Animation in all its glory, A converstaion devoted to all aspects of animation. Options

[Guest_shaggy breeks_*]

Hi shaggy breeks here, I am an animation student in England at the moment and as such figured a topic devoted to this art form would indeed be a nice idea.

So here goes . . .

I believe animation is not an art form but like writing a form of magic. Animation can make audiences laugh, cry, feel joy and sadness and envoke a whole myriad of other emotions. It can imply or express messages and meanings. But above all it can literally take a willing audience into another world entirely. And like writing and storytelling, all of these wonders are crafted from the most basic of tools. Words and pictures.

The fact that people are willing to believe and relate to a group of words or a drawing is not at all logical, it is then 'magic'. The magic that is the imagination and the power of the mind to be open to all possibilities.

The best example i have recently seen in the animation field is the film ratatouille by pixar animation studios.

For those who have not seen the film i shall endevour to review and analyse it for you.

In the mean time i would love to hear from like minded people or even people who cannot stand the animated film. It will be interesting to hear others views and beliefs.

thanks for reading

Shaggy breeks

 bParisRooftopsatSunset_tif.jpg ( 653.4K ) Number of downloads: 7



Ratatouille

The story begins in Rural France following the story of a young rat named Remy. He is, amongst his peers and his family, a few crumbs short of a complete biscuit.
He was born with an incredible sense of smell that eventually leads him on a grand adventure in pursuit of his elusive dream. To become a world famous chef and to create food that will warm the hearts and souls of his audience. Only two things stand in his way. The cruel judgement of the food critic Anton Igor. And the fact that to the humans he wishes to touch with his creativity, he is a rat.

The film itself is a visual feast for the eyes. It is suttle but spectacular. The Rural household for example, at the beggining of the film, is detailed to the point of wanting to reach out and pick the dandelions in the cottage garden. Paris meanwhile is portrayed as a city of light and heart. Every detail from the majesty of the eiffel tower to the water marks on the inside of the parissiene sewers is treated with the same respect and care. It is a huge leap forward then in terms of the capabilities of computer generated animation.
I feel the biggest achievement in particular though, was the ability to portray a working kitchen realistically. The steam from a cooking pot, rising in swirls and then floating to the side as someone walks past it. The sporadity and liveliness of a flambe dinner whilst it is being prepeared. The bubbles in the oil at the bottom of a pan as the onions sizzle. Not only is it a observational and technological masterpiece but it creates a belief that what you are seeing is real. You can almost smell the soups as they simmer on their hobs.

The narrative is of course excellent. But that is to be expected from a company that uses the slogan 'story! story! story!' It is common knowledge that Pixar will not release a film until they feel it is the best it can be storywise. Despite this however there are moments in the film when you feel yourself wanting to press the fast forward button. It does in effect drag in a number of scenes. A good example of this would include the 'coming of inheritance' scenes concerning Remy the Rats human counterpart, Linguini. This is eventually countered at the end of the film though, by a series of scenes that are, for lack of a word to justify them, superb. Definately worth the wait.

The character animation as well is on occasion lacking as much heart and soul as you come to expect from a classic Disney Pixar Film. There is a long standing tradition in Disney and Pixar that every character, no matter how far back in the overall mix, deserves just as much attention to detail as the main character. It is unfortunate that this film seems to have broken from tradition. Weather due to budgeting or scheduling it is difficult to say but it is noticible on subsequent veiwings.
However despite this the animation on the main characters is better than could have been expected from this studio. Not only do the characters have heart and soul, but they are humurously made. It is also clear that their back stories have been thoroughly debated and polished. Which means that any motive or action is instantly justified in the eyes of the audience.

Overall then the film Ratatouille is a phenomenal piece that will delight and please audiences of all ages and walks of life. It misses short of my 10/10 rating by a small fraction because of the defficiencies expressed earlier. But still, for a pixar movie it is hard to expect that this film could have been bettered in the production time alotted. With this in mind i have but only to say 'thank you' too Pixar studios and all the people who were involved for allowing a young animation student keep his faith in the magic that is the animated film.

9/10

[Guest_shaggy breeks_*]

That is a good point cleo hee hee thank you. It is true that they (Ed Ctamull and John Lasseter) both worked for lucasfilm initially but if you delve into the history of john lasseter specifically you will find he was trained classically in animation at Cal arts university and then became an animator at Disney for two years, Alongside brad bird and tim burton before he even touched a computer. He has quite often described his process now as a collaboration of technolgical genius and artistic excellence.

I think the point im trying to raise is that computers are not a bad thing in animation by any stretch of the imagination. I do feel however that they are a tool that can be abused to the detriment of the artist. Something which pixar thus far have been awfully good at avoiding. WOOOO !!

Ooh im glad you enjoyed those movies, they are indeed very good. Best pixar movie for me? hmmm probably Monsters inc :D yer thats a fun film.

 765105234_24e0438612.jpg ( 132.02K ) Number of downloads: 4
 101152_wallpaper_final_fantasy_x_03.jpg ( 202.18K ) Number of downloads: 2


Whilst i am on the subject of Computer animation i would like to present to you the wonder, the majesty that is Final Fantasy.

For those of you who are not aware of what Final Fantasy is, it is a role play game from Japan. The versions we are used to seeing are released by Square Enix, a collaborative company that works with japanese game makers to bring the games to american and european audiences.

The Final Fantasy games series has often been adorned with video sequences that break up the game play. And of course these video sequences are animated.
One game in Particular i would like to draw your attention too is Final Fantasy 10. IT is an amazing story with excellent characterisation, intrigue and narrative. The animations that interject every now and again are also far and away the most accomplished pieces of work i have ever seen. They are not only passionate and soulful in terms of the character animations. They are also colourful, majestic, imaginative, exciting and will ultimately leave its respective audiences breathless. One scene i would like to draw your attention too in particular is the opening scene.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GjvRAJaEc0

This scene for me has everything going for it. It opens with the solitary sound of water and a solitray heartbeat after which it explodes into an extravaganza of music, mayhem and awe inspired quality. The song is written by the German metal Band Rammstein and sets the piece off nicely, creating a good sense of excitement. The editing in the sports arena is also sporadic and quick, again emphasising the blood pounding speed and agility of the animation.

The main protagonist, 'Tidus', is instantly recognisable as a confident and maybe even a slightly cocky character. This is clear from the way he is animated with a good strong posture, the way he carries himself and his ball and the fact that he is seemingly unphased by what is going on around him. This it turns out is a facade he puts on when he is playing his sport but nonetheless it is done very convincingly.

The mise en scene for this piece is aswell, above and beyond the expected call of duty for the background artists, effects animators and light renderers. It instantly creates a mood that gets torn here and there into something else entirely by the end of the piece.

If i was to pick a few things in particular that really stood out for me, what would they be? The scenes of the excited crowds are particularly of merit, as in some cases it is clear that each member of that crowd has been individually animated rather than animating the crowd as a whole. This is a true commitment to the art form in terms of time management and dedication.
The effects animation is aslo particularly good. Especially seeing as the animation of the water was done almost two years before Pixar had figured out how to make water for their film finding nemo. I love the one section in particular when the water droplets begin to float up towards the being that is attacking the city. I also love the cinematography. Every shot has been carefully thought about and placed for maximum effect. As such you can almost feel the blows of the sports players and you can almost cheer along with the excited crowds as you watch.

In conclusion i am not at all concerned about giving this short two minute piece an un adulterated . . .
10/10

thanks for reading,
shaggy breeks :D