humor. Much of it feels really forced and out of place. With the new found maturity of Hiccup and Astrid, the rest of the young Vikings are still extremely immature and seem to only exist to tell jokes that are well immature. I guess this could work if those jokes were funny but most of them simply aren't. This is not to say this movie has no humor that works however. Toothless courting the "Lightfury" is really funny. The villain can at times feel more like a great idea of a villain than actually a great villain. I love the idea that he was a lot like Hiccup would have been if he choose a different path and his dedication to the hunt. Still I couldn't help but feel that he didn't seem to have the presence such a villain should have. One also feels that the battle filled climax is a little underwhelming and not as exciting as it should have been.


Still if this movie was not perfect, everything that happened after the climax was. Honestly you could not ask for a better ending to the series than the ending of this movie. I prefer not to give much away, but these final scenes were filled with pure emotion and power. Most of all they felt like a true and perfect conclusion to this series.


-Michael J. Ruhland    

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Movie Review: Captian Underpants: The First Epic Movie

 



Michael's Movie Grade: B+

Excellent film is just simply a lot of fun.

This film is a great mixture of clever humor, childish bathroom humor, fantastic animation and just pure fun. What really makes the movie work though is the main characters Harold and George. These characters maintain all of the likability they had in the books. You fully understand their love of pranks. They are not doing it because they are mean, but rather because their school is so boring they need to find someway to entertain themselves. This is something I can easily relate to. While for the most part I liked school, there was on the other hand science classes, which I found so boring it drove me crazy to just sit there. Because of this my mind would wander easily and I could simply entertain myself with my own imagination through these classes. Because of this what Harold and George do makes perfect sense to me and feels so relatable. On top of this most of the humor hits very well. While there are times when it can miss such as an extend sequence where the kids tell Captain Underpants to impersonate a principal that goes on too long, most of the humor is quite funny. Again these jokes range from childish potty humor to very clever humor, and some how the two mix perfectly here. These jokes are perfectly complemented by the animation. The animation is very cartoony, energetic and just plain fun. Many of the jokes are timed so well, that they hit perfectly. Also helping make the movie so fun is the use of various animation styles. This is not a gimmick as it is utilized perfectly to complement the story. These scenes include a great look into the boys' brains, the use of child like drawings for the comic books and most importantly a flip-o-rama action scene (which is very funny).

Just a fun movie.


Monday, April 10, 2017

Movie Review: Boss Baby

 Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland









Michael's Movie Grade:C+


Review: DreamWorks has proven with the Kung Fu Panda trilogy (yes I know there are more coming and I am excited), that they can make an idea that seems bad on paper actually work. While this movie is not on the same level as Kung Fu Panda the filmmakers takes a seemingly terrible idea and makes a movie that is quite enjoyable.


While so many animated features today go out of their way to make their fantasy worlds seem as real as possible and for us to accept them as such, Boss Baby simply embraces the fact that it is a cartoon by simply having fun with how absurd it all is, and having a field day with their imaginations. This is the film's biggest asset. This is especially shown through Tim's various fantasies and daydreams. Taking a page out of Maurice Noble's design work for the Ralph Philips cartoons of the 1950's all of those working in DreamWorks art department create a vivid, but very stylized look to these daydreams, that is honestly a joy to look at. Also great to see is the fantastic design of Baby Corp., which is so imaginative that it creates a great sense of fun here. The idea of babies and puppies being created by companies rather than well you know is a great one that just helps add to the fun.


The characters are quite likable. While they might not be the best fleshed out characters in animation, they are not just the one joke characters that you might think they are from the previews.


On the downside for a comedy this film has very few laugh out loud moments. This isn't to say that the humor is bad, but I giggled and smiled more than I actually laughed out loud. There are some laugh out loud moments ("Your parents are Lennon and McCartney"), but there are just much fewer than there should be for a movie like this. Also while the film is full of imagination, it is not lacking in Clichés. There are many moments where you know just what is going to happen and I think many people will see the ending coming.


So this isn't Kung Fu Panda by any means it is a fun movie, and definitely worth a watch.


-Michael J. Ruhland     

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Movie Review: Trolls

 


Review written by Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: Very fun movie.

What really makes this movie work so well is the characters and the visuals. The characters, could have easily been boring and two dimensional. Poppy isn't just an obnoxiously happy character, and Branch is not just an overly depressed character. I am not going to say they are complex characters, but they are well thought out and very likable. The visuals are great,  including both design, and animation. The characters have a likable look to them and the world around them looks really cool. The characters are also very well animated and come to life through it. This film is just a joy to look at.

On the downside, most of the songs feel like they are here because they are popular, not because they fit the story. In fact most of them feel quite out of place here. Also the story is often very predictable.

Overall, just a very fun movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 3

 


Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade:A-

Review: Fantastic animated film that truly is a treat for nearly anyone.

This film has great animation, and a great sense of design. This film is simply fantastic to look at. On top of that though the film has a great story and a great sense of atmosphere, as well as a good sense of humor. However the thing that really makes that really makes this film work so well is that Po is such a great character. We relate to him very closely and both feel sorry for him and kind of admire him. It would be easy to make this character just an another complete idiot character we have seen a hundred times. However this film is above that and truly makes this character unique. He is very likable, and well meaning and can actually be a great hero when he needs to be.

The plot can be predictable, but it is so well done one may not care.

Overall this is a great movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland