Gulmohar
A Family Farewell That Opened a Thousand Interpretations When Gulmohar released, the film didn’t just invite viewers into the Batra family home — it invited them into their emotional fractures, their secrets, and their quiet hopes. What at first looked like a gentle family drama about shifting homes slowly turned into a layered meditation on […]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
 "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2")
When Foodimals Became Part of Popular Culture Although the first Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs came out in 2009, it may have skipped some audiences, and the released sequel (while being a massive hit), Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013), really opened the world to the character of Flint Lockwood, a rather […]
The Lorax
The Janus Face of the Seuss Tale The End of the World as We Know It is Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. The Seuss Animation were dragged to the final to come up with the eccentric styled, animation Seuss created, they also added the element of environmentalism to go with the story. Brightly styled characters wreaking […]
Penguins of Madagascar
When Four Penguins Took Over an Entire Spy Adventure Fourteen years after their debut in Penguins of Madagascar, the iconic quartet of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private took to the screen once again oozing the gleeful chaos they have always embodied. The quartet had earned an entire movie after stealing the show in the Madagascar […]
Penguins of Madagascar
A Time When Penguins Became Larger Than Life The Penguins of Madagascar was released in 2014 and was both a surprise and a celebration. The penguins debuted in the first Madagascar film and quickly turned into fan favorites. Their covert whispers, overwhelming confidence, and brotherly chaos made them scene stealers and praised by critics. Everyone […]
The Book of Life
A Colorful and Spirited World When The Book of Life first began to garner attention, and the previews began to be made available, the previews resembled a moving mural of Mexico \u2014 colorful, whimsical, and deeply emotional. People began to appreciate and admire the fact that this film sought to do what had not been […]
The Boxtrolls
Prior to the Trolls Crawled Out: The Whispers of Curiosity When The Boxtrolls was announced, the excitement was nothing like the overwhelmingly packed, ear-splitting excitement of the event like modern superhero films get. Instead, it was a low buzz, the kind that only LAIKA films get, the kind that cinephiles, the animation community, and critics […]
ParaNorman
When a Quiet Boy Became the Heart of a Loud World Children’s ability to spot the unnoticeable by adults is a trait of great value, yet to this day it is often overlooked, as is the case with the Indian skill of storytelling where families speak of children noticing invisible supernatural children. The family friendly […]
Kubo and the Two Strings
When a Tale of Magic Mirrors the Lives Behind It Some films are a visual treat, while others are a visual treat and make you feel things, and Kubo and the Two Strings is one of those stories. Laika’s epic stop-motion animation is ostensibly a story for children, but the emotional weight of the story […]
ParaNorman
The Frights of the Boy Who Talks to Ghosts Laika’s ParaNorman began production in 2012 after their first stop-motion feature, Coraline, met with success in 2009. Coraline closed at an impressive $16 million at the box office, and Laika’s reputation as a production company began to grow after the film. However, with ParaNorman, expectations were […]