Animation Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Animation

Young boy in a blue shirt sitting in a blue, glowing boat on a dark, shadowy lake, with a small white creature floating nearby.
Review

Elio review – a touching treaty on the search for belonging

by Yasmine Kandil

A social­ly awk­ward young boy dis­cov­ers alien life in Pixar’s sweet new inter­galac­tic adventure.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Wooden statues of two bears on a wooden deck, with trees and foliage in the background.
Review

Flow review – cat’s entertainment

by Hannah Strong

A small grey cat embarks on a big adven­ture in Gints Zil­balodis’ charm­ing Oscar winner.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Cartoon character with a hat and oversized eyes pointing at a snail in the foreground.
Review

Memoir of a Snail – a stop-motion marvel with a dark heart

by David Jenkins

The life of a snail-fix­at­ed lon­er plays out as a series of dis­as­ters in this stri­dent­ly emo­tion­al ani­mat­ed fea­ture from Aus­tralian film­mak­er, Adam Elliot.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Cartoon character in yellow and blue outfit holding a microphone and wearing a crown, surrounded by a vibrant, colourful urban setting.
Review

Dog Man review – zippy, beautifully constructed family fun

by Callie Petch

Dream­Works’ sec­ond fea­ture-length Dav Pilkey adap­ta­tion is a lot of bark and sol­id bite.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Three anime characters with distinct facial features, hairstyles, and expressions, set against a blurred background.
Review

The Colours Within review – hits with the power of a dodgeball

by Josh Slater-Williams

Ani­mé direc­tor Naoko Yama­da returns with a won­der­ful com­ing-of-ager set in a Catholic girls’ board­ing school.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two cartoon characters with big googly eyes and surprised expressions, sitting in a rope.
Review

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl review – an Aardman banger

by Hannah Strong

The eccen­tric inven­tor and his incred­i­bly patient pooch return in a new adven­ture from Aard­man Animation.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two lion cubs in a grassy field, their golden fur and expressive faces visible against a blue sky.
Review

Mufasa: The Lion King review – let down by weak script and songs

by David Jenkins

A rous­ing, noble mis­step from Bar­ry Jenk­ins, in which the paw-print of this great film­mak­er is too light to make out.

5
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Vibrant anime-style characters, including a woman with long red hair, a bearded older man in ornate robes, and a blonde man, seated in an ornate, dimly lit chamber.
Review

Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim review – not canon-level

by David Jenkins

This ani­mé-style jour­ney to Mid­dle Earth dials back on risk and charm to robust­ly tell a sim­ple tale of good ver­sus evil.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two female characters in tropical setting, surrounded by palm trees and water.
Review

Moana 2 review – a tidal wave of joy on the big screen

by Yasmine Kandil

Although it doesn’t quite soar to the heights of the orig­i­nal, there’s a lot to enjoy in this delight­ful sequel.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Illustration of a grey robot with large, expressive eyes against a vibrant purple background with sparkles.
Review

The Wild Robot review – a moving ecological parable

by Kambole Campbell

Chris Sanders crafts an expres­sive, visu­al­ly strik­ing fable about a robot forced to adapt to the envi­ron­ment of an unin­hab­it­ed island.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two men standing near bowls in an animated scene with a wooden background.
Review

Kensuke’s Kingdom review – a heartfelt adaptation

by Joel Oiku

Michael Morpurgo‘s beloved chil­dren’s nov­el gets an ani­mat­ed adap­ta­tion, cour­tesy of Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Animated character with large head and striped shirt holding magnifying glass, surrounded by bright lights and colourful background.
Review

Despicable Me 4 review – a paper-thin fourquel

by David Jenkins

Anoth­er chunk of glossy, sil­ly con­tent rolls out for the Steve Carell-front­ed behe­moth ani­ma­tion franchise.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect