Tag: Animated

Top Ten Tuesday: Animated Science Fiction

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When it comes to animated films, most of them out there are comedies or fairy tales and usually targeted primarily at children. However, there are a few fine examples of animated movies, both for kids and adults, that tackle elements of science fiction. It’s a rare treat, but when done successfully the vast and infinite possibilities of the genre break open to awe the eyes and imagination. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday was inspired by Shane Acker’s new animated sci-fi flick “9” which opens in theaters on Wednesday, September 9. In line with that opening, we decided to compile a list of our top ten favorite animated science fiction films.

10. Fantastic Planet

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La planète sauvage, known in the states as FANTASTIC PLANET, was a French and Czechoslovakian co-production that came out in 1977. It’s a fantastic little social science fiction story that takes place on a strange and far away planet rules by giants. A race of tiny humanoids must fight for survival and for acquiring equal rights within their society. The story is a metaphor for race and class relations. The animation is a step back from what we’re used to by today’s standards, but is beautifully rendered and is a fine example of animation as art.

9. Monsters vs. Aliens

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What are the two oldest and most recognizable types of characters in science-fiction history… monsters and aliens. Well, in this case its MONSTERS VS. ALIENS. Maybe they’re not THE oldest, but pretty darn close and they even throw in some giant robot fun as a bonus. MVA does a great job of harnessing some of the old school charm and color that made the sci-fi classics of the 50’s so much fun. The animated film, which is perhaps one of DreamWorks’ best to date, is funny and smart, has great characters and successfully entertains the kids of all ages, adults included. The President of the United States: “Listen up! I’m not going to go down as the President who was in office when the world came to an end, so somebody think of something, and think of it fast!”

8. Lilo & Stitch

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This movie restored my faith in Disney films. One of the few developed from scratch projects, Lilo and Stitch is a heartwarming yet action-packed film about what it means to be a family. I love this move because it reinforces my personal belief that with enough love, patience and maybe a chainsaw anybody can change, even little blue evil alien experiments. It manages to wind an action and adventure film around an emotional story of love, loss and growing up. It is a must see for children and adults. Everybody should add this film to their “ohana’s” movie collection. See the film and you’ll understand!

7. Akira

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How far would you go to rescue one of your best friends? AKIRA is another classic anime movie that posses some interesting questions about the human spirit and about how far science should really go. It warns us that what we seek to create might actually be that which will destroy us, well not if Shotaro Kaneda has anything to say about it. Based on the Manga hit by the same name, AKIRA is a thrilling tale of loyalty and resistance against government abuse. A world where a leader of a motorcycle gang will risk everything to save a friend from a God-like power.

6. A Scanner Darkly

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Leave it to Richard Linklater to get Philip K. Dick on the money.   Not that BLADE RUNNER or TOTAL RECALL aren’t classics in their own rights, but A SCANNER DARKLY comes closest to Dick’s original visions than any other feature film adapted from his works.   A SCANNER DARKLY is a conscious, paranoia thriller that has just enough deep-seeded audaciousness to make it more than just your average sci-fier.   Told via Linklater’s usage of interloped rotoscope, a la WAKING LIFE, the film is a dynamic adaptation of Dick’s famed novel of dystopian futures, surveillance, narcotics, and the blurry lines between real and imaginary existences.   Aided by first-rate performances by Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, Rory Cochrane, and a stunning and unforgettable turn by Robert Downey, Jr., A SCANNER DARKLY is a great animated film, a great sci-fi film, and the first time in film history one of Philip K. Dick’s works makes the transition into feature film storytelling intact.

5. Heavy Metal

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The animated anthology HEAVY METAL, released in 1981, was an adaptation of a then-popular comic which called itself an “adult illustrated fantasy magazine.” There were eight stories in HEAVY METAL, all connected by a glowing green orb called the Loc-Nar. I was a fan of the magazine and was a bit disappointed in the film when it first came out. The comic’s dark and subversive spirit seemed watered down (the title character of my favorite comic strip “Den” was voiced by John Candy!) but the film did its best to capture the comic’s tone in its violence, profanity, sex, and nudity. I think the years have been good to HEAVY METAL. It still plays like an uneven mishmash of sci-fi and fantasy cliches, complete with Amazon goddesses with impossibly huge breasts, strange creatures and characters and weird sci-fi stuff like glowing green orbs but it’s crude style and iconic metal soundtrack now generate great nostalgia. HEAVY METAL was unavailable for viewing for many years (it didn’t even receive a VHS release until 1996) and it developed a cult reputation as a collection of garish fantasies aimed at every adolescent male’s desires for sex, violence, and rock and roll. It’s lived up to that reputation and that’s a good thing.

4. Iron Giant

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Brad Bird’s feature film debut, THE IRON GIANT, is not only a great sci-fi/animated film, it is one of the best films out there about human intolerance to outsiders and the fear that causes so much violence.   It is a better E.T. story than even E.T.   Bird weaves computer animation throughout the film, never letting it overshadow the 2D but utilizing it to enhance the overall picture.   Responsible, mature, heartfelt, and unyielding are just a few adjectives that perfectly describe Tim McCanlies’ screenplay.   His screenplay, the 1968 setting, and Bird’s breathtakingly, hand-drawn animation provide the perfect storm for an emotional film about one boy’s determination to help a friend and the humanity that comes from something neither human nor even biological.   This story and its messages could have easily been stamped into the ground in a lesser filmmaker’s hands, but Bird dances around the film’s meanings with surgeon precision and an acute eye for detail. A solid coming of age story with outstanding, 2D animation, THE IRON GIANT is about as serious and genuine a film about an alien robot can get.

3. Ghost in the Shell

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An animated science fiction classic drawn by guys who didn’t date in high school. G.I.T.S. is a police thriller that shows us a future where man and machine have become one in the same. This film asks some hard questions about what it truly means to be human. Especially when the human mind or ‘Ghost’ is no longer trapped in a flesh and blood body. How do you tell? It also asks the question about the classifications of artificial intelligence. When does a program become something more? When a program recognizes its own existence and yearns for freedom of its own, is it alive? The movie is a fantastic balance between thought provoking substance and heart pounding action, and a enough next generation technology to wet the whistle of any technophile.

2. Wizards

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WIZARDS was ahead of its time and its hard to believe it was made 32 years ago. Ralph Bakshi followed up his underground comics-inspired successes FRITZ THE CAT and HEAVY TRAFFIC with an extremely dark and visionary fairy tale of magic versus technology. WIZARDS takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where mankind is extinct and the creatures of myth and legend are setting about repopulating the planet. Bakshi’s concept of a nuked out Earth 10 million years in the future predated more subsequent sci-fi films than I can count. It’s certainly the first violent cartoon feature I can remember seeing and his use of rotoscoping stock Nazi footage is still startling. As movie-addicted teen, I remember seeing this when it was originally released (two weeks after STAR WARS!) and being completely transfixed. WIZARDS is a very Tolkien-esque fantasy and it’s no surprise that Bakshi’s next film was an (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to adapt LORD OF THE RINGS.

1. WALL-E

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WALL-E is considered by many to be one of the best animated films of all-time. Regardless of where you stand on that debate, the film is certainly one of the most accomplished animated science fiction films of all-time. WALL-E is not only a wonderful story of new found love, of opposites attracting, but it’s also a great sci-fi story touching on themes of environmental destruction and the human influence, combined with a little bit of artificial intelligence and robot/human relations. All classic sci-fi themes, WALL-E also features extraordinary visuals and sound design, detailed in it’s simplicity. The first half of the film is touching and funny, as we experience WALL-E’s daily grind as a refuse collector and organizer left behind on the devastated planet Earth. Humans have decimated the planet’s resources and livability, fleeing the trashed planet for a temporary colony in space while robots like WALL-E clean up their mess. The second half of the film deals more directly with the (de)volved humans, several hundred years after having left Earth, and their naive understanding of their own history. One of the best parts of WALL-E is the way in which the filmmakers illustrated WALL-E’s daily discovery of new things, playfully curious and fascinated with things we humans have taken for granted. The detail and care taken in developing this portion of the story truly makes WALL-E a cinematic gem.

Review: ‘Green Lantern: First Flight’

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DC has been pumping out a decent quality animated film based on one of their hit franchises every few months for a few years now. It’s been a great way for the comic book powerhouse to supplant their characters into the minds of children all over the world without having the multitude of live action film franchises that Marvel has been able to dish out. But the quality has been starting to dip as of late and DCs characters are starting to be the blame.

Green Lantern’s story starts with test pilot Hal Jordan being summoned to a crash site where a dying alien imparts on him the Green Lantern ring. This ring gives Hal the ability to do nearly anything as one of the guardians of the universe in the Green Lantern Corps. The Lantern Corps are like intergalactic police. Each member is given a different part of the universe as their jurisdiction and their entire job is to protect it.

It’s a pretty simple premise with a lot of cool visual elements to keep the story interesting. Not long after Hal is gifted the ring he’s pulled in by The Lantern Corps to see if he has what it takes to really use the ring. Humans apparently have a bad reputation and the Guardians, the race that created the rings, are unsure that Hal is the man for the job. Sinestro, another member of the Corps steps up and vouches for Hal, saying that he’ll take him under his wing and train him to see if he can handle the responsibility.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that a guy with slicked back black hair, a dastardly moustache and a name like Sinestro is obviously going to be a bad guy. It’s only a matter of time before we get the reveal that Sinestro is working for the bad guys who have a secret weapon to destroy the Green Lanterns. The worst part of the whole thing is that the secret weapon is… “the color yellow”.

The Green Lantern mythos has a lot of cool ideas behind it, and some really incredible characters, but it plays out terribly. I like the Green Lantern comics, but after seeing this movie and hearing the dialogue spoken it all just comes across as really goofy. The thing that stops the green lanterns is the color yellow? Well why? Who made that rule? And why the color yellow? Couldn’t have been another actual element that happens to be yellow? It all suffers from Poke’Mon syndrome of the simplicities of “fire beats wood, wood beats electricity, electricity beats water, and water beats fire and rock.” Only without any logic behind it at all.

I guess if I try to look past that, what I find is a pretty cool space opera full of betrayals, aliens and intergalactic war on the brink. But then I don’t relate the characters at all either. We’re never really given any time with Hal Jordan before he’s instantly thrown into the situation at hand. He’s not a well known enough character to just simply have a known back story like Bruce Wayne or Superman, so when the opening of the movie is the actual transfer of the ring from the dead alien Aben Sur to Hal Jordan, we get zero back story on who this guy is.

One of the major saving graces on this film is the incredibly well done voice acting. Hal Jordan is played by Christopher Meloni of Law and Order:SVU fame, and he brings a youth to the part that is some what surprising considering the actor’s age. My favorite character though was a member of the Lanterns called Kilowog who was voiced by very gruff and appropriate Michael Madsen. Unlike some of the previous DC films, I bought all the characters and was only bothered by one… Ch’p a talking squirrel who is also a Green Lantern, and played by David L. Lander aka Squiggy… It’s annoying as it sounds.

The animation here is the star though. It’s a cross between what was done in the previous films and a bit of the anime style from Batman: Gotham Knight. It’s a good mix and many of the characters are well designed. There’s a clean look to the entire film that’s just shy of theatrical, but better than a TV show. It’s a middle ground of quality with some pretty decent and well shaded CGI models rounding out the mix. It’s by no means ground breaking, but better than what most of the Marvel films look like. There are some great moments, but knowing that live action Green Lantern movie is on the way just makes you wish they would carry over some of the ideas.

In Case You Missed it Monday… ‘The Plague Dogs’

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Martin Rosen’s adaptation of the Richard Adams novel, ‘The Plague Dogs,’ is an underrated film, a hidden diamond of animation that doesn’t get as much love as Rosen’s other film, ‘Watership Down.’  ‘The Plague Dogs’,’ though not exactly a film you want to watch to brighten your day, is unflinching and Rosen’s animation is flawless.

Released in 1982, ‘The Plague Dogs’ was released during the latter years of a particularly noteworthy movement in animated films lead by the works of Ralph Bakshi. It was ten years after ‘Fitz the Cat,’ but animated films continued to move out of the Disney/family-oriented realm and into darker and more adult territory.  ‘The Plague Dogs’ is no exception.  It’s not R-rated.  In fact, it is rated PG-13, but that doesn’t necessarily put it into the “child-friendly” category.  Far from it.  When PIXAR released ‘Up’ last month, one thing that surprised me, and a few other critics, I might add, was the inclusion of a character bleeding at one point in the film.  If that is surprising now, imagine the shock on people’s faces in 1982 when they witnessed a dog accidently causing a shotgun to blow some guy’s face off.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Based on the Adams novel, ‘The Plague Dogs’ centers on Rowf, voiced by Christopher Benjamin, and Snitter, voiced by John Hurt, two dogs who are being tested on in a small laboratory in north-western England.  Early on, and through the good fortune of human error, the dogs are able to escape.  Finding themselves in the wild, the dogs attempt to survive, seeking a master but, ultimately, fearing all humans for the actions the “white coats,” as they are called, have done to them.

As with Adams’ novel, the dogs are the main characters here, and they are given human qualities such as communication and reasoning. In fact, Rosen goes out of his way to make the human characters of the story as much of the background as possible. We rarely see a human’s face, and, when we do, it is typically in shadows or angled so that we cannot make out any identity. Through Adams’ story and Rosen’s animation, we are put in the role of an outside, helpless as we watch the humans, at first, try to recapture the dogs and, later, make an attempt at hunting them down. Through this feeling of helplessness, Rosen and Adams have crafted an extremely pessimistic view of the world and what it means to be human.

At times, the dogs question their place in the world. When they first escape from the labs, they make an attempt at herding sheep, but they are quickly run off by the real sheep dogs. “They belong where they were,” says Snitter about the sheep dogs who run them off. Snitter and Rowf don’t belong anywhere, and their attempt at finding a place in the world grows more and more futile as the story progresses.

It is Snitter who has less of a sense of place in the world than Rowf. Snitter was once a part of a family, but his actions indirectly killed his master, and he was sold to the laboratory. The scientists there performed a number of surgeries on Snitter’s brain, and he is left in a constant state of perplexity. The surgeries have melded his conscious with his subconscious, and Snitter continuously questions what is real and what is only part of his imagination.

Rosen’s way of showing this sense of mystification in Snitter is brilliant, at first showing us one of the dog’s dreams. In Snitter’s dream, the world is black and white, he and his owner are in color, and, through his dreams, we witness the accident that took his owner’s life. Later on, Snitter’s surroundings being to flash in and out of different locations, and we even begin to wonder what parts of the dog’s environment are real and what is all in his subconscious.

However, even though his mental state is questionable, Snitter is the more upbeat of the two dogs. Rowf is the pessimist, always cynical and questioning of the world and those the two dogs encounter. This comes into play when the two bring a third animal into their party, a fox named The Tod, voiced by James Bolam, who knows the ways of the wilderness.

The Tod is an untrustworthy character. There are a number of times in ‘The Plague Dogs’ where it seems as if he is only out for himself. The only reason, as far as outer appearances go, he stays with the other two is to see what else they can do for him. Like Rowf, we question The Tod’s motives, and Rosen and Adams do an incredible job of keeping those motives from us until the latter moments of the film.

‘The Plague Dogs’ is a film that should be watched, and it should be commended. Not only does it tell an incredibally engaging story, but the animation in ‘The Plague Dogs,’ hand-drawn and without the usage of rotoscoping, is simply a masterwork. These were the days before computers made animation a much smoother art form, as it is today, and Rosen’s crew have done a flawless job here. Adams’ story is heartwrenching as it is delicate, and Rosen’s adaption of the story into film is equally adroit.

Though Adams’ original novel was no sunny walk in the park, Rosen’s film is much more pessimistic. Without giving anything away, I will say the ending credits, when they pop up, literally take your breath away.

There are two, different cuts of the film, an 82-minute cut and a 103-minute cut. The film did not garner much success in the worldwide box office, and it was edited greatly for release in the states in 1984.

When it was first released on VHS (only 8000 copies were made) in 1982, it offered the full 103-minute version of the film. However, in subsequent years, many cuts were made to the film. These cuts were mostly made for the sake of the running time, but there were a few scenes cut that showed some of the more graphic depictions of violence. One in particular was of a man who has fallen from a cliff to his death and who has been eaten upon by the starving dogs. The longer version of the film was released in 2008 on Region 2 in the UK. The film is attainable on Region 1 DVD, but it is the heavily edited version.

Unfortunately, Martin Rosen has not made another, animated film since ‘The Plague Dogs.’ He directed a live-action drama in 1987 called ‘Stacking,’ but, other than that, he has not helmed a film since. We are left with ‘Watership Down’ and ‘The Plague Dogs,’ two films based on novels by Richard Adams, and two, animated films adapted for the screen with unparalleled flair. ‘The Plague Dogs’ is a film that you should set upon yourself to seek out and watch. Forgotten for the longest time, it is one of the finest pieces of hand-drawn animation from the last 30 years.

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Not What You Think… ‘The Wild Bunch’ (2009)

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I couldn’t resist. I was digging around on the web for something else and just by chance happened upon this little movie-in-production. By the way, sorry for the crappy image above, but I literally couldn’t find anything bigger or better, so I had to enlarge this one.

The answer is no. This is not a remake (per se) of the classic 1969 western, nor is it an animated version (per se). What it is, as best as I can determine, is an animated kid’s tale about a “group of genetically modified crops [that] battle against a field of wildflowers.”

Yeah, you read that correctly. To be honest, I’m not even sure it’s specifically intended for kids. It does, however, seem to be playing off ‘The Wild Bunch’ through it’s title and this one image I could find. I just find it amazing that someone thought this was a brilliant idea for an animated movie.

I am assuming the theme is intended to be a way of promoting someone’s views on the struggle between major agricultural corporations and independent farmers, you know… the whole genetically-modified organisms debate? The problem is, that entire “theme” is guaranteed to pass well above the heads of any child and likely even most adults. How many kids do you know even understand what “genetically-modified” means?

The movie will star child-actress Abigail Breslin (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl) and country-singer/actor Willie Nelson. The cast is also rumored to be include Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein and Elizabeth Hurley.

‘The Wild Bunch’ is being direct by Douglas Wood and was written by Philip LaZebnik, who is best known for his work writing for Disney (Pocohantas, Mulan, The Prince of Egypt).

It’s not April Fool’s Day. That was 2 days ago. Oh, you don’t believe me? Fine, check out the IMDB page.

Review: ‘Coraline’

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Nick:

‘Coraline’ is an amazing movie and an exemplary piece of animation. Directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and adapted from the book by Neil Gaiman, ‘Coraline’ is a dark fairy tale that’s aimed at what Selick refers to as “brave children.”

I assure you that Selick isn’t joking. ‘Coraline’ is an honestly creepy film, full of strange characters and unsettling images. ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ may have a more macabre aesthetic but ‘Coraline’ has a darker heart. It  is rated PG for “thematic elements, scary images, some language and suggestive humor.”

Remember when a movie with a PG rating could be honest-to-goodness creepy? Remember when a PG rating didn’t necessarily mean that you were about to watch some pandering children’s film? I don’t know about you but ‘Poltergeist’ was nightmare-inducing, ‘Gremlins’ is  mischievously violent and ‘Return to Oz’ is just uncomfortably bizarre… all PG rated films. ‘Coraline’ is their rightful heir.

The story is simple enough. Coraline (Dakota Fanning) yearns for attention from her parents and is bored with the gloomy home they have moved in to. One day, she stumbles across a tiny, unassuming doorway in a corner of the house. She opens it up and enters another world that is a mirror image of the world she left behind, complete with parents that shower her with attention, a jumping mouse circus and a grand theatre with an audience of about 500 Scottish Terriers. It is a little reminiscent of Lewis Carroll, by way of Stephen King.

This new world would be perfect for Coraline if it wasn’t for the fact that her new, “Other” parents want to sew black buttons over her eyes. The young girl wants no part of that particular ritual, and that’s when things start getting creepy.

“Other” mother (an amazing Teri Hatcher) switches into villain mode, and begins to render what was once a magical place to escape to, into a nightmarish horror show you can’t escape from.

Selick has a blistering imagination, whether he’s working towards wonderment or unease. The team of animators working behind the scenes have helped bring that imagination to startling life, achieving some of the finest stop-motion you are ever bound to see.

Fans of the book will notice changes to the text, though nothing changed – or added – becomes detrimental to the story.

My only critique comes in regards to the first act exposition. It felt awkward and gave me pause as to whether I was going to enjoy the film as a whole, though this feeling was deterred as soon as Coraline discovers that little door.

And, finally, do try to see the film in 3-D. The effect is extraordinary. It’s like you are looking into a window of house. The depth of field given to ‘Coraline’ by the Real D process is quite astonishing and something to be treasured on the big screen, much more so than the 3-D schlock gimmicks of “My Bloody Valentine.’

‘Coraline’ is a must see for film buffs, especially fans of animation, though a horror-fiend will probably feel right at home.

[Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5]

Review: ‘Beowulf’

Zac:

Let’s get one thing out of the way, if you see this, see it in IMAX 3-D. The 3-D is phenomenal and a must see for anyone that enjoys film or wants to see the future of the medium. The 3-D gives the movie a bit more life than it might normally have had, but you accept the look and it is a part of the film after the first Grendel attack.
Now the movie. Beowulf is a pretty good, with a classic story, a beautiful look and some amazing action scenes. The movie opens with a celebration of King Hrothgar and his people when Grendel, a beast of terrifying looks and brutality, barges in and kills pretty much everyone in the hall. This leads to a call for a “hero” to come and kill Grendel and Beowulf answers the call. To tell more would take away from the film and while it is a bit predictable and there aren’t any major twists, it is still probably best enjoyed knowing as little as possible.
This movie, as you might know is animated, which looks great, but is drawn to look like the actors who filmed the movie performance capture on a blue screen. This is the best way to tell this story I feel and I don’t think it would have looked as good or as doable as a live action film with CGI elements added in. The movie being animated also allows you to easily accept and not be taken aback by the scenes that would have been blatantly CGI enhanced as it looks just like everything else in the world.
The actors do alright work here, though Robin Wright Penn is a bit too wooden even for being a sad, sad character. Anthony Hopkins is also alright as the King with Ray Winstone playing an excellent bad ass in Beowulf. John Malkovich is also good as the sleazy Unferth with Brendan Gleeason being as great as he always is. Angelina Jolie also turns in some sexy and mysterious work as the mother to the best actor in the movie Crispin Glover. Glover as Grendel is terrifying and is a character that is truly freaky on screen. Glover throws together a performance that is unsettling and just eats away at you. I would love to find out how much of the physical performance he did as well.
Another bit to note with this movie, is that it is brutally violent and in no way is it possible that this is PG-13, I have no idea how it received that rating. Be warned if you are bringing little ones, it’s scary and messed up and there is plenty of blood and bodies tossed around the screen.
Any who, the movie is worth seeing just for the 3-D alone, but you will also be able to enjoy a classic tale, beautifully realized in this animated feature. The movie could have been trimmed up a bit and the acting could have been better, but the action and animation make up for it’s shortcomings easily and it’s ultimately an entertaining movie.

(4 out of 5)

Andrew:

It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve seen this year, but it was really unmoving. First, toss out most of what you know about the real Beowulf story because we don’t that mixed in here. Second, think of a video game cut scene that started off really well, and then extend it another hour and a half. Third, get ready to feel awkward checking out animated Angelina who isn’t technically naked, I don’t think.

Now, in that mindset, sit down and watch Beowulf and you’ll be far better prepared than I was. If I pretend I was ready for those three things, I can say that Beowulf was definitely interesting for its use of animated actors. Likewise there are some fantastic shots, and fun battle scenes that wouldn’t have been possible without the animation. However, the movie ends up feeling like a final-fantasy-esque cut scene with unrealistic and almost silly characters who’s emotions seem awkward and misplaced. If you’ve gone this long without seeing it, you might as well keep it that way. Maybe I’m a snob.

(2.5 out of 5)

[rating: 3.5/5]