XXVII | TRAILER TUESDAY | XXVII

Today we have a fully stocked animated entry, almost all of which are kid friendly. I'd imagine you can guess which is more adult (hint: it needs a Red-Band trailer). I'm split 50/50 on this batch. I'm really excited for some, others I could care less. I've always been a fan of animated features, though, and I'm excited to share these with you!

Angry Birds (5/20/2016):

Starting off we have Angry Birds, a movie based on the hit mobile app game. I can't lie and say that I didn't see this coming, I imagine a Candy Crush adaptation is in development too. I also can't lie and say that I didn't enjoy the game, albeit attempting to avoid its lure for longer than I can remember. The teaser trailer did little to peak my interest, though showing that some of the characters had their signature game abilities, something I felt was important to translate into the adaptation.

The official trailer shows off more of the storyline — pigs showing up to steal their eggs (or some such notorious motive). We even see more game mechanics worked into the animation. For example, catapulting birds. I still didn't find myself laughing much. At least I chuckled more during the full trailer than the teaser. That's an improvement, right?

I like many of the actors involved with the project, and I'm sure it will appeal strongly with children, but I'm just not feeling it. I love cartoons and animated movies, especially Pixar and DreamWorks, but Angry Birds stumbles right out of the gate for me. I think its the likelihood that much of the adult humor that is interwoven with story telling, which those other studios do so well, will be absent. Maybe a cheap seating or Redbox/Netflix.

Finding Dory (6/17/2016):

Speaking of Pixar, next up we have Finding Dory, the highly anticipated sequel (or spinoff) of Finding Nemo. I'm a bit skeptical that this will be as good as its predecessor, but I'm really looking forward to it. We have returning voice acting from Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks, along with a slew of new characters showcasing the talents of Idris Elba, Diane Keaton, Ed O'Niell and many more!

It seems that while on the journey to finding her family, Dory winds up getting lost. Surprise, surprise. With her chronic forgetfulness, matters get even worse! The character of Dory is hilarious and it looks like we'll be treated to more of her shenanigans, front and center, in this installment. Hopefully Marlin and Nemo get their chance to shine along the way!

While I'm wary of these animation studios jumping on the "sequel" bandwagon more often now, many of them have panned out well enough. The days of standalone features, sans a sequel, prequel, and/or spinoff are long gone. I can only hope the projects aren't rushed and very mediocre for the sake of milking the cash cow.

That being said, I will definitely be trying to see this in the theater. Like I said, I loved Finding Nemo, and the humor and all the feels from it seem to be present in Finding Dory!

The Secret Life of Pets (7/8/2016):

I thought the teaser trailer for The Secret Life of Pets was great and I think this trailer seals the deal on me seeing it in theaters. The theme is cute, animation well done, and I found many of the clips extremely funny. I believe it will appeal to both children and adults alike. I mean, most of us have, or have had, pets that we love. Many times I've made up in my head the random adventures my pets have when everyone is away. Though, I'm pretty sure Crooks (my current feline companion) just sleeps the entire time...

I'm looking forward to all of the antics carried out by these furry critters throughout the movie (hopefully more than shown in the teaser trailer). I'm a bit sad I see no hint of a squirrel, though maybe I'm mistaken and one was in the teaser trailer? I'll have to double check. I understand squirrels, raccoons, and foxes (and bush babies) aren't common pets, but I'd still love to see those character models. I may just have to finally see Zootopia for a wider range of species! But, but, but... where the Corgi?! As it were, I'm still very much content with what The Secret Life of Pets has to offer and am really looking forward to its release.

Ice Age: Collision Course (7/22/2016):

I had to look this up, but this is the fifth installment of the Ice Age franchise. That's full length features not including shorts and/or spinoffs. I loved the first movie, maybe even like the second. After that, I kind of lost track. I think one of the earlier sequels was featured on Trailer Tuesday. I know I never saw it, though.

I picked the first trailer over the newly released second, solely because it focused on my favorite character, Scrat. Scrat is the squirrel forever locked in the eternal struggle of trying to procure an ever elusive acorn. I believe he's been featured in every movie, and this time his journey apparently results to epic consequences. While obviously farfetched, I thought the trailer was funny. I'd almost consider this a teaser trailer (despite its listing), since not much of a plot is shown, but you can likely guess.

I'm fairly "meh" about this movie. I've lost track of the series long ago, but I'd imagine kids still love the characters. I just don't understand how, or why, certain franchises overextend themselves, reaching Land Before Time like levels. This is, of course, hypocritically coming from someone who loves the Saw and Fast and Furious franchises, so take that with a grain of salt. I think it's most common in the horror genre, but for an animated franchise (or most any) to break outside of a trilogy, doesn't seem commonplace.

This is probably the most work Romano and Leary are getting nowadays?! I like much of the voice-over cast, but I'm going to sit back and hope that this title ends with the extinction of the franchise. That may sound harsh, but I don't have much interest. Maybe I'll catch it on Netflix and have my love for the series rekindled!

Sausage Party - RED-BAND Trailer (8/12/2016):

And now for something completely different! Among a slew of family-friendly animated features, we throw Sausage Party into the mix! Definitely NSFW and certainly not for kids/family viewing. Well, depending on your parenting methods...

Needless to say, Sausage Party is an animated feature aimed at adults. The crude, vulgar humor is going to be right up my alley. I love movies like Superbad and Pineapple Express, so I found almost all of the content in the trailer hilarious. I'm not sure just how large of an appeal this movie will hold with the masses, but it will be interesting to see how an R rated animated film hold up. In an era of Deadpool, there's likely been no better time than now!

It should offer a refreshing change of pace from the rest of the crop currently being offered from Hollywood. Seth Rogan seems pretty hit or miss with the public at large these days, but I'm always willing to give him a shot!

Storks (9/23/2016):

This movie seemed out of left field for me, thinking it as more of an independent movie, but upon watching the trailer I stood corrected. The Warner Animation Group (WAG), the driving force behind The LEGO Movie, also developed this feature film. That knowledge kind of upped the bar on expectations, being I believe it's a relatively new studio (if not completely new with The LEGO Movie).

Both the teaser and full trailer were cute. The animation seems top notch, and to be honest, I'm interested in the subject matter. The whole storks delivering babies was something I remember from when I was a kid. It'd be great seeing that used as an actual plot device, as a system that actually exists (or existed). Plus, you know, babies. Sometimes real life babies can be scary. But animated babies? Those suckers are almost always cute! Plus I don't have to hold them! Win-Win!

I may not rush to the theater to see this, but I'm not opposed to it either. I'd like to see what this animation studio puts out after it's last smash success!

The LEGO Batman Movie - Teaser Trailers 1 & 2 (2/10/2017):

Speaking of WAG, they are also putting out The LEGO Batman Movie next year! I'm pretty stoked about this one, I loved The LEGO Movie! It was freaking awesome! Everything is awesome! So, yeah, this is definitely a movie I'm looking forward to and planning to see in theaters.

There isn't much to say, considering we are just being offered two teaser trailers at this time (which may be specifically meant for promotion and not featuring material actually in the movie). Nothing more to say except that its surely going to be awesome! Maybe they will have him and LEGO Superman tussle a little bit? Poke some jabs at the recently released Batman v Superman movie? They'll have plenty of time to work in some jokes!

There are many great actors attached to this film. Will Arnett (of course), Rosario Dawson, and Ralph Fiennes, to name a few. Looking forward to finding out what other superheroes and/or villains will appear in the movie! 2017 seems like a long ways away, but we'll be treated to more trailers over the Summer I'd imagine!

Do any of the featured animated films interest you? If so, which ones? Have you ever played Angry Birds? If so, what were your thoughts about the movie trailer? Are you a fan of the Ice Age series? If so, do you have a favorite character? What are your thoughts on many animated films (or movies in general) receiving sequels and/or spinoffs? Did you like Finding Nemo and/or The LEGO Movie? Looking forward to their spinoffs? What kind of pets are you hoping are featured in The Secret Life of Pets? Do you think Sausage Party will do well in the box office?