I'm Feelin' 22! - Renegade Animation #45
Tonight, on the first episode of 2022 for Renegade Animation, The Animation Guru and our beloved Captain Kaye reflect on some unfinished discussions of last year, and give a big overview of what to expect in the year to come!
How’s it going, fellow Renegades? I hope you’ve had a better year than the one before so far! It is I, THE DIRECTOR, to bring you guys the hottest podcast about animation THIS YEAR… Our own, of course!
And we’ve got a pretty exciting preview for you guys! Of course, they talk about some films and stories they missed last year, but a majority of this episode is all about the present and the future! That is to say, 2022 and the world of animation! There’s a lot of exciting stuff to see in the future, and even I’ve got a lot to look forward to this year!
But rather than turn it over to the rest of the crew, I’ll give off a few impressions of some of the films coming this year that I am looking forward to… because this is going to be a stacked year!
LIGHTYEAR
Now I love Buzz Lightyear. I was born in 1998, so of course I love Buzz Lightyear! I played my VHS tape of Toy Story’s 1 & 2 on repeat, and I owned a Buzz Lightyear from the Disney Store at my local mall that glowed in the dark. But oddly enough… I never watched Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. I always saw a preview of it on my copy of Toy Story 2, and always had this feeling as a kid that it was a preview for Toy Story 3 (I was stupid… sue me).
But all of that said? The trailer for Lightyear is simply stunning! It’s got amazing cinematography, and the editing behind the classic David Bowie song “Starman“ always sends chills down my spine! Even with the voice change from Tim the Tool Taylor Alan to Dear Chris Evans Hanson, I think we’re in for something truly special! Though I have to admit… my prediction for the film is never going to come true. I would honestly love it if Pixar lured everyone into the film thinking it was going to be something like Star Wars, but when you sit down in the theater (or Disney Plus if they continue to shaft Pixar’s theatrical distribution), instead you’re basically given a meditative sci-fi film akin to Blade Runner 2049 or Arrival… but with Buzz Lightyear.
It’ll never happen, but a guy can dream, can’t he?
PUSS IN BOOTS 2
This is my confession, but for those who remember the Shrektrospective episode, I honestly adore the hell out of Puss in Boots! It was basically a Robert Rodriguez Mariachi film crossed over with Antonio Banderas’ own Zorro series, and with the influence from Guillermo del Toro, it really was something special for children. It kinda makes me sad that it’s taken this long to get a sequel for these characters, but it’s like they always say… better late than never right? Plus, if we get more Salma Hayek? That’s always a bonus!
PINOCCHIO
Speaking of Guillermo del Toro, any time the man has a film coming out, I will drop everything in order to watch it. While I still haven’t gotten a chance to watch Nightmare Alley, I know that a del Toro noir film sounds like it is right up my alley (pun intended). But him diving into the world of STOP MOTION (just like Wes Anderson?), WITH HELP FROM THE HENSON COMPANY… AND WITH AN ALL STAR CAST (Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, Cate Blanchett, Ron Perlman)?! It may come out on the latter quarter of the year, but I will be the first person to stream it on Netflix!
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (PART 1)
But I’m sorry…of all the films coming out this year? I think that nothing will beat the anticipation that comes with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Part 1! In a lackluster year of 2018 in my opinion, the first film was easily the best released across all mediums, and it truly was a gamechanger. There have been films that attempted to bridge the look of 2D animated films with CGI animation, but few have perfectly captured the magic of picking up a comic book and flipping through pages and feeling the impact the panel work can provide for the reader like Spider-Verse did. Not only that, but it made Miles Morales a household icon that rivals the originator of Peter Parker! It was beautiful, and more than worthy of all its accolades.
If we can expect even a fraction of what the team brought from the first film in the new installment? I think we’re in for the next best Spider-Man film… TWICE NOW, especially since there’s a part two coming soon too!