Despicable Me 2 - 2013 ****

'Despicable Me' manages to boast a high scale of wit and graphics whilst also appealing to younger audiences. Not all animated films can do this. And the sequel to the first film can only be described as an improvement all round. Added to which, I have now become utterly obsessed by anything Minion-related (let's face it, they are the best thing about the film) and was overjoyed that the new film had triple the amount of minions that the first did. The music is great as well. And let's face it, we have all warmed to Gru a great deal by the second round.

Despicable Me - 2010 ****

'I'm having a bad bad day, it's about time that I had my way..' this song must have given Pharrell's career a big boost. And the film itself is hilarious as well. The main character is a criminal mastermind who inherits 3 little children to look after from an orphanage as part of his grand scheme and gradually overcomes his one-sided view of the world and himself to be a good father figure. It's light-hearted fun and the four little yellow creatures are adorable. Worth a watch.

Puss in Boots - 2011 ****

Before Puss's adventures with Donkey and Shrek, he was having quite a few adventures of his own after teaming up with Humpty Dumpty (an egg of unusual sorts) and Kitty Softpaws. Puss has been searching for Jack and Jill's magic beans his whole life, and so when he meets Kitty and is reunited with Humpty (his long-time friend from the orphanage where they were both raised) they decide to go searching for them, hoping to eventually find the golden goose eggs kept at the top of the beanstalk.

I must say that if it wasn't from Banderas, this film wouldn't be half the success it is. His voice matches the image you have of the cat and he's so perfect for the role. A spanish cat is spot on. The others are great, and there are many humourous moments spoofing well-known adventure films, as well as some very funny parts when we see Puss take full advantage of his 'feline' role.

It's a good story, and very enjoyable, and I don't think any of the other characters from Shrek could have carried a whole film on their shoulders. Puss is the best!!

Spirited Away - 2008 **** 1/2

I have never had the slightest interest in Japanese animation which is strange really because I love Disney and Pixar stuff.

However this was in my 1001 movies to see book, so I thought I would give it a go.

I have never seen anything so weird and wonderful in my life.

However I totally loved it and was gripped the whole way through except when my DVD skipped!

You can always count on Japanese movies to be totally bizarre. It was like watching a dream unfold before me and seeing all the strange make believe characters that you might imagine existed when you were younger.

The story is of a young girl who is in the process of moving to a new place with her parents, however after their car breaks down things start to go very weird and her parents, after gorging themselves on some food they find in an empty restaurant turn into pigs, leaving the girl to enter a strange world of spirits and monsters in an effort to save them. I cannot help but reiterate how amazingly weird it is, and I urge people to see it. It's a fable I guess, about living in the real world and escaping into a fantasy? Maybe Japanese people interpret it differently, but I certainly saw it that way, and it only added to my enjoyment. It's convinced me that I have to watch all the other Japanese anime movies I have noticed but never really taken much notice of.