ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5.10 - JANUARY 2001

Outside the Bubble: What the Main Street Papers Say
(continued from page 1)

Jean Prescott, Marquee Editor
Marquee Entertainment Guide
The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Mississippi

I think that people are interested in feature animation. My experience is certainly with Disney movies. Even The Emperor's New Groove, which I understand had a lot of production problems and changed gears mid-stream, has parents taking their kids to see these movies just because if they don't the kids won't stop nagging them. But I think movies like Chicken Run and even Emperor's New Groove are getting away from the "kid only" realm. With Disney movies — why look at Robin Williams in Aladdin! I laughed so hard at that movie -- at things I know my grandson didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on. These multi-level jokes where you've got to keep mom and dad from falling asleep and pulling their hair out [really work]. So you have to put in some inside jokes in there and keep in mind we're up to our elbows in rednecks -- and I say that lovingly.

I think that people across the board enjoy them whether it's a Disney movie and you take the kids or not. I don't think they see it a couple of times the way teenagers go back to see their Dude, Where's My Car? movie, but I think that animation is well received. I see loads of people who like Wallace and Gromit and made the connection to Chicken Run as being done by the same people, plus it was enough to get even the so-called elitists out there who might not go and see a Disney movie. It is becoming something that adults go and see and don't feel like they have to have the token child with them so they don't feel foolish. They watch Futurama on TV and they watch The Simpsoms, of course, and that's not silly. The single guys in this newsroom will carry on about the latest celebrity voice on The Simpsons, so yeah, I think it's not just for kids.

Jennifer Cooley, Entertainment Editor
El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas

I think it definitely is evolving. With Titan A.E. my husband saw it and really enjoyed it. I wasn't able to see it with him, but it sounded like it was very much an adult film, more than just a kid's cartoon. That's a good example of how it is definitely evolving. People are starting to learn, especially with what's on TV now, that cartoons or animation doesn't have to be just for kids. Really, like with Looney Tunes, it started out more for adults than how people view it now.

I think audiences receive animation well. I know a lot of adults without children who went to see Rugrats in Paris, because they enjoyed the first one so much and enjoy watching the cartoons on TV. People are enjoying animation and are more likely to see all sorts of animated movies than before. Part of that I think is because Disney has done such a good job with movies like Aladdin and Lion King putting in adult stuff along with stuff that their kids can enjoy. So they got a taste of that through their kids and realized, 'Hey, I don't have to borrow someone's kid to go see the movie.'

Ron Cowan, Writer/Reporter,
Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon

Obviously, they're doing a lot of new things with animation techniques, particularly with computer animation as seen in the two Toy Story movies. Emperor's New Groove has more of a pop look to it by contrast and it is the more traditional cel animation. But I think that people like this new [amount of] variety. The studios are showing that there's not just the classical Disney style of animation anymore. The people that make animated films are reaching out to a broader audience. It's not just for kids anymore, which makes sense. Parents have to bring the kids and [the filmmakers] want films to reach a modern audience and a more diverse audience.

Not all of them do well, but there have been some examples at the box office, like Titan A.E., that had some unusual animation. However, for the most part, particularly when films have the Disney name, and now the DreamWorks name, they are finding an audience. Audiences still tend to look for brand names.

Joan Kim received her B.A. in English Literature from UCLA and currently is the editorial administrator for Animation World Network. Previously as a graphics consultant she produced several company reports and manuals and continues to pursue an education in computer graphics.

 

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