Frames Per Second Magazine

Fantasia 2009: Animation Lineup

2009-07-06T23:33:00.001-04:00

In addition to the opening film and animation highlights revealed by the 2009 Fantasia festival, the rest of the films do not merely round out the animation portion of programming. These selections reflect some of the more interesting selections of on the cinematic edge.

The features, in addition to Genius Party Beyond, Hells, and Les Lascars:

Edison and Leo, the first Canadian stop-motion feature, is described as a "surprising chunk of steampunk fun, a revisionist, retro science-fiction thriller with a zesty dash of decidedly adult gags." OK, I'm in.
anime features Eureka Seven and Evangelion 1.0

The shorts, in addition to those in Tokyo OnlyPic 2008, Celluloid Experiments 2009, DJ XL5's Razzle Dazzle Zappin' Party:

Outer Limits of Animation 2009 includes Run Wrake's Control Master, PES' Western Spaghetti, and Theodor Ushev's Drux Flux among others
Outer Limits of Animation 2008 and DJ XL5's Hellzapoppin' Zappin Party will be shown in separate special outdoor screenings in Parc de la Paix

Also of note:

Even more animation shorts are sprinkled throughout the festival as usual and are by no means segregated, exposing animation to the wider Fantasia audience. You can find shorts in this year's edition of Small Gauge Trauma and the many Courts métrages québécois and Courts métrages québécois DIY selections. Look out for Malcolm Sutherland's Tourists and The Astronomer's Dream.
The fight sequences in Battle League Tokyo, animated by Gonzo
Antique, a live-action adaptation, based on the manga Antique Bakery, which also has an anime adaptation
M.W., a live-action adaptation based on the powerful manga by animator Osamu Tezuka.

Bon festival!

Fantasia 2009: Animation Highlights

2009-07-02T18:41:00.005-04:00

The full Fantasia 2009 lineup will be announced soon, but here are some of the animation highlights of North American's largest cult film festival, right in fps's home base of Montreal.

I'm excited about Genius Party Beyond, Studio 4C's companion to Genius Party, shown last year at the festival.

Hells Angels is a Madhouse production with a star crew behind this manga adaptation. Cencoroll is a shorter take that seems quite intriguing. Seems equally intriguing, but with a more sedate, less over-the-top storytelling style.

The feature Les Lascars is based on the French cult show of the same name and should go over well with the boisterous festival crowd (if you've not yet made it to a Fantasia festival screening, the involvement of the audience is worth the price of the ticket alone).

Tokyo Onlypic 2008 looks like it will be a side-splitter. It's an anthology of animated and live-action shorts describing outrageous Olympic-style events. Check out Bill Plympton's Race For Love in the trailer.

DJ XL5's Razzle Dazzle Zappin' Party promises another year or crazily juxtaposed shorts (many animated) simulating the channel-changing experience... to the power of ten.

Celluloid Experiments always features edgy animation selections in its roster. I doubt this year will be any different.

You'll be able to view the full schedule online and procure a printed festival program with a DVD full of trailers on Friday. Hope you can survive the wait!

Fantasia 2009: Opening Film - Miike's Yatterman

2009-07-02T18:15:00.001-04:00

The entire lineup looks promising at the Fantasia film festival this year, running from July 9 to 29. While fps focuses on animation, Fantasia (the largest event of its kind in North America) is a combination of the best cult film worldwide, and has an impressive lineup of film of all types, including live-action and animated horror, action, fantasy, science fiction, weird and edgy films.

As I said, we like to stick with animation around here, but I have to mention this year's opening film, even though it's got (gasp) real people in it.

This year's opening film is the live-action feature Yatterman that began life as a manga in the 70s, which shortly after became an anime series (that was recently updated in 2008).
This is the part where we usually begin a lament (but not always). Definitely not this time!

The director is the irreverent Takashi Miike who made films such as Audition and Sukiyaki Western Django. To me this is more reason to see it. However, if viewers are worried about how he would do an all-ages film, I point to the fantastic film The Great Yokai War, which featured his signature style, but also was a wonderful film for younger viewers.

I think this film will be the type of fare which is best watched with an enthusiastic audience, in the same way that the live-action version of Cutey Honey (directed by animator Hideako Anno) wowed audiences just a few years ago.

The full Fantasia lineup will be available on Friday, July 3.

How To: Making a Great Animation Channel

2009-06-22T05:58:00.004-04:00

The Snowman, Street of Crocodiles, Girls Night Out, Creature Comforts, Screen Play, Bob’s Birthday, The Man With the Beautiful Eyes, City Paradise, Rabbit: A truncated litany of some of the brilliant shorts that since the mid-1980’s have defined British animation the world over, and are jaw-droppingly impressive. What they, and the unlisted others, share apart from their creative potency is, perversely enough, an institution. A government mandated, uniquely funded institution that luckily for all of us was peopled by passionate souls who cared about art and diversity (writ large), and who actively contrived to put money and resources into the hands of the most talented, fecund creators they could uncover. No, not the NFB (but thanks for thinking of us) Britain’s Channel 4 – or Channel Four, more correctly – television network.

In British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor, Clare Kitson, Channel 4’s commissioning editor for animation throughout the 1990s, has written a humane and intimate history of the ups and downs of animation at the Channel, leavening it with just the right amount of dry wit, personal insight and anecdote. The book is a deft balance between an academic tome offering historical context and background and an eye-opening guide to anyone interested in the many behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings that go on to actually get these kinds of films made and-most importantly in Channel 4’s case-on to air.

As an NFB producer, the themes that resonated for me (both for the echoes and the dissonances) are Kitson’s perspective as a commissioning editor rather than a producer, and the Channel’s intrinsic ability (and sometimes inability) to get things onto TV screens around the UK. While these are not mass audiences by most standards, they are certainly much larger audiences than short animation otherwise gets on broadcast television – if our films get onto television at all. Such a luxury, but as Kitson points out also such a curse, was each season’s scheduling matrix even for a broadcaster so committed to diversities of topic, technique and running length.

The Channel 4 Factor is valuable history. But as memoir about what Kitson likes and why, it’s revealing and fun, and already well exceeds the price of admission. The middle section, in particular, reveals the makings of several of the Channel’s most famous films from her own unique vantage point along with the filmmakers’ own tellings of the tale. It’s as a sociological dissection of how such an organization came about, almost from whole cloth, where Clare hits her stride. As a case study, Kitson offers up much of the recipe for success that created and sustained both Channel 4 and the NFB. Indeed, parallels to the NFB regularly caused me pleasant surprise. Compressed in active years, Channel 4’s animation history is like the NFB’s but accordioned into itself three times over.

I suspect many producers see commissioning editors as mercurial demagogues, unaware of real work of filmmaking and blithely changing objectives and mandates from season to season. Kitson quite effectively put that myth to rest. She reveals the very passionate people who created an ethos committed to being background players. Producers boosted artists by giving them money to make films, but more importantly by creating a culture that was willing to take big risks on small films. Here’s the original job posting for Channel 4 commissioning editors:

Television production experience may be an advantage but is not essential. Whether your passion is angling or cooking, fringe theatre, rock, politics, philosophy or religion, if you believe you can spot a good idea and help others realise it on the screen, we are looking for commissioning editors and would like to hear from you.

Clearly, the early, passionate years of Channel 4 were driven by both by its unique mission and by strength of personality and will of its editors and executives. What kind of society is predisposed to permitting such a creature to be born, and more importantly, to live and thrive? Is it peculiar to Anglo-Saxon socialism, which would also explain the NFB?

Kitson writes about diversity and minority remits (but not just about skin colour or ethnicity or orientation) and cultural big thinkers who believed in social change and art as the change tool. She admires a 1980s UK society and a handful of faithful who were ready to lift and be lifted to a new plateau of humanity and criticality, of engagement and responsibility. While not of the same soaring oratory and historic portent of Barack Obama’s presidency, Channel 4 changed the game. I wonder if Mr. Obama might see PBS and the NEA anew were he to read The Channel 4 Factor. I suspect he already carries those convictions or ones quite similar, but I’m quite certain he’d enjoy the animation education he’d get from Kitson's caring and insightful writing.

Of course, there’s no telling what the success-to-fail ratio was for Channel 4’s roster, much as it’s hard to know for the NFB unless one is dogged and inclined to statistics. There’s a chance many animators are like me and prone to apocrypha rather than evidence. Although I do think it’s absolutely true that reputations are built on equal parts evidence and belief, and it’s only when belief has no tangible, recent success to riff on that paper lions are revealed and fairly scrutinized. The ratios may have dipped a bit in recent years, but Kitson leaves us with hope for British animation by the book’s end, and it’s a hope I share in all my various capacities within the animation shorts world.

We always need a secular, art-centric “city upon a hill” that challenges and binds us. There are precious few such institutions left, but Clare Kitson has given valuable clues and insights in how to go forth and multiply.

Michael Fukushima is a producer in the National Film Board of Canada’s Animation Studio, apparently with a bit of closeted anglophilia.

Where To Get It

British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor, by Clare Kitson published by University of Indiana Press (North America) and Parliament Hill Publishing (UK).

Annecy winners announced

2009-06-15T13:27:00.004-04:00

Annecy just wrapped up two days ago and the winners are announced.

Highlights include Hanna Heilborn and David Aronowitsch's Slavar winning the Annecy Cristal Award in the Shorts category, Cordell Barker's Runaway garnering a Special Award from the Jury in the Short Film category, while Mary and Max and Coraline shared the Cristal for Best Feature.

Animafrik

2009-06-10T20:16:00.001-04:00

Animafrik, an African animation film festival that seeks to promote African art and animation will take place October 5th to the 9th, 2009.

Animafrik draws the relationship between art and animation and plans to offer a platform to showcase Africa's finest works with screenings, workshops (including workshops for children), exhibits, and professional meetings under the theme "Telling Our Own Stories". There will also be regional screenings in various cities following the festival.

DVD submissions may be sent by courier to: Animafrik Festival, No.5. Anowa Link, Tesano, Accra, Ghana; or by mail to: P.O.Box KN 150, Kaneshie, Accra, Ghana.

The submission deadline is July 31 2009.

More information can be found on the Animafrik 09 website

Best Animated Game-Intro Ever: The Beatles Rock Band

2009-06-02T23:10:00.004-04:00

I'm speechless. This animated intro sequence for the upcoming Beatles Rock Band video game is simply stunning. I'd love to know more about the people responsible for it. They manage to tell the career-spanning, mind-bending story of the Beatles in a couple of minutes, seamlessly blending well designed 2-D and 3-D styles of animation. What I wouldn't give for a feature length film this cool...

UPDATE: Offworld.com is reporting that the intro was handled by Gorillaz animator Pete Candeland of Passion Pictures, "based on Candeland's similarly jaw-dropping work on Guitar Hero II's TV ad and the full-3D Rock Band 2 intro"

The Sky Crawlers Blu-ray Review

2009-05-26T20:41:00.004-04:00

The Sky Crawlers (122 mins, 2008 - Blu-ray released May 26, 2009)

I would never count myself among the legion of Mamoru Oshii fans. In fact, I find Ghost in the Shell a hard slog, tough to sit through. Like watching water boil.

All right, I’m exaggerating here. Oshii never fails to deliver beautiful moments and thrilling action in his films but in order to uncover the candy he forces you to suffer the interminable plastic wrapping of verbose philosophical monologues, pretentious classical quotations and ham-fisted expository detail. I’m happy to say that his latest animated film, The Sky Crawlers manages to side step these complications. For the most part.

Read more after the jump:

The Sky Crawlers paints itself as a story about war. It leads you to believe you’re in for one hell of an airplane ride but while director Oshii delivers the occasional immaculately rendered, viscerally engaging dogfight - single and dual propeller CGI vehicles tearing through the computer-rendered sky and each other with dizzying speed and intensity - he’s less interested in action and more keen on theme and concepts. Adapted from Hiroshi Mori’s novels of the same name, The Sky Crawlers follows a group of eternally adolescent pilots into the skies as they struggle to understand the meaning of the corporate war they wage. The mysteries of the other-dimensional Europe of the film are revealed through the eyes of Yuichi, a ‘Kildren’ pilot with a missing past and a deepening relationship with the girl who holds the key to it - his self-destructive young airbase commander, Suito. As is par for the course with Oshii, we come to know the characters less through action or dialogue and more through their expression of the thematic concepts at hand - in this case, broadly, youth and war. But for once, this doesn’t get in the way of the film. Though moving at the pace of fanciful poetry, The Sky Crawlers remains inventive and engaging throughout, punctuating long stretches of haunting silence or ponderous exchanges with breathtaking images, lightning flashes of action and stirring music by Kenji Kawai.

The Blu-ray disc looks and sounds tremendous. I can’t heap enough praise on Sony for their work with animated features. These guys really seem to know what they’re doing. The transfer is immaculate, three-dimensional and electric on the screen, with the 2-D, cell animated scenes on the ground as clean and vibrant as the CGI aerial dogfights. The intense audio work by Skywalker Sound is some of the most realistic and present I’ve ever experienced in an animated film and immaculately represented here in Dolby TrueHD 5.1.

The Sky Crawlers Blu-ray disc includes three documentary shorts, each a candid look at the creation of the film and each worth your time. “Animation Research for The Sky Crawlers” (30:52) follows Oshii and his team all over the world as they photoggraph, sketch and record all the visual details required to build the alternate-universe European setting of the film. “The Sound Design and Animation of the Sky Crawlers” (32:16) takes Oshii to San Francisco and Skywalker Sound, giving insight into the critical nature of the film’s sound effects and music to the overall experience. Exclusive to the Blu-ray disc is the 15 minute featurette, “Sky’s the Limit: An Interview with Director Mamoru Oshii”, a sit-down conversation with the director that reveals his intentions for the film and the thought process that ushered the book to script and finally to screen.

Read more about The Sky Crawlers in Madeline Ashby's excellent review of the film for fps: TIFF 08: The Sky Crawlers

The Sky Crawlers is available for $22.99 on Amazon.com - 34% off the MSRP of $34.95

Via: The Blu-ray Blog

The Spine

2009-05-26T20:01:00.004-04:00

Chris Landreth's latest film, The Spine will premiere at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival this coming June.

What makes a Landreth film really stand out from most other photorealistic 3D computer animated films out there is how he explores and exposes his character's inner realities to the outside world for all to see. According to the official website, The Spine is the exploration of the relationship between a man and a woman trapped in a spiral of mutual destruction. From this description and the stills I've managed to see, I think we can look forward to seeing some more explorations of the human condition and to be again touched and amazed by this very talented filmmaker.

But for those of us who can't wait until the Annecy festival, the NFB offers several shorts discussing the "making of" to whet our appetites:

http://www.nfb.ca/film/spine_making_of_new_generation_animations

http://www.nfb.ca/film/spine_making_of_story_genesis

http://www.nfb.ca/film/spine_making_of_the_studio

http://www.nfb.ca/film/spine_making_of_walkabout

And if that's not enough to hold you until Annecy, you could always watch Ryan again.

Sequels, Revivals, and Reconsiderations: What Anime Would You Bring Back?

2009-05-22T10:27:00.005-04:00

Good news: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is returning with new episodes to Japanese television screens, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is on YouTube. The two titles mentioned above employ the same castmembers and staff, the same production studios, and both are further explorations of the source texts: the former a series of comedic science fiction novels, the latter Hiromu Arakawa's manga series. (FMA:B promises to adhere more closely to the manga, in a way that the original Fullmetal Alchemist didn't.) Hellsing, Evangelion and the Macross franchise have received similar treatments in recent years. And in an economy like this one, it's not hard to see why -- established titles have a built-in fanbase that can better ensure a return on investments of time and money.

The revival of these series has me wondering what other anime titles I'd like to see resurrected or re-explored. In many cases, anime series are filmed before the manga that precipitated them has ended, meaning that the anime ends at a point that doesn't quite feel like an ending. Here's a list of some series that I'd like to see dusted off and properly finished:

Fruits Basket: With the manga having ended in Japan, I think it's high time Akitaro Daichi brought us another complement of this sweet, zany, and heartrending anime. Every time I watch this series, I want more. And now that the story has a real ending with even deeper revelations, there's nothing to stop us from getting it. Except for time. And money. And availability. But this is Furuba, damn it -- you know you want some.

Ouran High School Host Club: With ANN's recent full subbed stream of the series, I've been watching the episodes in too-large blocks, surprised at how much I enjoy it, how sorry I am not to have been part of the first wave of viewers to enjoy it, and most of all how clever it is at embracing then subverting shoujo stereotypes in order to critique fetishized gender roles. And the manga is now within sight of ending: more, please!

FLCL: GAINAX had only enough time and money for six episodes of the original series, but those six episodes were enough to tell a thoughtful story about growing up, locating your inner strength, and realizing that what you want and what you need are often very different. (Plus, there was giant mecha action. With guitars.) Ideally I'd like to see a "ten years later" treatment, in which Naota and Atomsk team up to fight Medical Mechanica, this time without Haruko's "help." It sounds crazy, but just think: more music by The Pillows!

Samurai Champloo: Watanabe isn't fond of re-visiting his own series, and I can't blame him. They're mostly perfect on their own. But Cowboy Bebop had its own in-series movie treatment with Knockin' on Heaven's Door, and there's no reason that SC coudn't enjoy the same. If not a follow-up to the series that further re-mixes Japan's history with a critique of nation-building while simultaneously exploring the continuing stories of Jin, Mugen, and Fuu, then maybe an extended episode that picks up another famous figure from Edo Period history and twists it beyond recognition. (Admit it: Samurai Champloo: Rebel Without A Pause would be awesome.)

I've had my say: what would you like to see brought back? (And if you say Cowboy Bebop, we're done.)

Ottawa International Animation Festival Call For Entries

2009-05-21T16:45:00.002-04:00

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is reminding everyone that there are only a few days left to submit films for the 2009 Festival taking place October 14 to 18 in Canada’s capital.

Animators are invited to submit their recent work in six major categories including Independent Short films, Feature films, New Media, Commissioned films (TV series, commercials, music videos etc), Student films and Work Made for Children.

The OIAF 09 entry deadline is June 1, 2009 and preview DVDs must be received by June 15. Entry forms are available on the Festival’s website at www.animationfestival.ca.

Further information about this year’s Festival, as well as online entry forms, are available on the OIAF website at www.animationfestival.ca. If you have questions about submitting a film, send an e-mail to entries@animationfestival.ca or call 613-232-8769.

Henry Selick's Stop Motion Coraline Comes to Home Video in 3-D

2009-05-14T08:56:00.004-04:00

It wasn't that long ago that we found ourselves in the cinema, dazzled by Coraline in 3-D on the big screen. Well, in a couple months time, July 21st to be exact, we'll be able to re-live our experiences as best as current home theatre tech will along when Henry Selick's stop motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman's story comes to Blu-ray and DVD in 3-D!

While the DVD versions will no doubt suffice, we recommend the Blu-ray edition for added clarity and definition as well as a host of exclusive special features such as deleted scenes, tours and voice sessions, and animatic picture-in-picture.

Get all of the details of the Coraline Blu-ray here: The Blu-ray Blog

"Duh iz Lampe"

2009-05-12T14:15:00.004-04:00

In my continuing habit of linking everything that Bruce Sterling links to at my own blog, I now present FPS readers with this video by Serbian band Strip. The video follows the journey of an older female robot as she looks at new models and faces attacks from thuggish humans. I like how the robot's animation is purposefully employed to create an Uncanny Valley response, thus commenting on how we relate to representations of human motion in general, as well as how consumer culture treats "older" women.

Pixar to Open Vancouver Studio

2009-05-08T08:53:00.004-04:00

According to a report in The Vancouver Sun, Pixar Animation plans to open a new 20,000 square foot studio in Vancouver to produce short films.

Plans indicate Pixar will hire up to 100 people to produce all of Pixar's CGI short films.

Stuttgart Animation Festival

2009-05-07T13:11:00.006-04:00

The Stuttgart International Animation Festival (better known in its native country as Internationales Trickfilmfestival Stuttgart) is now in full swing.

The weekend will feature many screenings, including the European premiere of Afro Samurai Resurrection, and the German premieres of Coraline and The Missing Lynx. Shorts are also present at the festival, both in the competition and in several retrospective screenings celebrating 100 years of German animation.

Jazz and Cartoons at the Cinematheque quebecoise

2009-04-29T22:14:00.004-04:00

To pay homage the generous donation of former Cinematheque quebecoise director Robert Daudelin's exceptional collection of Jazz vinyl records and periodicals to the Phonotheque quebecoise, the Cinematheque will be screening some musical animation gems.

Some of the shorts, notably Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs and Tin Pan Alley Cats are controversial for what many (including myself) consider racist imagery, which was the norm for the dominant popular culture of the day. What many of these shorts also have is unparalleled animation with an incredible sountrack and unparalelled timing.

This screening also features a new 35mm print of The Greatest Man in Siam, newly acquired by the Cinematheque.

Catch it on Thursday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m., but if you miss it, you get a second chance on May 14.

"First Squad" trailer now available

2009-04-29T03:50:00.004-04:00

TwitchFilm is streaming the trailer for First Squad, Studio 4°C's latest project. According to ANN, the film was helmed by Yoshiharu Ashino, based on characters created by Russian artists Misha Sprits and Aljosha Klimov. Here's the premise:

It is 1942. The Red Army is putting up a violent and effective resistance against the German invaders. 14 year-old Nadya is a medium. In a deadly air raid the girl is shell-shocked. Recovering from her concussion, Nadya discovers her new gift – the ability to foresee the “Moments of Truth” - the most critical moments of future combat encounters, in which one person’s actions will decide the outcome one way or the other.

Nadya’s ability is indispensable for the classified 6th Division of the Russian Military Intelligence, which is waging a secret war against the “Ahnenerbe” – an occult order within the SS. The Ahnenerbe summons from the realm of the dead the powerful prince of darkness, Baron von Wolff. With him on their side they hope to change the course of history and achieve world domination. To oppose the Baron Nadya decides to enlist the support of her old friends from the beyond – the Pioneers of the First Squad.

This looks like so much fun: all the fantasy pseudo-science of a good conspiracy theory with things like cavalry battles in the snow and utterly terrifying men in pig masks. It'll also be interesting to see how this treats the "Nazi obsession with the occult" theme in comparison to something like Conqueror of Shamballa. The first reviews will be out this May, after Cannes.

Runaway to Cannes

2009-04-24T12:31:00.003-04:00

Cordell Barker's latest film, Runaway will premiere at Cannes during the International Critics' Week (May 14-22). Runaway was produced at the NFB and features a soundtrack by Benoît Charest, who is best known for his work on Triplets of Belleville.

A Wolf Loves Pork

2009-04-15T10:29:00.002-04:00

Via Pink Tentacle, we have this great stop-motion video by Takeuchi Tajin called "A Wolf Loves Pork."

Wait until about :50, when things turn from "traditional Sesame Street palate cleanser" to "unexpectedly awesome."

Disney clones animation for fun and profit

2009-04-14T09:31:00.004-04:00

Via BoingBoing, we have this great video of self-referential Disney animation:

The BB thread offers some theories on why these designs might have repeated over time, ranging from the technical to the cultural. Any ideas?

Sprockets 09: What to watch

2009-04-09T16:19:00.004-04:00

April is upon us once again, which means it's time for another round of Sprockets, the Toronto International Film Festival for Children. Browsing through the catalogue, I saw very few animated offerings, especially among feature-length titles. Here they are:

Dragon Hunters: This 3D computer animation from France, Germany, and Luxembourg is the story of Zoe, who loves stories about dragon hunts and aspires to join one herself. When her uncle sends her packing due to fears of a dragon called "World Gobbler" awakening, Zoe quickly recruits some unlikely "knights" in her quest and marches off to face the danger.

Little Dodo: Traditionally animated, this German film centres on a young orangutan named Dodo who discovers a violin in the forest, makes friends with humans, and gets scolded for his lack of musical talent by his animal neighbours.

Spirit of the Forest: Starring Giovanni Ribisi, Angelica Houston, Ron Perlman, and Sean Astin, this computer-animated Spanish film tells the tale of a ragtag band of animals who fight to save the life of a sentient tree threatened by developers. (I'm especially intrigued by the Clan of Free Cats mentioned in the description.)

Sprockets runs from April 18-24.

Gulliver's Travels Blu-ray Disc Review

2009-03-19T15:10:00.017-04:00

This release makes me so sad. I'm not even sure where to start commenting on it. I had decided previously that all reviews I submitted would fit a format, with portions devoted to story, video and disc features at the very least. That format just won't work for what I have to say about Koch's release of Gulliver's Travels.

Read more after the jump:

It's pointless to review the story here. It's a classic book (or chapter of a book, as the case may be) adapted into a classic animated film. It would be like critiquing Wizard of Oz. There's no point. It is what it is - a 1939 animated feature film produced by the Fleischer Brothers in answer to Disney's success with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's far from perfect but the animation, rushed as it was, stands the test of time.

At issue here is the quality of the Blu-ray disc versus the claims made by the distribution company, Koch and the people from Cartoon Crazys who are responsible for the restoration. I think it's fantastic that they've attacked Gulliver's Travels with such enthusiasm, doing what they perceive to be the best they could with the materials at hand. Also, I'm incredibly thankful that they made a screener copy available to us, enabling me to write this review and inform you of the contents of the Blu-ray. What makes me sad is the result of their efforts and the fact that they don't see what a travesty they've created, that what they've released is such a misrepresentation of the original film print and the artists' intent.

Let me put it in bold, certain terms: Gulliver's Travels has been stretched and cropped to fit your 16:9 widescreen display. This is unacceptable under any circumstances. Need proof? Here you go. I took a trip into Photoshop and merged a couple of screen-grabs - one from an old 4:3 public domain copy I downloaded and another from Koch's 16:9 Blu-ray disc presentation.

In the first image you can clearly see that these two frames don't line up (I tried to match them by keeping the facial area parallel, having lowered the opacity on the Blu-ray screen-grab to make it slightly see-through). The 16:9 version from Koch has clearly been stretched, despite their claims to the contrary. Note how the faces line up for the most part, but the further you move from them the further from congruent the images become. That stretching has also made the Blu-ray frame slightly more squat. Observe the water line in both images.

This second image sees me distorting the 16:9 of the Blu-ray frame to match the 4:3 of the older release. They line up almost perfectly, with slightly more information on the left side of the screen, less on the right and tons cropped off of the top and bottom of the Blu-ray frame.

Koch claims in their press info that the remaster process was performed,

"...frame-by-frame without stretching characters or losing any image beyond standard vertical safe areas - and the use of proprietary techniques actually enables more picture to be visible on the left and right sides of the frame than ever before"

I cry foul. This is either the press folks completely unaware of what was happening in the lab or an out-and-out untruth. There's the evidence, staring us in the face in the images above.

I'm further disturbed by the claims made by Peter Rosenberg of Cartoon Crazys, the company responsible for the restoration, in comments over at Cartoon Brew. He asserts,

"It wasn’t a 4:3 movie on the film print, it was 35 mm. and the 4:3 version seen on TV was panned and scanned and had image removed for the tv safe area’s."

And,

"The original was in 35mm and cut to fit TV screens in the 60’s but we restored all the lost images and safe area’s and it really looks terrific. We took over 12 months to do it and make sure it was right and as i said Tom discussed doing a wide screen version on film with Richard (Max Fleischer's son) and he thought since the Fleischers were innovators in their own time Max would be delighted by our innovations and he trusted only us to do it right."

Not only is it ridiculous to contend that the 35mm print was anything but 1.37:1, essentially a 4:3 aspect ratio, but it's further insulting to maintain that the Fleischer's would have appreciated an alteration of their work that would include the cutting and distortion of the film frame. If I could, I would direct Rosenberg and his entire crew to read the transcript from the Home Theatre Forum's discussion with the restoration team responsible for the current release of Fox's The Robe. Now, there's restoration done right and with respect for the filmmakers' original intent! If Cartoon Crazys and Koch truly care for this film and have a desire to bring a properly restored version to the home video market, they'll have to cut a deal with Viacom who currently own the rights and have the original nitrate successive exposure negatives, backup positives, optical soundtrack negatives, and isolated Main Title elements in the vaults of the UCLA Film & Television Archives in Hollywood. Now that would be impressive indeed!

Allow me to qualify the above criticisms of Koch's Gulliver's Travels by saying that I would have little to no problem with this release had the studio and the "restoration" team not made claims that didn't hold true. The disc still wouldn't have won a purchase recommendation from me but I wouldn't have taken issue with their interpretation of a public domain film. It's out there for anyone to do with as they please. This version is just as valid as any other. It's the contentions made by Koch and Cartoon Crazys regarding the transfer and restoration of Gulliver's Travels that make this Blu-ray a questionable release.

Aside from aspect ratio/stretching issues, the image on the Blu-ray disc is a bit of a mixed bag. It appears equivalent to a poor standard definition transfer on screen: hazy with severe colour bleed and lack of detail, leaving the impression that most of the clean up was rendered with heavy-handed use of digital noise reduction tools, affecting the look of a dirty, old still taken into Photoshop and posterized, with some Gaussian blur added for good effect. On a positive note, the colours are quite vivid here, possibly even more accurate than ever before, creating what might be the brightest and most brilliant presentation of Gulliver's Travels seen in years.

Without going too deeply into the rest of the issues plaguing the feature on the Blu-ray disc (film judder, jerky movement, poorly assembled and static menus, thin and unnecessary 5.1 surround mix) I'm forced to recommend giving Koch's Gulliver's Travels a pass. If you must own a copy of the film now, you would be better served tracking down the long out-of-print Hal Roach studios Image Entertainment DVD release.

PS: There are two bonus cartoons and a brief vintage documentary on the Blu-ray as well as the feature. Not that these additions alter my opinion in the least.

First look at Eric Powell's animated Goon film, produced by David Fincher

2009-03-14T17:45:00.002-04:00

Eric Powell's been working hard to bring his amazing comic book, The Goon to the big screen. Quint over at Ain'tItCoolNews.com was lucky enough to score an early first look at some of the stills from the CGI film from Blur Studio, produced by David Fincher (Seven, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Click on over for more details and high-res images!

Akira on Blu-ray: Behind the Remaster

2009-03-13T18:06:00.005-04:00

Were you lucky enough to get your hands on one of the first pressings of Bandai/Honneamise's Akira on Blu-ray? If so, count yourself among the fortunate few. These suckers blew threw retail like a tornado through a Kansas farm, leaving all arms of the distribution chain empty and awaiting a follow-up pressing. There's a reason this thing was so hotly anticipated. Not only was it the first appearance of the classic animated film on a high-def format with a brand-spanking-new remaster that let you see the film as never before, but the initial offering shipped with a limited edition slipcase and a 32 page booklet, making up for the lack of extras on the disc.

Blu-ray.com has an excellent, exclusive feature on the restoration and remaster of Akira for High-def, including an explanation of why you won't find many special features with the release (Hint: It's because they've filled the disc with buckets of awesome!)

Via: TheBlu-rayBlog.com

Another DC Animated Titled Revealed: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

2009-03-13T17:48:00.003-04:00

AintItCool.com just got the scoop on the follow up to WHV and DC Comics' Green Lantern: First Flight. Harry Knowles claims the above is the logo for the fall release of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, an adaptation of the Jeph Loeb story of the same name. Click over to AintItCool.com for a plot synopsis.