Up until last night, Ratatouille was the unbeatably the best animation movie in my mind.
But last night that changed. While I anxiously awaited for the movie to begin, excitedly chomping on my popcorn and trying to hold on the ever uncomfortable and big 3D glasses, it struck me I had absolutely no idea what I was expecting from Puss-In-Boots.
Animated movies is not my favorite genre. I hadn't even watched the trailer but I vividly remembered the cool, Spanish cat from Shrek made alive by the sexy voice of Antonio Banderas and there was no way I was missing a movie where he is the protagonist.
What a movie it was! I really don't remember the last time a movie with an animal protagonist that made me laugh, bite my nails in tense situations and made me want to give the hero a hug.
There were a couple of reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a cat, all fancily dressed up and swaggering about.
1. Animals talking is one more leap of faith we take when we go to watch such movies. However, the movie has preserved some very essential traits of the cat. The Casanova, the outlaw, debonair cat, enters into a bar and calls for a drink of milk, leaps around like an ordinary cat when he sees a patch of light trying to catch it, knows how to be cute when needed to get work done from a human and many more moments like these which preserves his innocence and identity of being a cat.
2. The whole story is built around characters who we all know. I don't want to reveal who they are but the references and insinuations to incidents in the life of those characters, adds a whole new layer to the story. It is like going to watch a biographical movie of Amitabh Bachan and then seeing Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Manmohan Desai,Jaya Bahaduri and Rekha as characters!!
3. The dance sequences are incredible, making the audience at least tap their feet.
4. The story is fast paced, giving the audience no time to get bored. Plot is simple. The 3 main characters have a back story, which is introduced as the movie progresses. The part of the movie which leads to the climax has revelations which (at least to me) were not predictable and seemed to leave no loop holes.
5. There are nuances in the movie which stay with you forever. The widening of Puss' eyes whenever he wants to look cute, another random cat whose reaction to everything is "Ooohh", the internal struggle of one of the main characters between vendetta and being a good person, the bonding between the 2 main characters, are the ones that I recollect even now.
The only part of the movie that I probably did not like was the fast wrap up of the climax with not much depth to it. Also, it was very unclear what happens to the side characters involved.
But the rest of the movie had already won me over including the credits to come. Hence, it was easy for me to overlook the only bit that I did not like.
Age no bar, sex no bar, mood no bar - when one watches this movie, one would have been entertained and will leave with a smile!
But last night that changed. While I anxiously awaited for the movie to begin, excitedly chomping on my popcorn and trying to hold on the ever uncomfortable and big 3D glasses, it struck me I had absolutely no idea what I was expecting from Puss-In-Boots.
Animated movies is not my favorite genre. I hadn't even watched the trailer but I vividly remembered the cool, Spanish cat from Shrek made alive by the sexy voice of Antonio Banderas and there was no way I was missing a movie where he is the protagonist.
What a movie it was! I really don't remember the last time a movie with an animal protagonist that made me laugh, bite my nails in tense situations and made me want to give the hero a hug.
There were a couple of reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a cat, all fancily dressed up and swaggering about.
1. Animals talking is one more leap of faith we take when we go to watch such movies. However, the movie has preserved some very essential traits of the cat. The Casanova, the outlaw, debonair cat, enters into a bar and calls for a drink of milk, leaps around like an ordinary cat when he sees a patch of light trying to catch it, knows how to be cute when needed to get work done from a human and many more moments like these which preserves his innocence and identity of being a cat.
2. The whole story is built around characters who we all know. I don't want to reveal who they are but the references and insinuations to incidents in the life of those characters, adds a whole new layer to the story. It is like going to watch a biographical movie of Amitabh Bachan and then seeing Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Manmohan Desai,Jaya Bahaduri and Rekha as characters!!
3. The dance sequences are incredible, making the audience at least tap their feet.
4. The story is fast paced, giving the audience no time to get bored. Plot is simple. The 3 main characters have a back story, which is introduced as the movie progresses. The part of the movie which leads to the climax has revelations which (at least to me) were not predictable and seemed to leave no loop holes.
5. There are nuances in the movie which stay with you forever. The widening of Puss' eyes whenever he wants to look cute, another random cat whose reaction to everything is "Ooohh", the internal struggle of one of the main characters between vendetta and being a good person, the bonding between the 2 main characters, are the ones that I recollect even now.
The only part of the movie that I probably did not like was the fast wrap up of the climax with not much depth to it. Also, it was very unclear what happens to the side characters involved.
But the rest of the movie had already won me over including the credits to come. Hence, it was easy for me to overlook the only bit that I did not like.
Age no bar, sex no bar, mood no bar - when one watches this movie, one would have been entertained and will leave with a smile!
"It is like going to watch a biographical movie of Amitabh Bachan and then seeing Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Manmohan Desai,Jaya Bahaduri and Rekha as characters!!"
ReplyDeleteYepp, that is my favorite line! Incredible!
I am a huge fan of animated movies. Movies like Ratatouille, Cars, Wall-e are epitomes of imagination. My dad used to clean his umbrella every once a while when it used to sit in a dusty corner for most of the year. "They also have feelings. Sense of belonging...think how you would feel left alone in a dark room until you are useful for something......", he used to say. When I saw Toy Story for the first time, I understood what he meant.
Good one Gubz!
I loved Puss in Boots! I had heard good things going in, but I did not expect it to be this good. Especially the back stories :)
ReplyDeleteNice post Gubzoid :) Would love to read about your other favorites
Animated movies are not my favorite genre either. But movies like Madagascar and Ratatouille are gradually converting me into a animated movie fanboy! I still give most animated movies a miss but after reading this post I think I will watch Puss in Boots. I like how you pointed out the fact that the movie has preserved some very essential traits of the cat. These are subtle touches that some of the best animated movies have that make us absolutely fall in love with these characters. Most people go to watch an interesting and funny animated story but somewhere in their heart they are also going to watch a clumsy panda or a cute cat so I think these small things like maintaining some of the character's animal traits in the middle of the narrative is what puts these films up there with the best of live action films!!
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