And why is Bluray's main pull the storage size, that is all I hear about in their commercials...I am sorry, I do not need 50GBs of disc space, and if I did, again, I don't have $1000 to buy a Bluray drive...again, I find this all to be very silly...
Pixar is today what Disney was back in its golden age--when Disney was producing classics like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Fantasia.
Pixar is about so much more than high-quality visuals (although they're the industry lead in that respect). They've brought back classic story-telling elements and made films that can appeal to a wide audience. A movie doesn't have to have anti-heroes singing a ditty while slitting people's throats for revenge to appeal to adults. Unfortunately, that message has been lost on Hollywood.
Toy Story 2 is a fantastic example. Here's a movie that children loved, yet adults recognized the more mature theme of confronting our own mortality. Remember when Woody stared down that long, dark ventilation shaft? Gave me chills.
I personally thought Ratatouille was one of their best movies to date. I'm thrilled that they didn't go the easy route and have an animal that can talk to humans. They had to be a bit inventive and it turned out well.
I love how the main character was offered an opportunity to live in the human world or the rat world, but chose--and created--an alternative. It's a more complex resolution than you usually find in modern film.
I love how most of the supporting staff bails on the main human character after they discover a rat's been guiding his cooking--and they don't come back. Sometimes the audience doesn't like when a story unfolds like it would according to human nature--and that's one of many reasons why modern American film is so weak.
In short, Pixar took a chance and moved forward with Ratatouille. It was more mature than their other works and I applaud them for it. They could have played it safe and featured a group of zoo animals escaping to the wild and pack in an overplayed single on the soundtrack--but that would just be stupid, right?
Pixar can afford to write and tell stories without considering what the fans or critics will think because they're that good. They're classic storytellers using a cutting-edge technology to tell their stories. They've re-captured the charm and brilliance of classic Disney films in a time when Disney's reputation as an animation studio is in the trash. (Bambi II direct to DVD? Are you serious?)
When it comes to animation, whether hand-drawn or computer-generated, it's no secret that I tend to look to foreign sources (most often, anime) for quality works. But Pixar is the one Western studio whose films I will pay money to go see in a theater without any second-guessing or doubt.
Pixar is today what Disney was back in its golden age--when Disney was producing classics like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Fantasia.
Pixar is about so much more than high-quality visuals (although they're the industry lead in that respect). They've brought back classic story-telling elements and made films that can appeal to a wide audience. A movie doesn't have to have anti-heroes singing a ditty while slitting people's throats for revenge to appeal to adults. Unfortunately, that message has been lost on Hollywood.
Toy Story 2 is a fantastic example. Here's a movie that children loved, yet adults recognized the more mature theme of confronting our own mortality. Remember when Woody stared down that long, dark ventilation shaft? Gave me chills.
I personally thought Ratatouille was one of their best movies to date. I'm thrilled that they didn't go the easy route and have an animal that can talk to humans. They had to be a bit inventive and it turned out well.
I love how the main character was offered an opportunity to live in the human world or the rat world, but chose--and created--an alternative. It's a more complex resolution than you usually find in modern film.
I love how most of the supporting staff bails on the main human character after they discover a rat's been guiding his cooking--and they don't come back. Sometimes the audience doesn't like when a story unfolds like it would according to human nature--and that's one of many reasons why modern American film is so weak.
In short, Pixar took a chance and moved forward with Ratatouille. It was more mature than their other works and I applaud them for it. They could have played it safe and featured a group of zoo animals escaping to the wild and pack in an overplayed single on the soundtrack--but that would just be stupid, right?
Pixar can afford to write and tell stories without considering what the fans or critics will think because they're that good. They're classic storytellers using a cutting-edge technology to tell their stories. They've re-captured the charm and brilliance of classic Disney films in a time when Disney's reputation as an animation studio is in the trash. (Bambi II direct to DVD? Are you serious?)
When it comes to animation, whether hand-drawn or computer-generated, it's no secret that I tend to look to foreign sources (most often, anime) for quality works. But Pixar is the one Western studio whose films I will pay money to go see in a theater without any second-guessing or doubt.
Dude, that's like saying Citizen Kane is about some old guy whining about his sled.
Ratatouille is about so much more than a rat that cooks. The strangeness of a rat cooking elegant meals is just the hook to grab people's interest. The real story is how the rat and the main character try to balance separate worlds until they finally find the place where they belong.
I'm not saying everyone will love it. Every person has different tastes when it comes to media. All I'm asking is that people don't grossly oversimplify a plot with a respectable narrative effort.
Dude, that's like saying Citizen Kane is about some old guy whining about his sled.
Ratatouille is about so much more than a rat that cooks. The strangeness of a rat cooking elegant meals is just the hook to grab people's interest. The real story is how the rat and the main character try to balance separate worlds until they finally find the place where they belong.
I'm not saying everyone will love it. Every person has different tastes when it comes to media. All I'm asking is that people don't grossly oversimplify a plot with a respectable narrative effort.
Yeah, but it's also a family/kids' movie, and overcomplicating things isn't going to add much to it. If you're gonna gear it for younger audiences, you don't need to have the whole thing be dumb, easy to digest humor... but you don't have it be... not... funny, either. It's a nice story, sure, but it had me asking... "So?"
Yeah, but it's also a family/kids' movie, and overcomplicating things isn't going to add much to it. If you're gonna gear it for younger audiences, you don't need to have the whole thing be dumb, easy to digest humor... but you don't have it be... not... funny, either. It's a nice story, sure, but it had me asking... "So?"
The trend of "dumbing" down children's book is a fairly recent--and largely American--phenomenon. Take a look at The Chronicles of Narnia and you'll realize that the British gave their children much more credit than Americans that churn out swill like Teletubbies.
People were also assuming that Ratatouille was a children's movie, when I don't think Pixar was aiming at a young (i.e. "kick and scream until mommy goes to McDonalds to buy that new Happy Meal so they can get the toy" young) audience with Ratatouille. I think they don't want to get trapped in that "funny kiddy movie" mode and this was how they showed their audience that they could do something a little more complex.
The East is producing films like Ghost In the Shell, Appleseed, and Tekkonkinkreet. Maybe it's time Western studios start inching towards darker, more complex animated movies, too?
I think the Rats of Nimh books were rather dark, as was the Secret of Nimh movie.
Not sure if that was American though.
Also, Watership Down is high on my quality list, of course, it was a while since I read the book and saw the movie, but I don't think those are particularly aimed at small children.
Yay, we are way off topic, but tek mentioned ghost in the shell so everyone can forgive him.
One of the bigger problems america faces is that we keep trying to ban things left and right thinking that if it is out of sight then it isn't a problem.
Take violence in games for example, sure some people go out and do crimes after playing GTA3, but chances are they are already a violent person. Studies show that people who play violent video games are actually less likely to do crimes.
Look at the "war on drug", which waists billions of dollars per year and jails millions of people each year yet never solves the problem, inflates the black market and raises funds for criminal gangs who transport and sell the stuff. What if the less harmful drugs like marijuana was legalized?
America is incredibly afraid of itself, if you don't watch yourself you get your rear end sued off. Your employer is scared that you might get injured on the job resulting in a lawsuit. Software companies patent everything under the sun in hopes that somebody will inadvertently stumble across it so they can sue them. Meanwhile nobody really cares about anything because they would rather go home and watch a box with lousy pictures all day then actually do anything to improve their life or the government.
The trend of "dumbing" down children's book is a fairly recent--and largely American--phenomenon. Take a look at The Chronicles of Narnia and you'll realize that the British gave their children much more credit than Americans that churn out swill like Teletubbies.
People were also assuming that Ratatouille was a children's movie, when I don't think Pixar was aiming at a young (i.e. "kick and scream until mommy goes to McDonalds to buy that new Happy Meal so they can get the toy" young) audience with Ratatouille. I think they don't want to get trapped in that "funny kiddy movie" mode and this was how they showed their audience that they could do something a little more complex.
The East is producing films like Ghost In the Shell, Appleseed, and Tekkonkinkreet. Maybe it's time Western studios start inching towards darker, more complex animated movies, too?
No, I didn't mean Teletubbie aged kids. Look, even... 10, 11 year olds aren't going to go "That was a wonderful plot resolution! The themes were well placed, and the rat and his human friend found compromise between their two worlds."
America is incredibly afraid of itself, if you don't watch yourself you get your rear end sued off. Your employer is scared that you might get injured on the job resulting in a lawsuit. Software companies patent everything under the sun in hopes that somebody will inadvertently stumble across it so they can sue them. Meanwhile nobody really cares about anything because they would rather go home and watch a box with lousy pictures all day then actually do anything to improve their life or the government.
A little...okay, I am not going there...BUT, I only saw one of his movies "Bowling for Columbine" which was the biggest piece of crap I have seen...plus, I own guns, I want to own guns, and anyone that tells me it should be harder to get guns needs to die, it is already hard enough...took a 3 month process for my brother to get his first gun...geez...
They are not documentaries...much of his "facts" are not properly backed...
Yay, we are way off topic, but tek mentioned ghost in the shell so everyone can forgive him.
One of the bigger problems america faces is that we keep trying to ban things left and right thinking that if it is out of sight then it isn't a problem.
Take violence in games for example, sure some people go out and do crimes after playing GTA3, but chances are they are already a violent person. Studies show that people who play violent video games are actually less likely to do crimes.
Look at the "war on drug", which waists billions of dollars per year and jails millions of people each year yet never solves the problem, inflates the black market and raises funds for criminal gangs who transport and sell the stuff. What if the less harmful drugs like marijuana was legalized?
America is incredibly afraid of itself, if you don't watch yourself you get your rear end sued off. Your employer is scared that you might get injured on the job resulting in a lawsuit. Software companies patent everything under the sun in hopes that somebody will inadvertently stumble across it so they can sue them. Meanwhile nobody really cares about anything because they would rather go home and watch a box with lousy pictures all day then actually do anything to improve their life or the government.
Greed is what it sums down to...money has always ruled people's lives, 30 pieces of silver sent Jesus to the cross... If someone would profit from hurting someone, it must cases they would do it...we think only about ourselves, and nothing for others... Jesus thought us to serve, not to be served, and if everyone took that into action, the world would be a much better place...but that is not how things are or were meant to be...unfortunately...
