August Animation Preview: Bad Guys, Dog Balls, and Florida

August is about to be maybe the most animation-dense month of the year, which is kind of random but not unwelcome. If I'm missing anything...that's crazy, because I have a lot on my list! Let's check it out.

In Theaters

The month starts off strong with DreamWorks' sequel The Bad Guys 2, which hits theaters August 1. I really enjoyed the first movie, which came out a few years ago. That first feature followed a group of criminal animals voiced by a starry cast. By the end of the adventure, it seemed the eponymous Bad Guys had ended up turning into good guys, and this sequel will put that to the test as they're called in to do one last job by a new, all-female criminal group. Mr. Wolf, voiced by the fantastic Sam Rockwell, awakened something in me last time. Let's see if he does again on this go-round.

The Bad Guys 2 

A favorite of mine from last year, Boys Go to Jupiter, finally makes its way to theaters on August 8. This movie is so cool, with its colorful toy-like aesthetic, inside-joke vibes, and general weirdness.  The voice cast is stellar, and leading man Billy Corbett won Best Actor at this humble blog's first annual awards. Which is obviously a huge huge honor.

Boys Go to Jupiter

August 8 also brings us the theatrical release of Hola Frida, which was one of my highlights out of NYICFF earlier this year. This is a wonderful movie that approaches Frida Kahlo's life and legacy from a distinct angle, focusing mainly on her childhood, including her family's ethic roots and Kahlo's childhood difficulties with illness. It's a smart approach that makes this movie a great way for kids to be introduced to a major artist. Like Boys Go to Jupiter, this will probably have a pretty small theatrical footprint, so find it on a big screen if you're fortunate enough to be able to!

Hola Frida

GKIDS' beloved Ghibli Fest continues August 10 with the theatrical re-release of Grave of the Fireflies, arguably Isao Takahata's greatest masterpiece, and one of the greatest movies ever made. If you haven't seen it before, well, good luck. It is such a downer of a movie, just brutal and beautiful in its depiction of two young siblings trying to survive during the destruction of WWII. (Also worth mentioning: in Japan, NHK will be debuting a new documentary about the film on August 2, which I hope will find its way to the US at some point. Because I need to see that.)

Another favorite of mine from last year, The Glassworker, makes its theatrical debut on August 14. This was Pakistan's Oscar submission last year, and it's the first hand-drawn animated movie from the country. It's a gorgeous tale that proudly wears its love for (and inspiration from) Studio Ghibli on its sleeve. It's getting released by Watermelon Pictures, a young distributor that's already made its mark with releases like last year's Palestinian Oscar submission, From Ground Zero. Very cool to see them already branching out into animation, and with such a great movie!

The biggest movie of the year so far, Ne Zha 2, is coming back to US theaters on August 22 with a new English dub. A24 is pitching in on this release, which I think could signal a strong awards season presence for the film going forward (honestly, I think it already was going to at least be in the conversation). I loved this movie, and I might check out the new dub if I have time. I always prefer watching movies in their original language, but it's cool that this movie is getting this treatment, and the English voice cast includes Michelle Yeoh and Aleks Lee, so I'm definitely curious.

Ghibli Fest double dips in August, with Ponyo making its way back to the big screen on August 23. I hate to use the term "underrated," but it does feel like this movie doesn't get the love it deserves. I think it's often thought of as minor Miyazaki, but it stands as one of my favorites of the master's oeuvre. It's silly and colorful and funny, yes, but also super sweet and dynamic and just plain wonderful. I adore this movie.

The final theatrical animated movie of the month is Grand Prix of Europe, which hits theaters courtesy of Viva Kids on August 29. The film is a celebration of German theme park Europa-Park's 50th anniversary, and features the park's mouse mascots, Ed and Edda. Edda disguises herself as her hero, Ed, so she can enter the Grand Prix, and hopefully achieve her dr
eam of winning the whole thing. The voice cast features Gemma Arterton, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Haley Atwell. Looks like a fun movie! (Also, there's apparently a tie-in video game out, too -- might have to look into that, as well.)

Grand Prix of Europe

UK Corner

I normally only focus on US release dates, since I'm only one person, and an American citizen at that, but since I reviewed these two upcoming UK releases, I want to mention them here.

On August 1, Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx comes to theaters in UK and Ireland. I found this new take on the classic character really fun and sweet. It isn't breaking new ground, but it doesn't need to. It tells its story well, with heart and humor and cute animals. You can check out my full review here.

Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx

The lackluster but cute Super Charlie makes its way to UK cinemas on August 15. The story of a baby who gets superpowers from a passing comet is slight but sweet, and has its moments. Nothing groundbreaking, but not everything needs to be. My review is here.

I'm not sure when/if these will make it to the US, but they both seem like the kind of movie that'll just randomly pop up on Hulu at some point.

At Home

Netflix has two big movies releasing back-to-back this month. First up on August 13 is Genndy Tartakovsky's Fixed, which follows a dog's last 24 hours with his balls intact after he learns he's getting neutered in the morning. This movie was in limbo for a while, sitting on a shelf at Sony, but it finally landed at Netfflix. The voice cast includes Adam Devine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, and Fred Armisen. I hated this movie, but your mileage may vary. You can find my review here.

Fixed

On August 14, the streamer releases Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage, which continues the adventures of the Medicine Seller introduced in last year's first movie. I found that one a bit hard to follow, but also an absolute visual feast, so I came out pretty positive on it. I wonder if this will hit the same for me. If nothing else, it's sure to look great, which is sometimes enough.

Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage

Festivals

One of the best, if not the best, festivals for short films is in Hollywood starting August 7. I'm talking, of course, about the Hollyshorts Film Festival. I have press accreditation to cover the festival remotely, so I'll try to do some write-ups or short reviews for as many of the animated shorts as I can find time for. If you're in LA, you can attend in person. If you're elsewhere, you can get a pass to watch stuff online. It's always a massive affair, with tons of shorts that end up going all the way to awards season glory.