Getting animated about 2014’s films


In the first Movie Watch column of 2014, Tom Linay, film specialist at Digital Cinema Media, takes a look at the what’s coming to the silver screen in Q1 of 2014.


with a bang in February with a big screen debut for one of the world’s most beloved toys. The Lego Movie 3D has all the building blocks in place to be a huge hit. It utilises charming stop-motion style animation, features a host of well-known Lego characters, including Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman, and the voice cast is one of the best of the year including Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, Elizabeth Banks and Liam Neeson. The directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller are on a run too; their debut film, Cloudy With A Chance


F The Lego Movie 40 Toyworld


amily titles dominated 2013, with Despicable Me 2, Monsters University and The Croods ending up as three of the biggest films of the year. Animation in 2014 clearly has a lot to live up to, but it kicks off


Of Meatballs was one of the funniest animated films of recent years and they followed that up with 21 Jump Street, one of the funniest live- action films of recent years. Chris Pratt voices Emmet, an ordinary Lego figure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder who is recruited to stop the evil President Business (Ferrell) from gluing the universe together. The Lego Movie surely can’t fail to be a treat for all ages. Another big February title is Mr.Peabody


And Sherman 3D. Having first appeared as part of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon in the US, Mr. Peabody And Sherman may not be that familiar to UK audiences yet but that is all set to change in the run up to their debut film and the marketing drive has already started with them featuring as part of this year’s Regent Street Christmas lights. For those still unfamiliar, Mr.


Peabody is the world’s smartest dog, a genius in fact. He’s the legal guardian of a boy called Sherman and together they travel back in time to experience world-changing events first- hand and attempt to repair history and save the future. Come February, Mr Peabody and Sherman could join the likes of Woody and Buzz, and Tom and Jerry in the pantheon of popular animated teams. The other animation timed for February


half term is Tinker Bell And The Pirate Fairy 3D. Tinker Bell films have shown a sharp uplift in box office performance since Tinker Bell And The Great Fairy Rescue in 2010, with Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings proving a hit with young girls over Christmas 2012. When a misunderstood dust-keeper fairy named Zarina steals Pixie Hollow’s Blue Pixie Dust and flies away to join forces with the pirates of Skull Rock, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to return it to its rightful place. There’s every reason to expect Tinker Bell And The Pirate Fairy to continue the upward trend in February. Towards the end of March, the big Easter films make their appearance, and 2014’s put the last couple of years’ to shame. It feels like a Summer blockbuster, but Captain America: The Winter Soldier 3D is out in late March. Since the huge success of Avengers Assemble in 2012, Marvel titles have seen a big improvement in box office performance, with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World achieving series best totals and there’s no doubt that Captain America will do the same, especially with a few characters from Avengers Assemble returning with him. This time around Steve Rogers (Captain America) struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old


PTO...


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