Leave it to Adam Sandler to deliver the animated surprise of the holiday season with the “SNL”-influenced “Leo” (currently streaming on Netflix). It’s a smart, funny, existential musical comedy about a jaded 74-year-old class pet lizard (voiced by Sandler), who dispenses advice to Florida fifth graders. It’s also a return to the indie roots of his last animated musical, “Eight Crazy Nights.”
But “Leo” is more personal. It’s the second Sandler family affair this year, following “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah”: Sandler’s wife, Jackie, and his daughters, Sunny and Sadie, voice characters in the film. In fact, the genesis of the project occurred when Sandler put on “Grease” for his daughters when they were tweens and realized that it was inappropriate.
That got Sandler thinking about doing a musical comedy centered around “Grease” for the fifth grade with long-time collaborator,...
But “Leo” is more personal. It’s the second Sandler family affair this year, following “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah”: Sandler’s wife, Jackie, and his daughters, Sunny and Sadie, voice characters in the film. In fact, the genesis of the project occurred when Sandler put on “Grease” for his daughters when they were tweens and realized that it was inappropriate.
That got Sandler thinking about doing a musical comedy centered around “Grease” for the fifth grade with long-time collaborator,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Science and animation are tied together like a moon to a planet. While they exist on distant planes and their connection is invisible, to animate is to have a fundamental understanding of science and movement. The job of both an animator and a scientist is to understand the building blocks of reality; the former bears the burden of twisting and subverting that understanding into a form of heightened reality, a surrealism giving birth to cinema.
Achieving great animation is not fulfilled by a flat depiction of reality but by injecting...
Achieving great animation is not fulfilled by a flat depiction of reality but by injecting...
- 5/31/2023
- by Ryan Gaur
- Rollingstone.com
The Oscar race for animated feature is between Pixar’s Black-led “Soul” and Cartoon Saloon’s hand-drawn Irish folktale, “Wolfwalkers” (co-produced by Apple Original Films). Both led Asifa-Hollywood’s prestigious Annie Awards, but the momentum is with “Soul.”
The other nominees include Pixar’s first fantasy, “Onward,” and two entries from Netflix: “Over the Moon,” the gorgeous musical fantasy about the Chinese Moon Goddess from Disney legend Glen Keane (Oscar winner for the “Dear Basketball” short), and Aardman’s “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.”
With director/chief creative officer Pete Docter at the helm, Pixar accomplished its most ambitious film yet by contrasting gritty New York City with the ethereal Great Before. That’s the pre-birth training center where aspiring jazz pianist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) finds himself after eluding death in The Great Beyond. He teams up with risk averse new soul, 22 (Tina Fey), on a journey...
The other nominees include Pixar’s first fantasy, “Onward,” and two entries from Netflix: “Over the Moon,” the gorgeous musical fantasy about the Chinese Moon Goddess from Disney legend Glen Keane (Oscar winner for the “Dear Basketball” short), and Aardman’s “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.”
With director/chief creative officer Pete Docter at the helm, Pixar accomplished its most ambitious film yet by contrasting gritty New York City with the ethereal Great Before. That’s the pre-birth training center where aspiring jazz pianist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) finds himself after eluding death in The Great Beyond. He teams up with risk averse new soul, 22 (Tina Fey), on a journey...
- 4/19/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Cartoon Saloon co-founder and creative director Tomm Moore will take part in a presentation about his latest film, “Wolfwalkers,” during the 2020 View Conference, along with his co-director, Ross Stewart, and other key artists.
“Wolfwalkers,” which generated lots of buzz during the Toronto Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, is the latest film from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. The studio’s “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea,” both directed by Moore, were nominated for Academy Awards for animated feature. “Wolfwalkers” will stream worldwide on Apple TV Plus later this year.
Joining Moore and Stewart for the 90-minute online talk will be assistant director Mark Mullery, character designer Sandra Andersen, art director Maria Pareja and animation supervisor Svend Rothmann Bonde.
“We are lucky to be able to enjoy the work of such wonderful storytellers as Cartoon Saloon,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Their exquisite films...
“Wolfwalkers,” which generated lots of buzz during the Toronto Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, is the latest film from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. The studio’s “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea,” both directed by Moore, were nominated for Academy Awards for animated feature. “Wolfwalkers” will stream worldwide on Apple TV Plus later this year.
Joining Moore and Stewart for the 90-minute online talk will be assistant director Mark Mullery, character designer Sandra Andersen, art director Maria Pareja and animation supervisor Svend Rothmann Bonde.
“We are lucky to be able to enjoy the work of such wonderful storytellers as Cartoon Saloon,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Their exquisite films...
- 9/23/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Osnat Shurer, producer of Disney’s upcoming animated feature “Raya and the Last Dragon,” will give a virtual talk at the 2020 View Conference, based in Turin, Italy. Her session will be live-streamed to a global audience on Tuesday, Oct. 20, beginning at 10 a.m. Pt.
Shurer, who joined Disney Animation in 2012 as vice president of development, also produced “Moana,” which was nominated for an Oscar for best animated feature in 2017. During her virtual talk, she’ll discuss the cultural consultancy work she undertook with the Oceanic Story Trust for “Moana” as well as her work on “Raya,” set to be released in March of 2021, and other topics.
“It will be fascinating to hear Osnat speak about gender representation,” said View Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “She has produced films featuring strong female characters with her team at Disney, depicting women as warriors. This is true of ‘Moana,’ and I have an...
Shurer, who joined Disney Animation in 2012 as vice president of development, also produced “Moana,” which was nominated for an Oscar for best animated feature in 2017. During her virtual talk, she’ll discuss the cultural consultancy work she undertook with the Oceanic Story Trust for “Moana” as well as her work on “Raya,” set to be released in March of 2021, and other topics.
“It will be fascinating to hear Osnat speak about gender representation,” said View Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “She has produced films featuring strong female characters with her team at Disney, depicting women as warriors. This is true of ‘Moana,’ and I have an...
- 9/3/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Personal stories aren’t new to Pixar: Pete Docter dealt with his fears in “Monsters, Inc.,” “Up,” “Inside Out,” and the upcoming “Soul” (June 19). Andrew Stanton delved into being an overprotective father in “Finding Nemo.” However, all of the stories stopped short of using the filmmaker’s actual biographies.
“Onward” goes a step further: It’s inspired by the death of writer-director Dan Scanlon’s father. “My dad passed away when I was a year old and my brother was three,” he said. “Who is he, and how am I like him? I discussed it with some of the filmmakers and the feedback was: Wouldn’t it be amazing if you had one day with him?”
“Onward” isn’t meant to be a biopic; it follows teenage Elf brothers Ian and Barley (the McU’s Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) on a road trip to resurrect their deceased dad using a 24-hour magic spell.
“Onward” goes a step further: It’s inspired by the death of writer-director Dan Scanlon’s father. “My dad passed away when I was a year old and my brother was three,” he said. “Who is he, and how am I like him? I discussed it with some of the filmmakers and the feedback was: Wouldn’t it be amazing if you had one day with him?”
“Onward” isn’t meant to be a biopic; it follows teenage Elf brothers Ian and Barley (the McU’s Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) on a road trip to resurrect their deceased dad using a 24-hour magic spell.
- 3/5/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“Onward,” Pixar’s first foray into fantasy and magic, was a departure for everyone involved, but especially for cinematographer Sharon Calahan, the only animation member of the Asc, known for her stunning naturalism on “Ratatouille,” “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story 2,” and “The Good Dinosaur.” But Calahan was willing to break out of her comfort zone for such a personal, warmhearted adventure from director Dan Scanlon (“Monsters University”) about two teenage elf brothers (the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) trying to resurrect their dad from the dead using a 24-hour magic spell.
“I was intrigued because Dan wanted to set it in a fantasy world and at that point it was kind of ill-defined,” said Calahan. “It was a pretty broad canvas to narrow down what fantasy means and how far you want to go. How much of it is mundane versus fantasy? So all of that was interesting to figure out,...
“I was intrigued because Dan wanted to set it in a fantasy world and at that point it was kind of ill-defined,” said Calahan. “It was a pretty broad canvas to narrow down what fantasy means and how far you want to go. How much of it is mundane versus fantasy? So all of that was interesting to figure out,...
- 2/27/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Good Dinosaur rules the earth on February 23!
Disney/Pixar's smash hit The Good Dinosaur is coming home on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on February 23, with extensive bonus features, including the Academy Award© nominated theatrical short “Sanjay’s Super Team,” Making-of Featurettes, and deleted scenes.
The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely, and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs, an apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
The cast includes Raymond Ochoa as Arlo, Jeffrey Wright as Arlo’s wise Poppa, Frances McDormand as Arlo’s strong Momma, Marcus Scribner as Arlo’s brother Buck, Jack Bright as Spot,...
Disney/Pixar's smash hit The Good Dinosaur is coming home on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on February 23, with extensive bonus features, including the Academy Award© nominated theatrical short “Sanjay’s Super Team,” Making-of Featurettes, and deleted scenes.
The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely, and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs, an apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
The cast includes Raymond Ochoa as Arlo, Jeffrey Wright as Arlo’s wise Poppa, Frances McDormand as Arlo’s strong Momma, Marcus Scribner as Arlo’s brother Buck, Jack Bright as Spot,...
- 1/22/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Victor Medina)
- Cinelinx
The International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, has announced the nominations for the 43rd Annual Annie Awards and "Inside Out" and "The Good Dinosaur," both Pixar movies, led the pack! "Inside Out" received fourteen nominations while "The Good Dinosaur" got nine.
My pick of the year for best animated feature is "Inside Out" but I love Charlie Kaufman's "Anomalisa" as well which picked five noms.
We'll find out the winners of the Annie Awards on February 6th!
Here is the full list of nominees in all categories of the 43rd Annie Awards:
Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Paramount Pictures
Inside Out
Pixar Animation Studios
Shaun the Sheep The Movie
Aardman Animations
The Good Dinosaur
Pixar Animation Studios
The Peanuts Movie
Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation
Best Animated Special Production
Elf: Buddy.s Musical Christmas
Warner Bros. Animation
He Named Me Malala
Parkes-MacDonald / Little Door
I Am A Witness
Moonbot...
My pick of the year for best animated feature is "Inside Out" but I love Charlie Kaufman's "Anomalisa" as well which picked five noms.
We'll find out the winners of the Annie Awards on February 6th!
Here is the full list of nominees in all categories of the 43rd Annie Awards:
Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Paramount Pictures
Inside Out
Pixar Animation Studios
Shaun the Sheep The Movie
Aardman Animations
The Good Dinosaur
Pixar Animation Studios
The Peanuts Movie
Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation
Best Animated Special Production
Elf: Buddy.s Musical Christmas
Warner Bros. Animation
He Named Me Malala
Parkes-MacDonald / Little Door
I Am A Witness
Moonbot...
- 12/2/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The death of Disney characters — Disney parents especially — has left an indelible mark on kids for decades. Little Cinderella sobbing at her father’s bedside after his untimely death. Anna and Elsa’s parents’ ship getting swallowed up by massive waves. The thundering shot that echoes through the snow-covered forest, silencing Bambi’s mom’s cries of “Keep running!” A sudden flash of sharp teeth and big, heavy fins killing Nemo’s mom and hundreds of his brothers and sisters. The dust settling in the canyon, so quiet with the stampede gone, empty, save for little Simba, nudging Mufasa’s nose and tugging on his ear, begging, “Dad, we gotta go home” — to no response. The frequency with which Disney characters become orphaned or have just one parent has inspired countless memes and jokes and even research studies. So when the makers of Pixar’s newest film, “The Good Dinosaur,...
- 11/30/2015
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
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We recently journeyed to Pixar to take a look behind the scenes of The Good Dinosaur. Ryan goes behind the scenes of Pixar's latest.
Over 20 years of feature filmmaking, Pixar has specialised in making us care about the unlikeliest of characters: toys, cars, fish, insects, the emotions rattling around inside the head of an ordinary school girl. It all began, of course, with Toy Story, the 1995 film which transformed the face of animated movies. Its humour, pathos and technical ingenuity were all so natural, so effortless, that it’s easy to forget just how ground-breaking John Lasseter’s film really was.
With each subsequent film, Pixar has explored different themes and set itself new challenges; it’s worth noting that, of the 15 feature-length movies Pixar has released so far, only four are sequels. Pixar’s most recent film, Inside Out, is the latest example of how adept...
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We recently journeyed to Pixar to take a look behind the scenes of The Good Dinosaur. Ryan goes behind the scenes of Pixar's latest.
Over 20 years of feature filmmaking, Pixar has specialised in making us care about the unlikeliest of characters: toys, cars, fish, insects, the emotions rattling around inside the head of an ordinary school girl. It all began, of course, with Toy Story, the 1995 film which transformed the face of animated movies. Its humour, pathos and technical ingenuity were all so natural, so effortless, that it’s easy to forget just how ground-breaking John Lasseter’s film really was.
With each subsequent film, Pixar has explored different themes and set itself new challenges; it’s worth noting that, of the 15 feature-length movies Pixar has released so far, only four are sequels. Pixar’s most recent film, Inside Out, is the latest example of how adept...
- 11/3/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Just a heads up -- in case you can't get to Walt Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA from August 14-16 -- heaps of new Lucasfilm, Pixar, Marvel and Disney movie intel will be coming out of the event, so put yourself on standby for cool previews.
Disney just shared a press release with the 2015 schedule. You'll see it's noted that "a bevy of special guests will be on hand to offer a look at an unparalleled slate that includes Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book, Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens-and much, much more." Also, "Filmmakers will unveil never-before-seen footage from Pixar's upcoming The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory and Disney Animation's Zootopia and Moana." So if those movies, and all Disney/Pixar projects, are of interest to you, just know some good teases should be coming out of this.
Here's the...
Disney just shared a press release with the 2015 schedule. You'll see it's noted that "a bevy of special guests will be on hand to offer a look at an unparalleled slate that includes Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book, Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens-and much, much more." Also, "Filmmakers will unveil never-before-seen footage from Pixar's upcoming The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory and Disney Animation's Zootopia and Moana." So if those movies, and all Disney/Pixar projects, are of interest to you, just know some good teases should be coming out of this.
Here's the...
- 7/22/2015
- by Gina Carbone
- Moviefone
"The Adventures of Tintin" dominated the nominations but it was "Rango" that received the most trophies at the 10th Visual Effects Society (Ves) awards. Stan Lee received the the Lifetime Achievement Award and visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull received the George Melies Award. Patton Oswalt hosted the event held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Antonion Banderas, Lou Ferrigno, director Chris Miller, Marc Webb, and Jennifer Yuh Nelson presented awards. But the surprise appearance by Martin Scorsese was the highlight of the evening.
Here's the full list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of the 10th Annual Ves Awards, to visit our Awards Avenue coverage of other award-giving bodies, winners and nominees, click here:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Captain America: The First Avenger
Charlie Noble
Mark Soper
Christopher Townsend
Edson Williams
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Tim Burke
Emma Norton
John Richardson
David Vickery...
Here's the full list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of the 10th Annual Ves Awards, to visit our Awards Avenue coverage of other award-giving bodies, winners and nominees, click here:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Captain America: The First Avenger
Charlie Noble
Mark Soper
Christopher Townsend
Edson Williams
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Tim Burke
Emma Norton
John Richardson
David Vickery...
- 2/9/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The visual effects that we are seeing in movies these days are absolutely mind blowing. At this point it doesn't seem like there's any excuse for a film to have bad visual effects unless the people hired lack talent, or the studio is keeping the cash in their pockets.
There's a lot of good nomination this year such as Captain America, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Out of all of these I think that Planet of the Apes might take home the top prize, those apes were incredibly freaky looking. Weta did an amazing job with this movie, and out of all the other nominations this was the movie I was most impressed by. What are your thoughts? What movie did you think have the best visual effect in 2011?
Here's the full press release with all of the nominations:
Los Angeles,...
There's a lot of good nomination this year such as Captain America, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Out of all of these I think that Planet of the Apes might take home the top prize, those apes were incredibly freaky looking. Weta did an amazing job with this movie, and out of all the other nominations this was the movie I was most impressed by. What are your thoughts? What movie did you think have the best visual effect in 2011?
Here's the full press release with all of the nominations:
Los Angeles,...
- 1/9/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: Over the weekend, the Visual Effects Society announced the nominees for its 10th Annual Ves Awards ceremony, recognizing summer tentpoles (“Harry Potter,” “Captain America”) and surprise hits (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Hugo”) for their outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.
“The standard of the creative work that is being considered this year is unbelievably high across all categories,” said Jeffrey A. Okun, Chair of the Visual Effects Society. “The judges faced a huge challenge because all of the work was so far above the norm. We’re honored to have the opportunity to focus the spotlight on the outstanding work that has contributed to some of the highest grossing films and broadcast projects of all time.”
As previously announced, Stan Lee will be honored with the Ves 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award and...
hollywoodnews.com: Over the weekend, the Visual Effects Society announced the nominees for its 10th Annual Ves Awards ceremony, recognizing summer tentpoles (“Harry Potter,” “Captain America”) and surprise hits (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Hugo”) for their outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.
“The standard of the creative work that is being considered this year is unbelievably high across all categories,” said Jeffrey A. Okun, Chair of the Visual Effects Society. “The judges faced a huge challenge because all of the work was so far above the norm. We’re honored to have the opportunity to focus the spotlight on the outstanding work that has contributed to some of the highest grossing films and broadcast projects of all time.”
As previously announced, Stan Lee will be honored with the Ves 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award and...
- 1/9/2012
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Gang from Radiator Springs Embarks on a Worldwide Adventure to Japan, Italy, France and the U.K.
When .Cars. drove into theaters in 2006, moviegoers fell in love with Radiator Springs.its charm, simplicity and small-town magic that seemed to capture all who encountered it. It is, after all, the cutest little town in Carburetor County. That.s according to the town.s chief tow truck.and Mater knows these kinds of things.
But when it came time to revisit the gang from Radiator Springs, filmmakers wondered how this charismatic bunch would do outside the security of home. But where?
Why the whole world, of course.
.Wherever you can go in our world,. says director John Lasseter, .we can go in the world of .Cars...
And that.s pretty cool, says Lasseter. .If you look at all three .Toy Story. movies, they.re so different in theme from one another,...
When .Cars. drove into theaters in 2006, moviegoers fell in love with Radiator Springs.its charm, simplicity and small-town magic that seemed to capture all who encountered it. It is, after all, the cutest little town in Carburetor County. That.s according to the town.s chief tow truck.and Mater knows these kinds of things.
But when it came time to revisit the gang from Radiator Springs, filmmakers wondered how this charismatic bunch would do outside the security of home. But where?
Why the whole world, of course.
.Wherever you can go in our world,. says director John Lasseter, .we can go in the world of .Cars...
And that.s pretty cool, says Lasseter. .If you look at all three .Toy Story. movies, they.re so different in theme from one another,...
- 5/13/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Opens
Friday, May 30
Diving into their most realistic and ambitious setting yet, the talents at Pixar have produced an exhilarating fish story in the perfectly cast comic adventure "Finding Nemo". Not as flat-out inventive as "Monsters, Inc". or as sardonic as "A Bug's Life" and the "Toy Story" pics, "Nemo" finds its own sparkling depths, achieving a less mechanical feel than its predecessors through a stripped-down, fluid narrative and new levels of visual nuance.
Pixar vet Andrew Stanton demonstrates confidence and exuberance in his first stint at the helm, working from a script he co-wrote with Bob Peterson and David Reynolds. With the exception of toddlers who might find a few scary moments too intense, kids will get right into the flow of "Nemo", while those viewers old enough to drive will appreciate the plentiful humor designed to sail right over kids' heads -- not least of which is the inspired chemistry between leads Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. Disney is primed to make a whale of a splash at the summer boxoffice.
The marine milieu calls for more visual delicacy and aural subtlety than in past Pixar features -- challenges the filmmakers have met through the work of myriad technicians and artists. Before taking poetic license with their CG creations (real fish don't have eyebrows), the animators and designers took lessons in ichthyology (among other things), to good effect. Their imagery captures not only the play of light through the ocean's depths but the texture of its roiling surface and the luminescence and character-defining locomotion of its inhabitants. Add to that Gary Rydstrom's meticulous sound design and the grown-up music score by Thomas Newman, and the result is the most complex and fully realized environment of any Pixar film.
"Nemo" dazzles from the get-go, beginning with a pre-credits sequence that might prove more frightening to parents than kids, dramatizing as it does the notion that bad things can happen even in suburbia. Clown-fish couple Marlin and Coral (Brooks, Elizabeth Perkins) have just moved to a nice, quiet neighborhood of the Great Barrier Reef -- a peaceful vista of jewel-toned sponges, anemones and sea grasses, and a good place to raise their 400 offspring, who will soon be hatching. Tragedy strikes, leaving Marlin widowed with one survivor in the fish nursery, whom he names Nemo and swears to protect always.
It's no wonder that Marlin turns out to be a nervous, overprotective father who follows little Nemo (Alexander Gould) on his first day of, um, fish school. Nemo's a spirited kid with an endearing flaw -- a smaller right fin that flutters constantly -- and a healthy sense of rebellion, which he takes to extremes in Dad's anxious presence, venturing off the reef into open waters. A diver promptly snares him as an exotic specimen.
Propelled by his frantic search for Nemo, Marlin ventures farther than he'd ever dreamed of going, joined by good-hearted blue tang Dory (DeGeneres). She's eager to help and unfazable, the perfect complement to Marlin's neurotic timidity, however exasperating her continual lapses in short-term memory become. They're two lost souls: He provides her with a purpose, and she lends the traumatized Marlin a newfound resilience, as well as being able to read the Sydney address on the mask the diver left behind. Their journey to the big city unfolds as a series of set pieces centering on encounters with would-be predators and helpful sea folk.
Nemo, meanwhile, is welcomed into a community of fish-tank eccentrics in a dentist's office not far from Sydney Harbor. A scarred, self-possessed Moorish idol named Gill (Willem Dafoe) is the only one of Nemo's tank mates who wasn't born in a pet shop, and the wide-eyed youngster inspires him to devise the latest in a long series of ludicrous escape plans. The goal is to get Nemo home before the dentist presents him as a birthday gift to his terror of a niece (LuLu Ebeling), a deliciously funny concoction of Brute Force and braces.
There's a built-in poignancy to the dynamic between son and single father that neither the script nor the actors overstate. That Nemo has no expectation his father will lift a fin to find him is the dark center of the story, setting in bright relief Marlin's every dance with danger as he pursues his stolen child. There's an especially perilous dash through a field of translucent pink jellyfish, culminating in a moment straight out of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", with Marlin struggling to keep Dory from falling into a deadly narcotic sleep. But it's not all rough waters: They also luck into the good vibes of surfer-dude turtles who take them through the East Australian Current. Director Stanton is a standout as sea turtle Crush, a mellow dad who teaches Marlin a lesson or two about the parental art of letting go.
The whole cast is aces, with turns from such vibrant talents as Barry Humphries, playing the repentant leader of a self-help group for sharks who are trying to beat the fish-eating habit, and John Ratzenberger as an annoyingly helpful bunch of moonfish showoffs. Geoffrey Rush voices a Sydney pelican who's well-versed in dental procedure, Allison Janney is a vigilant starfish, and Joe Ranft provides a French accent for a finicky shrimp.
But it's the give-and-take between DeGeneres and Brooks that gives the saga its big heart. DeGeneres' character was created with her in mind, so it makes sense that Dory is a fish with freckles, lips and a rueful smile. When, in an episode of lovely, freewheeling lunacy, she insists on communicating with a blue whale in its native language, the combination of vocal calisthenics and facial contortions is sublime.
Her goofy compassion would have only half the impact, however, without Brooks' contrasting nebbish-turned-hero. It's hard to imagine another actor who could deliver lines as angst-ridden and deliriously funny. This is, after all, the tale of a father who not only transcends fear to find his son against all odds but who learns how to tell a joke along the way.
FINDING NEMO
Buena Vista Pictures
A Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film
Credits:
Director: Andrew Stanton
Co-director: Lee Unkrich
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Original story by: Andrew Stanton
Producer: Graham Walters
Executive producer: John Lasseter
Directors of photography: Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky
Production designer: Ralph Eggleston
Music: Thomas Newman
Editor: David Ian Salter
Supervising technical director: Oren Jacob
Supervising animator: Dylan Brown
Art directors: Ricky Vega Nierva, Robin Cooper, Anthony Christov, Randy Berrett
CG supervisors: Brian Green, Lisa Forssell, Danielle Feinberg, David Eisenmann, Jesse Hollander, Steve May, Michael Fong, Anthony A Apodaca, Michael Lorenzen
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Cast:
Marlin: Albert Brooks
Dory: Ellen DeGeneres
Nemo: Alexander Gould
Gill: Willem Dafoe
Bloat: Brad Garrett
Peach: Allison Janney
Gurgle: Austin Pendleton
Bubbles: Stephen Root
Deb (& Flo): Vicki Lewis
Jacques: Joe Ranft
Nigel: Geoffrey Rush
Crush: Andrew Stanton
Coral: Elizabeth Perkins
Squirt: Nicholas Bird
Mr. Ray: Bob Peterson
Bruce: Barry Humphries
Anchor: Eric Bana
Chum: Bruce Spence
Dentist: Bill Hunter
Darla: LuLu Ebeling
Tad: Jordy Ranft
Pearl: Erica Beck
Sheldon: Erik Per Sullivan
Fish School: John Ratzenberger
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
Friday, May 30
Diving into their most realistic and ambitious setting yet, the talents at Pixar have produced an exhilarating fish story in the perfectly cast comic adventure "Finding Nemo". Not as flat-out inventive as "Monsters, Inc". or as sardonic as "A Bug's Life" and the "Toy Story" pics, "Nemo" finds its own sparkling depths, achieving a less mechanical feel than its predecessors through a stripped-down, fluid narrative and new levels of visual nuance.
Pixar vet Andrew Stanton demonstrates confidence and exuberance in his first stint at the helm, working from a script he co-wrote with Bob Peterson and David Reynolds. With the exception of toddlers who might find a few scary moments too intense, kids will get right into the flow of "Nemo", while those viewers old enough to drive will appreciate the plentiful humor designed to sail right over kids' heads -- not least of which is the inspired chemistry between leads Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. Disney is primed to make a whale of a splash at the summer boxoffice.
The marine milieu calls for more visual delicacy and aural subtlety than in past Pixar features -- challenges the filmmakers have met through the work of myriad technicians and artists. Before taking poetic license with their CG creations (real fish don't have eyebrows), the animators and designers took lessons in ichthyology (among other things), to good effect. Their imagery captures not only the play of light through the ocean's depths but the texture of its roiling surface and the luminescence and character-defining locomotion of its inhabitants. Add to that Gary Rydstrom's meticulous sound design and the grown-up music score by Thomas Newman, and the result is the most complex and fully realized environment of any Pixar film.
"Nemo" dazzles from the get-go, beginning with a pre-credits sequence that might prove more frightening to parents than kids, dramatizing as it does the notion that bad things can happen even in suburbia. Clown-fish couple Marlin and Coral (Brooks, Elizabeth Perkins) have just moved to a nice, quiet neighborhood of the Great Barrier Reef -- a peaceful vista of jewel-toned sponges, anemones and sea grasses, and a good place to raise their 400 offspring, who will soon be hatching. Tragedy strikes, leaving Marlin widowed with one survivor in the fish nursery, whom he names Nemo and swears to protect always.
It's no wonder that Marlin turns out to be a nervous, overprotective father who follows little Nemo (Alexander Gould) on his first day of, um, fish school. Nemo's a spirited kid with an endearing flaw -- a smaller right fin that flutters constantly -- and a healthy sense of rebellion, which he takes to extremes in Dad's anxious presence, venturing off the reef into open waters. A diver promptly snares him as an exotic specimen.
Propelled by his frantic search for Nemo, Marlin ventures farther than he'd ever dreamed of going, joined by good-hearted blue tang Dory (DeGeneres). She's eager to help and unfazable, the perfect complement to Marlin's neurotic timidity, however exasperating her continual lapses in short-term memory become. They're two lost souls: He provides her with a purpose, and she lends the traumatized Marlin a newfound resilience, as well as being able to read the Sydney address on the mask the diver left behind. Their journey to the big city unfolds as a series of set pieces centering on encounters with would-be predators and helpful sea folk.
Nemo, meanwhile, is welcomed into a community of fish-tank eccentrics in a dentist's office not far from Sydney Harbor. A scarred, self-possessed Moorish idol named Gill (Willem Dafoe) is the only one of Nemo's tank mates who wasn't born in a pet shop, and the wide-eyed youngster inspires him to devise the latest in a long series of ludicrous escape plans. The goal is to get Nemo home before the dentist presents him as a birthday gift to his terror of a niece (LuLu Ebeling), a deliciously funny concoction of Brute Force and braces.
There's a built-in poignancy to the dynamic between son and single father that neither the script nor the actors overstate. That Nemo has no expectation his father will lift a fin to find him is the dark center of the story, setting in bright relief Marlin's every dance with danger as he pursues his stolen child. There's an especially perilous dash through a field of translucent pink jellyfish, culminating in a moment straight out of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", with Marlin struggling to keep Dory from falling into a deadly narcotic sleep. But it's not all rough waters: They also luck into the good vibes of surfer-dude turtles who take them through the East Australian Current. Director Stanton is a standout as sea turtle Crush, a mellow dad who teaches Marlin a lesson or two about the parental art of letting go.
The whole cast is aces, with turns from such vibrant talents as Barry Humphries, playing the repentant leader of a self-help group for sharks who are trying to beat the fish-eating habit, and John Ratzenberger as an annoyingly helpful bunch of moonfish showoffs. Geoffrey Rush voices a Sydney pelican who's well-versed in dental procedure, Allison Janney is a vigilant starfish, and Joe Ranft provides a French accent for a finicky shrimp.
But it's the give-and-take between DeGeneres and Brooks that gives the saga its big heart. DeGeneres' character was created with her in mind, so it makes sense that Dory is a fish with freckles, lips and a rueful smile. When, in an episode of lovely, freewheeling lunacy, she insists on communicating with a blue whale in its native language, the combination of vocal calisthenics and facial contortions is sublime.
Her goofy compassion would have only half the impact, however, without Brooks' contrasting nebbish-turned-hero. It's hard to imagine another actor who could deliver lines as angst-ridden and deliriously funny. This is, after all, the tale of a father who not only transcends fear to find his son against all odds but who learns how to tell a joke along the way.
FINDING NEMO
Buena Vista Pictures
A Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film
Credits:
Director: Andrew Stanton
Co-director: Lee Unkrich
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Original story by: Andrew Stanton
Producer: Graham Walters
Executive producer: John Lasseter
Directors of photography: Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky
Production designer: Ralph Eggleston
Music: Thomas Newman
Editor: David Ian Salter
Supervising technical director: Oren Jacob
Supervising animator: Dylan Brown
Art directors: Ricky Vega Nierva, Robin Cooper, Anthony Christov, Randy Berrett
CG supervisors: Brian Green, Lisa Forssell, Danielle Feinberg, David Eisenmann, Jesse Hollander, Steve May, Michael Fong, Anthony A Apodaca, Michael Lorenzen
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Cast:
Marlin: Albert Brooks
Dory: Ellen DeGeneres
Nemo: Alexander Gould
Gill: Willem Dafoe
Bloat: Brad Garrett
Peach: Allison Janney
Gurgle: Austin Pendleton
Bubbles: Stephen Root
Deb (& Flo): Vicki Lewis
Jacques: Joe Ranft
Nigel: Geoffrey Rush
Crush: Andrew Stanton
Coral: Elizabeth Perkins
Squirt: Nicholas Bird
Mr. Ray: Bob Peterson
Bruce: Barry Humphries
Anchor: Eric Bana
Chum: Bruce Spence
Dentist: Bill Hunter
Darla: LuLu Ebeling
Tad: Jordy Ranft
Pearl: Erica Beck
Sheldon: Erik Per Sullivan
Fish School: John Ratzenberger
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
It may be the year that the bug saved Hollywood, with Disney's splendid "A Bug's Life" overtaking the DreamWorks hit "Antz" to climb to the top of the boxoffice hill.
A dazzling, embracing computer-animated feature from Pixar, "A Bug's Life" should soar to holiday heights, much to the level that Pixar's "Toy Story" ascended three Thanksgivings ago. This splendid offering should be able to carry $200 million domestically on its back, no sweat, and with no end in sight for its worldly potential.
As you know in the ant world, life is no picnic. In this subterranean saga, the ants of Ants Island toil for the man -- namely Hopper (voice of Kevin Spacey), the intimidating leader of the grasshoppers, who, in this insect universe, are akin to the marauding colonialists. Each summer, the legions of ants toil earnestly and without complaint, planting and harvesting the crops and then turning the bounty over to the hated 'hoppers. Fortunately, there's one crackpot ant, Flik (Dave Foley), who doesn't go along with the lock-step society. He's no revolutionary idealogue, but Flik sees that there's definitely something wrong with this picture. Why are we working for the man? Why not keep the crop ourselves? In short, Flik's the sort of cutting-edge thinker who in the human world might win an election in the state of Minnesota.
Unfortunately, as in real life, change is not wholeheartedly embraced -- not by the worker-ant class and certainly not by the dominating grasshoppers. But that's where the fun is as the flaky Flik takes it upon his fluttery wings to take on the grasshoppers. In a nutty undertaking with all the crazy inspiration of a Preston Sturges-like battleground, Flik mistakenly enlists the assistance of a traveling theatrical troupe (out-of-work screwballs, mainly) to provide the military defense against the thundering hordes of grasshoppers.
What's best about this bug story is that it's so wiggy -- it's rambunctious, spirited, funny, kindly and goofy all at once. A whole vat of chocolate picnic goodies to the screenwriters (Andrew Stanton and Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw) for the lively, screwy retooling of, basically, the Aesop fable about a carefree grasshopper. And the story line will appeal to everyone from tots to those who were born way before "Snow White" even spun her animated magic.
What's truly magical, as it was in "Toy Story", is the stupendous computer-animated imagery. "Bug"'s look is simply eye-popping: From the translucent sheen to the framings to the kaleidoscopic grandeur of the mammoth crowd shots of ants, the visuals are a delicious treat. The animation is truly a work of wizardry, from the rectilinear compositions to the characters' incredibly lifelike physical movements. One suspects that a team of entomologists and anatomy professors guided the animators, so crisp and natural are the true-to-bug body movements. Director John Lasseter, along with co-director Stanton, have indeed marshalled a virtual army of talented artists -- from animators to musicians to vocalists -- and attained a creative height that is leaps and bounds above even the most persnickety techie expectations.
Credit director of photography Sharon Calahan for the wonderfully punchy framings and supervising film editor Lee Unkrich for the blazing pacing. There's nary an empty mini-frame or missed mini-moment in this entire magnificence. So packed is the look -- thanks to the creativity of production designer William Cone and art directors Bob Pauley and Tia Kratter -- that one definitely wants to savor the detail-juiced excellency another time.
It's not all in the look but in the sounds as well. The vocalists are a treat, especially Spacey as the belligerently threatening lead grasshopper. Foley's energetic and appealing vocals as the flibberty-jibbet Flik are wonderfully appealing, while Phyllis Diller's nasally hauteur is perfect for her role as the queen. Cheers also for the contributions of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Richard Kind and David Hyde Pierce for their perfect, peccadilloed performances.
The late Roddy McDowall makes a pleasing turn as a council ant, while Edie McClurg adds some screwy spice as another ants council-ite. A plate of ketchup drippings and dollops of mayonnaise to Joe Ranft who does a delicious turn as a comic caterpillar.
Not exactly hiding in the grass is the bouncy music courtesy of Randy Newman, whose "The Time of Your Life" nicely synthesizes the experience one enjoys in this "Bug's Life".
A BUG'S LIFE
Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures
A Pixar Animation Studios Film
Director: John Lasseter
Co-director: Andrew Stanton
Producers: Darla K. Anderson, Kevin Reher
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw
Original story: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft
Director of photography: Sharon Calahan
Production designer: William Cone
Story supervisor: Joe Ranft
Supervising film editor: Lee Unkrich
Supervising technical directors: William Reeves, Eben Ostby
Art directors: Tia W. Kratter, Bob Pauley
Supervising animators: Glenn McQueen, Rich Quade
Shading supervisor: Rick Sayre
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Production supervisor (technical): Graham Walters
Production supervisor (editorial): Bill Kinder
Story-art-layout: BZ Petroff
Executive music producer: Chris Montan
Casting: Ruth Lambert, Mary Hidalgo
Color/Stereo
Voices:
Flik: Dave Foley
Hopper: Kevin Spacey
Princess Atta: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Dot: Hayden Panettiere
Queen: Phyllis Diller
Molt: Richard Kind
Slim: David Hyde Pierce
Heimlich: Joe Ranft
Francis: Denis Leary
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
A dazzling, embracing computer-animated feature from Pixar, "A Bug's Life" should soar to holiday heights, much to the level that Pixar's "Toy Story" ascended three Thanksgivings ago. This splendid offering should be able to carry $200 million domestically on its back, no sweat, and with no end in sight for its worldly potential.
As you know in the ant world, life is no picnic. In this subterranean saga, the ants of Ants Island toil for the man -- namely Hopper (voice of Kevin Spacey), the intimidating leader of the grasshoppers, who, in this insect universe, are akin to the marauding colonialists. Each summer, the legions of ants toil earnestly and without complaint, planting and harvesting the crops and then turning the bounty over to the hated 'hoppers. Fortunately, there's one crackpot ant, Flik (Dave Foley), who doesn't go along with the lock-step society. He's no revolutionary idealogue, but Flik sees that there's definitely something wrong with this picture. Why are we working for the man? Why not keep the crop ourselves? In short, Flik's the sort of cutting-edge thinker who in the human world might win an election in the state of Minnesota.
Unfortunately, as in real life, change is not wholeheartedly embraced -- not by the worker-ant class and certainly not by the dominating grasshoppers. But that's where the fun is as the flaky Flik takes it upon his fluttery wings to take on the grasshoppers. In a nutty undertaking with all the crazy inspiration of a Preston Sturges-like battleground, Flik mistakenly enlists the assistance of a traveling theatrical troupe (out-of-work screwballs, mainly) to provide the military defense against the thundering hordes of grasshoppers.
What's best about this bug story is that it's so wiggy -- it's rambunctious, spirited, funny, kindly and goofy all at once. A whole vat of chocolate picnic goodies to the screenwriters (Andrew Stanton and Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw) for the lively, screwy retooling of, basically, the Aesop fable about a carefree grasshopper. And the story line will appeal to everyone from tots to those who were born way before "Snow White" even spun her animated magic.
What's truly magical, as it was in "Toy Story", is the stupendous computer-animated imagery. "Bug"'s look is simply eye-popping: From the translucent sheen to the framings to the kaleidoscopic grandeur of the mammoth crowd shots of ants, the visuals are a delicious treat. The animation is truly a work of wizardry, from the rectilinear compositions to the characters' incredibly lifelike physical movements. One suspects that a team of entomologists and anatomy professors guided the animators, so crisp and natural are the true-to-bug body movements. Director John Lasseter, along with co-director Stanton, have indeed marshalled a virtual army of talented artists -- from animators to musicians to vocalists -- and attained a creative height that is leaps and bounds above even the most persnickety techie expectations.
Credit director of photography Sharon Calahan for the wonderfully punchy framings and supervising film editor Lee Unkrich for the blazing pacing. There's nary an empty mini-frame or missed mini-moment in this entire magnificence. So packed is the look -- thanks to the creativity of production designer William Cone and art directors Bob Pauley and Tia Kratter -- that one definitely wants to savor the detail-juiced excellency another time.
It's not all in the look but in the sounds as well. The vocalists are a treat, especially Spacey as the belligerently threatening lead grasshopper. Foley's energetic and appealing vocals as the flibberty-jibbet Flik are wonderfully appealing, while Phyllis Diller's nasally hauteur is perfect for her role as the queen. Cheers also for the contributions of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Richard Kind and David Hyde Pierce for their perfect, peccadilloed performances.
The late Roddy McDowall makes a pleasing turn as a council ant, while Edie McClurg adds some screwy spice as another ants council-ite. A plate of ketchup drippings and dollops of mayonnaise to Joe Ranft who does a delicious turn as a comic caterpillar.
Not exactly hiding in the grass is the bouncy music courtesy of Randy Newman, whose "The Time of Your Life" nicely synthesizes the experience one enjoys in this "Bug's Life".
A BUG'S LIFE
Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures
A Pixar Animation Studios Film
Director: John Lasseter
Co-director: Andrew Stanton
Producers: Darla K. Anderson, Kevin Reher
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw
Original story: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft
Director of photography: Sharon Calahan
Production designer: William Cone
Story supervisor: Joe Ranft
Supervising film editor: Lee Unkrich
Supervising technical directors: William Reeves, Eben Ostby
Art directors: Tia W. Kratter, Bob Pauley
Supervising animators: Glenn McQueen, Rich Quade
Shading supervisor: Rick Sayre
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Production supervisor (technical): Graham Walters
Production supervisor (editorial): Bill Kinder
Story-art-layout: BZ Petroff
Executive music producer: Chris Montan
Casting: Ruth Lambert, Mary Hidalgo
Color/Stereo
Voices:
Flik: Dave Foley
Hopper: Kevin Spacey
Princess Atta: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Dot: Hayden Panettiere
Queen: Phyllis Diller
Molt: Richard Kind
Slim: David Hyde Pierce
Heimlich: Joe Ranft
Francis: Denis Leary
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 11/13/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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