Animation and Design

Posts Tagged ‘Disney’

“We all admire Pixar”
To mark the upcoming release of ‘Gnomeo and Juliet’ (‘Gnomeo & Juliet’), which arrives tomorrow at Spanish cinemas, I had the opportunity to meet Carlos Zaragoza a couple of weeks. Carlos worked in the artistic direction of “Pan’s Labyrinth ‘(awarded a Goya) and now specializes in the scenery in the animated film, part of the selected template DreamWorks Animation. In this interview talks about his participation in ‘Gnomeo and Juliet’ (which is distributed by Disney), experience in DreamWorks and other topics related to film and animation. I hope you will be an interesting read.

* We have not seen ‘Gnomeo and Juliet’, but can you tell us how the experience was?

I was living in London, had completed another 3D animated film, ‘The Tale of Despereaux’ (‘The Tale of Despereaux “) and joined’ Gnomeo and Juliet ‘during pre-production. In principle, for me the gnomes had a very negative karma (for background television in particular) and in Spain there is no culture of “garden gnomes” (garden gnomes). However, after seeing the complete storyboard and listen to the film’s director, Kelly Asbury seemed like a great idea. In ‘Gnomeo …’ I worked on the design of various scenarios, as the two neighboring gardens of the protagonists.

Gnomeo-and-Juliet-posterEl tone is comedy, and characters are plaster garden gnomes come to life when humans are gone, but the intent of the visual style was’ “realistic” Our inspiration was reality, gardens individuals with kitsch decor you can find in places like Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s hometown.

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Many have been asking for a critique of ‘Tangled’ (‘Tangled’, 2010) since its premiere in Spain on February 4, so I leave mine here. As you can guess from the headline, I am not among the defenders of the latest product from the Disney factory, whose powerful publicity machine has made, even before it hit the cinemas, talk of a new animated classic, a conclusion that my apparently is complete nonsense (of course talking about a company called “classic” to everything that bears his signature, have the nose).

Understandably, the film has received a great box office, and the younger ones are bright (or the best they have ever seen), but I am convinced that those who did not start to see a movie a few years ago will agree me that does not stand comparison with titles inspired by the Disney label, nor with the demanding work of Ghibli and Pixar studios, which still remain committed to amaze with each new animated feature.

But also do not have to look at other houses, or go back to work as far back as’ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “(” Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, “1937) or ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (‘Sleeping Beauty’, 1959) even cite “Beauty and the Beast ‘(‘ Beauty and the Beast ‘, 1991) or’ Aladdin ‘(1992). Simply, the recent “Princess and the Frog ‘(‘ The Princess and the Frog ‘, 2009) exuded more charm and energy, without being great, clearly exceeds this’ Tangled’, one of the most lazy and complacent Seal Disney. But it takes the seal, and contains ingredients you would expect: a princess, a “witch” evil, an enchantment, a hero, animals behaving like humans, comedy, action, great musical accompaniment (signed by Alan Menken) and a great work of animation, more 3D, that people like novelty. That includes items just to excite the young audience, and a professional packing enough for the rest, with minimal expectations, to spend time more or less entertaining in a comfortable armchair.

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How a film that begins with two penguins singing pop songs, surrounded by more penguins forming a ring-shaped heart, and that together form another heart with their bodies, can be so excited, the fact is it’s a real mystery to me. Moreover when a production that exploits the use of small cap adorable angelic little voices animals with which it is impossible not to gorge them at the top of diabetes. And even more when, like so many other animated films, or as many melodramas about adolescence, it goes to an outsider in this story, in not knowing how to sing like most, and therefore to do just as well what everyone else is regarded as a pariah, but to have a frenzied acceleration of the foot end earning the respect of their own. In that sense, nothing new under the sun. So how is that ‘Happy Feet’ (id, George Miller, 2006) is a film so unforgettable, so special and decidedly awesome?

Perhaps because unlike some recent Disney productions, or other animated titles that are unable to transcend the subject matter to capture life on the screen (much to the case of animated films), ‘Happy Feet’ is full in every plane of life was very hard to describe but easy to enjoy and remember. Perhaps because the viewer does not take potential (children) like a bunch of memos to which they can be convinced with any adventure drawings, on the contrary, this is a highly accurate script and psychological narrative. Or, I dunno, maybe because it’s mere staging is filled with a musicality that not only has to do with the songs or music (for some pride) John Powell, especially with the visual rhythm, incredibly dynamic and a symphonic sense of image and planning. Or maybe it has to do with how much since I’ve always liked penguins (the truth) because it is about amazing animals, far more than they seem, and here are a beautiful tribute.

The truth is that little one is set with care; this film has much to do with the first three of its director. Recently, writing about the wonderful Mad Max 2 the Road Warrior ‘(‘ Mad Max 2 ‘, 1981), and told me that George Miller was a talented filmmaker. Here again address the issue of a vast and ruthless, and an absolute star who loses everything and whose mission in life seems in the eyes of everyone else, a real nonsense. Of course this time, given the technical requirements of such a complex production at all levels, George Miller is not alone in the director’s chair, sharing, as co-directors, screenwriters with the project also Warren Coleman and Judy Morris (the fourth screenwriter John Collee, is not listed in the credits of director), but there is much sense of the greatness of Mad Max in this film, in which the vast deserts of sand in an apocalyptic world are replaced by icy plains of Antarctica, an adventure that is absolutely epic from start to finish.

in ‘Happy Feet’ penguin society and its fictional culture, which of course is a parable of social hierarchies of these animals, and especially the emperor penguin, reaching the rank of mythology. Thus, the representation of their reproductive cycle, in the harsh winter Arctic, singing with the whole community, is a perfect image of the communion of these animals by nature, almost a spiritual way. Likewise, the reunion with mothers who have gone to sea to feed during that time, has biblical echoes. It is only the beginning. The elders of the clan are a kind of wise elders, but also conservative Carcass unable to accept the difference and not always with the mouth. In this society, the guru is a Rockhopper penguin who is called Doctor Love, and humans are to them an alien species (observing our behavior toward the natural environment that we can …) and they are abudcen all fish have to let them starve. In short, a universe in which other species represents major threats to the group, but the need for survival, and where the greatest enemy is man’s ignorance.

There are images in this movie that they cut to a breath, much as you want to avoid: the fragmentation of the glacier, which reveals a crane inside, which falls to the ice water and sinks into the depths, the walk of six friends in search of a cure for the “mystical necklace” Dr. Love (a plastic ring with the drowning) through a terrible blizzard that hold them back, the discovery of abandoned fishing port like a parallel universe try, the penguins are fun for a couple of playful whales, which pass it before attempting to devour pump, the emergence of huge fish like a cyclopean monster that snatches away the livelihood, the jump back to try to communicate with Mumble aliens in a drop of hundreds of meters and a run hundreds of miles, the sense of great oppression and isolation in the confinement of the Penguins … all enlivened by a chorus of voices truly inspired, among which are Elijah Wood Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugo Weaving, Nicole Kidman and many others.

Capturing the movement of the best tap dancer in the world, Savion Glover, to realize the movement of penguin, Mumble, and other dancers to give life to other animals of the group, using four years and a huge group of animators (and servers …) to make it happen in nine months time rendering, its great popular success and Oscar, as well as impressive technical bill, show that there is life beyond Pixar, and also witness the love of film to treasure to do something like ‘Happy Feet’. Truly great film whose ecological message, more than ever necessary, is not moralizing or biased. It is what is: if we continue like this, everything will end very soon. As rain in May hope the second part, coming before too long in 3D, and hopefully bring us a couple of hours of great animated films and adventure as the first.

We have the biggest and best movie of the year assessed. If not this year, with this film, when?
This is the year. From the offices of Disney is betting heavily on the candidacy of ‘Toy Story 3′ for the Oscars in 2010, believe that it is time for the animated film is fairly valued. A month ago I brought a statement by Rich Ross, president of the company, which claimed they were going to try to win the Oscar for best picture, supported by the excellent reviews and the resounding box office success. According to him, never before had such a clear victory.

To try to raise awareness among academics, and win public opinion, the studio has released fifteen unpublished posters using images of ‘Toy Story 3′ to remember Oscar-winning titles, while recalling that it is “the best film year value.” Such campaigns are very common, and it seems that members of the Academy have a memory of a fish and need to be reminded of what they have seen and how good it was. In any case, there is a fantastic poster of which has been taken for ‘Toy Story 3′, as you have up there, which is my favorite. You have all below; I recommend you dig out (only if you have seen the film, one is a little “spoiler”).

Now, will this something? Do you have real choices ‘Toy Story 3′ to become the first animated film to triumph at the Oscars? Possibly not. More likely is that Pixar’s latest work repeat the achievements of ‘UP’ last year, nominated for best film, but winning in the animation section. We will leave doubts on 27 February.