Tag Archives: Animated Short

Christmas Comes to Pac-Land Review

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Pac-Man is one of the original video game heroes. He was the kind of character who would go up against crazy odds and would still come out on top. Now there is a character that you really can’t underestimate. In this special he ends up going up against a threat that even he can’t handle and so he will have to try a more diplomatic approach. It’s a pretty fun special all around.

The special starts with Santa crash landing into Pac-Land. A place where humans don’t exist and the only people there are round Pac type creatures. It’s all a little strange but fortunately a nice man named Pac-Man and his family show up. They vow to help him complete his trip around the world but to do this they will need to reclaim all the presents that have been scattered. The ghosts are running around as well and so Pac-Man will have to be careful not to get chomped.

What will probably surprise folks with this one is how powerful the ghosts are. Usually you’re probably expecting them to be on the run from Pac-Man the whole time right? Well, that’s not the case in this one as they actually defeat Pac-Man. He takes them out in the first run after a long fight but then they dominate him afterwards. You even feel bad for the guy since he is thoroughly chomped and barely makes it back home. It was almost like he got mugged.

Then at the end they’re all taunting him and laughing it up as they have the edge. Pac basically has to beg in order to not get chomped again and they let him off easy. It really showed what a dangerous world this is. There are emergency pac pellet phone lines all around but the problem is that they are unlocked so the ghosts can grab them as well. The town has a police officer but it’s unknown just how powerful he is.

So basically living in Pac Land is incredibly dangerous. I assume the ghosts have an honor code so they wouldn’t go after the Pac Kid but the rest of the family would be in danger. They can even attack the place where Pac lives. This is low key one of the scarier places to be since the villains have so much power. I give Pac-Man a lot of credit for remaining really strong and courageous in spite of those odds. A lot of other characters would have faltered well before that. This is a man who doesn’t break easily.

Then we have the animation which is pretty strong. It’s got a solid traditional style here where you can really feel the passion behind the characters. I like how the character designs came out and it’s all very smooth. The soundtrack is more on the forgettable side though. There aren’t any tunes that are really going to stand out to you. In general this is the kind of special that feels like just another episode so I wouldn’t expect anything really fancy out of this one.

In a way that is what helps the special be so good though. Everything is treated as just being standard fare. This special isn’t concerned with breaking down the concepts to you or anything like that. No, instead it is just jumping to the story. If you have not seen the cartoon before then you might have some questions about how the world works but you can figure those out in your own time. The adventure will go on with or without you.

I wish we could get a Pac-Man game set within this continuity at some point. It’s basically like the World games setting so I would accept a new game in that series as well. The most important thing is to get a story based game with Pac-Man involved and just have a fun story there. There are so many things you can do with the series and yet it has remained dormant for a while.

That said, while it is funny to see Pac-Man being crushed by the ghosts, I do think he should generally look stronger. He’s a pretty experienced fighter by this point so he should be more than a match for the ghosts. We can assume in this world that they have a bit of a rival type relationship though as death isn’t permanent for the ghosts and they don’t murder the Pacs even when they could. If you look at it through that lens, then this isn’t quite as scary as it would have initially appeared. Maybe the world is actually a whole lot more wholesome than anyone could have initially guessed.

Overall, This is a pretty fun special. Ultimately it’s not like there is a whole lot to it though. It’s just about 30 minutes of fun as you watch Pac-Man try to save Christmas. It succeeds on the most critical aspect of a special like this, which is that it’s a lot of fun. You’ll have a blast rooting for Pac-Man to win the day. The writing is on point and the pacing is pretty good too. So while it may not have gotten an extended budget or anything like that, it definitely gets the job done here. I would recommend checking this one out whenever you can.

Overall 7/10

Gravity Daze the Animation: Ouverture Review

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I’ve seen the title with Rush as well as Daze but in the end went with the latter, I suppose they’re close enough. It’s always cool when a game gets an animated OVA/mini episode since you just don’t see that too often. This one even helps lead you into the Gravity Rush 2 game so that was pretty cool. It’s a fun adventure and definitely one that you don’t want to miss out on. Additionally it’s just so short that it wouldn’t really make sense to miss out on it right? As long as you like some good action then you will have a good time. Additionally, without context you’ll probably have quite a few questions while watching the adventure.

The story starts with Kat eating some nice snacks and just having fun enjoying the day. It’s always nice to have a little downtime between saving the world and fighting evil creatures after all. Unfortunately the creatures do eventually arrive and Kat has to take down a whole army of them. I really appreciated that she was beating a ton of them as sometimes you see the heroes not be able to take down the armies of opponents that they could with the gameplay mechanics. So that clearly wasn’t a problem here but Kat does need backup when two powerful figures appear. With the help of Raven, Kat will have to defend the world once more.

Don’t expect a huge resolution or anything like that since this is basically a prelude, but even so it was fun to see the fight scenes. It really got everything started on the right foot and of course seeing the heroines in action was cool. The adventure may go by quickly but they did make the time to include fights which is the important thing. I also did like the world building here. The animation did a good job of getting in that basic world building and still telling its own story.

The animation is meant to look just like the games and they succeed in that. Naturally hand drawn animation style would be preferable in the long run but it works out well enough. The colors are striking and the battle scenes are good which is the important thing. The music is more on the forgettable side though, I wouldn’t say they broke the bank on the soundtrack here. I wouldn’t expect them to do that for a quick adventure though.

The special does begin some big plot points like the missing orphans so you’ll want to stay alert for all of the setup that is going on here. Of course if you don’t play the games then it’s not like you can expect these things to be answered but the villains are routed which is why I would still say that overall you got a conclusive ending here. Just think of it like a proof of concept kind of video.

It also shows how unique the world is in a short span of time, like the fact that the enemies are basically dark eyes that run around and try to hurt people. They’re sort of like an alternate version of the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts. You could easily picture a whole show about Gravity Rush, it has that mass media appeal. I don’t know why they didn’t do more with the series but I suppose you could say that for most titles. I also can’t talk too much since it took me years to buy Gravity Rush 2. You’d think I would have been there since day 1.

Overall, This was a fun animation to watch. There really isn’t a ton to discuss due to the length though. Even with both episodes combined, it’s about as long as a normal episode if not a bit shorter. It is fun to see Kat and the gang though and I would say that’s probably the point. The Gravity Rush verse is a really fun one after all and I would definitely like to see more of it. If I didn’t know there was a second game out, then this would have clued me in on that. In the meantime, whether you have played the games or not you should definitely check this one out. Gravity powers are always fun to watch because of how versatile they are.

Overall 7/10

Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings Review

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It’s time to talk about one of the best animated features that Sega has ever put out. Shadow has been getting a lot of hype recently between the new live action movie and his upcoming video game. Mix in a whole miniseries and we’re talking about peak content right from start to finish. At the end of the day this is less than 15 minutes so you can’t squeeze everything in, but it still works really well as a stand alone story. You feel the emotion packed into each saga and now the whole thing has been compiled into a single video so that makes it even easier to watch.

The saga takes place across the past to the present. Shadow remembers his days with Maria in the Ark and then we see in the present that he has to make it back up there to stop a super menace. Along the way he gets to see his old allies Rouge and Omega. The 3 of them are still a powerful team, but then again any team with the Ultimate Life Form would be quite formidable. This saga all leads right into the video game so you will definitely want to get that as soon as possible. Still, even if you don’t buy the game, this is one of the best characterizations of Shadow.

He’s a very complete character. Someone who is now a hero of the world but goes by a different set of rules compared to Sonic. We see Shadow busting into an army installation to steal a rocket after all. Sonic would do that if needed, but he would first try to talk things out. Shadow is all about making things happen and that doesn’t change here either. Sonic also doesn’t appear at all so this is really Shadow’s show all the way around and that’s pretty nice to see. As the one true rival to Sonic, he deserves to be getting his own stuff. It’s been a long time since he was relevant in the games so this is cool to see.

The animation is also really solid. I’ve heard it was made using Blender technology which is really cool since I remember that being used in part for a lot of other cool projects back in the day. I think even Super Mario Bros Z used it for some movement. The colors are sharp and everything is very dynamic. The attacks all pack a punch like the incredible Shadow vs Emerl battle which I’ve seen quite a few times at this point. That was great stuff and it’s also cool how this finally adapts some lore that we first learned about in Sonic Battle. The fact that Emerl was this powerful in base is also quite impressive. It makes you appreciate Sonic even more for being able to stop him.

Then we have the soundtrack which is really good. A lot of great tracks everywhere but in particular hearing Casey Lee Williams from RWBY show up to sing the final song was great. That was the perfect way to end it with one of the most tearful scenes you’ll ever see in animation. You’re crying right there with Shadow as things go sideways. He may be the ultimate life form but he still has the dark past and you never really get over that. I imagine it will continue to be a factor as his career goes on.

It would be nice to get everything else in the Sonic verse animated that we only know the lore of. Seeing the Shadow flashbacks in real time without any cuts, seeing Chaos emerge in the past with the Tikal origin, etc. You could absolutely do a whole lot of this and really expand the lore. It would have the ripple effect of also fleshing the games out and making replays even more fun. I’d be getting my hopes too high if I wish for all of that though so I’m just saying it would be neat.

Overall, I could go on about how awesome this was but at the end of the day it is only 15 minutes so I would start repeating myself after a while. You should definitely check it out, there is really nothing bad to say about it at all. It’s just pure greatness in its raw form. Every scene is critical and the pacing is on point at all times. If they ever made a full length TV show out of this I would definitely be ready. There is a whole lot of untapped potential for Sonic media so hopefully this is really just the beginning. I like the Chaos but their upcoming miniseries isn’t exactly what I’m talking about.

Overall 9/10

Blade Runner Black Out 2022 Review

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Wait a minute, Blade Runner content that’s actually good?? Yes, Black Out actually pulled it off! It’s pretty fun overall despite the short length and delivers some solid action scenes. Definitely surpassing anything you would have seen in the live action movies. It does a good job of showing just how twisted things are without dwelling on it too much. You can see why the replicants are making their big stand here. They are tired of being kicked around and yeah this is probably the most direct way to stop things.

The short starts with a replicant named Trixie being attacked by a bunch of guys but she’s saved by Iggy. Iggy has decided that the corporation behind the replicants needs to be stopped. Basically the older models are going to all be wiped out by the newer ones so one by one they are all being targeted. The only way to stop this and stay alive is to destroy the primary database but like most things in the world it’s already in the cloud by now. So the move is to destroy the satellite and every database installation at the same time. Fortunately the replicants have a fairly solid information network across the globe and are all in on this. If they can harness the powers of teamwork and friendship then they can pull this off and he wants Trixie’s help. She agrees to go in on this.

Keep in mind that the short’s only around 15 minutes and I think that’s counting credits and such so more like 13. That’s really just enough time for that intro, a quick origin for Iggy and then the fight. As a result there isn’t the usual fluff associated with Blade Runner and I was glad about that. It meant we could get right to the good stuff and that was most excellent. Blade Runner is a series that is usually a bit afraid to get right to the action and wants to stick to either high concepts or people talking in a room the whole time. Sometimes a bit of both to be honest here. Well that wasn’t the case this time.

It was also good to see the robots actually be able to look good here. They were able to run around at high speeds and take out tons of opponents. In the main movies they may be reasonably tough but for the most part nothing too superhuman which is a bit boring. What’s the point of being some kind of super robot when you can’t do the big feats like that right? Ultimately it doesn’t mean that the two steamroll everyone. The short is fairly realistic about how athletics can only take you so far when you jump into a whole stream of bullets. Still, it made for a good action scene.

The animation is pretty solid here. The combat is on point and the visuals work well. There are a lot of fun things done with the lighting that help to make the short very memorable all the way through. The soundtrack is more on the forgettable side but again this is a very short special so there’s not a lot of time for a bunch of themes or anything. You take what you can get and ultimately it works well enough.

The ending of the film is basically there to remind you that corporate can be delayed but they can never be stopped. It may not be the happiest ending out there but it was still enough of a win for the main characters that I’d say you can at least count it as part of a happy moment. The alternative would have meant that they’d all be hunted down immediately while this way there is time to hide and try to make a new identity. As we see in the newest film that doesn’t work for most but you like to think some have completely managed to stay off the grid.

Overall, They should focus on more Blade Runner spinoffs like this and just ditch the mainline movies. Trust me this is way better and I can only imagine that a full length anime would be really solid. I don’t trust the franchise enough yet to say that it would be amazing or anything like that but the potential would be there. The humans will probably be the most annoying characters based on how they looked here. After all almost all of the humans are evil in these films since they were bought out by the main company or just don’t want to make them mad. Either way it means that there aren’t a lot of humans that you can trust. Even if you haven’t seen the Blade Runner films you should be able to appreciate this special.

Overall 7/10

Toy Story That Time Forgot Review

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Toy Story has had a good run of animated shorts and movies so far but now it’s time to see if this latest one holds up. This time the heroes have to do battle with some wild toys and the fact that we got some actual action scenes here is quite impressive. The short is held back by a romance subplot which will make you cringe a bit but once you get past that, the rest of the special is on point. It’s a fun little adventure and you should breeze through it.

The story starts with Bonnie being invited to her friend’s place to hang out. When she gets there, she finds out that he has gotten addicted to video games and he quickly gets her on them as well. She tosses her toys aside to have fun here but Woody and friends quickly find out that this place isn’t a very nice area. The Battle Dinosaurs don’t realize that they are actually toys much like Buzz from the first film and so they’ve built a violent arena where they take toys down for the count. The heroes have a dinosaur of their own in Trixie but will she be able to stop these guys?

The standout character as always is Buzz here with how he is quick to fight back and actually does well against the villain. Unfortunately Woody isn’t quite as skilled and ends up holding them back. I was still just surprised at how we had a real action sequence so that was just a lot of fun. It also added to the sense of danger that was present during the special. These dinosaurs were not holding anything back and lived up to their name as the Battlesaurs.

The main fighter on their side was Maximus and he gets a solid role here. He has completely bought into the whole arena atmosphere and seems to have been winning every match for a while now. I doubt any of the heroes could beat him in a straight fight which is why they ultimately need to go for a more emotional approach and to bring in outside help. He’s good as an antagonist but as a hero he can be extremely cheesy. He goes a bit over the top with the whole romance with Trixie.

As mentioned earlier, that’s my main issue with this. The romance isn’t handled well and feels like something out of Scooby Doo. These dinosaurs just met each other and the dialogue is very stilted. Keeping that out of the special would have been a really good idea if you ask me. It’s the only weak point of the special. It also doesn’t let Trixie really get to show her stuff as the lead because this plot is slowing her down. She’s very oblivious to everything during the whole special but in her defense, everyone seems rather oblivious the whole time.

As for the villain mastermind: Cleric. Well he serves his purpose well enough. The guy wants to build his evil empire and has done a really good job of it. He’s hidden the signs that would cause his followers to lose trust in him and has built a rather solid atmosphere for himself all things considered. Considering that the kid could show up at any time and ruin things, the Cleric really showed a lot of guts with this plan. Finally you have Angel Kitty as the mysterious new character here to drop some wisdom on the other toys. She was a fun enough character even if her gimmick gets old a little quickly. One note characters will always need a little something extra to stay interesting so if she ever appears again they’ll probably need to do something more with her.

Not surprisingly, the animation here is as good as ever. You couldn’t really put a big difference between the special and the full movies. Not to say that there is no difference, but it’s close enough where you’re pleased with how the special looks. There isn’t much of a soundtrack to be found here which is too bad but maybe they can squeeze one in next time. A really solid rock theme for the battles is a good opportunity for some music after all. Aside from the romance the writing is on point as well so on a technical level the special is sound. Throw in that I liked the idea of the Battlesaurs and you can see why this is a win.

Overall, That Time Forgot is a bit of an odd title. I feel like it should be “The toys that time forgot” or something like that. As it is, the title just doesn’t feel grammatically correct. Still, it’s a fun special and one that does justice to the Toy Story brand. You’ll have a good time here even as the film feels like it’s over just when it has begun. You could easily make a whole 2 hour film for this premise since Bonnie would probably be playing video games for that long and you could have the toys move their way through the arena by winning some battles. A lot of potential there for sure. Well, we’ll see what Toy Story short comes up next.

Overall 6/10

Howl From Beyond the Fog Review

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Well, this film was definitely not quite what I had imagined based on the title. It’s going for a very retro action figure type style. At first when you see the characters appear you’re wondering if maybe there was a budget issue so they had to use mannequins for the characters. Then it hits you that this is actually the style. I’m not a big fan of stop motion and it’s one of the animation styles I would put below CGI. It didn’t do the short film any favors this time around.

The movie introduces us to Eiji. He has moved back to his hometown after news came out that his brother had been destroyed. His cousin Takiri is there but she’s supposed to be dead so Eiji can’t mention that and his mother is also around. The biggest secret though is that they effectively have a secret Kaiju in the backyard. This will come in handy since a bunch of thugs are trying to force them off the land. When in doubt, it’s time to call in the Kaiju! Can this monster save the day?

Unfortunately the humans don’t make it easy on him. It’s always pretty annoying when the Kaiju is doing pretty well only for someone to say “Stop!!” and distract the Kaiju as he gets blasted by the villains. That happens here quite directly and unfortunately the Kaiju isn’t too durable this tie around. A quick shot is already able to deal some pretty decent damage to the point where the Kaiju nearly gets knocked out. It was concerning but the Kaiju has a lot of determination which is good.

The design’s not bad, I guess I would say it looks a lot like a Brontosaurus. It’s got a long neck and just has that kind of shape. While it doesn’t have Godzilla’s fire attacks, it does manage to use a heavy breath attack by inhaling the fumes. I wonder if that might have even been a tribute to the Atomic Breath given that it acts like true breath rather than an energy blast. It was cool to see though since it gives us some action.

So the movie isn’t very long at 35 minutes. It really picks up once the monster action gets going, but until you get there it does have some issues. It just feels like the movie isn’t very interesting without the Kaiju. You don’t really get to like any of the characters all that much and they don’t get to stand out with the brief time they have. When a film’s this short you really have to either develop the characters real quickly or you have to just focus on the Kaiju I suppose. The thing is, this is still more of a character driven story which is problematic when the characters have no time to be introduced.

For the first half you’ll probably end up being a little bored here. So you’re waiting for the second half which is more fun but it takes a little bit to get there when you compare it to the overall length of the movie. Finally, the animation itself gets in the way here. It’s just hard to find this style all that hype or engaging. If you’re a fan of the style then you’ll like it, but otherwise it’s just very jarring as you’re trying to get into the story. None of the effects look as real as you’d like.

This style really works when you throw a lot of humor into the mix. Think of Robot Chicken or something like that. The animation isn’t supposed to look great but you don’t really mind because you are laughing the whole time. That doesn’t work with this short because it is played 100% seriously. You won’t be grinning or smiling at any point because it’s not really that type of film. Unfortunately you can’t pull off a more serious type of story with this style or at least, it will be very difficult to do so.

Overall, Howl from Beyond the Fog is an interesting idea but this was just the wrong medium to do this. At its core it’s a story about a Kaiju living in the backwoods and defending the main characters from danger. It’s seen as a scary entity by most but the main characters know that it’s actually a good guy deep down. That’s a classic kind of story but one where you just aren’t able to get invested into this time. If we ever get a remake or something like that I think there would definitely be a lot of potential. Otherwise, I would say to pass on this one.

Overall 4/10

Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps Review

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It’s always hype when Sega decides to give us a cool Sonic animated short. This one is in the Sonic Colors part of the verse. It’s a phrase I never thought I would see again. I was never a big fan of the Wisp mechanics since I much prefer to just be doing my own thing at all times with Sonic speed but if you’ve got it you might as well use it right? This special is around 10-12 minutes long and features Metal Sonic so you can’t go wrong.

The basic plot is that Eggman has his two robots: Cubot and Orbot kidnapping Wisps across the planet. Sonic and Tails decide that the mad man must be stopped. He’s already captured a lot of the Wisps across the planet so saving them all will be difficult. Additionally, Eggman has brought in his most powerful robot of all time…Metal Sonic. Can Sonic take down this robot or are the Wisps doomed?

Sonic has his signature humor which is always fun. The guy’s just a great character and even with only a few minutes to spare in the special you can tell that these guys really get the core of his character. Sonic may not like to sit around and listen to long stories but he is quick to act. Metal Sonic may be a tad faster in base but Sonic has a lot more experience in combat and uses that to his advantage.

He also has the Wisps at the ready and uses them to get a pretty good advantage in their battle. Sonic reminds us that the powers of friendship are always a mighty ally to have on your side at all times. Even at the end of the special he is looking at the big picture while Tails is beginning to panic. It’s why Sonic is always seen as such a natural leader.

Tails doesn’t look at good with the panicking but usually that is the sidekick’s role. You panic a lot which by extension makes the main hero look even better. It’s all part of the plan after all. Tails peaked in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and since then the new continuity hasn’t used him quite as well. His gadgets always do come in handy though.

As for Metal Sonic, this is one of those versions that is more on the mindless side. I wouldn’t say he is completely mindless or anything like that but the guy is more instinct than anything else. He just wants to win and prove he is the fastest but don’t expect a lot of strategy or anything like that. Still, it is great to see him as always. He definitely gives Sonic a run for his money.

Cubot and Orbot are decent. I prefer them as Eggman’s mindless minions to some of the other iterations. Changing one of their voice boxes to the announcer’s sound effects felt very odd though. Maybe they couldn’t get the voice actor back in time for this special? That would be my guess at least but the whole announcer thing works well enough. Just watch your volume if you’re on headphones because it can be a bit on the loud side.

As for the Wisps, I’m still not much of a fan but they do end up helping when it counts which is good. It was nice to see them actually contribute and even try to free everyone before Sonic showed up. It at least meant that the Wisps were resourceful and weren’t just going to wait and be saved. Now that’s what I like to see.

The animation’s not bad. It’s definitely good for a Youtube exclusive. The colors are smooth and we get some nice speed effects. It’s going for a bit of an old school cutscene look. I like the direction it’s going in but for a full show I would definitely like to clean up the animation a bit. This special has full voice acting which is really cool so that definitely gets a thumbs up from me.


Overall, This special is under 15 minutes so there isn’t a whole lot more to talk about. It’s pretty fun and really feels like it is over in the blink of an eye. The writing is solid and most importantly, they really got Sonic’s personality across. He’s really a hero you can count on and who is always ready to have the team at his back. He isn’t trying to do things solo if it’ll put anyone in danger. It’ll be cool if we get more specials like this.

Overall 7/10

The Goddess of Spring Review

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It’s time to look at a Disney short based on a very dark Greek myth. I remember having to read that myth over and over again as part of a deconstruction and it’s definitely super twisted the way most of those myths are. I never liked the Greek Myths because they all go way over the top on being gritty and unnecessarily mean spirited. Fortunately you can always count on Disney to shake things up and make the experience a lot more wholesome. That is exactly the case with The Goddess of Spring. It’s a fun little adventure you can just enjoy without any worry. The main character is a bit iffy though.

The special starts with the goddess singing as her creatures make her a crown. She’s ready to have a good day but this is interrupted when Hades shows up and kidnaps her. She doesn’t really put up much of a fight and her creatures get bullied by the demons. After being in the Underworld for a while Hades is upset that the goddess isn’t enjoying the scenery. He decides to grant her one wish. She wants to go home so he compromises and says that she can be home for 6 months and at his place for the other 6 months. She agrees to these terms and heads back home for more singing and cheer.

It’s definitely a little disappointing to see her creatures back away so quickly when Hades shows up. What happened to standard loyalty and defending your friends when the going gets tough? Now the goddess knows that she can’t count on these people for beans when it really counts. She didn’t do much better herself though. She should have tried to fight since she has godly abilities. Then once she is in the Underworld she doesn’t even try to say anything until Hades asks her what’s up. She didn’t really have a whole lot of agency in this special and was way too passive the whole time.

Meanwhile Hades is carrying this film as he belts out song after song and hatches plans. It’s quite fortunate for the goddess that Hades was a very reasonable character in this special. He’s not portrayed as a good guy since he still did kidnap her, but at least he is portrayed as someone who actually cares what she thinks. Relenting to her going home for half a year was certainly a surprising compromise.

This special is part musical so there are a lot of songs. I can’t say that any of them were quite my style. It’s going for a certain kind of style to which I’m not really a fan. The songs are more loud than engaging without any nice beats to accompany them. The animation holds up pretty well though considering how old this is. The animations are very fluid with nice backgrounds and it all looks very consistent.

Overall, The Goddess of Spring is a nice enough story. I don’t think you’ll end up re watching this one for a while but there’s no reason not to check it out. It’s only about 5 minutes and if you are ever curious about the old legends then getting introduced to them by Disney is the best way to do it. You get to the heart of the story without all of the extra details.

Overall 5/10

The Hug Review

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It’s time to look at a quick special known as The Hug. This was a pretty recent horror short from 2018 and it borrows from the 5 Nights at Freddy’s concept. What if there was an evil pizza place where the mascot goes around murdering people? In less than 5 minutes there is only so much that this special can do to show off the premise so you have to fill in the gaps yourself. There are definitely a lot of implications here not just for the worker but for the store in general.

The short has a kid celebrating his birthday party at a local pizza place. He finally won some ticket on one of the machines so he wants to have a shot performed for him by the animal robot. The store owner says the robot is out to lunch so the kid has to wait. The kid doesn’t listen and opens the curtain. The machine asks for a hug and it turns out to be a fatal one as the machine eats the kid. The pizza owner tries to investigate but gets scared off by the machine’s true face. That is ultimately how the special ends.

So…did the pizza owner know that the machine was evil? It’s pretty sketchy that they continue to power on the robot every day if that is the case. It also makes the owner a true accomplice. The owner’s phrasing here is also key as he said that the machine was eating. Machines don’t eat so that means the owner was feeding him something. We can only hope that he feeds it a steady diet of veggies and pizza but is that really the case? The owner was my favorite character on the surface as he seemed concerned and at least did try to help. It’s just that the more you think about it, the more likely it is that he is completely responsible for what happened. In that case it’s hard to like the guy.

The film makes the kid was unlikable as possible before he gets eaten. He disobeys the rules and just isn’t a very nice guy in general. It’s still pretty dark for the kid to get eaten like that though. Since the short ends so suddenly you can try to make the case that they got the kid out of it afterwards. I’m not sure how much weight that theory holds but the guests do outnumber the robot so perhaps they would be able to pull something like that off.

Overall, The Hug is definitely a fun little horror title. It reminds me of the classic Goosebumps adventures where the hero wouldn’t always win in the end. The film doesn’t last quite long enough for things to get too overly dark so it works out well enough. If you’re a big horror fan then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one. It shows that you can do quite a lot in 4 minutes. The special introduces the characters, gives us some tension in the scenes, and even brings in a villain who has a very unique design. Be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart!

Overall 6/10

The Hockey Champ Review

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I’ve been reviewing quite a few Hockey games lately so it’s only fitting that I review a hockey short as well right? In this one Donald gets to show why he is a pro and honestly this is why he is the best of the original Disney characters. I like his confidence and the guy does have the skills to back up his tough talk.

His nephews have decided to get into the game of ice hockey so Donald agrees to show them some moves in a practice game. He is the current Hockey champ after all. Donald quickly beats the nephews and makes the game look easy but they aren’t too happy about that. They go for a rematch but this time Donald will be blindfolded. Can he still win?

The special is only a few minutes long of course so in describing the plot I’ve already described most of the special. Still, it’s a very fun one and one of the better Disney shorts if you ask me. It can still be hard to understand Donald at times but that’s when Disney’s striking animation comes into play. The characters are always so expressive that you can still get the meaning behind what they are saying at all times. Donald isn’t playing and while he rarely ever gets to have a happy ending, at least he always puts in a good effort no matter what.

The best scene of the special is definitely when Donald finally scores the goal and then multiplies the score by punching it back into the net over and over again. Now that’s some good style! He basically upgraded the game into something more like boxing which takes a lot of creativity. The nephews are reasonable as well of course. They realize that they are outmatched so they quickly decide to use some tricks to win. Anything clearly goes in this kind of battle so their gameplan was pretty sound. Next time Donald will certainly be ready for them though.

Overall, This was definitely one of the better Disney shorts. Donald really takes it to the next level and it’s a pretty intense one. A good chunk of the special is a fun chase scene with Donald and the nephews with the animators having a lot of fun with the effects and how crazy things can get. I do miss this retro style and bringing it back would be a good idea. If you haven’t seen this one yet then I recommend changing that as soon as you can.

Overall 7/10