Frankfurt, Germany -- Academy Award-winning VFX supervisor John Gaeta turned the tables on film critics Monday at the Edit Filmmakers Festival here.
"Critics have so many conflicts of interests," he said. "They feel that they are power brokers. I tend to put aside established critics. Now I am sampling bloggers who are not put in a high position. That I feel is the true reaction."
Gaeta said he believes that his latest VFX work, "Speed Racer," was "a vastly misunderstood film from the beginning of its creation."
He described the look, which he called "photo anime," and he detailed early tests on the complex work.
"Our objective was to take the purity of pop art and create something original," he said, adding that another part of the aim was to reach a "new generation of filmgoers -- younger folks who are growing up with a wider array of media where they get their entertainment.
"Critics have so many conflicts of interests," he said. "They feel that they are power brokers. I tend to put aside established critics. Now I am sampling bloggers who are not put in a high position. That I feel is the true reaction."
Gaeta said he believes that his latest VFX work, "Speed Racer," was "a vastly misunderstood film from the beginning of its creation."
He described the look, which he called "photo anime," and he detailed early tests on the complex work.
"Our objective was to take the purity of pop art and create something original," he said, adding that another part of the aim was to reach a "new generation of filmgoers -- younger folks who are growing up with a wider array of media where they get their entertainment.
- 9/29/2008
- by By Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'A Bug's Life'
It may be the year that the bug saved Hollywood, with Disney's splendid "A Bug's Life" overtaking the DreamWorks hit "Antz" to climb to the top of the boxoffice hill.
A dazzling, embracing computer-animated feature from Pixar, "A Bug's Life" should soar to holiday heights, much to the level that Pixar's "Toy Story" ascended three Thanksgivings ago. This splendid offering should be able to carry $200 million domestically on its back, no sweat, and with no end in sight for its worldly potential.
As you know in the ant world, life is no picnic. In this subterranean saga, the ants of Ants Island toil for the man -- namely Hopper (voice of Kevin Spacey), the intimidating leader of the grasshoppers, who, in this insect universe, are akin to the marauding colonialists. Each summer, the legions of ants toil earnestly and without complaint, planting and harvesting the crops and then turning the bounty over to the hated 'hoppers. Fortunately, there's one crackpot ant, Flik (Dave Foley), who doesn't go along with the lock-step society. He's no revolutionary idealogue, but Flik sees that there's definitely something wrong with this picture. Why are we working for the man? Why not keep the crop ourselves? In short, Flik's the sort of cutting-edge thinker who in the human world might win an election in the state of Minnesota.
Unfortunately, as in real life, change is not wholeheartedly embraced -- not by the worker-ant class and certainly not by the dominating grasshoppers. But that's where the fun is as the flaky Flik takes it upon his fluttery wings to take on the grasshoppers. In a nutty undertaking with all the crazy inspiration of a Preston Sturges-like battleground, Flik mistakenly enlists the assistance of a traveling theatrical troupe (out-of-work screwballs, mainly) to provide the military defense against the thundering hordes of grasshoppers.
What's best about this bug story is that it's so wiggy -- it's rambunctious, spirited, funny, kindly and goofy all at once. A whole vat of chocolate picnic goodies to the screenwriters (Andrew Stanton and Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw) for the lively, screwy retooling of, basically, the Aesop fable about a carefree grasshopper. And the story line will appeal to everyone from tots to those who were born way before "Snow White" even spun her animated magic.
What's truly magical, as it was in "Toy Story", is the stupendous computer-animated imagery. "Bug"'s look is simply eye-popping: From the translucent sheen to the framings to the kaleidoscopic grandeur of the mammoth crowd shots of ants, the visuals are a delicious treat. The animation is truly a work of wizardry, from the rectilinear compositions to the characters' incredibly lifelike physical movements. One suspects that a team of entomologists and anatomy professors guided the animators, so crisp and natural are the true-to-bug body movements. Director John Lasseter, along with co-director Stanton, have indeed marshalled a virtual army of talented artists -- from animators to musicians to vocalists -- and attained a creative height that is leaps and bounds above even the most persnickety techie expectations.
Credit director of photography Sharon Calahan for the wonderfully punchy framings and supervising film editor Lee Unkrich for the blazing pacing. There's nary an empty mini-frame or missed mini-moment in this entire magnificence. So packed is the look -- thanks to the creativity of production designer William Cone and art directors Bob Pauley and Tia Kratter -- that one definitely wants to savor the detail-juiced excellency another time.
It's not all in the look but in the sounds as well. The vocalists are a treat, especially Spacey as the belligerently threatening lead grasshopper. Foley's energetic and appealing vocals as the flibberty-jibbet Flik are wonderfully appealing, while Phyllis Diller's nasally hauteur is perfect for her role as the queen. Cheers also for the contributions of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Richard Kind and David Hyde Pierce for their perfect, peccadilloed performances.
The late Roddy McDowall makes a pleasing turn as a council ant, while Edie McClurg adds some screwy spice as another ants council-ite. A plate of ketchup drippings and dollops of mayonnaise to Joe Ranft who does a delicious turn as a comic caterpillar.
Not exactly hiding in the grass is the bouncy music courtesy of Randy Newman, whose "The Time of Your Life" nicely synthesizes the experience one enjoys in this "Bug's Life".
A BUG'S LIFE
Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures
A Pixar Animation Studios Film
Director: John Lasseter
Co-director: Andrew Stanton
Producers: Darla K. Anderson, Kevin Reher
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw
Original story: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft
Director of photography: Sharon Calahan
Production designer: William Cone
Story supervisor: Joe Ranft
Supervising film editor: Lee Unkrich
Supervising technical directors: William Reeves, Eben Ostby
Art directors: Tia W. Kratter, Bob Pauley
Supervising animators: Glenn McQueen, Rich Quade
Shading supervisor: Rick Sayre
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Production supervisor (technical): Graham Walters
Production supervisor (editorial): Bill Kinder
Story-art-layout: BZ Petroff
Executive music producer: Chris Montan
Casting: Ruth Lambert, Mary Hidalgo
Color/Stereo
Voices:
Flik: Dave Foley
Hopper: Kevin Spacey
Princess Atta: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Dot: Hayden Panettiere
Queen: Phyllis Diller
Molt: Richard Kind
Slim: David Hyde Pierce
Heimlich: Joe Ranft
Francis: Denis Leary
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
A dazzling, embracing computer-animated feature from Pixar, "A Bug's Life" should soar to holiday heights, much to the level that Pixar's "Toy Story" ascended three Thanksgivings ago. This splendid offering should be able to carry $200 million domestically on its back, no sweat, and with no end in sight for its worldly potential.
As you know in the ant world, life is no picnic. In this subterranean saga, the ants of Ants Island toil for the man -- namely Hopper (voice of Kevin Spacey), the intimidating leader of the grasshoppers, who, in this insect universe, are akin to the marauding colonialists. Each summer, the legions of ants toil earnestly and without complaint, planting and harvesting the crops and then turning the bounty over to the hated 'hoppers. Fortunately, there's one crackpot ant, Flik (Dave Foley), who doesn't go along with the lock-step society. He's no revolutionary idealogue, but Flik sees that there's definitely something wrong with this picture. Why are we working for the man? Why not keep the crop ourselves? In short, Flik's the sort of cutting-edge thinker who in the human world might win an election in the state of Minnesota.
Unfortunately, as in real life, change is not wholeheartedly embraced -- not by the worker-ant class and certainly not by the dominating grasshoppers. But that's where the fun is as the flaky Flik takes it upon his fluttery wings to take on the grasshoppers. In a nutty undertaking with all the crazy inspiration of a Preston Sturges-like battleground, Flik mistakenly enlists the assistance of a traveling theatrical troupe (out-of-work screwballs, mainly) to provide the military defense against the thundering hordes of grasshoppers.
What's best about this bug story is that it's so wiggy -- it's rambunctious, spirited, funny, kindly and goofy all at once. A whole vat of chocolate picnic goodies to the screenwriters (Andrew Stanton and Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw) for the lively, screwy retooling of, basically, the Aesop fable about a carefree grasshopper. And the story line will appeal to everyone from tots to those who were born way before "Snow White" even spun her animated magic.
What's truly magical, as it was in "Toy Story", is the stupendous computer-animated imagery. "Bug"'s look is simply eye-popping: From the translucent sheen to the framings to the kaleidoscopic grandeur of the mammoth crowd shots of ants, the visuals are a delicious treat. The animation is truly a work of wizardry, from the rectilinear compositions to the characters' incredibly lifelike physical movements. One suspects that a team of entomologists and anatomy professors guided the animators, so crisp and natural are the true-to-bug body movements. Director John Lasseter, along with co-director Stanton, have indeed marshalled a virtual army of talented artists -- from animators to musicians to vocalists -- and attained a creative height that is leaps and bounds above even the most persnickety techie expectations.
Credit director of photography Sharon Calahan for the wonderfully punchy framings and supervising film editor Lee Unkrich for the blazing pacing. There's nary an empty mini-frame or missed mini-moment in this entire magnificence. So packed is the look -- thanks to the creativity of production designer William Cone and art directors Bob Pauley and Tia Kratter -- that one definitely wants to savor the detail-juiced excellency another time.
It's not all in the look but in the sounds as well. The vocalists are a treat, especially Spacey as the belligerently threatening lead grasshopper. Foley's energetic and appealing vocals as the flibberty-jibbet Flik are wonderfully appealing, while Phyllis Diller's nasally hauteur is perfect for her role as the queen. Cheers also for the contributions of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Richard Kind and David Hyde Pierce for their perfect, peccadilloed performances.
The late Roddy McDowall makes a pleasing turn as a council ant, while Edie McClurg adds some screwy spice as another ants council-ite. A plate of ketchup drippings and dollops of mayonnaise to Joe Ranft who does a delicious turn as a comic caterpillar.
Not exactly hiding in the grass is the bouncy music courtesy of Randy Newman, whose "The Time of Your Life" nicely synthesizes the experience one enjoys in this "Bug's Life".
A BUG'S LIFE
Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures
A Pixar Animation Studios Film
Director: John Lasseter
Co-director: Andrew Stanton
Producers: Darla K. Anderson, Kevin Reher
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw
Original story: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft
Director of photography: Sharon Calahan
Production designer: William Cone
Story supervisor: Joe Ranft
Supervising film editor: Lee Unkrich
Supervising technical directors: William Reeves, Eben Ostby
Art directors: Tia W. Kratter, Bob Pauley
Supervising animators: Glenn McQueen, Rich Quade
Shading supervisor: Rick Sayre
Sound designer: Gary Rydstrom
Production supervisor (technical): Graham Walters
Production supervisor (editorial): Bill Kinder
Story-art-layout: BZ Petroff
Executive music producer: Chris Montan
Casting: Ruth Lambert, Mary Hidalgo
Color/Stereo
Voices:
Flik: Dave Foley
Hopper: Kevin Spacey
Princess Atta: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Dot: Hayden Panettiere
Queen: Phyllis Diller
Molt: Richard Kind
Slim: David Hyde Pierce
Heimlich: Joe Ranft
Francis: Denis Leary
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 11/13/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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