September Animation Preview: Forgotten Island, Transformers, Ottawa, and More!
As we move into September, the movie world is getting ready to churn into a new high gear. After the blockbuster-packed summer season, September brings along more festivals, awards talk, and a release calendar that often leans toward more prestigious fare. On the animation front, we've got a great mix of releases, including some that likely have awards potential...
In Theaters
One of my favorite movies of the year is cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood, which makes its way to theaters via GKIDS on September 4. Originally produced for Japanese TV, the film is inspired by real events that transpired during WWII, in which high school girls were brought in to assist the Japanese military as nurses. They were ill-equipped, under-informed, and taken advantage of. The film only runs a bit over an hour long, but it is an absolute gut-punch of an hour. I haven't cried so hard at a movie in years.
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| cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood |
The film focuses specifically on two girls -- San and Mayu -- who are enlisted as nurses alongside their classmates. Once the action comes too close to the cave-set makeshift hospital where the girls are working, the film becomes a frenzied story about trying to survive. The title comes from a poignant metaphor about silkworms only being raised to die, sacrificing themselves for their silk. This imagery recurs through the movie, hitting harder and harder as the story proceeds.
September 4 also brings us a fascinating release from Viva Kids: Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass. The iconic cat and mouse have popped up in various forms in recent years, including a poorly-received animation/live-action hybrid a few years back, and an adorable anime adaptation. I think the characters must be a bit more popular in other countries than here in the US, as this new movie was made in and for China -- it released there last year. The story involves Tom and Jerry finding a magical (and forbidden) compass during a chase through a museum, which transports them to a world of Chinese mythology. It looks like a really interesting direction for the classic characters.
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| Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass |
GKIDS is bringing Aardman's latest, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, to theaters on September 18. I'm so glad Shaun is back on the big screen after his previous feature-length adventure went straight to Netflix. It is always such a joy to spend time in this world, and the autumnal setting makes this a perfect family-friendly spooky season watch.
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| Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom |
This time around, Shaun and his friends are getting ready for Halloween when the farmer accidentally ruins the pumpkin patch. This leads to Shaun going full mad scientist in an attempt to fix the damage, and things spiral out of control. Soon, the farmer is missing and there's a giant monster skulking about (related? Probably!). I'm sure this will be full of the warm charm and hilarious hijinks the series and Aardman in general are known for.
The buzziest movie of the month is DreamWorks' much-anticipated new movie, Forgotten Island, which makes its way to theaters on September 25. The film draws from Philippine mythology, and takes place in the Philippines in the 90s. It follows two friends whose lives are about to move in different directions, with one planning to go to university in the US. They get sucked into a magical world where their memories are at stake: the longer they stay, the more of their memories they lose.
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| Forgotten Island |
The film looks like an absolute blast, and like an emotional powerhouse. It follows in the footsteps of DreamWorks' recent output in being extremely dynamic on the animation front, with a mix of styles making every detail and character pop. The film also features a crazy stacked voice cast, including H.E.R, Manny Jacinto, Dave Franco, Lea Salonga, Jenny Slate, and Dolly de Leon.
I have a feeling this one is going to be really special.
Re-releases / Remasters
The anime classic Akira, which I watched for the first time earlier this year, is getting a 4K re-release on IMAX screens on September 4. The film is iconic for many reasons, chief among them the iconic motorcycle slide which has been recreated and nodded to in countless others movies and shows. The film follows the collide of a biker gang and a military research program that could spell the destruction of Neo-Tokyo. It is a really wild movie (and somewhat hard to follow), and would be awesome to see on the big screen.
Also on September 4, Pixar's Cars returns to the big screen in celebration of its 20th anniversary. I think the Cars get an unfair bad wrap at times. Sure, they're some of Pixar's lesser works, but they're still charming, strange, and sometimes very, very good. This first installment, about a flashy racecar who ends up stuck in an off-the-beaten-path small town, is a lot of fun.
On September 17, the 1986 classic (which I'm ashamed to admit I've never seen) Transformers: The Movie gets re-released with a 4K restoration through Fathom Events, in partnership with Hasbro. I'm aware of the big thing that happens in this movie (and it's being referred to in the marketing), but I won't spoil it here. But the film is inviting fans to come watch the movie on the big screen again, even if it still hurts. There's also a new post-credits scene added, so that's nifty. (RIP Peter Cullen.)
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| Transformers: The Movie |
September 18 brings another classic anime remaster to the screen: this time, it's Ghost in the Shell, which returns to theaters to celebrate its 30th anniversary. It's been a while since I've watched this one, so I might have to catch it again on the big screen. The film follows a cyborg federal agent who's hunting down a hacker known as "The Puppet Master," who has been illegally altering the minds of human-cyborg hybrids. This movie is so good, a true classic, and a visual feast.
At Home
One of the year's biggest movies, Toy Story 5, makes its debut on Disney+ on September 23. While this franchise probably needs to retire, Pixar continues to find interesting new ground to explore, and still manages to wring some emotional moments out of these classic characters. This is definitely the franchise's low point, but it's still a good-enough time. You can read my full review here.
On September 29, the final installment of the Mononoke trilogy -- Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent -- makes its debut on Netflix. These movies are incredible-looking eye candy that just don't quite click for me narratively. The second movie felt like a tepid rehash of the first, so I can't say I'm particularly excited for this one. It feels like this movie will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, with the Medicine Seller facing off against a Serpent God this time around.
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| Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent |
Festivals
One of the most celebrated/anticipated film festivals each year is the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which takes place September 10 - 20 this year. The fest has a great lineup of animated movies, including a few I've already reviewed here like Light Pillar, Julián, and Viva Carmen. One of the movies I'm most looking forward to for the rest of the year, Tangles, is also playing there. Hopefully I'll get a screener for that one sometime soon.
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| Viva Carmen |
Speaking of Tangles, it's one of the movies playing in competition at this year's Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), which is always one of my highlights on the festival circuit. I'll be covering this year's edition, which runs September 23-27, remotely, so here's to hoping I'll be able to watch some good stuff! Titles at the fest that I've already covered include The Orbit of Minor Satellites, Son of a Bitch, and We Are Aliens -- all well worth watching.
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| The Orbit of Minor Satellites |
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