Part of yesterday afternoon was spent at DreamWorks Animation, and I have very little to report except what a veteran story artist told me without prompting.
"I went to a screening of How to Train Your Dragon. The studio sent out an e-mail about it, and I was sort of back and forth about going, wasn't really that interested.
"But I finally went. And I'll tell you, it's the best film this place has ever made, hands down. The version I saw wasn't completed, it still had a bunch of things that needed more work, but the picture sustained. It takes you up to a high level and keeps you there. It's really involving."
I asked him if he thought Dragon was better than Panda. He said yeah. (I suppose you'll have to go watch it for yourself in March, and decide for yourself. The artist also said the Three Dee was first-rate as well.)
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32 comments:
Would love to see Dreamworks win Best Animated Feature for once. Could this be the year?
No, it won't.
You mean like the first year the award was given and Shrek beat out Monsters, Inc?
Let's hope dragon has more STORY and character than kung foo panda. Ramon Zibach's brilliant production design stole the show, but not many people care about the characters are story.
Ironically, over the years I think that Monsters, Inc. holds up much better than Shrek, which has really lost alot of its charm.
What do you mean over the years? Everyone knew Monsters Inc shoulda won.
I don't agree. And I'm a Disney guy.
I think Shrek was a better film than the movie where monsters run up and down that same hallway screaming over and over.
Monsters, INC would be a much better film if it was ten or fifteen minutes shorter.
It's got some great stuff. But then there's stuff that's so incongruous that it's really weird. Like the scene where Boo is threatened with a torture device. WTF?? That's really bizarre and alien in tone to the rest of the film. Cut out some of those hallway chases, and the rip off of 'Feed the Kitty' and you have a film that might barely clock in at about an hour.
The Academy definitely got it right. Shrek was a real story about real characters that endure whereas MI was a children's film and a tedious children's film. Not to mention Shrek's humor changed animated films and probably indirectly had something to do with the demise of Disney's musical fairytales.
Monsters, Inc makjes you feel like you'd just eaten too much cotton candy.
I'd go even further.
I'd say Shrek is a bone-fide fairy-tale. A fractured one, which is a tradition in itself. But a true-blue, love conquers all fairy-tale.
It's a sarcastic film, but not a cynical one.
"De gustibus non est disputandum."
Ders poopus en los opiniones
Yeah, yeah, the monsters ran up and down the hallways a lot. But, we burned through a lot of footage that way, didn't we?
Seriously, I loved working on the film, and would be delighted to run those monsters down the hallways again if I had to.
I liked MVA. It wasn't pretentious. Having said that, I am thoroughly finished with the witty topical dialog vomited throughout every animated film since Robin Williams was invited to jumpstart his career.
Give the smarmy dialog a rest already, Jeffrey!!!! It's been done to death!!!! Shove that sit-com genie back in the bottle from which it came!!!!
(Pixar killed the Disney musical way before DW. Not saying their schtick isn't showing it's age, too...)
This is going to be the year of the Dragon. That's for sure.
that's a "dragon?"
I think its more of a Stitch character than a Dragon.
...but hey I loved Chris' designs for Lilo and Stitch.
Sure, its a non traditional dragon ,but what else would you call it?
Giant winged flying frog?
Its a dragon.
Well...dragons are generally imagined as reptilian, and this one looks to me like it's based on a horned toad(okay, a Chris Sanders horned toad).
But as for not looking "dragonish"-how about what half the world's population, the Chinese, call dragons? They don't look like the usual western versions, that's for sure.
Bottom line: a "dragon" is whatever the storyteller says is a dragon in his story universe. Wouldn't even hardened D&D folks agree?
The "traditional" western dragon design archetype should've been jettisoned long ago. Props to Dreamworks for taking a chance on a different look.
I like Chris` design for the dragon buy I don't think it's one of his strongest designs. Maybe Jeffrey had him tweak it :) The human designs look so bland, generic and unappealing. So does the animation. Oh, and also, I'm not buying this whole "things are so great over at DW" that keeps being pumped out on this blog. So therefore I also do not believe that this will be "the best 3d movie ever", or that this will be "the best DW animated movie ever". It's all sounding too pre-planned, lockstep talking points to me.
Anon@8:58, you may not 'buy it' but no one's selling, only telling it like it is(Hulett isn't a paid booster for DW and there's nothing in it for him to exaggerate).
I work at Dreamworks although not on Dragon; the film is excellent and things are great here. Morale is high.
If you think the designs are bad take it up with Nicolas Marlet. Ever heard of him?
Beware of the Pixies. They write just to get a reactions.
I too work at DW and I like to tell people its just okay. No one needs to know how great it is to work there. It would suck if we get losers like ANON at 8:58 as a employee.
Gotta go, Jeffery is cracking the whip to work free over time.
-Kool aid drunk.
My husband liked the trailer for Dragon and wants to see the film. He'll be geeked to learn Chris Sanders designed the dragon - he loves Lilo & Stitch.
^_^
I'm glad to see Dean Dublois is directing this film. Gives it a good chance of making some sense.
Movies need to be entertaining. There's no need for them to make sense.
If you want things to make sense, you're in the wrong industry.
"If you think the designs are bad take it up with Nicolas Marlet. Ever heard of him?"
Yeah, to French.
Those arent Nico Marlet's original designs though.... They re-tooled everything when Chris Sanders came on board. Even the designs.
Those arent Nico Marlet's original designs though.... They re-tooled everything when Chris Sanders came on board. Even the designs.***
***No, they didn't. Well, when the Art Of book comes out in a month or so it'll be self-evident.
But Chris didn't retool everything in design at all. For one thing every dragon is exactly as they were before, except the lead one that is plainly his own design.
I like the lead one.
I'm really looking forward to this movie.
that thing looks like a tadpole with wings!
I hope it is but you do realize that every film artists work on "is the best ". No, you wont have to prompt them , it's a given.
I beg to differ. I worked on Shark Tale. It was not the best. It was the worst pile of horse puckeys anyone ever worked on in their career. And some of those people had worked on Final Fantasy.
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