#CGI Oasis Animation

[debutart]

“Oasis office” by hitandrun for Samsung.

[canmom]

l'aventure de canmom à annecy - épisode deux - mercredi n+1 - Sand Land

bonjour encore mes amis!

no, there isn't a secret second annecy festival two weeks later. much as I might wish otherwise! I'm just getting back to writing about stuff I did and saw in Annecy.

to start with, let's roll back to Wednesday with Sand Land!

I went into this one knowing basically nothing about it except the thumbnail looked neat, but it turns out to be an adaptation of a manga by the late Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame. It portrays a dystopian (ish) setting in which an evil king controls the water supply; an ageing sheriff teams up with a demon prince to try to find an oasis in the desert, but their journey takes them into conflict with the king's army, and it turns out that our sheriff was actually a military commander who, duped by his evil commanders, participated in a genocide.

Ultimately, our protagonists defeat the evil general in a big battle and destroy the dam he's using to block up the water supply. The military is won over by the honourable ways of our sheriff, and there's a new era of peace between humans and demons. etc etc

What I liked about this movie? The visuals are solid. It's using a cel shaded cgi style, but it's done very well; the characters move in appealing, lively ways, and it allows them to stage big complex tank battle sequences very clearly. I'm not familiar with Toriyama's manga here, but comparing the pictures I can find online, they seem to have nailed the look. Cel-shaded CGI will never look exactly like 2D animation, but it doesn't need to. It's increasingly a solved problem to make a film that looks good in the style.

Sadly, the plot kind of lost me. It's a kids' movie, fundamentally; heroes and villains are archetypal and heavily telegraphed, and the heroes are too uniformly OP to ever feel like there's a lot of tension to the fights. The main dramatic conflict is over Rao's realising his complicity in a genocide, but the way this is presented lets him off the hook far too easily, with all the blame falling on the schemes of the evil general. We never have to confront the survivors in any meaningful capacity, and there's never any doubt about Rao in the present - he is the type of character to use supernatural combat skills to defeat enemies without killing them. It comes off as this rather strange strain of military apologia: despite being a dystopian setting enforced by military power, all the soldiers are basically decent guys when you get right down to it.

Beezlebub, the demon prince, is an entertaining but highly static character - his main change of heart is to think humans like Rao can be pretty all right actually. The final battle sees him pulling out a bunch of Dragon Ball-like powerups, and it's kind of whatever. His grouchy servant Thief is kind of fun, and the party banter over who gets to drive the car/tank etc is charming, and the weird desert gangs are a great chance for Toriyama to stretch his character design skills, but it was not enough to carry the larger story for me. I actually think it would work a lot better as a game, where the characters always winning feels like your success as a player, and the control of the party would get you invested.

That's OK, though! The fun of film festivals is taking a risk on things, and sometimes it turns out to be... not a dud exactly, this is a solid kids' movie, but not what I was hoping for.

The designs actually remind me a lot of Ankama's style (from the thumbnail alone I guessed this movie would be French), though I'm sure the influence goes the other way - Toriyama must have been popular in France, right? Anyway, overall, needed more weird guys, and less reassuring us that the military are actually good at heart.

[soltanian]

CGI Oasis Animation

Created by: Ali Soltanian Fard Jahromi

Created with Blender 3.3.

(c) 2022, Ali Soltanian Fard Jahromi

[simptasia]

LOST’s early 2000s things, for better or for worse

video tapes (i notice by the end, ben has transferred the stuff on the dharma tapes to dvd, very good)

several pants types of that era: 1. loose jeans, ya know the kind where the bottoms of the legs are really baggy. 2. cargo pants. so many cargo pants. can we bring back cargo pants, they’re fucking impossible to find nowadays and i miss them. and 3. very low riding jeans, like if they got any lower i think michelle rodriquez would have had to shave 

shan with her baby pink hoodie and her shiny lip gloss, of all the girls on lost she’s the one who stands out in Early 2000s-ness

charlie’s look in general also belongs in the early 2000s, like you see him and you know exactly what time period this is

jack’s (and his actor’s) mess of “tribal” and “exotic” tattoos

sawyer calling jack and boone “metros”, homophobia may span centuries but that term is specifically an early 2000s thing, babey

sawyer immediately assuming sayid took town the plane. i know that, sadly, this is still a Thing, but the reason this moment is a thing in this paticular show is that it was 2004

flip phones and assorted chunky little phones

finding nemo being refered to as “that computer movie with the fish”, for two reasons, 1. finding nemo not being referred to by name, it’s a classic now, but it was new then and 2. cgi animated movies being so new and novel that shan calls it a “computer movie”. amazing

this show is an ensemble cast of over 20 main characters and not a single one is canonically LGBTPA+. with pretty much all of these characters being abuse victims and prone to tragedy too, so it’d fit thematically. this could happen today, yeah, but far less likely. i mean, the reason they didn’t do it was so they didn’t piss off the parts of america that would get pissed off by that and like, that’s waaay less of a concern nowadays

boone making fun of shan’s possible eating disorder isn’t presented in a Whoa Dude Not Funny way by the narrative

hurley playing music on like, a portable tape player. also i was trying to think if any early 2000s era style songs are in lost but as far as i remember, the music in lost tends to be like 50s to 70s kinda stuff

driveshaft being based on oasis

the show having nostalgia for the 70s but not for the 80s and 90s. seriously once you notice this, you’ll never stop: in terms of presentation, lighting, sound editing, etc, the show pretty much treats the 80s and 90s like the present day. meanwhile the 70s and before are basically Another World. the early 2000s gave zero fucks about the 90s and it shows. it’s just a neat thing to contrast that to now where the 80s and 90s are thought of fondly and have specific styles and sounds tied to them

sawyer being a star wars fan but not knowing the name anakin when hurley mentions it, because the prequels had only happened recently

[cody-sampson]

Introspection  |  Cody Sampson

[artwalktv]

‘Crazy’ by Doechii Director - C. Prinz EP - Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith EP - Anthony “Moosa” Tiffith EP - Eli Raskin EP - Nance Messineo Post Producer - Cole Santiago Producer - Nabeer Kahn Choreo - Tyrik Patterson DP - Mika Altskan Production Designer - Brielle Hubert Casting - Esprit Casting Stunt Coordinator - Rob Brown Editor - Armen Harootun VFX Studio - v01 Studio Color - Dante Pasquinelli Sound - Christian Stropko Label - Top Dawg Ent. & Capitol Records TDE - Keaton Smith, James Mackel, Dann Gilbuena, Saj Motley Dancers - Latonya Swann, Kyla Chaney, Briana Williams, Tydryn Scott, Kelsey L Richardson, Divinity Gaines, Sasha Rivero, Calei Marie, Kryss Hicks, Maile Makaafi, Sasha Mallory, Taya Lee Models - Patricia Leggett, Raven Schexnayder, Mercy Odima, Khayla Obey, Nicole Caceres Production Manager - Paul Lee Production Coordinator - Ariel Hutchins-Fuhr Intimacy Coordinator - Jazlyn Lewis 1st AD - Joy Hubbard 2nd AD - Emily Lavengood 2nd 2nd AD - Jibriel Rabinowitz AD PA - Josephine Lewis Stunt Asst. – Bri Marie Korin 1st AC - Noah Ramos 1st AC - Adam Marquez 1st AC - Anthony Goodman 2nd AC - Jenny Roh 2nd AC - Anthony Hwang Steadicam - Parker Brooks DIT - Keith Pratt VFX Supervisor - Matt Kemper Gaffer - Mathias Peralta BBE - Fred Palluzzi SLT - Hayden Klemes SLT - Alex Gracie SLT - Alec Alvarez SLT - Clay Pacatte SLT - Steve Hodges Key Grip - Luke Poole BBG - Jon Coyne Grip - Loren Jones Grip - Kip Edwards Grip - Nick Herman Grip - Jason Gray Grip - Myles Evenson Grip - Edward Rodriguez Art Director - Matt Toth Leadperson - Ed Lee Prop Master - Paul McCaffrey Set Dresser - Elio Martinez Set Dresser - Helena Morales Set Dresser - Luke Sirimonkhon SFX Coordinator - Alan Roberts SFX Asst. - Darrel Burgess Animal Wrangler - Ted Shred Stylist - Julio Delgado Suit Fabricator - Dragon Dronet Artist Makeup - Zaheer Sukhnandan Artist Hair - Anthony Martinez Talent Makeup - Laura Dudley SFX Makeup - Oasis Nguyen Talent Hair - Nina J. Potts Hair Sculptures - Chatwaka Jackson Jewelry - Chris Habana Seamstress - Kate Broadrick Suit Fabricator Assist - Wanda Piety Suit Fabricator Assist - Dirk Okumoto Stylist Asst. - Adrian Flores Stylist Asst. - Ashley Pineda Stylist Asst. - Salina Hernandez Makeup Asst. - Emiko Smith Makeup Asst. - Adriana Gonzalez Hair Asst. - Alex Thao Hair Sculpture Asst. - Haley Stevenson VFX Producer - Amit Grant CGI - Yoni Shahar, Ben Artzi, Amit Bensangi VFX Artists - Daniel Gerber, Amit Bensangi, Artur Tut, Rahul Gidd, Alexandr Dysenko, Stas Ravskyi, Imri Agmon, David Nahari, Yogesh Sharma

[muthaz-rapapa]

PreCure stock footage

More pointless ponderings.

This is a comparison count of all the recurring attack animation sequences (meaning excluding one-time attacks) we’ve seen so far in Precure’s tv series. Done mainly because I wanted the numbers all on one page. :P

Of course, as I haven’t watched all the seasons (Futari to Splash Star) and my memory is crap, this should not be considered accurate. So any help correcting would be appreciated.

Originally, this was supposed to focus only on sub-attacks but that term’s definition seems to vary widely from season to season. So let’s not confuse ourselves with what counts as a “finisher” and what doesn’t and just stick with the general words “stock footage”.

Futari wa [3?] - Marble Screw, Rainbow Therapy, Rainbow Storm

I’m reading here on the wiki that Rainbow Therapy is “hardly used”...I don’t really know what that means, hence the question mark if it counts as a recurring attack or not.

I also don’t want to include upgraded attacks as separate entries if there are hardly any significant differences between the original and the upgraded one (like StarPre’s) but when I compare it to Marble Screw...it seems okay in my book? Since I haven’t watched this season, I’m not confident enough to make the final call so I will leave it at 3 for now.

Futari wa Max Heart [2?] - Heartiel Action, Extreme Luminario

Alright, Marble Screw Max is pretty much the same as the original with a little extra tacked onto the end. So technically, if there’s nothing else I’m missing, the count for this season should be 2. But still gonna leave room for debate.

Splash Star [3?] - Twin Stream Splash, Spiral Heart Splash (2)

The two versions of Spiral Heart Splash are distinct enough from each other to count as separate.

Spiral Heart Splash Star is a one-time, final boss group attack so not gonna include it.

Yes! 5 [7]

Individual Attacks [6] - Dream Attack, Crystal Shoot, Rouge Fire/Burning, Lemonade Flash/Shining, Mint Protection/Shield, Aqua Stream/Tornado

Group Attacks [1]: Five Explosion

Yes! 5 GoGo [7]

Individual Attacks [6] - Shooting Star, Fire Strike, Prism Chain, Emerald Saucer, Sapphire Arrow, Milky Rose Blizzard/Metal Blizzard

Group Attacks [1]: Rainbow Rose Explosion

Fresh [5]

Individual Attacks [4] - Love Sunshine Fresh, Espoir Shower Fresh, Healing Prayer Fresh, Happiness Hurricane

Group Attacks [1]: Lucky Clover Grand Finale

Not going to include Triple Fresh since it’s just a mash-up of three individual attacks.

Heartcatch [10?]

Individual Attacks [7?] - Pink Forte Wave, Blossom Shower, Blue Forte Wave, Marine Shoot, Gold Forte Burst, Sunshine Flash, Silver Forte Wave

Group Attacks [3?] - Floral Power Fortissimo, Shining Fortissimo, Heartcatch Orchestra

This is where things start to get confusing with the introduction of sub-attacks. I’ve only included Blossom Shower, Marine Shoot and Sunshine Flash because it’s obvious they were meant to be shown as a set for the initial trio while everything else was done in real time.

And after debating about the Fortissimo ones, I decided that I’ll keep Shining as its own entry for now. Not quite happy about it (Shining is just old attacks laid out on top of one another with some minor new animation in between) but it doesn’t seem entirely right to call it just an upgrade either......I dunno.

Suite [10]

Individual Attacks [7] - Music Rondo (2), Miracle Heart Arpeggio, Fantastic Piacere, Heartful Beat Rock, Sparkling Shower, Shining Circle

Group Attacks [3] - Passionato Harmony, Music Rondo Super Quartet, Suite Session Ensemble/Crescendo

...I think Suite has everyone else beat on having attacks with the longest names.

also, it’s a travesty that there is no HD video of Session Ensemble uploaded to youtube.

Smile [7]

Individual Attacks [5] - Happy Shower, Sunny Fire, Peace Thunder, March Shoot, Beauty Blizzard

Group Attacks [2] - Rainbow Healing, Rainbow Burst/Royal/Ultra

Can’t remember how often the upgraded individual attacks were used but to my knowledge, there are no stock footage for those anyways.

DokiPre [17]

Individual Attacks [14] - My Sweet Heart, Heart Shoot, Heart Dynamite, Twinkle Diamond, Diamond Shower, Diamond Swirkle, Rosetta Reflection, Rosetta Wall, Rosetta Balloon, Holy Sword, Sparkle Sword, Sword Hurricane, Ace Shot, Ace Mirror Flash

Group Attacks [3] - Lovely Force Arrow, Lovely Straight Flush, Royal Lovely Straight Flush

*whistles* Quite a jump in number of unique attacks. Just wait till HaCha.

HaCha [20]

Individual Attacks [17] - Pinky Love Shoot, Passion Dynamite, Poppin’ Sonic Attack, Lovely Powerful Kiss, Blue Happy Shoot, Arabesque Shower, Hawaiian Alohaloe, Princess Windy Wink, Sparkling Baton Attack, Ribbon Heart Explosion, Maracas Rhythm Spark, Honey Temptation, Stardust Shoot, Starlight Ascension, Oriental Dream, Sakura Blizzard Dance, Emerald Illusion

Group Attacks [3] - Twin Miracle Power Shoot, Happiness Big Bang, Innocent Purification

Oh yea, if this wasn’t stock footage-restricted, HaCha would still go home with the prize and the cake because of the sheer number of sub-attacks not listed here.

Go!Pri [18]

Individual Attacks [14] - Floral Tourbillon, Rose/Lys Tourbillon, Sakura Turbulence, Mermaid Ripple, Frozen/Bubble Ripple, Coral Maelstrom, Twinkle Humming, Full Moon/Meteor Humming, Galaxy Chorus, Phoenix Blaze, Scarlet Illusion, Scarlet Spark, Scarlet Flame, Scarlet Prominence

Group Attacks [4] - Trinity Lumiere, Trinity Explosion, Eclat Espoir, Grand Printemps

A lot of the secondary attacks are essentially the same thing but with different effects. Scarlet Spark and Flame almost look identical but the movements diverge once the attack is released so I consider them distinct from there.

Trinity Lumiere and Trinity Explosion would’ve been under just one entry, too, but the CGI animation leading up to the attack are different.

MahoPre [9]

Individual Attacks [4] - Linkle Stone Spells (Miracle ver, Magical ver, Felice ver), Emerald Reincarnation

Group Attacks [5] - Diamond Eternal, Ruby Passionale, Sapphire Smartish, Topaz Esperanza, Extreme Rainbow

I’m glad that I changed it from sub-attacks to simply stock footage. Counting the same animation sequence thrice would just make my head spin worser.

KiraPre [10]

Individual Attacks [7] - Whip Decoration, Custard Illusion, Gelato Shake, Macaron Julienne, Chocolat Aromase, Un - Deux - Tres Bien! Kirakuru Rainbow, Parfait Étoile

Group Attacks [3] - Three-2-Wonderful A La Mode, Animal Go Round, Fantastic Animale

Hugtto [13]

Individual Attacks [9] - Heart For You, Flower Shoot, Heart Feather, Feather Blast, Heart Star, Star Slash, Heart Song & Dance, Macherie Poppin’, Amour Rock n’ Roll

Group Attacks [4] - Trinity Concert, Twin Love Rock Beat, Cheerful Attack, Tomorrow with Everyone

I know Heart Song and Heart Dance can be standalone attacks but since we didn’t get to see much of either of them before Macherie and Amour got their Twin Love Guitars not long after, then I count them as one. Also, Macherie and Amour are considered as one Cure split into two anyway so there’s that.

StarPre [8]

Individual Attacks [6] - Star Punch, Milky Shock, Soleil Shoot, Selene Arrow, Rainbow Splash, Cosmos Shining

Group Attacks [2] - Southern Cross Shot, Star Twinkle Imagination

Again, how ironic is it that the season that touts the theme of imagination has the least creative stock footage across all variations in their attack arsenal?

HealPre [tbd]

Individual Attacks [4?] - Healing Flower, Healing Stream, Healing Flash, Healing Hurricane

Group Attacks [1+] - Healing Oasis

Since the secondary elemental bottles barely have any animation sequence and don’t even include the Cures in them, they won’t be counted. 

That said, with the upcoming super form upgrade (new promo art has already been released), we know there will be one more group attack to be added. I suspect there might be another upgraded version of that super group attack as well so perhaps a total of 6 formal attack sequences for HealPre altogether.

Unless they plan to give the Cures individual attacks with that...needle arrow weapon whatever it is but I somewhat doubt it.....we’ll see.

~~~~~~~~~~

Season with the most attack sequences: HaCha [20] Season with the most individual attack sequences: Hacha [17] Season with the most group attack sequences: MahoPre [5]

Top 5 Seasons w/greatest total # of attack sequences: HaCha [20], Go!Pri [18], DokiPre [17], Hugtto [13], Heartcatch/Suite/KiraPre [10]

Again, if I’m missing anything, let me know.

----------------------

Updated 9/10/20

[g-viotto]

OASIS Teaser of some visuals I'm working on for an animated music video, all in the visuals are in loop. I'll post the full work soon. Available for commission . . . . . . . . . #cinema4d #c4d #cgi #octanerender #otoy #octane #digitalart #plsur #howiseedatworld #mdcommunity #motion #motionmate #mgcollective #3d #animation #motion #motiondesign #mdcommunity #graphicgang #motionmate #design #c4d #octane #octanerender #mgcollective #cgi #ourpopulation #Ambientation #Is0Kingz #supremeshutter #cgcollective https://www.instagram.com/p/BxIpVyCnciS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xt2sfwqb5e9k

[metalgearkong]

The Lion King - Review

7/22/19

Directed by Jon Favreau (Disney Studios)

The original Lion King (1994) was never one of my personal favorite Disney movies. Sure, I could appreciate the music, animation, and action, but even as a kid, I couldn’t identify with many of the characters or its story. I didn’t really care about royal squabbles or romances in an oasis. The Lion King (2019) continues the steady and tiring string of Disney “live-action” remakes of their most iconic films. Its safe to say that none of them have reached the peak of the originals, and the vast majority turn out to be of middling quality at best. This is a lesser concern of the current philosophy of Disney, knowing each of these remakes will make boat loads of money, even if the film itself truly isn’t that great.

The one thing I can say about the Disney remakes of late are at least they try to do something new, spin new morals into the story, or have new scenes to take the stories in a slightly new direction. Never before have I seen one of these Disney remakes that are so shallow and unchanged from the original. This Lion King is a scene for scene, nearly shot for shot re-release of the original, and a variety of factors made it tedious to get through. This movie feels deeply unoriginal, and incredibly unnecessary. Simba (JD McCray) is sent away from the Pride Lands by his jealous uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) after making Simba feel responsible for the death of his father, King Mufasa (James Earl Jones). Yall know the drill, and no, literally nothing about the story or plot is different.

By far my favorite aspect of the movie was simply hearing James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa again. Despite having nearly EXACTLY the same lines as the original Lion King, I can’t quite describe the feeling I have hearing his voice coming form the big screen. At the young fresh age of 88, I hope and pray this won’t be his last major film role. The rest of the cast do a serviceable, yet forgettable job dubbing over photo realistic CGI lions. In fact that’s one thing that makes this film seem so strange, is if you strive for total CGI character’s where the inherent goal is to make them look as realistic as possible, having them then speak with clear human voices without the expression of animation or stylization makes this movie hard to connect emotionally with. When a lion (or any animal) expresses an emotion, it doesn’t look any different from what expressions that animal can make in real life

The movie depends on you entirely being familiar with the original, or being entertained by the visuals alone. The Lion King certainly looks good from a strictly technical perspective. I frequently caught myself forgetting that actually nothing on screen was filmed in real life. The animals close up sometimes show a weakness in the tech, but the landscapes and weather effects are absolutely flawless. Impressive tech works against the film when it comes to the more animated (or what should be animated) parts of the movie. For example, it’s jarring to see young Simba hold a note at the end of “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” when a photo realistic lion cub is grinning with his mouth slightly open. The realism also stunts the musical moments, where we can’t dive in to a surrealist version of the movie during the singing. They try to recreate some of the visuals with animal movements, but it falls flat and feels phony. “Be Prepared” is easily the most butchered and disappointing song in this movie as well.

The epic moments, even when accompanied by the familiar music, falls laughably short. Somehow this movie is longer than the original, yet much of it, especially the more significant moments, speed by at the gate of an impala. The bigger moments, such as Mufasa fighting the hyenas, the gorge, Mufasa’s voice from the clouds, and Simba and Scar’s fight simply ring hollow. I honestly don’t know how you can mess this up this bad. Is this a result of these movies being rushed? If that’s the case, how does Marvel also do three movies per year getting much higher praise? How are all of these remake the same level of “meh”? Who is actually making cinematography and editing mistakes to keep the most epic animated movie of all time feel so plain?

The Lion King might entertain people simply wanting to kill a couple of hours. This is a movie I never plan to watch again, nor recommend people to see, whether they are a fan of the original or not. Like the other Disney remakes, this film could have been SO MUCH better. Each new Disney movie I see getting a remake I cringe at the inevitable disappointment and wasted potential. The CGI itself is incredible, as is the animation, lighting, and other effects, but famously put, “a special effect without a story is a very boring thing.” Any quality in characters, script, or story all give its credit to the original film, as this remake does nothing new in that department. The Lion King will certainly make plenty of money, which will keep the wheels greased on this Disney kick of butchering their classics. Holding out ZERO hope for Mulan, and anything else on the horizon.

4/10

[imagitory]

D-Views: Aladdin (with guest input!)

Hi, everyone! Welcome to another installment of D-Views, my on-going written review series where I take a look at Disney-produced and/or owned properties, as well as occasionally non-Disney films that were influenced by Disney’s success! For more of these reviews, you may consult my “Disney reviews” tag, where I’ve discussed such films as Treasure Planet, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt!

Today I’ll be doing something a little different. In lieu of the live-action Aladdin remake premiering in less than two weeks, I decided it’d be best to re-watch the original 1992 classic, and I invited two of my good friends, Christina and Jen, to help me analyze it. I will note any of their input when it arises, and hopefully you’ll enjoy hearing three voices for the price of one!

Aladdin was released in the midst of the Disney Renaissance in the 1990′s, sandwiched between the landmark hits Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Out of Disney’s biggest blockbusters, Aladdin is easily the most “of its time” -- it relies on pop culture references for its humor and uses era-specific slang (i.e. ”NOT!” and “Made you look!”) more than most Disney films do and features a celebrity voice in a prominent role, which was quite uncommon, compared to previous Disney projects. (The best examples I can think of prior to this was having John Hurt, Peter Ustinov, and Vincent Price play villains in The Black Cauldron, Robin Hood, and The Great Mouse Detective, but...yeah, as amazing and well-renown as those men are, they weren’t insanely popular media stars of the time the way that Robin Williams was.) One could attribute this “hipper” aspect at least in part to Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was head of Disney’s animation department at the time, and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, both of whom put a lot of focus in following what was popular and marketable. (Katzenberg later put all of his attention and focus on molding Pocahontas into a historical-fiction retelling of Romeo and Juliet as he assumed a forbidden love story would be a hit, while Eisner kicked The Rescuers Down Under to the curb a year before Beauty and the Beast came out all because it didn’t break the box office opening weekend.) Fortunately the approach paid off and Aladdin was a big success, fueling two direct-to-video sequels, a spin-off TV series, and a show at Disney’s California Adventure that transformed into a full Broadway musical. Even now it’s still very well-loved by Disney fans, many of whom are now looking forward to the live-action remake coming out this month. As my followers might know, I’m still very on-the-fence about the remake myself, as I haven’t reacted very warmly to Disney’s other recent live-action remakes, but my two cohorts Jen and Christina are much less cynical about the prospect, so hopefully any commentary we might make about what we’ve learned about the remake compared to the original will be minimal. Now that our context is framed, let’s board this magic carpet of a movie and see where it takes us!

To start with, Arabian Nights is just such a fantastic musical introduction to this story! Aladdin was the last project that lyricist Howard Ashman worked on before his premature death in 1992, and like in the rest of his work, the word play in the songs he wrote for this movie (Arabian Nights, Friend Like Me and Prince Ali) is just masterful. Arabian Nights in particular just emanates “adventure” -- it was later used as the opening theme for the Aladdin TV series, and it got me so pumped up whenever I watched it, just as much as it probably excited those who first saw the movie in theaters. Fun fact: while listening to the intro, one might notice the names Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio credited as two of the film’s screenwriters, alongside directors John Musker and Ron Clements -- down the road, Elliot and Rossio would also write the screenplay for The Road to El Dorado, join the writing team for Shrek, and be the main writing force behind the Pirates of the Caribbean films. 

As much as I rarely go for films that market themselves as comedies, I feel like Aladdin handles its comedy really well. From the beginning, we see the comedic, spontaneous tone in the peddler’s narration scene, and that tone is taken on by Gilbert Gottfried as Iago until Robin Williams reappears as the Genie later. It makes it so that, unlike Mulan where the comedy kind of starts and ends with Mushu, the comedy is a constant fixture in the story, never distracting from the plot and never feeling out of place. 

One niche interest of mine that I rarely get to delve into is color psychology, and oh BOY, does this film give me a lot to talk about there! Aladdin’s production designer, Richard Wende, used a very simple, yet striking color palette for the film that favors blues, reds, and golds. The effect is a beautifully lush setting while maintaining a “desert” feel: any greens that appear really stick out, like when Aladdin and Genie arrive in an oasis after escaping the Cave of Wonders. It also makes it so that when the background is mostly red or gold, any blue shades draw focus, or when the scene takes place at night and is mostly shades of blue, anything red or gold likewise draws focus. This post goes into the color symbolism more deeply, but generally blue is representative of good characters, while red represents evil, with gold being a sort of middle ground. Primary colors often are used in properties marketed toward children (ex. Team Valor/Instinct/Mystic in Pokemon Go, Snow White having all three colors on her dress), so it’s understandable that so many kids from the 90′s gravitated toward this movie, but the palette never feels restricted or simple. The deep, saturated fusion of reds and blues and reds and yellows creates a lot of texture despite the limited color range, and it beautifully communicates the heat of the locations and creates a unique visual style for the film. I’ve noticed that in the trailers for the remake, this color symbolism was discarded in favor of a more “Bollywood” look, not unlike how the Beauty and the Beast remake likewise ignored the color symbolism of Belle being the only villager to wear blue (which accents how much she stands apart from the crowd) and decided to dress a lot of people in blue during the opening number Belle. I can only hope the decision means the film is just choosing to make Agrabah more like India than Arabia, rather than this just being a stylistic choice with no substance, but I think the subtle color psychology in the original film is very clever short-hand for the audience, even if they’ll likely not be able to consciously express how the color palette affected their viewing experience.

As Jafar and his stooge Gazeem come across the Cave of Wonders, I’m reminded of how awesome the Cave’s design is. It was made primarily with CG animation, yet the CGI is never distracting: on the contrary, it fuses together beautifully with the rest of the hand-drawn background. Even the sandy texture on the Cave is very well rendered. Christina also noted a neat detail I hadn’t picked up on before: the tiger head has an earring in one ear, just like the Genie whose lamp lives inside the Cave!

After the Cave of Wonders devours Gazeem, declaring that it will only allow the “diamond in the rough” inside, we meet our title character and resident “diamond,” Aladdin. Voicing Aladdin is Scott Weinger, or Steve of Full House fame, who brings such charm, energy, and personality to the role. I honestly think it’d be hard for anyone else to match the sheer likability rippling out of Scott’s voice. Accompanying Weinger and Robin Williams in this stellar cast are Broadway actor Jonathan Freeman as Jafar (who has since gone on to play the character in everything from TV shows to the Broadway musical), raucous comic Gilbert Gottfried as Iago, and three voice-acting legends -- Frank Welker (who voices Shaggy and Scooby Doo) as Abu and Rajah; Jim Cummings (the current voices of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger) as Razoul; and Corey Burton (who is best known for playing Ansem the Wise in Kingdom Hearts) as Prince Tiger-Fucker Achmed. Even Jasmine, who was voiced by the at-the-time-fresh-faced actress Linda Larkin, had her singing voice done by Broadway legend Lea Salonga, fresh off her success premiering the title role in Miss Saigon. Even though many of these names aren’t celebrities like Robin Williams, and so I would hesitate to call this an “all-star cast” exactly, it doesn’t change how much talent was accrued by Disney’s casting agents! 

Unlike most main characters in a Disney musical, Aladdin doesn’t get a full solo number to call his own. Originally Howard Ashman wrote a song for Aladdin called Proud of Your Boy, where Aladdin sings to his mother (who played a large role in early drafts of the story) about how he’ll make good for her. Unfortunately the story’s focus on Aladdin and his mother’s relationship ended up taking focus away from Aladdin and Jasmine’s romance and Aladdin’s character arc to accept himself, so the screenwriters ultimately had to cut the mother character from the story, at which point the song no longer fit. The decision was very difficult for the filmmakers at the time, given that it was one of the last things Ashman wrote and it’s such a beautiful, raw song, but I ultimately think it was the right decision. Putting Aladdin on his own with no one but Abu for company and giving Jasmine no emotional support outside of her naïve, misguided father and her pet and only friend Rajah I think goes a long way to explain why they’re such kindred spirits. Aladdin and Jasmine each become the friend and support that the other needed. (This is also why Christina and I are concerned about the inclusion of a servant/friend for Jasmine, as the choice would likely weaken any rationale Jasmine could have for leaving the palace and for connecting so instantly with Aladdin.) Plus I think Aladdin’s reprise of One Jump Ahead is just as beautifully raw as Proud of Your Boy, just with a slightly different message and less words. I really feel Aladdin’s frustration and yearning for something better, and Aladdin’s singing voice Brad Kane is able to stuff so much pathos into such a short tune that a longer song isn’t even necessary. And fortunately Proud of Your Boy was later utilized in the Broadway musical version of Aladdin, so it got its dues eventually. 

At the palace, we meet our heroine, Jasmine, who was Christina’s favorite Disney character as a kid and who I personally think is the prettiest of the Disney princesses. Jasmine was designed by supervising animator Mark Henn, who modeled her after a picture of his little sister, which honestly is so sweet that I can’t stand it. What I really like about Jasmine in comparison to other Disney princesses is that she is fiery, but clever: determined, but calculating: proud, yet compassionate. It’s this balance that makes her interesting: in my mind, Jasmine is the ultimate Slytherin Disney princess (with just as Slytherin of a prince!), because unlike Ariel, she isn’t reckless in her rebellion. What’s also very cool about Jasmine is that her circumstances are a perfect contrast to Aladdin, placing them in a more romantic Prince and the Pauper set-up where they envy each other, and yet they want the same thing: freedom. In fact, all of our protagonists do -- namely, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie. Aladdin wants freedom from his poverty. Jasmine wants freedom from her privilege. Genie wants freedom from his purpose. They all have different cages, but they all want to be free to live their own lives, and it’s through Aladdin learning to empathize with Jasmine and Genie and see their respective prisons as clearly as his own that he grows as a character. (For a video that delves into this thought process further, please consult this piece by ScreenPrism -- it’s just beautifully done!)

Throughout the film, three animals emerge over and over -- the cobra, the elephant, and the tiger. Tigers -- which we see not only in obvious examples like Rajah and the Cave of Wonders, but also as a carving in the back of the Sultan’s throne -- are generally associated with courage and heraldry, not unlike their feline cousins, lions. The heraldry aspect I think is most relevant here -- only one who is deemed worthy, namely Aladdin, may enter the Cave of Wonders and access the wealth of kings, and when Jasmine runs away from home, she leaves Rajah, a symbol of her noble heritage, behind. Elephants in comparison are associated with wisdom and more notably royal power. In the film, Abu is transformed into an elephant steed for Aladdin when he becomes Prince Ali, and even the Sultan sits in a throne decorated with a statue of an elephant. As for the cobra, it’s entirely connected to Jafar, first as his magic scepter and then as a form Jafar takes on himself. Snakes overall are associated with many things like healing, rebirth, eternity, and the dichotomy of good and evil, but cobras specifically are the most poisonous snakes on earth. Legends even claim that Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, committed suicide by cobra bite. I reckon that meaning is more than enough reason for it to represent Jafar.

Through the use of a bizarre storm-making machine powered by Iago running on a treadmill-like wheel that Christina, Jen, and I thoroughly don’t understand and kind of find hilariously ridiculous, Jafar is able to discover the identity of the elusive “diamond in the rough.” He then sends the guards out to arrest Aladdin so as to coerce him into aiding him in his goal to enter the Cave, but in the process gets caught by Jasmine as he’s exiting one of the secret passages. Jen brought up the lovely point that Jafar seems to be the only person who knows about these passages in the palace, even though the Sultan presumably was raised in the palace just like Jasmine was -- this isn’t necessarily a problem, but it does make both her and me want to know the story behind this! Was Jafar basically raised in the palace too? Did Jafar partially create those passages? Were they forgotten after years of non-use and Jafar came across them by chance? It seems like there could be some fun explanation here, if someone wanted to write a fic or fan theory about it.

Okay, I really don’t want to express my concerns about the remake yet again, but I just have to say this flat-out -- there is no way that Abu in the remake could be as funny as he is in the animated film. Let’s be honest, CG characters in live-action films are almost never very charming if they’re more on the cartoony side compared to the so-called “realistic” world they’re supposed to inhabit. You can have very likable, well-developed CG characters -- just look at Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia -- but he wasn’t solely comic relief the way Abu is, and Abu’s comedy in particular relies on a lot of cartoon-like squash and stretch that would be difficult to recreate in CG for a live-action movie. Best case scenario, you’d have something like Pip in Enchanted, which is only irritating and visually out-of-place sometimes, but alternatively, you might get something like Alvin and the Chipmunks (where the humor falls flat), Dobby in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (where it’s clear he was never actually there the whole time), and/or the enchanted objects in the live-action Beauty and the Beast (where the characters end up looking creepy, like something out of the Uncanny Valley). Basically if they want Abu to work in the live-action setting, it’s likely they’d have to make him more like an actual animal, which as I said would make it so he is a lot less funny.

Anyway, not long after Abu unlocks Aladdin’s shackles, Jafar arrives to bust him out, disguised as an old man. Just as Jafar’s storm-making machine makes no sense, the three of us all concluded that his disguise makes no sense. Not only does Jafar suddenly look a good foot and a half shorter, which even with him crouching shouldn’t be possible, but he’s changed his teeth with no visible dentures (which would’ve slurred his speech anyway) and he can get rid of all of the white hair and beard he put on just by ripping off the beard in a single gesture. As Jen brought up, even the Evil Queen used a potion to turn into the Hag: if Jafar had used magic, these sort of physical changes would make sense, but he didn’t.

Back to the Cave of Wonders again, and now I get to talk about one of the most revolutionary aspects of Aladdin: the Magic Carpet. Our sweet little Carpet is a perfect fusion of CG and hand-drawn animation -- supervising animator Randy Cartwright drew the outline and tassels of Carpet with so much personality and silent comedy, and rather than have to animate Carpet’s detailed pattern in every single frame as the fabric folded and contorted, the pencil tests were handed to the CG artists, who melded the pattern perfectly to the line work, making it one perfectly cohesive character. Carpet’s pattern also has allusions to different parts of the film, including the Cave of Wonders, the magic lamp, and the flames that appear when Abu touches the red gem. Even if the technology of CG animation is much more advanced now than it was in 90s, it doesn’t change how seamless the finished result is.

As mentioned, the Cave doesn’t remain safe for our hero very long. When Abu snatches up a gem after being warned not to touch anything, the whole place starts to fall apart, raging with lava and fire. Christina brought up the question of why the Cave would allow Abu inside, since he wasn’t the diamond in the rough (yes, Abu was hidden in Aladdin’s vest, but the Cave was magical, did it really not know he was there?), but I almost wonder if it was an issue of Aladdin having trusted Abu when he shouldn’t have, which would end up being the true mistake in this scenario. Regardless, the CGI in this particular escape sequence is some of the more outdated material of the film. The flight on Carpet is still kind of fun, as it probably would make for a very exciting thrill ride, but it still looks incredibly fake, especially in comparison to other CG elements used in other scenes. Honestly, I’d say this Cave chase and the tower used in the “ends of the earth” sequence later are the worst instances of outdated CGI in this movie.

And finally, at long last, we get to the big, blue guy himself, the Genie. As much as I wouldn’t say Genie steals the show, as Aladdin has such a likable hero and heroine and an excellent villain, Jen, Christina, and I will say categorically that Aladdin would not be as good of a movie as it is without Genie and without Robin Williams. The directors Ron Clements and John Musker wrote the character with Robin in mind, but thought there’d be no way they’d ever get him -- fortunately Eric Goldberg, the supervising animator for Genie, got the idea to make an animation of Genie speaking a piece of one of Robin’s comedy routines, and the animation amazingly won Robin over and got him on board. And really, it is that flawless combination of Robin’s acting and Goldberg’s animation that really makes Genie as likable as he is. Even Robin’s humor, which still is very funny, is not what makes Genie as great of a character as he is, in my opinion -- if anything, I’d say it’s how much sincerity Robin gives the role. Genie is never a sidekick in this movie, as he has his own distinct motivations and feelings separate to the main character and their goals, and Robin just makes you feel so much for Genie and his own desire for freedom. One quote of Genie’s that has stuck with me since I was a kid thanks to Robin’s beautiful delivery is “To be my own master -- such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world.” It makes it so his humor is a sign of how resilient Genie is, despite how unhappy his circumstances are, which is something I understand very well as someone who has suffered from depression and I’m quite sure Robin himself understood very well too. I think it’s why so many people found Robin so likable and felt so much for the characters he portrayed over the years.

Speaking on Friend Like Me specifically, I’m afraid I’ll have to go off on a bit of a tangent and share a story with all of you. The day that Robin Williams passed away, I was working at the World of Color show at Disney’s Calfornia Adventure. When the Friend Like Me segment came on, I danced along to the music while in the walkway outside the show, trying to keep the grief off of my face and just make others happy, the way Robin used to. As the segment ended, everyone applauded like crazy. Then, all of a sudden, we Cast Members became aware of a strange, sputtering, almost sobbing sound. One of the show fountains in the water had gotten out of alignment and it sputtered softly in the background as the next segment (Touch the Sky) began, before after a minute slowly quieting and coming to a stop. It was as if the show was crying for Robin, this person who had given so much joy to so many people. And this, among other reasons, is why I feel so very sorry for poor Will Smith, who somehow has to try to fill the shoes that Robin wore. Jen, Christina, and I aren’t very optimistic about his prospects (I still personally might have offered the role to Wayne Brady instead, given that he can sing, he has done comedy, and he worked with Robin in the past), as even Dan Castellanetta, who voiced Genie in the Aladdin TV series, was never able to match Robin no matter how hard he tried.

On the note of Genie’s motivation, as well, we hear about it in a scene accompanied by the beautiful instrumental “To Be Free.” It’s one of my favorite pieces of instrumental music from the film, which became one of Christina’s favorite songs from the Aladdin musical, To Be Free, which is a solo sung by Jasmine. As very pretty and appropriate the song is from Jasmine, I do also really appreciate the number accompanying Genie’s monologue. The instrumental comes across as more spontaneous and thoughtful, like it’s making itself up as it goes along, until it gets to the sincere, meaningful line about freedom, at which point the melody that inspired the song To Be Free's chorus starts.

Another neat touch with Genie is his use of Yiddisms, such as “punim,” meaning face. Of course, Genie’s animator Eric Goldberg is Jewish, and the idea of Genie being Jewish as well I just find so unbelievably charming, particularly when you place him in an Arabian-like setting full of (presumably) Muslim characters, given that the Sultan at one point references Allah. Therefore Genie and Aladdin’s (adorable) friendship could be thought of as a friendship between a Jewish person and a Muslim! I think that’s really cool!

We return to the palace, where the Sultan scolds Jafar for Aladdin’s supposed execution, only for Aladdin to burst onto the scene, dressed as the dashing Prince Ali. During this scene, Christina noted the fun juxtaposition of Jafar’s fashion choices compared to the Sultan, Genie as a human, and Aladdin as Ali. All of them wear very similar robes and turbans, but the Sultan, Genie, and Aladdin wear turbans with more rounded, floppy feathers, which Jafar’s feather is sharp and straight. Aladdin’s and the Sultan’s feather even flop into their faces sometimes, whereas Jafar’s is rigid as a board. As Jen likewise pointed out, Jafar’s design gives him this pointed, slender look not unlike Dr. Facilier in future Disney project The Princess and the Frog. The shoulder pads on his shoulders also serve to give him this sort of sharp “T” shape, contrasted to the more rounded and well-proportioned characters. Couple that with a black/red color scheme that contrasts the more saintly tannish-white of the other three, and it really does communicate the “black cloud” nature that Jafar’s supervising animator Andreas Deja wanted to give the character, to compliment the “Severus Snape” level of dry sardonicism Jonathan Freeman gave the character.

Even though the Sultan is very impressed by “Prince Ali,” Jasmine most certainly is not. Genie counsels Aladdin (with a few outdated pop culture references) that he should tell her the truth -- the nice thing about the pop culture references is that, really, even if you don’t get the jokes, you can still understand them, and the jokes still drive dialogue and plot forward enough that those lines don’t feel like a waste of time. I mean, I didn’t get most of the jokes as a kid, and it didn’t hurt anything for me -- I still thought the Genie was funny because of his comedic timing and odd voices. (Oh yes, and since Jen brought this up while we were watching this -- Aladdin does not say “take off your clothes” while up on Jasmine’s balcony: the line that Weigner improvised for when Aladdin is trying to shoo Rajah away is “take off and go.” Get your brains out of the gutter.)

Fortunately Aladdin is able to soften Jasmine enough that she gives him a chance, and the two go on a magic carpet ride (a.k.a. the fastest world tour ever, as Christina described it! LOL). Accompanying this scene is, in my opinion, the single most romantic song in the Disney canon. A Whole New World was the very first song Alan Menken and Tim Rice wrote together. After the loss of his good friend and most constant collaborator, Howard Ashman, Menken was very nervous about working with someone else. Fortunately, as soon as he and Tim Rice met, they came together pretty quickly while working on the aforementioned love song, which ended up taking some inspiration from their circumstances as new collaborators in its melody and lyrics. So yes, one could listen to this song and some of its lines -- a new, fantastic point of view -- but when I’m way up here, it’s crystal clear that now I’m in a whole new world with you -- unbelievable sights, indescribable feelings -- with new horizons to pursue -- every moment, red letter -- let me share this whole new world with you -- as being not just about these two characters falling in love, but also about a brand new, exciting friendship.

Aladdin and Jasmine connect, Jafar is banished from the palace, and the Sultan blesses Jasmine’s decision to court “Prince Ali” -- but yeah, just as everything looks like everything’s coming up roses, things start to fall apart when Aladdin breaks his promise to set Genie free. (Another fun story: when I first saw this scene in the Aladdin Musical Spectacular at Disney California Adventure way back in the day, I couldn’t stop myself from yelling “BOO!” from the audience. The people around me giggled. Then the actor playing Genie, without looking away from the actor playing Aladdin, raised a hand and pointed out at the audience. “You hear that?” he said. “That’s my THOUGHTS.” I died laughing.) But yes, thanks to Aladdin’s mistake, Jafar is able to take advantage of the situation and snatch Genie for himself, singing his own quasi-solo, Prince Ali (reprise). Like Aladdin, Jafar doesn’t get a full number to call his own, but fortunately he doesn’t end up needing one: Prince Ali (reprise) is more than powerful enough on its own, and it concludes with the most amazing, deranged laugh in Disney history. Really, as good as some other Disney villain laughs are, I would say that Jafar’s is easily the best.

Jafar becomes the Sultan of Agrabah, imprisoning both Jasmine and the Sultan and banishing Aladdin to the ends of the earth. Even if Jasmine’s a prisoner, though, she is no damsel: in Christina’s words, she’s the Princess Leia to Jafar’s Jabba the Hutt, clever and proud as ever and ready to do whatever is necessary to break free...even if it means kissing our villain in order to distract him long enough for Aladdin to try to snatch back the lamp. (Insert a cringe from all three of us here.) Alas, the ruse fails, and Jafar discovers that Aladdin has returned alive and well. The “Battle” track used for this climax is just epic accompaniment, easily being up there among some of the best “final confrontation” instrumental tracks in Disney history like Sleeping Beauty’s “Battle With the Forces of Evil” and The Great Mouse Detective’s “Big Ben Chase.” The visuals as well are also thrilling -- speaking as someone with acute ophidiophobia, Jafar turning into a giant cobra is pretty terrifying.

Despite all of the odds being against him, our diamond in the rough street rat nonetheless is able to outsmart Jafar, and Jafar, tricked into the form of a Genie, is imprisoned in his own pitch black lamp, possessing all of the power he longed for but ignorantly sacrificing the power of autonomy he had already. (As Jen said, and I quote, “Karma, bitch!”) I just adore how Aladdin outwitted Jafar too: not only does it really suit his Slytherin personality to win through craftiness rather than just brute force, but it also perfectly showcases the difference between Aladdin and Jafar: namely, that Aladdin knows empathy, and Jafar does not. Jafar only sees what Genie has that he doesn’t have, supreme magical power, and longs to possess it -- Aladdin sees Genie’s circumstances fully and knows that he is both amazingly powerful in a magical sense and utterly powerless when it comes to making his own choices.

Accompanying the film’s resolution is the beautiful instrumental “Happy End in Agrabah,” which dips into lighthearted whimsy, resignation, bittersweet joy and exhilaration, alongside echoes of both “To Be Free“ and A Whole New World. Aladdin gives Genie his greatest desire -- his freedom -- and in the process makes, in Jen’s words, the most selfless wish you could make...for only a diamond in the rough would make a wish for someone else, not for himself. And as Jen also pointed out, the Sultan follows Aladdin’s lead, giving Jasmine her freedom just as Aladdin gave Genie his. Our story ends with all of our protagonists earning the freedom that they’ve so longed for -- the freedom to achieve their own happiness -- through their love of each other.

Aladdin may be very “of its era” from a humor point of view, but it’s a movie that truly becomes more resonant with age. When Jen, Christina, and I were kids, we all enjoyed this movie’s flights of fantasy, humor, characters, and songs, but as adults, we can feel for these characters and their desire for freedom more than ever. We can understand how similar these individual characters are, and how even though they’re all in different prisons with different advantages and disadvantages, they all need the same key to unlock their cages -- love and empathy. However much the new Aladdin film diverges from the animated version, I only hope that they remember that core of the movie and how it is integrated into the entire story, from how much Aladdin wishes people would “look closer” when looking at him to Genie’s last words to Aladdin being that “no matter what anybody says, [Aladdin will] always be a prince to [Genie.]” And if it doesn’t, well, we still have the 1992 original...

...and Christina, Jen, and I give that movie three thumbs up!

[franki-lew-yo]

Capitalism is bad.

But,

in the case of 2D and Disney, it was Michael Eisner willingly sabotaging the 2D program because he wanted to be doing Shrek, putting all his misguided eggs in the Chicken Little basket, and Disney as a whole mishandling everything from marketing to storytelling with it's final 2D films (PatF included), all in the midst of the boom of popularity that was 3D animation. Combine that with the highest grossing 2D movies post-Lilo and Stitch all being TV show tie ins, and the opinion of auntie Karen is 2D is "garbage". Come 2010, CGI was here to stay as the industry standard for worldwide theatrical animation hits, and it's why we can't have nice things.

Sadly if we're talking Auntie Karen who thinks of animation as just a babysitter for her kids, yes, Bugs Life's visuals did wow her more because she doesn't know how they did that where with Prince of Egypt she can tell "it's just drawings".

Oh, and I'd hardly say just because CG animation has it's union disputes that what's left of the 2D industry is some kind of unionized oasis. Especially in tv animation, 2D animators are taken advantage of CONSTANTLY, both by small indie start ups and by studios like Netflix.

[skidar]

Sahara Movie Review. Spoiler Free!

Ho boy, Sahara. As must as I enjoy this movie it’s tough to ignore all its fallbacks that gave it the reputation I’ve seen online. Despite its short comings I still enjoy it, and I have watched it several times. This is my review of Sahara.

The story focuses on a young cobra named Ajar and his friend Pitt, the scorpion. They live on the edge of an oasis ruled by the green snakes. Sick of being picked on by the older, aggressive snakes, Ajar disguises himself to join the green snakes and meets Eva. Eva becomes captured by a snake charmer and it’s up to Ajar to rescue her. The plot follows the standard ‘hero’s journey’ formula of a lot of family movies. This movie also includes the trope of ‘boy meets girl, girl gets kidnapped and boy must rescue girl.’

The plot is a blend of Romeo and Juliet meets Aladdin meets the Prince and the Pauper. While the story itself is nothing to rave about the animation itself is quite well done, especially concerning body language of snakes to convey emotions that humans normally need their limbs to convey.

Often the characters are in an environment that isn’t entirely 3D, almost like a stage. This isn’t that unusual, as Disney has done this before with CGI movies (Its noticeable in Bolt and Tangled). Its more noticeable in Sahara because in the desert there is little else to compare the backgrounds to other than the characters themselves so spotting a flat image is more telling. The effects of shifting sand, water, and fire, however, are on par with most big-name studios today.

The most beautiful part of the movie is the dancing of the snakes. When Eva is kidnapped the other snakes in the charmer’s basket appear to love dancing for their captor, a sort of Stockholm syndrome. The animation of the snake’s dancing is graceful and fluid, the scene in the movie that flips into 2D animation conveys a sort of drug trip triggered by the charmer’s flute.

Speaking of drugs, this family movie is unusual in that it actively has a drug addict character in the main cast. Gary, the snake, is a ‘pollen’ addict. He always appears a little high and out of it but goes through withdrawals in the desert and even resorts to snorting the sand trying to get a few grains. It can be a little disturbing, especially for a family movie, to display that sort of behavior. (In my own opinion Gary is the most entertaining character).

Personally, I found the most redeeming quality of the movie itself was taking ‘scary’ creatures and putting them in a story where they weren’t scary. Not at all. Even the bully snakes aren’t frightening. The most frightening character is the snake charmer himself and only because he has absolute control over his subjects.

Sahara is not everyone’s cup of tea, it’s easy enough to acknowledge that. From a visual standpoint the movie shows the beauty of the desert and harbors very expressive characters. The biggest problem with Sahara is its story itself. It even seems to end on a questionable note.

Despite Sahara’s lackluster success in the animation world, I hope more companies decide to make more films about snakes, scorpions, and other creepy crawlies that deserve stories of their own.

You may like Sahara if you enjoyed: Aladdin, The Thief and the Cobbler, Gnomeo and Juliet, The Little Mermaid or Pebble and the Penguin

EDIT: Forgot to post the trailer.

[ewh111]

2018 Annual List of Favorite Film Experiences

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I hope you’ve been having a great holiday season. It’s been another fun year in film, television, and streaming. It felt like a particularly good year for diverse voices, visions, casts, and storytelling. While I still feel like I’m catching up on year-end releases, here’s my annual list of the ones that have entertained, moved me, provoked thoughts, or just plain stuck with me the most with their story-telling and artistry (In no particular order).

All the best for a wonderful 2019!

Cheers, Ed

Indelible (But VERY Different) Cinematic Experiences

Roma—I wasn’t sure what the hype was about for the first hour which leisurely unfolds before you, but it’s just the build-up as Alfonso Cuaron’s beautiful and powerful film slowly draws you in, and then suddenly grabs you with unexpected emotional impact. An intimate, yet sweeping story of a maid who holds together a crumbling family as her own life combusts. Based on the director’s own life and the woman who raised him, Roma is a complex multi-layered domestic/social/political drama with some truly haunting and indelible sequences. Some may be challenged by the pacing and seeming lack of narrative. Be patient and stick with it; it’s worth it.

Sorry to Bother You—Audacious, original first film and new vision from rapper/hip hop musician Boots Riley starring a terrific Lakeith Stanfield as down on his luck young man who gets a job as a telemarketer and advised by veteran caller Danny Glover to use his “white voice” to become a power caller. The story then takes a twisted wackadoodle turn that truly defies description. This bold and outrageous absurdist social satire/surreal anti-capitalist black comedy also stars an excellent Armie Hammer in a bizzaro role.

A Full House of Documentaries: A Pair of Giants of Our Time and Three of a Kind

Won’t You Be My Neighbor—Celebrating a true hero, it’s a warm and loving look at this pioneer of children’s television who became a role model of kindness and compassion for generations. Little did I realize when watching him as a child the bold and courageous manner in which he addressed the social issues of the day. And it is worthwhile to see the full six-minute video of Fred Rogers Senate testimony that saved funding for public television: https://youtu.be/fKy7ljRr0AA.

RBG—An inspirational telling of the brilliant legal mind who shaped America’s legal landscape on gender equality and women’s rights and became a pop culture icon. 

Three Identical Strangers—Fascinating documentary that starts as a “can’t believe it’s true” tale of separated-at-birth triplets who miraculously find each other as young adults, and then takes a very dark turn as the layers of the story are revealed, raising some real ethical questions about research and the debate about nature vs. nurture.

Additional Docu-series to watch: The Staircase (a gripping and powerful docu-series that is an intimate and detailed look at our criminal justice system as seen through the eyes of a man accused of murder who claims the death of his wife was an accident); The Fourth Estate (a fascinating behind the scenes look at the NY Times and their reporters as they cover the beginning of the Trump administration).

Historical Dramedies

The Death of Stalin—Dark and bitingly funny, this relevant political satire by Armando Iannucci of Veep portrays the intrigue surrounding the flock of sycophantic bureaucrats who vie to become the next Soviet leader after the sudden stroke and death of Stalin. A masterful historical farce with a great cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin, and Jason Isaacs. And it’s worth noting that the most absurd moments actually did take place (e.g., a rerun concert just to make a recording for Stalin; the alcoholic and meglomaniacal son of Stalin who lost the entire national hockey team by ordering their flight into a snowstorm and then replacing the dead players in hopes his dad wouldn’t notice).

The Favourite—While I decidedly did not care for filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’s much acclaimed The Lobster, this is a much more accessible outing. A highly original period/costume piece with an amazing trio of performances from Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, The Favourite is a dark and wickedly humorous look at the conniving palace intrigue, love triangles, and back-stabbing world of Queen Anne’s court, complete with fops, duck races, pigeon shooting, and rabbits that rule the roost. 

Vice—Not your typical biopic. From the man who brought you The Big Short, Adam McKay delivers an entertaining dark dramedy. Christian Bale wholly transforms into the enigmatic Dick Cheney in this boldly told tale (including a faux Shakespearean pillow talk bit and a mid-film happily-ever-after credit sequence) of a ne'er do well who becomes the most powerful man in the world, all “in the service of the people.” With a very strong supporting cast of Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, and Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld.

BlacKkKlansman—Director Spke Lee and the producers of Get Out deliver the unbelievably true buddy-cop tale from the 1970s of a black man who goes undercover to infiltrate the KKK by phone while his white Jewish partner stands in for him in face-to-face meetings. Told in a funny and entertaining manner, it’s one of Spike Lee’s best film in years, though it’s unfortunate how little the racial issues have changed over time.

Odes to Stan Lee and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Black Panther—This is not just another Marvel superhero movie. This is what every origin story should be: a totally immersive world is created with a sophisticated and impressively well-told story, balancing big themes, character development, action, mythology, and strong messaging, including female empowerment. Black Panther is perhaps the best (and most political without being heavy-handed) entry in the MCU while leaving a very large cultural footprint on Hollywood.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse—I really didn’t think we needed another entry into the Spidey world, but this one was truly fantastic, perhaps the best of the bunch. With visually stunning animation unlike anything I’ve seen before, it’s the most trippy, inclusive, and soulful Spider-Man ever, and the one most true to its comic book roots.

More Fantastic Animation, Stop Motion, and CGI

Isle of Dogs–I am an unabashed fan of Wes Anderson, and here he creates a masterful stop motion universe, much more sophisticated and intricate than his last one, the wonderful Fantastic Mr. Fox. Taking place in a fictional dystopian Japan, he creates yet another Andersonian obsessively detailed world, infused with Japanese culture and canines. On the surface, it’s a simple story of a boy seeking his pet dog in a world where dogs have been banished to a trash-filled island, but it works on so many other levels, existential and political. A great cast of voices infuse each character with individuality and nuanced personalities, including Brian Cranston, Edward Norton, and Bill Murray. 

Ready Player One—An unexpectedly wild and entertaining journey, this Spielberg film that takes place in a dystopian future steeped in the nostalgia of the 1980s (video games, movies, music) where its citizens find salvation and escape in a virtual world called the OASIS. The central story of a teen in a whirlwind contest seeking control of the OASIS is a visually stunning and thrilling ride combining live action and CGI that is thoroughly satisfying (though I feel I need to go back to take in all the pop culture references that whirl by).  

Incredibles 2–Well worth the wait after 14 years. Just what you would hope for in summer film. Well-developed characters, action, and story with amazing animation and a terrifically snazzy Michael Giacchino soundtrack.

Other Enjoyable Film Experiences Worth Mentioning

22 July, A Quiet Place, Beautiful Boy, Boy Erased, Crazy Rich Asians, Eighth Grade, Green Book, Love, Simon, Mary Poppins Returns, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Paddington 2, The Price of Everything, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Science Fair, Searching, The Hate U Give, Tully, Victoria & Abdul

In the Queue

A Star Is Born, Burning, Cold War, First Man, First Reformed, Free Solo, The Frontrunner, If Beale Street Could Talk, Shoplifters

Binge-Worthy Television

The Americans, Barry, Succession

For the Foodie Set

Fat Salt Acid Heat, Ugly Delicious

Favorite Theater Experience

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child--if you’re a HP fan, it’s like being reunited with old friends. Great story and incredible stagecraft. 

Trailers

Black Panther: https://youtu.be/xjDjIWPwcPU

BlacKkKlansman: https://youtu.be/0vWHEuhEuno

Incredibles 2: https://youtu.be/i5qOzqD9Rms

Isle of Dogs: https://youtu.be/dt__kig8PVU

RBG: https://youtu.be/biIRlcQqmOc

Ready Player One: https://youtu.be/cSp1dM2Vj48

Roma: https://youtu.be/6BS27ngZtxg

Sorry to Bother You: https://youtu.be/PQKiRpiVRQM

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: https://youtu.be/g4Hbz2jLxvQ

The Death of Stalin: https://youtu.be/kPpXFnHoC-0

The Favourite: https://youtu.be/SYb-wkehT1g

Three Identical Strangers: https://youtu.be/c-OF0OaK3o0

Vice: https://youtu.be/jO3GsRQO0dM

Won’t You Be My Neighbor: https://youtu.be/FhwktRDG_aQ

[tonimining]

Crazy | Doechii from Field Trip on Vimeo.

‘Crazy’ by Doechii

Director - C. Prinz EP - Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith EP - Anthony “Moosa” Tiffith EP - Eli Raskin EP - Nance Messineo Post Producer - Cole Santiago Producer - Nabeer Khan Choreo - Tyrik Patterson DP - Mika Altskan Production Designer - Brielle Hubert Casting - Esprit Casting Stunt Coordinator - Rob Brown Editor - Armen Harootun VFX Studio - v01 Studio Color - Dante Pasquinelli Sound - Christian Stropko Label - Top Dawg Ent. & Capitol Records TDE - Keaton Smith, James Mackel, Dann Gilbuena, Saj Motley

Dancers - Latonya Swann, Kyla Chaney, Briana Williams, Tydryn Scott, Kelsey L Richardson, Divinity Gaines, Sasha Rivero, Calei Marie, Kryss Hicks, Maile Makaafi, Sasha Mallory, Taya Lee

Models - Patricia Leggett, Raven Schexnayder, Mercy Odima, Khayla Obey, Nicole Caceres

Production Manager - Paul Lee Production Coordinator - Ariel Hutchins-Fuhr Intimacy Coordinator - Jazlyn Lewis 1st AD - Joy Hubbard 2nd AD - Emily Lavengood 2nd 2nd AD - Jibriel Rabinowitz AD PA - Josephine Lewis Stunt Asst. – Bri Marie Korin

1st AC - Noah Ramos 1st AC - Adam Marquez 1st AC - Anthony Goodman 2nd AC - Jenny Roh 2nd AC - Anthony Hwang Steadicam - Parker Brooks DIT - Keith Pratt VFX Supervisor - Matt Kemper

Gaffer - Mathias Peralta BBE - Fred Palluzzi SLT - Hayden Klemes SLT - Alex Gracie SLT - Alec Alvarez SLT - Clay Pacatte SLT - Steve Hodges

Key Grip - Luke Poole BBG - Jon Coyne Grip - Loren Jones Grip - Kip Edwards Grip - Nick Herman Grip - Jason Gray Grip - Myles Evenson Grip - Edward Rodriguez

Art Director - Matt Toth Leadperson - Ed Lee Prop Master - Paul McCaffrey Set Dresser - Elio Martinez Set Dresser - Helena Morales Set Dresser - Luke Sirimonkhon SFX Coordinator - Alan Roberts SFX Asst. - Darrel Burgess Animal Wrangler - Ted Shred

Stylist - Julio Delgado Suit Fabricator - Dragon Dronet Artist Makeup - Zaheer Sukhnandan Artist Hair - Anthony Martinez Talent Makeup - Laura Dudley SFX Makeup - Oasis Nguyen Talent Hair - Nina J. Potts Hair Sculptures - Chatwaka Jackson Jewelry - Chris Habana Seamstress - Kate Broadrick Suit Fabricator Assist - Wanda Piety Suit Fabricator Assist - Dirk Okumoto Stylist Asst. - Adrian Flores Stylist Asst. - Ashley Pineda Stylist Asst. - Salina Hernandez Makeup Asst. - Emiko Smith Makeup Asst. - Adriana Gonzalez Hair Asst. - Alex Thao Hair Sculpture Asst. - Haley Stevenson

VFX Producer - Amit Grant CGI - Yoni Shahar, Ben Artzi, Amit Bensangi VFX Artists - Daniel Gerber, Amit Bensangi, Artur Tut, Rahul Gidd, Alexandr Dysenko, Stas Ravskyi, Imri Agmon, David Nahari, Yogesh Sharma

[virtualgallerybyie]

Forefront Post 9 - Love, Death & Robots Volume 3 Episode 3 - ‘The very pulse of the Machine’ (2022)

The very pulse of the Machine is a Sci-fi animated short film based on a science fiction short story called "The Very Pulse of the Machine" written by American writer Michael Swanwick and published in 1998. This episode is a part of the third volume of Love, death and robots and was released on 20th May 2022 on Netflix.

The story follows the experience of an astronaut named Martha Kevilson who is left stranded alone after a series of mistakes that led to the death of her partner Burton. Due to low oxygen levels and injuries from previous events, Martha is forced to self-medicate with infusions that have halogenated side effects. As time goes by on the moon, Martha learns that IO is actually a machine that is interacting with her. It is a story that bridges the gap between reality and imagination.

Innovative and Influential

The release of the very pulse of the machine proved the successful exploration of the animation industry’s current capabilities and pushed creative limits with technology. The film is a blend of 3D and 2D with visual effects layered on top. Visually, it appears to be a 2D animation, but in fact it uses 3D/CG technology to get it to the level of detail and finesse. The technique that has been used in this film is called Cel shading, it has obviously been around for a while. It is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3D animation appear to be flat, like 2D, by using less shading colour instead of a shade gradient. This technique along with actual 2D backgrounds and visual effects, gives The Very Pulse of the Machine's visuals a smooth and natural sense while also seeming vivid and impossibly magical.

I think one of the reasons why this animation is influential and innovative is that CGI technology has allowed more detailed processing in 2D animation. It has helped enhance the detailed expressions and movements of the characters while keeping the vivid, comic book-y hand-drawn artstyle of the animation. The Very Pulse of the Machine displays a great deal of intricate processing, including complex facial expressions, precise muscular motions, and multiple movements. These CGI treatments bring more effectiveness in the visual storytelling, the audience experiences more emotions and a sense of reality due to these detailed treatments. The animation's use of a 2D visual form, which preserves the ability of 2D to retain its flat aesthetic while combining the benefits of 3D and CG technology, is what makes it interesting. The advantage of combining 2D and 3D is that it can reasonably retain the artstyle and aesthetic of 2D animation, simultaneously eliminating the flaws of 2D animation (lack of a certain sense of reality, difficulty in production etc).

Furthermore, the advantage of CGI technology in detail processing brings another advantage, which is that it allows the body to explore adult topics that deal with detailed expressions and emotions which are rarely seen in traditional 2D. Traditional 2D animation frequently has to decrease facial expressions and action details due to the laborious production process. The very pulse of the machine deals with some complex topics, including sci-fi, psychological drama, survival film, robots, death and other content, which are often more common in movies than animation because these contents have high requirements for the processing of expressions, emotions, and detailed movements, and are difficult to achieve with traditional 2D animation.

Another thing that's quite influential about this film are the trippy and psychedelic illustrations that keep on changing so fluidly. Large rocks transform into moving human sculptures, barren deserts become watery oasis, and crystal fields become luminescent light rivers. These vivid and trippy illustrations pay tribute to the psychedelic paintings of French artist Jean Giraud, who gained fame mostly under the pseudonym Moebius. Numerous science fiction and fantasy movies, including Alien, Tron, The Fifth Element, and The Abyss, also benefited from the storyboards and concept designs created by the renowned painter. The use of psychedelics and other substances and their effects in this story are particularly well complemented by the style of Moebius' art, which suits in perfectly.

I believe that 2D animation can explore a lot with CGI technology. In my future practice I intend to explore more intricate processing of the facial features and behaviour of the characters with the help of CGI instead of adopting the typical animation technique of exaggerated visual expression in 2D. Also I really liked the trippy and psychedelic motion of the visuals, so I would like to explore this kind of smooth yet trippy transformation between objects changing from one thing to another.

Davis, V. (2022). Emily Dean Shares Her Thrilling ‘Artistic Experience’ in ‘Love, Death + Robots’ Volume 3. [online] Available at: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/emily-dean-shares-her-thrilling-artistic-experience-love-death-robots-volume-3

Acosta, N. (2022). Love, Death + Robots: The Very Pulse Of The Machine Explained. [online] Available at: https://fictionhorizon.com/love-death-robots-the-very-pulse-of-the-machine-explained/.

Anusha, J. (2022). ‘Love, Death & Robots’ Volume 3 Episode 3 — ‘The Very Pulse of the Machine’: Ending Explained. [online] Available at: https://trinikid.com/love-death-robots-volume-3-episode-3-the-very-pulse-of-the-machine-ending-explained.

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[motiongraphicscollective]

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