Moses is the second son of the Pharaoh, a prince of Egypt. Or, at least, that's what he's always been told. But when a late night chase leads him into the Hebrew quarter, he finds that he is actually the son of a Hebrew woman, who abandoned him to save him from the Pharaoh's soldiers. He flees to the desert, but is called by God to return to Egypt and lead his people to freedom.

The animation in this feature is simply incredible. Using mainly hand drawing, with some computer assisted sequences, this is probably the most expensive animated movie of all time - $80 million was spent on production over two years. And it shows. In place of the largely static backgrounds endemic to most animated movies, Prince of Egypt instead uses much more mobile settings. Some parts of the movie are so well animated you'll think that it's actually live action.

The story sticks fairly closely to the events of Exodus 1:22-14:31 (with 32:15 as well). There are liberties taken, mainly for dramatic purposes. Most of the freshness of this version comes from the relationship between Moses and Rameses. Prince of Egypt emphasises the fact that they were brothers long before God called Moses. The interplay is well handled, and adds considerable depth to what would otherwise be a well-worn story.

This film is really worth catching, even if you're not normally a fan of animated movies. This film shows not only that animation can be a medium for adults as well, but that it can achieve things that just wouldn't work with a live action feature. In my book, this is one of the five best movies of 1998, and worth making the effort to come and see.

On a little farm somewhere, closer than you might think, a little pig is about to make a small miscalculation. In the way of such things, that small miscalculation soon becomes a large situation, with the little pig having to rely on his celebrity status as the world's only sheep-pig to save the farm and his friends. And so it's off to the big smoke for the little pig. A dark and dreary place where a pig without friends is as good as bacon, but a big hearted pig can go a long way.

Once again the people at Kennedy Miller have created a surprisingly good flick. It can be easy to forget how amazing the appearance of a talking pig was those many years ago, but even now they've combined an entertaining premise and plot, some good action and of course the talking animals, in a way that, although a little to the left of reality, leaves you unable to deny that things might just really work like that. Definitely worth seeing.

Cate Blanchett leads a cast in what Geoffrey Rush described as the "antipodean revenge" - artists from Australia and New Zealand telling the story of England's most beloved Queen. Unlike most versions of the life of Elizabeth I, which concentrate on the "golden age" of Shakespeare and Sir Francis Drake, this film treats the life of the Princess Elizabeth and her early days as Queen.

Despite certain historical inaccuracies (most controversially the Virgin Queen sleeps with Robert Dudley), this film succeeds in illuminating Elizabeth's human face. Instead of the venerable monarch replete with wig and ruff, Cate Blanchett is a terrified girl in fear of her life, an inexperienced queen dealing with the vexed question of religion and touchingly a woman who has to give up love to rule. The film depicts Elizabeth's evolution from innocence to the Machiavellianism that allowed her to retain her throne in violent and unpredictable times.

The makers of Elizabeth have done a superb job: the setting and costumes are immaculate and the sweeping score and clever cinematography add immensely to the powerful performances of Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes. They have always gone for the angle which is not the obvious one - thus this is a film that illuminates life, not just the sixteenth century mode.