Adventure: 203

The American computer-animated Christmas television special, Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014), was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and aired on ABC on December 2, 2014. Trixie, a toy triceratops, is frustrated with Bonnie’s lack of dinosaur playtime. A few days after Christmas, Bonnie brings Trixie, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Rex, and Christmas ornament Angel Kitty to her friend Mason’s house for a play date. However, instead of playing with her toys, Bonnie joins Mason in playing his new video game console and leaves the toys in Mason’s playroom. There, they encounter a large ‘Battlesaurs’ playset that Mason received for Christmas. This ...

The animated movie Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace (2013) depicts Fred participating in a science expo in Houston, Texas with his invention that uses magnets, a trampoline and a sticky net to catch monsters. While testing it out, the trap accidentally captures a girl named Melanie Staples who is quickly freed by Fred. She introduces herself as the daughter of NASA scientist Ned Staples and catches Fred’s attention. The gang then attends Ned’s presentation where he reveals a robotic dog named “Mecha Mutt” designed for exploring the terrain on Mars. However, things take a chaotic turn when Mecha Mutt malfunctions and shoots laser beams at the ...

The American animated adventure comedy film, The Croods (2013), produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox, follows the survival of a cave family amidst several natural disasters. Grug, the stubborn father, refuses to let anyone leave their shelter except for short periods to gather food. His teenage daughter Eep loves her family but often defies Grug’s strict rules. One night, she sneaks out after seeing a light and meets a modern human boy named Guy and his pet sloth Belt. Guy warns her about an impending apocalypse and offers to help her escape, but Eep chooses to stay with her family. As she returns home, Guy gives her a shell horn ...

Madly Madagascar (2013) is a Valentine’s Day-inspired short film, released on January 29, 2013. All the familiar characters from the Madagascar film series make an appearance in this direct-to-DVD production. Set sometime between the franchise’s second and third films, it boasts an impressive lineup of voice actors, including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Notably, Danny ...

The action drama film, All Is Lost (2013), is written and directed by J. C. Chandor and stars Robert Redford as the main character. Redford is the only actor in the film, which has a total of 51 spoken English words. The story begins with a flash-forward where the man narrates a letter to the people he will miss. As the camera shows a lost shipping container in the ocean, we are taken back eight days earlier when the man wakes up to find his boat flooded with water after colliding with a stray container. He uses a sea ...

Directed by John Curran, the Australian drama film Tracks (2013) stars Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver. Based on Robyn Davidson’s memoir of the same name, it follows her nine-month camel trek through the Australian desert. The film was featured at both the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival (Special Presentation) and the 70th Venice International Film Festival. In 1977, Robyn moves to Alice Springs with plans to embark on a 2,700-kilometre journey across the ...

The Halloween special Toy Story of Terror (2013) is a collaborative effort between Pixar Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. During a road trip to visit Bonnie’s grandmother, she has tagged along her beloved group of toys – Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Rex, Mr. Pricklepants, Mr. Potato Head, and Trixie. While on the journey, the toys are engrossed in a horror movie on a portable DVD player kept in the car’s trunk. As fate would have it, their trip is cut short due to a flat tire and they are forced to spend the night at the Sleep Well roadside motel since help won’t arrive until morning. As ...

Gravity Falls (2012–2016), created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD, is an American mystery comedy animated television series. It follows the escapades of Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel, who spend their summer with their great-uncle Stan in Gravity Falls, Oregon – a town filled with mysterious events and supernatural creatures. The siblings assist Stan in operating the ‘Mystery Shack’, his tourist attraction, while also investigating local enigmas. This critically acclaimed series has been lauded for its writing, characters, voice acting, animation, humor, and ability to appeal to ...

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) is an American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Roman Coppola. Set on the New England island of New Penzance, 12-year-olds Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop cross paths at Camp Ivanhoe, a Khaki Scout summer camp run by Scout Master Randy Ward. While Sam is an orphan, Suzy lives with her parents Walt and Laura, both lawyers, and her younger brothers in their home named Summer’s End. Despite their similar introverted nature and intelligence beyond their years, they first meet during a church performance of ...

The Impossible (2012) is a disaster drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez, based on the real-life experience of María Belón and her family during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Doctor Maria Bennett, her husband Henry, and their three sons Lucas, Simon, and Thomas are on a Christmas holiday in Khao Lak, Thailand when disaster strikes. Arriving on Christmas Eve at the Orchid Beach Resort, they settle in and start to enjoy their vacation. But just two days later, on December 26, everything changes as the massive tsunami hits the area. Amidst ...

Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), an animated adventure comedy produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox, follows the story of Manny and Ellie, who are happily living with their teenage daughter Peaches. While Ellie supports Peaches’ desire to explore and make new friends, Manny’s overprotective nature causes tension between them. As Sid’s family returns briefly to drop off his elderly grandmother, they leave him and Sid behind once again. Peaches rebels against her father’s rules by hanging out with a group of teenage mammoths, resulting in a heated argument. However, things take a dramatic turn when Scrat’s ...

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012) is a comedy film from DreamWorks Animation SKG and PDI/DreamWorks, distributed by Paramount Pictures. The penguins and chimpanzees take off for Monte Carlo in a modified airplane. However, when they fail to return, Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, King Julien, Maurice, and Mort decide to track them down and bring them back to their home at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. They eventually locate them at the Monte Carlo Casino, but things quickly escalate as an argument erupts between Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria. In the chaos that follows, the animals manage to escape from Captain Chantel DuBois of Monaco’s ...

Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos (2012) is an American computer-animated short comedy adventure. After the Golden Goose incident, Puss finds himself at a crossroads – should he continue as an outlaw or become a hero? During a ride through the desert on his trusty horse, Puss is captured by Italian knights and brought before Princess Alessandra Belagomba. The princess reveals that her kingdom’s prized Ruby, known as the ‘Heart of Fire’, has been stolen. While initially thinking he has been falsely accused, Puss learns that the princess simply wants to hire him based on his reputation. She explains that the theft was committed by a French thief ...

Kon-Tiki (2012), a historical drama directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, tells the story of the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition. It was primarily filmed on the island of Malta. The film follows Thor Heyerdahl, an experimental ethnographer and adventurer, as he attempts to prove his theory that Polynesia was settled by people from South America before Columbus’s time. This theory is supported by the similarities between statues found in South America and those on Easter Island, as well as Polynesian folklore about an ancient tribe known as the Hanau epe who were ...

Life of Pi (2012), an adventure-drama film directed and produced by Ang Lee and written by David Magee, shares the story of Pi Patel. In Canada, a writer is told that Pi would make a compelling subject for a book. Pi recounts his experiences to the writer: being named after the famous French swimming pool Piscine Molitor Patel by his father and adopting the nickname ‘Pi’ during his secondary schooling in Pondicherry as a means of avoiding bullying. Growing up in a Hindu household, Pi becomes interested in Christianity and Islam at the age of 12, ultimately ...

The animated short film Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex (2012) was written and directed by Mark Walsh. In the film, Rex is worried about making a mess with bubbles and is scolded by his fellow toys, who call him ‘Partypooper Rex’. When Bonnie starts preparing for a bath, the other toys scatter, leaving Rex alone. But then Bonnie plays with him and her bath toys until it’s time to go to her grandma’s. The bath toys are happy to have a visitor but become sad when all the water drains out. Since they need water to move and don’t have any arms, they wish someone could refill the tub. At first, ...

Rio (2011), an American animated musical adventure comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation, follows the story of Blu – an orphaned male Spix’s macaw hatchling who was illegally brought to Moose Lake, Minnesota. After being discovered by Linda Gunderson, Blu becomes her beloved pet for fifteen years despite his inability to fly and constant teasing from Canada geese. However, when ornithologist Túlio Monteiro invites them to Rio de Janeiro to mate with the last female of their species, Linda and Blu embark on a wild journey. There, Blu meets Jewel – a strong-willed macaw who dreams of returning to the wild. But things take a turn ...

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011) is an animated TV special and an installment of the Ice Age franchise. It was created by Blue Sky Studios under the direction of Karen Disher. Set eight years after the third film and before the fourth, it follows Scrat as he tries to steal an acorn from a beaver’s food stash, only to end up losing all his treasure when it rolls away. At the same time, Manny brings out a special Christmas Rock from storage to surprise his daughter Peaches during a snowball fight with her friends Crash and Eddie. The rock holds sentimental value for Manny as it has been passed down ...

Largo Winch II (2011) is a thrilling French film based on the Belgian comic of the same name. Three years prior to his passing, Nerio Winch shares with his bodyguard, Freddy, that he has located his son, Largo, in a village in Burma. He instructs Freddy to follow him closely. Meanwhile, Largo saves villagers from a massacre perpetrated by General Min and his local militia. As he tends to the wounded with his partner Malunai, Frenchman Simon Ovronnaz arrives with survivors in tow. However, when Simon reveals he was hired by someone working for Min, the villagers turn on him and Kadjang suffers severe injuries after a confrontation with Largo. Consequently, Largo is ...

Sanctum (2011), a 3D action-thriller, follows the story of expedition bank-roller Carl Hurley, his girlfriend Victoria ‘Vic’ Elaine, and seventeen-year-old Joshua ‘Josh’ McGuire as they embark on a journey to the Esa’ala Cave in Papua New Guinea. Josh’s father, master diver Frank, has set up a base camp inside the cave where the team has been exploring for weeks. While Josh expresses his frustration towards his father and their differing views on cave exploration, the team prepares to venture into an uncharted section of the system. As Judes explores the new system, she encounters a problem with her air tank hose. This results in ...