tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post110229758369416453..comments2024-03-12T10:31:11.815-07:00Comments on The Ward-O-Matic: The Polar Express: A Virtual Train WreckWard Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-33425095698203621632010-04-12T16:50:01.998-07:002010-04-12T16:50:01.998-07:00Chanpion, my analysis was purely for the benefit o...Chanpion, my analysis was purely for the benefit of those who work on animated films or are artisans who work in animation and/or entertainment industries, not for a general audience. My words merely reflect upon the frustration that I see when it comes to filmmaking in general, that the art direction and character designs in this movie (and in Zemeckisis' other mo-cap films) lack the attention to detail that would make a film like this a pure classic. It's lazy filmmaking, purely for the profit. I'm glad that your son enjoys the film - my kids did as well. But they've never really asked to see it each Christmas as opposed to other Christmas favorites like the Peanuts special or Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Funny how my family gets more milage out of films that came out decades ago, rather than a highly-touted film that came out (well, as of this comment) almost 5 years ago. <br /><br />Next time, please read all the comments (including mine) from this post and the other (part two) - I've brought this issue up before when others, like yourself, thought that I needed to "look beyond the technical aspects" of this film.Ward Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-40148265103469592552010-04-12T15:05:05.798-07:002010-04-12T15:05:05.798-07:00Your anaylsis on motion-capture animation and your...Your anaylsis on motion-capture animation and your review on this movie as a whole: Maybe attracted similarly minded viewers and critics who see it as a cinematic failure based primarily on its technical aspects. Or in your words 'A Virtual Train Wreck'.<br /><br />The amazed and mesmerised look on my 3 year old son's face and the Christmas joy it brings him for 90 odd minutes: PRICELESS<br /><br />Maybe we have to sometimes look 'beyond' the technical aspects in film making.chanpionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07845917850198433393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-52802657754097985272010-01-13T09:20:17.931-08:002010-01-13T09:20:17.931-08:00Well Ward, [as June Clever would say] if you don&#...Well Ward, [as June Clever would say] if you don't like it--let's try, try again, and this time YOU do it, I know you can do it better, dear.Mr. Dobbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07976543482191199114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-53225315341747326572007-10-30T13:28:00.000-07:002007-10-30T13:28:00.000-07:00You know I thought it was actually a great movie.....You know I thought it was actually a great movie...a simpler time a simple plot. I felt good to watch it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-46790226638171430332007-10-14T12:45:00.000-07:002007-10-14T12:45:00.000-07:00it was just a kids movie, there was no reason for ...it was just a kids movie, there was no reason for them to go all out. they should, but dont really need to, they juts need enough things to distract the kids from computures and video gamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1106384760459821942005-01-22T01:06:00.000-08:002005-01-22T01:06:00.000-08:00I happened to see your blog on the Blogger Dashboa...I happened to see your blog on the Blogger Dashboard, and I'm glad I gave it a click. I am really digging this article. While I am no authority on animation (even if I do watch a lot of it), I have to agree with your take on it. I really have not had any desire to see that movie (looked like the kinda schmaltzy crud that just doesn't warm my coccles like it used to). <br /><br />It was funny seeing Zemeckis talk about the amount of subtlety in the performance, and how none but the most genius animators are able to capture that. Bull hockey. To counter, I have one movie to recommend: "Voice of a Distant Star." It's an hour-long movie that was animated by one guy from Japan, it's a mix of 2D and 3D animation, and it is an absolutely beautiful movie. Not only for the artwork, but for the story and characters too. But that's just this guy's opinion.<br /><br />Finally, I would also like to commend you on your authoritative writing. Well written, well planned, very thoughtful and thoroughly backed-up. Kudos, and I can't wait to read the second half.Jared Countshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06967033148401917253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1106217145669570222005-01-20T02:32:00.000-08:002005-01-20T02:32:00.000-08:00"But was there enough there to push? I dunno. It w..."But was there enough there to push? I dunno. It was, after all, based on a children's book, and so the story gets stretched far and wide in many places. Read: it's rather thin. "<br /><br />I think the problem is not that it's a children's book, but that it's a picture book. A 30 page picture book.<br /><br />There are plenty of children's books that could fill a movie. <br /><br />I'd love it if Pixar or Peter Jackson would do The Phantom Tollbooth. That'd rock.<br /><br />Ironically, considering the topic of conversation, there is a movie of The Phantom Tollbooth. It's from 1971, it combines actors with animation, it's by Chuck Jones, and it apparently was really bad.<br /><br />(Speaking of Peter Jackson, it's a shame he's taking on The Lovely Bones, when by all rights he ought to be doing Fantasy and Science Fiction that otherwise will be done as low-budget travesties for cable...)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1103838100790884762004-12-23T13:41:00.000-08:002004-12-23T13:41:00.000-08:00Ha! "blacklisted"? I wonder....well, obviously Z...Ha! "blacklisted"? I wonder....well, obviously Zemeckis would not be too pleased, but hell-*he's* the one who dug that hole for himself, with those extremely Bakshiesque, ballyhooing quotes-which were, unfortunately, just plain ignorant. If his "startling new technique"(quotes mine)were so fabulous-he wouldn't HAVE to bang a gong quite so loudly, would he? <br /><br /> The film should be allowed to speak for itself, anyway, no matter how it's made. Personally I don't care if people use hand puppets if it *works*.<br />No, I think your piece was written so authoritatively and WELL, that no one could get away with any dismissive "f--- him!" stuff...it's exactly the sort of argument I crave and admire: thoughtful anaysis given with clear examples to back everything up. And I'm betting that many of the animators would have agreed with you, and who knows? Most likely did-vis a vis the facial expressions on the kids, etc.--they just had zero power to do much about it. <br /><br />The general consensus does seem to be: why not do it with live action and CG? That would have worked so much better. <br />Anyway, longwinded followup to my other "anon" post above-just to add another "thanks!". : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1103763608760901862004-12-22T17:00:00.000-08:002004-12-22T17:00:00.000-08:00Hey! Thanks so much for stopping by. And mucho gra...Hey! Thanks so much for stopping by. And mucho gracias on the kudos on the articles. Can you even imagine what would happen if they printed my article? I'd be backlisted! Well, only in the mo-cap industry, so I guess that doesn't really count. Thanks again for visiting!Ward Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1103753582480639692004-12-22T14:13:00.000-08:002004-12-22T14:13:00.000-08:00Genius, genius, genius, fricking GENIUS, man! Bra...Genius, genius, genius, fricking GENIUS, man! Bravo!<br /><br />Came over via a link on Cartoonbrew. Very glad I did. Now you're bookmarked by an anonymous L.A. storyboard artist. : )<br /><br />I only wish YOUR article would have been published in Newsweek. <br /><br />Keep it coming.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1102462601919110372004-12-07T15:36:00.000-08:002004-12-07T15:36:00.000-08:00WHEW!! Okay, I can't come in and post like some p...WHEW!! Okay, I can't come in and post like some professional animator that knows what he/she is talking about, but I can always count on my bro' to shoot from the hip.<br /><br />I have no desire to see The Polar Express. And Wardles, you should be proud of your niece and nephew who have not even ASKED to see it. Expose them to enough of the good stuff and that "poo" sticks out like a sore thumb.<br /><br />I dig your honesty, as always. And I see you are not alone in the greyness, either.<br /><br />Love ya,<br /><br />Ward's sister<br /><br />P.S. Totally putting that "paint on poo" quote in my signature at the forum I haunt. Too. Frickin. Hilarious!! But the beauty is I knew EXACTLY what you meant by it ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1102450683989424992004-12-07T12:18:00.000-08:002004-12-07T12:18:00.000-08:00I've been avoiding seeing the Polar Express, despi...I've been avoiding seeing the Polar Express, despite the good review of a friend of mine whose taste in movies I usually share. I've thought about seeing the 3D IMAX spectacle version, but in the end I just can't manage to muster enough interest to actually make the time for it. Despite what Zemeckis may think, along with the rest of the media hyping the technology of the film, animators <I>are</I> actors, and the best ones are just as good as Tom Hanks. Lets remember that it was the Pixar animators who really "played" Woody in Toy Story, not Hanks. Not to denigrate his voice acting talents, but his part in Toy Story was as a collaborator with an animator, and from what I've seen of the clips from PE, the difference between that process and the motion capture setup is apparent. I love great photography, but I love painting as well, and often find a painting to be a "truer" reflection of a subject than any photo could ever be. <br /><br />Theres been some buzz lately about the coming 3D animation boom from Asia, with India and China set to become the powerhouse studios ready to take over the world with 3D animated films. Sorry, I don't buy it. All the software in the world does not an animator make. Story, storytelling, and acting should come first, and I have a feeling thats whats going to come last in most of these studio's output. I'm afraid that a bombardment of bad 3D films, or more expensive films that don't make their budget back like PE, will lead to the kind of moritorium on 3D animation that exists with 2D now. And then we'll have neither. That would suck.redcrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735761482049371488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1102436980479204592004-12-07T08:29:00.000-08:002004-12-07T08:29:00.000-08:00WOW... I have been avoiding this movie for the ve...WOW... I have been avoiding this movie for the very reasons you mention. My wife's mom and stepdad SWEAR that POLAR EXPRESS was far and away better than INCREDIBLES... Of course, they aren't exactly know for their taste.<br /><br />As an illustrator who has a BURNING itch to work in animation, I have to say that rotoscoping has helped me to learn a ton about timing and pacing... But, the more I learn about character and the more I pull from my days in the theatre, I really see little value in just "animating" over existing footage. <br /><br />I don't know... The person I really feel bad for is Chris VanAllsberg (sp?). From the little I've seen and read, they took his delightful story and images and totally watered it down into a theme-park ride. Looking at the ART OF POLAR EXPRESS and comparing it to the ART OF INCREDIBLES it's easy to see how different each studio approaches the craft of filmmaking/animation.James Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16204321060052223904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1102436638984162292004-12-07T08:23:00.000-08:002004-12-07T08:23:00.000-08:00I can always count on Mr. Pope for plugging Sparky...I can always count on Mr. Pope for plugging Sparky's Christmas Special. You know that me, Andrea, and the kids will be watching tonight! There's just something touching about the way Lucy brings about her tyranny over her little brother in a time of holiday good cheer. "Those are good reasons!"<br /><br />Hey - thanks for responding, by the way. <br /><br />I'll be writing up the second part to this review/commentary tonight.Ward Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05013085293679968596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984824.post-1102429245382141552004-12-07T06:20:00.000-08:002004-12-07T06:20:00.000-08:00Flawed animation (cel or otherwise) with heart wil...Flawed animation (cel or otherwise) with heart will ALWAYS be infinitely better than computerized "perfection" without soul. Case in point: in spite of gratuitous network edits and some of the most hurried, hacked-out animation to ever grace the small screen, A Charlie Brown Christmas (on Tuesday at 8:00, channel 2) has more heart in a single frame than an entire feature of techno-garbage like "Polar Express," or God forbid, "Final Fantasy. " Of course, those who know me would be quick to point out that I am by no means an unbiased source. And they'd be right.Robert Popehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216484801391073449noreply@blogger.com