Sunday, January 10, 2010

Diffusion of Animation

The New York Times reports on Blue Sky Studios.

Adjusted for inflation, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” ranks as the third biggest computer-animated movie of all time ... “The quality of the work is up there with anything that is done from any company in the business,” said Tom Rothman, a chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Added Vanessa Morrison, president of Fox Animation Studios, which includes Blue Sky: “Being away from Hollywood really helps to incubate talent. Our films really take people to a place they’ve never been before.”

Which happens to be a long-time Katzenberg line, but in Toonland, various ideas ... and executives' quotes ... sometimes get recycled.

But one of the better parts of the article for me is that even the New York Times sees the obvious:

“Avatar,” which relies on newly developed motion-capture equipment and has sold over $1 billion at the global box office, is to a large extent an animated film.

You think?

The reality of animation today is that it's migrated everywhere, into everything. I talked to Chris Bailey today at Roy Disney's memorial, who has done everything from hand-drawn animation to comic books to directing live-action. He recently finished working on that other Fox hit Alvin II, and related how "it's nice to find a niche, especiallly when it's a popular niche."

Indeed. It's the prayer and hope of every artist who works in animation: Finding a corner of the business in which they can prosper and earn a living.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why not post about the Roy Disney memorial?

Anonymous said...

...and all the rumors about the new animation building? You know, the Roy E. Disney building the Disney Blog os reporting about?

Steve Hulett said...

I did post. And that was Robert Iger's big announcement. The hat building will change from "The Animation Building" to "The Roy E. Disney Animation Building."

Anonymous said...

What does Vanessa Morrison know about animation? NOTHING! Absolutely nothing.

Anonymous said...

I think the only "niche" baily has found is how few people are willing to work with him.

Anonymous said...

no studio has run faster to the bottom of the barrel of animation movie making than fox with the ice age franchise. quality?

Anonymous said...

If you're talking story, I agree with you.

If you're talking visuals, you're either clueless or jealous. Visually, Ice Age 3 was better than Up or Monsters vs Aliens last year.

Anonymous said...

If you've ever met Vanessa (I have) she's even more of a bozo in real life than in the articles written about her.

Anonymous said...

no, visuals, too. locked into the template of the original art direction. as franchises are. it certainly didn't break any molds, but not for lack of attempt.

neither jealous nor clueless. just rational.

Anonymous said...

Direction, yes. Execution, no.

Ice Age 3 LOOKS leaps and bounds better than Ice Age 1. But if you mean not breaking molds, of course. It is typical CG fare.

But very well done CG fare.

rufus said...

IA3:The animation was amazing. The story was crap.

rufus.

Anonymous said...

its always a good thing to be outside of hollywood. by the time the studio execs realize whats happening the sequence has already moved along. i'm sure pixar may have felt that in the early years.

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