Stop-Motion 'Pirates' Plunder in a Visually Stellar Playground

Aardman returns to theaters, but not with their signature team of Wallace and Gromit.

It was just a mere six years ago when pirates were seemingly relevant; plundering and pillaging amidst a revival of classic iterations of operatic swashbuckling fests. Granted since then, Disney’s staple franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean is nearing its end after a decade and interest in a good old-fashioned high seas adventure has waned in the past few years. Yet that hasn’t prevented Aardman Animations from staying faithful to what they do best – mashing groundbreaking stop-motion with quirky British humor and ultimately tying it all together with a hearty thematic tale of excitement and camaraderie. 

After spending several years unsuccessfully branching out into the realm of CG animation, Aardman finally returns to its roots with The Pirates! Band of Misfits. This adaptation, loosely based on the first two Gideon Defoe books, follows the voyages of the ambitious Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) and his loyal ragtag crew with one goal, taking home the Pirate of the Year Award, which will in turn earn the respect of their fellow sea raiders. It doesn’t make matters any better when a pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) and then-nobody Charles Darwin (David Tennant) complicate the situation.

Vibrant Visuals are No Match in Disguisng a Green 'Lorax'

The latest Dr. Seuss adaptation does very little to hide such an obvious environmental message.

Though the previous three theatrical adaptations of Dr. Seuss classics have lacked the ability to come close in doing justice to such beloved source material, there still remains something that resonates with audiences of all ages that only a new interpretation can offer. The Lorax is no exception, transforming Seuss’ downer of a modern fable, predominantly consumed with pitting industry against nature, into a brighter, bubbly, yet denser canvas that challenges audiences with a duality of entertainment and lecture. 

The Lorax bundles together a pair of closely tied narratives detailing the consequences of the industrial-driven Once-ler, who tore down a forest full of colorful cotton candy-like Truffula trees to manufacture a multi-purpose product, the Thneed. As a result, the citizens of Thneed-Ville have been subjected to decades of an isolated, plastic state where evil business rules their daily lives. But that doesn’t stop Ted (Zac Efron) from venturing beyond the constraints of Thneed-Ville to find out from the now recluse Once-Ler where he can find a living tree to impress the girl of his dreams.

Tech-Savvy 'Arthur Christmas' Isn't Your Parent's Christmas Movie

The entire Claus family bring joy to the children of the world, particularly young Arthur. 

It just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless there’s a Christmas movie hitting the theater. Luckily this year, we’ve already had our holiday treat in A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas. But wait! Aardman, the studio that brought us Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit are joining in on the fun with a modern take on the whole Santa operation in Arthur Christmas. 

Operation: Christmas has gone beyond the typical Santa, sleigh and reindeer. Instead, with the innovations of eldest son Steve, the plan is now part "Mission: Impossible" mixed with North Pole quite similar to NASA’s mission control. But when the foolproof plan misses a child in England, Santa’s younger and clumsy son, Arthur, takes it upon himself to deliver the forgotten present halfway across the globe.

It's Time to Welcome the Muppets Back with Open Arms

Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppets return to the big screen after a decade-plus hiatus.

How many times have modern directors attempted to take something so iconic from pop culture, redress it for fresh audiences and the result just falls flat? The last couple of years have unfortunately been the epitome of revitalizing the 80s. Smurfs, fail. G.I. Joe, fail. Conan the Barbarian, fail. But where many studios have failed, Disney will try to pick up the pieces with a seventh Muppets film. 

As the first Muppets film since 1999, The Muppets rejuvenates the magic of the original three films, getting away from the gimmicky installments of the 90s. It has been years since the Muppets got together and finally do so when persuaded by their biggest fan, Walter, who’s also a Muppet, to save their old studio from a greedy oil baron (Chris Cooper). Pooling together to manage what seems to be the impossible, the Muppets put on a telethon to buy the oil baron off.