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.
No comments:
Post a Comment