Let me just say first that, I consider Bo Welch's The Cat in the Hat (2003) the worst movie I've seen in my more than ten years of reviewing movies, and Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) is not far behind, and would no doubt rank somewhere in the bottom fifty. Jim Carrey returns from the title role in The Grinch as the voice of the title role in Horton Hears a Who! so I was skeptical at best about the quality of the new film. Not to mention that most CGI animated films not produced by Pixar tend to range from forgettable to awful. What a happy surprise, then, to see one of those rare animated films -- and an even rarer family film -- which ventures into that elusive middle ground, providing wholesome entertainment for kids as well as a few belly laughs for adults.

Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, both making their feature debut, Horton begins by effortlessly rendering in 3D space that familiar 2D world of Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss), with its curvy trees and oval-shaped hills and dales. We meet our hero, Horton (voiced by Jim Carrey), a pachyderm whose personality teeters between dutiful and lazy, helpless and self-reliant, goofy and dedicated. He teaches a class of young animals about various forms of jungle life, but not without a bit of inadvertent, entertaining slapstick. One day, a speck of fluff floats past his sizable ears and he hears a voice emanating from it. He rescues the speck, deposits it on top of a clover and learns that, living upon the speck, is an entire miniature society called Whoville (not to be confused with the Whoville in The Grinch) and run, more or less, by the Mayor (voiced by Steve Carell).

With Ratatouille set to hit theaters on June 29, the latest issue of Time Magazine provides some info on the next three Pixar films for you fanatics who aren't in the mood to wait to see what the animation studio has in store for us down the line. Dark Horizons managed to get a hold of the vague plot descriptions, but the most interesting part came in the announcement of a brand new Pixar flick for 2009; one we hadn't heard anything about until now. First up for Pixar will be Wall * E (to be released on June 27, 2008) and, according to DH, it's being described "as a space-set remake of a 1931 Charlie Chaplin film about a blind girl wooed by a tramp she mistakenly believes is a rich man." However, this film will be set in the year 2700 and, instead of humans, the main characters will be a robot named Wall * E and a female robot named Eve. Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) will write and direct, with Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt voicing the main roles electronically.

On June 12, 2009, Pixar will shovel out a film called Up. I'm not quite sure I follow the plot description, but here's what DH gives us: "A 'coming-of-old-age' story which follows an elderly man who befriends a clueless young Wilderness Ranger and gets into lots of globe-hopping, ass-kicking adventures with villains and beasts whilst still eating dinner in the early afternoon." Make of that what you will; I'll be curious to see how well this one does with an elderly man in the main role. Following Up, Toy Story 3 will hit theaters at some point during the summer of 2010. Lee Unkrich (co-director of Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo) is currently writing the story, so there's no word on what type of adventure Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) will find themselves on this time, but I have to imagine folks will anticipate this one the most. Here's hoping the geniuses at Pixar take a real close look at the failures of some of this summer's threequels so that Toy Story 3 doesn't disappoint. Fingers crossed.

Song of the South has always been something of a blemish on the Disney name, due to its racist undertones. However, it can't be denied that the film is a piece of film history. It's got a reputation not unlike The Birth of a Nation, the 1915 film school staple that is widely hailed as one of the most important films of all time on one hand...but could be taken as a recruiting film for the Ku Klux Klan on the other. Song has taken a lot of flack over the years, due to its portrayal of Southern plantation blacks. The film has never been released on video in the United States, and this is from a company that releases, and re-releases, and re-re-releases everything. That may soon change, though. Disney President Bob Iger recently announced that the company has been giving some serious thought to making it available.

Iger states "We've decided to take a look at it again because we've had numerous requests about bringing it out. Our concern was that a film that was made so many decades ago being brought out today perhaps could be either misinterpreted or that it would be somewhat challenging in terms of providing the appropriate context." Song of the South was originally released in 1946. If you're not familiar with its characters, you've surely heard its most famous song, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." Splash Mountain at the Disney parks is based on the film. A mix of animated content and live-action, Song tells the story of a young white boy, Johnny, who goes to live on a Georgia plantation. A black servant entertains Johnny with the stories of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox, which are actual black folk tales. Remus' stories include the saga of the "Tar Baby," a phrase which today is considered a derogatory term for African-Americans.

The film doesn't refer to the characters as slaves, and it isn't as offensive as a lot of the controversial material from America's unfortunate past. Many don't see how it's any more upsetting than, say, Gone With the Wind. But the fact that Song is a children's film surely adds to the concern. The demand for the film can't be denied -- nearly 115,000 people have signed an online petition asking Disney to make the movie available to the public. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, which distributes Disney films for home viewing, cites it only as a possibility, stating: "Song of the South is one of a handful of titles that has not seen a home distribution window. To this point, we have not discounted nor committed to any distribution window concerning this title."

Believe it or not, there was a time when Pixar was all alone atop the current animation craze. Once Toy Story hit, it seemed Disney's hand-drawn stuff was pushed aside and replaced by a new look and a new generation of kids who wanted a bit more out of their big-screen cartoons. Once Shrek came along and proved that other studios (in this case, Dreamworks) could share a piece of the pie, that opened up the door for every other major studio to start up their own animation wing. Now, we're bombarded with a host of animated films each year, and it almost feels as if Pixar's reign has come to an end.

This summer, there's a pretty good chance Shrek the Third will take in more money at the box office than Ratatouille. While it won't be a major surprise (Shrek already has a massive built-in audience, while Pixar's product is brand new), it's still a clear indication that the playing field has leveled off a bit. Nothing against Pixar (I've always loved their films), but I miss those days when the new Pixar flick was all anyone could talk about. Now, with so many animated films to choose from, it's becoming harder to pick their product out of a photo line-up. Granted, the Pixar buzz still remains, albeit a little more watered-down than it used to be -- and their films will continue to finish right up towards the top when it comes time to tally up the box office figures for the year. But for how long?

So, I ask you: Has Pixar's reign come to an end? Is there anything they can do to keep things fresh and somehow separate themselves from the rest of the pack?

If you're a fan of Pixar movies, you know the buzz has been building for the studio's next film, Ratatouille, which is about a rat of the rarest kind: He loves gourmet food. And he lives in a fancy Paris restaurant, so he's surrounded by all the foie gras and Coq au Vin his little heart could desire. The problem? He's ... well, a rat, so it's not as if chefs are welcoming into their kitchens with open arms. The film's directed by Brad Bird, the man behind The Incredibles -- so to say I'm pumped for this movie is a little bit of an understatement. It opens on June 29, 2007.

Right now we've got an exclusive picture from Ratatouille, which we humbly offer up for our Insert Caption game -- though unfortunately we can't offer a prize this time. But who needs swag when you've got a rat, an omelette and a hot plate? First, pay homage to the winning caption for last week's (prizeless) Shrek the Third contest, then feast your eyes on our exclusive Ratatouille photo and take your best shot. Foodie rats everywhere are counting on you.

"Pinocchio was the first to notice the masked man holding a chainsaw."
-- jack390




Today's contest:

POST: Write your own caption

A few months back we were treated to a rather strange teaser trailer for Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie. Why was the trailer strange? Because it was a live-action promo clip for a completely animated movie! But now with the arrival of this second teaser clip, the joke becomes clearer. Click here for the new clip, which features some rather amusing banter between Bee Movie's lead (voice) actor Jerry Seinfeld and executive producer Steven Spielberg.

Helmed by a duo (Steve Hickner and Simon Smith) that's been hanging around DreamWorks Animation for quite some time (and written by Seinfeld and three of his buddies), Bee Movie also promises voice work from the likes of Chris Rock, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Rip Torn, Eddie Izzard, Kathy Bates, Patrick Warburton, Alan Arkin, Larry Miller, Barry Levinson and Oprah Winfrey. (Barry Levinson?)

As far as the plot synopsis goes, I'll borrow the one from the IMDb: "Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), a bee who has just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa (Zellweger), a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue us." Bee Movie hits theaters on November 2.