4 Starfish out of 5.

Have you ever wondered why Po, the main character in the original Kung Fu Panda, and prophesied Dragon Warrior and protector of China had a father that was a goose? Well, in this hilarious action-packed sequel to Kung Fu Panda, you will definitely find out! Po discovers his origins in the new film while on a mission to save kung fu.

Have you ever looked at a total stranger and imagined what it would be like to spend a life with that person? That is the story first-time Disney director John Kahrs is trying to tell through his delightful short film, “Paperman,” which plays before the “Wreck-it Ralph” feature that opened on November 2, 2012.

Even though Humphrey and Kate are friends who play together, their status separates them.  So they can’t howl together at the midnight howl or have a litter of pups.

Kate’s duty is to marry Garth, the hunky Alpha-male-to-be of the Eastern pack to make peace between the warring packs.  But on the night of the moonlight howl, Kate and Humphrey are tranquilized by the park rangers (they live in Jasper National Park, Canada), and brought to Idaho to “repopulate” the area.

Animators Ansar Sattar, Alta Berri, Grey Wears & Perry Chen at NMFF premiere.

How was it like to meet “virtual” collaborators on the award-winning animation short “Guard Dog Global Jam” for the first time at the film’s Los Angeles premiere?  Exciting and “Perrific!”  On May 20, 2011, seven animators from the film came to the New Media Film Festival to watch the film open the festival to an enthusiastic crowd who cheered and laughed during the screening.  The animators are: Ansar Sattar, Alta Berri, Grey Wears, Jessica Bayliss, Larry Loc, Linda Lee, and Perry Chen.  Immediately following the screening, the animators were invited on stage by festival director Susan Johnston for a lively Q&A with moderator Jeanette DePatie.  They remarked on how exciting it was to see such a variety of styles and to see the project take shape.

I love “Wreck-it Ralph,” one of the greatest films this year, and the best Disney animation since "Tangled."  For some adults, this film may bring back some childhood nostalgia from playing arcade games, but not so much that it clouds out the storyline.  The filmmakers have transformed lots of familiar 8-bit video game characters into fascinating personalities in a whole new way.  Disney must have broken the bank, in gaining access to all these iconic legends of the 8-bit world, such as Sonic and Pacman.  Just thinking about it makes my head spin…

4 Starfish out of 5.

Did you notice that in most stories, good defeats evil, and the good guy always gets the girl?  Armed with his brilliant evil mind and his fishy minion, Megamind, an alien from the Glaopunk quadrant, attempts a different fate. Megamind is about heroes and villains, love and redemption.  Only love can transform a villain into a hero.

4 Starfish out of 5.

Which type of films do you like better, animation or live action?  If you are an adult, you’ll probably say live action, but “Animation: The Illusion of Life” aims to change that!  It has much of the same themes as live action films, except with more humor, clever storyline, imagination, and fantastic music to match.

At the 11th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival which ended last night (Oct 28, 2010), I went to see “Animation: The Illusion of Life” for the second time, after seeing it the night before.  It is THAT good!  Sam Chen, a prominent animator and filmmaker from San Diego, has been the curator of the festival’s animation program since ten years ago.  Since he and I share the same family name, I thought we probably shared the same ancestor, hundreds of years ago ; ).  Sam hosted the screenings and answered questions from the audience.

Perry Chen with Jeff "Swampy" Marsh (R) & Dan Povenmire (M, holding my animation film DVD), creators of Phineas & Ferb at Comic-Con 2011 (photo by Zhu Shen)

Of all Comic-Con panels and events, my #1 favorite was the “Phineas and Ferb” panel, it was “Perrific!”!  I attended a similar panel at Comic-Con in 2010 for the first time, and asked questions during the Q&A.  This year, I got invited to a special one-on-one press interview with the creators and voice talents of my favorite TV show! On the panel, there were the two creators of the show, Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh; as well as voice talents Vincent Martella (Phineas), Ashley Tisdale (Candace), Dee Bradley Baker (Perry the Platypus). 

Perry Chen at Rise of the Guardians Press Screening (photo by Zhu Shen)

“Rise of the Guardians” is a great film, full of rich, colorful, and well-developed characters. Santa, or “North”, as he is called in the film, compared his personality to that of a Russian Nesting Doll. He is a tough and fierce warrior on the outside, but inside, he has a heart of childlike wonder. Bunny is calm and proud, although annoyed by North boasting how Christmas is more important than Easter. Tooth, the tooth fairy, is an energetic and excitable character, constantly hovering in the air. Sandy, the mute Guardian of Dreams is calm, but can be very fierce and strong when he has to. Finally, we have Jack Frost, a smart, mischievous, fun-loving spirit who can control the weather and snow, but has yet to learn about his purpose and responsibilities in life.

2013 Oscar-nominated Animation Shorts

2012 was an amazing year for animation short films. This year’s Oscar nominees share one thing in common: they are all silent films, each demonstrating the power of pure storytelling with only visuals and music! The nominees are: “Paperman”,  “Fresh Guacamole”, “Maggie Simpson in the Longest Daycare,” “Head over Heels,” and “Adam and Dog.”