Sunday, May 03, 2009

Animation, Europe -- Animation, Japan

Where does the time go? Annecy is again upon us.

Gaul's Intl. Animation Film Festival has unveiled an eclectic lineup for its 33rd edition, set to take place June 8-13 in Annecy ...

The U.S. will be well-represented in the official selection with four out of 10 competition titles produced in the U.S., including "Coraline," helmed by Henry Selick, "Battle for Terra" directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas and Paul and Sandra Fierlinger's "My Dog Tulip." ...

Work-in-progress screenings will spotlight Joann Sfar's 2-D toon "Rabbi's Cat," Antoine Charreyron's futuristic thriller "Prodigies" and U.S.' "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," helmed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord.

Don't know about the other "works in progress," but Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs from Sony in Culver City, CA., is pretty much done.

... And on the other side of the planet, Britain's The Independent profiles Hayao Miyazaki, serving to remind us that, if Disney's later hand-drawn 'toons had come close to the level of business (or artistry?) of the Miyazaki features, the Mouse's animation staff in Burbank likely wouldn't have had ... ah ... gaps in their employment these past few years.

... [L]ike the legendary directors of Hollywood's Golden Age, Hayao Miyazaki's intimidating reputation is almost as famous as his movies ...

Miyazaki's films are increasingly greeted with the hoopla reserved for major Disney releases ... Miyazaki's 10th movie, the story of a young goldfish that longs to become human, is another chapter in his lifelong struggle to interpret the world of children ... Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, which has taken $160m (£107m) in ticket sales and been seen by 12 million people in Japan alone since last summer ... is now set for release this summer in the United States and Europe ...

Unsurprisingly, Ponyo is hand-drawn. For some reason, Japanese audiences don't appear to be repelled by technology that isn't cutting edge. Weird.

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