Joaquin & Emiliano: The Rise of Marco

Joaquin & Emiliano: The Rise Of Marco is an upcoming 2021 Marcanese-American computer animated comedy film produced by Actors 3D Entertainment and Anaya Animation for Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures. The sequel to Joaquin & Emiliano: The Movie (and prequel to Marco), the film is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, produced by Chris DeFaria, and written by Kevin Costello. Set during the events of the first film, young Marco and his friends must thwart down an criminal organization who wants to take over the world. The film was originally set for a 2022 release, but due to COVID-19 and production issues with Marco 5, the film got slated for a summer 2021 release. The retuning cast is joined by newcomers Leslie Jones, Conrad Vernon, TJ Miller, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren. Jackie Chan, Constance Wu, Brad Pitt, Danny Trejo, Keanu Reeves, and Ken Jeong. Joaquin & Emiliano: The Rise Of Marco was theatrically released and released on Anaya+ June 4, 2021. The film was met with generally favorable reviews from critics.

Why It's Great

 * 1) Like the other Marco films and its 2018 predecessor, the film has very amazing animation, very nice visuals, and outstanding cinematography (most notably the Galleria scene).
 * 2) Marco & his friends are yet still lovable. The new characters are also very fun & entertaining: the Felonious 5 are very cool antagonists for the film, the Yang family is also cool, Elvis, Barbara, & Jared are good sympathetic characters, Joe Greed & the hippies are funny yet amazing, and Emely (who appeared in the first film's ending) & Mateo are adorably cute.
 * 3) The idea of making a sequel/prequel about Joaquin & Emiliano's (and the kids) backstory and how Marco became a spy is highly interesting and well-executed.
 * 4) Top-notch action scenes that are arguably the best in the Marco franchise (including the film's climax scene, the ninja fight scene, & the Galleria scene as well) along with excellent fast pacing.
 * 5) Highly hysterical comedy, among the funniest include Joaquin & Emiliano's wacky time travel scenes with the kids, the scene where the Yang family does disco rap, and the scene where Marco & the kids face the Black Terror. Just like the original film, the film also stays true to its main characters (despite having Marco at the center of the story, see BQ #1).
 * 6) The emotional scenes are very heartwarming, such as the bed & breakfast scene and the ramen dinner night scene.
 * 7) Several great 90s-early 2000s pop culture references & Easter eggs throughout the film (as this movie takes place during that time period) and there's also some nice nods to other decades as well, such as the 40s-50s.
 * 8) Surprisingly great voice acting, especially from newcomers Leslie Jones, TJ Miller, Jackie Chan, Brad Pitt, Danny Trejo, Constance Wu, Ken Jeong, Keanu Reeves, and Meryl Streep.
 * 9) Very fantastic & yet catchy pop soundtrack from Mark Mothersbaugh; the movie also blends in the rap, jazz, instrumental, & hip-hop genres very well.
 * 10) The film's themes of choosing whoever you want to be, depending on others' needs, and being responsible are very good.
 * 11) The film still has plenty of hilarious quotes such as "GET OUT OF MY CAR!" and "I'm a hippie, not a hippy"
 * 12) The Raven opening scene is very hilarious and the film's ending was decent but cute.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Despite the film being titled Joaquin & Emiliano: The Rise Of Marco, it actually focuses more on Marco than Joaquin & Emiliano, thus making him the actual main character of this film.
 * 2) There's yet some scenes where the film can get way too dark for a family film, such as the Black Terror & French Revolution scenes; the total amount of casualties in this film is... surprisingly high. Also, some action scenes can get quite intense for a PG rating.
 * 3) The plot can get somewhat convoulted at times, despite the film having a good story.
 * 4) Just like Marco 4, the animation can sometimes feel way too cartoony and over-the-top like an Hotel Cloudylandia film.
 * 5) A few unlikable characters, like Laura Greed & Herbert Heyst.
 * 6) Some pop culture references & items that feel out-of-place for the time period this film takes place, like for example, Air Pods & Instagram.