Pixar | crabapple cove

on October 14, 2009

in Cartoons & Animation

. 0 Comments Tags: Animation Culture, CGI, Disney, nostalgia trip '09, pixar.

It’s here and it’s glorious. The trailer for Pixar’s Toy Story 3.

TOY STORY 3

Pulp Cinema

Laid down

on June 12, 2009

. 0 Comments Tags: fantasy, Movies, Non-reviews, pixar, Pulps.

John Carter:

The latest on Pixar’s John Carter of Mars film (via Chud.com)…

Local Utah news station KLS is reporting that Pixar’s foray into the world of live action, an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough’s John Carter of Mars, will be shooting in Utah this fall. That doesn’t mean that John Carter will have multiple wives or attend an indie film festival, but it could mean that Pixar intends to do less green screen then we might have thought.

After all, Utah is home to some of the most unearthly geography on Earth. Monument Valley, which it shares with Arizona, became famous in the films of John Ford; it’s buttes and columns truly look like an alien landscape, and the reddish sands call to mind Mars (or as the Martians call it, Barsoom). Zion National Park also offers incredible scenery, better than anything the CGI masters at Pixar could come up with, as does the Arches National Park. Then there’s Moab. Essentially Utah is Mars.

Utah story via Slashfilm.

Meanwhile, Coming Soon is reporting that Lynn Collins, who played Wolverine’s girlfriend in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, has signed on to John Carter of Mars. Or at least her Twitter feed gives that impression. I wasn’t that impressed with her acting in Wolverine, but looks-wise she’d make a great Deja Thoris, the Martian Queen.

Conan:

The above constitutes my second or third posting on the in-production John Carter movie, but strangely, I’ve failed to mention the concurrently in-development adaptation of Conan the Barbarian. If you’ve been following this site for a while you’re no doubt aware of my affection for the original stories by Robert E. Howard (not to mention the 70s comic book adaptation by Roy Thomas and John Buscema), so isn’t it odd that I haven’t mentioned the forthcoming flick? Well, the reason for my silence heretofore is simple: I don’t believe that Lionsgate (the studio currently in possession of the property) is serious about giving the material its due. The first director announced for “Conan” was Brett Ratner, a filmmaker I have no great love for (his movies are competently made, I suppose, but they also have a slick and superficial quality). Some time ago, Ratner left the project and the film went into a sort of “it’s still happening, but we can’t give you any specifics” limbo. Yesterday, the (rather strong) rumor that Marcus Nispel would be taking over the reins on the project emerged. Nispel’s most prominent credit to date was the recent remake of Friday the 13th. Again, not serious. In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that I did not see Friday the 13th, but that was primarily because my lack of interest in the film was practically tangible. (I mean you could’ve poked it with a stick and it would’ve cried out.) Anyway, no one’s hoping more than me that Nispel will do right by the material, but my hopes aren’t running high. I just have to wonder whether or not there were better choices for “Conan”. Let me give you two fer instances…

Howard McCain, the Director of Outlander. As you can see by going down just one post, I thought Outlander was well-made and was certainly infused with some elements which were very Conan-like.
Michael J. Bassett, the director of the forthcoming Solomon Kane. “Kane” hasn’t gotten a theatrical release yet, but I am assured by an impeccable source that Bassett gets this sort of material. (And, hell, Solomon Kane himself is also a Robert E. Howard creation.)

So, despite the fact that I have a great deal more affection for Conan than I do John Carter, I am convinced that “Carter” will be a better film. At least in the case of “Carter”, I know the director (Andrew Stanton — he of Wall*E and Finding Nemo) is not only highly competent, he is excited about the stories upon which the film will be based.

Post Script:

Okay, I take back some of the above confidence in the adaptation of John Carter. Again, via Chud…

A couple of hours ago I was all high on John Carter of Mars (which I called a Pixar film, but I guess it’s a co-production with Disney and all of the animation nerds on the boards got enraged about the mistake. Sorry!). I loved the idea of the picture shooting in the otherworldly landscape of Utah. I was okay with the idea of Lynn Collins, who didn’t wow me in Wolverine, playing Dejah Thoris.

But then I went to see The Taking of Pelham 123 (review coming!) and when I got home the world had been turned upside down. See, they had hired John Carter himself. And it seems like they did all of their casting during a screening of Wolverine. They hired Gambit.

The guy who played Gambit is going to be playing John Carter, a Civil War soldier who teleports to Mars.

Ugh.

I know that there will be some of you who will point to Taylor Kitsch (what a fucking name. Was is mother’s maiden name KnickKnack?) as an actor on Friday Night Lights, and maybe he’s good there, but he’s still a pretty boy. A pretty, pretty boy.

But I have to try and have faith in Andrew Stanton. I must try to remain open-minded. I must try. I must try.

via Hollywood Reporter

I agree with our faithful commentator. Kitsch is completely wrong for the part. Oh well, Strike One.

Post Script #2:

Well, Nispel has been confirmed by Variety as the director of Conan the Barbarian. Chalk it up my curmudgeonly nature if you like but it really irks me that Variety keeps referring to the film as a remake of the Schwarzenegger flick from the 80s. Whatever the intentions of the helmers of this new movie, I’m fairly certain they have no desire to “remake” the older film.

At least I hope that’s the case. If I’m wrong, my outlook just got a whole lot bleaker.

UP

Laid down

on May 30, 2009

. 8 Comments Tags: Cartoons, CGI, Disney, Movies, pixar.

Pete Docter’s only other film as director is Monster’s Inc. — a decent enough movie, I suppose, but not one of Pixar’s best. “Monsters” certainly doesn’t prepare you for the marvel that is UP. I hesitate to say this, but this tenth movie from the Emeryville studio might just be its best. I hesitate to say it because I have a tendency to deify Brad Bird, and my prior Pixar favorite was The Incredibles. I still think The Incredibles is a tremendous achievement, but UP actually manages to do more with less. It takes a simple premise and a small group of characters and does everything a movie ought to do. It’s got action, it’s got laughter, it’s got tears — in short, it’s got all of the things that any storyteller aspires to deliver. Watching this movie was like watching Pete Docter move up from the minors to The Big Show.

See UP. You’ll love it.

Michael Chabon Goes to Mars

Laid down

on April 14, 2009

. 2 Comments Tags: fantasy, Movies, pixar, Pulps, sci-fi.

Wow, this is exciting. I’ve talked about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter series here on the Cove a time or two. Now it looks as though the forthcoming Pixar-produced motion picture has got itself a new writer…

In yesterday’s item by Deadline Hollywood Daily about Michael Chabon switching agents, it mentioned that he was attached to write a script for Disney’s John Carter of Mars. Having never heard that before, I checked in with Chabon to see if it was accurate. The answer is yes.

“I’ve been hired to do some revisions to an already strong script by Andrew Stanton and Mark Andrews,” Chabon said. “I wrote my original screenplay The Martian Agent back in 1995 because I wished I could do [Edgar Rice] Burroughs’s Barsoom. So this is pretty much a dream come true for me.”

Disney got the option rights to Burrough’s 11-volume series in 2007 after the rights lapsed at Paramount Pictures. Andrew Stanton, the writer and director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, is set to direct. It’s expected to hit theaters in 2012.

Source: The Amazing Website of Kavalier and Clay.

Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. He also contributed to the screenplay for Spider-man 2.

Pixar’s Up

Laid down

on March 7, 2009

in Cartoons & Animation and General

. 0 Comments Tags: Animation Culture, Disney, Movies, Non-reviews, pixar.

Here’s the latest trailer for Pixar’s spring release Up. I have to admit that the prior trailers and the things I was reading were leaving me a little cold, but this new preview makes the movie look like good fun.

For those of you keeping track at home, this is post number 501. We’re making history here, people. Can you feel it?

John Carter Update

Laid down

on January 15, 2009

. 4 Comments Tags: Disney, fantasy, Movies, Non-reviews, pixar, Pulps, sci-fi.

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, Pixar’s Andrew Stanton is currently helming a live action adaptation of Edgar Rich Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars series. SCI FI Wire just posted a quick interview/status report on the project. The most interesting thing to me is the fact that this will actually not be a Pixar production — Stanton is, instead, “on loan” to Disney for the duration of the project.

Click on the lovely Frank Frazetta image below to read the SCI FI Wire piece…

The Pixar Story

Laid down

on December 16, 2008

. 0 Comments Tags: Animation History, Blu-ray, Movies, pixar, sci-fi.

The Documentary:

I suppose it’s a little unusual to review a DVD extra by itself, but The Pixar Story is a feature length documentary (and a slickly-made one at that) so why the hell not? All in all, Leslie Iwerks’ look at the history of the Emeryville animation giant is a terrific piece of work. All of the key players are present and accounted for, the timeline of the studio is covered in as much detail as can be expected in an hour and a half, and there are some great rare clips here which will surely be of interest to even the casual fan (early tests combining hand-drawn and computer animation done while John Lasseter was still at Disney, prototype shots done for the first Toy Story, etc.). In particular, I would highly recommend this documentary to anyone who is unfamiliar with the people and events that shaped Pixar and who wants to learn more. The information is neatly and entertainingly dispensed and the whole experience goes down easy.

Here’s the one thing I would object to: Like To Infinity and Beyond (a book which relied heavily on Iwerks’ filmed interviews, by the way), The Pixar Story plays fast and loose with Steve Jobs’ involvement in nurturing the company. If you take either the film or the book at face value, you come off believing that Jobs was a romantic who bought into the dream of feature length computer animation from the get-go. Other sources (such as the book The Pixar Touch) paint a different story. Jobs’ initial interest in Pixar was as a hardware company and he was, at least at first, resistant to the whole animation idea. He came around, to be sure, but not without considerable (alleged) drama. i guess it’s not surprising that a project that got Pixar’s blessing would choose to gloss over the shortcomings of one of its founders. At any rate, this “tidying-up” of Jobs’ image isn’t a deal-breaker; The Pixar Story is still worth your time.

The Disc:

All-in-all, the blu-ray for Wall*E is really terrific. As always, Pixar does a superlative job with their discs. The picture quality is unrivaled, and the included short films are great (especially Presto). I’m still a little befuddled by the adulation the film has recieved, however. A few critics have placed it atop their year-end best lists. Sure, it’s a good movie, but is it really the best of 2008?

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company

Laid down

on August 29, 2008

in Reviews

. 0 Comments Tags: Books, Cartoons, CGI, pixar.

This is, quite simply, an outstanding book.

As the title implies, The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company is one part “corporate biography” and one part business book. It succeeds remarkably well on both fronts thanks to the impeccable research and deft writing skills of its author David A. Price. “Touch” is a better book in nearly every regard than last year’s To Infinity and Beyond. The fact that it is smaller and not as profusely illustrated is the only way in which I would say that it is inferior — but then it is not the book’s mission to be either an art portfolio or a love letter. One of the ways Price’s book differs from its predecessor is in its depiction of Steve Jobs. Since “Infinity” was largely written in-house at Pixar, the problem of Jobs’ irascible nature is side-stepped. Not so in “Touch”. Throughout much of the book’s length, the Apple Chairman and owner of Pixar comes off as not at all nice. I found this refreshing in a way since it’s consistent with much of what I’ve heard about Jobs in the past — apparently Steve can be a bit of a handful when he wants to be. Even with its warts-and-all portrayal of Pixar’s history, “Touch” never comes off as being mean-spirited or agenda-laden. It is, by all appearances, a straightforward history of Pixar and was very enjoyable on that level.

If you’re a fan of Pixar Animation Studios and what they’ve accomplished over the last thriteen or so years, pick up “The Pixar Touch”. It’s really terrific.

Siggraph 2008

Laid down

on August 13, 2008

. 4 Comments Tags: CGI, Disney, Non-reviews, pixar.

I spent the better part of the day today at Siggraph (which stands for “Special Interest Group on Graphics”) — basically we’re talking a giant trade show for people into computer graphics and animation. So what did I learn? I learned that I don’t much care for trade shows. Or, rather, I was reminded of that fact. Siggraph and E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo — the equivalent trade show for video games) are very similar in the regard that they’re big and loud and I always feel like I’m missing something even though I’m probably not. I remember attending Siggraph in years past and seeing footage from Disney and Pixar films which were years down the road. But not this year. No, this year, the show felt even more like technobabble wrapped in an amalgamated sales pitch — with no glimpses behind the curtain whatsoever. Computer graphics software changes rapidly and it’s all about who has the latest bells and whistles. Even I don’t understand all the jargon that was thrown at me and I’ve been in the trade on and off for more than ten years. Maybe I’m just getting older, but I’m finding I care less and less about the tools and more about getting better at the actual work. If someone can show me a tool which will allow me to do better work then I want to see it, but I don’t want to muddle through a sea of bright lights and geeky bodies to get there.

John Carter of Mars

Laid down

on July 24, 2008

in Reviews

. 7 Comments Tags: fantasy, Movies, pixar, Pulps, sci-fi.

Maybe I’m in the midst of a surprisingly benign mid-life crisis, but just here lately I can’t seem to get enough of the pulp-y adventure stories I enjoyed as a kid. I’ve always been a fan of Robert E. Howard’s Conan and I just recently took a spin through the world of Michael Moorcook’s Elric. One set of stories I’d never read — until now — is Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars cycle. There’re eleven books in this series and I doubt very seriously that I will read them all, but I did enjoy the first three quite a bit. The books’re hokey, and they rely very heavily on coincidence and hyperbole, but I will say this about ol’ Edgar Rice — he knew how to buckle a swash. Though the Carter tales are not nearly as sophisticated as those of the other two sword and sorcery mainstays I just mentioned, they’re good fun to be sure. Unfortunately, I had to take my little trip to Mars via a cheap collection of the first trilogy put out by Barnes and Noble books. Apparently, most of Burroughs’ stuff has lapsed into the public domain in the last few years so the Del Rey versions of my youth are long gone — a shame too since all eleven volumes sported a nifty cover from fantasy artist par-excellence Michael Whelan.

In addition to reading these books to scratch my pulp fantasy itch, I was also curious to see whether or not they would be adequate fodder for a movie adaptation. It looks as though John Carter will be Director Andrew Stanton’s next big project. For those of you not in the know, Stanton is one of the head honchos at Pixar — he directed Finding Nemo and this summer’s Wall*E. No word yet on whether or not his version of the classic series will be animated, live action or some combination of both. (It’s kind of trippy to think about Pixar getting into the live action business, isn’t it?)

Wall*E

Laid down

on June 28, 2008

. 6 Comments Tags: Animation History, Cartoons, CGI, Disney, Movies, pixar, sci-fi.

The Movie:

Wall*E is a good movie. In fact, it’s very good, but I’m just not sure it’s 96% on rotten tomatoes good. There are several Pixar movies I like better and few I don’t like as well (The Incredibles being tops in the plus column and Cars being bottom in the minus). Maybe I was a victim of the hype going into this thing, but it didn’t fire on all cylinders for me. It’s beautiful to look at and I admire the hell out of the fact that it’s mostly told in pantomime (no mean feat to be sure), but there was just something lacking emotionally. A lot of the Pixar stuff really hits me on a gut level, but Wall*E never got there. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad film by any means, but Pixar’s just a victim of their own high standards, I guess. They can’t all be homers. This one’s more like a triple.

The Experience:

I saw Wall*E today through the good graces of ASIFA. The screening was held in the Frank G. Wells Theater on the Disney lot in Burbank. And thus was fulfilled one of my LA fantasies. If you’ve paid even casual attention to this site in the past, you know that a) I’m something of an animation nerd and b) Walt Disney is a personal hero of mine. The Disney lot isn’t typically open to the public so today’s visit was my first after eight years of living in the Los Angeles area.

I neglected to mention in my Kung Fu Panda review that that too was an ASIFA screening. They’re a fine organization and, if you’re an animation fan like myself, you should become a member.

[Pictured above is the animation building on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. From 1940 through roughly the mid 1980s, this is where all of the Disney animated films were made.]

Update 7/1:

Unfortunate downside to the screening I attended: it did not include Pixar’s new short “Presto”. Lucky for me, iTunes posted the cartoon last night so I snagged it for 2 bucks and gave it a look-see. It’s really terrific. Fun, zippy animation and a decidedly 1940s-1950s studio cartoon vibe. One of Pixar’s best short offerings in years.

To Infinity and Beyond! The Story of Pixar Animation Studios

Laid down

on February 5, 2008

in Reviews

. 0 Comments Tags: Animation History, Books, CGI, pixar.

I really couldn’t have asked for more with To Infinity and Beyond!. It’s well-written, nicely illustrated, and, well, kind of inspiring. The book tells the story of the Emeryville, California animation studio’s first twenty years. From their early forays into (non-paying) short films to the billion dollar powerhouse they are today. Through the history lesson (which is engaging enough on its own) shines the passion and dedication of the people working on these motion pictures. You have to respect the fact that, if one of their films isn’t working, they do the only sensible thing which is to shut it down and fix it (costs be damned). At the end of the day, no one’s going to remember that you made your release date and you came in under budget. They’re only going to remember whether or not your movie was any good, and the folks at Pixar have a tremendous track record as far as that goes. “Infinity and Beyond” renewed the admiration I had for people like John Lasseter and Steve Jobs. Pixar must truly be a helluva place to work.

One cautionary word for the folks at Pixar (you are listening, aren’t you, folks at Pixar?): In your early films, you played to the strengths of your medium. Computers do hard shiny surfaces well so, hey, let’s do plastic toys and bugs. Makes perfect sense. But then Brad Bird came in and challenged you. He had an idea for a film that contained all of the things that computer animation doesn’t do well — flesh, hair, etc., etc. Well, Pixar, you rose to the challenge and The Incredibles is a damn good movie. But what did we get after that? John Lasseter gave us cars and now Andrew Stanton is about to give us robots. Two things that computer animation does inherently well. I’m being slightly cute here. I know these movies have a long lead time and the changes that Mr. Bird hath wrought might not have trickled down through the studio yet. How about for that next round of flicks you guys push the envelope a bit? Your first priority is to tell a good story, of course, but go on and stretch yourselves while you’re at it…

Cars

Laid down

on June 9, 2006

. 20 Comments Tags: Cartoons, CGI, Movies, pixar.

Well, the good news is Cars is the best-looking film Pixar has done to date. The bad news is it’s also the most Dreamworks-like picture they’ve made so far. I expect not only great visuals from the boys from Emeryville, I also expect storytelling of a much higher caliber than any of the other animation houses. I wasn’t nearly as engaged by the characters here as I wanted (or expected) to be. This was especially disappointing since Lasseter himself was in the director’s chair again. My interest kicked back in in the film’s third act, but, overall, I was not nearly as moved or as entertained as I have been by prior Pixar fare.

Is it a wash? No, you should definitely see it. Just don’t go in expecting something on the order of The Incredibles or Toy Story 2.

Cars
John Lasseter –director.
*** (out of five)

Lasseter Rocks the House

Laid down