I've been very busy with life and not able to post recently. But I did manage to take in some of the summer films.
I got to see From Up On Poppy Hill in the theaters. Which turned into a financial disaster for GKIDS and Ghibli. I'm not at all surprised to see that Ghibli has linked a new deal with Disney for US distribution. I actually enjoyed the GKIDS adaptation. It was funny how they ducked the incest taboo in the translation.
Monster's U was written to action movie spec. It was predictable and trite. It added nothing to the original. It's an example of everything that is wrong with Pixar these days. I found it sad. 1.5/4 stars.
Planes turned out to be the second best performing movie in DisneyToon's history after Return to Neverland. This was another spec film. The CG was middle of the road and the characterization is poor and full of archetypes. But I actually enjoyed it. For the intended audience of young boys it succeeds. 2/4 stars.
In the rentals department I've only picked up Epic. Which I was pretty disappointed with. Clearly a cookie cutter, by the numbers, CG film. I found it boring. Pretty but airheaded. 1.5/4 stars.
I'm still waiting for the first 2013 film to wow me.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Quick Hits from 2013
Labels:
Annimation,
Disney,
DisneyToon,
Epic,
From Up On Poppy Hill,
Monster's U,
Pixar,
Planes,
Studio Ghibli
Monday, May 20, 2013
Thoughts on the US release of From Up On Poppy Hill
I managed to see From Up On Poppy Hill in the theater this past week. As a result of film distributor GKIDS' inability to release a film nationwide, Poppy Hill has been touring the country a few movie theaters at a time. Since the film has been out a few years I had already seen a dubbed version of Poppy Hill a couple of times. Which allowed me to be able to relax and enjoy the show on a less critical level.
The English version is well produced and the voice talent sublime. I actually enjoyed the translation better then Disney's treatment of last year's Arriety. But while watching the previews before Poppy Hill started I had to shake my head. All of those animated sequels were going to make millions, tens of millions of dollars. While the movie I was going to watch is superior in every way, few would ever watch it or even hear of it. And it didn't have to be that way.
Poppy Hill had no marketing in the US. As a result the film made a depressing 900k. While last year's Disney release of Arriety made US19mm in theaters. Ghibli has been growing its brand in the US for more then a decade. They have won an Academny Award and had critical and box office success. But one of their most marketable films has gone nowhere. It is hard to imagine how any distribution deal could or should survive that level of performance.
Poppy Hill does have drawbacks. The film fails to utilize the animation media to enhance the plot. The art is effective without ever being impressive. The direction is adequate but overly cautious. It's hard to see why it needed to be animated at all since it in no way exists in the world of fantasy. Indeed, Poppy Hill could have been recorded as a live action film for much cheaper. But it wasn't. And I'm glad. Because Ghibli needed an accessible film. And they delivered.
As for the English dub, there were a few moments of language translation equals re-write. This was most obvious when the the original film delved into the taboo of incest. The translated version largely ducked the controversy. But overall the dub is true to the original subtitles.
The English version is well produced and the voice talent sublime. I actually enjoyed the translation better then Disney's treatment of last year's Arriety. But while watching the previews before Poppy Hill started I had to shake my head. All of those animated sequels were going to make millions, tens of millions of dollars. While the movie I was going to watch is superior in every way, few would ever watch it or even hear of it. And it didn't have to be that way.
Poppy Hill had no marketing in the US. As a result the film made a depressing 900k. While last year's Disney release of Arriety made US19mm in theaters. Ghibli has been growing its brand in the US for more then a decade. They have won an Academny Award and had critical and box office success. But one of their most marketable films has gone nowhere. It is hard to imagine how any distribution deal could or should survive that level of performance.
Poppy Hill does have drawbacks. The film fails to utilize the animation media to enhance the plot. The art is effective without ever being impressive. The direction is adequate but overly cautious. It's hard to see why it needed to be animated at all since it in no way exists in the world of fantasy. Indeed, Poppy Hill could have been recorded as a live action film for much cheaper. But it wasn't. And I'm glad. Because Ghibli needed an accessible film. And they delivered.
As for the English dub, there were a few moments of language translation equals re-write. This was most obvious when the the original film delved into the taboo of incest. The translated version largely ducked the controversy. But overall the dub is true to the original subtitles.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Summer Wars (2009)
I just watched Summer Wars from director Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time). It's an enjoyable ride with a great English dub. Summer Wars is fun geek romance set against a hacker attack directed at the internet. And they got the tech right.
While not directly the antagonist in this film, the US Department of Defense is blamed for releasing a virus that starts destroying core operations on the internet. This is the weakest part of the plot. It's never made clear why the DOD would be motivated to release the virus on the public. It's just assumed that of course the DOD would do such a thing; reflecting Japanese stereotypes of the US military.
Only the DOD never counted on a nerdy kid, his sexy (sorta) girl friend and her 90 year old grandmother. This oddball mixture comes together to fight the virus and defend humanity. Each brings a different skill set and Rolodex to the battle. Hosoda covers familiar terrority here, strong family values, celebration of pastoral life and respect for elders. Only Hosoda applies those rules to a family that lives in the 21st century.
Visually Summer Wars is hand drawn with CG cut scenes and backgrounds. It can be distracting to have a 2D figure standing in front of a 3D object and I really wish anime would move away from this mixture. Otherwise, the visual metaphors for the internet are amazing.
A fast driven plot with laughs and the odd touching moment.
3.5/4 stars
While not directly the antagonist in this film, the US Department of Defense is blamed for releasing a virus that starts destroying core operations on the internet. This is the weakest part of the plot. It's never made clear why the DOD would be motivated to release the virus on the public. It's just assumed that of course the DOD would do such a thing; reflecting Japanese stereotypes of the US military.
Only the DOD never counted on a nerdy kid, his sexy (sorta) girl friend and her 90 year old grandmother. This oddball mixture comes together to fight the virus and defend humanity. Each brings a different skill set and Rolodex to the battle. Hosoda covers familiar terrority here, strong family values, celebration of pastoral life and respect for elders. Only Hosoda applies those rules to a family that lives in the 21st century.
Visually Summer Wars is hand drawn with CG cut scenes and backgrounds. It can be distracting to have a 2D figure standing in front of a 3D object and I really wish anime would move away from this mixture. Otherwise, the visual metaphors for the internet are amazing.
A fast driven plot with laughs and the odd touching moment.
3.5/4 stars
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
My Top Ten Animated Features
I was asked recently on Twitter what my favorite animated feature is. My gut screamed Toy Story but then I doubted myself. So I put all of my favorite animated films on a spreadsheet to compete with each other in heats. Yes, I'm a geek. My gut was right, Toy Story won every heat, but just barely.
Below are my top ten animated features of all time. And yes they do seem to focus on more modern films. I am aware of and have watched the most significant (and insignificant) animated features. Disney does indeed have a great legacy. But that doesn't mean those classics are beating out the modern films when it comes to quality, art or story.
I tried to rule out "significance" to the genre as a factor in determining what the greatest films are. Determine for yourself how I fared.
Below are my top ten animated features of all time. And yes they do seem to focus on more modern films. I am aware of and have watched the most significant (and insignificant) animated features. Disney does indeed have a great legacy. But that doesn't mean those classics are beating out the modern films when it comes to quality, art or story.
I tried to rule out "significance" to the genre as a factor in determining what the greatest films are. Determine for yourself how I fared.
1 | Toy Story | 1995 | Pixar |
2 | Coraline | 2009 | Laika |
3 | Wreck-It Ralph | 2012 | Disney |
4 | Fantastic Mr Fox | 2009 | Fox |
5 | The Lion King | 1994 | Disney |
6 | Ponyo | 2008 | Ghibli |
7 | Rango | 2011 | ILM |
8 | Akira | 1988 | TMS |
9 | Kiki's Delivery Service | 1989 | Ghibli |
10 | How to Train Your Dragon | 2010 | Dreamworks |
Sunday, January 27, 2013
The Aristocrats (1970)
***spoilers***
The Aristocats is a 1970 animated feature, the last film to be green lighted
by Disney himself. The plot follows the
ups and downs of a Paris family of cats, a mother and her three kittens. Through underhanded means the family is
dumped in the French countryside to fend for themselves. An alley cat takes pity on them and leads the
family back to Paris so that they can try to regain their former status.
Aristocats is a gentle film filled with slapstick humor and music. The characters are believable, if a bit cliché. The villain isn't intimidating and there is
never much doubt that the cats can defeat him.
The animation is standard for its era but looks dated to the modern eye.
There is no bold social commentary in Aristocats. The rich are happy in their big houses and
the working class cats are happy in their flop houses. Dump the rich into the country and they will
continue to function as the landed elite.
While the cats undertake an arduous journey they are never transformed
by it.
At heart Aristocats is a romance full of cute cats that exemplify typical
gender roles. Little girls will delight in this film and boys will enjoy the
action.
2/4 stars
2/4 stars
Monday, January 14, 2013
Remake the Brave Little Toaster
I had a crazy idea. Pixar, Disney or DisenyToon should remake The Brave Little Toaster. The animation has not dated well and it always should have been CG. Since it was the film that got John Lasseter fired from Disney maybe it's time to square that circle.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Pocahontas (1995 - Disney)
Pocahontas is the 1995 Disney feature centered
around the arrival of the first permanent English settlers of North America in
1607. The story focuses on the culture clash between the English and the Powhatans,
a native tribe.
This was the first Disney feature based
on the lives of real people and centered around historical events. The story of Pocahontas is such an odd story
to depict as a children's cartoon. English colonization of North America is
obviously controversial. And the actual
history does not go well for either side.
Disney decided to handle the native/invader
conflict by adopting moral equivalence. The film shows both the natives and the
English to be war like and aggressive. From
a scientific perspective this is oddly sound.
There is a growing amount of evidence that when human groups clash the
outcome is not based upon cultural superiority but simply the geographical
origin of the groups involved.
From an artistic perspective Pocahontas
is always well done but never stunning.
The geography depicted all exists somewhere in the state of Virginia but certainly not at
the coast. The native females run around in very little clothing and the Englishmen are largely
interchangeable.
***spoilers***
The biggest flaw with the story is the
plot. Pocahontas does indeed save John
Smith from being executed, per the historical record. Although not before her beau is murdered on
camera, another Disney first. Despite
the violence, you never feel as if Smith is ever in any real danger.
Pocahontas and Smith then intervene in
the growing conflict between their two peoples and stop war from breaking
out. And in the end the English sail
off, leaving the natives in peace. The result
is a film that's anti-climatic and leaves the typical viewer confused. Because we were all taught in history class that
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement.
And yes, the film is a musical. And yes, the songs are pretty good, if you're
into that. Although I would state that
the earlier songs don't flow too well with the plot. But they sync up by the grand finale.
From a historical perspective, Pocahontas
is a whitewash on all sides. "So, mommy,
what happened to everyone after the movie?" was probably a very popular
question after kids saw this film.
Pocahontas was captured by the
English, converted to Christianity and married, wait for it, tobacco farmer
John Rolfe. She traveled to England were
she died of disease at the age of 21. Rolfe and
Pocahontas had a son who went on to great success. Their heirs include two First Ladies.
Governor Radcliffe, far from the bad guy
shown in the film, is ambushed on a trading mission and is ritually murdered by
the natives.
The Powhatan - after her father died, Pocahontas'
uncle took charge of the tribe and lead two wars against the English. By 1646 the tribe had ceased to exist.
The English - within two years almost
all of the colonists and their replacements had died
So Disney picked a moment in time, a
very brief moment, when everything could be left all perfect and happy. Right before everyone dies. It's too bad they skipped showing the plague. What song would they have written for that?
1.5/4 stars
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Frankenweenie (2012 - Walt Disney Pictures)
The critics loved this soft-horror flick
but audiences didn't flock to see it. And it's
hard to figure out what demographic Disney was shooting for here. It's visually interesting but, not
surprisingly for Tim Burton, it fails on story.
Although it's better than Corpse Bride.
Visually I like the film noir feel and
the horror references. But there were a
few times when the puppet movement took me out of the moment. Frankenweenie just wasn't as slick as other
stop-motion out there today. And
certainly not better then ParaNorman which it
is competing against in the Oscars.
***spoilers***
Frankenweenie mimics the original Frankenstein film. Only in Frankenweenie a boy, Victor, brings back to life his dog,
Sparky. And of course there is a dilemma
that only the dog can solve. In the end Victor makes a choice for Sparky that gives the movie the opposite meaning to
the original Frankenstein film. And that's
where it clearly fails emotionally.
In true Tim Burton fashion, only the
protagonist of Frankenweenie has good characterization. Which is a good way to sum up this
film. It lacks a soul.
2/4 stars.
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