This Disney new 3D animation release opening TODAY (March 11, 2011) is mediocre at best. The storyline about a young boy who went up to Mars to save his mom who was kidnapped by Martians is weak and not believable. The character Gribble (stranded boy who grew up to be an adult on Mars) is not credible or well developed. The visual is not that impressive either.
I give this film 2.5 out of 5 starfish. There are too many flaws: if Mars doesn’t have color as on Earth, how did one of the Martians paint graffiti with vibrant colors? The Martian babies pop out from the dirt ground, which I think is weird and laughable. Is it because the filmmakers don’t want to show Martians giving birth? Why does it take 25 years to have a new crop of Martian babies? Also, why do the Martians only kidnap one mom from Earth at a time when they know the failure rate is high (such as 25 years ago with Gribble’s mom)?
The only good thing about this film is its moral: Don’t mess with mom! (I know that already before seeing the film!) You only appreciate those things that you have lost.
For animation fans and attendees of the SXSW (South by Southwest Music + Film Interactive Festival in Austin, TX, March 11-20, 2011), my first animation collaborative short film “Guard Dog Global Jam” (I did scene #41) will premiere TONIGHT,
March 11, 2011 at 9:30 pm at the Vimeo Theater!
“Guard Dog Global Jam” is a global collaboration among 75 animators to create scene by scene an animation short based on Bill Plympton’s Oscar-nominated “Guard Dog.” I learned to use Toon Boom Animation software to draw on Wacom tablet for this first animation project. Both Toon Boom and Wacom are sponsors to my animation films, including Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest, about a young Holocaust survivor. SXSW schedule:
http://schedule.sxsw.com/?conference=film# [1]
http://sxsw.com/ [2] (official website)
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Perry Chen has been reviewing movies since he was 8 in third grade. He is also a young animator, collaborating with Oscar-nominated Bill Plympton. He was among 75 animators around the world to animate Plympton's "Guard Dog Global Jam" based on the Oscar-nominated "Guard Dog." "Guard Dog Global Jam" premiered at SXSW film festival in March 2011.
Perry is the youngest winner of San Diego Press Club 2010 Excellence in Journalism awards for his movie review, and was featured in “The Young Icons” TV show. He reviews G/PG-rated movies for the San Diego Union Tribune and San Diego Entertainer Magazine with over 1 million readers combined. Perry is also the resident film critic for Amazing Kids, a non-profit organization with kids-generated content on its monthly magazine with about 1 million readers. He was featured as "Amazing Kid of the Month" in Feb 2011:
http://mag.amazing-kids.org/2011/02/01/amazing-kid-of-the-month-perry-chen/ [3]
Perry regularly covers red carpet premieres, press junkets, film festivals and awards, interviewing Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning directors and producers. He was the first child film critic invited to present at the Annie Awards for animation in 2010, and was featured on Variety for being one of the leading young film critics:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118026037.html?categoryid=4137&cs=1 [4]
Read all of Perry’s reviews and upcoming events on his website http://www.perryspreviews.com [5] Watch his on camera interviews of filmmakers on http://www.YouTube.com/perryspreviews [6]
Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/perryspreviewsfan [7]
Links:
[1] http://schedule.sxsw.com/?conference=film#
[2] http://sxsw.com/
[3] http://mag.amazing-kids.org/2011/02/01/amazing-kid-of-the-month-perry-chen/
[4] http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118026037.html?categoryid=4137&cs=1
[5] http://www.perryspreviews.com/
[6] http://www.youtube.com/perryspreviews
[7] http://tinyurl.com/3aktsmu