Daily Variety is running a series on Animation as part of its "Eye On The Oscars," just as if it were, you know, a real part of the movie biz:
... "Character design isn't just about shape and proportions but also about the expressions that capture attitude," Selick adds.
"The Princess and the Frog," Disney's first 2D film in years, also had dual-personality issues to solve. Lead character Tiana had to change from a human to a frog. Disney animator Mark Henn says, "I don't think I've had to do anything to that extent before."
Henn's challenge was to convey a consistent personality for Tiana whether she was human or amphibian. "We had to find a physical language for her mannerisms that would translate onto a frog," he says. "Her eyes were key to that. We wanted them to be recognizable even when she's a frog." ...
Progress, no?
Someday animation will be considered an actual mainstream form of movie entertainment, worthy of mainstream Oscars like Best Picture.
But when that day happens, I'll have been dead a couple of thousand years, and the sun will be near its red star phase.
Posts
8 comments:
Frog or human, Tiana was pretty bland either way.
One persons opinion.
Two. I didn't know Rich Rich was still making movies.
Nice film. Had a good time in a theater full of families. Curious as to why a "visual effects supervisor" got such a prominent credit--before the animators. That's just weird. The effects are OK, but middling compared to the great animation.
The Oscars is a live action party, always was, always will be. It's about movie stars and acceptance speeches mixed with a little bit of reality/game show suspense.
The best we can hope for is keeping up animation's status as a good investment. Now all we need is for the most successful studios to be honest and hire and schedule in proportion to the box office performance of their films instead of cynically taking advantage of the general economic situation. Maybe a wildcat strike against the biggest and richest will make the point.
I just got back from a 6:45 showing in North VA. (IE Wash D.C. suburbs)
There were about 15 people in the theater, but in and around DC unless your night activity involves computer porn, hard drinking or doing lines of coke with your mistress, there is not much else to do, let alone go out and pay to see movies (when you can steal them through bit torrents)
To hell with NOVA, I loved TPTF, it was well worth the money! and I will probably go see it again with the rest of the family.
It's one of the most down to earth things I've seen from Disney in a long time. I did not find myself cringing at tasteless jokes or schmaltzy scenes.
Disney has a pretty high bar when it comes to stunning animated scenes and though this does not top it over some of the golden year films, I still found the characters to be convincing and more important, what few kids there were in the theater could be heard having a good time.
Whether it generates a decent profit or not, The Princess and The Frog is a positive glowing film in some of the darkest times I ever have known. Just having 2 hours to escape my pathetic problems and be a kid again is priceless.
I hope the word spreads.
THAT is the BEST REVIEW I've read of the film. Period.
Rodger, I felt the same way about Astro Boy. Because I took a chance on that film - and loved it - I'll probably take a chance on Princess and the Frog, although cute li'l princesses aren't usually my thing.
Post a Comment