Animation Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Animation

Two men, one wearing a blue shirt and the other a dark shirt, embracing in a kitchen setting with kitchen utensils and a decorative sun shape on the wall.
Review

Flee

by Ella Kemp

A gay Afghan man leaves his home for a new life in Denmark in Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s moving documentary.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Illustration of a young woman with pink hair against a surreal, psychedelic background with floating shapes and lights.
Review

Belle

by Hannah Strong

A tale as old as time gets a cyberspace makeover in Mamoru Hosoda’s reimagining of Beauty and the Beast.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Anime-style mecha robot in red and black, with a fearsome expression, standing in a grassy field.
Review

The End of Evangelion

by Kambole Campbell

Back in cinemas this week, Hideaki Anno’s feature-length finale breaks hearts, bodies, and the fourth wall.

5
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Animated man in brown robe with a stag; blue sky in background.
Review

The Deer King

by Katie Goh

Studio Ghibli alums Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji channels Princess Mononoke in their visually striking ​“medical fantasy”.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Monstrous creature with sharp teeth and dark, distorted features in a dimly lit setting.
Review

Mad God

by Kambole Campbell

Phil Tippett’s long-gestating stop-motion animation epic is a frenzied and frequently deranged Dantean odyssey.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Image of a muscular male character with a beard, wearing a red outfit and holding up a beverage in a dimly lit setting.
Review

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

by Kambole Campbell

The producers of Avatar prequel The Legend of Korra expand on Netflix’s dark fantasy series with a bloody ​“animé”.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A man with tattoos and a basketball jersey celebrating in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Review

Space Jam: A New Legacy

by Rógan Graham

This bloated reboot of the hit ​’90s cartoon crossover is little more than a cynical exercise in brand synergy.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Two cartoon characters, a boy and a girl, holding ice cream cones and smiling on a beach with blue sky and ocean in the background.
Review

Luca

by Kambole Campbell

Pixar’s fish-out-of-water fable on the Italian Riviera takes its cues from vivid imagination of Studio Ghibli.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Animated girl with big eyes and pigtails, wearing a pink top, against a green background.
Review

Earwig and the Witch

by Lillian Crawford

Studio Ghibli’s first computer-animated feature boasts bags of charm and one its most endearing heroines.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people in diving gear embracing mid-air, surrounded by white butterflies against a bright blue sky.
Review

Away

by James Balmont

This spellbinding and spiritual Latvian animation has parallels with Studio Ghibli’s The Red Turtle.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect