This is the question that came to mind while watching the very excellent ParaNorman, reviewed here for MSN Movies.
Are we living in a new golden age of animation?
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Saw your screencap and immediately thought of another:
http://www.draculas.info/_img/dictionary/nospheratu_16.jpg
It’s a good question, though a little ironic it comes a day after news that a Henry Selick stop motion film was canceled by Disney. Nonetheless, I’m anxious to see “ParaNorman” now.
I’ll also take this moment to say I’d read (in a fun “best films on Instant Netflix” list) “Phantom Museums: The Short Films Of The Quay Brothers” is apparently available on the service.
Any thoughts on Jon Brions score Gelnn? I have being listening to it the past couple of days and find it mesmerizing. Rumor has it that Brion used John Carpenters own Moog for it.
As long as Hayao Miyazaki, Nick Park and Isao Takahata are alive and animating then yes, we’re in a golden age of animation.
I guess it depends on when we think the age begins? Is it with Studio Ghibli’s rise in the 80s? The arrival of Pixar to coincide with it? It’s certainly a largely good time to love animated films, though I think the quality ratio has been even for some time; there are merely more of them coming out.
“Are we living in a new Golden Age of animation?”
No.
Shit, man. I’m convinced. Case closed!
“Are we living in a new Golden Age of animation?”
No.
– Thus Spake Ehrenstein.
Nice review, Glenn. I’m looking forward to seeing this one. I’ve yet to sample much of the oft-discussed Eastern Masters of contemporary animation, but it does seem as though there’s a lot of good stuff coming out all over. I’ve always been partial to stop-motion in particular, and it’s heartening to see that technique doing so well.
Nice review, Glenn. Funny thing: The animation struck me as being interesting mainly because it seemed so old-fashioned — not as animation but as effects. Like the fact that the undead walked around like guys in bad B-movie make-up, straight out of Norman’s favorite movies, added to the film’s charm. And yeah, it does get quite powerful by the end.
You want the Golden Age of Animation Zach?
HERE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH6i2Z6mTRE
‘My Neighbor Totoro’ got 11 critics’ votes in the Sight & Sound mega-poll (level with ‘Black Narcissus’ and ‘Only Angels Have Wings’), while both ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Tale of Tales’ received 8 (the same as ‘Russian Ark’ and ‘La Strada’). Are these the highest-placed animations?
@Oliver_C Pixar’s WALL-E also placed at 202 with 8 votes, and that was the only one of their films to place.
My kids and I loved the movie until, at the end, the older brother declared that he was gay. That spoiled the whole movie as that’s all my 14 year old son focused on from that point on. Why did they have to do that? Totally unnecessary and in your face. Shame on them!
I like Pixar and Ghibli just fine, but what about Walt freaking Disney? How did PINOCCHIO get one fewer vote than, say, GUMMO? What good is a once-a-decade consensus-maker if it’s not going to confirm that PINOCCHIO is one of cinema’s greatest accomplishments?
Outrage is fun. Now I’m going back to not caring about anything.
Speaking of spoiling the whole movie: thanks for that, Cindi, I’m sure everyone already knew the ending of the film that was just released yesterday in some territories (still a month away here!) and was happy to read about it without prior warning. I won’t even begin to probe the psychology behind ‘shame on them!’
Cindi’s 14-year-old finds the existence of gay people way more interesting than the existence of zombies, apparently. Something tells me Cindi’s in for a fun ride.
Saw this last night. I agree that the animation and voice work is first-rate, and I quite enjoyed the score by Jon Brion. But I also felt that 90% of the humour was too telegraphed, which can be a bit of a problem in a film that’s so stuffed with gags.
So, basically, it’s a movie that I wouldn’t persuade someone to see, nor dissuade someone from seeing. Coraline had a more quietly hypnotic atmosphere, and a good deal more emotional complexity, by my estimation.