How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
director Dean DeBlois confronting the politics of hate, as grownup Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) secures the safety of his pal, Toothless, new companion Light Fury, and the rest of the dragon clan. Change, growth, and happiness envelope this finale as well. The animation is stunning, thanks to tech advancements at DreamWorks that allowed such an aesthetically opulent depiction of the Hidden World along with more detailed and tactile surfacing for every facet of the animation.
Toy Story 4
Has set the bar this season.
It exceeded expectations and broke the franchise box office record as well.
Pixar proved there was definitely one more story to tell with Woody’s (Tom Hanks) existential journey with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) about change, growth, and happiness.
The studio upped its animation (from the porcelain shepherdess to the complex antique shop), and delivered a bittersweet finale that was even more tear-inducing than its predecessor.
Abominable
A gorgeous-looking adventure about troubled teen, Yi (Chloe Bennet). She discovers a child-like Yeti on the roof of her Shanghai apartment while playing the violin. Yi then embarks on a quest with two friends to reunite the magical creature she calls Everest (which controls nature as an expression of beauty) with its family in the Himalayas. They’re pursued by the selfish Burnish (Eddie Izzard) and partner zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson).
Frozen 2
We take a deep dive into the origin of Princess Elsa’s mysterious ice powers, flashing back to her father’s visit to an enchanted elemental forest that went horribly wrong by upsetting the forces of Air, fire, water, and earth.
The sequel to the Oscar winner offers a more varied visual splendor and a new spiritual adventure for royal sisters Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell).
Returning are Josh Gad (snowman Olaf), Jonathan Groff (iceman Kristoff), and Santino Fontana (villainous Hans). They are joined by “Westworld” star Evan Rachel Wood and “This Is Us” Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown.
GKids
The strongest, “Funan,” takes a deep dive into the horrors of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia, courtesy of director Denis Do’s personal family history. It’s about the fierce courage of a mother (voiced by “The Artist’s” Bérénice Bejo) to rescue her lost four-year-old son and escape to freedom. But aside from the harrowing story of displacement and torture, Do revels in the beauty of his parents’ country: the magnetic colors and the vast landscape, which separate humanity from nature as a result of the Khmer Rouge cruelty.
GKids also has two noteworthy fact-based animated dramas: “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles” (August 16), in which Spanish director Salvador Simó recounts how the legendary Luis Buñuel made his wacky 1933 documentary,” Land Without Bread,” about the impoverished Las Hurdes region in Spain, and “Another Day of Life,” the Spanish/Polish co-production about the horrors of the Angola civil war of 1975. Based on famed author/journalist Ryszard Kapuściński’s novel, and directed by Raúl De LaFuente and Damian Nenow, it mixes graphic, mo-cap style animation (a more advanced “Waltz with Bashir”) with archival footage and interviews.