

So many things have entirely changed today. Is the present better than the past?

So many things have entirely changed today. Is the present better than the past?
2013-01-01
6.7
6.5A narrator sings the opening stanzas of the classic poem while we see the house at rest. Santa lands on the roof, comes down the chimney, and opens his bag. The toys march out and decorate the tree, with the toy soldiers shooting balls from their cannon, a toy airplane stringing a garland like skywriting, and the toy firemen applying snow. A blimp delivers the star to the top. Meanwhile, Santa fills the stockings. His laughter awakens the children, who sneak out. The toys rush to their places, and Santa escapes up the chimney just in time.
7.0Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this animated dark comedy.
7.4Exiled artist and poet Mustafa embarks on a journey home with his housekeeper and her daughter; together the trio must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in Mustafa's words will incite rebellion.
6.6Pluto and Pluto Junior are enjoying a lazy afternoon snooze when the playful pup tangles with a ball, a balloon, a worm, a bird, and a clothesline. Pluto rescues his son from a precarious situation, gets hung up in the process, but manages to land with a splash.
7.3Winnie the Pooh and his friends experience high winds, heavy rains, and a flood in Hundred Acre Wood.
7.2If Bugs Bunny were to direct his signature inquiry--"What's up, doc?"--toward the modern-day Warner Bros. creative team, he wouldn't be far off. For 1001 Rabbit Tales, they've doctored up a batch of classic cartoons featuring the carrot muncher and his bumbling comrades and bundled them, near seamlessly, into a feature-length film. Here's the premise: Bugs and Daffy, both book salesmen, are competing to sell the most copies of a kids' book. Instead of burrowing a beeline to his sales territory (he should have made a left at Albuquerque), Bugs ends up in the castle of Yosemite Sam, here a harem-leading honcho. Sam's pain-in-the-spurs son, Prince Abalaba, needs somebody to read him stories; Bugs, who'd sooner take the job than suffer the alternative, that involving being boiled in oil, signs on.
6.3Heart set on becoming a princess, Lisa Simpson is surprised to learn being bad might be more fun.
6.6Although not the first feature-length animated film, as is sometimes thought, it was the first cartoon to feature a character with an appealing personality. The appearance of a true character distinguished it from earlier animated "trick films", such as those of Blackton and Cohl, and makes it the predecessor to later popular cartoons such as those by Walt Disney. The film was also the first to be created using keyframe animation.
6.5The Big Bad Wolf torments Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.
7.2Bugs Bunny hosts an award show featuring several classic Looney Tunes shorts and characters.
7.2When things go bad in Beantown, top assassin Killer Bean is called to clean-up the mess. Detective Cromwell finds himself in the middle between Killer Bean and mob boss Cappuccino.
7.5Spider-Man and Daredevil team up to fight Kingpin.
6.6Cartoon worlds collide in this hourlong adventure starring whiz kid Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner from "The Fairly OddParents." When the boys duel over Cindy Vortex, it draws the attention of Jimmy's archenemy, Prof. Calamitous, who teams with Wanda and Cosmo, forcing Jimmy and Timmy to work together to save the world from the all-powerful villain.
6.3Donald Duck, delivery boy, is hired to deliver a mysterious package on Friday the Thirteenth. He is hindered by a bothersome black cat -- and by the fact that the package contains a live bomb.
7.6Christopher Robin's bear attempts to raid a beehive in a tall tree.
5.9An animated short film produced by Pixar included as a bonus on the DVD edition of the 2004 feature film "The Incredibles."
7.1Tom subjects Jerry to his usual harassment; but the cat finds a new enemy, and the mouse finds a new friend, in the canary of the house.
6.5Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu's greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.
7.2Phineas and Ferb become the galaxy's unlikeliest last hope when they must return the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance.
6.6Animal pals Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria are still trying to make it back to New York's Central Park Zoo. They are forced to take a detour to Europe to find the penguins and chimps who broke the bank at a Monte Carlo casino. When French animal-control officer Capitaine Chantel DuBois picks up their scent, Alex and company are forced to hide out in a traveling circus.