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While already being a fan of Kids React and Teens React, I decided to give Elders React a go because it had an interesting concept and I'm glad I gave it a go.

Like Kids React and Teens React, the elders are given things to react to such as viral videos, TV commercials and pop stars. The familiarity of the topics to the elders is mixed. While they all knew who David Bowie and Elvis Presley were and what 'I Love Lucy' was, some knew who Eminem and Rihanna were but others didn't. The aforementioned episodes are some of my favourites (the David Bowie one is the most emotional one to date) but I also like the Deez Nuts episode because I found it hilarious as well as those of the elders reacting to modern technology such as the Apple Watch (which the kids also reacted to), a 3D printer, the Oculus Rift virtual reality system and apps such as Snapchat (which I can't get my head around even though I'm in my late twenties - I'm more of a Pinterest and Instagram girl) and Musical.ly, which reminded me of Dubsmash with a more musical edge to it. The elders reacting to new technology is a fine (no pun intended) contrast to kids and teens reacting to old technology.

The production values for this series are very good, such as the silent movie card-style titles with ragtime music playing over them and the vintage wallpaper in the background. I also like the use of running gags that were also used in Kids React such as, "Aw... Cute!" and "(elder's name's) words of wisdom" as well as the exclusive, "listen to your elders" banner. One of my favourite elders on this show is Yehuda, the father of the Fine brothers but I also like Catherine, Rock (I love his exclamations of, "shut the front door!" In a couple of episodes), Shirley (even though she looks a bit young for this series she is still sassy and cool), Bill, Laura and Alex to name but a few. One slight nitpick I have about Yehuda is that he revealed he would have let Benny and Rafi watch Happy Tree Friends when they were nine or ten. In contrast I do not think Happy Tree Friends is suitable for anyone under 12 due to its constant bloody violence.

Overall this is an enjoyable web series that is just as good as kids react. 9/10.

After having already watched a few episodes of Kids React I soon found out that FBE had additional panels of reactors such as elders and in this case teens. While I do not enjoy Teens React quite as much as Kids and Elders, I still found it an interesting and engaging series on the whole.

Some of my favourite Teens React videos are Flappy Bird (which the elders also reacted to), Twenty One Pilots, Harlem Shake (also reacted to by the kids), Panic! At The Disco, Fuller House, 90s Internet, an early Nintendo game console and The Cup Song (this one surprised me because like some of the teens, I thought that Anna Kendrick's performance of it in Pitch Perfect was the original until I saw the original video). One thing I like about this series is that the teens get to react to videos with more serious topics that would otherwise be unsuitable for the Kids React panel such as Amanda Todd, the Dumb Ways to Die and Stoner Sloth PIFs/PSAs from Australia, old cigarette commercials (including one that was also featured on Elders React to I Love Lucy) and drink driving.

The production values are as good as those on Kids React and Elders React while I like the catchy theme music and the colourful opening titles. Like my initial surprise of young teens aged 13 and 14 being featured on Kids React, I was surprised to see young adults aged 18 and 19 on this series since I thought the age group on this series would be 13 - 17 but I found out that 14 - 19 is a more diverse age range. I also like the presence of teens who were previously on Kids React such as Everhet and Lia while I find Alix really cool (you can now find her on Adults React) and I also like the guest appearances from Maisie Williams on some episodes despite not being a fan of Game of Thrones.

In conclusion while I don't enjoy this quite as much as Kids React and Elders React, this is still an engaging series where the teens get to react to similar topics to the kids and the elders in addition to more serious ones. 8/10.

I first heard of this series when I was watching a WatchMojo top 10 list of things that today's children won't recognise and that video has used several clips from the Kids React series on the Fine Brothers Entertainment YouTube channel. These clips were from videos of children reacting to old technology such as rotary phones, VCRs and VHS tapes and an old computer to name but a few. After having watched the WatchMojo video, I decided to subscribe to FBE to see more of those reaction videos including those that were featured in the countdown.

The first Kids React video I watched in full was 'Kids React to Rotary Phones' (it once made the papers in the Daily Mail) because I was fascinated to see their reactions to an old-fashioned telephone and trying to work out how to use it. There were also some unintentionally funny lines in this episode such as Lucas saying, "I wasn't born in the forties so I have no idea what you are talking about" in response to the question about the dial tone; Maxim's "loading or searching or something?" in response to the busy signal and Thomas explaining that his relatives in Chicago would only say, "happy birthday, bye" because they didn't want to pay extra money if they were making a long distance call. This video is also my most viewed Kids React video to date.

Not only did I really enjoy the rotary phones episode but I also enjoyed watching videos of the kids reacting to other types of old technology such as the VCR and VHS tapes; typewriters, a computer from the late 70s or early 80s; the first ever iPod; a camera that required film; and a Walkman. In addition to the old technology reaction videos I liked the ones of kids reacting to viral videos such as Mishka the talking Husky; Nyan Cat; Harlem Shake (especially if the Fine brothers included their own version of the meme); and What Are Those?! as well as them reacting to toys such as Teddy Ruxpin and Skip-It and pop stars such as the Beatles (I was surprised when most of the kids knew who they were) and Adele.

There was only one episode that I wasn't particularly keen on and that was the Donald Trump one. Although I agreed with those who think that Trump shouldn't be president, I did not like the clips of him because he was very mean in them.

The show has some very good production values despite the set design changing throughout the series (I found the sets in the earliest episodes stereotypical due to them using blue wallpaper for the boys and pink for the girls). I like the running gags such as, "Aw... Cute! (mostly used with Emma R)," "Truth!" and "Emma's Words of Wisdom (another Emma although others might have been used for this trope too)." Although I was surprised to see young teenagers aged 13 and 14 on this show for a start because I expected to see them on Teens React, I soon learnt that "kids who are technically teens remain on Kids React until they enter high school" as per the descriptions on some videos so now I know that children on this show are typically aged 4 - 14. I also like how Benny and Rafi Fine interact with the children.

Overall despite the Donald Trump episode and my initial surprise of young teenagers being on this show, this is a very entertaining web series that I am glad I have discovered and I look forward to seeing even more of this series in the not too distant future. 9/10.

I first saw this film when I rented it on Amazon Video since I didn't get the chance to see it in the cinema when it was shown before the live action Cinderella (which wasn't as good as the original cartoon version but had a great cast) and as a fan of Frozen I really enjoyed this one so I purchased it on Amazon Video for subsequent viewings.

While the song Making Today a Perfect Day takes up most of the film's running time and I didn't think much of it when I first listened to it on YouTube due to a similar line to one in Let It Go, it got better when I watched the film and it is very catchy. The story is not a rehash of that in the feature film because the relationship between Anna and Elsa significantly develops. The animation in this film is on par with that in the feature film as are the roles of Olaf, Sven and Kristoff while the simple story of Elsa worrying about ruining Anna's birthday with her cold has several moments that made me laugh, likewise with Tangled Ever After, and I liked the cameos from Prince Hans, Marshmallow and Oaken. The voice cast was also as good as they were in the feature film. In addition the snowgies that form whenever Elsa sneezes are adorable and the springtime dresses she and Anna wear are absolutely beautiful.

All in all just as good as the feature film with its song, animation, humour and the developing relationship between Elsa and Anna being the aspects that stand out the most. 8.5/10.

When I first saw this film at the cinema, I found it a little underwhelming due to having already seen certain clips of it on YouTube although the scene where Joy is in the memory dump brought tears to my eyes. The second time I saw it upon purchasing the DVD I enjoyed it even more.

The animation is bright, colourful and up to Pixar's usual standards and it is interesting to see how it changes when Joy, Sadness and Bing Bong take a so-called shortcut while the inside of Riley's head is realistically designed. The characters that represent Riley's emotions give more depth to her feelings and this concept is reminiscent of a Beano comic strip called The Numskulls. Joy is playful and optimistic for the most part although it is heartbreaking to see her cry in the memory dump; Sadness is suitably glum and the revelation of her true purpose is a pleasant surprise; Fear, Disgust and Anger all personify the rest of Riley's emotions perfectly and Bing Bong mostly has a similar personality to Joy but he is also fairly naive as well as supportive to her and Sadness. Riley is a headstrong, determined human lead character that all pre-teenagers can relate to and I like how her feelings conflict with her adapting to San Francisco as well as her relationship with her parents. The story is unique for a Pixar film and like the Toy Story franchise it has its fair share of uplifting and poignant moments and the scenes shown during the closing credits of other characters' emotions are hilarious. While most of the music is not particularly memorable there are some effective pieces such as when a very young Riley expresses her anger in response to her dad saying she won't get any dessert if she doesn't eat her broccoli and when Joy shows the rest of the emotion characters how Riley's memories are made and I like the Bing Bong song. While I'm not familiar with the majority of the voice cast they all did a great job with the voice acting particularly Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger and Mindy Kahling (also Taffyta Muttonfudge in Wreck-It Ralph) as Disgust. Bill Hader as fear wasn't quite as up to scratch as the rest of the emotions but he was decent nonetheless. Also this is the first time Poehler and Hader have provided voices in an animated film together since Hoodwinked Too, which I haven't seen in its entirety yet.

Overall not on par with other Pixar films such as the Toy Story franchise, A Bug's Life, Brave, Up and WALL-E but it is on par with Ratatouille and The Incredibles and better than Cars what with its colourful animation, thought-provoking story and relateable characters as its best aspects. 8/10.

I saw this film at the cinema when it was shown right before Inside Out and I found it surprising since I forgot about it for a while.

The song is lovely and it impeccably tells the story of the cleverly-named Uku and Lele, the two volcanoes who find love. The story itself is straightforward that starts off as quite heartbreaking but becomes happier towards the end due to the volcanoes finally meeting. While the animation is simple for a Pixar short the area surrounding the volcanoes is lush and vibrant. Uku is rich in detail while Lele is beautiful and although this short has received criticism for somehow depicting a relationship between an older man and a younger girl the relationship between these characters is sweet if basic and purposefully doesn't catch on until the end.

Overall this is a lovely Pixar short that isn't on par with Day and Night and One Man Band but the relationship between the volcanoes is adorable and the song is its most memorable feature. 8/10.

I have fond memories of watching this show as a child and as an adult I still enjoy watching it now. This original 1987 - 1994 series is the best (the 2003 - 2005 stop-motion and 2008 CGI series are nearly as good and have engaging if derivative plot lines) and not only do I own the entire collection on DVD (with the exception of the 20-minute-long Christmas special) but I have also watched it on Amazon Instant Video more recently. The most memorable episodes from my childhood are 'Norman's Tricky Day,' Camping,' 'Flat Tyre,' 'Chemistry Set,' 'A Spot of Bother,' 'Halloween,' 'Brass Band' and 'Trevor's Bus Boot Sale.' I didn't see the rest of the episodes until adulthood but most of them were as good as the ones I saw as a child.

The stop-motion animation is very well done and is produced in a similar manner to that in 'Postman Pat' what with well-crafted characters whose mouths don't move but have realistic hair and clothing nonetheless and the sets were made with such intricacy as well. The series as a whole is educational, informative and entertaining and focuses on a wide variety of scenarios such as an electrical fire in Bella's café in 'Telly Trouble,' Trevor being trapped on the roof in 'Brass Band' and Sarah sinking in quick sand in 'Lost in the Fog' while the topic of fire safety strongly features in 'Safe with Sam.' There is an appealing range of characters such as the prim and proper Station Officer Steele, the incompetent Elvis Cridlington, the heroic Sam, Sam's well-behaved niece and nephew Sarah and James and the mischievous Norman Price. Other things I liked about this show were its setting and production in Wales (where I grew up), all characters except Bella and Steele speaking with Welsh accents and, to a lesser extent, the music, especially the theme tune and the music played when the firefighters set out for the emergencies although I liked the sing-songs from Bella, Elvis and Trevor too.

While there are plenty of positives with this show, I have also noticed some flaws. Bella's voice in the first episode 'The Kite' was inconsistent but I put it down to John Alderton experimenting with her voice. Secondly Bella, Dilys and the children do not evacuate from the café when the television catches fire and thirdly I couldn't get how Bentley the Robot could rescue Penny from the burning locker room without getting damaged.

Overall despite the flaws I mentioned in the above paragraph and not having seen all episodes in my childhood, the original 'Fireman Sam' is still the best incarnation of its kind and is of sentimental educational value. 8/10.

I have fond memories of watching this show as a child and as an adult I still enjoy watching it now. This original 1987 - 1994 series is the best (the 2003 - 2005 stop-motion and 2008 CGI series are nearly as good and have engaging if derivative plot lines) and not only do I own the entire collection on DVD (with the exception of the 20-minute-long Christmas special) but I have also watched it on Amazon Instant Video more recently. The most memorable episodes from my childhood are 'Norman's Tricky Day,' Camping,' 'Flat Tyre,' 'Chemistry Set,' 'A Spot of Bother,' 'Halloween,' 'Brass Band' and 'Trevor's Bus Boot Sale.' I didn't see the rest of the episodes until adulthood but most of them were as good as the ones I saw as a child.

The stop-motion animation is very well done and is produced in a similar manner to that in 'Postman Pat' what with well-crafted characters whose mouths don't move but have realistic hair and clothing nonetheless and the sets were made with such intricacy as well. The series as a whole is educational, informative and entertaining and focuses on a wide variety of scenarios such as an electrical fire in Bella's café in 'Telly Trouble,' Trevor being trapped on the roof in 'Brass Band' and Sarah sinking in quick sand in 'Lost in the Fog' while the topic of fire safety strongly features in 'Safe with Sam.' There is an appealing range of characters such as the prim and proper Station Officer Steele, the incompetent Elvis Cridlington, the heroic Sam, Sam's well-behaved niece and nephew Sarah and James and the mischievous Norman Price. Other things I liked about this show were its setting and production in Wales (where I grew up), all characters except Bella and Steele speaking with Welsh accents and, to a lesser extent, the music, especially the theme tune and the music played when the firefighters set out for the emergencies although I liked the sing-songs from Bella, Elvis and Trevor too.

While there are plenty of positives with this show, I have also noticed some flaws. Bella's voice in the first episode 'The Kite' was inconsistent but I put it down to John Alderton experimenting with her voice. Secondly Bella, Dilys and the children do not evacuate from the café when the television catches fire and thirdly I couldn't get how Bentley the Robot could rescue Penny from the burning locker room without getting damaged.

Overall despite the flaws I mentioned in the above paragraph and not having seen all episodes in my childhood, the original 'Fireman Sam' is still the best incarnation of its kind and is of sentimental educational value. 8/10.

I first heard of this short when I purchased a DVD to raise money for a 2004 tsunami appeal, which included a short clip from it (from Harvie's lightning strike to his new-found freedom as a nudist and an animal rights activist). When I finished watching Jambareeqi's review for 'Mary and Max,' also directed by Adam Elliot, he recommended 'Mary and Max' to those who enjoyed 'Harvie Krumpet.' Today I found out that I could view 'Harvie Krumpet' on YouTube and, despite its adult content in parts, I found it touching and enjoyable.

The animation style is different from other stop-motion styles such as Aardman for example and I could see why the characters in 'Mary and Max' looked pretty similar to the characters here. The colours were mostly on the dull side but certain backgrounds had a little more vibrancy. Even though the dialogue was minimal, it was saved by Geoffrey Rush's engaging narration that was as simple and effective as Barry Humphries's narration for 'Mary and Max.' Although the story has some adult content, it still focused on serious issues such as Tourette's syndrome (although not as prominent as Max's Asperger syndrome in 'Mary and Max'), asthma, bereavement, Alzheimer's disease, humiliation and overdose of drugs. The music may not be quite as memorable as that in 'Mary and Max' but I liked the brief operatic piece that plays when Harvie releases his freedom as well as the song 'God is Better than Football.' The characters had distinct appearances and personalities such as Harvie being naive yet knowledgeable for instance.

Overall, 'Harvie Krumpet' is a worthwhile stop-motion short and easily recommended for fans of 'Mary and Max.' 9/10.

I first heard of this film when I was doing research for a digital video project at college where I wanted to determine if African care staff had a sound understanding of autism and Asperger syndrome (which I have as well as Max in the film) and I watched the clip where Max reveals his diagnosis of Asperger's to Mary so I could analyse his traits. Two years ago I rented it and found it thoroughly enjoyable apart from being dissatisfied by the ending. Last year I discovered an Internet video review series called 'Jambareeqi Reviews,' which Jambareeqi mentioned on the IMDb message boards. I was intrigued and the first review of his I saw was for this film. Despite his review for this film being somewhat more favourable than mine, I was surprised when he said he had Asperger syndrome himself but reassured as well. When purchasing this DVD this week, I watched it and made notes on it, particularly those about Max's Asperger traits, in preparation for my dissertation on the portrayal of autism and Asperger syndrome in the media when I start back at university this autumn. I found this film slightly more enjoyable second time around despite noticing a flaw that I hadn't noticed first time around.

That particular flaw was with the opening music. While it is a beautiful, melodic piano and string-led piece, it was repetitive since it was used more than once throughout the film. Other pieces of music I liked were the same piece used for the theme tune of 'The Apprentice,' the piano-led piece played just before Max informs Mary of his Asperger's, the song 'Que Sera Sera' and the music played over the closing credits. Despite the slight musical weakness, this film has plenty of positive aspects such as its animation, its voice acting and its narrative. The stop-motion animation is similar to that used in Adam Elliot's other work 'Harvie Krumpet (which I saw a short clip of on a DVD I purchased several years ago to raise money for an appeal for the 2004 tsunami) and it is different from the style used for Aardman. There are also some segments of 2D animation that are used for Mary and Max's favourite cartoon 'The Noblets' and pictures accompanying what Mary writes in her first letter to Max. While the colour scheme may be a little on the dull side, I liked Mary's scenes being made in sepia tone and Max's being made in black and white to distinguish the difference between their worlds. There are a few bright red elements as well such as Vera's lips and Max's pom pom that Mary makes him. The narrative was engaging, especially when Mary and Max wrote to each other and the narration from Barry Humphries was simple yet effective. The voice acting was just as good as the narrative. As for the titular characters, I can definitely relate to Max in such ways as disliking crowds and loud, sudden noises and Mary is an adorable young girl who I deeply sympathise with and her adulthood was a nice surprise despite her heartache in terms of losing her parents and her husband leaving her for another man. While I was dissatisfied with the ending on my first viewing, I found it moving the second time around. Not only does the film deal with serious issues such as alcoholism, obesity, loneliness, depression, attempted suicide, bereavement, drug abuse, Asperger syndrome and mental health conditions but there is also the odd humorous moment.

In spite of the flaws regarding the music and the ending, 'Mary and Max' is an engaging feature-length stop-motion animation that ran at a steady pace, dealt with serious issues in a realistic and sensitive way, featured a character I could easily relate to and also featured some worthy side-characters such as Ivy and Mary's parents. 9/10.

I first saw this film when my aunt purchased it whilst visiting her. The first part I remember laughing at very hard was P.T. Flea telling his troupe of circus bugs they were fired after a fire at the circus. I've re-visited this film a few more times since my first viewing and whilst watching it on Amazon Prime Instant Video this morning, I laughed at it more than I have done for ages. I know how easy it is for people to compare this to 'Antz' but I find this more memorable than 'Antz' if not quite as entertaining as the 'Toy Story' franchise.

The animation is just as good as that in the first 'Toy Story' film with the ants looking more colourful if more cartoonish than those in 'Antz,' the grasshoppers looking more realistic, luscious natural backgrounds and a creative use of junk to make it look like a city. The water droplets were also well-made. It wasn't until today's viewing that I noticed this film was loosely based on Aesop's fable 'The Ant and the Grasshopper' and the story is pretty straightforward in terms of Flik searching for more bugs to help the colony gather more food for the grasshoppers after he accidentally knocks the first batch into the stream. Other parts I found funny were Harry getting zapped by the bug light and one glow-ant telling the other to turn his butt off. The dialogue is memorable for the most part with some funny and clever lines. I liked the use of "Bug-eat-bug world" as opposed to "Dog-eat-dog world" as well as a mosquito ordering an O-positive Bloody Mary at the bar. While there were only two songs used in the entire film, I liked Randy Newman's closing credits song but the most memorable piece of incidental music was unfortunately the most repetitive since it was used about four times throughout the film to accompany scenes such as Flik setting out to find more bugs, Flik returning with the circus bugs and the ending. The voice acting is very good. Dave Foley, although lesser known, gave Flik his touch of ambition and determination; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, also lesser known, gave Princess Atta heart; Kevin Spacey was menacing as Hopper; and Hayden Panettiere, who later went on to play Channing in 'Racing Stripes' and cheerleader Claire in television series 'Heroes,' was cute as Dot. I also liked the late Joe Ranft's German accent for Heimlich and John Ratzenberger was virtually unrecognisable as P.T. Flea but did a good job voicing him nonetheless.

Overall, this didn't entertain me quite as much as the 'Toy Story' franchise did but it is better than its accompanying short film 'Geri's Game' and 'Antz.' 9/10.

I first saw this film at the cinema in 2001 with my sister and a volunteer/social worker and we all found it enjoyable. Later that year I received the VHS for Christmas (which I still have to this day) and I was happy that it included two bonus features at the end; the music video for the Baha Men's 'Who Let the Dogs Out? (the most memorable pop song in the film itself)' and behind the scenes footage.

Back to the film. The animation is more fluid and detailed than that in the television series while the backgrounds for Euroreptarland are vibrant and imaginative. A lot of the dialogue is pretty memorable with some funny and clever lines, particularly from the Rugrats themselves (such as Dil saying "Wee wee/Oui oui" as he wets himself and Angelica saying he's speaking French already) and some pop culture references that I didn't pick up until my most recent viewing today. The characters from the original series and 'The Rugrats Movie' are their usual selves while Chuckie brings out his brave side towards the end, and although Susie (who I think should have gone to Paris since she didn't join the other Rugrats on their adventure in the first film) and Kimi (who is new in this film and pleasingly appeared in 'Rugrats' episodes following this film) got the least screen time. While the story was weak in places, I liked the main plot of Stu being sent to Euroreptarland to fix a giant robotic Reptar and the subplot of Chuckie longing for a new mother. The incidental music is mostly grand and cinematic with a couple of quirky spots that sound like the music used in the series; however while most pop songs were pleasant, funny and catchy, they weren't as memorable as the Baha Men's number, Geri Halliwell's version of 'These Boots Are Made For Walking,' and the rendition of 'Bad Girl' performed by Angelica and the sushi place staff. Another flaw was the second coating of slime on Angelica changing from purple to green during the climax. Flaws aside, another positive spot was the voice acting, particularly from the Rugrats and their parents. Debbie Reynolds was a pleasant surprise for Lulu while the French accents from Susan Sarandon and John Lithgow for Coco and Jean-Claude respectively were spot on.

In spite of its problems, 'Rugrats in Paris' is fun to watch and brings back fond enough memories of watching the television series as a child and teenager. 8/10.

I rented this film on DVD seven years ago and I only found it above average back then. When Jambareeqi (a Sheffield-based animation student who reviews rare animated films) reviewed this on YouTube (he didn't enjoy it as much as I did), I was intrigued to see it again. When he put the DVD up for auction on eBay, I was its highest bidder and he gratefully sent it to me. Upon watching it second time around, I enjoyed it even more despite a few flaws such as the slightly complicated story, the dubbing sometimes being off and the abrupt ending.

Cons aside, the pros of this film include the animation, the intricate background designs, the musical score and the voice acting. The animation quality is very good. It isn't quite up to the standards of Studio Ghibli but it is better than the slightly choppy animation in Satoshi Kon films such as 'Paprika' for instance while the characters are well shaded and are distinguishable from those in Ghibli and Kon films. The musical score is thrilling, grand and majestic with dramatic choral vocals at one point and its mood changes at the right moments, such as the upbeat orchestral piece being played during the exciting earlier chase scene involving Ray riding on his contraption that resembles a giant bicycle wheel. The most engaging characters are Ray, who is ambitious, and Miss Scarlet, who is snobbish, insulting towards Ray and cruel to her cute dog Columbus but has her moments of excitement as well. The voice acting is exceptional, especially from Anna Paquin whose Manchunian accent for Ray is spot on.

Overall 'Steamboy' does have its flaws but it is visually stunning and is well voice-acted. Originally a 7/10 but due to my sheer enjoyment second time around, I'll upgrade my rating to an 8.

I saw this film at the cinema when it was released in the UK in 2006 and I found it enjoyable on the whole, especially the story and the music. I've watched it at least twice more since then; once when I rented it and today when I now own the DVD (which I won online from Jambareeqi, an Internet star who reviews rare animated films on YouTube, including this one that wasn't his cup of tea). On my most recent viewing, the story was as good as I remembered but sadly the character animation wasn't.

Starting with the animation, it was inconsistent in quality. The movements were decent half the time but the other half of the animation consisted of choppy, floaty and robotic movements. The same can be said for the character designs. The furry animal characters such as Wolf, Twitchy the Squirrel and Chief Grizzly were well-modelled but the human characters looked plasticky, particularly Red, Nicky Flippers and the woodsman, ugly (the children shown during the schnitzel song) and blocky (again the schnitzel children and the human competitors in the skiing contest). Nevertheless the characters were rich in colour as well as the detailed backgrounds. There are a couple of exciting sequences such as the ride through the mine shaft and Granny's snowboarding and it made sense that certain parts of the animation were repeated to show how well the stories from Red, Wolf, Granny and the woodsman intertwined with one another. Besides the animation quality, the other weakness with the film was its pacing. The part where the four main characters tell their sides of the story is quite rushed but the pacing drags on afterwards and the ending was abrupt. Further to the story, the other strengths were the witty and intelligent dialogue, the music (especially the songs by Red, Japeth the Goat and Boingo and the rock and rap songs over the end credits), the humour from Twitchy, the voice acting and the well-known cast including Anne Hathaway (Red), Patrick Warburton (Wolf), Glenn Close (Granny), Jim Belushi (the woodsman) rapper Xzibit (Chief Grizzly) and David Ogden Steirs (Nicky Flippers, also the voice of John Ratcliffe in Disney's Pocahontas films).

Overall, 'Hoodwinked' is a new, engaging and thrilling take on the fairy tale that everyone knows and loves albeit its inconsistencies with its animation quality and pacing. 8/10.

I wanted to see this film when it came out at the cinema with a member of support staff who worked at the house I moved to shortly before it was released but due to staff shortage, I didn't get to see it until today when I rented the DVD. The reason I wanted to see this film in the first place is because there aren't many romantic comedies that focus on couples getting a divorce, so its theme of Emily wanting a divorce from Cal was one of the film's strongest points. While this has more strengths than weaknesses, I was somewhat disappointed with the film's length being a little too long for my liking, the dialogue being clichéd in parts, particularly within the first half, and the uneven pacing.

Further to the film's concept, the acting was well done and mostly subtle. While the script had its clichéd moments and pop culture references to Twilight and Dirty Dancing, it had sound funny parts, especially about a female character's PG-13 life (possibly a fourth-wall joke relating to the film's certification in the USA); the film had some creative cinematography, particularly the shots of Cal's head covering Jacob's privates while they're in a locker room and the close-up shots of Jessica applying her make-up before taking nude selfies; and there was also a decent soundtrack with funky, contemporary and emotive snippets of incidental music and some pleasant if forgettable songs. The best songs for me were Goldfrapp's 'Ooh La La,' 'I've Had the Time of My Life' from Dirty Dancing, Spandau Ballet's 'True (also featured in the 2000 film remake of 'Charlie's Angels') and Middle East's 'Blood' that played into the closing credits. As for the story, I liked how the subplots of certain characters were revealed such as Bernie turning out to be Jessica's father and Hannah being revealed to be Cal and Emily's eldest daughter. The cast includes some well-known stars such as Steve Carell (Cal), Julianne Moore (Emily), Ryan Gosling (Jacob), Zathura's Jonah Bobo (Robbie) and the face of the EE mobile network Kevin Bacon as Emily's work colleague David.

All in all this film has some enjoyable, engaging and memorable moments but it also had some aspects that left me slightly dissatisfied. 7/10.

As a fan of the original television series, this special undoubtedly appealed to me. I watched this on YouTube yesterday and I enjoyed it for the most part despite the first and last musical numbers being somewhat forgettable and the story being predictable in places.

The animation has the same sketchy and smooth look as the television series and I especially liked the backgrounds of the shopping centre, Muffy's house during her Christmas party scene and the snowy exterior outside Arthur's house towards the end. The storyline is as educational as some of those in the series in terms of teaching viewers about different festivities that are celebrated at roughly the same time as Christmas such as Hanukkah (celebrated by Francine and her family) and Kwanzaa (celebrated by Alan/Brain and his family) plus also Buster creates his own festivity known as Baxter Day. Not only does the storyline have realistic, educational elements but also some subtle toilet humour (D.W. barging in on Arthur when he is using the bathroom) and funny moments from Uncle Fred. Despite two forgettable songs, I liked the musical numbers from Muffy and Buster as well as the irritatingly catchy Talking Tina Tabby song and the festive incidental music. The characters were as appealing as they were in the original series, especially Arthur and his endearing family.

Overall, this is the best Christmas special I've seen for a while and it is different from any other I have ever seen. 8.5/10.

I saw this film at the cinema with my mum and my sister when I was 14 and we all enjoyed it back then, Surely it's not quite as good as the Toy Story franchise but it is better than its prequel Monsters University and the short film Mike's New Car.

Firstly I liked the straightforward concept of monsters scaring children and collecting their screams to power the city. Secondly, the animation is up to Pixar's usual standards, even for 2001, with quirky and colourful character designs for the monsters, fluid movement and imaginative backgrounds. Thirdly the script was engaging with some funny, mildly scary and moving moments; the film's pace is even and the story had some fun, thrilling moments such as the door vault scene (reminds me of the luggage vault scene in Toy Story 2) and Sulley and Mike coming across the Abominable Snowman when they get banished for sneaking Boo to work, although some scenes are not as memorable as the ones that entertained me the most. While the soundtrack sounded somewhat generic, it had some fantastical elements and I liked the opening jazz music as well as the end credits song 'If I Didn't Have You.' Further to the end credits, I liked the company play footage. Sulley and Mike are diligent partners, Boo is sweet and playful, Mr Waternoose is firm, Randall is a scheming villain and Roz is strict but is funny during the outtakes (which are also a great laugh). The voice acting was superb, especially from John Goodman as Sulley, Billy Crystal as Mike, Mary Gibbs as Boo, Bob Peterson as Roz and John Ratzenberger as The Abominable Snowman.

Overall, Monsters, Inc. is an amusing and thrilling offering from Pixar that is a sheer delight to watch despite the somewhat genetic soundtrack and a few forgettable moments. 9/10.

I first heard of this film when the 2012 stop-motion remake (also very good) was publicised. What surprised me the most was that I thought this film would be stop-motion when I first heard of it but it in fact live-action. Intrigued, I saw this on YouTube and it was better than I thought it would be, despite the part between Sparky's resurrection and the climax dragging on.

First off, the black and white cinematography was a great nod to other black and white film versions of Mary Shelley's novel such as 1974's 'Young Frankenstein' for instance. The most entertaining thing about this film was spotting the scenes that were included in the stop-motion remake such as the beginning and the ending. The acting was generally well done and the dialogue was engaging if slightly clichéd in places. While the lightning effects may look cheap, I liked the musical score on the whole despite its repetition in parts and the piece accompanying Sparky's burial could have done with more poignancy. Other than that, the score was altogether chilling and emotive.

Overall the live-action was the most surprising aspect for me and the pacing was somewhat uneven but this short was very entertaining all the same what with spotting the scenes that were remade in stop-motion form. 8/10.

I first heard of this film when I watched Jambareeqi's review of it on YouTube and his opinion of it was very favourable. When he announced that the whole film can be seen on YouTube, I was intrigued to see it; however I was slightly disappointed. While I like the execution of the idea, I was dissatisfied with the lack of dialogue, the slow pacing and the story being a little complicated.

On a more positive note, I liked the use of 2D cut-out characters over 3D backgrounds (similar to those used for stop-motion set designs) and I also liked how the characters were made to look paper-thin. There are several references to the characters being made to look super-flat or created from paper such as the goldfish swimming inside a picture frame and newborn triplets made to look like cut-out paper dolls. Although the colouring of the 3D world may look bleak, the world inside the television is more vibrantly coloured with smoothly-designed minor characters. Despite the story being complicated, it had some funny moments and clever ideas such as the cat playing with the remote control and the robber escaping from the television world to the 3D world. The musical score is epic and cinematic for the film's nature.

All in all, there are a few disappointing aspects but the use of hybrid animation and the concept made this altogether a worthwhile animated short. 7/10.

I rented out the first film a month ago and I found it above average but it had great music and special effects. I decided to give the sequel a chance and while I found it marginally better than the original, there were one or two weaknesses such as the rap song that sounded like a rehash of Ray Parker Jr's 'Ghostbusters' and the proton streams and Dana's television looking outdated for 1989.

Despite these flaws, the special effects of the ghosts were very well done and the dialogue was somewhat funnier than that in the original. Standout moments include the Ghostbusters having moved on to different career paths at the beginning, the opening of pink slime oozing out of a crack in the road, a nanny ghost swiping Oscar from Dana and the climax of the Statue of Liberety stomping around New York City with the Ghostbusters sitting inside her crown. Other advantages are the original main cast returning, references to the first film, the music score sounding pleasant to begin with then becoming tense and powerful during scary moments, Rick Moranis's acting being more subtle than his over- acting in the original, the change in Dana becoming a mother and the use of Ray Parker Jr's signature song being better than the rap rehash of it.

Overall this is the first sequel that is an improvement over the original since 'Toy Story 3' and it is funnier and more evenly-paced than the original as well. 8/10.

I remember watching this series on Channel 4 two years ago and being captivated by it. More recently I have re-visited the series on 4OD and I found it just as entertaining as I did first time around, my favourite episodes being the big breakfast one, the giant sweet factory one (although this was the second episode of a Heston series where he used 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' for inspiration), the pub in a pie one and the giant packed lunch one.

Instead of serving up historical feasts to celebrities, Heston produces colossal versions of childhood food favourites such as a 99 ice cream cone and a Christmas pudding (the remainder of which went to homeless shelters) to serve to members of the public, usually in places that had a rich history of sweets or ice cream. The footage of Heston's trial and error experiments, discussing his ideas with experts in fields such as tea and bakery and getting help from members of the public has been perfectly balanced with clips from archived advertisements and old film-style clips of a younger Heston (portrayed convincingly by George Hill) finding a prize in breakfast cereal or visiting a sweet shop for example. I also like the whimsical theme tune (which was used again for Heston's Great British Food), the animated opening sequence and Heston accessing his secret lab via a giant fridge.

All in all, this series uses the same quirky principles from Heston's feast and the same theme as one of his feasts but I liked the overall concept of Heston super-sizing childhood food favourites to get the public excited about them again. 9/10.

I have fond memories of watching the original 1960s - 1970s stop-motion series on VHS at my grandparents' house when I was a child and I remember my nan telling me about my dad and other children trying to get home from school in time for the programme. When I heard there was going to be a full-length CGI film based on the show with Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue (both of whom had already duetted on their 2000 single 'Kids') providing the voices of Dougal and Florence respectively, I was certainly up for seeing it because it came out before the time CGI completely ruined my childhood favourites such as 'Thomas the Tank Engine,' 'Noddy's Adventures in Toyland' and 'Bananas in Pyjamas.' I saw this film at the cinema with a family aide and we quite enjoyed it although I found some aspects a little disappointing, such as the lack of screen time for Florence due to her entrapment on the frozen roundabout. Other weaknesses of this film were Florence looking different from how she did in the stop-motion show, the pacing being somewhat slow and the plot consisting of drawn-out filler.

The positives surpass these negatives. The positives include the animation being fluid on the whole despite the jerky movements on the blue mousse towards the end; most of the characters staying true to the style of those from the original series albeit the detailed lip sync, expressions and facial features; the backgrounds having more colour and definition than those in the original series; the basic premise of Brian, Ermintrude, Dylan and Dougal going on a quest to retrieve diamonds in order to get the roundabout to work again; the dialogue having its witty moments; the voice cast and the soundtrack. With regard to the soundtrack, the incidental music was epic and cinematic for the film's nature and I liked the songs, especially Electric Light Orchestra's 'Mr Blue Sky' and Ermintrude's hilarious operatic singing along to it.

Overall, 'The Magic Roundabout' has its weaknesses but its strengths more than made up for them, it brought back significant memories of the original show and I'll definitely be steering clear of 'Doogal (what a stupid way to spell his name!)' because I despise it when British voices are dubbed with American ones and this has already happened to 'Spot the Dog' as witnessed on YouTube once. 7/10.

After having watched Jambareeqi's review for this film, I was intrigued to see it. Whilst browsing the Channel 4 website, I saw that this was showing on Film Four today and this was my very chance of seeing it. As I watched this film, it offered me more than I expected and while the first half hour ran at a brisk pace, the film started to drag on from the middle.

The animation is consistent in terms of its style fitting in with that from Hayao Miyazaki's films and had sharp colouring, subtle, humanistic movements (in particular characters cleaning, cooking and raising flags) and great uses of lighting and cel-shading but it was a little choppy and slow in places. The backgrounds were beautifully designed and reminiscent of those from 'Ponyo' with regards to the sea. Another positive about the animation is that the character's clothes, hairstyles (particularly Sora's) and vehicles are true to the style of the 1960s.

Not only did the story include its basic premise of high school students protesting against the demolition of a club house but it also included dramatic family matters such as Shun revealing he is actually Umi's adoptive brother when she suspects he doesn't love her and Umi's mother telling the moving story of how Shun got adopted. Although I'm not a fan of soap operas such as 'EastEnders' and 'Coronation Street,' these family issues did remind me of a typical soap opera dilemma and it was interesting to see them in animated form. While this film has several realistic elements, the most fantastical part was Umi's dream of her wandering against a sunset-lit background and crying when she was little and when she is older, her father comes home. This dream sequence had the perfect balance of fantasy and reality because it was executed as a vivid dream and it nearly reduced me to tears. One weakness with regards to the story is that it has a lot of filler that slowed down the second half considerably until the announcement of the clubhouse not being demolished. Despite the filler and the uneven pace, the ending was more steadily paced and was not as abrupt as I anticipated.

The music was unique for the film's animation style and fitting for its setting and I especially liked the jazzy piano-led pieces. The songs were quite nice as well, especially the one playing during the ending and the closing credits - it was beautifully written as well.

Although the version I watched was in its original Japanese language with a hint of unrecognisable Russian as the TV announcer on Film Four stated, the voice acting was expressive and a lot of the dialogue was engaging, which was helped a great deal with the English subtitles. While the dialogue is mostly dramatic, the funniest part of it was when Shun was referred to as "a live wire" then it was questioned if he was the "electrician's son" - that subtle joke certainly raised a chuckle.

Despite the weaknesses with the pacing, filler and somewhat inconsistent animation quality, this is the most lifelike Studio Ghibli film I have seen to date and it makes a refreshing change from the studio's more fantastical films. I would also like to see the English dub for this to see how it compares to the original Japanese dialogue. 8/10.

I like watching Channel 4's cooking programmes from time to time, especially Jamie Oliver's various programmes and 'Come Dine With Me,' but the Channel 4 cooking shows that have stood out the most have got to be those involving Heston Blumenthal, who is perhaps Britain's weirdest celebrity chef but in a good way. Recently I've been re-visiting this series on 4OD and it was as good as I remembered if slightly forgettable in parts with a few repetitive uses of music.

The first series saw Heston serving up feasts that were based on different historical periods such as Victorian, Medieval, Tudor and Roman (the dining rooms were even decorated to reflect each era) plus also a Christmas feast. They would involve such celebrities as Atomic Kitten's Liz McClarnon, MTV's Alex Zane, Sophie Ellis Bextor and former 'Blind Date' presenter Cilla Black tucking into modern versions of historically-inspired delicacies such as an edible Victorian garden, a hog with edible intestines that were actually made from sausages and a stunning edible wintry scene. Heston delivered some informative facts about each era and dish, these facts being accompanied by simple yet stylish cut-out animations that reflected the look of each era. His trial-and-error footage was also worth watching because it goes to show that even professional chefs have to find out what works best for them and what doesn't. This series also had some funny moments, especially McClarnon's cries of "Bull's balls!" I also found out some surprising origins of inventions such as vibrators and helium having been invented in the 19th century for instance.

The second series was better, in which they not only looked at more historical eras (including the 1960s - 1980s) but also themes such as Gothic horror and fairy tales, both of which focused on the 19th century to a certain extent. This time celebrities included 'Just a Minute' presenter Nicholas Parsons, singer 'Mica Paris (who also appeared on 'CelebAir'), BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley, singer Jamelia and comedian Johnny Vegas. I liked the fact that the 1960s feast was inspired by my favourite Roald Dahl book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and it was clever of Heston to base his 1970s feast on his own childhood. Dishes here included a 1980s lobster power lunch, a dissected 'hog's head' in a storybook, 'magic mushroom soup,' duck a l'orange disguised as sweets and a gourmet Pot Noodle. The creme de la creme of Heston's second series feasts were his desserts from an edible chocolate waterfall, a graveyard, Hansel and Gretel's house and iceberg desserts to pick-and-mix desserts in a flying saucer-type bowl and a 'Vienettamisu', a hybrid of Vienetta and tiramisu. One anachronism I spotted in this series is that Heston made a mini savoury version of a Twister ice lolly in his 1970s feast but this ice lolly wasn't available until 1982. Like the first series, this series also featured trial-and-error footage from Heston as well as historical facts accompanied by cut-out animations and again dining rooms that reflected each era. This series also has some laughs, especially Heston secretly operating the flying saucers in his 1970s feast. At the end of this series, Heston looked back on his standout courses from the first series, which included medieval meat fruit, Victorian mock turtle soup, a Tudor mythical beast and a Roman ejaculating pudding.

Both series had a whimsical and memorable theme tune with chirpy whistling.

Overall, this series was well worth the re-visit, despite the repetitive uses of music and the slight anachronism in the 1970s episode. 9/10.

I first saw this film when I was about 12 or 13 when my dad rented it from his gym and while I found it an average film to begin with, it was also forgettable apart from the brief running gag of Meeko's seasickness. Fast forward several years later, I watched the Nostalgia Chick's 'Top 5 Least Awful Disney Sequels' where she placed this at no. 5 tied with 'The Lion King II: Simba's Pride' and the clips from this film refreshed my memory to a certain extent. More recently after having re-visited the lovely original, I decided to watch this on Amazon Instant Video and as I watched it, I was surprised at how I enjoyed it even more than I did first time around despite a couple of cons.

Beginning with these cons, the animation quality is not as good as that in the first with the odd jerky movement and a Saturday morning cartoon look, particularly on the background characters, despite some effective uses of cel-shading, lighting and the principles of follow through and overlapping action and squash and stretch. The second con is that there are some historical inaccuracies with regard to Pocahontas visiting England (the original had similar inaccuracies too) but in spite of this the story on the whole is engaging, especially when Pocahontas is adjusting to British customs.

Further to the positives, the incidental music is surprisingly good for a DTV sequel as it sounds cinematic and majestic in parts. While the songs here are not quite as good as the ones in the original, I really liked 'Where Do I Go From Here?,' 'What a Day in London' and 'Things Are Not What They Appear' as well as the gorgeous closing credits song. The characters who appeared in the original make a welcoming return, especially Pocahontas herself and Meeko, Flit and Percy (who are their usual cute and amusing selves here), but Nakoma and Grandmother Willow get considerably less screen time here than they did in the original, but this makes sense nonetheless. There are some worthwhile new characters such as John Rolfe, his supportive maid Mrs Jenkins albeit her somewhat repetitive dialogue about putting the tea on and Uti, who rarely speaks but is strong-willed nonetheless. The dialogue was decent but predictable in parts. Despite Donal Gibson replacing his brother for the voice of John Smith, he did his best to recreate the voice while Irene Bedard (speaking) and Judy Khun (singing) were more than welcome as Pocahontas; David Ogden Stiers was as menacing for John Ratcliffe; and Billy Zane and Jim Cummings were great as John Rolfe and King James respectively.

Overall, the animation quality may be slightly lacklustre here but otherwise this film was far more enjoyable second time around with its story, inaccuracies aside, and music as its best pros. 8/10.