July Animation Preview: Smurfs and Sorcerers!

It is July. Which is crazy, and honestly pretty messed up. The year is halfway gone. And this month is one of the most packed for animation all year. These movies are going to be fighting against some of the year's biggest blockbusters, so hopefully they can all find an audience. 

Let's take a look at what's coming!

In Theaters

(I had heard that Andy Serkis's adaptation of Animal Farm was going to be released this month, but I can't find anything confirming that, so I guess it was a rumor, or got changed?)

On July 16 and 17, GKIDS is bringing JUJUTSU KAISEN: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death - The Movie to theaters for a limited run (as of now, only for those two dates, but I imagine it'll get more if there's demand). This is a compilation film covering the titular arc from the anime, which is the first five episodes of Season 2. I'm actually currently watching said arc, which is a prequel showing a mission that Satoru Gojo (*swoon*) and Suguru Geto went on when they were students together. I've only recently been catching up on JJK, and it's a very cool show. Not one of my favorite anime, but it's been a cool ride, and this arc is awesome, so I'll be happy to watch it again on the big screen.

One of those franchises that Hollywood seems unwilling to give up on, Smurfs is back for another cinematic go-round on July 18. I'm not totally sure why these lil guys always come back. Maybe they're more popular than I realize. Maybe there's international appeal. I'm not sure, although I have been enjoying The Smurfs: Dreams video game, so maybe I'm part of the problem. In this latest adventure, Smurfette (voiced by Rihanna, the main focus of the movie's marketing) leads her comrades to the real world on a quest to rescue Papa Smurf. I'm not sure how much of this movie will be fully animated vs. stuff in the real world. Hopefully it's mostly the former. We shall see.

I've been bad about including Ghibli Fest releases on these previews, but I also imagine most people who want to catch those screenings find them regardless. But I'm remembering this time to include My Neighbor Totoro, a movie that needs no introduction that plays starting on July 19, courtesy of GKIDS (damn, they're busy this month). I don't know that any movie has ever captured childhood more purely or beautifully. As always, I bow to Miyazaki.

GKIDS is also bringing Mamoru Hosoda's classic Summer Wars back to theaters on July 27 for a brief run of the new 4K restoration. Originally released in 2009, it follows a shy high-schooler whose online identity is hacked and used to commit a cyber-attack, leading to chaos in both the real and virtual worlds. It's a great movie with Hosoda's signature stylistic flair. Definitely worth checking out on the big screen if you get a chance.

At Home

The Greatest Thing Ever: A Garden Cartoon Movie is out today! I reviewed this one the other day and found it to be a fun and charming movie. Aimed at Christian kids, it does a nice job of wrapping its lessons up in novel scenarios with colorful characters and catchy songs. It probably doesn't have very broad appeal outside of faith-based audiences, but if you love animation, there's definitely fun to be had here. Just be ready to hear some Scripture quoted along the way. This one is available to rent/buy digitally.

On July 3, Max is adding Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League to their platform. While this was a definite step-up from its predecessor, it's not one of my favorites from this year. But it has a cool aesthetic and some clever twists on familiar characters. You can check out my full review here.

Festivals

There's an awesome-sounding animation festival in Poland running July 5 - 13 called Animator Festival, and the lineup is absolutely killer. They have some titles showing that I've reviewed here in the past like Boys Go to Jupiter, Black Butterflies, Papercuts: My Life as an Indie Animator and Olivia & The Clouds. They also have a lot I want to see, like A Story About Fire and Endless Cookie. I'm hoping to review some of the movies playing there from afar. Check out their site here.

Fantasia Fest also starts this month (on July 16, to be exact).  Their full lineup hasn't been announced yet, but they have already said they'll be showing I Am Frankelda and ChaO, two of my highly anticipated animated movies still coming this year. I bet they'll have more, too.

ChaO