Nickelodeon has announced that they will be launching a standalone subscription service next month targeted at mobile users. Pricing is unknown at this time.
About time.
The only thing that surprises me about this is that Cartoon Network didn't beat Nick to it - after the spat between Turner and DISH, I've been expecting them to help pioneer this more than they have been. With internet access having long since been considered a necessary utility for daily life, television is starting to go the way of the standalone radio as online streaming and digital downloads take over the market. (This blogger doesn't even own a television anymore.) Whether companies like DISH and Comcast will be blindsighted or are quietly planning the next generation of television remains to be seen.
Via Animation Magazine
Friday, January 30, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Analysis: Let's Talk About Baymax's Character Writing
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| Fanart by ZMAnonymous |
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Oscars Shortlist Predictions
The shortlists for Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short in the 2015 Academy Awards are here, and it's looking like they'll be enough contenders for a full 5 nominations in the Best Animated Film category. Sweeeeet.
I'll be honest: I'm always embarrassingly behind when it comes to the Animated Shorts category, but I was astounded by Feast, the Disney short which played before Big Hero 6 earlier this year. If it doesn't take the Oscar, whatever does had better be astounding.
What I have kept up with fairly well this year is feature films. And the (predicted) nominees are...
The LEGO Movie - This is my top pick for nominee and winner. The LEGO Movie surprised critics and audiences alike by not being a horrible product placement film. It was funny, charming, and had an overall feel that felt like a semi-parody of Toy Story in ways. My one concern is, a great film or not, the Academy has always been biased against licenced works and sequels. If the Academy decides they see The LEGO Movie as more of a 1.5 hour commercial than a film, my next pick to win would be...
Big Hero 6 - Disney's Big Hero 6 was a wonderful film and - while it is technically based on a pre-existing property - the connection is so small I can't see the Academy docking it points for it. Baymax is easily the most lovable character of the year, and everyone is still swooning over Disney after Frozen last year. BH6 may give TLM a run for its money.
The Boxtrolls - Speaking of love affairs with studios, the film community's adorable of Laika is honestly the only reason I'm putting The Boxtrolls down as a probable nominee. Reviews for the film were lukewarm at best, but Laika is nothing if not unique and the more traditional claymation in a sea of CGI will likely make the Academy want to give this film a nod.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 - This is probably the biggest risk prediction on the list, because it's a sequel, but HTTYD had a magnificent screenplay and was notable for being one of the most "adult" entries on the list. Since no other original films were extremely notable, I think the Academy will give Hiccup and Toothless another go.
Some Foreign Film (or The Book of Life) - The last slot in a 5-nominee year is almost always taken by some foreign animated film that hasn't even premiered in the states for anyone who isn't in the Academy yet, making it hard for a lowly nerd like me to predict anything specific. There is, however, also a chance the 5th spot could go to The Book of Life this year. While not technically a foreign film, it shows a unique culture. Not to mention, it was visually gorgeous.
I'll be honest: I'm always embarrassingly behind when it comes to the Animated Shorts category, but I was astounded by Feast, the Disney short which played before Big Hero 6 earlier this year. If it doesn't take the Oscar, whatever does had better be astounding.
What I have kept up with fairly well this year is feature films. And the (predicted) nominees are...
The LEGO Movie - This is my top pick for nominee and winner. The LEGO Movie surprised critics and audiences alike by not being a horrible product placement film. It was funny, charming, and had an overall feel that felt like a semi-parody of Toy Story in ways. My one concern is, a great film or not, the Academy has always been biased against licenced works and sequels. If the Academy decides they see The LEGO Movie as more of a 1.5 hour commercial than a film, my next pick to win would be...
Big Hero 6 - Disney's Big Hero 6 was a wonderful film and - while it is technically based on a pre-existing property - the connection is so small I can't see the Academy docking it points for it. Baymax is easily the most lovable character of the year, and everyone is still swooning over Disney after Frozen last year. BH6 may give TLM a run for its money.
The Boxtrolls - Speaking of love affairs with studios, the film community's adorable of Laika is honestly the only reason I'm putting The Boxtrolls down as a probable nominee. Reviews for the film were lukewarm at best, but Laika is nothing if not unique and the more traditional claymation in a sea of CGI will likely make the Academy want to give this film a nod.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 - This is probably the biggest risk prediction on the list, because it's a sequel, but HTTYD had a magnificent screenplay and was notable for being one of the most "adult" entries on the list. Since no other original films were extremely notable, I think the Academy will give Hiccup and Toothless another go.
Some Foreign Film (or The Book of Life) - The last slot in a 5-nominee year is almost always taken by some foreign animated film that hasn't even premiered in the states for anyone who isn't in the Academy yet, making it hard for a lowly nerd like me to predict anything specific. There is, however, also a chance the 5th spot could go to The Book of Life this year. While not technically a foreign film, it shows a unique culture. Not to mention, it was visually gorgeous.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Anime Review: Black Bullet Has a Debilitating Lolita Complex
Anime Review
Black Bullet
In the not-so-distant future, a race of giant, zombie-like parasites invades mankind and wipes out most of humanity. Thankfully, the remaining humans find that the parasites dislike a specific metal called Varanium, and use it to both surrounded their town and make weapons... like the Black Bullet.
Black Bullet kind of feels like if Attack on Titan met Alien. Or, it might if it would back off a rather disturbing lolita complex. Rentaro, who suffers through the terrors of the first parasitic attack and becomes part of a resistance movement, fights parasites with his partner Anju. Anju is part of a race of creatures that contain the DNA of the parasites but are somehow immune to turning into giant slimy bug monsters, and suffer from some heavy racism by regular humans.
A few episodes in, it was clear that Anju is the real star of the show. She's got the most backstory and an interesting blend of still being a child and having grown up too quickly. Oh, and she has a crush on her partner, who is either 6 or 13 years older than her depending on what part of the script you ask.
The dynamic between Anju and Rentaro has the chance to be really adorable. Rentaro has a sort of a fatherly complex towards Anju and is frustrated by the hardship the young girl faces. Anju, having presumably never treated nicely by anyone before Rentaro, has a childish crush on him.
Except... it's not so childish. And that's Black Bullet's biggest problem. In the very first episode, Anju makes two attempts to get Rentaro to sleep with her.
Yeaaaah.... that's not creepy at all.
It's rare for me to write off an entire show because of one aspect I dislike, but Black Bullet's treatment of its prepubescent secondary protagonist is too messed up for this critic. This is a shame, because the show has a lot of positive qualities like an interesting world and great pacing. It's one thing to have a character look young. It'd be another thing if Anju's mature behavior was frowned upon and shown as a sad sign of how quickly the cursed children had to grow up. It's another to feature a 10-year old girl in a show's promotional magazine spreads posed suggestively.
Just... ew.
D
Black Bullet is available to watch for free on Crunchyroll.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
"Inside Out" Releases Designs and That's About It
Disney-Pixar's official Youtube released short videos of each of Inside Out's 5 main characters being their emotional selves, but it's done nothing to make me excited for this film.
Inside Out could be a great film, but Pixar's marketing strategy for the movie about the personification of emotions has been fundamentally flawed on several levels.
First, the teaser for the film spent very little time on the actual film and most of the time playing the "It's Pixar so it will be great!" card. This might have worked before controversial films like Cars 2 (which I personally liked as a silly "popcorn film") and Brave (which felt lackluster and overly hyped by the feminist film community), but now it feels like a plea for trust that Pixar hasn't earned the rights to lately. Overall, Pixar has one of the finest track records in the industry, but in more recent years Dreamworks and Disney Animation have been stepping up their game tremendously. Saying "It's Pixar!" has begun to feel outdated and desperate.
The other problem is that the characters just aren't enough to be a lovable marketing force in and of themselves. Films like WALL-E and the more recent Big Hero 6 were able to use a character as a main selling point because they were both likable and unique from anything we'd seen before. If you're been around animation for a while, you've seen personifications of emotions/the mind before in shows like The Fairly Odd Parents and Spongebob Squarepants.
Inside Out may be a great film, and I have high hopes for it with Pete Doctor at the helm, but Pixar hasn't shown us anything so far besides a plot that's been done before, one-dimensional characters, and "It's PIXAR" to go off of. Pixar's marketing strategy is to hold themselves up as the saving grace of the animated world when they just aren't anymore. Sooner or later, they'll have to realize they need to return to their roots by selling each film as its own work.
Story may be king at Pixar Animation Studios, but someone needs to make sure marketing gets the memo.
Inside Out could be a great film, but Pixar's marketing strategy for the movie about the personification of emotions has been fundamentally flawed on several levels.
First, the teaser for the film spent very little time on the actual film and most of the time playing the "It's Pixar so it will be great!" card. This might have worked before controversial films like Cars 2 (which I personally liked as a silly "popcorn film") and Brave (which felt lackluster and overly hyped by the feminist film community), but now it feels like a plea for trust that Pixar hasn't earned the rights to lately. Overall, Pixar has one of the finest track records in the industry, but in more recent years Dreamworks and Disney Animation have been stepping up their game tremendously. Saying "It's Pixar!" has begun to feel outdated and desperate.
The other problem is that the characters just aren't enough to be a lovable marketing force in and of themselves. Films like WALL-E and the more recent Big Hero 6 were able to use a character as a main selling point because they were both likable and unique from anything we'd seen before. If you're been around animation for a while, you've seen personifications of emotions/the mind before in shows like The Fairly Odd Parents and Spongebob Squarepants.
Inside Out may be a great film, and I have high hopes for it with Pete Doctor at the helm, but Pixar hasn't shown us anything so far besides a plot that's been done before, one-dimensional characters, and "It's PIXAR" to go off of. Pixar's marketing strategy is to hold themselves up as the saving grace of the animated world when they just aren't anymore. Sooner or later, they'll have to realize they need to return to their roots by selling each film as its own work.
Story may be king at Pixar Animation Studios, but someone needs to make sure marketing gets the memo.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
"Peanuts" Trailer Looks Gorgeous
Few phrases can make a traditional animation fan more nervous than "CGI remake", but the trailer for Blue Sky's Peanuts film looks like the perfect homage to the classic cartoon strip.
The trailer showcases a style much like 2.5D platforms video games. We mostly see Snoopy and Woodstock walking along a flat plane, modeled similarly to the original drawings. The limited animation and perspective is charming, and the moments where the overall feel is broken benefit the story rather than feeling lazy.
Blue Sky is clearly out to honor Peanuts with the work they've shown so far. If the final product remains this charming throughout, we've got ourselves a real treat coming in 2015.
The trailer showcases a style much like 2.5D platforms video games. We mostly see Snoopy and Woodstock walking along a flat plane, modeled similarly to the original drawings. The limited animation and perspective is charming, and the moments where the overall feel is broken benefit the story rather than feeling lazy.
Blue Sky is clearly out to honor Peanuts with the work they've shown so far. If the final product remains this charming throughout, we've got ourselves a real treat coming in 2015.
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