What do a chicken, a dinosaur, and a hundred-foot
high wave all have in common? Filmgoers would have an easier time
with this question than any ornithologist, paleontologist or oceanographer
who might be looking for the answer: All three were premiere animated
stars of the Summer 2000 box office. Filmgoers who are also animation
aficionados, however, might be able to answer our riddle in more depth:
None of the above were produced through the method of traditional
cel animation. This fact alone makes the past year an interesting
one for animated feature films, and in this month's column we will
discover a few other facts that may hold clues as to how these films
will be animated, produced, marketed and finally received by the public
in the future. In doing so we will explore the "do's" and "dont's"
of building a successful animated film based on some of the major
offerings of the past year. Let me begin by averring that animated features will always be with
us. The tradition is a long one, and the public seems to support these
features with enough dollars to make the effort lucrative. There are
now enough skilled animators available to give any studio a decent
shot at making a feature film, and we expect to see at least two or
three quality efforts per year. In fact, it would be hard to imagine
American cinema bereft of animated features; after all, it was this
country that first exploited their mass appeal. The fact that the
vast majority of animated features tend to fade well before reaching
the $65 million mark in profits has not deterred any present or future
efforts to give us more of them, and at present, broad-banding is
not prevalent enough for Web technology to co-opt the form. Unless
one counts on audiences to spend seventy-five hours downloading an
entire feature film (or believes they will be content to view it in
endless five-minute segments), we will continue to file into our local
multiplexes to enjoy animated features, silo-sized soft drinks and
cavernous tubs of popcorn. And now, without trailers, commercials, or reminders to place trash
in the proper receptacles, let's go to the movies and see what some
recent features have to teach us. (All grosses are current through
July 21, 2000 due to my deadline structure.)
Dinosaur (Disney Studios) What they did right: Paid attention to the fact that virtually every
feature completely animated in CGI broke the hundred-mil mark. Took
their time in developing a project that originally began in 1994.
Did all the work in-house at the new TSL (The Secret Lab) digital
studio to ensure quality and continuity. Recognized the selling potential
of dinosaurs to a young audience, but shrewdly picked up on those
adults who had their appetites to see "real" dinosaurs whetted by
Jurassic Park. No Broadway numbers. Made over three million
hours of computer time show on screen without detracting from character
development. Developed tie-ins and ancillary products without the
promotional overkill typical of early-nineties Disney. What they didn't do right: Characters were fine but the script was
a rehash of common Disney themes including a misfit hero with one
or more missing parents, comic relief characters with anachronisitc
speech, a sadistic and arrogant villain who falls to his death (Is
this a prerequisite for every Disney villain of late? Do they audition
by bungee jumping?), and an all-too familiar romantic subplot. However,
one must realize that Dinosaur [2]
is very much a product of the Disney stable and would strongly
bear its stamp. At least we'll probably be spared Dinosaurs on
Ice.
Current gross: $133,051,394
What we learned: Digital rules. Between Pixar [3]
and Disney proper, one formula for an animated blockbuster has now
been firmly established -- go CGI and watch the profits fly. Study
the past successes of other studios that have used a certain genre
and determine how to best embellish upon them. Research the tastes
of your target audience and develop a concept that just can't lose.
Finally, play within your audience's expectations and don't take any
undue risks unless they involve spectacular visual effects; if people
expect a Disney story, give 'em a Disney story.
Pokemon: The First Movie (Distributed by Warner Bros.) What they did right: Managed to get hold of a pre-existing film while
the product was at its hottest. Does anyone remember The Power
Rangers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies that finally
appeared more than a year after most kids had dumped their action
figures into the local landfill? Didn't pay a Squirtle's worth for
the labor-intensive work of an animated feature, guaranteeing almost
pure profit. Ditto for publicity; this feature literally sold itself
due to the proliferation of product into the pre-teen market. What they didn't do right: Pulled it before it hit the $100 million
mark. This feature should have stayed in the afternoon matinee market
in smaller theaters for another month or two, supported by tournaments. What we learned: Timing is everything. Develop a film script at the
first sign of popularity and job it out to a dozen animation studios
need be to get the speed factor. Don't worry about editing or continuity
too much; millions will roll in regardless. Kids will hardly pause
to consider mise en scène or proxemic patterns,
and adults are well resigned to opening their wallets on cue. Team
Rocket should work half as hard.
Current
gross: $85,744,662
Chicken Run (Aardman Animations/DreamWorks SKG) What they did right: Used two experienced directors, Nick Park and
Peter
Lord [6]. Capitalized on the popularity of a previous success, Wallace
and Gromit. [7] DreamWorks took a strictly hands-off approach
and let Park and Lord shape their own vision. Stop-motion process
looked fresh and different compared to recent cel and CGI features.
Strong script built on cinematic references (prisoner-of-war films)
which are not recycled often in American movies. Distinctive, grand
musical score which contrasted amusingly with the silly animation
(as in the South Park feature). Likeable characters backed
by strong voice acting. What they didn't do right: (Only for those who like to quibble.)
A few conundrums in the plot. How could the circus, which seemed to
value Rocky immensely, shoot him off-course for what seemed to be
miles? How could a makeshift flying machine manned by chickens manage
to hoist a full-grown human so high into the air for such a distance?
Who cares? THEY ESCAPED! What we learned: There is room out there for a wide range of animated
styles and mediums. The three top-grossers above represent CGI, cel
and stop-motion respectively. A small studio can flourish creatively
under the auspices of a much larger one without the need for a tight
leash. This unmistakably British feature, along with Pikachu and company,
may be sending the strong signal that American audiences will be more
receptive to imported animated features in the future. Anybody ready
to distribute Help! I'm A Fish?
Current
gross: $84,080,147
Fantasia/2000 [9]
(Disney) What they did right: Advanced Walt's original
vision [10] sixty years later. Left "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
segment in the film. Showcased the latest digital technology extant,
including the overpowering particle generator. Proved in the outstanding
"Rhapsody
in Blue [11]" segment that, given fifty years, Disney could
finally grasp what UPA had been trying to do. Better musical selections
than those of the 1940 film, with no radical alterations needed in
the scores. No major embarrassment like the "Pastoral" among
its sequences. Benefited from revisionist histories that now judge
the original Fantasia to be among animation's greatest masterpieces. What they didn't do right: Weak and distracting host segments. Released
it to the general theaters while their other feature Dinosaur was
still red-hot. Restricted it to IMAX theaters for far too long; even
if this was a test run prior to making a bid for IMAX, the experiment
cost Disney considerable profits. Some unconvincing animation in the
"Pines of Rome" sequence. "Steadfast Tin Soldier"
sequence was not even up to Pixar's standards. Production problems
and changes in direction tied this feature up in the studio for over
a year past the originally planned release date. What we learned: New entertainment formats may be a major draw in
the future. An increased number of theaters using IMAX-type technology
may be a major showcase for animation. In this case, the format made
a good, if not outstanding, feature a special event.
Current gross: $58,653,569 (IMAX and theater receipts
combined)
The Road to El Dorado (DreamWorks SKG) What they did right: Released the feature in late March, avoiding
the summer blockbuster/holiday season wars. Used con-artist rapscallions
as heroes rather than clean-cuts, and a female lead as sharp and crafty
as her male foils. Great chemistry between Kevin Kline and Kenneth
Branagh. Hired proven success from Disney: ex-animators, ex-screenwriters,
and the duo of Elton
John and Tim Rice [13] for the tunes. What they didn't do right: The idea should have been to compete
with Disney, not become them. If Katzenberg wants to raid studios,
he might try some of the bigger and more successful entities in Europe,
Canada and Asia. Despite the film's sassy attitude, too much of El
Dorado [14] is reminiscent of Disney circa 1994. Oh, and didn't
an evil master of sorcery also create a climactic set-piece by turning
a massive bunch of stone into a savage attacking animal in that other
movie? That one with the Russian princess in it? Come on, you know
which one I mean... What we learned: Recycling both talent and ideas will only get a
studio so far, even if the talent is awesome and the original idea
is a sound one. In this case, it got DreamWorks as far as the $50
million mark, but it could have turned out better. Much.
Current gross:
$50,802,661
Titan A.E. (Fox) What they did right: Impressive integration of 2D and 3D animation.
What they didn't do right: The Titan Project may have had the power
to create a planet, but it ended up sinking a studio. Produced while
Fox was already considering personnel cutbacks. Chaotic creative changes
while in production backed the film up a year. Bluth [16] and Goldman [17]
seemed to be just a step behind the times on this one. Publicity could
have been better. Too many visual and cinematic references to other
sci-fi films. Massive market research missed the mark on teen audiences. What we learned: Nice guys can indeed finish last, and best efforts
aren't always rewarded. This film deserved a kinder fate from audiences,
but sci-fi animation features (and there haven't been many) may have
become obsolete due to VFX breakthroughs in live-action sci-fi films.
Besides, one important piece of research was missing: When did sci-fi
animated features last score a hit with the moviegoing public? Heavy
Metal? Even Bluth's first attempt at something like sci-fi, The
Secret of NIMH, only grossed about $10 million.
Current gross: $22,004,799
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (Universal) What they did right: Well, at least they didn't animate Piper Perabo. What they didn't do right: Sorry, but only Jay Ward [19], Bill
Scott, Lloyd Turner, Chris Hayward and Allan Burns could have pulled
this off. Unique Ward humor difficult to adapt to screen since most
of it was verbal and made up for poorly animated visuals in the original
series. Original format of "mellerdrama" serial at odds with feature-length
film concept. Fans of show tend to be fanatic, detail-oriented and
tough to please. Highly topical characters probably played much better
in 1960s; updating them posed problems. Director Des McAnuff and scriptwriter
Ken Lonergan were not animation people. What we learned: Nostalgia won't always pull them in. Stay true to
the original spirit of your source material. When doing revisionist
work, check the adaptability of the characters and the series in the
first place. Having reviewed these films, we are now ready to produce our own
animated blockbuster. A warning to plagiarists: I'm copyrighted this
time! Chickasaur Run A.E.: The Road to the First Movie 2000 This imaginative film features a herd of CGI-animated dinosaurs who
help a desperate flock of stop-motion chickens escape from an evil
cadre of cel-animated mutations called the Pokedrej. The escapees
flee Earth, escorted by a school of flying space whales who help them
reach the planet New El Dorado. There, the chickens and dinosaurs
are nearly fleeced of their meager supplies by two slacker con artists,
but they all eventually unite against the pursuing Pokedrej, who all
fall to their deaths from a great height at film's end. Or, we could just animate a single white mouse (Stuart
Little, [20] $140,015,224....). Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman is a longtime student and fan of animation.
He lives in Anderson, Indiana.
Current
gross: $21,754,375
Links:
[1] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/906
[2] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.03/5.03pages/halldino.php3
[3] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.8/3.8pages/3.8lyonslasseter.html
[4] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/907
[5] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/908
[6] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.2/articles/jacksonlord2.2.html
[7] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.11/2.11pages/2.11raugust.html
[8] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/909
[9] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.08/4.08pages/schifffantasia.php3
[10] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.07/4.07pages/kaufmanfantasia.php3
[11] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.09/4.09pages/solomonrhapsody.php3
[12] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/910
[13] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.01/5.01pages/schatzeldorado.php3
[14] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.12/4.12pages/peskodorado.php3
[15] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/911
[16] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.06/5.06pages/lauriabluth.php3
[17] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.03/5.03pages/lauriachat.php3
[18] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/912
[19] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.06/5.06pages/cohenmoose.php3
[20] http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.08/4.08pages/gannawaystuart.php3