(cont’d) Well, we’re about to see some of that work on your reel, and lots of other juicy bits. Let’s take a look.
I Am VFX/PDX: Susanna Luck
0Posted on March 10, 2013 by
VFX/PDX: The start of your reel shows some really wild animations where magical characters are dissolving in and out, and morphing into other characters. I believe those are from the Road to El Dorado and Sinbad? I’ve seen a few reels in my day but I have to say, the traditional animation is just jaw dropping to see in it’s raw state, because it really exposes the complexity and amount of the work inherent to the style.
I think we all remember seeing many of the old Disney films as kids – Bambi, Fantasia, Snow White, etc. The Disney Animation arm that exists today still turns out a good movie these days (Bolt, Tangled, Wreck it Ralph, etc) but these are very different times thanks in no small part to their Pixar counterparts. So, what do you think – are LAIKA, Blue Sky, DreamWorks, Sony Animation, Illumination/MacGuff, Weta, etc. movies going to hold up as the new classics? Do you feel that “timeless” quality is still something we can capture in these more modern times?
Or do you feel like we’ve left those safe, timeless golden oldies and moved on to the hip-hop, house and dubstep of animated films? 🙂
Susanna: Dubstep is going to be someone’s golden oldie, given enough time! I think there are still some timeless movies being made and it’s almost always about the story as much as the craft of the thing. I’m biased, of course, but I do think ParaNorman is a good example of that. Perhaps not the box office blockbuster we’d all hoped for, but it really moved people and that’s what stays with you over time.
VFX/PDX: Yes, box office take isn’t always the best indication of a classic, that’s for sure. The cult comes later. 🙂
Despite hand-drawn animation having continued success abroad, most notably in Japan, it’s been three years since Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and there is no official signs of a traditionally animated film in the works at any of the major domestic studios here. At first it seemed like it might make a comeback when Lasseter rehired all the traditional artists that had been let go, but then after Winnie the Pooh had a poor box office and I think they may have scaled back again. Do you think “hand drawn” is dead?
Susanna: Nothing is impossible. Styles come and go and I do think it could make a major comeback – but, not until we’re all tired of having our socks blown off with spectacular and over-the-top effects (which I’m as much at prey to as anyone else) I think perhaps the human brain inherently wants more and more “shiny.”
VFX/PDX: Maybe they’ve distracted us just long enough for us to forget, and now it will seem fresh and new again. Speaking of, along comes Paperman to throw us a little curveball and wonder what they’re cooking up over there. That’s been mentioned for a while but just went public on Youtube the other day. What do you think?
Susanna: Funny – I just posted that to Facebook yesterday. It’s beautiful isn’t it? I really love the moment the plane with the lipstick falls into the air well and moves into and out of the light. And the character animation of course is just great. So many lovely moments.
I like the really painterly look to the lines – a nod to the mid century style? But there’s something a little too slick about the BGs, even though they’re painted too… still, interesting stuff! It’s good to see them playing around with something other than pure CG.
Perhaps at some point there’ll be an up-swelling of nostalgia for that style of animation again? I have to say though, that as much as Disney gave us with their classic animation, they could also be said to be responsible for the death of it; they trained generations of audiences – particularly American audiences – to expect and believe that animation is predominantly for children and must always follow a predictable arc and have a particular tone. To the point that it’s always problematic when you want to release something with some more adult themes, or something perhaps a little dark, because audiences really don’t know what to do with it.
VFX/PDX: Good point. I’m not sure if it’s a common term yet, but over at the bookstore, you’ll often hear that crossover point where kids are shedding their innocence and graduating from ‘G’ to ‘PG’ referred to as the ‘Tweens.’ Meaning, maybe not quite teenage but getting there. And certain kids mature so quickly that they could handle a little ‘scary’ or ‘creepy’ as early as… eight? Others might need to hold off until eleven or twelve. I think Henry Selick had a nice way of putting it when he was talking about Coraline, when he said that it’s for kids ages “eight to eighty-eight!”
We’ll look forward to LAIKA continuing to push that envelope and carve out their own identity. And you along with them! Thanks for taking the time, this was a great talk.
Before you roll off into that sunset (Sunset Highway 26 there in Hillsboro, that is) I think we all appreciate the power of a good quote. You’re a bit of a wisdom collector yourself? I’ve seen some quotes on your website, email signatures, etc. Care to leave us with one?
Susanna:
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
– Philip Pullman
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