A Space Age Childhood That's Close Enough To The Grave of the Fireflies-Renegade Animation #57
Tonight, on a new episode of Renegade Animation, Captain Kaye and The Animation Guru continue their journey through the Ghibli catalogue with the late Isao Takahatas’s harrowing war masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies, tackle the third season of J.G. Quintel’s HBO Max sitcom Close Enough, and review auteur director Richard Linklater’s return to animation with Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure on Netflix!
Hey, everybody! THE STREAMIN DEMON here to present to you the latest edition of Renegade Animation, where Cameron and Mike discuss a great animated film from the past, one of the best ever made in fact, and a great one that was released recently, as well as the latest season of a truly great series from the creator of Regular Show! Take it away, Captain!
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES
“It's been a while, but we're back on the Ghibli Journey! This week's film is admittedly one I've been dreading for a while, based on its reputation. 1988's Grave of the Fireflies, written and directed by Isao Takahata and based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, is the only Studio Ghibli film with no involvement from then-owner Tokuma Shoten. In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive. Look, I get that this isn't necessarily an "enjoyable" viewing experience, but if you don't cry at least once during the film, I have every right to question whether or not you're human. Seriously though, frustrating alternative film rights aside, what sets this apart from most other Ghibli films is the lack of any fantastical elements. The good news is that while it does depict one of the darkest moments in Japan's history, there are still occasional moments of levity. The bond between Seita and Setsuko Yokokawa is absolutely the beating heart of this story, and those moments when they're able to retain their childlike innocence should not be taken for granted. If you're still trying to convince others that animation is a medium and not a genre, point them in the direction of this film. On paper, you could tell this same story in either medium (in fact, there are two different versions in live action). However, what makes this work in animation is the emotional sincerity. Also, since animators are building the world from the ground up, they have complete control of things such as lighting and sound, which is how you end up with all these gorgeous scenes with the kids catching fireflies at night. There's a reason why this movie is considered a masterpiece, and one of Takahata's best directorial efforts. It captures an important time in Japan's history, and it's a heartbreaking tale about the hardships of war through the eyes of its youth. Unfortunately because of alternative film rights, Grave of the Fireflies is the one Ghibli film that's not available to stream on HBO Max. However, if you are able to track it down, please do so as soon as you can.”-Captain Kaye
CLOSE ENOUGH
“Close Enough Season 3 is a lot of fun! J.G. Quintel just excels at coming up with fun and creative new scenarios with these characters. I love that Candice continues to get more time to shine, and there's a cool Halloween special that pays homage to the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (with a few Regular Show nods thrown in for good measure). Don't know what the future holds for this show, but if this happens to be the final season, I'm glad we got a refreshingly uncynical adult animated series.”-Captain Kaye
APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD
“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is an animated film written, directed, and produced by Richard Linklater, loosely based on his childhood. A man narrates stories of his life as a 10-year-old boy in 1969 Houston, weaving tales of nostalgia with a fantastical account of a journey to the moon. If you've been following me for a while, then you know how much I adore Linklater as a director. I wasn't too crazy about his previous animated endeavors, but I respect their ambition and can appreciate the craftsmanship. This movie, however, hits the same sweet spot as School of Rock, Boyhood, and Everybody Wants Some, using animation to tap into genuine nostalgia. Obviously the cheat code to the film's success was getting Jack Black to voice the narrator, but with or without him I'd have still fallen in love with this family. My parents grew up in the same generation as Stan and his siblings, so it was cool to catch a glimpse of what their childhood was like in the 60's. On a more technical level, the animation was gorgeous from start to finish, some of the best looking rotoscope I've seen in a while. The cast is terrific, especially Milo Coy as the young Stanley, Lee Eddy and Bill Wise as the parents, and Glenn Powell and Zachary Levi as a pair of NASA officials who recruit Stan for this secret mission to the moon. You'll know right away whether or not you enjoy this movie based on how you prefer your Linklater picture. The least surprising thing I could say in its favor is the soundtrack is amazing, featuring everything from The Monkees to Janis Joplin. Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is now streaming on Netflix, everyone should check it out now if they haven't already!”-Captain Kaye
