First Animated Feature of 2013 “Escapes” to Theaters This Week

It may be an understatement to say that 2012 was a good year for animation.  With 10 major features released in the US from 9 different studios, including a variety of genres and a good mix of CGI and stop motion, it was a very exciting year for animation fans.

This has only increased the anticipation for the year to come in animation, which is looking very promising as of now.  With long anticipated titles such as Monsters University, Frozen, Epic and The Croods; this year is sure to have something for everyone.  The excitement begins with the first animated wide release of the year: Escape From Planet Earth.

The film was made by Rainmaker Entertainment, an animation studio in Canada.  This is the studio’s first feature film, although they have released quite a few shorts which can be viewed on their website.  It is always exciting to see new small studios take the leap to the competitive environment of animated feature films.  The past ten years have seen a large number of studios do this successfully including Illumination, Sony and Aardman.

The plot of the film is no surprise given its title:  The story follows two alien brothers who are intergalactic heroes who have received a distress signal coming from planet earth.  Soon after arriving, they meet the human race and their new mission is to make it out alive.  From the trailer, it is clear that this movie will contain plenty of action, lots of gags, and no shortage of pop culture references.

While the movie seems like something we have seen before, with a plot that feels very familiar (Monsters vs. Aliens, Planet 51, even Monsters, Inc.) and an energy that is reminiscent of a movie from DreamWorks or Sony, this is nothing new.  However, the movie does seem to put its own spin on these well-known elements and seems like a fresh and fun offering.  The animation quality is one aspect that is definitely impressive, for a smaller studio that is new to the feature game; the effects in this movie look pretty awesome.

Escape From Planet Earth will hit theaters on February 14, 2013 and will feature the voice talents of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba and Ricky Gervais.  What are you expecting from Escape?  Which movie are you most looking forward to in 2013?