BIGLENS
THE KENT FILM MAGAZINE | VOLUME 9, ISSUE 2 | Autumn 2012
e u s s i n o i t a m i n A e h T
Welcome! We’ve made it: two issues in one term. Please pause dramatically with me while we enjoy an inspirational and imaginary montage of our epic journey, with cheesey music and killer slow-mo shots. Now on to the good part! Issue two: Animation. Grab your Acme anvils and join us on a journey from West to East and back again. This issue boasts the big names of Pixar and Disney, but these powerhouses share the stage with Studio Ghibil and e-animates. For every film title you expect to be mentioned there are at least two you won’t, so get ready to chase them down! There are cheeky previews that will have you googling away and history lessons about the studios you thought you knew. Plus the all-important question: is animation just for kids? If there isn’t something you’ve learnt more about or want hunt out then you haven’t finished the issue. Animation is something that I personally react to like one of the characters in the films: insane excitement and energy that can only be rivaled by tweens at a Justin Bieber concert. This issue encapsulates the excitement of all our writers, not just about our die-hard favourite Disney films, but also about a world of other films that still surprise and move us today. We will take you from once upon a time to infinity and beyond! Enjoy and keep it reel. Lauren Tildsley.
Editor’s Note...
Hello everyone,
Small Print... Editor: Lauren Tildsley Editor: Jess Bashford Editor: Patrick Doolittle Editor: Harriet Cash Editor: Joe Buckley
lt262@kent.ac.uk jab59@kent.ac.uk pd214@kent.ac.uk hc248@kent.ac.uk jb652@kent.ac.uk
If you have a passion for film and would like to contribute to BIGLENS, please email us! BIGLENS is produced with the support of Kent Film, a society of the University of Kent Students’ Union. All information is provided in good faith. Articles are not necessarily the opinions of the editors of BIGLENS, of the Kent Film Society or of Kent Union. Anything not already copyrighted is the intellectual property of the individual writer, so no thieving. SCREENINGS ARE EVERY THURSDAYS AT 7PM IN GLT1. SEE YOU THERE!
2
3
:Is
the Sky Falling or is the Sky the Limit?
With many film-making companies utilising newer and better technologies to create higher quality animated films, it is no wonder that Disney are getting in on the act as well. But are these newer, more modern films as good as the classics? Their turn towards a more modern style began with Chicken Little, a film released in 2005, and the first that Disney produced (without Pixar’s input) that was fully computer animated, instead of using their traditional, hand-drawn technique. The story takes its premise from the novel “The Sky Is Falling”, and tells the story of a chicken whose stories about the world ending are believed to be lies, until it actually happens. While it did usher in a new era of technology, the storyline of the film was only loosely tied together with an over-hauling plot, with most of the traditional Disney charm nowhere to be seen. Their next attempt was Meet The Robinsons. It is an enjoyable film about an orphaned boy who is whisked away to the land of tomorrow in order to help retrieve a stolen time machine. Initially bewildered and confused after meeting the various occupants of the household, he grows to love and admire them, as he would his own family. While not one of the most memorable films in Disney history, with its uncharacteristic lack of musical numbers and jokes that sometimes fall flat, it certainly has a unique cast of characters, although sadly most of them did not get as much screen time as they deserved. However, Meet The Robinsons definitely held its own and became a welcome addition to Disney’s arsenal. Bolt, their following film, is the story of a superstar dog who travels the country in order to save his owner who he feels is in mortal danger. A tale that is reminiscent of Homeward Bound, it features a colourful cast of characters, beautiful animation, and a truly touching story that will pull on your heartstringseven if it is only for the last 20 minutes of this film. As with the concurrent releases, this features very few songs, because they would have slowed down the pace of this high-octane movie. While certainly not the best of the line-up, it definitely is not the worst, and should be noted for its deviation from traditional human protagonists.
Following this, they decided to give their traditional animation another go with The Princess and the Frog. A sleek tale set in New Orleans during the 1920s, it tells the story of a young woman, Tiana, who only wants to follow her dreams of owning a worldrenowned restaurant, through hard work, not through magic. With its catchy tunes and jazzy atmosphere, this tale is truly heart-warming, and although Tiana is now one of the main women in the Disney Princess line-up, this Princess is certainly no damsel in distress. She is a Disney Princess with a strong and fearless personality, ready to take on anything that may come her way. This fabulous film is almost flawless. Disney’s next CGI film had a twist; it is its first that is not set in modern times. A twist on the classic fairytale Rapunzel, Tangled is marvelous to watch. The story is wellformed, the characters are likeable and funny, and the songs are definitely some of the more memorable of recent times; they are also pretty integral to the plot, like older Disney classics. The use of CGI led to many problems in production — most of which were derived from the almost infinite strands of hair that flow from Rapunzel’s head. CGI was a very risky, but ultimately successful, move for this film. It allowed a well-known story to be revamped and shown in a completely new dimension. For many people, this is the best of Disney’s more recent offerings. So, are these films the beginning of a second Disney Renaissance? It is starting to seem that way. With an initial flop in their starting line-up, most companies would have gone back to their more profitable ways, but Disney decided to plough on, creating movies that are increasing in value with each subsequent film release. Although these films may never be praised as much as the classics, they certainly are some of the better films that the studio has produced in recent years. And who knows what the future holds? As Tiana would say, they’re ‘Almost There’.
James Goodall
4
5
e-Animates The discoveries of the past decades in the electronic sciences have provoked an encounter between the internet and cinema, resulting in the emergence of Web series democratized by the creation of Flash animation software. Flash Animation, produced in the late 90s, has originated a new type of media and to a certain extent a new type of art. Although many perceive the visual style of the Internet cartoons as simplistic and unpolished, this seemingly underground process has become more and more popular and many websites work as a database for those very short animates such as: AtomFilms or Bechamel.com. Several animation film festivals have made special categories for those cartoons like “Made for the Internet”, for instance in the Emmy Awards. Despite the near infinite numbers of web cartoon makers, some of them have created a brand name either thanks to their originality and popularity, or thanks to their previous fame such as Tim Burton with Stainboy (2000), and David Lynch with Dumbland created in 2002. Themes can definitely help to put in order the numerous e-animates present on the web. Firstly, some seem to have a purely stylistic aim; for instance the Lycette Brothers have created the show Not My Type using only typographic characters and sets. Also, Xiao Xiao is the result of Mr Zhu’s imagination which merely depicts “human sticks” fighting each other in an inexistent set. The simple graphics are one of the main features of e-animates. Others are based on jokes and humour such as The Meth Minutes 39, created by Dan Meth, who recently won a Streamy Award for best Animated Web Series. His graphic style is more developed and imitates the visual style of The Simpsons or Family Guy; the jokes astonishingly resemble those TV shows too. Then, there are those which put you ill at ease, as you feel like you are intruding, reading someone’s insane mind.
This is the case for Dumbland, which is a sequence of 8 short cartoons infused by Lynch’s torturous and crude style. Usually one associates cartoons with a young viewer, but the e-animates are mainly directed at an adult audience. Indeed, you surely would not let your 5-year-old brother watch Dumbland! The absurdity and the randomness of the episodes are disconcerting. For instance, Chapter 8 uses a nightmarish ant invasion and one wonders which is the more disturbing: the dancing ants or the stupid, vulgar and ape-like character. Violence seems to be a recurrent trait of the web cartoons; Happy Tree Friends uses an apparently naïve drawing style and creates a world of teddy bears and bunnies…that gorily kill themselves and each other. This perverted contrast emphasizes the viewer’s repulsion. In others, one can understand more easily what message the artist is trying to emit. For instance, JibJab realised by Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, deals with politics in a humorous way and gained fame during Bush and Kerry’s campaign with the video This Land. Then, Queer Duck, by Mike Reiss, was the first animated TV series to have homosexuality as its predominant theme. Although stereotypes are not excluded, it deals with the actual issues of societies reticent about accepting homosexuality. Also, sexual innuendos appear to be one of the main features of the web short cartoons. In Stainboy, one can easily recognise the style of Tim Burton in the depiction of a weak, pastel-coloured anti-hero, which seems to unwillingly get rid of “society disruptors”. Mixing dark humour and sad melancholia, the adventure of Stainboy could almost be read as a poem collection, dealing with urban stereotyping of differences. So, e-animates have changed the meaning of cartoons, which are more adult-directed pieces of work suffused with the artist’s own world, imagination and free-expression. Despite their very simplistic style they can transmit a lot about people’s perception of the world we live in. It is also adapted to a fast moving and busy society thanks to its short format. Adobe Flash Animation enabled amateurs and graphic artists to accede to a certain celebrity status and is therefore definitely a tool of our democratic society, which tends to regulate the idea of success, symbolised by wealth and fame.
Mixing dark humour and sad melancholia, the adventure of Stainboy could almost be read as a poem collection, dealing with urban stereotyping of differences.
Esther Salama Chambon
6
7
The West isn’t always the Best Eighty-six years ago the first feature length animated film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, was made in Germany. Europe is no longer the centre of animated cinema, but it does continue to deliver films for adults and children alike, making blockbusters and filling art houses. For example, throughout the last ten years, France has consistently been a centre for animated cinema. Sylvain Chomet’s The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist were critically acclaimed both at home and abroad, even gaining Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature Film. The unique style of these pictures is reminiscent of early 20th century art, and this style combined with flawless, handdrawn animation and unconventional plots and characters secured them success with both mainstream audiences and more artsy critics – although they are not exactly family movies. As for British animation, my strongest memory is watching the 1978 adaptation of the novel Watership Down, which (and I’m sure I’m not the only one) traumatised me for life. However, it is the animation from Aardman Studios that Britain is most acclaimed for. Their quirky take on animation has given them status as a British institution, and has made them known across the world. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was the most critically acclaimed of the feature films from the team, who to date have still refused to produce anything bad, and successfully achieved Britain’s first Oscar win in the Best Animated Feature Film category. If Hollywood producers are too impatient to cope with time consuming, hand-drawn animation and decide to abandon it completely, it seems that Europe (along with the likes of the unstoppable Studio Ghibli in Asia) has taken its place, filling the void for nostalgic viewers. However, in spite of its more traditional style, European animated cinema is more contemporary than ever.
8
It constantly reinvents style and, in fields such as stop-motion animation, maintains its avant-garde status thanks to artists like Jiří Barta and Jan Švankmajer (both from Czech Republic). Alice, by Švankmajer, is a disturbing and hauntingly beautiful film available in the Templeman Library DVD collection, which I usually advise to only the least squeamish of my friends. European animation, unlike its mainstream American counterpart, is also up to date on social issues; politically involved pictures are common in Europe. Persepolis (2007) is a film based on a graphic novel about the Iranian revolution and the culture clash with the West, and although set in Iran, it is a French production. One of my personal French favourites is Le Chat du Rabbin (2011). In this the protagonist is a cat who gains the ability to speak by eating the family parrot, but this soon gains a mischievous twist when the cat starts lying and offending continuously. The rabbi, who fears he might be a bad influence on his daughter, decides to teach him the Torah, and convert him into “a good Jew who doesn’t lie.” For those of you inspired to seek out some new European animation for yourselves, Day of the Crows (Le Jour de Corneilles) premiered at the Chicago International film festival in October and charmed audiences with its fascinating animation, which it appears to have borrowed from both Western and Japanese styles. Based on French folklore, it is a fairytale for all audiences which will hopefully reach the Gulbenkian screen soon. Although people may tend to turn to the US first for their animation fix, I hope this brief overview will encourage you to give Europe the credit it is due and search out one of its hidden gems for yourselves.
Francesco Morino
9
Studio Ghibli create visually stunning animated films that capture realities spliced with an abundance of imagination. Their films, directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki, are engaging, exciting, and incorporate unexpected twists in their storytelling. Miyazaki’s directing, combined with the composer Joe Hisaishi’s soundtracks, feels like pure genius. He is able to compose enchanting lyrical pieces that perfectly complement the mood of scenes and character creations. Not to kid anyone, I can’t class myself as a die-hard fan who has collected everything they have produced, but every film I have seen has been well worth my time. Therefore, what I am going to give you is brief guide, for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Ghibli yet: something to whet your appetite without spoiling it. Spirited Away encapsulates the transition from innocence in childhood to the realisation of the dangers of the world in adulthood. The idea that spirits can be personified depending on their nature is what brings this film to life. Imagine a reality where everything is alive, literally everything, from spirits to paper birds to sootballs (which provide Spirited Away with some welcome cute factor). Anything is possible in this reality. I love how it brings out a child-like, wild imagination in me that I never knew I had. The character called No Face is a particular favourite of mine, because you see so many surprising developments when you watch this spirit.
Without giving too much away, the film follows a girl called Chihiro who walks through a tunnel into another spiritual world. She has to find a way to save her parents, who have turned into pigs, by working for a witch called Yubaba. In her attempt to save her parents, she also tries to save her only friend’s spirit along the way. I would definitely recommend Spirited Away for your first taste of Ghibli. Ponyo, a more recent Ghibli film, has similarities to Spirited Away in terms of its plot; it focuses on young love, along with depicting an alternative reality. As well as having a similar focus, they are both told through the eyes of youthful characters. I found this brings the feeling to the film that anything could happen, and it is almost surreal. It reminded me of Moonrise Kingdom, where the young lovers, Sam and Suzy, find their own path without the help or influence of adults. I would also recommend Howl’s Moving Castle. It is a film that is worth watching a number of times in order to appreciate it at its fullest, not because it is like other films where multiple watches make it easier to understand the plot (like Inception), but because you notice the hidden links within it which allow you to see something different every time. It is a tale set during a war of witches and wizards, with fallen stars, a turnip-headed scarecrow and a cursed young hat maker named Sophie. Calcifer, a fire demon living with the wizard called Howl whom Sophie meets on her travels, completely makes this film for me. The little remarks from Calcifer add wood to the fire of banter between Howl and Sophie. Billy Crystal is brilliant as Calcifer’s voice; he provides just the right balance of cheekiness not to cross the line, but he is still able to get laughs. I would definitely watch these three offerings from Studio Ghibli for your first experience. But I would also implore you to move on to some of its other classics, like Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky, and probably the most recognisable of their films – My Neighbour Totoro, as soon as you get the opportunity. These are just a few of the many Ghibli films that I have watched and loved! If you are an animation fan then experiencing Studio Ghibli is simply a must.
Beginner’s Guide to
Zoe Stuart
10
11
Just Keep Swimming: The Extraordinary History of
Pixar Animation Studios Many people were shocked recently when Disney made the out-of-theblue announcement that they were buying Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion. Very few people, however, actually know that Disney had already purchased a little bit of Lucasfilm back in 2006, when the company acquired the critically acclaimed and globally adored Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar started life in 1979 as ‘The Computer Graphics Group’ – a part of the Lucasfilm Computer Division. Headed by computer genius Ed Catmull, the group was substantially different from the Pixar that we know and love today, its focus being on creating graphic software and hardware for other companies and organisations. The group saw potential in their products to create computer animation, but were struggling to get to grips with the logistics of making it work, so they drafted in John Lasseter – a young and talented animator who had just lost his job at Disney for pursuing computer animation (oh, the irony). With Lasseter on board, the team were able to successfully create the basis for the computer animation and CGI effects that we see in films today. Lasseter directed a number of animated short films with the company in order to test and demonstrate their products, and the entire group worked closely with ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) to create visual effects for many big budget blockbusters. Yet as the group focused more and more on animation, George Lucas was struggling to find reason to keep the division running as their very specialist product sales were underwhelming. Apple’s Steve Jobs, however, could see the potential in computer animation and bought the group in 1986. He readjusted its focus solely onto developing and creating computer animated films, and renaming it – drum roll, please – Pixar. After its official launch, Pixar focused on producing their own short films and adverts for various other companies, but the studio had a far greater ambition from the very start. In 1995, Pixar Animation Studios released the world’s first fully computer animated feature length film, Toy Story. Directed by Lasseter, Toy Story (my personal all-time favourite film!) was a complete game changer for the entire industry. The market for animated films up to this period was practically owned by The Walt Disney Company; iff an animated film wasn’t Disney or Disney-like, then it was basically boomed to failure. Nothing could stop the grandaddies of animation until Pixar came along with Toy Story.
12
‘Despite being involved in the marketing of Pixar’s early films, Disney Animation was being destroyed by the very films that they were in fact distributing’
The film’s contemporary style and story avoided Disney’s classic fairytale/musical image in order to differentiate itself from the market leader. The genius buddy movie narrative of Woody and Buzz Lightyear’s search for their own identities struck a positive chord with people of all nationalities, ages and genders, making it the most critically acclaimed, and the second highest grossing film in the worldwide box office of 1995 – it became an instant classic. All of this, combined with the revolutionary advances in technology that created this new medium of animation, meant that suddenly Disney’s iconic hand-drawn image was outdated. A new wave of computer animation coming from numerous studios, who were finally able to compete, began. Audiences now wanted the modern Pixar-style of contemporary storytelling and assumed that a computer animated film meant this, and that traditional hand-drawn animated films would be the tired old Disney fairytale formula. Despite being involved in the marketing of Pixar’s early films, Disney Animation w+as being destroyed by the very films that they were in fact distributing; the incredibly successful films of a man they once fired for pursuing them. After the remarkable success of Toy Story, the studio continued their winning streak with A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Then in May 2006, The Walt Disney Company bought Pixar, purchasing all of the company’s shares for a reported $7.4 billion. As the old saying goes: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! (Or at least, buy ‘em out…) Since the buy-out from Disney, Pixar have still operated in the same style with the original philosophies and ideas that they began with, and their formula for success has not failed. The studio has consistently hit financial gold and continuously received mass praise for each of its films- bar the negative critical responses towards the studio’s two Cars films. In spite of this, both Cars and Cars 2 have stood alongside their more acclaimed films like Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story 3 and Brave, in continuing to hold the torch for Pixar high. For 26 years, Pixar Animation Studios have entertained audiences globally with their unique stories, high quality control, ruthless attention to detail and industry leading animation, garnering the studio 23 Academy Awards (8 of which are Oscars for Best Animated Feature). With its rich history and many exciting prospects lined up for the future, Pixar continues to show the film industry just how it’s done. They’re showing no signs of switching off the lamp any time soon. Dave Startup
13
Is animation just for kids? The answer is definitely not! Although animation might seem to favour the younger generation visually, I don’t think that it’s specifically targeted just at them. A lot of contemporary animations have adult humour and advanced jokes which children wouldn’t be expected to understand. On the surface, animated films seem to express happiness all round, but in fact their deeper meaning is quite psychological and are, for this reason, more targeted at the older generation. For example Up, which is a Pixar film, seems colourful and sweet when watching it through young innocent eyes, but from an adult perspective, it’s a very deep and emotional film about a lonely old man. Guaranteed to make you cry, but it wouldn’t make a child cry. For years now TV shows such as Family Guy and South Park have been a vital part of every teenager’s life. These are animations, but they are most definitely not aimed at kids! I think it’s easy to assume that, because something is a cartoon, it’s not real and therefore is only for children. The same with The Simpsons; now this is broadcast at 6 o’clock, which means that children are able to watch it. I think this show is different to Family Guy and South Park, because on the surface it seems innocent and amusing, but only because children aren’t able to understand the jokes and deeper meanings, which are in fact very crude at times. As a small example, even the ‘Itchy and Scratchy Show’ which Bart and Lisa watch, is extremely violent. It shows a cat and mouse trying to kill each other. They laugh at it because it seems funny at first glance, but is in fact quite disturbing. There is not one animation that I can think of which doesn’t teach a lesson and have deeper meanings, which, granted, in some cases can help children develop their knowledge of certain things, like emotions and how to deal with them, and doing the right thing. However, at the same time it’s very easy for the moral to go over the child’s head and be missed. Animated films have changed a lot over the last few years. Classics such as Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, Aladdin and so on, all depict a fairytale life for children to escape into, but at the same time teach children a moral lesson. When I was younger and watched these films, I was able to enjoy the elements of spectacle as well as understanding the meanings behind what I was seeing. Some contemporary animations such as Coraline and Paranorman don’t represent the same morals as the classics; I felt that the depiction was a lot darker and not very suited for children. It might be because I’m watching them as an adult and not a child, but it seems to me that animation has gone down a darker path. When I was a child, animation was all about being able to escape into the fairytale world and wish that I was a part of it, wish that I was a princess. For example, the majority of little girls dress up as Belle or Cinderella, but you wouldn’t find them dressing up as Coraline or Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Why animation has changed, I’m not too sure, but I don’t think it is necessarily in a good way. I mean, yes the ‘wow’ factor and special effects have improved, but the actual plots are not as good. Bring the classic style back!
Back to the Future: A GLImPSE at what 2013 holds In store for AnImated FIlms There are a lot of great articles in this issue of BigLens looking at the past and present of animation, and as animated films seems to continuously gain popularity year on year – it’s time to take a sneak peak at what the next year of animated filmmaking has in store for us. Disney Animation Studios – arguably the most iconic animation studio in the world – have a couple of projects lined up for 2013, starting in February with the release of computer animated film Wreck-it Ralph. This is a film about an arcade game villain who explores the worlds of other videogames when he decides that he’s had enough of being the bad guy. Already released and proving to be a critical and financial success in the US and other markets, Wreck-it Ralph looks set to be a huge February half-term hit – with fun cameos from famous game faces promised along the way, this film should do for videogames what Toy Story did for toys! Disney have even more treats up their mouse sleeves, with a more traditional Disney picture in the shape of their computer animated version of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Snow Queen: Frozen, set for release next December. Disney owned Pixar Animation Studios is reuniting us with a pair of familiar faces when we enrol in Monsters University next July. Prequel to Pixar’s 2001 classic Monsters, Inc. revisits the loveable Mike and Sulley as we discover how the duo first met each other at the School of Scaring – it turns out the pair didn’t see eye to eyes at first! Whilst there was a lot of concern from fans who grew up with the original that Pixar’s first ever prequel could ruin the franchise, a teaser trailer released earlier this year makes Monsters University look like a hilarious addition to Pixar’s iconic line-up; who thought we’d ever see them release a college teen movie?! DreamWorks Animation Studios also have a lot lined up for 2013. The Croods – a caveman film about the world’s first family who embark on an adventure after discovering the vast world outside the cave - appears from its trailer to be a cross between Pixar’s Brave and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and is set for release next March. Later in the year, Ryan Reynolds voices Turbo, a garden snail who dreams about being the world’s fastest snail, released October 2013. And finally, November sees the time-travelling misadventures of Mr. Peabody and Sherman being brought to the big screen. Not enough animated goodness to satisfy your appetite yet? Well, how about the return of those cheeky Minions in Universal’s animated sequel Despicable Me 2 (June)? Or maybe you’d prefer 20th Century Fox’s adaption of William Joyce’s children’s book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs for the big screen in Epic (May)? Perhaps if you enjoy your anime then the latest offering from Studio Ghibli, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, might be more your taste. Whatever it is that you are looking forward to the most, it looks safe to say that 2013 will be another blockbuster year for animated films.
Dave Startup Stephanie Vivan 14
15
FIND US ONLINE AT www.issuu.com/biglens http://biglensmagazine.wordpress.com/
WANT TO JOIN THE BIGLENS TEAM? EMAIL: lt262@kent.ac.uk 16