Sightlines · a viewing thread

Candy-Colored Other Worlds

A run of maximalist, all-ages spectacles where stuck ordinary lives tumble through into a wholly built, saturated wonderland — watch these back to back when you want production design to do the dreaming for you.

Pure crowd-pleasers, none demanding: these are the four-quadrant confections you put on with family or after a hard week, spectacle-forward and warm rather than anything you need to steel yourself for.

• The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
• A Minecraft Movie (2025)
• Wonka (2023)
• Wicked: For Good (2025)
• Minions & Monsters (2026) — The animated confection to slot next to Mario and Minecraft — a manic, saturated all-ages romp where the Minions crash through Hollywood into a monster-strewn spectacle, warm and pure crowd-pleaser.
• Wicked (2024) — If Wicked: For Good is already in this thread, this is its first half — the same emerald Oz and gilded Shiz built to overwhelm, a maximalist saturated musical you put on the same night.