JUNIMATION II: F*** YEAH!We're not even in the middle of 2024, and the year has taken a strange turn. Like, what are the chances that I would give two films featuring cats a higher rating than they likely deserve? Then again, what does one expect from a guy whose production company name is Rare Cat Pictures?Indeed, this was a truly delightful surprise. I watched this because I wanted to go to the theater, but I had already seen everything other than this one. I checked the RT is pretty high, the few major critics were being pretty positive, the director has done some major work as an animator on classics such as Aladdin, Lion King, The Little Mermaid, plus he was the producer and one of the writers for the highly underrated Surf’s Up! Then you got Zayn Malik (yes, from One Direction!) voicing two muscular hipster henchmen, Bill Nighy as this excentric, mustache-twirling villain with some weird a** plan that makes no sense, and Mo Gilligan, who apparently is kind of a big name in the UK or something, nailing it as our lead cat who has to learn how to appreciate life as he has to save his owner by reincarnating in different animals after his nine lives expired. Not only that, but there are some random references to pop culture like "The Walking Dead. There’s a scene in which a dog sticks his nose into another dog’s buttocks. Also in cat heaven, they have computers, and they use Word. Oh! And when you die, they burn you alive!And that’s not even the most surprising thing about this movie! Oh no! You see, everything about this movie gives the impression that it's a cute cat movie with some adorable moments that may or may not have made me cry. It revolves around a cat's journey to learn how to appreciate his life and the people around him. And to some extent, that’s the case. But this is just a façade for the real movie. You see, this is a bee’s propaganda film! The film begins with a call to protect bees. The main protagonist is passionate about bees and strives to immortalize them. The wicked guy’s plan involves bees. The big showdown has some bees. I'm serious; this is a bee movie masquerading as a cat movie! Beckett is only an excuse! Bloody brilliant!All in all, I am not sure if everyone would love this, and I can see how some may not, but as of right now, this is so far the biggest surprise not only of this year but in a long while. It has a heart. The humor is great. The premise is intriguing and well executed. Performances are great. It also conveys a nice message. I think this is something kids and adults may enjoy watching together or individually.JUNIMATION II: F*** YEAH!TODAY SCHEDULEThe Sword in the StoneOne Hundred and One DalmatiansThe Fox and the Hound10 Lives
