18 Comments »   posted in Feature Film, Zarafa

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Is this the last stand of Disney hand drawn animation? Today sees the release of a new Winnie The Pooh feature film – the first Pooh film created by the Feature Animation team that includes veterans like Eric Goldberg, Andreas Deja, Dale Baer, Mark Henn, Bruce Smith and Burny Mattinson. Also on the the bill is the 2-D short, The Ballad of Nessie by Stevie Wermers-Skelton and Kevin Deters (How To Hook Up Your Home Theatre).

A.O. Scott in the New York Times praised it by saying: “It is not Cars 2.”

The Los Angeles Times was mixed, saying it’s an “awfully retro, fairly juiceless affair”, yet “a fitting tribute.”

Rogert Ebert says it’s “gentle and pleasing”. I saw Winnie last week and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed. If the goal was to recreate the feel of the late 1960s Disney features – the xerox line backgrounds, the sparse plot made up of random episodic sequences – they succeeded. It’s a sweet, fun little kiddie film, but ultimately an unnecessary addition to the Disney library.

The animation is what you’d expect and nothing more – though I did enjoy the acting of Dale Baer’s Owl a bit more than the others. Two special sequences liven things up: “The Backson Song” directed by Eric Goldberg, in which the characters describe the imaginary “monster”, visualized as colored-chalk stick-figures; and “Everything Is Honey” which imagines Pooh in a world of honey. The songs are nice, the voices are satisfactory. It’s a gentle little G-rated film and it’ll do fine on video. I just wonder if it will work as a theatrical. There are many like me who are rooting for it to succeed, including a Facebook group: Support Hand-Drawn Animation by Seeing Winnie the Pooh.

What did you think? Yay or nay? Go see the film and let’s discuss. Only those who have actually seen the film (and we can tell) may post in the comments below. All others will be deleted.

81 Comments »   posted in Feature Film, Talkback, Winnie the Pooh

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FIRST LOOK: Aardman’s “The Pirates!”

July 14, 2011 8:15 am

Lest you think Aardman Animation is abandoning clay animation all together, here’s our first peek at their 2012 release, The Pirates! Band of Misfits:

63 Comments »   posted in Feature Film, aardman, Pirates

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“Cars 2″ Runs Out of Gas In Its Third Weekend

July 13, 2011 1:02 pm

Last weekend, Cars 2 grossed $15.2 million boosting its total to $148.8 million. The film is currently on a pace to be one of Pixar’s lowest grossing films, and it will almost certainly be the studio’s least-attended film ever in the United States. Cars 2 is performing better overseas than its predecessor with $121.6 million to date, breaking Disney’s opening record in Argentina with $3.3 million and accruing $21.1 million to date in Mexico.

The film appears to be following a similar trajectory to a recent sequel from another studio, Kung Fu Panda 2, which also failed to meet US expectations but performed respectably overseas. Kung Fu Panda 2 has brought in just $159.3 million in the US after eight weekends, which puts it in the range of Shark Tale’s 2004 gross. The $400 million from overseas softens the blow, but the message is clear: 3-D or not, audiences in the US are tired of animated sequels that don’t have anything new to offer. That may not be good news for Happy Feet 2 which opens in a few months.

61 Comments »   posted in Business, Feature Film, Pixar, Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2

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New “Arthur Christmas” teaser

July 13, 2011 8:30 am

This fall it’s Spielberg versus Aardman, Weta vs. Sony Animation, Tintin versus Arthur Christmas:

48 Comments »   posted in Feature Film, aardman, Arthur Christmas, Sony Animation

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New International “Tintin” trailer

July 11, 2011 10:10 am

Spielberg says its “animation”. The Academy says it isn’t. I say the characters are creepy looking – but it feels like a fun “Spielberg-ian” roller coaster ride… so let’s wait and see.

(Thanks, Riley Phillips)

150 Comments »   posted in Feature Film, motion capture, Tintin

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