Film

Roger Ebert’s Comments on The Last Airbender and Animation

Animation, Film /

It’s been established that I don’t really like film critics. It’s not a personal thing, for the most part, I tend to disagree with the way they review things. Having said that, I do hold certain ones in high regard, Roger Ebert being one of them. He’s pretty much seen everything at this point so he knows what he’s talking about when he says a film is pants. That’s not to say that you too will find it horrible, heck, he only gave one thumb up to How to Train Your Dragon and I absolutely loved it!

I am not certain whether or not Ebert is partial to animation or not, suffice to say that he does review almost all animated films being widely released. However, he is spot on with his review of The Last Airbender. He nails the movie itself, but his commentary on why it shouldn’t have been live-action hits the bullseye.

Leaving aside his thoughts on 3-D, the actors and the script, Ebert dives straight to what he sees a a fatal decision on behalf of the producers:

The first fatal decision was to make a live-action film out of material that was born to be anime. The animation of the Nickelodeon TV series drew on the bright colors and “clear line” style of such masters as Miyazaki, and was a pleasure to observe.

I tend to agree. Animated TV shows normally have a tough enough time succeeding on the big screen in animated form. To ask them to simultaneously make the jump to live-action is beyond even the best cartoons and Avatar is no exception.

Ebert declares his admiration for the clean, anime-influenced style of the cartoon. While it didn’t exactly set the animated world on fire, the show did draw deserved praise for its clever mixture of western animation skills and eastern looks. To the best of my knowledge, you can’t do something similar with live-action, unless of course your name is Quentin Tarantino.

Ebert also notes:

“It’s in the very nature of animation to make absurd visual sights more plausible. “

Which is why we can relate to a family with yellow skin and a talking sponge among other things. However, when taken to live-action, it is a tall task to ask audiences to accept circumstances and settings as being real. Sure we know they aren’t, but at least in animation we don’t expect them to be, in live-action we do. And no matter how technically perfect they appear, they still don’t seem real.

Would an animated version of The Last Airbender have been a better idea? Perhaps. It would certainly appeal to more fans of the original show and I am certain that it would not age as much as this new film surely will (think how old Lord of the Rings is starting to look, despite the bleeding edge technology that it used during production). As Ebert notes at the end of his review:

This material should have become an A-list animated film.

Except it isn’t. Let’s remember that animated films of animated TV shows make much more sense than live-action drivel.

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Initial Thoughts: Dreamworks Developing Troll Movie

Animation, Film /

Some toys are notoriously subject to fadism, where they seemingly overnight become massively popular before rapidly fade into the background rarely to be seen again. Remember Furbys? Yeah, like that.

It comes a as a bit of a surprise to hear that Dreamworks is developing a new film based on the (surprisingly mature) line of Trolls dolls. Things could go either way for the film. Some of you out there may well remember the 80s, where it seemed like every cartoon on TV was using a line of toys as their inspiration.

Creativity suffered as a result, writers and animators were limited by what the toy companies dictated the characters could and could not do. While people remember those cartoons with fondness today, in the grand scheme of things, they don’t hold a candle to the likes of SpongeBob Squarepants.

Personally, I believe that cartoons should drive the merchandising. They are a stronger starting point and allow for a far wider choice of products, or at least potential products. This case, however, is probably more closely related to Toy Story than anything from the 80s. There is an established set of toys (read, everyone in Toy Story besides Woody and Buzz) who can be worked into almost any story and have a line of merchandising ready to go.

It would have been ideal if Dreamworks would have decided to develop an entirely new set of characters. Time will tell which celebrities are drafted in to voice the little guys. Anyone want to give odds on Tom Cruise? The film has only just been announced so there are still a few years until we even see anything close to resembling animation. That’s an awful long time in animation and a lot can happen in the meantime.

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A Note on Marketing Animation to Adults

Animation /

This is a brief post, but the TV was on in the background with Last Comic Standing on. Long story short, there was a tie-in promotion for the upcoming film Despicable Me (which I posted about just last week). There was a fair amount of self-deprication going on, with the hosts going on about the “inevitable” promotion for the film.

It got me thinking though, here was a promotion (however silly) for an animated film in the middle of a TV show clearly aimed at adults (or at least teenagers). Now granted, was probably only to inform parents that there is a fun kids film coming out in a week or two, in which case it’ll probably do the job.

It’s been long known that putting advertisements aimed at adults (like those for lawyers, etc.) on during kids TV shows is effective. The opposite isn’t true of course, there aren’t many kids that watch Jay Leno, but there is no reason why we don’t see more kids films being advertised during adult’s TV time. I just wish it was a bit more inventive.

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Animaly Appraisal: Hercules Part I

Animation, Disney, Review /

Sooooo, having just finished watching Disney’s Hercules, here are some initial thoughts that will be concluded tomorrow. Released in 1997, Hercules continues the Disney tradition of releasing a “classic” film every year/couple of years which in the preceding years had borne witness to Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Pochahontas. Many people will agree that things began sliding downhill with the departure of Jeffrey Katzenburg for greener pastures prior to Pochahontas. I tend to agree but I would say that the slide was more the result of weak leadership rather than problems in the creative department. That debate is for another time. Today, I’m focusing on the plot, the songs and the background design. Tomorrow it’ll be animation, characters and character design.

Starting with the plot, the basic set-up is that Hades, the brother of Zeus hatches a plan to take over the world but first he must eliminate Zeus’ son Hercules. Through his incompetent minions who fail to finish the task, Hercules doesn’t die but instead turns mortal. We then get a short scene where we discover how he does not fit in with those around him. Once Hercules meets his father Zeus, he goes to find Phil, his trainer. After some training, Hercules is not a striking young lad with enormous strength.

Before he can become a true hero ad return to Mount Olympus, he must first prove himself. Enter Meg, whom he saves from a monster. As it turns out, she’s in the pocket of Hades because of some deal she did with him back in the day and must obey his every whim if she’s ever going to get her soul back. So, to wrap up the entire thing, the planets align and Hades begins his assault on Mounts Olympus. Hercules fights him and saves the day, only for Meg to die along the way and descend into Hell (or whatever the Greeks called it). Hercules offers to swap himself for Meg and in the process regains his immortality and becomes a god. In the end, he decides to stay on earth with Meg after falling in love with her. The End.

As far as the story goes, it’s pretty straightforward. There are no intricate twists save for Meg’s relationship with Hades. As far as being accurate goes, you’d bet better off watching that Chuck Jones Tom & Jerry cartoon. Of course there is no need for it to be accurate, it’s just a story. If we are willing to believe that a guy can lift a house, we can surely believe that Zeus put Hades down below instead of them casting lots for it.

One things that I absolutely loved about the story was the use of the Muses as sometime narrators and, well, muses! Although they make the film seem more like a play (which really changes the pitch of the film) they add some spice to what could have been just another movie.

Interestingly enough, this was the first Disney movie to be based on mythology rather than the usual fairytale. This choice of source material makes a great change from the many films that went before. No princesses in this movie! it is a shame that they haven’t really returned to it since as Greek plays have been a source of entertainment and creativity for millennia.

With that, onto the songs! I’ll just say it straight out, Aladdin is my all-time favourite when it comes to songs. With that in mind, I rate every film against it and while I try to remember that different films require different musical styles, I have yet to fins one that comes close. The songs in Hercules try to convey the many conflicting emotions being felt by the characters. Be it Hercules wanting to fit in, Phil debating whether to train another hero, the Muses montage in the middle, or Meg’s song where it becomes clear she’s fallen in love.

The key thing to all these songs is the singalongability™, which I would rate as OK. Granted the songs match the overall serious tone of the film, but you don’t hear people singing those songs for a reason.

Which lead me on to the score itself. Leaving aside the usual orchestral score that does its job in the dramatic parts, it was great to hear some stuff that could have come straight out of the 1950s. If you know your Ren & Stimpy, you’ll know that John K. resurrected a lot of similar music for his show. Which makes it all the more surprising to hear similar music in a film like this. Be it the clarinet solos, the blares of trumpets or the quick tap of a xylophone. They add enormous emphasis to the lighter parts of the film that could otherwise have been so easily accomplished with an orchestra the same as the rest of the film. This music serves to divide the film into two parts: the fun part and the serious part and makes an excellent, if somewhat sub-conscious contrast between the two.

Personally, I think we need to see much more of this type of music in animated films. The Incredibles score makes some fantastic use of 60s brass and percussion that equals the best that James Bond put out.

Tomorrow, the more interesting stuff. Like backgrounds! Characters! Character designs! (try and guess my favourite).

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I Have Arrived as a Blogger Thanks to Despicable Me

Animation, Film /

"Nonsense" you say, "surely you’re already a blogger, you’re blogging right now!" This is true, however today I received my first unsolicited e-mail chock full of promotional stuff for an upcoming film. Which film you ask? Why Despicable Me of course.

This post is not necessarily about the film however, we all know I’m looking forward to that, even if the teaser and trailer don’t explain all that much about the film. Nonetheless I will use this opportunity to dissect the e-mail in question and comment on the ideas presented within.

There is little doubt that it was sent to not only inform me of the new film, but also to get me to blog about it. Fair enough, although I was going to blog about it anyway, just not today.

First up is "Gru-gle", which is basically Google (geddit?) custom search with some fancy themes (hey, it’s even got Cinco de Mayo). It’s fun for about 2 seconds then you’re left wondering. Surely a custom iGoogle theme or something of that nature would have been more appropriate. Trying to divert people to a custom webage is a lot harder than simply persuading them to switch themes on their homepage.

Next up is "Grugle Earth" (geddit), which seems to be tied in with some marketing project where Gru’s "minions" will be scattered all over the country and you use Grugle Earth to spot them. Seeing as it uses Google Earth which isn’t on my computer, I can only vouch for the concept. Again it’s fun but it must be something for the kids. I’m certainly not too excited about it. The only thing is that it seems quite complicated for kids, especially younger ones. Maybe it’s just me and kids these days know how to upload photos to the web and such, but methinks adult help will be necessary for this one.

Last but not least, we have the obligatory web-based game, "GruTube" (geddit?) and the actual webpage of the film itself in addition to the now-mandatory facebook and twitter links.

How to rate all of this? Without going into too much detail, it alls seems to be the fairly standard movie-promotion stuff and seeing as this is the first film I’ve actually received something like this for, I can’t say for certain how it stacks up against the competition. That said, it was a pleasant surprise and it did encourage me to look into the film and its promotional baggage a bit more thoroughly than I normally would. Another pleasant surprise was a load of stills from the movie. From past experience, it can be tricky to come by really decent "official" images, so this will be great when it comes time to write about the film (hey, I’m doing that right now and guess where I got the pictures from)!

The only thing I would change, and I guess this is a bit more to do with this being a one-man operation, is that there was nothing in the e-mail explaining why I should blog about these tie-ins. I mean, I already knew the film was coming out, and I already presumed that there would be tie-ins, but there was no reason given that I should write about them, besides the suggestion that I should "check them out". The only thing that comes close to a reason given is that I can use Grugle Earth to find out where the "Min-vasion" will hit.

I’m not rounding on whoever actually wrote this, if anything, it did its intended purpose which was to get me to write about it, which I did, and it would have done an even better job it had plenty of reasons why I should have written about it. Perhaps it is just assumed that people will write about something, I don’t know, I’m not in that line of business. I’m just saying it would be nice to see something along the lines of something like this:

Hey, Charles (I would expect a formal salutation, mail-merge has been around for decades, there’s no reason for not using it if you have my e-mail address), we know you like to blog about animation an seeing as Despicable Me is coming out really soon, we thought we would send you some information in advance of the movie so you’ll know as much as you need ahead of time.

First off, we’ve decided to create "Gru-gle" (geddit) as a pun on everyones favourite search engine. Why not give it a go? There’s more to it than meets the eye.

Next up we have "Grugle Earth". As you probably already know, Gru uses his Minions for everything. Seeing as they’re aliens, we thought it would be cool to have a "Min-vasion" here on Earth! We plan to have them pop up in places around the country and use "Grugle Earth" to allow fans to spot them. You can find all the details on the "Grugle Earth" website.

Lastly, we also have a web-based flash game which we hope you enjoy as much as we did, as well as the actual website itself, which we’ve attempted to make much more enjoyable for kids to navigate while still giving parents and adult fans like yourself the information you need.

In addition, we also have the usual facebook and twitter pages that will enable you and your readers to keep up to date with the latest news in the run-up to the film’s release.

As a bonus, we have also included some promotional images that you can use in advance of the films release because there is no reason why you should have to go and find them yourself.

We hope you find this information useful and if you have any questions just let use know.

Sincerely,

Etc, etc.

A letter like that would be much, much more likely to encourage me to blog favourably about the movie. I’m pleased though, I never thought I would get something like this, at least not for a long, long time. 🙂

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Anomaly Appraisal: Tales from Earthsea

1 Comment / Animation, Anomaly Appraisal, Film, Japan, Review /

I read the announcement a few days ago over on Cartoon Brew but having bought the DVD back in 2008, it doesn’t matter that much to me. Having said that, I’d thought I’d post my thoughts on a movie that while from the venerable Studio Ghibli, is not by it’s most famous director but rather his son, Goro.

The movie is based on the series of books by Ursula K. LeGuin but differs substantially from the original material. The protagonist is Arren, a young lad who has run away from home after murdering his father, who just happens to be the king. He meets a wizard by the name of Sparrowhawk who saves him from a pack of wolves. Arren follows Sparrowhawk into a bustling city, where he rescues a young girl named Tehru from a bunch of tough guys rounding up people and forcing them into slavery.

The story takes an interesting turn with the entrance of Lord Cob, an apparently powerful wizard who is in search of the source of eternal life. Strange things begin to happen to Arren and eventually, it is up to Sparrowhawk to help rescue him, along with Tehru.

The film is vastly different from those we have come to know and love from Hayao. The plot is more complex and at times bizarre. There are many subplots presented that the viewer must contemplate while watching the film. Not that any of this detracts from it, not in the least. If anything it rewards the viewer in a different way than Hayao’s works. The plot does tend to wander though, and I suspect that about 15 minutes could have easily been removed from the film in numerous places to stop it feeling as long as it does.

The characters are not as easy to sympathize with as you would expect, Arren is, after all, a murderer. He is somewhat flat, as are the rest of the cast, but that is a minor quibble. The voice-acting talents of Timothy Dalton and Willem DaFoe (in a very quirky role, even for him) help make up the difference.

The animation is superb, with detailed backgrounds, dramatic cities and foreboding castles. The character design is recognizably Ghibli but perhaps on a slightly more muted level. The use of digital enhancements does not hinder the enjoyment of the film.

Is it a film worth seeing? Well, that really does depend. If you go into this film expecting a carbon copy of Hayao you will be bitterly disappointed. It is not near the same. Instead, embrace it as the different movie that it is. If you can get past the hurdles of a twisty plot and pedestrian pacing, you will be rewarded by a surprising ending. Personally, it took me two viewings before I could say I enjoyed it.

Below is the trailor for your viewing pleasure:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05sCTxnEs9Y&feature=player_embedded]

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Pixar and Sequels: A Mixed Bag

Animation, Film, Pixar /

I admire Pixar and all they’ve done over the last 15 years or so. They really do deserve all the success they’ve earned. They practically revived the animation artform and movies in general with their unique (and oft-copied) form of film that’s universally acceptable for kids with enough adult humour thrown in there to keep adults entertained.

However, I find it somewhat deplorable that their resolve is gradually weakening in relation to sequels. Toy Story 2 was a bit of a one-off, where the Pixar guys became disheartened at the prospect of what was to be a straight-to-video cheapquel and decided to redo the entire thing properly.

Since then however, we have heard announcements of a “Monsters Inc. 2” and “Cars 2” and, God help us all, an Incredibles 2 (although my faith in Brad Bird remains strong until I see something concrete). I particularly hate sequels. Not only do they stifle creativity (in fairness though, Hollywood, for the most part hasn’t put out something really creative in a long, long time) and inevitably ruin the spirit of the original. The only exception I make is if the film is part of a trilogy and such a trilogy is outlined before the first movie is released.

Pixar has a proven track record of releasing hit after hit. Why do they feel the need to go back and revisit old stuff? They employ perhaps the most talented and creative team ever assembled and I find it very hard to believe they are running out of steam after 15 years.

The vast majority of sequels are made with an eye on the bottom line. Sequels already have market recognition, and, if the original did well, the sequel likely will too (Evan Almighty is an exception, but then that was also just a bad movie). That’s why studios love them, they remove the fear of the unknown. Yet it is that unknown quantity that make movies so successful in the first place!

I’m sure that when the above mentioned movies come out they will do fantastically well and all, but I just can’t help but feel that with each one, Pixar dies a little on the inside.

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“Art of Books” in Animation

Animation, Book /

A recent development in the machine that is movie marketing has been to sell “Art of” books. This is a good thing, yes? For years, if an animated move came out, the closest one could get to seeing some static art was to either get a hold of the onesheet or buy the childrens picture book. I still have my Aladdin one sitting on a bookshelf back in Ireland.

I’m not sure where the trend began, but I do know that Pixar are the first company I remember releasing them. Of course, they have released some movies over the years with some terrific design and style. It’s only fitting that we see how things came together.

It would appear that the trend has been predominant in CGI movies, which isn’t at all surprising as that has been the dominant genre of animated movies over the last 10 years or so. I think that some of the art used to produce these films is even better than what eventually ended up on the screen!

The quality of “Art of” books can vary wildly. Case in point, the one I have for Spirited Away. It’s not so much an “art of” book as it is background to the entire movie. Over the course of 180 pages or so, one can see how the design for each scene in the movie came together. And to top it all off, you get the entire script at the end!

In contrast, “The Art of The Incredibles” is an altogether different affair. Not only do we get the backgrounds to the main characters in detail, lots of sketches, plenty of fantastic stuff by Lou Romano and a very nice foreward by brad Bird himself, there is also the entire colour script!

The flip side can be disastrous, for example the one accompanying Coraline. The movie itself is spectacular, but it would seem that money was skimped on the book. Not only are the artists not properly credited, the pictures themselves are horribly pixelated. Not something an “Art of” book should be like.

In my opinion, these books are indeed worth the paper they’re printed on. If you really like to see the artwork behind a movie, they are excellent value for money. I once held an actual sheet of paper that was used as part of the colour model for the scene where Mr Incredible jumps over the waterfall. Sadly, I did not have the necessary $5,000 in my wallet at the time.

Some are more worth it than others, that’s why it is important to look at a physical copy before you buy. Don’t rely on the preview images on Amazon.com. They only tell part of the story. Some websites, such as Parkablogs.com, have excellent reviews with plenty of photos from the actual books along with a written review and are well worth a visit.

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Re-Releasing Animation on the Big Screen

Animation, Cinema, Film /

The silver screen. Once the dominant screen for entertainment in the US, it fell somewhat dramatically with the arrival of television. However, the film industry remains adamant that their products are released to the local movie house first, just so that everyone in the food chain continues to get paid.

At least that’s how it is for mainstream movies. Hundreds of independent cinemas continue to exist throughout the country. Some continue to show the mainstream releases, but their numbers are few. Instead, let’s hear it for the independent cinema that shows independent movies!

The two I am most familiar with (the E. Street Cinema in DC and the Senator in Baltimore) show a diverse mix of film, both American and international. Personally, I like to promote the independent arts. Sometimes because the products are honestly better, but often because you can only find films you like in an independent theatre. I have to admit though, I am still ashamed that I did not go and see Marjane Strpati’s fantastic film Persepolis when it was playing at the Senator.

Anyway, onto my point. Wouldn’t it be a neat thing to show old animated films at such cinemas? Think about it, once a film finishes its theatrical run, does it ever get another? History suggests, rarely if ever. The exception so far seems to be mainly the Disney films. Fantasia springs to mind, as does Beauty & the Beast (although the latter is getting a no-doubt tasteless and pointless conversion to 3-D). The exception to this has been The Little Mermaid, which got trotted out again in the mid-90s only to crush Don Bluth’s latest release.

The reason I post is that I received an e-mail from GKids, the absolutely wonderful people behind the US release (have you seen it yet?) of The Secret of Kells and who deserve every success the film brings them. Eric Beckman is one hard working man I tell ya. In said e-mail, regarding their upcoming run of films at the IFC Center in New York, I noticed that Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece Spirited Away will be playing at the start of May.

I almost died when I found out that I can’t make it (I’m taking a later bus, stupid me). but it got me thinking. What if these independent film houses, and I guess it could run as sort of a national circuit or something, showed some old animated movies every now and again.

I mean, its technically possible, I’m sure prints survive out there somewhere, and everyone loves old animation (hey am I right folks?). Don’t you like to see movies on a big-ass screen? I know I do. Personally, I think there would be plenty of people who would line up to see The Aristocrats or The Jungle Book or even An American Tail again. You could even run some shorts before the feature. Tom & Jerry anyone?

Think how much money you’d make. The films are already paid for, all that’s needed is transport and/or copies and perhaps the requisite [ugh] license. Right?

Great! Everything’s sorted then. See you at the pictures.

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