Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs: An Evening with Director Carlos Saldanha

According to Wikipedia, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is “the second highest grossing animated film of all time with $874.5 million worldwide.”

Which also means, Ice Age 3 has bested every Pixar production at the box office.

Quite an achievement for director Carlos Saldanha, a 1993 School of Visual Arts graduate from Brazil, who began a career in computer programming before listening to the inner voice that would lead him to direct four high profile feature films(Robots, and all the Ice Age movies) for Blue Sky Studios.

In person Carlos is inspiring and talkative.  He spoke openly about his process, offering valuable insights to the many students in attendance, emphasizing focus and work ethic, two qualities he credits for his own successes.

I asked Carlos “What was the most important moment of your career?”

He immediately identified his first and only independent short, a thesis project for The School of Visual Arts, where he didn’t have to negotiate the many collabrative forces that typically accompany a big budget feature.  The short is his vision, pure and unadulterated.

Perhaps Carlos, at heart, is an independent filmmaker.

How can you not love this guy?

Unfortunately, I thought Ice Age 3 a terrible movie.

The action scenes were good, particularly the pterodactyl sequence, I enjoyed some of the character designs, Rudy’s in particular, and I thought the choices in color palette and camera shots excellent overall.

Yet the dialogue was only slightly more interesting than cats scratching on chalkboard, while the characters had about as much charisma as a dead mackerel.  I never laughed once.

For instance, Buck, a weasel/ferret deranged army vet character, jumps into frame and says:

“I’m about to go Buck Wild!”

No Buck, no.  Don’t say that.  Don’t.  Say.  That.

Yet the characters go on to perform many more mercilessly generic lines, gags, and expressions.  No talking beast was spared.  Even the movie itself never really had anything important to say.

Yet this film still made a tyrannosaurus sized footprint in the industry, such is the power of children’s entertainment, where quality is irrelevant to box office gross.

After all, Shrek 2 is the highest grossing animated film of all time.

Wish I didn’t know that.

But I do wish to see Saldanha attempt another personal project some day.  Focus and hard work may not guarantee a good film, but success cannot be had without them.

-John Lee http://darthfurby.com

Upcoming events in the NY area!

November 18th – April 26th

The Museum of Modern Art presents - Tim Burton Retrospective

This major career retrospective on Tim Burton, consisting of a gallery exhibition and a film series, considers Burton’s career as a director, producer, writer, and concept artist for live-action and animated films, along with his work as a fiction writer, photographer and illustrator.

Film exhibition: 11/18 – 4/26
Gallery exhibition: 11/22 – 4/26

MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
(bet. Fifth and Sixth Aves.)
NYC

www.moma.org

November 27th – 29th

Museum of the Moving Image presents - Thanksgiving Family Fun

The Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during Thanksgiving weekend with hourly screenings of short animated films from Pixar, the most acclaimed animation studio of our time, and two different hands-on workshops for children

Screening: Short Films from Pixar
In Tut’s Fever Movie Palace
November 27-29
Daily at 11 a.m., 12, 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m.
Pixar, the most acclaimed animation studio of our time, is best known for feature films including Toy Story, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and UP. These delightful short films from the studio’s catalog chart two decades of technological advances—and reveal the humor and personality that characterize Pixar’s work. Suitable for all ages.

Moving Pictures Workshop
November 27-29
Daily at 12 p.m.
45 mins. Children discover what makes moving images move and make their own Thaumatrope—a nineteenth-century optical toy—to take home. Ages 6-12. Materials fee: $5 per child / Free for Museum members. Space is limited; register when you arrive at the Museum.

Stop-Motion Animation Workshops
November 27-29
Daily at 1 and 3 p.m.
60 mins. Children make their own stop-motion animations and share them online. Click here to view a sample animation created by a workshop participant. $10 materials fee / $5 for Members. Space is limited. Register when you arrive at the Museum.

Museum of the Moving Image
35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria
(take the N or W subway)

www.movingimage.us

December 1st, Tuesday  6:00pm

The Paley Center for Media presents – Revisiting Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol

Join us for a screening of the first animated Christmas special, which premiered on NBC in 1962. With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and the voices of Jim Backus, Jack Cassidy, Jane Kean and Morey Amsterdam, this 52-minute adaptation of Dickens—cleverly presented as a play within a play (with the nearsighted Magoo playing Scrooge on Broadway)—paved the way for a slew of animated holiday specials. Following the screening, a panel including animator Darrell Van Citters, author of a new book on Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol; and Judy Levitow, daughter of Magoo’s director Abe Levitow, will examine the making of the program and its place in television history. Jack Doulin, casting director of the New York Theatre Workshop, will moderate the conversation. In addition, surprise guests will be on-hand to ring in the holidays. Children ages 6 and up are welcome.

IN PERSON
Darrell Van Citters, Animator and Author, Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol: The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special
Judy Levitow, Daughter of Magoo Director Abe Levitow
Marie Matthews, Voice of “Young Scrooge”
Moderator: Jack Doulin, New York Theatre Workshop

Paley Center Members: $15
General Public: $20

The Paley Center for Media
25 West 52 Street
(bet. 5th & 6th)
NYC
www.paleycenter.org

December 5th & 6th

The Museum of Modern Art presents - Mad Monster Party

Part of the Film exhibition: Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters

With the voices of Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller. This Rankin/Bass stop-motion-animated musical features a campy cavalcade of classic horror characters, including Dracula, the Mummy, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as they plot to gain control of Baron von Frankenstein’s secret weapon during a monster convention. The film’s pun-filled humor was an obvious influence on Tim Burton’s cartoon drawings of the early 1980s.

Saturday, December 5, 2009, 5:45 p.m.
Theater 1 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1), T1

Sunday, December 6, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
Theater 1 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1), T1

MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
(bet. Fifth and Sixth Aves.)
NYC

www.moma.org

December 7th, Monday  5:00 & 7:40pm

Jacob Burns Film Center presents – Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

Part of the Jacob Burns Film Center’s monthly series, The Wide World of Animation – exploring the limitless possibilities of art animation.

All that remains of Japan is a city under attack by giant creatures seeking to eradicate humankind—and it’s up to a lonely teenage boy to defend it. Anime audiences around the world rave about Hideaki Anno’s dazzling reworking of his Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997), with all the latest CGI bells and whistles. This action-packed, award-winning blockbuster is the first in his projected series of four.

The Jacob Burns Film Center
364 Manville Road
Pleasantville, NY
www.burnsfilmcenter.org

December 12th & 13th

Brooklyn Academy of Music presents - Sesame Street: A Celebration!

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street with this weekend of films and clips from the beloved TV series. Co-programmed by Muppet historian and vice president of the Jim Henson legacy, Craig Shemin. This program is open to children of all ages.

BAM Rose Cinemas
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
www.bam.org

December 12th & 13th

The Independent Film Center presents - Pom Poko

NYICFF is very excited to present this rarely screened gem from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli (Ponyo, Spirited Away) by Ghibli co-head and master animator Isao Takahata. The forests are filled with groups of magical tanuki, mischievous raccoon-like animals from Japanese folklore that are capable of shape-shifting from their standard raccoon form to practically any object. They spend their idle days playing in the hillsides and squabbling over food, until the construction of a huge new Tokyo suburb clears the nearby forest and threatens to destroy their way of life. In an effort to defend their home, the tanuki learn to transform into humans and start playing tricks to make the workers think the construction site is haunted – ending in a spectacular night-time spirit parade, with thousands of ghosts, dragons and spirit creatures descending on the city.

Audiences will revel in Ghibli’s trademark brilliant animation, with its humorous and wondrously inventive characters and sumptuous hand-painted backgrounds given loving attention to detail. But what makes Pom Poko special is the depth of emotional expression – a joyous, playful comedy containing a heartfelt plea to stop human destruction lest the Earth’s animals, spirits, and magic become things of the past.

Sat, Dec 12 at: 11:00 AM
Sun, Dec 13 at: 11:00 AM

The IFC Center
323 Sixth Avenue
NYC
www.ifccenter.com

December 16th – 29th
The Film Forum presents - A Town Called Panic

Horse, Cowboy and Indian have a strange and wonderful ménage à trois. Animating generic plastic toys, these Belgian directors fashion an absurdist world that has plenty of room for friendship and love, birthday presents, online shopping, music lessons, and home improvements. Their francophone universe — recognizable to anyone who has ever been intimidated by a Parisian waiter — is filled with equal parts hilarity and anxiety. Horse is the most “mature” of the three and Cowboy and Indian are intent on winning his favor. Meanwhile, Horse — barely aware of their efforts — concentrates on wooing Madame Longray, the village’s sexy equine music teacher. This is animation for both adults and kids, in fact for anyone who has ever enjoyed the company of a plastic figurine on a rainy day. A TOWN CALLED PANIC is the only stop-motion animated feature to have been shown in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival.

Note: Occasional bad language in the subtitles, but otherwise entirely appropriate for children.

The Film Forum
209 W. Houston Street
Bet. 6th Ave and Varick(7th Ave)
NYC
www.filmforum.org
www.atowncalledpanic.com

December 19th & 20th

The Independent Film Center presents - Winter Wondershorts

The weather outside is frightful, but these shorts are so delightful! Experience all of the splendor and magnificence of winter without the chattering teeth and frostbitten fingers. Grab your friends, your family, and your hot cocoa and come curl up in front of the big screen as the New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival presents three beautiful animated short films celebrating snow, ice and all of winter’s exciting wonders!

The program includes:
LEON IN WINTERTIME – Animation, Canada, Pierre-Luc Granjon and Pascal Le Notre, 2007, 27 min
SPOT & SPLODGE IN SNOWSTORM – Animation, Sweden, Uzi Geffenblad and Lotta Geffenblad, 2008, 7.5 min
CHOO-CHA – Animation, Russia, Garry Bardin, 1997, 25 min

Sat, Dec 19 at: 11:00 AM
Sun, Dec 20 at: 11:00 AM

The IFC Center
323 Sixth Avenue
NYC
www.ifccenter.com

Henry Selick brings Coraline to New York City

Article written by Emmett Goodman.

On November 17, a private screening of Coraline in 3D took place in New York. Taking place with the film, director Henry Selick made an appearance for a Q&A. I have known Henry Selick’s name since The Nightmare Before Christmas (directed by Selick, produced and conceived by Tim Burton). He has come to be known as one of the patron-saints of stop-motion animation. Actually, he is one of the finest directors animation can hope for.

A weird choice for a venue, the screening took place at the Union Square Stadium 14. This choice for a private screening in a very public multi-plex seemed unusual to me, and it still does. None of the regular employees knew anything about it. Still, those who knew about it managed to get all the info needed from security.
All invitees had to wait outside. People passing by the line asked what this was for, and seemed confused as to why there was a line for a film that finished its theatrical run eight months ago. But with award season in full swing, Coraline is a movie that needs to re-enter everyone’s psyche to get its due consideration. And I am assuming that is why Mr. Selick is taking the movie on a small promotional tour.

The screening took place in Theater 12. There were no previews or introduction. Watching a movie in 3D can go any direction. I happen to enjoy the idea of 3D, even though it is still weird needing to wear 3D glasses over your regular glasses. Also, I found with the last few 3D movies I have seen, there is confusion as to why the movie is 3D in the first place.

Watching Coraline in 3D makes a big difference. Because it is stop-motion, the objects photographed are (mostly) physically real, and the 3D really brings that out. That’s not to say it is better with or without 3D. It’s still a damn good movie. It is beautifully written, and the use of stop-motion brings out a feeling of awe. When done right, stop-motion can be very rewarding, as can 2D animation.

Finally, the highlight for those of us who have seen the movie. Henry Selick appears, answering questions about the process of Coraline. Mr. Selick has a peculiar personality, one you would expect from someone so devoted to delicate, painstaking stop-motion. His eyes seemed closed most of the time, and he was always waving his hands. When asked a question, he always seemed to be deep in thought, slowing down his speech while finding the right words to answer with. He still manages to come out with a full and clear answer to each question.

Among the questions asked, a woman interested in stop-motion asked “How does one become Henry Selick?” This came after Mr. Selick proclaimed his admiration for Ray Harryhausen. He re-iterated how he started as a 2D animator at Disney, and during his down-time, he did all sorts of experiments. He firmly stated that when directing a film (long or short), you have to make it great and to really put yourself into it. That last part says a lot to me, as most of the best movies come from people we don’t know, and therefore, are presented in ways we never imagined (as opposed to movies made up of worn-out ideas and pop references).

drawing by Emmett Goodman

At the end of the Q&A, I headed into a line waiting to grab an audience with Mr. Selick. I was last in line, but managed to do a quick drawing of him. Upon meeting him, he signed the drawing, and I got to ask him a couple questions. He was very warm and very thorough with his answers. I got to walk out of the theater with him, and later congratulated him on the movie. It was hours later, I realized he still has one of my pens! Oh well.

Mr. Selick ended his Q&A wishing us all the best of luck in making great films. Mr. Selick was at CAL-Arts with a group inspired by Disney’s Nine Old Men, the golden age of animation and Ray Harryhausen. Now we have animators who are inspired by Mr. Selick, Tim Burton, Brad Bird, John Lassetter, John Musker and Ron Clements, among others.

drawing by Emmett Goodman

Queens International Film Festival Largely Disappoints

Article by Dayna Gonzalez.

UPDATE: Shortly after writing this, I came across this article, “Film Festival Fraud”, purporting the festival to be a major scam operation.  Not surprising, given the experience I and others had.  Fair warning.

I’m not really sure where to start with this review.  All I can think, is that the festival must have suffered from a severe lack of funding.  It still doesn’t explain everything, but something went very wrong with the planning of this festival.  Someone dropped the ball big time.   If you want my true feelings, I would say that for a festival, the way it was run, was completely unacceptable.

I was very excited to support a local film festival in my neighborhood.  Plus I had a few friends in the festival and I like to support local filmmakers.  Because the majority of animation played today, I bought a day pass online.   I figured I’d make a day of it.   Passes were supposed to be available at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, but the security guard told me the festival wasn’t until the evening.  I had plans to attend the 11am screening of animated films at the Holiday Inn, and so I walked over to the Bizarre Cafe, where a complimentary networking breakfast was supposed to be held.   No organizers were in sight.   No breakfast was in sight either.  Eventually, more filmmakers began showing up, but still, no festival reps.  So a bunch of us filmmakers all made friends and those bonds formed were the highlight of my day.  Around 10:20, food started coming out but still no reps, and the Cafe was waiting on them to start.  Management told us if we didn’t have a pass, we could not eat.  But of course, we didn’t have passes because there was no one to hand them out.  Finally, as I had the 11am screening to make,  a 15 minute walk away, I ran to Starbucks, and grabbed a muffin and coffee to go.  Having a networking breakfast so close to screenings was poorly timed, but I trudged on, hopeful that things would clear up as the day wore on.

11 am:  Holiday Inn.  No one has any passes.  No programs.  Oh, they’re at the Cafe.  No, I just came from there, they’re not.  Oh, an hour then.  But go ahead to the screenings.  Screening Room:  It’s a conference room.  With an easel with a screen on it.  I’m starting to feel bad for the filmmakers who’ve traveled so far to see their films play.  The funding for this festival must be so low this year, that this is the best they can do?   Last year, it was at a high school auditorium and it went very well.  I don’t know what happened this year.

There were some real gems in the morning screenings.  My Happy End by Milen Vitanov featured an adorable dog, his tail, and their loving friendship.   The dog was a flat piece of paper, literally, and it added a nice dimension to the animation.  The Lonely Rabbit by Christina Felderhof exhibited wonderful textured backgrounds and characters.  Skylight, by David Baas, was a lovely film about the dangers of global warming, specifically to penguins.  The combination of the voiceover material to the animation of the penguins was pretty hilarious.  The fest also featured some great live action films, most notably The Homecoming by Rachel Earnest and Carmen’s Place, by Anna Wilking.  The cinematography of The Homecoming was really wonderful, and it was easy to identify with the actress, who was having a hard time readjusting to life back home after a life-changing passage of time in Cannes, France.  Carmen’s Place was also rather touching.  It is a short documentary about a local shelter, specifically for gay and transgender youth.

After the morning screenings, a group of us enjoyed lunch at Sunswick, a local Irish pub.  We had a really great time, and everyone was very friendly.  I had gone to the festival alone but it was nice to make friends so easily.  We once again tried to get passes, but were told to come back in half an hour.

After a fun meal and drinks at the bar, we walked next door to the high school to catch the evening’s films.   Still, no passes.  No programs.  The lack of organization’s become a running joke.  Screening rooms aren’t ready and no one really knows anything.    It’s frustrating.  You can tell some of the filmmaker’s are pretty upset.  Finally, the evening’s screenings start.  Up until 7pm, the screenings are pretty fun.  Nice selection of films.  The room, not so much.  It’s a classroom, with a very large TV cart in it.  Hard chairs.   Very uncomfortable.   I won’t go through the last batch of films because I didn’t much care for them.   I don’t know who they have picking the selection, but someone had to like them, right?  They can’t just let anything in, right?  Eek.  By the time the last screening rolled around, I was the only one left in the viewing.  I stayed for the much loved Brothers in Arms, by Elliot Cowan, then left, exhausted and disappointed from the day.

I understand there was probably a huge lack of funding and perhaps they did not have the help they desperately needed, but wow, this was tough.  For a city full of theatres, it’s a shame the venues were so lackluster.  The one gem appeared to be the amazing Tony Bennett Auditorium in the high school.  I’m jealous of those who got to see films there.  I wonder what it was like.  I never did get a program nor my ticket.  But I mostly feel bad for the filmmakers, who probably expected a bit more from the festival.  I was told story after story, about the lack of organization, unanswered emails, and general chaos.  Every time one of us tried to get some sense of what was going on, we were met with blank stares or I don’t knows.  Or the dreaded “Come back in an hour”.  DVDs weren’t tested and a bunch of films didn’t even play.  I was told by a number of filmmakers that they actually had to pay for their screenings.  Some had repeatedly tried to contact organizers with questions and requests, but to no avail.   It was a real shame and very disappointing.  I am hopeful it gets better, because I like to support film festivals and especially local ones.   I really don’t know what to say.  I was very disappointed.  What kind of reputation does this festival want?  They need to get their act together if they want to be taken more seriously.  I did meet some really wonderful filmmakers and for that, it was worth the trip.

ASIFA-East presents – An Evening of Calendars and Films

Holiday Fundraiser

November 12th, Thursday  7pm

Join us as we screen films by Bill Plympton, John Dilworth, Michael Sporn, Mo Willems, Kristy Caracas, Candy Kugel, George Griffin, Emily Hubley, Debra Solomon, Signe Baumane, Jennifer Oxley, and Xeth Feinberg, and sell our first-ever ASIFA-East 12-month calendar featuring art from these same superstars of NY Animation.

The full-color calendars, which make a great holiday gift (hint! hint!), are priced at $10 each.  All proceeds go to ASIFA-East and count as a charitable donation on your taxes.

Cash only, please.

Admission:  FREE!

SVA
School Of Visual Arts
209 East 23rd Street
Fifth floor, Rm. 502
(Bet. 2nd & 3rd Ave)
NYC

Animation Show of Shows

Article written by Linda Beck.

 

If you didn’t make it to Ron Diamond’s Animation Show of Shows, here’s the program of animated shorts you missed:

“Photograph of Jesus” – Laurie Hill/Basil Stephens

“The Da Vinci Time Code” – Gil Alkabetz

“Volgens de Vogels (According to Birds)” – Linde Fass

“Santa:  The Fascist Years” – Bill Plympton/Biljana Labovic

“El Empleo (The Employment)” – Santiago “Bou” Grasso/Patricia Plaza

“Nuvole, Mani” –Simone Massi/Rob Dyens & Aurélia Prévieu

“The Spine” – Chris Landreth/Marcy Page, Steve Hoban, Mark Smith, Robert Munroe, & David Verrall

“Chick” – Michael Socha/Paltge Image/Marcin Kobylecki

“Partly Cloudy” – Peter Sohn/Kevin Reher

“Runaway” – Cordell Barker/Michael Scott & Derek Mazur

The HBO Theatre on Avenue of the Americas between 42^nd and 43^rd Streets is super swanky and was able to accommodate, in a separate screening room, standing-room-only guests.

The ten hand-picked films, which will be available in a dvd set for purchase at next year’s Animation Show of Shows, make up a diverse collection, both in medium and origin.  3D, Compositing, and drawn are all strongly represented, however if Stop Motion’s your thing, you won’t find it here.   There are two selections from both the U.S. and Canada, with England, Germany, the Netherlands, Argentina, Italy, and Poland filling in the remaining slots. It’s a solid grouping.

Most of you will have seen “Santa:  The Facist Years”, animated and produced in a sickeningly short amount of time, if I’m remembering correctly, by Plymptoons, and “Partly Cloudy”, the latest offering from the folks over at Pixar.

My short list of other films you shouldn’t miss include:

“Photographs of Jesus”, a documentary with animation about a stock photo and video facility and their incoming requests for, as you might gather from the title, pictures of Jesus, footage of yetis, and other impossible, nonexistent items.

“Volgens de Vogels (According to Birds)” is a beautifully drawn meditation and offers a nice mental break.

And “Runaway”, about an out-of-control train, is just pure GENIUS.

Thanks to Ron, his staff, and his volunteers, for this terrific event!

 

Mary and Max

Article written by Josh Weisbrod.

Being an animator, and finding myself in the company of other animators more often than not, I tend to see a wide range of social quirks and eccentricities.  Living in New York in and of itself is basically akin to plunging oneself into a social experiment– there are so many people in such close proximity to each other, everyone a little off-kilter– some who obsess, some who overeat, some who can’t see any beauty in themselves, and many who are lonely.

The other night I was fortunate enough to attend the ASIFA screening of Adam Elliot’s feature-length stop-motion film Mary and Max– a character study of two very different people separated by thousands of miles who find a common ground as “pen-friends.”  Mary is a young girl in Australia, socially outcast, chubby, and with no less curiosity about the world around her than any other child her age.  Max is a much older man living in New York– also socially outcast, morbidly obese, and diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (a form of autism characterized by social difficulty and a narrow range of interests).  On a technical level, it’s a beautiful movie and an astounding achievement– every character, object, and special effect is real and tangible!  As far as the story goes, Mary and Max is not only as intricate and detailed an exploration into social disorders as any I’ve seen– it’s also very funny, oftentimes depressing, and at certain points it becomes very intense and even a little bit frightening.

By the time the film ended, I was emotionally exhausted, in a way.  Perhaps it’s a testament to how well-made the movie was, but I had become very involved with both of the main characters– at any point in the film, they were either me or somebody I know– and, as I’m sure was Mr. Elliot’s intention, it was very difficult at times to watch people I know go through anxiety attacks, body image issues, and bouts of loneliness.  Of course, this was offset by the very hopeful theme that a friendship– and a very deep and lasting one, at that– can exist across infinite distances, age gaps and circumstances– that common ground exists even between the two completely disparate people.

The angle the film took on Asperger’s Syndrome was what I found the most interesting.  Max and Mary discuss it at length during a portion of the movie, and it even becomes a driving force in Mary’s life for a while, as she tries to make strides to understand and cure Max’s disorder.  Max, however, does not want to be cured– and it’s not that he enjoys having Asperger’s as much as it is that he can’t picture a world without it: “[It] would be like changing the color of my eyes.”  Asperger’s Syndrome is far from the only social disorder explored in the film– both characters are rife with them– and in fact, as an exploration of social disorders, it is as detailed as any movie, animated or otherwise.

Mary and Max was an entertaining, informative, and emotionally-involving film, with characters I felt like I knew personally.  Anyone who’s ever had an anxiety attack, been teased, or wanted a friend would be doing themselves a favor by seeing it.  Of course, everyone else would probably have a good time, too.