The Pagemaster (1994) - Directed by Pixote Hunt, Joe Johnston

This movie "stars" Macaulay Culkin as Richard Tyler who is a fearful little boy that hardly dares venture from his bedroom, and knows all the statistics for how dangerous everything is. One day, he´s riding his bicycle to the store when a sudden storm blows up and he loses his way and stumbles across a mysterious library where the books seem to reach endlessly in all directions.
The library has a mural depicting famous characters from literature: Captain Ahab with Moby Dick, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Long John Silver. Richard slips on a wet patch on the floor, knocks himself unconscious and finds himself inside an animated cartoon where the figures on the ceiling have come to life.

The cartoon version of Richard, with his round glasses and mop of blond hair, goes along for the ride.
His guides include some friendly talking books, including Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and Horror (a greenish blobby volume voiced by Frank Welker).
The adventures includes confrontations with Moby Dick, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, Long John Silver and my favorite one that i won´t reveal. The Ride is entertaining but they felt too short for me but the moral of these stories is that Richard will find courage to stand up for himself - with help, of course, from his pals Adventure, Fantasy, Horror.

The movie is not really interested in why Ahab was driven to hunt the great Moby Dick or why a nice doctor would want to transform himself into a monster!
Motivation - which is what Moby Dick, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are about but that didn´t surprised me because this movie isn´t about the main character gaining a new appreciation of Moby Dick.

The Animation directed by Maurice Hunt is for the most part very good for 94 and not being a disney movie but it looks dated for example, there is not much color and sharpness. the Performances are good but nothing great and the content feels more like a rollercoaster ride than a story, but it is very entertaining.
So what do i like most about the movie?, the concept is great and the payoff is for the most part good, animation, book characters, the ride i like but it is more enjoyable if  you don´t critique things.

A good disposable enjoyable movie, i recommend it for people who like animation!

6/10

The Red Turtle (2016) - Directed by Michael Dudok De Wit

A man who is lost at sea, wakes up in a small island. It is a life supporting land mass with fresh water and fruits, but he also has to put some effort for fishing. His notion is to leave the island as soon as possible to go back to where he had come from, the civilised world. In his every attempt to sail with a raft he had made using bamboos, fails to cross after a certain stretch of the island coast. He later comes to know what stopped him and with an anger reaction he commits a mistake. So now he has to come out of the guilt and to do that he chooses what seems the right.

The film is short like 80 minutes without a single word spoken in its entire narration.
There is even no sign language used, everything is action and reactions.
So you would find empty in the film´s cast section which is kind of weird. I mean there are characters in the film, but all were imaginations without names and what year it takes place, where with so many questions like that. Basically to say, a film without the cast, but the crew members managed to give the best to the viewers to get it without any struggle.
One thing is for sure, that the film is very enjoyable. It is a fantasy film, so whatever you see, you have to accept it. Because that is how things happen in a theme like this, all fictional. Though, the first thing you have to keep in your mind is not the entire film was an hallucination event. There are some dreamy events and that is fine since the film´s character is coping with loneliness.

It was like a simple story without any meaning about everything that is shown in it. So in my entire watch i thought the same and said it was an okay film with great animation, but the ending changed my stance. That twist, I don´t think everybody would understand. But one thing i want to make sure if you yet to see it, that it was about the purpose. The man always looks for a reason to do things and even to live or die. That´s where the red turtle comes in.

This is the director´s first feature animation film, but he was known for his awesome short animations which one of them won him an Oscar. It was jointly produced by three countries, including Japan´s Studio Ghibli. It is their first non-Japanese production and a great beginning and timing to expand the production in other continents.

I really hope this film will win the Oscar for animated film. Not because it is my favorite Animated film that got nominated but because how unique it is. But i also don´t think it will win because 3D animation has dominated the world particularly Zootopia and Moana this year and don´t get me wrong i love Zootopia, havent seen Moana yet but it would be nice too see a movie like The Red Turtle, Kubo and the Two Strings or My Life as a Zucchini get the award. Except the technical differences, only the grown ups can say this one has a better and meaningful story.

I have praised it, but it has problems for example the first 20 minutes was very slow for me, it is a very slow-paced movie and some things that happen in the movie that i don´t get why they happened. 

Anyway, it is a must see film, especially the adults and in particular those who always think animation is for children. If they see it, they might change their mind. Highly Recommended!
8/10

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Satsuki, Mei and their father drive to their new home on the country and on the drive they see a very strange and shy little boy.

When they arrive at their new home Satsuki and Mei are very excited too see the house, but dad says they must take their shoes off.

Instead of taking them off they walk on their knees and finds acorns everywhere, later they go in the bathhouse which is full of these little black puffballs who scatter in the room.

They are very scared of them so they tell dad about them.

Dad tells them to go to the old attic there they find more of these little creasures and Mei catch one of them but when she shows Satsuki her hands it´s all black and filthy.

Granny who helps them out in the house explains why those creatures are in their house.

The boy who was very shy before arrive at their home with a basket.

On the night the family takes a warm bath together, meanwhile a storm breaks out who makes the house shake and they are very scared but dad calm them down saying that they must laugh to make things that scares you dissapear!

The next day they all go to visit mom, she is sick but is soon coming home and the following day is school day for Satsuki but Mei is too young to go to school so she is exploring the area around the house.

When Mei is exploring the area she finds many acorns and take them but she also see two little creatures walking in the area. 

She tries to catch them and follow them into a forest which leeds her to a huge rabbit hole where she finds a big monster!

This movie is so delightful, joyful, in the end i had that pleasure of happiness that i almost cried and that doesn´t happen a lot to me.

I think this is Miyazaki´s most accessible movies for example Howls Moving Castle and Spirited Away is way more strange and weird than this one.

This is a fairly simple story of the personification of the wonder, imigination of childhood and how childhood imigination mixes in with nature.

Totoro is our neighbour so we have to be good to our neighbour, everything he represents and he be a good neighbour to us!

Miyazaki has ways of capturing little moments to make them more natural like when the father looks out of the window while driving and his hat almost fall off and thats a very natural moment and when Mei put on her sandals you see the little strap like it doesn´t go around her heel it goes under it.

What is so great about this movie is that there is no main conflict, no moral lessons, no standard blue print story or villian and it reminds you of being a young kid.

The only nick picks was that i felt that the dad seems most of the time not to care much and the mum doesn´t look that sick.

Miyazaki did a masterpiece again, the music, story, animation, voice work was amazing,, the characters of Satsuki, Mei and Totoro i loved!

Rating 10/10