I have a confession to make. Last weekend I movie hopped. I was with my boyfriend and we went to see The Night Before starring Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Now don't get me wrong, that movie was phenomenal. Classic raunchy Christmas comedy, as anything would be with Seth Rogan in it. When the movie ended, it was only 7pm and right next door was The Good Dinosaur (Disney Pixar's newest movie) playing at 7:20. We decided to pop in, sit in the back and enjoy the easygoing film. The Good Dinosaur was also a great movie. I didn't last through the whole thing though, as sitting for 5 hours straight isn't really a hobby of mine. The best part of this whole movie-going experience however, was the Disney short at the beginning of our second feature. It's been all talked up and when it came on the screen, I couldn't have been more excited.
This Disney short is titled Sanjay's Super Team. Sanjay's Super Team leads Disney movies in a new direction. This is what I believe to be, the first time that Disney has covered religious topics in one of its films, intentionally and obviously that is at least. This story documents the bond between an Indian boy and his father. They are Hindu, and therefore Sanjay's father follows the ritual of meditation. He tries to teach Sanjay the importance of meditation, but Sanjay is preoccupied with his toys, coloring and television. However, once Sanjay sits down to meditate with his father, he accidentally extinguishes the oil lamp. As a consequence, he is a taken on a spiritual journey and meets the Hindu gods. Once he comes back into reality, his father is upset because he feels like he wasn't able to get through to his son. However, once Sanjay goes back to coloring, he draws a picture of the gods and presents it to his father. His father is ecstatic and we witness a major bond between the two. This is based off of a true story. Once again, Disney Pixar fails to disappoint!
Over the summer I saw the Disney Pixar film, Inside Out. I've loved this movie ever since and have been waiting anxiously for my next opportunity to see it again. However, the best part of this movie-going experience was the Disney animated short in the beginning, Lava. Disney is known for screening an animated short in the beginning of every movie they release. They are usually extreme clever and sometimes relate to previously released films such as Frozen Fever using context from the movie Frozen. Although I haven't seen a bunch of the Disney shorts, or not ones that I can remember, Lava makes me want to go back and watch all of them. Disney Pixar animation is notorious for giving inanimate or non-human objects life and these depictions go far beyond animals. Lava is so unique because it portrays a love story around two submarine volcanoes.
I know - sounds weird, but its got to be one of the most touching things I've ever seen. It depicts the idea of serenity and isolation, but the fact that love still exists in these circumstances. From the soft ukelele to its punny lyrics, Lava can't be compared to any other film I've seen. In fact, this isn't even clearly stated in the short, but the volcanoes actually have names reflecting the instrument playing the chords. The male volcano is named Uku and the female is named Lele. Together, their name creates the word Ukelele which further elaborates on the idea that they are meant to be together. I know, Disney can be a little bit cheesy sometimes, but I honestly feel that they think of everything and continue to be innovative. I can't wait to see what they come up with next and what kind of inanimate objects they bring to life.
This week has been a pretty difficult one and while laying around in my grief hasn't gotten me far, I will say that I relied a lot of films to distract me from my sadness. Ironically watching the film Inside Out, was more therapeutic than any phone call or text. Inside out is the perfect animation film describe human emotions and development. There's joy, sadness, anger, disgust, and fear (all of which are characters in the film) and all of which make being a grown up extremely difficult.
Here is the trailer for anyone who hasn't seen the film, there's excellent animation and the story line is probably the best I've seen in any children movie. Plus: The animators and designers really put in an extreme amount of effort and attentiveness in the every aspect of the film, like the 'command center'.
I learned a lot re-watching this film but mostly that sadness is equally as vital to our well-being, as happiness.
"Take her to the moon for me, Joy." This quote documents a very sentimental moment in one of the best movies I saw all summer: Inside Out. Inside Out is the newest Disney Pixar film that premiered in June of 2015. It takes place inside the brain of 11-year old Riley as she goes through a major transition period moving from her homey town in the Midwest to a foreign life in San Francisco. It is a definite breath of fresh air as it is unlike anything I have seen before. Disney does an amazing job of articulating a very complex concept (the human mind and emotions) for all audiences. Adults will get a kick out of it just as much as children and will understand it on a whole other level. The reason why this movie has such an impact is because it is relatable; we are all human and we all experience emotions, both good and bad. From the animation to the metaphors in this film, it is completely clever and creative.
The five emotions: fear, disgust, anger, sadness and joy are all given human characteristics and sit in a control room behind Riley's eyes. They see her life before her and adjust the controls according to how she should be reacting in certain situations. Joy is ultimately in charge, as Riley's goal in life is to be happy. Riley's memories are released from her brain as glowing balls, color-coordinated to her emotions. Her brain is an alternate world for the emotions to explore including places such as "the subconscious", "abstract thought" and her "islands of personality". The whole concept of the film is how Riley struggles when Joy and Sadness get lost outside of headquarters (which is where they control her emotions from). Controlling Riley's mind is left up to Anger, Disgust, and Fear. They are very lost on how to take control and result in Riley experiencing what seems like depression to her parents and new classmates. She dresses in black and has random outbursts of anger and disgust, but ultimately she is numb, lacking the two most common and important emotions we feel: joy and sadness.
This film is very psychological and gets into the real details of what we experience inside the head; some things we may not even be aware of. For example, "abstract thought" is a place in Riley's head where she thinks about concepts that are unreal or difficult to understand. When she is going through her rut, she has to comprehend the abstract thought of loneliness which is an unfamiliar situation after moving and losing her emotions. Inside Out is sentimental film that depicts the themes of family, loneliness and the importance of feeling all emotions: even sadness. It is a breath of fresh air from other kids movies as it depicts life and emotions in a very realistic way and on a whole new level of maturity.
Disney's new animated film, Big Hero 6, directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, left me giddy for the rest of the day after I saw it. Granted, I do tend to love all things Disney and animated films are my weakness, I truly believe this film is one that people of all ages and from all backgrounds would like. It has all the elements of a great animated film: relatable characters, humor, an intriguing plot, and, of course, beautiful animation. It is entertaining but also has a meaningful message. The healthcare robot, Baymax, is designed by Tadashi, a young man working at a Technical Institute developing new technology. Baymax is programmed to help those who are sick or injured. Looking like a floatation device or balloon that turned into an adorable creature, Baymax is the glue of the entire film. He holds everything together and makes the film special and memorable. He provides comic relief and conveys important themes. One of the most easily lovable Disney characters I've seen in a while, Baymax is kind-hearted and reminds us of good moral values. Who knew a robot could teach us things about how to help people emotionally?
The movie really takes off after a mysterious fire breaks out causing tragic events. The main character, Tadashi's younger brother and a fourteen year old genius, Hiro, uses Baymax to help him figure out the truth. Hiro and Baymax bring together Tadashi's friends, a group of extremely intelligent students, to form a high-tech, ragtag team of heroes. Hiro learns there is a fine line between justice and revenge, and this is a major struggle throughout the movie. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune explains another great thing about the film: "Without making a big deal out of it, "Big Hero 6" features a shrewdly balanced and engaging group of male and female characters of various ethnic backgrounds. It'd be nice to live in a world where this wasn't worth a mention, but it is. And yet the movie belongs to the big guy. While Baymax has his limitations — "I am not fast," he says when urged to run by one of his human pals — somehow his face, delineated by two black dots connected by a straight line, expresses plenty of human emotion."
The beautiful animation is, as some would call, "eye candy." It's stunning and fun to watch, just for the colors and backgrounds. I immediately wanted to watch Big Hero 6 again after it was over (although that may be just my obsession with animated films talking).
Big Hero 6 first appeared as a Marvel Comic book series in 1998. It was unpopular compared to Marvel's other comic book series and was soon forgotten, until now. This is the first animated Disney movie based on a Marvel Comic, and I'm sure it won't be the last. With the lovable characters, humor, exciting story, and breath-taking animation, there are so many reasons why you should see Big Hero 6. Disney and Marvel lovers alike will relish in this heart-warming film. Oh - and for the Marvel fans out there - you may want to wait until after the credits to leave.
Take a second and let this fact sink in: The Academy Awards have been around for 86 years, and over that entire stretch of time, an animated film has been nominated for best picture only 3 times. Full-feature animated films weren't around until 1937 when Walt Disney's Snow White blew everyone out of the water, but over those 77 years, the only animated movies to get recognized as having the potential to be the best film of the year were Beauty and the Beast, Up, and Toy Story 3. I'll buy the first two losses - Silence of the Lambs beat out Beast and the Hurt Locker beat Up, both really good films - but if you're trying to tell me that the King's Speech is better than Toy Story 3 in any single regard (apart from maybe the use of the word "fuck") than you're a liar and I hate you.
We're currently in the midst of an animated film "revival," of sorts, and I for one couldn't be more excited. Disney, in particular, is really hitting their stride with a string of great animated films, including Frozen, Wreck-it Ralph, and this year's Big Hero 6. There's some big films coming from Pixar too; they may have taken a few missteps by greenlighting unnecessary sequels to Cars and Monster's Inc, but they've got movies in the works about dinosaurs and emotions (which has the potential to be their best yet) that both look pretty incredible.
The question is: are they Oscar worthy? Academy voters tend to shy away from anything that's too - for lack of a better word - different. It's the same reason that Birdman probably won't win best picture this year; these movies are dangerous. The voters want something safe, like Colin Firth as a king with a speech impediment or literally any other British actor doing Britishy things; they don't want Michael Keaton marching in his underwear through times square or anthropomorphic toys teaching lessons about friendship, as sad as that may be. However, as the average age of Academy voters becomes younger (E.G. all the old people are dying), there's the potential to have more openness to the possibility of an animated movie taking home the big prize.
After all, there's nothing that "real" films do that animated films can't. I'm of the opinion that voice acting is still very much real acting, and story-wise, animated movies can pack as much of an emotional punch - hell, more usually - than traditional films. There's also more room for creativity. Sure, Matthew McConaughey can take a spaceship through a black hole, but Carl Fredrickson can attach his house to balloons and float to South America. We're willing to suspend our disbelief way more when we're watching animation, and this allows for basically endless situations and possibilities.
So, short answer, yes, I think it's possible that an animated film will win best pictures, for all that it matters. And I'm definitely not the only one. When it comes down to it, awards don't really mean shit; you should only judge a movie based on your overall enjoyment of it. That being said, I don't know anyone who hasn't immensely enjoyed a single animated film over the past 5-10 years, and I think it's about time the Academy reflected that.
Featuring the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel,
"Frozen" is the coolest comedy-adventure ever to hit the big screen.
When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna, a fearless optimist,
teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff and his sidekick reindeer Sven on
an epic journey to find Anna's sister Elsa, the Snow Queen, and put an end to
her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, a funny snowman named Olaf,
Everest-like extremes and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the
elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.
I am still amazed at the progression of animation and what is has become.This adorable movie is getting rave reviews, from both critics
and their audience members. One critic claims Frozen is “Beautifully
animated, smartly written, and stocked with singalong songs, Frozen adds
another worthy entry to the Disney canon”. On RottenTomatoes.com Frozen
received a 91% overall rating for people who enjoyed the loveable film. The snowman featured in this film, called Olaf is hilarious and I wish he was real. This film has adorable characters that everyone, young and old, can relate to.
This film is a must see, as it has a great cast an adorable plot
line. If the winter weather has got you down, go see Frozen and warm up your
chilly bones!
I grew up with Charlie Brown, as each holiday came my family and I would watch these classic films. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the compelling story of Charlie Brown and his quirky friends coming together and sharing Thanksgiving dinner together. This film was made in 1973, 40 years ago! It is insane to think this was created so long ago.
I think it is very interesting how much animation has progressed. I believe Charles Schulz was ahead of his time and created descriptive and intriguing stories. He was the definition of what a real storyteller is and his stories were instant classics.
The picture above is a clear depiction of how animation has truly changed and evolved at a rapid rate. Animation movies today are so real looking that at times I forget that I am watching drawn characters. Compare this picture to this adorable picture of Puss in Boots:
This picture is so realistic, compared to Charlie Brown and is almost three dimensional. "I absolutely love the modern day evolution of Disney and other animated filmmakers these days. The animation process continues to improve with magical and colorful visual effects, sensational facial expressions, and remarkable scripts" This quote is from an article I read called "The Evolution of Animation" and the author expresses that he loves the classic animation films, but also enjoys the modern day animations as well. The classics of older animation include most Disney movies, such as the classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".
The two pictures above are different styles of animation, however, in modern day we are using different and more advanced programs. The advancement of animation is incredible and amazing. I am excited to see what animation looks in another 40 years!
A film all about Disney World, shot inside Disney World, without Disney's permission.
This is "Escape From Tomorrow"
People shoot videos at Disney World all the time, often times documenting their vacations and the fun things they did in the park. There is no way Disney could ban recording devices from the park without a major backlash. But that being said, there are certain things that they don't want filmed, such as behind the scenes places or closed buildings. This doesn't stop people from trying to get footage, but Disney keeps a watchful eye to make sure they don't get very far.
A notable example of this is "Adam the Woo" (One of his videos is posted above), who has snooped around Disney with his camera so much, that they banned him from Disney World entirely.
So what would happen if somebody decided to shoot an entire movie there, without Disney finding out?
Well, one of this year's Sundance films did just that.
"Escape From Tomorrow" follows a father on vacation with his family at Disney World, and delves into the mental breakdown he has while in the park. The filmmakers got themselves under Disney's radar while shooting, using iPhones and handheld cameras as to not rouse suspicion. Whether or not Disney will try and keep this movie from bring distributed to wider audiences is unknown. Untill we find out, we have the trailer:
This summer, I got the wonderful opportunity to privately tour Disney Animation Studios. My sister's friend's brother (kind of confusing) is one of the animators. He showed us his office, which was awesome, and took us to some other cool places. We saw a new Disney movie in the works through the program he uses for animation. The new Disney movie, Frozen, is coming to theaters November 27th. It's Disney's first computer animated fully-fledged musical. It's about a Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) teaming up with a mountain man, Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) to find her sister, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel). Elsa's icy powers have trapped the entire kingdom in an eternal winter. It's a comedy/adventure/musical, so naturally, I'm looking forward to it. I am slightly skeptical, however.
Looking at the promotional artwork, you see Anna looks very similar to Rapunzel in Tangled. Her face dimensions look exactly the same; the only difference is her hair is strawberry blonde instead of golden blonde (whoa), and her eyes are blue, not green. Take a look for yourself:
Disney could be a little more creative. I loved Tangled but would like to see something different.
We also saw some pre-production of the movie coming out November 2014, Big Hero 6, which looks very different than Tangled or Frozen. So maybe that'll be a little more exciting.
All this being said, Disney Animation Studios has an amazing, creative atmosphere. They have different sections of the building devoted to different projects. With the projects that are in full swing, they decorate that area with the theme of the movie or project. I would really love to work for Disney when I'm older.
Since this is my final post, I felt I should end with one of my favorite movies of all time The Nightmare Before Christmas. Also it's good movie for this time of year to curl up with by the fireplace, where I assume your chestnuts will be roasting. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a post stop motion animation film that was created and produced by Tim Burton (before he lost his stride in my personal opinion). This film broke so many barriers at the time (1993), it was one of the first mainstream post stop animation films released (before it came Gumby and other less known shorts). Henry Selick (also known for Coraline) directed the film. Burton had no hand in any of the animation work because of Batman. The score and lyrics were created by Danny Elfman, a well known collaborator with Burton (Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Batman, etc).
Two useful items were invented during the making of this that would make animators lives a little easier. The first was a light alarm. This device would alert animators if any of the lights on any of the sets were down before they took the next shot. The second was a replacement system where in the animator was easily able to switch out a broken puppet for a new one. The Nightmare Before Christmas has created a cult following that gains still is growing to this day. I hope you take the time to watch this if not only to see the hard work and long hours the animators committed. Happy holidays y'all.
Over the break I watched Brave with my family after Thanksgiving dinner. It was a cute movie with a good message. I thought that the animation was very well done. Pixar has come a long way with their animation and this was by far one of their best animated films so far. My mom kept commenting how some of the shots showing mountain ranges and ocean bays looked almost real. The one issue I did have with this film was the fact that the scottish accents were hard to understand. I missed many chunks of dialogue and even considered turning on subtitles so I wouldn't miss anything important. I understand that they wanted to make it more authentic by using real scottish voice actors, but felt that they should have slowed the dialogue down or had the voice actors pronounce their words more clearly. I really liked the story and thought it showed a relationship we haven't seen in a while, the relationship between a mother and daughter. I watched it with my mom and Grandma (Mom's mom) and it was a nice way to end Thanksgiving.
Here is a behind the scenes look at the making of Brave.
A long, long time ago, in a boardroom far far away, George
Lucas had just sold the foundation for which his career is based off of, for
what seems like a small country to Disney. Four billion dollars, that’s how
much Mr. Lucas sold Lucas Films and all its properties, those include Star
Wars, Indiana Jones, among the more profitable ones. I could talk about what
this means for the future of a film franchise that was so ingrained in my
childhood, but no I want to talk about what George Lucas is doing with this
newfound mound of wealth. You would think that he would go off and buy an
island somewhere near Richard Branson’s, but no he’s giving it all back….to
education. Here is a quote from the man himself “I am dedicating the majority of my wealth
to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race,” Lucas
said in 2010. “We have to plan for our collective future — and the first step
begins with social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our
children. As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and
to adapt — as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility is
to continue to do so.” A lot of
fans give him a lot of slack for “ruining” Star Wars but I see him now in a
brand new light, and heck maybe Disney won’t f***k this one up.
As anyone who was born in the late 80's/early 90's can attest, our generation is pretty obsessed with the cartoons that Nickelodeon and other kids' programming networks produced in the early 90s. Ask anyone of our age group what their favorite 90's Nicktoon is and they will launch into a lengthy, highly detailed list: Rugrats, Hey! Arnold, Catdog, Powerpuff Girls, AHH! Real Monsters, Angry Beavers, Doug, Rocko's Modern Life, Dexter's Laboratory, etc. These shows have a special place in our hearts and minds mostly because of the purely creative, ridiculous weird quality each one had. Each show appealed to a younger crowd by being cartoons and having silly characters, but they also enthralled the older generations of teenagers with their not-so-secret dark humor and often adult satirical plot lines. Each show was made not just to create a profit, but also to entertain and impress. You can tell by the sheer quality of the shows that the creators loved their creations.
In the past decade, there has been a significant decline in the quality of children's programming. Starting with the introduction of Spongebob Squarepants* in 1999, a new era of kids' shows began. Gone were the days Oh Yeah! Cartoons and What A Cartoon!; shows like Disney's Phineas and Ferb and Cartoon Network's Ben 10: Alien Force began taking center stage. While Ben 10 was a mere marketing strategy to capitalize on potential merchandising opportunities (something Disney does best), Phineas and Ferb lacks an interesting story and funny characters. Both shows lack any creativity in regards to both art and writing.
To make matters worse, live-action programming became wildly popular around the same time. Shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark? and All That were excellent in terms of quality writing in entertainment, but this trend got out of control in the 2000's. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Jonas L.A., Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, and Hannah Montana are huge money-making schemes, only created to turn a profit. These shows, and shows like them, lack the "soul" that shows of the early decades had.
However, in recent years, networks have decided to start funding quality animation projects. Three main shows come to mind: Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Chowder, and Adventure Time. Each show excels in creating a new, interesting story world, engaging and hilarious characters, and pushes the boundaries on animation. The art, writing, and production values are back up to par with that of our beloved 90's cartoons. And the best part? The shows are actually popular! I think it has something to do with our generation leaking into these networks and building a support base for more substance in kids' programming so that when we start having kids, they can have the same great experience with cartoons as we did.
* Still a great show, but doomed in my mind for creating a path to things like Fred.
James Cameron's Avatar is a ground breaking movie that has brought a new look to the 3D movie industry. The amazing colors, graphics, and unbelievable sets are what makes this amazing and put on a different level than many other movies of today. But the topic of this weeks posting will not be about any of these specifics of this great film. This blog posting will be dedicated to the striking resemblance that Avatar has with Disney's Pocahontas.I was shocked just about as much as those who will read this are going to be when I am through proving this to you. I begin this comparision with the main characters. In Pocahontas John Smith is a white settler who has reached the new world of North America. He is a part of the large group of white settlers who have come to the Americas to explore and obtain the gold from the Natives that they have found a plethora of. In Avatar the main character Jake Sulley travels into the new world of Pandora through his own Avatar, which allows him to look like the Natives of this planet. Jake Sulley who is an ex-marine is sent there for research, but also has another mission getting this valuable substance called "unobtainium." This is an exact similarity between the two
Next there is the similarity between Jake Sulley and his new found friend Neytiri, who is very skeptical of his reason for being on her people's land. However after passing through a part of the forest where the Tree of Souls, which is what the people of Pandora base decisions off of, gave Neytiri a sign that Jake Sulley was trustworthy. This is the same in Pocahontas with the Mother Willow tree and John Smith.
The next similarity is when the humans attack the Tree of Souls to remove the native people from their home so that they could capture the unlimited supplies of "unobtainium"
This video above will prove the exact copy that James Cameron seems to be responsible for. As lazy as this seems after talking with my roommate he made the point that this is a common folklore narrative. What we have to realize about this film is that it was about breaking new barriers in the 3D world. It achieved that but I just think it is hilarious that this similarity was found, but it doesn't really matter because the films graphics were some of the best I have ever seen.
Freshman year, I took a class where we looked at different TV shows and critiqued on its aesthetics and presentation. One show that really jumped out at me was called Pushing Daisies. This Tv drama was like no other. The colors and patterns shown on screen really made an impact to the viewer. The creator of the show, Bryan Fuller, told several magazines and publishing company's that he was going for a "Tim Burton trippy" look, with bright colors and exaggerated patterns. the picture below says it all.
It gives the viewer an Alice and Wonderland look, with a twist of a cartoon fashion. Many shades of red and orange brighten the picture, and you also get a sense of symmetry in ever shot. The NY times say the show looks like a Candyland version of life. Even the plot has a fantasy feeling.
New, the town pie maker, discovered a special gift he had when he was young. He had the power to touch anything dead, whether it was a person, plant, or animal, and make it come back to life. However, the next time he touched him, her, or it, it would remain dead forever. Watching the pilot episode, I really thought this looked corny and stupid. But the characters really kept the driving the story. Ned and a detective pair up to solve murder mysteries to collect the reward for catching the killer. There is no Law and Order terms in this show, and the dialogue is funny and easy to keep up with. The music sounds like a fairy tale Disney movie, but for adults, setting the tone of every scene. This is a show I definitely recommend to all looking for something new to pick up.
