I don’t know, surely I can’t be the only one who harbors an interest in seeing Halas and Batchelor’s “Animal Farm,” Martin Rosen’s “Watership Down” and “The Plague Dogs,” Michael Schaack’s “Felidae,” and George Miller’s “Happy Feet” get their own page, am I? Because of their absence, there’s a big hole in my ‘favorite films’ list that just looks so – empty.
Oh, and greetings by the way.
Happy Feet(2006)
Directed by George Miller
Produced by Bill Miller
Doug Mitchell
Written by George Miller, Warren Coleman, John Collee
Starring Elijah Wood
Brittany Murphy
Hugo Weaving
Hugh Jackman
Nicole Kidman
Robin Williams
Music by John Powell
Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie, David Peers
Editing by Christine Gazel
Margaret Sixel
Beauty announces itself quietly in Happy Feet, whether in the discreetly shifting shades of white that seem to turn the snow into a living, breathing organism, or in the articulated lines of penguin chicks that make each ball of downy fluff a very specific ball of downy fluff. All this beauty makes it easy to understand why Mumble might want to tap his feet with joy. It also explains why Mr. Miller, after doing an extremely credible approximation of the wonderful world of Walt Disney, plunges his hapless hero into a nightmare worthy of Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor. As politically pointed as it is disturbing, it is a view of hell as seen through the eyes and ears of creatures we foolishly, tragically call dumb. -Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
(I would’ve included a link to my own review of the film, but I wasn’t sure if that would have been desirable, so – but, just in case: The Filmist’s take on Happy Feet. There’s my impassioned defense, if you’d like greater justification)
Watership Down(1978)
Directed/Produced/Adapted for the Screen by Martin Rosen
Starring John Hurt
Richard Briers
Michael Graham Cox
John Bennett
Roy Kinnear
Hannah Gordon
Music by Art Garfunkel, Angela Morley, and Marcus Dods
Editing by Terry Rawlings
Unique in the annals of animated films, Watership Down is a serious, even grim tale that many will find relentless and depressing and others will find poetic and moving. It doesn’t pull any punches. Death — violent, disturbing death — is ever present, portrayed in a manner that is astonishingly honest for a cartoon. As a result, it is that rare animated film that really aims for a mature audience, despite its superficial funny animal trappings. It has a brilliant opening, most likely created by UPA veteran John Hubley, which in a primitive and simplistic style relates a creation myth as told by rabbits. The style changes thereafter, with beautiful watercolor backgrounds and a more natural approach to character animation. Unfortunately, the animation suffers somewhat from this point, becoming a bit sloppy, although it continues to portray the characters’ movements as realistically as possible. The character designs themselves are rather too similar, with the result that it is sometimes difficult to tell the various rabbits apart. The story is also sometimes told in too-broad strokes, leaving those unfamiliar with the novel confused as to exactly what has happened and, more importantly, why. However, these flaws are redeemed by some unforgettable sequences, including a chilling segment detailing the destruction of the rabbits’ warren and a devastatingly sad end sequence in which the Black Rabbit of Death gently takes one of the heroes away with it. Voiced by a fine cast, with stellar work from John Hurt and Richard Briers, Watership Down is an imperfect film with some of the most powerful moments ever created for the genre. -AllMovie Guide
The Plague Dogs (1980)
Directed/Produced/Written for the Screen by Martin Rosen
Starring John Hurt
Christopher Benjamin
James Bolam
Nigel Hawthorne
Warren Mitchell
Music by Patrick Gleason and Alan Price
Editing by Richard Harkness
Martin Rosen, who also directed the film version of another of Richard Adams’s novels, ‘’Watership Down,’’ treats his ‘’Plague Dogs’’ almost as though it were live action. He varies the scenery and the camera angles imaginatively, and even allows Snitter several black and white fantasy sequences (in one of these, he imagines he’s sitting before a roaring fire being petted by his master). Mr. Rosen’s direction is quite ingenious, much more so than Mr. Adams’s story. The plot has Rowf and Snitter escaping from the ’’Whitecoats’’ – the laboratory scientists who have tormented them – and roaming the English lake district, seeking a haven. But they are suspected of carrying Bubonic plague, and in any case they have disastrous effects on humans they encounter – in one case, Snitter leaps affectionately at a hunter, causing a shotgun to go off in the man’s face. Inevitably, the dogs and their fox cohort (the Tod, with voice by James Bolan), become utter pariahs. – Janet Maslin
Babe: Pig In the City (1998)
Directed/Produced/Written by George Miller
Starring Magda Szubanski
James Cromwell
Mary Stein
Mickey Rooney
E.G. Daily
Music by Nigel Westlake
Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie
Editing by Jay Friedkin, Margaret Sixel
Poetic dialogue such as that sounds beautiful when coupled with the visual splendor on display in every frame. Part Ringling Brothers showmanship, part Terry Gilliam dreamscape/nightmare and part Jean-Pierre Juenet whimsy, “Babe: Pig in the City” is clearly the work of a director who refuses to rest on his laurels. George Miller, who co-wrote and produced the original, bravely stepped into the director’s chair for this outing. He uses the same formula for this sequel that he used to a great degree with the “Mad Max” trilogy: Don’t repeat, re-invent. Unlike the original, Babe: Pig in the City has a dark edge to it, a genuine sense of the bizarre and, like the original, a love and respect for its fully-rounded characters, animal or otherwise. – Collin Souter, eFilmCritic
*with credit of course to ThisDistractedGlobe for the screenshots.
I could get excited about this. That first film is actually legitimately good, and really manages to create a successful synergy between the goofy slapstick nature of the long-running animated series and the darker, Ronin-esque evocations of the comics – or, at least, of the stories they were trying to adapt. There are certain issues that are wackier than anything that appeared in the cartoon.
But, you know what I really wish? I’d love to hear that this new film will be partially visually inspired by Michael Zulli’s run on the series.
Animated Fables on The Auteurs over 2 years ago
I don’t know, surely I can’t be the only one who harbors an interest in seeing Halas and Batchelor’s “Animal Farm,” Martin Rosen’s “Watership Down” and “The Plague Dogs,” Michael Schaack’s “Felidae,” and George Miller’s “Happy Feet” get their own page, am I? Because of their absence, there’s a big hole in my ‘favorite films’ list that just looks so – empty. Oh, and greetings by the way.Go to Comment
(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Double post. Oops.Go to Comment
(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Oh, what the hey. I’ve got four.Happy Feet(2006)
Directed by George Miller
Produced by Bill Miller
Doug Mitchell
Written by George Miller, Warren Coleman, John Collee
Starring Elijah Wood
Brittany Murphy
Hugo Weaving
Hugh Jackman
Nicole Kidman
Robin Williams
Music by John Powell
Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie, David Peers
Editing by Christine Gazel
Margaret Sixel
Beauty announces itself quietly in Happy Feet, whether in the discreetly shifting shades of white that seem to turn the snow into a living, breathing organism, or in the articulated lines of penguin chicks that make each ball of downy fluff a very specific ball of downy fluff. All this beauty makes it easy to understand why Mumble might want to tap his feet with joy. It also explains why Mr. Miller, after doing an extremely credible approximation of the wonderful world of Walt Disney, plunges his hapless hero into a nightmare worthy of Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor. As politically pointed as it is disturbing, it is a view of hell as seen through the eyes and ears of creatures we foolishly, tragically call dumb. -Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
(I would’ve included a link to my own review of the film, but I wasn’t sure if that would have been desirable, so – but, just in case: The Filmist’s take on Happy Feet. There’s my impassioned defense, if you’d like greater justification)
Go to Comment
(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Watership Down(1978)
Directed/Produced/Adapted for the Screen by Martin Rosen
Starring John Hurt
Richard Briers
Michael Graham Cox
John Bennett
Roy Kinnear
Hannah Gordon
Music by Art Garfunkel, Angela Morley, and Marcus Dods
Editing by Terry Rawlings
Unique in the annals of animated films, Watership Down is a serious, even grim tale that many will find relentless and depressing and others will find poetic and moving. It doesn’t pull any punches. Death — violent, disturbing death — is ever present, portrayed in a manner that is astonishingly honest for a cartoon. As a result, it is that rare animated film that really aims for a mature audience, despite its superficial funny animal trappings. It has a brilliant opening, most likely created by UPA veteran John Hubley, which in a primitive and simplistic style relates a creation myth as told by rabbits. The style changes thereafter, with beautiful watercolor backgrounds and a more natural approach to character animation. Unfortunately, the animation suffers somewhat from this point, becoming a bit sloppy, although it continues to portray the characters’ movements as realistically as possible. The character designs themselves are rather too similar, with the result that it is sometimes difficult to tell the various rabbits apart. The story is also sometimes told in too-broad strokes, leaving those unfamiliar with the novel confused as to exactly what has happened and, more importantly, why. However, these flaws are redeemed by some unforgettable sequences, including a chilling segment detailing the destruction of the rabbits’ warren and a devastatingly sad end sequence in which the Black Rabbit of Death gently takes one of the heroes away with it. Voiced by a fine cast, with stellar work from John Hurt and Richard Briers, Watership Down is an imperfect film with some of the most powerful moments ever created for the genre. -AllMovie Guide
*with credit to DVDTImes UK for the screenshots
Go to Comment
(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
The Plague Dogs (1980)
Starring John HurtDirected/Produced/Written for the Screen by Martin Rosen
Christopher Benjamin
James Bolam
Nigel Hawthorne
Warren Mitchell
Music by Patrick Gleason and Alan Price
Editing by Richard Harkness
Martin Rosen, who also directed the film version of another of Richard Adams’s novels, ‘’Watership Down,’’ treats his ‘’Plague Dogs’’ almost as though it were live action. He varies the scenery and the camera angles imaginatively, and even allows Snitter several black and white fantasy sequences (in one of these, he imagines he’s sitting before a roaring fire being petted by his master). Mr. Rosen’s direction is quite ingenious, much more so than Mr. Adams’s story. The plot has Rowf and Snitter escaping from the ’’Whitecoats’’ – the laboratory scientists who have tormented them – and roaming the English lake district, seeking a haven. But they are suspected of carrying Bubonic plague, and in any case they have disastrous effects on humans they encounter – in one case, Snitter leaps affectionately at a hunter, causing a shotgun to go off in the man’s face. Inevitably, the dogs and their fox cohort (the Tod, with voice by James Bolan), become utter pariahs. – Janet Maslin
Go to Comment
(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Babe: Pig In the City (1998)
Starring Magda SzubanskiDirected/Produced/Written by George Miller
James Cromwell
Mary Stein
Mickey Rooney
E.G. Daily
Music by Nigel Westlake
Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie
Editing by Jay Friedkin, Margaret Sixel
Poetic dialogue such as that sounds beautiful when coupled with the visual splendor on display in every frame. Part Ringling Brothers showmanship, part Terry Gilliam dreamscape/nightmare and part Jean-Pierre Juenet whimsy, “Babe: Pig in the City” is clearly the work of a director who refuses to rest on his laurels. George Miller, who co-wrote and produced the original, bravely stepped into the director’s chair for this outing. He uses the same formula for this sequel that he used to a great degree with the “Mad Max” trilogy: Don’t repeat, re-invent. Unlike the original, Babe: Pig in the City has a dark edge to it, a genuine sense of the bizarre and, like the original, a love and respect for its fully-rounded characters, animal or otherwise. – Collin Souter, eFilmCritic
*with credit of course to ThisDistractedGlobe for the screenshots.
Go to Comment
New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live Action over 2 years ago
I could get excited about this. That first film is actually legitimately good, and really manages to create a successful synergy between the goofy slapstick nature of the long-running animated series and the darker, Ronin-esque evocations of the comics – or, at least, of the stories they were trying to adapt. There are certain issues that are wackier than anything that appeared in the cartoon. But, you know what I really wish? I’d love to hear that this new film will be partially visually inspired by Michael Zulli’s run on the series.
I mean, come on.Go to Comment