Liars and Saints

  It feels like Susie and I have watched every animated film in history, in the past few weeks: "Anastasia," "The Great Mouse Detective," "Snow White," "Lego Batman," "Encanto," "Up," "The Rescuers," "The Rescuers Down Under," "A Cat in Paris," "Puss in Boots II," "Tangled," "Ratatouille," "The Incredibles," "The Jungle Book," "The Princess and the Frog," and more. It's refreshing to watch with an attentive small child, because she can teach you about moviegoing: Suspend disbelief, and actually enter the world of the characters. Somehow, this is easy in childhood--and it becomes difficult in your forties. Susie just needs to see one animated skull; this causes her to shriek, "Spooky!" and to cover her eyes. Another thing I've learned from this project: The makers of "Snow White" knew what they were doing. Adjus...

  In my house, we're watching many classic animated films, and some are simply better than others. I have a deep love for a movie whose title is a pun on the term "toy store"; the movie is "Toy Story." This is basically "Thelma and Louise." Two figures with serious flaws can become their "best selves" when an obstacle arises. Woody, a toy from the Wild West, must accept that he isn't as flashy or interesting as Buzz Lightyear, a new action figure. Buzz has problems, too: He believes that he really is a world-conquering hero, and as troubling "counterpoint" evidence accumulates, his sense of self becomes "slippery." Both stars of this film are asking: "Who am I?" This would be enough for a slow-paced indie film, but Pixar adds a curveball. The two lead figures are kidnapped by a psychopathic neighborhood child, who wants to roast them over a fire. They must escape--must trust each other--and must find their wa...