Hercules (1997) - ★★★★

Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Voice Actors: Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Rip Torn

It's official! Even after 10 years, Hercules is still one of my all time favourite animated movies! Visually and musically, Hercules is just so different to all the other films Disney has ever made, sporting a great use of 3D monsters, and also wonderfully catchy soul-music. I was pleasantly surprised at just how emotional the film made me. It doesn't quite reach the same league as Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King though, due to its lack of beautiful dialogue, powerful scenes, and most importantly, originality. Some of the jokes are a bit too cheesy and childlike for me, but I used to find them hilarious when I was younger, so I can forgive that. As a child, Hercules would have been one of my top 10 favourite movies to watch over and over on video-tape. To this day, the powerful wave of nostalgia makes me love it all the more.

The Lorax (2012) - ★★

Director: Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda
Writers: Ken Daurio, Cinco Paul (Screenplay), Dr. Seuss (Book)
Voices: Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White, Rob Riggle

The Lorax is one of my favorite children's books of all time by Dr. Seuss. It was beautiful, creative, mystifying, funny, and had a brilliant message at its core. This movie just couldn't capture any of those things perfectly, right down to the animation. I can't help but feel that if this story was left in the hands of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, we'd have a masterpiece on our hands. Instead, we have an almost lifeless 3D modern adaptation that captures neither the heart or the life of Dr. Seuss's vision. It's modern, and at times unfaithful to the book, which is essentially what caused its downfall.