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Movie review: 'Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness' (2022)

Your rating: None Average: 5 (3 votes)

Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (trailer) is a 90-minute 3D kids animated adventure-comedy film. Released in 2022, it's important to note that this is an nWave Studios producion, a Belgian company whose output since 2008 has consistently ranged from "awful" to "thoroughly meh".

It's rare for their average IMDB score to go higher than 6 out of 10. This one was directed by Benjamin Mousquet and Ben Stassen, written by Dave Collard, and was very loosely inspired from graphic novels by Chris Grine.

I think Chickenhare has been the studio's... "best" work so far, but that's not saying much. Their second-best would probably be either The House of Magic (2013) or Son of Bigfoot (2018).

What I find fascinating about Chickenhare is that it's just on the edge of being okay. Most of its elements use well-worn tropes that you typically get in kids films, but other things are... different. Cheerfully absurd. It's not taking itself entirely seriously. It's solidly aimed at a young audience - but there's this odd, subtle undercurrent that only adults might notice, when they're not being bored. It's really difficult to put into words.

The Review Part VI: The Editors Should Probably Strike Back

Your rating: None Average: 3.7 (6 votes)

zootopia2.jpeg"Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was the most disappointing thing since my son."
- Mr. Plinkett

"Zootopia is definitely better than one of the most despised movies of the last decade!"
-some guy

Since we only had five reviews of the first Zootopia movie, you think not much else could be said about it, but, actually, it's been almost a decade, and Disney movies collect bad faith readings like Flayrah collects Zootopia reviews, and I'd like to address a few of those.

First, starting small, there's the "what do the predators eat?" thing which for some reason you still see bandied about like that's a clever observation, despite the movie's climax hinging the main predator character carrying a snack with him. Turns out, they eat food. Moving on, people like to complain about "copaganda", but, honestly, even if you accept all cops are bad, they have jobs that put them in dramatic situations regularly, so people are going to tell stories about them. That, and I've recently seen complaints that the Godfather parody glorifies criminals, so tie goes to the movie. The big one is the assertion that the main metaphor equates specific races (usually African American or black) with predatory species, when the metaphor is about minorities in general, and the movie does not specifically code most characters racially (though you could possibly argue the lead characters are pretty white-coded). An ironically bad faith defense here is that, when Disney racially codes an animal character, it's very noticeable, though they've mostly cut that out (mostly). Which brings me to the final complaint against Zootopia, which is that it is a Disney movie, and to that, all I can say is, well, nobody's perfect.

Zootopia 2 is the sequel to Zootopia, which makes sense. (The movies are also known as Zootropolis in certain regions, which makes less sense.)

Movie review: 'Mahavatar Narsimha' (2025)

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Mahavatar Narsimha (clip) is the first in an intended series of 3D animated films from India, with the goal of telling the stories of the ten avatars of Vishnu. Released in 2025, it's directed by Ashwin Kumar, written by Jayapurna Das, and produced by Kleem Productions.

First and foremost, this is a religious film that takes its spiritual roots from Hindu mythology pretty seriously. It clocks in at over two hours long, and honestly I didn't have the patience to watch it from start to finish. I don't think I can objectively review such a film. I don't know the mythology, the religion, the symbolism or the culture that it's based upon.

It's struck a strong chord in India, becoming its highest-grossing domestic animated film in less than two weeks! So that's a positive sign. Whether you should try watching it - I can't say. This review will be a short summary that points out the anthropomorphic beings that appear.

Movie reviews: 'Goldbeak' (2021), 'Dalia and the Red Book' (2024)

Your rating: None Average: 5 (4 votes)

Goldbeak (trailer) is a 90-minute 3D animated kids film. Although it came out in China in 2021 (original title: 老鹰抓小鸡), it's taken an unusually long time to get distributed, sometimes pretending that its year of release is more recent. It was produced by Liang Zi Film and Nigel W. Tierney, directed by Tierney and Dong Long, and written by Robert N. Skir, Jeff Sloniker, and Vivian Yoon.

In a world of mildly anthropomorphized birds, Goldbeak is an orphaned eagle who's raised by chickens in a rural village. He wants to fly, but most of the villagers don't help. They treat him as an outsider and eventually kick him out. Accompanied by his adoptive sister Ratchet (a gadgeteer genius), he makes the journey to the capital, the creatively-named Avian City.

Along the way he finds a mentor hermit who teaches him to fly. It turns out that Goldbeak is the long-lost nephew of the city's mayor. Then he wants to join the Eagle Scouts, an elite flying squad, but their leading member hates his guts. The mayor turns out to have sinister plans...

Review: "Forest Guard" – Comics, created by the Russian Internal Troops

Your rating: None Average: 2.4 (9 votes)

While the Western public is debating the rights and recognition of furry communities at the level of government politicians, the official power structure of the Internal Troops has created a real furry comics with direct government support. The first chapter of the three chapter saga of "Lesguardia" was released on June 2, 2022. This first chapter is entitled "Attack of the Pyros." Each chapter consists of thirty pages of narration about the work of the "Lesguardia" organization, which investigates the case of the "pyros" who are causing chaos in the city with their advanced technology. All of this is covered both from the perspective of the main characters and from the perspective of a squirrel reporter named Olga Orekhovna, who is also the news anchor for the fictional city of Dubrava.

To better understand the uniqueness of this comic, it is important to step back and consider the context. Since 2016, Russia has been home to the Rosgvardia, a military organization tasked with addressing internal unrest and urban protests. The meetings of furry fans for this government organization are also another goal, as any unauthorized gathering in urban areas without their permission is a direct violation of the law. This is why the furry community in Russia does not like the Russian National Guard, as they have banned them from gathering outdoors and even from walking together in the city. However, this dislike is not mutual, and as a result, a good furry comic book was created by the Russian National Guard.

Traveling to the Midnight Dimension - Furpocalypse 2025

Your rating: None Average: 5 (4 votes)


Furpoc door.jpeg
Furpocalypse 2025, in Stamford, CT, drew more than three thousand furries with the theme of The Twilight Zone. (Flayrah/Eberra Wolf)

More than 3,100 furries in the northeast United States converged towards downtown Stamford, Connecticut, last weekend for Furpocalypse 2025, according to the convention’s registration figures.

Furpocalypse Presents: The Midnight Dimension, the theme for this year, is an homage to the legendary CBS anthology series The Twilight Zone from 1959. Across the convention space were graphics inspired by the show’s distinct imagery, drawn by artists and guests of honor Hoosier Steyn and Clyde K. In the hotel’s restaurant, episodes from the show played on televisions; on the main event stage, a white door, emblematic of The Twilight Zone’s opening sequence, had been placed at the rear and brightly lit.

Once again raising money for Q+, Furpocalypse attendees pulled together $18,000 for the LGBTQ+ youth support organization. This is the fourth year in a row that the charity has been the beneficiary of the con.

The Colorado-based art group Animal Art Crimes returned to Furpocalypse with a multi-night popup in the underground parking garage of the hotel, sanctioned by the convention. During the charity auction, members painted on the white door, theatrically avoiding a black cat ‘hotel manager’ with a faux door made of cardboard. (The real door raised $1,800, consisting of a tenth of the total amount to Q+.)

Update 11/10 - Previous version noted 870 fursuit parade participants, it was 970 instead.

Tails Noir (aka Backbone) - A crafted visual story of a raccoon PI in over his head

Your rating: None Average: 5 (3 votes)

TailsNoir.jpgTime estimate: 8 hours
Available: Steam,PlayStation
Game Type: Visual Novel w/ World Exploration

It starts like most noir stories, with a raccoon private detective asked to check up on a wife’s spouse who she suspects of cheating. But what starts off a simple case may lead to something far deeper than the private detective had in mind. Tails Noir (formerly known as Backbone) is an exploration and visual novel-like game where you take control of a private eye raccoon as he investigates a local speakeasy-like club called the Bite.

Movie review: 'Night of the Zoopocalypse' (2024)

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Furry Halloween recommendation! Night of the Zoopocalypse is a 92-minute film from 2024, co-produced between Canada, France and Belgium by... quite a lot of animation studios (we'll get to that). It was written by James Kee and Steven Hoban, and directed by Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis.

This is an animated comedy horror film for kids. It walks the fine line between those genres with perfect precision (specifically zombie apocalypse), and it works! It appeals to adults too; I'm not a fan of horror at all, and I loved it! Rotten Tomatoes rates it 88% / 82%. I'm not linking to a trailer, because I'd like to keep some things a surprise.

If you're looking to introduce kids to the horror genre, this is the film to do it with. In the past I might have said - reluctantly - Coraline, from the Laika studio. Most of their animated films tend to get... dark, but I'd also say they veer into the grotesque, and that's not so fun. Zoopocalypse doesn't do that. It's got slobber and slime here and there, yet surprisingly, no blood. And still, it works!

The basic premise is that a meteor fragment lands in a zoo during the night, turning an animal into a contagious, evil zombie monster who soon converts most of the other animals, except for a small group who must figure out how to survive. There are no humans in the movie, aside from some families and one zookeeper at the beginning, who leave at closing time.

Anubis Lives: Reviews of Axcend and Zein The Last Pharaoh

Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

Screenshot 2025-09-25 3.59.00 PM.pngThere are few third-party publishers that don’t delve into cultural myth, since it’s pre-set lore that most readers are familiar with. It’s a public domain treasure trove; part of why it puzzles me that there’s such a movement to shove more properties into the status. A huge draw within, particularly concerning the community of fur, is certainly the Egyptian Death God, Anubis. Here are two distinct takes on the god from the world of comics.

Movie Review: 'The Bad Guys 2'

Your rating: None Average: 3.6 (12 votes)

thebadguys2.jpgThe Bad Guys 2, directed by Pierre Perifel, is the latest theatrical release from DreamWorks Animation, and is the sequel to 2022's The Bad Guys, which has gone on to become very popular with furries. The titular "Bad Guys" are a gang of "scary" animal ex-thieves featuring Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (voiced by Marc Maron), Miss Tarantula a.k.a. "Webs" (voiced by Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson) and Mr. Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos), plus Diane Foxington (voiced by Zazie Beetz), the current fox governor of the state of California and also secretly an ex-thief known as the "Crimson Paw", who, unlike the Bad Guys, was never caught. Having given up their lives of crime last movie, this movie begins with the Bad Guys living the trials and tribulations of ex-cons.

The movie is already available for digital purchase, despite the movie only being out a little over two weeks. However, DreamWorks Animation has been playing Moneyball recently, spending about half as much as most of the other major studios on their theatrical releases, so they've already made back most of their money domestically, and are in the black (more or less) counting international grosses. It's not a big hit, but it is a "base" hit, and that's what DreamWorks is aiming for. DreamWorks Animation has never gotten past the billion mark (Shrek 2, way back in 2004, was the closest), and the company seems to have accepted this fact. If anything, when they make a "big swing" anymore, it's an Oscar play rather than box office, like last year's The Wild Robot, which ultimately did not win (once again, Shrek is DreamWorks's only Best Animated Feature, despite being the second most nominated studio in the category).

But the point of bringing up this "inside baseball" bit about box office is that this has already been earmarked as a DreamWorks franchise. Ironically, they were bumped by The Wild Robot in the studio's logo sequence this year, but that seems to be more about DreamWorks wanting to avoid having them appear in front of their own movie than lack of confidence. I'm very confident there will be a The Bad Guys 3, and am looking forward to it, because both movies have been a lot of fun.

A review of BB Wolf and the Three LPs and the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

B.B. Wolf And The Three LPs

IMG_20250802_111509159~2_0.jpg

JD Arnold’s reimagining of the classic fable of The Three little pigs with the riveting illustration style of Richard Koslowski is certainly one of the best, and most overlooked versions. The novel takes the story so very far away from the original, using only its skeleton. Through realms suggestive of Alex Haley, Stanley Kubrick, Ralph Bakshi, and for sure a pinch of Stephen King, the wolf is the focus.

Here, he's a consistently-struggling blues musician intent on protecting his property and remaining family from the racketeering little pigs, who employ all kinds of legal loopholes to seize and destroy it. The pigs naturally have the law on their side (I trust I need go no further on that) and enjoy high profile connections with sleazy origins as far away as Chicago. That’s plenty of motivation for the wolf’s reported “villainy” when huffing, puffling, and blowing it all down.

It’s a strong study on class struggles and the clashes of midwestern culture that goes the “full Monty”, shall we say, with the intended allegory. Given current political and social climates, most readers are likely to find this entry at least a timely diversion.

Mom's Cat: Short Film from Hungary Captures the Furry Angst of Rejection

Your rating: None Average: 5 (3 votes)

Moms Cat.jpgMom’s Cat is an intense, yet quiet, short film by Hungarian writer/director Annabella Schnabel, who produced it for her diploma project at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest (you can watch a preview here). It has already garnered several awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the 29th Chicago Underground Film Festival, First Prize at the 19th Pannonfíling Film Festival, Best Short Film at the 8th Nefiltravane Kino Film Festival, and Best Young Director at the 13th Short to the Point International Film Festival. It was screened at several Oscar-qualifying festivals, such as the 70th Melbourne International Film Festival, 40th Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, 52nd Nashville Film Festival, and the A-listed 43rd Moscow International Film Festival, earning a spot on the 2023 Student Academy Awards long list. I had the opportunity to watch this 18-minute film, and I can say the plaudits are deserved.

VRChat gets clogged by dreaming furries attending Furality Somna

Your rating: None Average: 3.6 (5 votes)

The Court Yard.pngAs the sleepers awakened from their slumber in early June, a total virtual attendance count of 26,405 and a total of $109,000 was raised for the returning charity, The Center of Orlando Florida, at the 2025 virtual gathering of Furality. The sleep in the ninth iteration of the gathering was not always an easy one, with a VR Chat system outage during Saturday’s peak times. But in relation to the prior year’s experience, things actually went much smoother for the event itself. It continues to be a wonderful experience for people who like to explore new worlds, and the revel creation of their fellow eccentric dreamers.

This year we’ll go over the worlds and environment and their purposes, and other general thoughts now that I have been to two and can see the foundation and standard layout. Preliminary thoughts about Virtual conventions in general and their comparisons to real world gatherings can be found in last year’s Umbra review found at this link which remain generally unchanged in this passing year.

Movie review: 'Nimona' (2023)

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Nimona (trailer) is a 99-minute American animated movie released in 2023. It was eventually directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, with a script by Robert Baird and Lloyd Taylor (plus additional writers), and was adapted from a webcomic/graphic novel by ND Stevenson. Originally it was produced by Blue Sky Studios, whose parent company was acquired by Disney before the project was finished. Disney cancelled it, likely due to its overt LGBTQ+ themes, and closed down Blue Sky to focus on their own, pre-existing animation studios. Luckily, they were willing to let Netflix acquire the rights, and it was completed by DNEG Animation and Annapurna Pictures.

And I am the wrong person to be reviewing this movie.

In my years of writing reviews, this is the second time this has happened. The first time was when Kyell Gold sent me a copy of Green Fairy to review. By no fault of Kyell's, or the story itself, aspects of the book set off multiple buttons in my head due to personal experiences from my past. This caused my brain to mis-map story elements, and it didn't work for me. I tried writing a review, and I couldn't bring myself to publish it at the time. It wasn't fair to the book, nor to Kyell's writing craft.

And so now I'm facing a similar dilemma with Nimona. This time, I'm going to attempt a review, but without all of my internal brain slop. You'll be getting some of it, but believe me when I say I'm leaving a lot out. (Deep breaths. Focus on the positive.) At this point the film is two years old and I'm assuming that most folks here have seen it, so I'm not going to be shy about major plot details.

However, despite my personal opinions, let me be clear: If you haven't watched this film, it's worth a watch. It's good. It's just I'm not the audience it's for. And that's ok! I still appreciate it for what it is. Stop reading here to avoid spoilers.

Graphic Novel Review Banquet

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

On the menu today is: Cult Of (The) Lamb with a side of Science Dog.

Sound good? Well then, let's partake of a somewhat kosher dinner of allegory. Notice that these works have firm connections to other media. As is only right, we'll open with the appetizer.