wmnanimation

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the last post has to be special for me and there is no doubt that I'll choose something related to paintings, and as being an art student before, "Loving Vincent" is at least fantastic for me. the film is an experimental adult animated bigraphical drama and it was directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman. the first fully painted animated feature film and about one of the most respecfull painter of all times, Vincent Van Gogh. Dorota studied Van Gogh techniques and his story and released at first a short film before the feature film. the film was created using 65.000 frames in oil paintings on canvas by a team of 125 artists, during a period of 6 years, and using the same techniques as Vincent. I would say that "Loving Vincent" was a love letter to Vincent, every minute and every character was well thinking of and I believe that he will be grateful for.

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how can I speak about animation movies and not talk about “Shrek”? Absolutely my favorite of all time – I have easily watched more than 20 times and I can dub many scenes nowadays. authentic plot, funny, fresh, visually beautiful is one the adjectives which I could relate to. another DreamWorks success was directed by Vicky Jenson (and Andrew Adamson), and it won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001. the male character is charismatic inside all his bad humor, Donkey is hilarious, and Princess Fiona is a breath of hope between all the classic Princess stereotypes. Shrek became a franchised after the first film success, but I could not say that I like the other 4 movies as I like the first one. It is one of the well-known cases of successful movies that could have stopped in the second one, however I will keep watching them over and over.

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talking about DreamWorks successful animation movies, we must mention “Shark Tale” in my opinion. directed by Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron and Rob Letterman, the computer-animated comedy film is fun, catchy and has personality. contains an ensemble cast starring Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie, Martin Scorsese and more. Having even Christina Aguilera in the soundtrack. it was nominated for the Academic Awards and made over $300 worldwide. however, the undeniable success, it is important to talk about the Italian American stereotype and receive mixed critics during the release. one crucial point for me is that I do not feel like it is a movie for a younger audience – adult characters having adults' problems, Godfather inside jokes and an elaborate love triangle could be hard for a kid to understand or even identify with. but not all successful animation movies must be for a younger audience, right? 

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who was never seen "The Prince of Egypt"? I remember watching the DreamWorks animation film repeatedly when I was seven. I did not mind watching the same thing repeatedly, it was just familiar and comforting to me and it may be the same feeling that many people have, so that is why I must write about it. directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner and Simon Wells, the animated musical drama film was released in 1998, grossing over $200 million dollars – the most successful non-Disney animated film at the time, we talked about princess movies a few posts ago, so we know what this number means for a movie not talking about the usual again. I am not a religious person, but the film gets me every time and not just about the screenplay, but the songs, the image, and (let us not even start here) an incredible cast of stars (Val Kimmer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock.. and more). simply a must on every animated list and I cannot let go.

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I have tried to keep some titles out of my list just so I could talk more about different films and skip the obvious - but how can I not mention the animation movie which received two Golden Globe and two Academy Awards? “Frozen” was directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and it was released in 2013. earning $1.2 billion worldwide, I cannot deny the success - and the quality. the story is originally from a studio famous for their princess, but in this one it is all about the relationship between two sisters and the bound that they have for each other. the film is fresh, the effects beautiful – extra points for the majestic mountaintop ice castle (glittery and tactile), with catchy songs and loveable characters (who does not want to hug Olaf or play in the snow? - and of course must be kept on my list.

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after a production time of 13 years and being filmed in two studios, Christiane Cegavske released her fairy tale for adults, "Blood Tea and Red String". Shot in painstaking stop-motion animated film on 16mm. the tale tells us about the struggle between the aristocratic White Mice and the rustic Creatures Who Dwell Under the Oak over the doll of their heart's desire. the film is unique, and the slow beginning should not let you down with all Cegavske' exotic world. the film is full of emotion, excitement and political intent and I have never seen something closer to this.  Cegavske intend for "Blood Tea and Red String" to become a trilogy, and in 2011 she announced the second part of the project, titled "Seed in the Sand", estimated in 5 years of making. many effects and characters could have been seeing in the director's short film made in 1992, "Blood and Sunflowers".

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speaking of great animations that goes beyond only the entertainment, "Persépolis" directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, is brilliant. it's far from only being visually pleasent, the film is hard and is a powefull story of someone who tried to lived her life in a country where "living your life how it wants it" its ofensive and a religious sin. the book which the film was based on was banned in many schools because "it shows content not apropriate for students above the 7th grade", causing many protest afterwards. the book and the film are banned in Iran (and Lebanon for a awhile, but bring it back after public response). even the title "Persépolis" it was well thinking, showing the autors reference to sadness and regret over the turmoil that her nation was suffered, named for the ancient cerimonial capital in Fars Province, Iran - and now a famous area of ruins.

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being a first Pixar movie with a female protagonist and co-directed by a woman, "Brave" must be on my list. Brenda Chapman was pulled off from the project during production and was being replaced by Mark Andrews, even tho, the story remains the same with her principal idea - and based on her relationship with her daughter. I would not say that I loved the film, and I was quite disappointed to be honest - the first act took so long to happen (the big transformation happens only in 40 minutes of the movie, and the second act rushed so much that I did not feel connected with the mother-daughter bound. however, the film has beautiful scenarios and Merida’s accent made by a real scottish actress giving more authenticity for the story, I could not avoid being frustrated with the result. 

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I think one of the reasons that I like animations is the originality. movies could have lack of personality sometimes. but it's not the case of "Turning Red". one of the thoughts that I had during the movie was "I have never seen this before" and that's completely true. the movie follows Mei, a 13 years old chinese-canadian who is blossom on her teenage years and discovers herself turning into a gigantic red panda when she has any strong emotion. the movie has a kindly way to relate her "panda" side to Mei discovering her personality, accepting who she really is and dealing with her family grounds. funny, sensible and original is just a few words to describe Domee Shi first feature film. a woman. director. Chinese-born Canadian. diversity is the key when we talk about Shi's work. her sensibility is shown so easily in the screen because she understand and knows what she is talking about.

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a short silent movie made in 1922 about one of the most famous fairytales could not be original if you have asked me before. but after watching Lotte Reineger “Cinderella,” my thoughts were completely inadequate. I read a few reviews about her work, but one got stuck in my mind and I must quote it “Lotte Reiniger could do more with scissors and cardboard than some animators could do with an entire army of underlings drawing madly for them." her style is unique, and I was so obsessed with her, that I decided to create this blog to talk more about animation movies – and no surprises, the very first post must be about her. obviously, there were not any changes in the original story - the princess finds her prince as expected - but Reineger gives her signature silhouette animation characteristics, and the result is visual amazing. working with a team of 5 professionals, the result is groundbreaking and still a reference nowadays.