The staff of the Tides High newspaper braces for the worst when an earthquake threatens to turn their schoolhouse into an academic Atlantis. Though it runs a mere 77 minutes, entering into this first film from graphic novelist Dash Shaw may prove a tough undertaking, even for — perhaps especially for — a lover of animation. For starters, the deliberately cheesy cartooning is flatter than the paper it’s drawn on. (Think South Park with a bigger budget and a more DIY aesthetic, and you may have some idea, and hopefully some sympathy.) But if the image is limited, it’s Tex Avery compared to the determinate dialogue. The appreciative satiric nods to disaster master Irwin Allen (The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno) were the only bits that kept me going. (2016) — Scott Marks
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