5 Film & TV Trailer Explanations From This Week: #6
Toy Story, Detective Pikachu, Dumplin’, and more.
I have to say…this was a perplexing week. There were trailers aplenty for shows that were purportedly family-friendly, but none of them were conventional in any way, showing how studios have had to tweak their trailer-production for maximum virality in order to stand out among the competition.
After all, if not, how would we get this:
1. Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)
What is this movie about?
Based on a 2016 Nintendo video game by the Pokémon Company, this film aims to stretch our imagination of the hybrid live-action animated scene again, as per Who Framed Roger Rabbit back in 1988.
Here, we see a talking Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) team up with a new (i.e. not Ash) character called Tim Goodman (played by Justice Smith of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) to go on an adventure together to find his missing father.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
Oh boy.
Let’s break this down.
So it starts off with Tim feeling sad about his previous aspirations as a Pokémon trainer, with bonus wise man (and so far, the token Japanese) Ken Watanabe. He then meets our title character, who goes on a rant about how no one understands what he’s saying, except…surprise, Tim, who, understandably freaks out at hearing Deadpool’s voice come out of a Pikachu.
There’s a series of gags as they confirm that no one else can hear Pikachu speak, and then Pikachu drops the bombshell: he’s a detective, and he can help Tim find his father, Harry, who used to be Pikachu’s partner.
And off they go! It’s quite spectacular to watch the incorporation of Pokémon into the universe, as questions you’ve always had about their size and powers are answered. Yes, Charizard is huge and scary. Jigglypuffs can be angry. And Mr. Mime is still creepy as hell.
Why the hell should you care about this?
When this movie was first announced, I immediately filed it under the ‘random shit studios do, that I’m not going to spend money on’ section of my mind.
And now…I’m into it?
Except the part about Deadpool voicing Pikachu, sorry.
2. Toy Story 4 (2019)
What is this movie about?
Well, it’s a continuation of the Toy Story franchise, so, as per the ending of Toy Story 3, we’re now firmly in the Bonnie era (as compared to Andy, who has gone off to college).
This film, directed by Josh Cooley (the director of the Inside Out spin-off short film Riley’s First Date), was marred by delays and drama, as it was originally supposed to be released in 2017, then 2018, before (as of now) landing on 2019. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack were also set to be co-writing the film, but withdrew in 2017, citing ‘philosophical differences’ and Pixar’s poor track record of women directors.
Still, it seems as though it’s continued to chug along, with all original cast members on board (except Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, who passed away in 2017), and the addition of Tony Hale (from Veep) and Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (Key and Peele).
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
It’s a teaser trailer, so don’t expect much; it’s basically everyone happily dancing together, until we land on new character Forky (Hale), who is…a spork.
He has a complete meltdown over the fact that he’s a utensil, not a toy (even though he has pipe cleaner hands that make him into a handmade toy of sorts), and everyone gets dragged into the chaos.
Why the hell should you care about this?
Because Pixar released their own reaction video to this, featuring one of my favourite comedy duos, Key and Peele, making fun of it in the style of their Liam Neeson sketch, a day later:
3. Dumbo (2019)
What is this movie about?
Disney continues on its path of remaking their most famous animated movies with this version of Dumbo. What makes this interesting, though, is that it’s not a direct copy of the original 1941 film, which would differ from the 2017 Beauty and the Beast and the 2016 Jungle Book. Instead, it’s loosely adapted from the 1941 original, which was itself adapted from a children’s story.
However, don’t expect rainbows and elephants frolicking in the fields; when you have Tim Burton as a director, there’s going to be some twisted fun and laughter.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
The trailer locates Dumbo squarely within the circus life; he is brought up by a family (led by Colin Farrell) who find out that he can fly when he accidentally sneezes in front of the two children.
However, Dumbo’s mother gets taken away, which leads to the children promising our titular elephant to get his mother back. Of course, there’s a circus owner, played by Danny DeVito, and a circus act scene that references the original. The circus owner doesn’t seem to be the main villain though, as Michael Keaton comes waltzing through the trailer in full blond wig and creepy laughter.
Cue a huge fire, Colin Farrell having to make hard decisions, and Dumbo trying to fly again.
Why the hell should you care about this?
The funniest comment I found beneath the trailer was this:
And although it’s a joke, I think it also shows how much people miss Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, which redefined the genre at the time. Maybe this one will too (and if not, it should be fun to see whether children love it or hate it).
4. Dumplin’ (2018)
What is this movie about?
Based on a young adult novel of the same name, this film features Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald (from 2017’s indie hit Patti Cake$), and Odeya Rush (from Goosebumps and Lady Bird) in their best Southern accents.
The story follows Willowdean, or Willow (played by Macdonald), who decides to enter a beauty pageant when her beauty-obsessed former pageant winner mother (played by Aniston) pushes her buttons too far.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
Willowdean, who’s called Dumplin’ by her mom, is used to being the sidekick to her beauty pageant mom, who spends copious amounts of time blowdrying her hair and keeping her dresses wrinkle-free.
However, after one too many fat jokes (and the appearance of a cute boy who likes her), she decides to join the beauty pageant her mom presides over, as a protest.
Cue the audition scene and her sudden status as an ‘inspiration’ to other plus-size girls, which she tries to reject. She needs to learn how to perform, though, so her friend brings her to watch (and learn) from some drag queens, who, as we all know, have mastered the art, regardless of their size.
Why the hell should you care about this?
It’s a musical comedy film, with music by Dolly Parton (!), and reminds me of Hairspray.
Here’s a girl who does have confidence, put in a situation where confidence like hers is torn down. The story then revolves around her getting it back through watching others be themselves.
And we all know how Hairspray did: 8 Tony Awards, 4 Olivier Awards, a financial success that carried over to its 2007 film as well.
5. A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season Three
What is this series about?
This is the third and final season of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which is a black comedy-drama based on the series of children’s books.
I actually reviewed the second season here:
It’s a lot of fourth-wall breaking, self-aware jokes and situations, and it is also ridiculously fun to watch, if just for the dialogue.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
The trailer features Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris) and Lemony Snicket (Patrick Warburton) telling their versions of the events so far direct to camera.
The former, an aspiring actor and determined murderer of the Baudelaire children, is delighted to speak about his body of work, while the latter, watching over the children, is horrified at the trials that these children have gone through.
It’s normal stuff.
Why the hell should you care about this?
For one, this is the last season, so if you wanted to catch up, you could binge-watch the entire series now.
Also, this series is woefully underrated; it’s fun enough for children to watch and laugh, but the sophisticated writing makes for some tongue-twisting dialogue that adults will enjoy.
This is a weekly round-up of film and TV trailers. If you’d like to keep up, please feel free to subscribe to One Reel At A Time!
