So, it was a long time coming but The Chief has landed at the top spot on the countdown of his 5 favourite non-cgi animated films of all time. Enjoy
In 7 words or less: Animals...in....the....Olympics
What's it all About? Animals from around the world compete in sporting events ranging from a 14 day, 3500km marathon to down hill skiing. The film in done in a sort of docu-drama style and has a definite mockumentary feel to it featuring serious subject matter but laced with humour. It really works. Oh yeah, it's presented by the faux tv channel Z.O.O (the network that brings out the beast in sports) and headed by anchor-turtle Henry Hummel. Genius.
Best bits? The origin story of alligator Bolt Jenkins who competes in the high jump against his frog hero Boris Amphibianski and the story revolving around dog skiing star Kurt Wuffner are standouts but in all honesty the whole film is joy to watch.
Did it make you think thoughts? Although there are sections that focus on isolated sporting events, there is an over arching story which never interferes with the set pieces and manages to be arty, clever, surreal, haunting and plain old balls-out fun. Also, remember when Disney featured many songs in their animated productions? Well that's what we have here. Songs are interspersed thoughout and are mainly used to highlight specific characters. They are all sing-alongable and actually move the story along well. Here's the fist 9 or so minutes to get you in the mood!
Animated films are generally either good or crap based on the voice talent. Among others, we have Harry Shearer and Billy Crystal and the zingers are on tap. In closing, I can almost 100% guarantee that this has been criminally underwatched and I urge you, the faithful Slumpees, to go out see what all the fuss is about.
Would you watch it again? Damn diggedy. With the exception of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope this is the film I have watched the most times in my life. I suspect the figure is somewhere around 50 watches.
Rating (out of 100%): It was a tough choice between this and Transformers but I just love this film so much I had to put it in the number 1 slot. I give Animalympics a goldly gold rating of 93%
