Animation Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Animation

A person wearing a red and black superhero costume flies through a colourful, abstract background with glowing shapes and energy trails.
Review

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

by Leila Latif

Miles Morales returns as the web-sling­ing hero of Brook­lyn in this smart sequel which defies expectations.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Young woman with long dark hair in a school uniform, standing in a doorway against a bright blue sky with clouds.
Review

Suzume

by Alicia Haddick

Mako­to Shinkai’s third fea­ture con­tin­ues his fan­tas­ti­cal vision with a teenage girl who acci­den­tal­ly opens a mag­i­cal por­tal, but fails to make the same impact as Your Name and Weath­er­ing With You.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Animated characters: a plumber in red overalls, a princess in a red dress, and a mushroom-shaped creature.
Review

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

by Michael Leader

Nin­ten­do and Illu­mi­na­tion team up to give every­one’s favourite fic­tion­al plumber an ani­mat­ed makeover, with soul­less results.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Animated figure of a nude woman standing in a dark, forested setting, with mist or fog surrounding her.
Review

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

by David Jenkins

Pierre Földes’ debut fea­ture is an ani­mat­ed adap­ta­tion of a sev­er­al short sto­ries by cel­e­brat­ed Japan­ese author Haru­ki Murakami.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Cluttered domestic scene with miscellaneous objects and storage boxes on a wooden surface.
Review

Marcel the Shell with Shoes on

by Michael Leader

A sen­tient shell sets out to find his fam­i­ly with help from a doc­u­men­tary film­mak­er in Dean Fleis­ch­er-Cam­p’s effort­less­ly charm­ing fea­ture debut.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Animated characters, a man and a woman, in an emotional interaction. Warm tones of orange and blue predominate.
Review

Charlotte

by Lydia Figes

The artist Char­lotte Salomon, who died in the Holo­caust, receives a long-over­due biog­ra­phy through this inven­tive ani­mat­ed film.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A bizarre, fantasy-like scene featuring two eccentric, hairy creatures, one holding a parchment scroll and the other gesticulating emphatically. The image has a warm, earthy colour palette with brick walls and wooden furnishings as the backdrop.
Review

Pinocchio

by Kambole Campbell

Guiller­mo del Toro final­ly realis­es his long-ges­tat­ing pas­sion project, with charm­ing results.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Animated characters in bright, fantastical setting with vibrant colours and unusual shapes.
Review

Strange World

by David Jenkins

This retro-inspired Dis­ney adven­ture yarn boasts lots of great, pro­gres­sive ideas, but lacks in the imag­i­na­tion department.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Colourful cartoon characters in dark, fantasy setting with vibrant hues of pink, blue, and yellow.
Review

Wendell & Wild

by Saffron Maeve

Stop motion leg­end Hen­ry Selick teams up with com­e­dy mas­ter­minds Jor­dan Peele and Kee­gan-Michael Key for his much antic­i­pat­ed return to the big screen.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A large, green alligator sitting on a snowy surface, with a window and buildings visible in the background.
Review

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

by David Jenkins

An ani­mat­ed croc­o­dile with the voice of an angel spreads New York cheer in this breezy and high­ly like­able fam­i­ly diversion.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect