Remember Me?

Hey, there!

I've been busy. ;P

I mean it; for reals!

I've finished chapters 2 and 3, watched FANTASTIC FOUR: THE RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER, THE HOST, RATATOUILLE, Season 1 of THE WEST WING and re-read just over half of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.

AND I've gotten some Gnomey Love in that time, too! :D

So... Busy boy, I've been.

Hey, has anyone noticed that the Disney Corporation has NO IDEA how to advertise PIXAR's movies?

Actually, it's something that My Genius Friend Dave brought it to my attention. He keeps up-to-date with all many of animation goings-on, and he mentioned that part of the deal between PIXAR and Disney is that they get to market PIXAR's flicks.

Only, they have NO IDEA HOW!

Okay, maybe I'm old or something, but since MONSTERS INC. I haven't been drawn to see a PIXAR flick.

I'm serious!

I mean, I know they're PIXAR and I TRUST PIXAR to tell me a good story, but I didn't see CARS or RATATOUILLE in the theaters.

Why?

Because with all the movies being trust at us every month of the last few years, there are other movies with better trailers that make me want to see them.

I mean seriously, when you saw the commercials for RATATOUILLE, did you say "That looks like a great story!" or did you go "Brady Bird! He rocks!" Or, more likely "A new PIXAR movie!"

If you know who Brad Bird is, you probably wanted to see it because of him: He worked on THE SIMPSONS for years, then made THE IRON GIANT and THE INCREDIBLES before RATATOUILLE.

If not, then you just thought "PIXAR movies are ALWAYS great" and that's what got you into the theater.

I seriously doubt you saw the commercials or trailers and thought "Aw! A cute rat making food in Paris! I SO wanna see THAT!"

Blah.

Just venting.

OH! And because of My Genius Friend Dave I've noticed that Robert Zemekis is actually doing quite a bit to change the American public perception of animation!

Check it out:

Filmmakers in the States think that "animation" and "family entertainment" are synonymous. Cute animals and family values and (too often) singing.

But anyone who has watched good Anime knows that that simply isn't true.

Creative folks in the East have used the medium (not "genre" but "medium"... there's a huge difference) have used Anime to tell stories that not only deal with highly sophisticated themes and ideas, but that kids wouldn't WANT to sit down and watch.

I'm not even talking about Hentai, here. I'm talking about SERIAL EXPERIMENT LAIN and PARANOIA AGENT. You can't tell me that kids know what's going on in those shows because MOST ADULTS are challenged by them! They're these extremely cerebral DRAMAS!

And yet, here in the States we still equate animation with children. Wtf?!

But Zemeckis is making a certified effort to change that.

Okay, THE POLAR EXPRESS could easily be placed in the Family Entertainment genre. ("Family Entertainment", by the way IS a genre. "Animation" is not. Just clearing that up.) And if you never saw MONSTER HOUSE, you could easily slip that in there, too.

HOWEVER...

Zemeckis's intention become a little clearer with MONSTER HOUSE... It actually has many elements of Horror, utilized (in my oppinion) very successfully.

And faithfully.

There are scenes and sequences with that house that are actually scary.

Still, one could argue that MONSTER HOUSE is simply edgier than most children's comedies. And one would have a valid point.

But BEOWULF...

Someone in Hollywood grew a pair of balls, because it's being marketed as a straight-up Action/Adventure!

I mean, seriously, what kids will want to go see BEOWULF?

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if we start reading about parents who took their kinds to see it and complain that it's too scary and too violent. But the movie isn't being marketed as a kids' movie. t's being marketed to appeal to the same folks who went to see 300.

AND IN 3-D, too!!!

Come to think of it, all three of Zemeckis's animated features have been 3-D. Bless him!

Actually, because of the logistic of what it takes to make a 3-D movie, it's really only practical to make them with computer animation, because you can produce and edit your film, THEN go back in and render the additional reels necessary for the Left-Eye/Right-Eye effect. You don't have to rent an extra camera or pay for re-shoots because one of the cameras wasn't working right on-the-day.

So anyway, though...

If BEOWULF does well, America could maybe break off a piece of the animation money that belonged soley to Anime in this country!

AND...

I may one day be able to see what I've been waiting since the '90s to see... 3-D animated HORROR flick! I mean come on! You can tell a story in CGI animation that you couldn't afford in live action! And you could get REALLY scary then! :D

Blah.

Anyway, these are some of the things I think about.

Okay, retreating back into my little cave now.

PEACE!!! :D