Posted by Harley at
12:26 AM |
|
Share on Facebook |
 |
Saving your vote... |
From L to R: Jon Musker, Henry Selick, Pete Docter, Tom Sito, Tom Moore, and Ron Clements; ©A.M.P.A.S.
On March 4, three days before the 82nd Academy Awards of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) ceremony, the AMPAS held an event at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in West Hollywood to honor the five animated feature films competing for the category of Best Animated Feature this weekend.
Bill Kroyer, Academy Award nominated animator and Executive Board member of the Animation Branch of the AMPAS, opened the event. Kroyer noted that 2010 is the first time five animated features have been nominated for the Oscar, with twenty feature films submitted. Academy members were required to see all twenty movies before choosing the final five. Kroyer also joked that a 21st movie met the qualifications, but a certain director balked, stating that his movie is “not” an animated film, referring to James Cameron's Avatar, nominated for nine Academy Awards. Next, Kroyer introduced Tom Sito, the evening’s host and MC, an animator who has worked on everything from 1980’s television classics such as He-Man to Disney feature films such as The Lion King. Sito paid tribute to veteran voice actress June Foray, who was in the audience. Foray is best known for her work as Rocky the Flying Squirrel from Rocky And Bullwinkle.
Audience members then donned the 3D glasses that were handed out upon entrance to the auditorium for Coraline, the evening's first animated feature retrospective. The screening was followed by a conversation with director Henry Selick, who discussed the genesis of the film and early collaboration with the writer of the original novella, Neil Gaiman. Selick also discussed the challenge of shooting the movie in 3D and reflected about the time he spent in the live action realm with films such as Monkeybone. Selick admitted to being in a downward spiral directing live action film and that he feels much more at home with animation, specifically the stop-motion variety for which he has become known. Selick discussed the production process, where animators draw out all of the characters’ facial expressions on paper to turn them into puppets, and then showed another clip of Coraline.
Next, Sito introduced two clips for another stop-motion feature nominated for the Oscar: The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Unfortunately, the film’s director, Wes Anderson, was in London so he could not attend the event.
The Princess and the Frog, the movie that marked Disney’s return to traditional, hand-drawn animation, followed. The clips included the musical numbers for “Almost There” and the already legendary “Friends On The Other Side,” which I quite frankly consider the best animated musical number of the decade. This preceded the entrance of the movie’s co-directors, Ron Clements and John Musker. Clements and Musker discussed the development of the movie as a musical and their work with composer, Randy Newman, before the script was finished. Clements and Musker also talked about their research into the movie’s setting of New Orleans and the process of making a real-life and richly historical American city look authentic for an animated film. Sito then introduced another clip from the film.
Next was a retrospective of the traditionally animated film, The Secret of Kells, dubbed the “dark horse” nominee by Sito. Two clips were shown of this unique film before Sito introduced the movie’s director, Irishman Tom Moore. Moore talked about gaining inspiration for the visual look and style for the movie from more obscure animated fare such as The Thief And The Cobbler. Moore discussed the challenges of working with the movie’s budget as well as the animation production which was done all across Europe and Brazil. Moore also mentioned that the producers of the movie were enormously helpful with the film and did not pressure him because of the movie’s content.
Last but not least was Up -- the only movie to be nominated for both Best Animated Feature and Best Picture. The clips for Up were shown in 3D and included the poignant and heartwarming montage sequence depicting Carl and Ellie falling in love, getting married, and growing old together. Director Pete Docter then took the stage to speak with Sito about the movie and how 3D came along later into the movie’s production. Up is notable for being an animated film with an elderly protagonist, allowing for a main character who could be grouchy and say what’s on his mind. Often protagonists in animated films tend to be young and bland. Docter also discussed using 3D to film certain sequences flatter to fit the mood of the story, as well as later expanding and adding more depth to change the mood for other sequences.
Following another clip for Up, all the directors took the stage for a question and answer session with Sito. The directors shared experiences about what they like to do when their movies open, and Sito asked if they like to hide for three days. Ron and John talked about a private screening held in Chicago for friends and family to get an automatic good reception. Docter went around town, watched the movie and looked at the audiences’ reactions to see whether the filmmakers' work was successful. Next, Sito soon opened up the panel for questions from the audience which included some inspiring anecdotes. Ron and John advised aspiring animators to use sources such as YouTube as a way to show their animation and work. I believe Henry Selick noted that in order to be an animation director you must know how to draw and also enjoy it.
82nd Academy Award, Animated Feature Symposium, ©A.M.P.A.S.
Some would argue that animated films are incapable of attaining the same level of quality as a live-action Best Picture nominee. Kroyer stated that animated films are more often than not the best reviewed and highest grossing movies of all time. However, animated movies often are not recognized for Oscar categories outside of a scant few. Up marks the first time an animated movie has garnered a nomination for Best Picture since 1991’s The Beauty And The Beast. That said, the Animated Feature Symposium was a delightful celebration and retrospective of animated films in multiple forms. It was refreshing to see the honored films presented in the style of stop-motion animation, computer generated animation, and traditional hand drawn animation -- a medium not long ago referred to as theatrically irrelevant and dead. On the evening of March 4, there were no winners and losers among animated movies, but simply quality stories of all shapes and sizes brought to life through different forms of animation.
Posted by TheVileOne at
2:45 PM |
|
Share on Facebook |
|
Saving your vote... |
For quite some time, Studio Ghibli has been known for its great animated movies. The movies they make are not only beautifully animated, but contain great storylines that fully engage the viewer. However, I believe that this trend may come to a swift end once Hayao Miyazaki is done making films for the studio, and once that event occurs, Studio Ghibli will be left struggling to stay on top. You may be thinking that this is a bit presumptuous and Studio Ghibli could do just fine without Hayao Miyazaki, but reality simply points in the other direction. Nine times out of ten, if you asked an individual about Ghibli, Miyazaki would be the first name that came to mind.
Ironically, Hayao Miyazaki's contribution to the animation community has unfortunately and unintentionally painted Studio Ghibli into a corner. His success has cast a long shadow over all the other filmmakers within the studio. Miyazaki has left the viewers with such high expectations that it will be impossible to find anyone that can compare. Really, Ghibli needed to begin grooming another strong director when Miyazaki was still rising up, but who knew Miyazaki's star would rise so high? Ghibli seemingly missed this memo and now will pay the price when the time comes. The studio would have done well to take note from Pixar, who have a stable of directors that rotate in for for their films. Instead of just having one strong director, they have several (John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter to name a few), all able to turn out good movies.
Whatever the circumstances, there will be a time when Miyazaki will not be directing for Ghibli any more. There will also be a time when Isao Takahata, the studio's other prominent director, will stop directing as well. This is a rather obvious fact. Neither is very young anymore and can’t be expected to crank out a lot of films at once. Even if they were both to stay on board for a lengthy span of time, an individual only has so much creativity. While both Ponyo and Howl’s Moving Castle did well critically and at the box office, for some fans they just weren’t up to par with movies such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Am I saying that the studio will fall within the next five years? Absolutely not. However, I’d bet that within the next ten years they will begin to find themselves under pressure if no credible candidate comes forward as "the next Hayao Miyazaki."
The obvious solution for Ghibli would be to find or groom a director to become a hit with both the fans and critics, but this is far easier said than actually done. I wouldn’t claim that the studio's other directors are terrible, but none of them have Hayao Miyazaki's stature and presence in the animation community. Miyazaki's colleague Isao Takahata is a rather accomplished film maker, but is largely known only for Grave of Fireflies. Miyazaki's son Goro had all of the potential to be that person, but while his first film, Tales From Earthsea, was a box-office success, it also earned Goro the “Worst Director” award from a panel of 32 Japanese movie critics from the ‘Bunshun Kiichigo Awards’. Thus, it remains to be seen whether or not his next movie will do well. For whatever reason, Goro was expected to do everything on his own when it was his first time directing. Everyone needs guidance, and in this Ghibli really dropped the ball. Being a Miyazaki won’t account for much if his films continually lack the story that makes his father’s work so memorable and enduring.
Ghibli has also placed the reins for its next film, Karigurashi no Arrietty, into the hands of Hiromasa Yonebayashi, perhaps with an eye toward grooming new talent. The fact that Miyazaki himself is involved in the new film with Yonebayashi would support this theory. So, let’s say that Arriety is a hit both with the fans and the critics. Will Ghibli make the same mistake and let him become the major star of the studio? If they are smart they will continue to pull in new directors to create multiple pillars of support for the studio. Not every director they bring in has to be a huge success, but they will definitely need more major names if they don’t want to be in a situation where they are again struggling to find a competent successor. Granted, I think Hayao Miyazaki has also been built up too high for anyone to possibly reach him. He has perhaps set the standard too high for anyone to possibly imagine reaching.
We, the audience, have become far too accustomed to believing that anything with the name ‘Hayao Miyazaki’ attached to it has to be seen at least once. What will happen when his name is no longer attached to the projects put out by Ghibli? What will happen when he no longer gives guidance to new directors within the studio? The studio isn’t entirely to blame for their situation. There will never be a time when Hayao Miyazaki can be replaced; it just isn’t realistically possible. They could have, however, better prepared the audience for this incredible loss to the studio. They seem to be realizing this with the introduction of Yonebayashi and the announcement of another young director stepping up for a Ghibli film to be released in 2011. Did the studio wait too long to introduce new talent? I personally think so, but only time will tell whether or not Studio Ghibli can truly survive without Hayao Miyazaki.
Posted by Lelouch at
7:30 AM |
|
Share on Facebook |
|
Saving your vote... |
