#2026inanimation Seems that the odd numbered Shaun the Sheeps (Shauns the Sheep?) are the great ones. Beast of Mossy Bottom keeps the story very simple like Farmageddon did, but it hits with almost every one of its rapid fire bits.

One of the great strengths of Shaun the Sheep in any form factor

#2026inanimation “Such power of destruction.”

As far as product placement movies go, Calico Critters: the Movie (or Sylvanian Families: the Movie as it was originally released) has to be the coziest, and the most subtle in its commercial interests.

I’ve seen this described as a movie for babies,

#2026inanimation I think it’s clever that Austin McConnell is building a solo-animated feature film series based on obscure public domain superheroes. And for someone self-taught as an adult, the output we see in Atlas: The Animated Movie is far from an eyesore.

#2026inanimation Batman: Knightfall Part 1 is well-animated. The fight choreography is compelling. The gory violence is shocking (for someone like me who has seen only a handful of animated Batman movies and grew up on the original animated series). The voice work is pretty solid too, even if the

#2026inanimation I wish I’d known about the Himeyuri students before watching Cocoon: One Summer of Girlhood. I went in blind and found myself distracted in trying to decipher what was based in reality and what was fictionalized (there were multiple disclaimers that this story was fictional,

#2026inanimation I have trouble critiquing animated films that were more or less fully produced by one person. Peter and the Goblin Arrow is different than the other's I've seen this year because George Carvalho is a real for deal animation professional, whereas many others have less experience.

#2026inanimation Kind of a good news bad news situation here: the good news is that Tom & Jerry: Forbidden Compass proves that for as good as Ne Zha 2, Nobody, and All Wishes Come True are, China is still churning out absolute animated trash alongside it. Zhang Gang has no idea what to do with this

#2026inanimation The Mandalorian and Grogu bombed at the box office, so Disney’s LEGO recap of the series for folks to be entertained with a few jokes while getting caught up before watching the movie on Disney+ becomes more functional than its creators probably imagined.

#2026inanimation Isla Monstro has the same sense of humor as the guy at a party who explains why each one of the endless jokes he tells is “funny.” It’s animated like Aqua Team, but feels much cheaper. And the script is a dud. I’m surprised bro voice actors appeared in this.

#2026inanimation The Last Blossom had a lot to overcome. I came into my screening tired and grumpy. I’d purchased my ticket weeks earlier, and the screening window at the time was only set to be two days. So I forced myself to go only to discover that the subtitles were appearing 5 seconds early.

#2026inanimation Gintama the Movie 2026: Yoshiwara in Flames is my first Gintama, so I didn’t know there was fourth wall breaking. It was a nice way to ease in, and I also liked how referential it was to other anime (and to the Simpsons, though I think that’s only in the English sub and dub).

#2026inanimation Bouchra basically feels like what Hiro Murai would make if he was a furry. I say that as a big appreciator of Hiro Murai who doesn’t know anything about furries.

#2026inanimation The Weird Kidz gets off to about as rough a start as you’d expect from a movie with a Team Xtreme-style Z in the title. Things pick up in the second half as it leans away from the forced ‘90s dialogue and leans into a more folk horror story.

#2026inanimation Without its theme song, the Day You Begin is a perfectly acceptable children’s special that would probably be effective in helping kids feel confident before starting kindergarten. Its cast of kids have diverse anxieties, come from diverse backgrounds,

#2026inanimation The jump in visual quality from I Am What I Am to this sequel (called the Kung Fu Kid in the U.S.) is pretty wild. The characters still look kind of plastic, but the lighting, environments, and movement are all immersive.

#2026inanimation I want to give Netflix animation the benefit of the doubt because they brought Samuel to the U.S., but everything else they’ve offered this year has been mid to bad. And the Ribbon Hero is pretty bad.

I’ll start with the one positive: it’s fun to look at.

#2026inanimation At every turn, I thought Your Letter was going to go the obvious route. So-ri was bullied, so I assumed the movie would culminate in her getting her confidence to stand up to bullies again. Dong-soon is grumpy about his missing friend, so I assume said friend died a while back.

#2026inanimation With the exception of my college-era Kingdom Hearts fandom, it's been quite a while since I've checked in with Mickey, and this year Disney gave us Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+: Mickey’s Country Farm. 3D Mickey seems tough to render, and I absolutely hate the way Mickey and Minnie’s ears

#2026inanimation YouTube has made it possible for more indie animators than ever to get their work out there. Some of those animators, like Gooseworx and Vivziepop, have parlayed that exposure into larger success. If Sinking Road is any indication, I don’t see that happening for

#2026inanimation If the Chinese keep up this schedule of sending us an animated banger every six months or so I’ll be extremely happy. Like Ne Zha 2 and Nobody before it, this caught me off guard. But now that I’ve been fooled thrice, it’s time for me to start expecting that Chinese animation that