Briefly: Watch the Hollywood Reporter's roundtable discussion with the Animation contenders this awards season. Those in the discussion include Stephen J. Anderson (Winnie the Pooh), Jamie Beard (Tintin), John Lasseter (Cars 2), Chris Miller (Puss in Boots), Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2), Carlos Saldanha (Rio) and Gore Verbinski (Rango).
Make sure to watch all three parts of the discussion, which covers a range of topics, including the controversial "motion capture vs. animation" debate.
Enjoy.
Showing posts with label DreamWorks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DreamWorks. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Animation Roundtable features Lasseter, 'Pooh' director, and a discussion on MoCap
Monday, February 7, 2011
Brad Bird Officially Quits Animation (...kind of)
This past Sunday, the Annie Awards, an annual ceremony for the animation community, was held in Los Angeles. And, as was feared and predicted among us Pixar-lovers, DreamWorks Animation took home almost all of the awards, leaving just one for Pixar (Best Short - Day & Night).
Bigger news than that, however, is that Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and The Iron Giant, has officially quit the business of animation forever . . . well, sort of. Watch the hilarious video embedded above to see what I mean--it is his acceptance speech for the coveted Windsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award. (Oh, and jump to 4:30 for the actual speech.)
Great stuff!
Friday, February 4, 2011
A Great Interview with Guillermo
Guillermo Del Toro recently talked with NY Times' Daniel Zaleweki. The main focus of their discussion concerns his upcoming film At the Mountains of Madness, an adaptation of a classic story by H.P. Lovecraft which is being produced by James Cameron, but it also covers The Hobbit, Frankenstein, and even his childhood. The entire interview is incredibly interesting--the way it's written makes it feel like you're reading a detailed and flowing narrative instead of a simple interview.
It's easier for you to just read it than for me to try and explain it. Read it here.
Oh, and for a laugh, look at the below photo, which features Del Toro enjoying a Lakers game with famed DreamWorks dude Jeffrey Katzenberg. Although I hate seeing ol' Guillermo fraternizing with the enemy, it is an interesting dynamic to picture in your head...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
DreamWorks epic to star Hugh Jackman, Chris Pine
It has just been revealed by DreamWorks Animation that their upcoming 3D epic, Rise of the Guardians, will star Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Alec Baldwin, and Isla Fisher.
Peter Ramsey will be directing the series, along with co-director William Joyce who is the author of the upcoming series of novels The Guardians of Childhood, upon which the film will be based. Also worth mentioning is the fact that everybody's favorite ex-Hobbit director, Mr. Guillermo Del Toro is on as executive producer!
The screenplay "follows a group of heroic childhood legends, each with extraordinary abilities. When Pitch (Law), an evil spirit akin to the Boogeyman, lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world."
When announced in 2009, DiCaprio was set to voice Jack Frost, which has been taken over by Star Trek star Chris Pine. Other character's include the Easter Bunny (Jackman), Santa Claus (Baldwin), and the Tooth Fairy (Fisher).
This plot sounds rather cliché (and is just begging for awful jokes), and you know how I feel about 3D. Also, the star-studded cast is never a good sign--when a studio packs stars on the screen it usually always means they're compensating for something. That something is usually story. Still, I won't pass judgment on this project just yet; that isn't fair.
However, I will pass judgment once it's released on November 21, 2012.
(But, honestly, I'm way more looking forward to DW's Peabody.)
Source: Variety
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Mr. Peabody to get a new voice from Downey
Briefly: One of my favorite contemporary actors, Mr. Robert Downey, Jr., has been cast in a new film for DreamWorks, Mr. Peabody and Sherman. The film, of course, will be based on the original cartoon, which was a part of Jay Ward's classic Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Although I hope it will be as good as the following clip from the original show, I have my doubts--especially since it is coming to you from the writers of the recent Yogi Bear flop. Although, it is being headed by Rob Mikoff, director of The Lion King and Stuart Little. I just don't know what to think yet; I have so many conflicting emotions about this project . . .
Sunday, June 6, 2010
'The Men Who Would Be King'
If you look at Disney, etc. often, you'll know I am a Pixar and Disney guy, and not too fond of DreamWorks Animation as a whole. Sure, they have some great films such as Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, but, overall, their films aren't of the same quality as Disney or Pixar. Still, I love movies and animation, and am interested in all of the studios' histories and creative methods. Therefore, I am definitely going to pick up a copy of The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks. It has great reviews (here's one from Business Week), and apparently contains a lot of thorough research and animation history. Here's an interview with the book's author, Nicole Laporte. When asked if DreamWorks will ever surpass Pixar, Laporte comments:
The Pixar culture is the anti-Hollywood studio. It’s based in Northern California. They nurture these ideas over years. At Dreamworks, it’s much more about the way a live action movie gets made. You hire Judd Apatow to come in one day and write some jokes and punch it up. At this point, Pixar is head and shoulders above everyone. I don’t see them passing on the crown any time soon. But I think Katzenberg has seen the folly of his ways. I think he realized you have to let the artist be the artist.The book is available from Amazon now for $18.50.
Source: Cartoon Brew
Saturday, March 27, 2010
My Review of 'How to Train Your Dragon'
In 2006, Chris Sanders was removed from his post at Disney Animation Studios. Previously, he had worked on
DreamWorks Animation does not have a flawless record when it comes to their films. Over the Hedge was decent, but Monsters vs. Aliens was really awful. Shrek and Kung Fu Panda were great, but The Bee Movie and Shark Tale were just bad. I wasn't sure what I would think of How to Train Your Dragon, but was pleasantly surprised by what I did.
(Spoiler Alert!)
In the Viking village of Berk, killing dragons is a way of life. Dragons regularly raid the village for food, and the Vikings always retaliate, being lead by their chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). Every member of the town contributes to the cause of destroying the beasts—they all either fight or make weapons or keep the women and children safe. Well, every member except for Hiccup, that is. Hiccup longs to become a heroic dragon-killer like his father, the chief, but he is scrawny and weak.
During one of the dragons' attacks on the village, Hiccup tests a large catapult he's created and successfully takes down a dreaded Night Fury dragon, the likes of which have never been seen. The next day, Hiccup hikes through the forest and finds the fallen brute. Carefully, our hero approaches the creature with his knife drawn, preparing to cut its heart out to earn the honor and respect he's been dreaming of. But, at the last second, he decides to cut the ropes and free the creature instead.
Hiccup returns several days later and sees that the dragon's tail was damaged. Hiccup creates a new tail attachment for Toothless (what he has named the Night Fury), and very carefully approaches him to fasten it on. After some modifications, the new tail works perfectly, and Hiccup and Toothless quickly become best friends.
Being best friends with the dragon, Hiccup quickly realizes that everybody's beliefs about dragons are completely wrong. The Vikings think that the dragons are evil, brutish creatures who only live to attack and kill, whereas the truth is that the dragons are frightened, calm creatures who only fight in defense. If they're treated kindly, like Hiccup treats Toothless, then the dragons really are gentle beings. When the chief decides to hunt for the dragons' nest, Hiccup tries to explain that the dragons really aren't vicious creatures at all. But trying to change the beliefs of generations and generations of his father's people provokes an absolute war between the dragons and vikings, and only Hiccup and his faithful Toothless can end the madness once and for all.
(End Spoiler Alert!)
How to Train Your Dragon's story is fairly straightforward. There is an outcast who dreams of doing bigger and better things, eventually gets his chance to do so, and then succeeds. This universal plot outline is known as the Hero's Journey, and is followed exactly by How to Train Your Dragon. That's not to say it's a bad thing—almost every story follows the Hero's Journey in one way or another, and this movie managed to utilize the universal outline very well.
The most amazing aspect of this movie for me were the two main characters, Hiccup and Toothless. How to Train Your Dragon nails one of the most important aspects of any film: having a likable main character that audiences will cheer for. From the opening of How to Train Your Dragon, you want Hiccup to succeed. The filmmakers managed to make Hiccup a really likable and innocent guy that served the story well.
Even more amazing than that, though, was the relationship created between Toothless and Hiccup. The connection that this boy and dragon have is heart-wrenching and incredible, and is conveyed through almost no dialogue. Chris Sanders has turned the silent, strong relationship between a kid and their pet into an art form within itself with Lilo and Stitch and now How to Train Your Dragon. There are parts of the film when you forget you're watching a movie and feel genuinely frightened that Hiccup will lose Toothless. It is a truly remarkable aspect of this film.
How to Train Your Dragon had decent animation. Every dragon was unique and colorful and just plain interesting to look at. There were many different types of dragons, all with imaginative names and powers. One reason why I loved the dragons' animation so much was because of the amount of emotion the animators managed to convey through solely their eyes. Another aspect of the animation I loved were the settings. The forest, village, and volcano were all very detailed, colorful, and works of art on their own. Although the animators were very skilled when it came to the dragons and settings, they were fairly lazy with the Vikings. The eyes were lifeless, the cloth and hair were inorganic, and the characters' acting lacked believability and humor. It was pretty distracting for someone like me who appreciates great animation and is very particular about what they like, but I doubt that the average moviegoer would notice. After all, it wasn't that bad.
Another great thing about How to Train Your Dragon was its soundtrack. While I was expecting the usual rap- and rock-laden track that so commonly graces Katzenberg's features, I was surprised to find that this particular film didn't. Instead, it was scored by an orchestra. And, more than that, its score was inspiring, beautiful, and very relevant to the subject matter. The music really helped heighten the action and emotion, and also helped to transport you back to the times of the Vikings. I've already purchased the soundtrack, and love the score even without the film playing along with it.
As Forrest Gump might say if he reviewed films, “DreamWorks is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.” Some of their films are high-quality, entertaining movies worthy of Oscars while others are just embarrassingly awful. From the trailer, I couldn't decide where How to Train Your Dragon would fall on the Katzenberg Spectrum, but now I'm proud to say that it's one of my favorite films to come from DreamWorks. It is funny, touching, full of action, beautifully scored and animated, and imaginative. After seeing How to Train Your Dragon, Lasseter might actually think twice about letting Chris Sanders go.
I give How to Train Your Dragon a solid 8 out of 10. We can only hope that Sanders' next feature for DreamWorks, The Croods, is just as good.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
'Megamind' Teaser
Below you will find the teaser trailer that has just been released for DreamWorks' upcoming 3D, CG film Megamind. Here's the brief synopsis:
When super villain MegaMind (Ferrell) defeats his archrival Metro Man (Brad Pitt), the world should be his oyster. But instead, MegaMind falls into total despair. It turns out that life without a rival is life without a point for him. So, he creates a new superhero rival, Titan (Jonah Hill). Unfortunately, the new hero wants to be a super villain, too. Caught in the middle, star reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) asks the tough questions: Who can we turn to? Who has what it takes to stand up to this menace? Who will defend the innocent? MegaMind! That’s who.Here's the trailer:
Well, this looks terrible. The characters don't fit in their environments, the jokes are very contrived and not funny, and Katzenberg appears to be relying heavily upon the films' "star power," which is never a good sign. It may seem like I have something against DreamWorks, but I don't. I just have something against bad movies. And it seems like DreamWorks' three movies per year plan is resulting in awful movie after awful movie.
Plus, doesn't this seem an awful lot like Despicable Me?
This is only a teaser, and I'm not going to judge it completely just yet, but we'll see come November...
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
'How to Train Your Dragon' Trailer from DreamWorks
Above you will find the first official trailer for the next DreamWorks flick, How to Train Your Dragon. I'm still not sure what to think about it. The animation (or should I say MoCap), looks pretty decent; the people are certainly a step up from the rubbery beings from the Shrek universe. The dragon looks pretty weird, and I don't know about a main character named Hiccup, but at least I didn't see any pop culture references in the trailer. I hope that DreamWorks has finally decided to focus more on story than gimmicks, although the pushing of the 3D-ness of the film is not a step in the right direction. We'll see come March 26...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Oobermind and Other New DreamWorks
DreamWorks Animation has decided to challenge Disney by increasing film production to five films every two years. Here's the current line-up for DreamWorks from Blue Sky Disney:
March 26th 2010:
How To Train Your Dragon - “Meet Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, heir of the Viking chiefdom, but a boy with one very big problem: a hero he is not. “How to Train Your Dragon’ is the riotous story of Hiccup’s quest to hunt down the fiercest dragon, bring it into submission, and—hopefully—pass his initiation. Instead, he ends up with the smallest, most ornery dragon—it’s even toothless! Thus begins the hijinx of the world’s most lovable, unlikely hero and a most reluctant “beast.” Packed with energetic drawings and plenty of action, this boisterous tale is just right for fantasy fans or anyone with a spirit of adventure. Based on the book by Cressida Cowell.” Directed by Chris Sanders (you guys remember him, right?), and featuring the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
May 21st 2010:
Shrek Forever After (formerly Shrek Goes Fourth) — Directed by Mike Mitchell (Duce Bigelow, Surviving Christmas, Sky High). Shrek suddenly finds himself in a in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumplestiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it’s up to Shrek to undo all he’s done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.
November 5th 2010:
Oobermind (formerly Master Mind) - Written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, Oobermind is a satirical take on superhero movies (think The Incredibles), in which a notorious villain (Robert Downey Jr) who finds life a little bit boring after he accidentally kills his nemesis, good guy superhero Metro Man. Ben Stiller and Tina Fey are part of the all-star voice cast.
June 3rd 2011:
Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom (formerly Kung Fu Panda 2) — Longtime story exec Jennifer Yuh Nelson makes her feature directorial debut, in a story following continuing adventures of Po, the Kung Fu panda.
November 4th 2011:
The Guardians — Based on an upcoming book series by William Joyce, whose work inspired Disney’s Meet The Robinsons. Described as “a contemporary fairytale based on existing fairytale characters,” Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost and the Sandman team up to defend the world from a Bogeyman-like villain. Of course, the characters have been “somewhat renamed and massively reimagined”. The first book has a tentative release of Christmas 2010. Visual effects artist and animator Jeff Lynch makes his feature directorial debut.
March 20th 2012:
Puss in Boots — Shrek the Third director Chris Smith directs this prequel spin-off to Shrek 2, telling the story of Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). Salma Hayek will voice the female love interest named Kitty.
May 27th 2012:
Madagascar 3 — Directed by Eric Darnell (Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa), in the third film in this franchise we follow the animals as they travel this time to Europe as part of a traveling circus. Tom McGrath previously said that the would like to see the characters return to their home, the Central Park Zoo, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon.
November 12th 2012:
Not chosen yet, but it will be one of these three projects that are in development.
The Croods (formerly Crood Awakenings) - From Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco’s comes the prehistoric story of a man’s position as Leader of the Hunt is threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary new inventions… fire. Sanders about the project: “The idea of having all the modern conveniences and social structures that we’re familiar with gone and being left with just a pure form of people was really fun to imagine working with.”
Truckers — based on the first of the thee books in Terry Pratchett’s best-selling The Bromeliad Trilogy, which tells the story of the Nomes, a race of tiny people from another world who now struggle to survive in the world hidden among humans. They find an artifact known as “The Thing” which teaches them about their secret history and make plans to return home. The screenplay is being written by "Slumdog Millionaire" scribe Simon Beaufoy. The film has been has been in development since 2001, originally with Shrek director Andrew Adamson attached to write and direct.
Super Secret Ghost Project (working title) — A story that examines what ghosts think about humans. Hilarity will undoubtedly ensue...
I really liked Kung Fu Panda, but Monsters vs. Aliens was definitely a letdown. How to Train Your Dragon sounds like a decent idea, as long as they can execute it well and not rely too much on their newfound obsession with 3D (which will be gone in 5 years, by the way). I hope they don't ruin Kung Fu Panda's sequel since I loved the first one, but I guess only Katzenberg knows for sure.
On a similar note, when I went to a seminar by DreamWorks back in March, they told me they were working on a new film then known as MasterMind. But, seeing as that title is copyrighted, they have changed the name to 
Oobermind. I hope it'll be better than Monsters Vs. Aliens, but my hopes aren't too high as of right now...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Big Surprise: I Disagree with Jeffrey Katzenberg
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Jeffrey Katzenberg discusses the new 3-D "enhancement" that he is now adding to all future DreamWorks releases. He talks about how 3-D is "going to create a whole new immersive feel to (every film's) world".
I completely disagree.
It seems to me that Katzenberg, in addition to many people at Disney and other animation studios, believes that 3-D will be as big an advancement as color was to movies. In the interview, Katzenberg elaborates: "When color came along, Technicolor, in the 1930s, 10 years later, people stopped making movies and going to movies in black and white. Why? Because we see in color. We also see in 3-D. I do think it's more natural for us."
When did animation suddenly have to be realistic!? If I want to see something naturalistic, I will go to a live action feature. If I want to see stylized artwork and quirky cartoon characters which shouldn't be realistic, I will go to a two-dimensional animated film. If animated films continue going down the same path, they will evetually fail to transport us to different worlds since they are trying so hard to make what's on the screen match the real world around us.
And another thing, I think that it is completely outrageous to say that 3-D is equal to Technicolor in technological advancement. 3-D is a cheap device that doesn't enhance the film in anyway. Color allowed for more diversity, beauty, and realistic feeling to be displayed on the screen. All 3-D does is bump up ticket prices and make it so you get a headache if you take the annoying little glasses off.
I think that 3-D was brought back a few years ago by some marketers from who-knows-where who had a sudden epiphany while watching that member of Bif's posse from Back to the Future who wears the 3-D glasses, and realized they could charge moviegoers more money for something they could easily dish out: 3-D.
I'll concede that when 3-D technology is drastically improved to the point where the audience actually feels immersed in whatever it is they're watching, studios should (maybe) start making their films in 3-D. And even then, they should use the 3-D story-enhancing techniques that Pixar has already discussed for Up. This is the only way that I can see 3-D being a positive device used in films: if it helps to tell the story.
But even then, it is obvious that 3-D remains a marketing ploy which simply bumps up ticket prices and gives people false illusions that what they are watching is more realistic.
And do you want to know what the best part about all of this is? Jeffrey Katzenberg, in one point of the interview, inadvertently agrees with me! He said: "But (in) the vast majority of films, it is used just as a trick, a gimmick, a theme-park attraction, and it is meant to take something that is fundamentally not particularly good and put this sort of gimmick overlay on it as a marketing push." (Such as Monsters vs. Aliens, Mr. Katzenberg?)
See? Even Walt Disney used 3-D as a gimmick at one point, but quickly realized its many faults.I think that the past attempts at 3-D speak for this: the Golden Era of 3-D was from 1952-1955, after that it was revived in 1960 but didn't last for just over a decade, it was then revived again in 1980 but lasted only 4 years then was quickly forgotten about once more. After 1984, it was revived once more a few years ago and will, I believe be forgotten about as quickly as it re-emerged.
Bottom-line: 3-D will not be around in 5 years. I believe that people will realize (especially if it costs extra money to get into a 3-D theater) what a hassle 3-D is and what a cheap and empty gimmick it provides to an audience that can get just as good a story and visual out of a good old-fashioned 2-D feature.
In the words of Roger Ebert: "To those that compare 3D to sound: the jury is still out on whether 3D can expand the artistic field like sound or color. Can 3D be used in a unique way that brings the author closer to the subject instead of merely a showy gimmick?. . . What can 3D do that 2D can't?"
Sunday, February 1, 2009
WALL-E Ignored at Annie Awards
Briefly: The Annie Awards took place last night; they focus on the animation category. WALL-E, the top rated movie of last year, the Golden Globe winner for Animation, the winner of several Rotten Tomatoes awards, was ignored at this year's Annie Awards. Kung Fu Panda was the big winner this year with 10 awards. I think that Kung Fu Panda was an OK movie, but WALL-E was much, much better. Kung Fu Panda's sweep was also somewhat negative towards Pixar because it beat Ratatouille's 9 award record from last year's Annie Awards.
Whether this is due to the fact that Katzenberg (the CEO of Dreamworks Animation) is an unscrupulous guy with very deep pockets, or if it is due to Ratatouille's success last year, or if it is due to the fact that Dreamworks Animation was the main "Gold" sponsor of the Annie Awards, I do not think that WALL-E was given proper recognition.
Oh well, congratulations to all of the winners, and I just know that WALL-E will sweep the Oscars.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Kung Fu Panda Review
I just saw Kung Fu Panda, and it is much better than I expected it to be. There were several reasons as to why I expected it to be a failure:
- They needed an all-star cast to get people into the theater
- DreamWorks usually has cheesy, terrible pop culture references that are just plain dumb and unnecessary.
- The plot seemed very bland and common.
Based on the trailer, I gave Kung Fu Panda a 6 out of 10. Based on the actual movie, I'd give it, surprisingly, a 9 out of 10, which isn't half bad for a movie that Katzenberg was involved in. I recommend that you go see Kung Fu Panda this weekend, but, be sure not to spend all of your money at the movies quite yet, you still need to see WALL-E, Get Smart, and Tropic Thunder!
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