Far from mindless

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2002)

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is the most intelligent animated movie I've seen (I couldn't sit through Waking Life). The dead-on parody of the animated/musical stereotype (especially in Satan's song, Up There, which is almost a direct punch in Disney's face) layers beautifully with the fact that the movie actually IS a musical, not just a poke at them (demonstrated best by the climactic medley of La Resistance). Beyond the comic genius and well delivered jokes, the political satire and comment are first rate, and the plot in no way suffers for all the other foci of the film. The self-referential foresight of the story line shows how well-wrought the movie is from the get-go, and I love that, in the midst of all the subtlety and symbolism, Parker and Stone are mature enough to admit that we all love a good fart joke in the end.