Touched By An Angle
Wednesday, September 24, 2003Earlier this week, someone bought me The Samurai Jack premiere movie from my wishlist. I had never seen it before, but always knew it was something I would like. And last night I purchased the new Disney Sleeping Beauty DVD.
One movie is a timeless fairy tale with a princess, a dragon, and chirpy forest critters. The other is a violent kung-fu action movie set in the future. They are different movies for different audiences, but they have one thing in common that draws me to them—the stylized art direction and character design.
Both films employ a very unique sense of design with sharp angles and stylized graphic backgrounds. More than most other animated films, watching these is truly like watching moving illustrations. The look of the films are unapologetically flat and two-dimensional and in this age of vibrant computer-generated 3D animation, this retro look (or in the case of Sleeping Beauty, modern) is a welcome distraction.
With traditional animation slowly being overshadowed by CGI, I think animation designers should continue to experiment with unique styles to keep things fresh. As poor as Disney’s recent films have been doing financially I give them credit for a few inspired designs, specifically the Al Hirschfeld-inspired stint in Fantasia 2000 and the Mike Mignola-styled character design in Atlantis.
The same goes for 3D features as well. If I want realism I’ll see a live-action movie. Animation offers limitless potential, and for a medium that’s almost 100 years old, there’s still a lot that can be done.
So keep pumping out singing animal movies.
I’ll be watching the Powerpuff Girls.
Zombie Claire says:
PS: I think that those ‘Piracy Is Wrong, Just Ask THIS MAN’ ads they have before a movie are targeting the wrong people because it’s totally the CGI NERDS who are putting Prop Guy out of business. There he is, with his tools and his paint cans and his little trucker hat, and guess what, all the things are being built on computers now. So why is he mad at the pirates? No dude, you have to rage against the machine, man. TOTALLY!!!
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Robot Johnny says:
I love how those ads try to make us believe that it’s NOT the big studios who care. Like it wasn’t the studio that decided to even make that ad.... Like Chuck the Set Painter grabbed all his union cronies and pleaded with the studio to let them tell their story to the people of America.
“Don’t do it for us, Chief! Do it for the red, white, and blue!”
fink says:
You know what absolutely KILLS me about that ad?
I’ve just bought a ticket to see a movie, I have just overpaid for popcorn (with butter, thank you) and a 7-Up (or Sprite if that’s what they have, I’m not that fussy) and then I have to sit through some guy giving me a guilt trip about not paying to see a movie in a theatre.
Talk about preaching to the converted!
The other way to think about it is kind of like what Zombie Claire is saying.
It’s the CGI people who are putting him out of business.
Its the CGI-laden movies that people usually download.
If people keep downloading the CGI movies, then it will be harder for them to turn a profit, therefore it will be harder for the producers to get a greenlight for a movie with tonnes of CGI.
The end result is we will get more movies with smaller budgets, real sets, and more painting jobs for buddy.
So what’s his problem? Either I have already paid in to see his stupid ad, or I am downloading a movie, thereby ensuring him (in the long run) a healthy and stable career.
Seems to me, its all sunshine and lollipops for him in the future.
Zombie Claire says:
Sleeping Beauty is good, but the best and always best is ROBIN HOOD!!!!!
PS: Re: CGI I’m sick of looking at it too. We saw Bulletproof Monk the other day and there was a scene where Chow Yun Fat is fighting this other monk on a rope bridge and it’s ALL CGI, the bridge the background. HELLO, remember the days when you just got the props guy to make a rope bridge? It worked for INDY, who are you to say you are better than INDY, Bulletproof Monk, because CLEARLY, you are NOT BETTER than INDY.