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newmoonstarI think I need to stay away from Phantom-related subjects for a while, since it took me four separate posts merely to begin to process Love Never Dies! On then, to other fun subjects: Animated movies!
I finally saw The Road to El Dorado the other day, and am quite surprised and happy to say that I liked it! It was lighthearted and fun, and it looked lovely, lots of color always makes me happy! The storyline was maybe a bit on the borderline of political correctness for a movie made in 2000, since 'the natives mistake the white guys for gods' is more what you'd expect in a movie from the 1930's-50's, but since it was made clear that most of the characters knew what was really going on, I'm willing to let it slide. The main thing about this movie, after all, is: The character animation was SUPERB. Tulio and Miguel especially were just wonderfully done! Really genuinely funny and likeable, and the range of expressions and emotions they go through were so nuanced and just perfect. Absolutely the equal of Disney animation. (And I think I saw James Baxter's name flash by in the 2 seconds before the credits got cut off by a commercial, so that makes perfect sense!) And actually, considering Disney's animated film that year was The Emperor's New Groove, another attempt at a buddy comedy in a South American setting, I'd say Dreamworks actually surpassed Disney. The animation in Emperor's New Groove never impressed me, the humor felt forced, the main guys relationship never felt real, and it was trying too hard to be hip. In El Dorado, on the other hand, the luscious animation combined with genuinely funny banter between two characters you really feel the comraderie between, and a slightly more adult viewpoint that actually did come off as kind of fresh and different. I didn't mind that we didn't know a lot about any of the characters backstories, or that they weren't the usual shiningly pure and honest true-love-seekers that usually populate animated movies. While I can never have too much of fairy tales and true love, they've already been done beautifully in Disney movies, and it's kind of gleefully refreshing to have an animated world where the characters are con men who occasionally say 'hell' and make out with the hot accomplice chick, because in the end they still turn out to be good sorts who put the safety of a city before gold, and their friendship above all. I could have done without the annoying Elton John/Tim Rice songs, but that's a minor caveat considering I now have a whole new hand-drawn animated movie to adore! I love hand-drawn animation so much, every single good one is an absolute treasure, so I heartily recommend The Road to El Dorado to anybody who loves fine animation. (And fun movies in general!) :D
I finally saw The Road to El Dorado the other day, and am quite surprised and happy to say that I liked it! It was lighthearted and fun, and it looked lovely, lots of color always makes me happy! The storyline was maybe a bit on the borderline of political correctness for a movie made in 2000, since 'the natives mistake the white guys for gods' is more what you'd expect in a movie from the 1930's-50's, but since it was made clear that most of the characters knew what was really going on, I'm willing to let it slide. The main thing about this movie, after all, is: The character animation was SUPERB. Tulio and Miguel especially were just wonderfully done! Really genuinely funny and likeable, and the range of expressions and emotions they go through were so nuanced and just perfect. Absolutely the equal of Disney animation. (And I think I saw James Baxter's name flash by in the 2 seconds before the credits got cut off by a commercial, so that makes perfect sense!) And actually, considering Disney's animated film that year was The Emperor's New Groove, another attempt at a buddy comedy in a South American setting, I'd say Dreamworks actually surpassed Disney. The animation in Emperor's New Groove never impressed me, the humor felt forced, the main guys relationship never felt real, and it was trying too hard to be hip. In El Dorado, on the other hand, the luscious animation combined with genuinely funny banter between two characters you really feel the comraderie between, and a slightly more adult viewpoint that actually did come off as kind of fresh and different. I didn't mind that we didn't know a lot about any of the characters backstories, or that they weren't the usual shiningly pure and honest true-love-seekers that usually populate animated movies. While I can never have too much of fairy tales and true love, they've already been done beautifully in Disney movies, and it's kind of gleefully refreshing to have an animated world where the characters are con men who occasionally say 'hell' and make out with the hot accomplice chick, because in the end they still turn out to be good sorts who put the safety of a city before gold, and their friendship above all. I could have done without the annoying Elton John/Tim Rice songs, but that's a minor caveat considering I now have a whole new hand-drawn animated movie to adore! I love hand-drawn animation so much, every single good one is an absolute treasure, so I heartily recommend The Road to El Dorado to anybody who loves fine animation. (And fun movies in general!) :D
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Date: 2012-06-27 11:08 pm (UTC)I happened to catch El Dorado on a middle-of-the-night airing on WGN, which is a Chicago network I live within range of, so unfortunately I doubt it'll be on TV again anywhere else. But you could always check your local library for the DVD! That's the only way I usually see movies, since premium cable or renting is too expensive for me. (I think I might have to go to my libary and check it out! I want to see it again!)
I did see Cats Don't Dance a few years back, I thought it was cute and the animation pretty good. I haven't seen Fantastic Mr. Fox though, and I'm curious about it because stop-motion animation is so rare, but so cool. (I grew up on the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials!) I'll look out for the DVD next time I stop by the library. :)
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Date: 2012-06-28 01:01 pm (UTC)(But hey, if you're into Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, I've currently got a DVD of The Pirates of Penzance from the 1980 New York Shakespeare Festival to watch this week! Heehee!)