The Boxtrolls and Mr. Peabody & Sherman (both 2014)

What an odd time for animation. Even if we watch a film where the plot only ever hums and characters never pop, we can still marvel at the onscreen techno wonder. Everything looks amazing! “The Boxtrolls” and “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” – the former stop motion mixed with CGI, the latter all CGI – are prime examples. Hum. No pop. “Boxtrolls” comes from studio Laika, who made “Coraline,” an edgy horror tale for cool kids. But “Trolls” misfires with title characters -- tiny ogres live under a Victorian-era city and dress in discarded cardboard -- that fail to spark or overcome their human counterparts, including a status-hungry villain (Ben Kingsley) with a penchant for cabaret. Bummer. Only a fourth-wall-crashing Monty Pythonesque riff on “free will” fired my brain, during the end credits. A remake of the old cartoon shorts about a time-traveling dog and his not-so-bright human boy, “Peabody” is full of a breezy slapstick, bad puns, and warped histories of the Trojan War, Mona Lisa, and more. It relies on poop jokes and greatly underserves a female companion, but it gets in a Mel Brooks cameo as Einstein, and I love Mel Brooks. Boxtrolls: C+ Peabody: B

A Liar’s Autobiography (2012)

I love the hell out of Monty Python, the shows, the movies. I can’t get enough, even on repeat viewings. A wildly animated F.U. to the whole biopic genre, “A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman” wants to be the M.P. version of the group’s founding member and leader’s life story, but it’s a pile of random tid-bits that don’t say much. Crazy fact: I learned more trivia about Chapman’s life and comedy impact in the “Making of…” documentary on this film than the film itself. That’s sounds like a Python satirical sketch. (Skip the movie! Watch the extras!) “Liar’s” never boring and much of the animation stuns – dig the section that represents Chapman kicking booze -- but there’s so little context I never got a hook on the man. A scene big on Python gore has toddler Chapman looking at the bodies of soldiers killed in a WWII plane crash. Why? Did he recall this a haunting memory? Who can tell when we’re told it’s fake? A letdown from a film I expected much from. C+

Peter Pan (1953) and Robin Hood (1973)

I just re-watched two Disney takes on classic stories: “Robin Hood,” from 1973, with foxes, lions, chickens, and badgers in the lead roles, and “Peter Pan,” the classic take that … well, defines everything I knew about Peter Pan growing up, and even now.

Fact: This “Robin Hood” is one of the first films I ever saw, and it’s still a bit of a gem, perfectly pitched to the preschool set with cute, fun lyrics from a narrator rooster and wonderful sight gags. Dig the way the animators let us see Robin Hood dress in ridiculously easy disguises, and yet still fools the villainous Prince John. It puts young viewers in the know, and I love that. Ditto the animation, even though much of it is reused from “Jungle Book,” et al in a cheap-o move. (That I notice means points off.) Pen and ink rocks, and the bits with Prince John sucking his thumb would never work in CGI. B+

“Pan,” now, is so brilliant, so -– it *is* Peter Pan to me, and it’s wonderfully geared to both the awe of children and whimsy of adults. Honestly, this film is 60 years old and it feels eternal even if the costumes suggest we’re talking pre-1900. Everything in this movie is my point of reference for every character, and I cannot hold it against Disney. Why did I never pick up on the singing gay pirate bit before? That’s a treat, that I can pick up on new stuff on a 12^th viewing. I love that Tinker Ball is quite an ass here, not heroic, and Hook is just awesome, especially with Smee. That Peter Pan is both hero and a brat, and Disney never pushes or preaches, he lets it play out, and lets kids in the audience realize, you need your parents. Yes, the whole Red Skin thing smacks a dumb move, a holdover from the classic book. But every image here -– flying over London, the alligator –- is a marvel, it gooses a 40-year-old’s dreams. A

ParaNorman (2012)

First off: An admission. I held the real ParaNorman the day after watching Laika Animation kid comedy/ horror “ParaNorman,” the studio’s stop-motion follow up to 2009’s “Coraline.” I was and remain in awe. This tale of a loner boy (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee of “The Road”) who can see and talk to the spirits of the dead –- including his own late grandma -- is not as grand, terrifying, or eyeballs-out amazing as the earlier film, but directors Sam Bell and Chris Butler had no room to go up. Oh, well. Naturally, Norman’s powers do not sit well with family or teachers, and when the boy starts seeing tell-tale signs of doom for his witch-obsessed town, every small trace of luck he has vanishes. Next up: Hero time. This creepy cool film bucks rules and isn’t afraid to go edgy as Norman once refers to the “F” bomb without saying it. The attention to detail astounds: Bony fingers peel wood, and the boy’s zombie slippers are a sight to behold. Only the ending sinks with too many story pauses and a complete lack of the grandmom who previously said she’d always protect Norman. Story hiccup? No idea. A marvelous watch. A-

The Croods (2013)

In “The Croods,” Dreamworks’ sticks a Griswald-like family in the Stone Age, cave people still moping around with no fire and staring helpless as the land mass known as Pangaea breaks apart to form what we now recognize as Earth. (Try explaining this to your 4-year-old.) Plot: Ignorant dad (Nicolas Cage) is scared of all things new, while teen daughter Eep (Emma Stone) is ready to explore and push pop’s rules off a cliff. So, yes, it’s “Brave” B.C., with the inevitable scene where grumpy dad admits he’s wrong, and spunky kid is right. A genre staple as old as cave drawings, for sure. We’ll see it again. But even “Croods” cannot carry its story to the finish, switching midway from Eep’s perspective to the father’s. (It’s all so beware-climate-change liberal heavy-handed, even I blanched.) Much of the animation surprises, though: Prehistoric pets are imagined outside the box and will delight children and adults, and a gag involving early photography got this shutterbug laughing. The rest: Forgettable. C+

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

I dug “Despicable Me,” the animated jab at movie villainy played like a Mel Brooks classic made for grade schoolers. Its master stroke: Every movie fan knows it’s more fun to be the bad guy, so why not make a movie about him? There, egg-shaped Eastern European criminal mastermind Gru saw his plans to steal the moon sunk after taking in three orphaned girls with big, wet eyes. Watching him squirm to do anything right was a blast. In “Despicable Me 2,” Gru is back and he’s good from the start, so good, he’ll dress like a pink fairy to give his youngest girl a smile. When he’s recruited by a MI5-type group to take down a new villain, we have no doubt that Gru won’t dream a little Blofeld dream. That sucks the fun out of this story. The movie’s wonderfully done in eye-popping CGI with endlessly funny blink-and-you-miss-it sight gags, and Steve Carrel is a blast as Gru, but we are watching an after-thought. The main point of interest hangs on Gru finding love … or not. Go on, guess. B

Turbo (2013)

“Turbo” must have started from a resentful marketing meeting at Dreamworks, one where all the writers, animators, and ad guys took a resentful look at Pixar’s much-celebrated filmography and figured, “Let’s mash some shit up.” So “Turbo” is a “A Bug’s Life” crossed with “Cars,” the tale of a lonely garden snail (Ryan Reynolds, in voice, not a costume, silly) who dreams the life of a race car driver before an accident – he’s doused with nitrogen oxide from a hot rod -- makes him as fast as a lightning bolt. And it’s off to the races for him, his Debbie Downer brother (Paul Giamatti) on his tail, literal and figurative. Along the way, our snail boys meet up with two Hispanic taco vendor brothers (Michael Pena and Luis Guzman) who share a mirrored relationship, one dreaming big, the other always ready to down every hope. Let it be clear: I love that a major animated film stars American immigrant characters, but, really, taco vendors? Taco vendors?!? OK. Breathe. My nephew loved it. Does my Debbie Downer take matter? Well, yeah. The animation and voice talent (Giamatti!!) hit big, but this tale is as predictable as left turn, left turn… B

The Phantom Tollbooth (1969)

I am a rabid Chuck Jones fan. There was or is no better animator, with Jones even surpassing Miyazaki and Disney in my book. No man has better drawn the way a dog stretches under a back scratch, or how any being –- man or beast -– can toss an askew glance at a Murphy moment of despair. So when I sat for Jones’ celebrated full-length “The Phantom Tollbooth,” I wanted to bask in childhood glory. Damn. This tale of a snotty child (Butch Patrick, Eddie of “The Munsters”) who drives a magical kiddie car through a magical tollbooth from live-action San Francisco into an animated world, is not just sparkless, it’s a text book lesson in how not to entertain children. It’s devastatingly preachy with slimy goblins warning of the dangers of doldrums, and kings and fairies warning of the sin of using too many words, or not enough, and watch your posture, and don’t complain! Well, I shall, thank you. Remember how cool those “School of Rock” shorts were? This is School of Impatience. The basic plot -– two kingdoms of letters and numbers are at war –- provides endless possibilities, and demands a smarter remake. C+

Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Monsters University (2013)

Animation wise, Pixar was knocking out instant classic year after year in the early 2000s, and “Monsters Inc.” stood tall among many gems. The fantastic story: All those shadowy monsters we saw in our closets and under our beds as children are real, and they live in monster city powered by the screams of bed-frightened youth. The kicker: The monsters fear children. Kids are considered toxic, and woe the hairy freak who gets a toddler’s sock stuck to his back. 

The top “scarer” is James “Sully” Sullivan, a massive blue-and-purple horned guy with the voice of John Goodman and a sidekick/manager/BFF named Mike Wazowski that looks like a giant eyeball with legs and arms, and the voice of Billy Crystal. (Just dig the names: Right out of any Philly neighborhood from my childhood.) All is well for these guys until Mike lets in a babbling toddler who mistakes our scary man for a big kitty. Mayhem ensues, with smart genre spoofing and asides as Ray Harryhausen’s name becomes that of the top spot to eat in town and medusa is, umm, a hot lady at work. For Mike no less. 

Every moment – especially John Ratzenburger as an Abominable Snowman with self-esteem issues – is magic, and the film empowers children to not cry but laugh at the dark. How unfathomably cool is that? Besides “Incredibles,” Pixar has no better action scene than a long fight between our heroes against a lizard-like color shifter snidely voiced by Steve Buscemi among thousands of racing, shifting closet doors, each leading to the “real” world. 

 “Inc.” pops and crackles with glee, with Randy Newman’s jazz score tying the knot on the present. The last scene kills.

The sequel, “Monsters University,” is a prequel as we jump back in time to see James and Mike meet during their freshman year of college. Are they pals? No. Rivals. The gist of the story: Our heroes are at college to major in scaring children to land jobs at the power company Monsters Inc. James is a natural, coasting in on his family name, while Mike has mud in his eye, not the slightest bit scary. 

The duo find themselves on academic skids after destroying a prize possession of the dean (Helen Mirren, turning on the intimidation to full blast as a dragon-like scorpion). Along the way Mike and James join the Omega Kappa (O.K.!) fraternity, a bottom drawer of geeks who live with one of their own mothers. Will Mike and James and the team succeed against all odds? Yes! They will. (Debate: Is cheating OK? Well…) 

Pixar is coasting here, railing on “Revenge of the Nerds” jokes and our own love for the first film. Oh, there are laughs -- I dug the old lady librarian from Mordor – but the jazz pop of “Inc.” is sophomoric.

Inc.:  A University:  B+

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Sony Animation’s CGI farce “Hotel Transylvania” is light on plot and heavily features crap Auto-Tune music at the end that ought to make any sane person’s soul flinch, but its love for all tall tales of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Wolfman are infectious. It also helps that the film is marvelous looking, with every corner of the screen filled with fantastical, horrifying, and hilarious pop-art bright creatures. 

The story: Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) tries all in his power to keep his 118-year-old (teen years for a vampire) daughter safe in his castle, away from harm. The castle doubles as a hotel, a monster’s reprieve from the outside world of scary humans. Shocker, then, when a college-aged kid on a backpack adventure stumbles into the place and catches the daughter’s (Selena Gomez) eye. What’s a count to do? This is PG, so killing is moot. 

The alternatives fill up the story, which runs dry. But I was busy eyeing how characters move, bounce off each other, and fall apart in the case of Frankenstein. B

Frankenweenie (2012)

I welcomed the Tim Burton-directed stop-motion “Frankenweenie” with a wide smile of spooked childlike wonder. For years now, Burton has been missing as a filmmaker. He has made many movies -– “Planet of the Apes” and “Dark Shadows” -- but none steeped in the dark satire and deep loneliness he displayed in “Edward Scissorhands.” This harkens back to early Burton, and is a remake of his infamous 1984 live-action short, ingenuously reimagined. Young Victor Frankenstein is a loner whose best friend is Sparky, his pet dog. Victor pops a homerun during a parent-forced youth baseball outing. Sparky runs for the ball, and is fatally hit by a car. Victor is devastated, and soon goes the way of his namesake by bringing Sparky back to life via an electric storm and a lab that is every bit a grade-school salute to James Whale. What comes next is where Burton flies high: Victor’s spooky classmates each has a dead pet they want to see given new life, and this freak show takes off as hilarious and sly introduction of monster mash-ups for the quirky young. Shot in black-and-white, this is the Burton I love. A

Brave (2012)

In Pixar’s “Brave,” red-haired and wild Merida is a Scottish lass who must make that terrible choice that seemingly every other Disney Princess has ever faced: Marrying for duty, not for love. She is no wallflower longing for Prince Charming, though, but a huntress who climbs tall mountains that lord over her Highlands home. When iron-willed mother (Emma Thompson) pushes our heroine to choose a suitor, she bolts. “Brave” is, wonderfully, the first Pixar film to focus on a female lead, but it’s also, sadly and oddly, the first of its films to bear a heavy, unmistakable thumbprint from new parent company Disney. From the princess angle to the heavy lessons, the DNA here is as old as “Snow White.” The plot fully kicks off when runaway Merida encounters a witch who promises to “change” her mother with a spell. What trouble magic brings I will not say, but its resolution is so simple and straight forward, I kept waiting for another shoe, any shoe, to drop. More Hesitant than “Brave.” In true Pixar fashion, the animation stuns, and the voice cast (Kelly Mcdonald plays Merida) is flawlessly chosen for talent, not name. B

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)

Who knew Dreamworks’ animated adventure-comedy "Madagascar" (2005) would churn out two sequels and a cartoon series? The first movie was solid fun as four Central Park Zoo animals -– a lion (Ben Stiller), a zebra (Chris Rock), a giraffe (David Schwimmer) and a hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) -– and a pack of penguins made a break for freedom and ended up in, well, Madagascar. The sequel was a cash-grab mess. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" is marginally better as our heroes make a break for, well, Europe, as a means to get back to NYC. They join a circus train and bring on the wrath of a rabid animal control officer (Frances McDormand). The animation veers from wildly imaginative (Rome!) to a 3D gonzo neon acid trip for children too young to know the meaning of acid trip. As with most Dreamworks works, the movie relies on sight gags, but the creators trash their best idea: A tiger who can jump through a wedding band. McDormand’s villain is a hoot, yes, but the sight of her taking a saw to the hero lion’s neck veers close to Daniel Pearl territory. B-

Dumbo (1941)

Before the words “Walt Disney” became synonymous with Corporate Giant, it was the name of an artist still unsurpassed in imagination and legend. Disney’s 1940s animated films still dazzle above and beyond anything produced now, and 71-year-old “Dumbo” is among his best works. It’s the story of a baby elephant with large ears, and his harsh circus life where mother is abused and imprisoned for protecting her young one. Dumbo, even this is a cruel nickname, must perform in clown makeup, and is placed atop a burning scaffold and forced to jump into a small pool of goop. Pure humiliation. This is classic dark Disney, a film about a broken child, mixed with much hope and magic. The plot borrows from “Pinocchio” with another tinier, smarter pal in Timothy B. Mouse, but it’s a clever twist, and a funny joke, too. The animation, story, and music are pure joy, even if the gang of crows almost flies into Jim Crow stereotyping. Note the use of watercolors, and the dazzling, still daring and freakishly scary Pink Elephant scene. A

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)

“Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole” is one of the best-looking animated tales I have ever seen: Golden hues of sunlight abound, and our owl heroes and villains at the center of this fantasy adventure are computer-animated with such jaw-dropping precision that the details of feathers and the glint of eyes make one stare with childish glee. But “Legend” is a wash, a gorgeous body with an empty soul. The story is based on a series of books, so far be it for me to proclaim this a rip-off of “Star Wars” and “Chronicles of Narnia,” but I’ll do it anyway, as our tale follows two brother owls (Jim Sturgess and Ryan Kwanten on voices) who fall into the clutches of an evil owl queen, with one sibling summiting to her will, and the other escaping to join a heroic rebel alliance. Bonus Lucas points: There’s a wise old warrior owl and an evil metal-masked owl. They duel. For all of director Zack Snyder’s (“300”) visual delights, I was constantly trying to sort out which owl was which, especially during a climatic aerial fight that left me squawking “Hoo?” “Hoo?” “Who!?!” Thankfully not out loud. C+

The Adventures of Tin-Tin (2011)

When Steven Spielberg said he was making a Tin-Tin movie, I was stoked. I was born in England, and although I can’t recall my time there, I did inherit piles of “Tin-Tin” books. The boy reporter and his little white dog, Snowy, are huge there. In America? Not so much. Which is why “The Adventures of Tin-Tin” crumpled at U.S. cinemas. Despite the Spielberg name, some of the best motion-cap animation ever made and 3D effects that make the format a blast of wondrous pop-up fun. The plot is Tin-Tin simple, and very “Young Indiana Jones”: Our ginger hero buys a model ship on a lark and gets wrapped up in a worldwide conspiracy that nearly gets him (and his little dog, too!) killed. Spielberg works with physics-defying action as if he’s thrilled not to worry about reality. It’s all too much, but this is a boy’s adventure. How else to explain a 120-pound boy fighting men three times his size? Bummer news: The ending is a let-down, a promise of cinematic godliness left to a sequel. Jamie Bell is Tin-Tin, Andy Serkis is a drunken ship captain, and Daniel Craig (smartly nasty!) the villain. B+

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)

“Gnomeo & Juliet” is exactly what you think it is: A child’s eye version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” minus the suicide, blood, lust and sex. Although there’s a helluva lot of jokes about cock – hat – sizes, and references to brave boy gnomes having huge balls. But will children get that? Likely not. They won’t care, either. Nor will they care that the movie’s concept steals from “Toy Story,” the gnomes come to life when left alone by people, and turn back into objects when they appear, and its humor stolen from the Dreamworks line of film parodies and famous voices for entertainment. There are some witty bits: Dig the moving truck, or the Taming of the Glue. The opening is a silly wink-wink nod to narrators of old. Nine writers took part. Up to 10 or more if you count Shakespeare and actorly improvisation. With that many people, you can have a soccer club. But a good film? No. C+

Bambi (1942)

How many of us really remember “Bambi”? Sweet animals. Bright and sunny forest. Young deer finding his legs. Thumper and that restless foot. So lovable. Memory is fickle. Walt Disney’s classic tale a dark coming of age story that is cute, yes, but also visceral, and quite intense at the climax. The story: Bambi is born and grows up among friendly rabbits, birds and skunks in a forest. He matures. Winter hits hard. Man comes. A gunshot. Mother is no more. Then later the fire, set by man. There is no tongue-in-cheek satire here, yes, some laughs, but mostly hard truths. Its theme: Growing up is hell, but you eventually will find happiness. The details are exceedingly rich, from every hand-drawn character to creeks and leaves. No perfected CGI film will exceed even the beautiful errand lines created by men and women. Check out that fight scene. Or Thumper thumping. “Bambi” rightfully holds its place as one of the greatest animated films out there. And, yeah, Bambi’s momma’s death put a lump in my throat. Maybe. A+

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

I deeply love the “Wallace & Gromit” half-hour shorts. The claymation gems star an oblivious English inventor (Wallace, voiced by Peter Sallis) and his faithful dog (Gromit, who does not speak). In the full-length “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” our heroes are hired protectors of vegetable gardens, grabbing up thieving bunnies and … keeping them safe. It’s best not to explain too much, but soon a giant rabbit – taller than any man – is grabbing up cabbages, carrots and zucchini. The plot and numerous puns are preschool simple. We get zero cynicism. It features dozens of winks at monster classics such as “The Wolfman.” This is just a film to look at and just love, watching for trademark thumbprints, the sign of joy, art and storytelling -- all from master/co-director Nick Park. Big name talents join the fun, with Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes on voice duty. A

The Illusionist (2010)

The animated “The Illusionist” is nearly wordless except for garbled French, Gaelic and English, opens in black-and-white, is covered in bleakness and sketched emotion, and is hand-drawn. This is old-school animation in line with Hayao Miyazaki, deep and dark, always beautiful, written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. Here a French stage magician (Jean-Claude Donda) finds his life marginalized in 1959 by television, the first wave of British pop and increasingly popular movies. The man heads to the United Kingdom, searching for an audience. He eventually finds one admirer: A young chambermaid (Eilidh Rankin) who thinks magic is real. He likens her to a daughter, trying to buy her clothes and shoes. It’s all a bit “The Professional,” with no guns, and apparently inspired by a script from French filmmaker Jacques Tati, who had a tumultuous relationship with a daughter. The story floats by, but there’s undeniable magic here. Some scenes – the opening act, the painting of a billboard – are mini-epics. Fact: A human-drawn line of a desperate facial expression is far more alive than the best CGI. A-