Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wowed the world with its unique pop art visual style—one that captures the exact essence of a vintage comic book. Everything done to translate that atmosphere into the world of computer animation breaks the rules of filmmaking, resulting in a beautiful marriage between 2D and 3D storytelling. As a result of all their hard work and late nights, the animators developed new techniques to better manage the back-and-forth process of manually trying to solve an animation problem and letting the computer do the work for them. Here are only a few of the techniques that made this studio trend-setter so impactful:
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Elements that would normally go out of focus throughout the film instead have their separate CMYK color channels shift slightly like offset comic book print. Shadows are made from hashed lines and Kirby dots. Two-dimensional form lines are placed on the characters’ faces. Background objects are made from moving blobs of color or static paintings in windows. The characters are frequently animated only every other frame without any motion blur, but other characters sometimes break that rule depending on which alternate reality across the Spider-Verse they’re from. Their varying animation styles range from Spider-Ham’s cartoonish quirks to Spider-Gwen’s ballet-esque movements. Yet that’s just the surface of the details contained within this game-changing animated blockbuster, one that’s outdone anything ever done by Disney or Pixar, and will continue pushing the entire animated medium forward.

PG (DLV)
Action/Sci-fi
1 hr. 57 min.

Watch it for FUN.
Watch it to feel HAPPY.
Watch it to feel SAD.
Watch it to feel AFRAID.

Based on the book “Erasure” by Percival Everett, American Fiction utilizes an ambitious narrative style to show a Black author named Monk combating the system of racial prejudice. Monk writes as a joke the most stereotypically Black novel ever written, which like in the climax of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, ends up a massive accidental success. Since Monk’s content lacks the Black stereotypes that bring White readers comfort, he’s mistreated by the publishing industry, which directly parallels America in the real world. This movie is careful to address how much White Americans promote mediocre, safe Black stories, then hypocritically don’t consider what the Black community believes which African American stories should be celebrated.
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Besides the hilariously unapologetic honesty this film expresses about America’s racial standards, it’s also greatly personal in depicting the confrontation between siblings as they deal with death and Alzheimer’s. With its heart in the right place, this motion picture bashes on the same Academy of Motion Pictures that routinely awards White savior drivel like Green Book instead of promoting stories about the true Black experience. Thus, it’s quite awesome to see this introspective satirical drama still receive much Oscar glory by winning the award for Best Adapted Screenplay! Its landmark win shall mark the instance when more courageous films in the future will be rightfully awarded for how they give minority groups their overdue opportunity to tell their own stories.

As director Greta Gerwig made the creative decisions for this ambitious blockbuster movie, she refused to go with what the adult in herself would’ve wanted, but rather what the little kid in herself would’ve wanted. Sure enough, her vision led to the set and costume designers using more shades of pink than anyone ever thought could exist. The sets resemble life-size Barbie houses- all authentically artificial and built to scale with the actors (the car Barbie drives is 23% smaller than an actual car). For the fun sequences of the bridge between Barbieland and the real world, scenes are depicted in various locations, all with moving background canvases and multiple layers of artificial set pieces that move.
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Every Barbie party outfit ever sold is referenced in the dance party scene, and even the brand’s more forbidden dolls are included in the cast, such as “Growing Up Skipper” and “Sugar’s Daddy Ken.” Makeup tests were done as well on Margot Robbie to make sure she looked as perfect as a stereotypical Barbie doll—a process that took approximately a year. This huge movie would be nothing however without the brash musical score and hit songs, which demonstrate what happens when filmmakers don’t take themselves too seriously and just have some fun. Yet these filmmakers balance that fun with a loving critique of the Barbie brand’s legacy, which is why Barbie will soon change future tentpole movies forever.

There was no screenplay, everything was instead laid out on detailed storyboards, which fit director George Miller’s artistic vision that depended on visual details to offer worldbuilding exposition. As Miller crafted his reimagining of his 1970s/1980s film series, production grew gradually more insane, seeing how the crew relied on practical stunts in the Namibian desert with elaborate large vehicles moving at a hundred miles an hour. Stunt actors had to leap from vehicle to vehicle in the air, and the climax utilized these long swinging poles that served as extra transportation between the cars and trucks. It got immensely difficult and dangerous to film the more than 300 stunts between the 150 uniquely designed vehicles for this motion picture, but it paid off.
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The action is unnaturally fast yet surprisingly fluid, the sound quality is earsplittingly loud yet crystal clear, and the views of the desert are every bit as spectacular and mesmerizing as a Renaissance painting. Every element chosen to make up this ambitious blockbuster is chosen with careful intentionality—the average person will be rewarded with multiple rewatches as new details will be spotted after every viewing that further illustrates this post-apocalyptic future where everyone’s been degraded to being mere things. So along with its pioneering new techniques in editing, sound design, and cinematography, Mad Max: Fury Road will continue to inspire other filmmakers on what “show don’t tell” really looks like.

One of the secrets to A Christmas Story’s success is the characters, who all are depicted very realistically as a relatable family with emotions that fluctuate up and down like a roller coaster. They may have mixed feelings toward one another, but at the end of the day, they still love one another. Instead of a traditional story with a central conflict, the family is portrayed in a slice-of-life sort of structure that presents their chaotic mundane moments in a more sitcom fashion. It's also told from the perspective of a child, making out certain little events that to a grown-up are nothing, but to a kid are immense milestones. These include a kid saying his first curse word, having his first secret meeting, seeing a sexual object for the first time, standing up to a bully for the first time, and receiving his first defensive weapon.
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To add greater insight into the mind of this child, sequences of his imagination are visualized, all of which come off as overly theatrical just like the radio programs which inspired his daydreams. Numerous similar components, such as the nostalgic soundtrack, prove why this Yuletide classic isn’t just a goofy comedy, but a deceptively complex portrayal of early 1940s America that in turn captures the magic of Christmas morning. So because of its care and passion, this iconic holiday staple has come to impact the identity of the entire season.

PG (DLSV)
Comedy/Historic
1 hr. 33 min.

Watch it to LEARN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY.

This Yuletide classic originated from the idea of commercialism taking over Christmas, coupled with the question, “What if Santa Claus himself saw all this?” Furthermore, it was conceptualized and released as a real feud went on between the department stores Macy’s and Gimbels, of which the film focuses very heavily on. The problem though is that neither store would agree to have their names featured in the movie until they saw the finished product—if they didn’t like it, 20th Century Fox had to go back and reshoot virtually every scene! Considering the production even went as far as filming at the real Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, this was an enormous risk. Yet thankfully, both department stores were very happy with the finished product.
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And thank goodness they were! Miracle on 34th Street ended up being a delightfully jolly motion picture that perfectly encapsulates what Santa Claus would be like if he were a real person. Yet it also doesn’t shy away from its cynicism about the Christmas season, particularly in how major corporations try to turn Kris Kringle’s selfless intentions of helping customers into a big marketing stunt. So little is left to the imagination about why this classic for the holiday season has been so influential, even generating three remakes based on its timeless story. But the original remains the best—the ultimate testament to what makes the most joyous time of year so magical.

NR
Comedy
1 hr. 36 min.

Watch it for FUN.
Watch it to LEARN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY.

Written over the course of a single weekend, Home Alone defied all odds to become an instant holiday classic. It’s known by many for its hilariously violent cartoonish gags, which the production crew had to get creative while staging. For instance, in the shot where the blowtorch incinerates the top of Harry’s head, a two-way mirror was used to cast the reflection of a flame to give the illusion that it was on top of actor Joe Pesci’s head. Also, when the iron falls onto Marv’s face, there’s a shot that takes place from the iron’s point-of-view, which was achieved by a camera on a rope that fell toward actor Daniel Stern’s face.

Aside from the film’s famous climax, there are still many more problems the cast and crew had to solve together on the spot to achieve what most films at their budget level wouldn’t dare to tackle. That includes the set for the McAllister house, which was built inside a school gymnasium, and filming the scenes with John Candy, which took place over a twenty-three-hour shoot day. But of course, what would all these incredible behind-the-scenes stories for this slapstick comedy be without the wondrous musical score by John Williams? With that fine balance between heart and humor, this number-one box office smash hit generated a massive step forward in how filmmakers can stage effective gags while still retaining the heart of the story.

PG (DLV)
Comedy
1 hr. 43 min.

Watch it for FUN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY and AFRAID.

Twenty years later, Elf still proves itself to be a grand timeless film that can entertain audiences of all ages. It opens with a charming depiction of the North Pole that replicates the classic Rankin/Bass holiday specials, complete with stop-motion puppets, white backgrounds, and colorful elf outfits that are near-identical replicas of the elves in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. There are more tidbits of trivia to prove the level of love, care, and whimsy that went into this instant Christmas classic. For instance, while filming the montage of Buddy entering New York for the first time, everyone Will Ferrell interacts with wasn’t an actor or paid extra! They were real random people found on the street!
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Also, to make the actors playing the elves look short, forced perspective was used, much like in the Lord of the Rings movies. Director Jon Favreau didn’t want to use digital effects for illusions such as this one, so he and his production crew found clever ways to achieve the forced perspective shots, such as by using kids as doubles whenever an elf’s hand or foot had to interact with Buddy. There’s a plethora of many more behind-the-scenes stories and secrets that cement why this Yuletide feature film has become a favorite for many, and a guide for other smaller independent studios to follow on how to replicate the feel of a film made with a massive budget.

PG (DLSV)
Comedy/Fantasy
1 hr. 37 min.

Watch it for FUN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY.

Frozen is the finest example of a modern Disney classic that embraces the newness of computer animation to generate something truly spectacular. Animating the snow and ice proved to be a tremendous endeavor, seeing how the production crew programmed a snowflake generator that created over 2,000 unique snowflake shapes. Animating Elsa’s ice powers was also a tremendous showcase of how deep the animators’ attention to detail dove, seeing how in the scene where Elsa created her ice palace, the ice is animated to branch out the same way an actual snowflake does. Furthermore, whenever Elsa loses control over her ice powers, the ice she generates looks harsh with sharp edges, but once she gains control by using them out of love, the ice looks circular with soft edges.
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It's especially worth knowing that the now iconic song “Let it Go” was the reason why the writers rewrote Elsa’s character so that instead of her being the villain like originally planned, she was a co-lead for the audience to root for. That ended up being the right decision because, without the touching sisterly relationship between Anna and Elsa, this instant Disney classic would never have gone on to define an entire generation. It would never have pushed the Disney brand, or other child-focused industries, toward greater diversity with independent, active female protagonists who can teach kids healthy standards on what true love is all about.

PG (D)
Fantasy/Musical
1 hr. 42 min.

Watch it for FUN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY and SAD.

Groundhog Day is not just the rare type of movie that everybody can love, but it’s also a lovely character study on existentialism. It teaches about self-acceptance, which only comes by helping others rather than by selfish motivation. When this film was first released, it was praised by religious groups, including the Buddhist community, because of the philosophical ideas it addresses. When writing the first few drafts of the script, it originally was going to start in the middle, where Phil is already stuck in the repeating days, with a much more morbid ending that suggests the film overall was originally going to be a very dark comedy.
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But then Harold Ramis was brought in to change the script so it could better appeal to mass audiences, and so it instead started with the audience getting the chance to see Phil’s reaction when the time warp starts. When filming, many of the shooting days were actually days of 80-degree weather, meaning fake snow had to be put in and the cast had to dress for winter weather in the heat. Yet it pays off: the small town of Punxsutawney feels so lived in, with the outdoor settings looking unbearably cold and the indoor settings looking warm and comfy. Anyone watching this beloved motion picture likewise will feel warm and comfy inside as they learn how to become better people from observing the transformation of Phil Connors.

PG (LV)
Comedy
1 hr. 41 min.

Watch it to LEARN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY, SAD, and AFRAID.