And the Linguist Saves the Day!

Hey guys!

So, I don't have much to talk about this week. We're getting to the point in Disney canon where things are good but not great. This is about the time where Disney had an identity crisis and their movies took a brief nose dive. As I've mentioned in previous posts, this is when Disney suddenly had legit competition in the world of animation and it feels like they were going to great lengths to try to stay relevant in the public eye. So it seems to me that during this time they made a lot more movies that were trendy and would make them a quick buck instead of making movies that had a lasting quality and depth to them. There are of course some exceptions to this but overall I'd say the early 2000's were riddled with this sort of attitude.

Atlantis: the Lost Empire is a pretty good example of what I'm talking about. It's good for a quick thrill and plays on a lot of obvious antics. It's fun and has an ok plot but if you had to choose between watching this and say Aladdin, I'd say most days you'd probably go with Aladdin (I know I would). See? Good, not great.

Some things that I really like about this movie are that the protagonist is a skinny linguist who wears huge glasses for the whole movie. I especially love that he never takes off his glasses, usually in this type of movie the nerd eventually takes off their glasses and you realize that nerd is super attractive and ripped and their IQ miraculously drops a few points. That just doesn't happen here. And all you linguists out there should be feeling pretty good about this movie since it's because of the guy who understands a dead language that the day is saved.



Another thing that's sort of awesome about this movie is the line work. There is a severe shortage of curved lines throughout the animation. Everything is sharp points and straight lines. It is awesome!

They also make a reference to Kewpie dolls in this movie. Someone did their time period research in order to slide that one in there. I only know what a Kewpie doll is because I went to a Kewpie themed diner in Racine, WI while on my mission. It. Was. Terrifying.

One more thing, I want to know why the background explorers are wearing gas masks and no one else is. Are they all terribly disfigured or is the air toxic in those underground caverns and we should really be concerned for all the main characters who are exposed to all that contamination? I get wanting to make those characters blend into the background but there are ways of doing so without confusing your audience as to why some people are decked out for a gas attack and others aren't.

Next up is Lilo and Stitch. This movie is adorable. I sincerely love it.


You know what I love about this movie? It shows such a real family dynamic. As someone who has three older sisters I can attest that I have had almost the exact same conversations and arguments with my sisters as Lilo has with hers. (I'm pretty sure my sister Penny even used the "gravity is weighing me down" bit that is used in the movie.) So since the family is so relatable it makes the story that much more endearing. I'm sure not everyone out there has had to deal with the exact situation as Lilo and Nani go through but we can all remember going through hard times as a family and how we somehow all pulled through it with our family still in tact. It is so wonderful.

And speaking of line work, this movie is the opposite of Atlantis in that there is a severe lack of straight lines. Everything is so curvy.

As a side note: I spotted two references to Mulan, and one to Dumbo, Star Wars, and Batman in the artwork of this movie. Bravo animators. Bravo.

Walt Disney and the Millenium

The year 2000 was a busy year for the Disney studio. 3 very different movies came out in that year alone...It's something that I find impressive but at the same time I wonder if that much production might have left their animators burnt out and creatively drained. It might explain some of the frankly embarrassing work that was produced right at the turn of this century.

Anyways, here's my thoughts on these three movies:

Fantasia 2000

I suppose this movie could technically be referred to as a a sequel. However, since it was Mr. Disney's original intention that Fantasia be a rotating piece of work to be added to consistently so that every time you went to see it it was like seeing a different movie, I don't think it can rightly be called a sequel, but more like a fulfillment of Walt's original idea.

So I'm going to write this out the same way I did when writing my post on Fantasia. That is, one short at a time. Starting with Symphony No. 5 by Mr. Beethoven. This is sort of the token "music for the sake of music" piece to get the party started similar to the Toccata and Fugue that starts off Fantasia. Only this one tells more of a story than that one. Albeit a conceptual story, but a story nonetheless. I'm actually grateful for some sort of plot line; it makes it easier to focus on what's happening on screen than being nauseous and confused like I was when watching Toccata.

 The only thing I have to say about the Pines of Rome sequence is I wish I was in the meeting where someone said "What about flying whales?" And everyone was ok with it. Because how this concept actually made it on screen seems a little far fetched to me. I don't think it's bad per se, it's just such a unique idea that I have a hard time thinking that the higher ups didn't need some serious convincing in order to get this okayed.

Rhapsody in Blue is seriously one of the best things to happen in animation history. Al Hirschfeld is AmAzing! The fact that an entire sequence is made in his style makes me feel like there's hope in the world of illustration. And boy does it make for good watching! What I love about this style is that it tells a whole story using only line. There isn't even a difference in line variation and color is almost irrelevant. I just like the idea that one line can communicate so much. It flows so well and is so....well, animated and free.



Piano Concerto No. 2 is just cute and has a splendid integration of traditional and computer animation. I think it may be the first sequence in Disney history where the characters are computer animated and the background is traditional. It actually works really well to make the toys appear real in a child-like environment.

The Carnival of the Animals, Finale is a giggly pot of joy and I love it. I love that it's a simple, fun concept using a simple, bright color scheme. It's basically like looking at a children's picture book only more awesome. I want to give a real flamingo a yo-yo and see what happens.

My opinions about The Sorcerer's Apprentice have not changed since the last time I blogged about it. You can find them here. I maintain that it is awesome.

Pomp and Circumstance is wonderful. I'm so happy to see Donald getting center stage. I've always liked him. I relate to him so well; he's that guy who probably always says the wrong thing in the wrong way at the wrong time and always overreacts, but he means well and sometimes he's mean, but not in a super malicious way (usually). Anyways...what I really like about this piece is that they take a well known piece of music that is associated with a very specific event and put it in an entirely different context. Thus breathing new life into it and making us see it in a different light. Just brilliant.

The Firebird Suite is stunning and makes for a good finale. I actually forgot what a huge influence this piece has been on my art style. I just love it. It's so fantastical. And for a girl who's a nerd for fairy tales this one just takes the cake. A+ work everyone!



Ok, that does it for Fantasia 2000. Let's move on to the other movies that came out during this year.

Dinosaur

Do you guys remember this movie? It's like Tarzan but with dinosaurs or The Land Before Time minus the star leaf.

Yeah...this movie looks like a photo manipulation. A very fancy photo manipulation, but a photo manipulation nonetheless. The animation is just not incorporated well enough into the background for it to read as believable. There are scenes where characters are walking and no dust puffs up as they move forward; it makes it look like the characters are walking above the ground and not on the ground. This animation is just off enough that it makes it uncomfortable to watch.

Oh, and here's something creepy:

The Emperor's New Groove

I have yet to meet a person who doesn't think this movie is hilarious and wonderful. I am, of course, one of them. There are so many fun nuances throughout this movie. Like how when Yzma throws her poisoned drink into the cactus behind her and it turns into a llama. Or when she's in the jungle being chased by bugs and Kronk is looking at exotic birds and the bugs morph into the shape of a shark as they chase her. Hilarious! I also counted 16ish llamas incorporated into the artwork throughout the movie (I kept loosing count while watching, thus the "ish"). Good times.