In Theaters: ****^Toy Story 5 (2026)

 This is a very cute show with Bonnie having difficulty meeting new friends.  And the toys struggling with technology taking the place of toys; and as a result children making a different kind of friend.  Who you meet online is not always a good friend but could just be superficial, or even harmful.  Cyber bullying is a theme of this film, and how to deal with it.  And so the toy's mission is to help Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) make a friend.  There are some cute aspects.  We have a lot of Buzz Lightyear's who even upgrade so they actually can fly.  And Woody is back with a bald dome.  The imaginative weddings are fun.  

Jessie (Joan Cusack) has a much bigger roll in this movie.  It is she who takes the lead in finding a good friend for Jessie.  Lilypad (Greta Lee) represents technology, and what is wrong in the world.  But even she improves over time.  Of course Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) play their dependable selves.  It is difficult to find a good friend for Bonnie.  She is very shy.  She finally does meet Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris).  Turns out they have some common interests. 

This is a delightful movie.  Sheri and I have both seen it twice and it was fun each time.  Fun cameo by Conan O'Brien as Smarty Pants, tech to help with potty training.  

Disney/ Pixar Movie Review: ****^ Elio (2025)

 After his parents die, Elio (Yonas Kibreab) is lost.  He is being raised by his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña).  He has no friends, and in fact a couple kids who pick on him.  He keeps asking for aliens to pick him up and take him to another world.  His wish finally does come true, and he represents himself as the leader of earth so they will let him stay.  However he ends up having to face Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), leader of a race intent on taking over the universe.  Elio's attempt to reason with him fails; but then he meets Grigon's son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly) who is a large slug.  They fast become friends.  They duplicate Glordon, and the double is given to his father, while Glordon accidentally travels to earth.  Earth is not good for Glordon, it is too cold and he is week, and he is taken by scientists for study.  Grigon quickly sees through the clone, and Elio has to save Glordon.  He travels to eart where a clone double has been sitting in for him.  They get the aunt, and together the break into the facility to rescue Glordon.  They use his ship to flea earth.  The barely make it through the junk field.  When Grigon intercepts them his son is almost dead.  Grigon has to leave his battle shell to warm his son's body.  Grigon sees things differently and is appeased not to conquer the universe.  

This is a movie about belonging and finding purpose.  Purpose comes from relationships with others.  Elio finally finds a friend, one on earth too.  And he finally accepts his aunt as a caregiver and returns to earth.  I really enjoyed this story.  

 

Disney Pixar Movie Review: *** Elemental (2023)

 Ember and Wade meet.  Quite a feet in a world were elements don't inter mingle.  We have Fire, wind, rain and earth.  They are all different from each other, and in fact their properties can be harmful to each other.  Fire burns earth and water puts out fire.  Ember (Leah Lewis) is fire, and Wade (Mamoudou Athie) is water.  Ember sucks in Wade through a water leak she creates.  wade is an inspector, and writes notes to shut down the shops of Ember's parents (Ronnie Del Carmen and Shila Ommi).  The report already went to bosses so Ember and Wade are out to find it and get it back.  On the way the fall in love.  Eventually they decide to touch, and each practicing self control they find this is possible.  Their relationship goes against the standard segregation on this world.  But they make it work and are able to pursue their dreams.  

Movie Review: **** Cars 2 (2011)

 The sequel leaves Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and McQueen (Owen Wilson) in place but adds a spy movie; Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).  They are up against a cabal of lemons who want to destroy race car driving.  Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) heads the bad guys as a double.  He has made a fake fuel which is suppose to be bad because he is shooting lasers at it.  He hopes to take advantage of the oil field he has discovered.  

Entertaining but not as good as the original.   

Animated Movie Review: *****Toy Story 4 (2019)

 This movie is as good as any in the Toy Story franchise.  We are introduced to a new character, Forky (Tony Hale) who is Bonnie's best new friend because she made him from a plastic spork.  For Forky's side he thinks he is trash and is always trying to throw himself away.  Woody (Tom Hanks) takes it upon himself to keep Forky safe for Bonnie.  Buzz (Tim Allen) helps.  When Woody saves Forky, after Forky threw himself out of the R.V. window, he comes upon an antique store with a lamp that reminds him of Bo Peep (Annie Potts).   Forky is taken hostage by the toys in the antique store,  Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) wants Woody's voice box so children will love her.  Woody recruits Bo Peep to help in the rescue.  Bo Peep recruits Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and his motor cycle.

Many cute parts in this movie.  The toys take over the navigational system so the R.V. goes back to the carnivale where Woody needs to be picked up.  In the end Woody has a big decision, Bonnie or Bo Peep.  

Movie Review: ****^Monsters, Inc. (2001)

When two monsters befriend a child, who is suppose to be toxic to monsters but in fact is not; things get all turned around.  The monsters use doors to visit children, and harvest their screams as the monster world is powered by human emotion.  This movie deals with the power of friendship, and that sometimes there are better ways to get what you need.  Voice talents include John Goodman as Sulllivan and Billy Crystal as Mike.  The little girl, Boo is portrayed by Mary Gibbs.

Movie review: ****^Coco (2017)

This movie may be the crowning jewel of the holiday season.  It is a Day of the Dead movie.  This is a holiday in much of Latin America, where the citizens honor their ancestors.  This movie does an excellent job of portraying this day, and the importance of keeping the tradition thriving.  In this film, those who are forgotten cease to exist, and remembering them the continue to exist.  The art work is tremendous in this animated feature.  This movie is about following your dream, but also affording family their proper place and respect.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and the family depicted with their many ancestors.  It comes to us from Disney and Pixar.
Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel
Gaél Garcia Bernal as Hector
Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz
Alanna Ubach as Mamá Imelda

Movie Review: ****Finding Dory (2016)

Just back from Finding Dory and had a good time with the grandkids.  We went to the sensitivity challenged showing, and a few of the kids had difficulty getting settled at the first, but everyone was accepting, and the settled in, and we all had a good time.  We had Skylar, Bronnie, Tony, Miranda and Sheri and I.  The show was entertaining with these sea creatures telling the story of how Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) found herself in the ocean not knowing where she was from.  Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (Albert Brooks) go with Dory to find her parents.  We meet some new characters in this show, including the whale, Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) that taught Dory how to speak whale, and Hank (Ed O'Neill) the Octopus, really septipus because he lost one leg in the kid zone of the theme park.  There is plenty of peril, and strange twists, as Dory's quest takes her to a fish sanctuary, where Sigourney Weaver announces that the goal of the institute is the "rescue, rehabilitate and release."  There is a very cute scene where hank drives a baby carrier, and then later a truck.  This film talks about the importance of family, and coming home.

Movie Review: ****The Incredibles (2004)

The world of the Incredibles is fascinating.  We have a family, trying to live in obscurity, even with their super powers.  This is hard to do sometimes.  It is also hard to give up a previous life and try to be "normal."  Bob Parr aka Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is faced with this problem.  When he has the chance to get back into the game, he takes the opportunity, unbeknown to his wife Helen Parr aka Elastigirl (Helen Hunt) and kids.  He goes off to an island to fight a villain robot.  However the robot is such that it learns from its opponent.  Syndrome (Jason Lee) is jealous of super heroes, and wants to extract revenge for being rejected.  He has been killing Supers with his robots, and has his eye on Mr. Incredible.  Mr Incredible has some success, but is captured by Syndrome.  Elastigirl discovers where he is, and is coming to the rescue.
The parent child interactions are well done.  All three children eventually have their own unique super powers and personalities.  Dash is fast, Violet creates protective bubbles, and Jack Jack discovers fire.  Another character Lucius Best aka Frozone (Samuel Jackson) is a family friend, and helps with their adventures.  The funniest line of the movie is when the monster is coming and he calls to his wife, "Honey, Where's my super suit?"

Movie Review: ****Inside Out (2015)

This is a Disney Pixar movie with an interesting premise.  Many of the Pixar movies are that way; from the view of the world form the perspective of a car, or an airplane, or a toy, or a fish, or a bug, or a forgotten robot, or a monster.  This movie is from the perspective of emotions.  Five emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black), Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Fear (Bill Hader) have a keyboard and help a young girl (Kaitlyn Dias) navigate life.  Joy is determined that all memories will be happy ones, and wants to keep sadness away from the work.  This goes well as long as there is no pressure or stress in our girl's life.  However when they move from Minnesota to San Francisco, things go haywire, and our girl starts to break down.  Things get worse when Joy and Sadness accidentally loss themselves in the girl's subconscious.  Not even her parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) can get through to her any more.  So how do Joy and Sadness get back to the control center?  And more importanatly how does Joy lean how to intermingle with Sadness?  I enjoyed this video.  I watched with my granddaughter and Tony.  They both had a good time.

Movie Review: ***^Finding Nemo (2003)

This animated Pixar Disney features features Ellen DeGeneres as Dory who joins Marlin (Albert Brooks) in a long journey to Sidney to find Marlin's son Nemo (Alexander Gould) after he is taken by a sea diving dentist to a fish tank and a present for his niece (who has a bad habit of killing the fish given to her).  The adventures of Marlin and Dory make this movie, as they face the deep ocean and an angler fish, then also a sharks anonymous club, "fish are friends, not food."  then they get directions from a school of fish, featuring John Ratzenberger who is in all the Pixar films.  They fish a field of stinging jelly fish, and are rescued by the sea turtle gang; "dude, totally."  This movie has plenty of fun.  I recommend it.

Movie Review: ****^Toy Story

This movie introduces us to Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen).  These characters are household names now to children as toys; however when this movie came out they were new characters.  This is a Pixar Disney collaboration.  The conflict between the two is well played, as is their evolving friendship.  Woody is determined to convince Buzz he is a toy, and cannot fly.  The other thing that is well done is the neighbor, who decapitates and blows up toys.  The toys get their revenge however.  Buzz also proves he can indeed fly.  I guess if the dream is big enough, anything is possible. Don Rickles portrays Mr. Potato Head.

Movie Review: ****Toy Story 3

I enjoyed this movie. I was confused about Buzz and Jenny having a thing.  I really enjoyed the Spanish Buzz, and the change in personality the different language created for him. Spanish is the language of love. I also liked the three space creatures and their relation with "the claw." It was fun that this was used in their rescue, because it seemed like they had given up hope. I must admit, I thought it was getting a bit scary, especially for Tony.

Ken and Barbie were fun. Barbie saw right through Ken, and it is good he did some quick repenting of his ways. I am sure his change was heart felt. And the daycare is a better place without that strawberry smelling bear. (If I were political I would compare him to Obama, but since I'm not, I won't.)

Sheri cried at the end, with Andy playing with the little girl and the toys one last time.

Tony was excited to play the games after. We got out before everyone, after going to the bathroom, and Tony sat at a car game and played with the steering wheel. I dread the day when he realizes that you're suppose to put money in the thing.