The Incredibles

To make reading not so boring, 

you can click me and enjoy the theme song.

     This week, I would like to introduce "The Incredibles".

     Its subject is actually old. We can find out countless movies about superheroes everywhere. But Pixar is quite smart and creative. The figures are not totally unique, but the plot is. The scenes of fighting are tense but not bloody. It also concerns about many aspect of our life, like "midlife crisis" or family problems, but not only "superman saving the world".

Here is the story: 

     Because of some lawsuits, Bob Parr(Mr. Incredible 超能先生) was forced to retire from his work and to stop using his ability. He led a normal life with his wife Helen(Elastgirl 彈弓女俠), and their three kids, Violet(巴小倩), Dash(巴小飛), and Jack-Jack(巴小傑). They all have their distinct superpower. Someday, the evil guy Syndrome(辛拉登) pretended to offer a work opportunity to retired Mr. Incredible. However, it was actually a plot. After Mr. Incredible started the secret mission for a while, Syndrome confined him. At the same time, Syndrome invented a robot, using it to ruin the city. Helen came to her husband's rescue, and the kids secretly followed her. With Mirage's(a unimportant role XD) aid, they finally escaped.

     When they came back to the city they lived, the robot was so smart that he broke the remote control and destroyed the city madly. "The Incredibles" worked together, along with an old friend Frozone. They had a violent battle, and eventually killed Syndrome and the robot.

     In all characters, I like Elastgirl(Helen) the most. "...Helen can stretch any part of her body up to 100’ (34 m) and can be 1 mm thin." quoted from Wikipedia. What a fascinating and marvelous superpower! Just like 魯夫 in the animation One Piece(海賊王). The scene that she became a parachute really impressed me. If I were her, I don't have to ride a bicycle in NTU. I can always land on the roof of 新生 or 普通 building. Ha ha ha! XD

Bonus: 小傑的攻擊 in Taiwanese!
You HAVE TO watch this!

And this one is official trailer~

reference and pictures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredibles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Incredibles_characters

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B6%85%E4%BA%BA%E7%89%B9%E6%94%BB%E9%9A%8A_(%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1)

http://www.dan-dare.org/FreeFun/Images/CartoonsMoviesTV/IncrediblesWallpaper1024.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/551527_10151425980716168_443079601_n.png

Alice in Wonderland!

This is a "computer-animated and live action fantasy film" (quoted from Wikipedia).
Let's just consider it as an animation. : )

     Alice in Wonderland is undoubtedly a famous fairy tale. I think none of college students wants to read it again. However, Disney uses a high-tech and humorous way to combine the elements in the original story. And they create a totally different plot. Also, the great cast makes it more appealing, inclusive of Johnny Depp and Ann Hathaway.

     Alice was forced to attend her engagement party. Not knowing how to reply to the proposal, she ran away and followed a rabbit in a blue coat. She suddenly dropped into a big hole, entering "Underland".  After others' explanation, she knew that Red Queen robbed the crown from her sister, White Queen. There was a prediction that Alice would kill Red Queen's guard, Jabberwocky(空龍) on "Frabjous Day"(奇妙日).
     The Hatter brought her to White Queen's castle to escape the capture from Red Queen. However, he himself was caught. To save the Hatter, Alice went to Red Queen's palace. She ate certain food and became gigantic. She was welcomed, successfully deceiving Red Queen. Besides, Alice got the only sword to kill Jabberwocky from a monster. She then quickly ran back and gave it to Red Queen.

     On Frabjous Day, the fierce war between two queens broke out. While their armies were fighting, Alice finally summoned up her courage and killed Jabberwocky. Red Queen ended up reigning Underland again.

     (Apologize for the lengthy introduction above...)
 

     When I saw this movie for the first time, I thought it strange and absurd. But later, I knew that they designed such weird figures and costumes intentionally. Since it's a wonderland, everything is possible. The director must be so creative to imagine both magnificent and ugly scenes. The atmosphere in this animation is strange, but it has its distinct style! You will enjoy many unique creatures and scenery you never met before, and it's truly a perfect adventure!

I love Red Queen the most among all characters.

Her disproportional big head is cute!

movie trailer~

reference:
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%AD%94%E5%A2%83%E5%A4%A2%E9%81%8A
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11000000/Alice-in-Wonderland-alice-in-wonderland-2010-11053710-1600-1200.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_(2010_film)

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/alice_in_wonderland17.jpg

      

Toy Story 3

“To infinity.... and beyond!”
I would like to use this sentence as my opening. If you feel quite confused, let me repeat it again in Chinese.
「飛向宇宙，浩瀚無垠!」

Then I think everybody understand now. I am going to introduce Toy Story 3. I choose this because among three episodes, it corresponds to our situations the most. Let me simply explain the plot.

     It had been 11 years since the last adventure finished. Andy became an undergraduate, leaving home for his new life. A misunderstood occurred between him and his mother, and thus toys would be thrown away. They escaped to a daycare center, Sunnyside. At first, the toys were content, receiving warm reception from their new friends. However, they gradually found that in fact, Sunnyside was strictly controlled by Lotso, a purple, evil bear. The toys carried out their escaping plan. Here’s the climax of the animation, the long and exciting adventure how the toys got rid of Losto and his fellows’ chasing. Being transferred into a landfill, they were finally dumped on the conveyor belt (輸送帶), which is the path to an incinerator (焚化爐). Just at that critical moment, Squeeze Toy Aliens came to their rescue, operating a big crane to save their lives.

     

     From my opinion, “Buzz being reset to Spanish mode” is the most hilarious part. He spoke in Spanish and even asked Jessie (the cowgirl) to dance Flamenco, showing his deepest love. That scene was accompanied by traditional Latin music, which will make you laugh out aloud right away.

     

    The whole ending thoroughly touched my heart. I almost cried when I was seeing this animation in the cinema. After being sent to the new owner’s house, Woody and other toys sat on the doorstep. As Andy drove his car farther and farther, Woody softly said, "So long, partner." This reminds me that we might have a strong bonding with ANYTHING, not only human. A musical instrument, a novel, a bicycle or a toy mentioned in the movie could become our intimate partner. We are just like Andy, going to be a grownup. Maybe we used to love something crazily in our childhood. All of us should spend some time visiting those “old friends”. I think it will be a rewarding reunion.

     
     

An official trailer~                                    

   

Flamenco Buzz Lightyear !  

Super touching ending  T    T 

*The pictures come from:

http://www.insidethemagic.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/buzz-lightyear-dancing.jpg

and 

screenshot from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWkCwCi_a24

                                                     

Finding Nemo~~~

     

     I think most of us did not care much about the creature “clownfish”(小丑魚). However, after the animation “Finding Nemo” became a great hit, everybody knew that it is absolutely cute!

     Marine life is a usual topic used in animations or other movies. But I think Finding Nemo is the most successful one. It combines every element we like. Family love, adventure, tension, sorrow, and of course, a happy ending are all included.

     Let me make just a simple introduction of the storyline. During the school field trip, Nemo was captured by scuba divers. His father, Marlin, thus began a journey to save his dear son. On the way, he met some friends, like Dory, a kind “Regal blue tang”(擬刺尾鯛). He also encountered danger like a stuck of jellyfish who wanted to set them to death. After lots of effort, Marlin finally reached the destination Sydney Harbour. On the other hand, Nemo was confined in a dental clinic. Once, a pelican(鵜鶘) named Nigel, flew into the office, making a chaos. Nemo seized the chance and escaped into a drain. He and his father eventually had a reunion back in the sea.

      I am sorry to skip so many important and wonderful plots. Enjoying the movie again by yourself is the best way! Next, I would like to pick two scenes that are most impressive to me.

1.
The cute and stupid (XD) Dory has short-term memory loss. She is also optimistic. She thought that she could speak "whale", and started using a strange tune to talk to the giant whale. Both Chinese and English dubbing(配音) are super ridiculous and funny. It always make me laugh!

2.
On the way to Sydney, they met a Green Sea Turtle called Crush. His huge family were all migrating. They took Marlin and Dory a ride on the East Australian Current(東澳洋流). This scene in the animation looks awesome and magnificent!
I like to imagine if I could swim with the current. The speed and excitement must be unforgettable, just like taking a plane in Human's world! 

Here are two videos. 

One is the trailer, and the other is "Dory Speaking Whale" I mentioned above.

This animation was released in 2003. I know all of you can't wait to refresh your memory. So... here comes the sequel!
It is called "Finding Dory"! 
2015 November, let's meet in the theater!

Fantasia

This week, I would like to introduce an animation called Fantasia.

WARNING! It has A LOT to do with CLASSICAL MUSIC.
(So...don't escape my blog! It's pretty fun!)

The animation consists of seven segments, each created with one piece of classical music. The incidental music was conducted by Leopold Stokowski, and performed by famous Philadelphia Orchestra.

However, let me home in on the most (and only) renowned part, The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

First, let's acquire some preliminary knowledge.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice was originally a poem made by a German poet, Goethe, in 1797.

Later, the French composer Paul Abraham Dukas created an orchestral work under the story in 1897.

In 1936, Walt Disney felt that the star character Mickey Mouse's popularity was gradually surpassed by Donald Duck. Nonetheless, Mickey Mouse was his most-cherished role. Thus this part is designed to help Mickey make his comeback.

It was more complicated than any previous Disney short. The animator redesigned Mickey and added pupils for the first time in order to achieve greater ranges of expression. Most of the segment was shot in live action. One UCLA athlete was even asked to run and jump across the studio's sound stages with barrels in the way. Then it can be used for reference when Mickey traverses through water. For its great achievement in motion pictures, Fantasia was the subject of two Academy Honorary Awards in 1926.

The story unfolds just as the title. Mickey, wearing a red gown, studies under a sorcerer. He naughtily wears his master's blue cone hat, trying fantastic magic skills. He asks the brooms to do chores for him, himself getting rest and performing other magics excitedly. However, his poor ability makes everything go out of control. The basement is flooded. Mickey even gets trapped in a swirl. The whole tragedy comes to an end until the sorcerer shows up. Of course, this mischievous apprentice gets a spank on the butt by his master. The entire plot matches perfectly with the incidental music.

Time to watch the funny video!

I know the introduction (from start to 1:12) is a little boring.
BUT...If you skip it, there is no English in the video.
Haha = v =  

click me please~