I hope, though, that animation, both 2D and 3D, will someday soon go beyond the family audience limitations. One of the exceptions was the Heavy Metal movie from 1981, that was fun. Although that one mainly went for the sex and violence, not so much the subtlety of story/character/themes which distinguish films for adults.
According to Gizmodo's review, it seems Wall-E may actually be a couple steps in this direction:
"Immediately, we realize this isn't your typical kiddie cartoon. No pop culture jokes? No instantly-recognizable celebrity voices? A decimated, humanless landscape full of towers of garbage and decrepit buildings? A lonely robot trying to learn about love and humanity through centuries of its trash? This looks more like a beautiful, haunting sci-fi movie than a children's movie, because that's exactly what it is."
Here's a LEGO Wall-E made by Pixar animator Angus MacLane.
(I'm not a LEGO geek, but I play one on TV. I mean, some of my friends are.)
One thing I've noticed with the reviews for this movie so far is that if the reviewer is female, they didn't like it that much - although they praise the animation, they see it as a "boy's movie."
ReplyDeleteReally? I'd have thought the romance would have addressed that.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly I haven't read every review. I too would have thought the romance would have addressed that, but who knows? Maybe I'm being unfair to female critics out there and most actually dug it.
ReplyDeleteAre you just talking about Western animation, or American? We've been discussing European and Japanese animation as being oft for a more grown up audience. Not all of it is mecha or hentai.
ReplyDeleteWhere would you place films like Watership Down, Plague Dogs, When the Wind Blows? They all address an adult audience, not all robot warriors blow up city, or princess beats witch and marries prince. They are not the teen shockers like Heavy Metal, or the sex films like Karma Sutra Rides Again, but films with intelligent stories.
I'd like to see the breakdown in the barriers between live action and animation, and I am already finding it, just not here in the US.
It does happen, but by and large anything animated is aimed at family audiences.
ReplyDelete(I guess I am a bit hollywood-centric in my thinking, admittedly.)
I know Beowulf hardly inpressed you, but what about Renaissance? I've been fortunate enough to see it, and I tell you, it's an instant cult classic.
ReplyDeleteAs for "animation beyond the family audience limitations", just feast your wide innocent juvenile eyes on THIS beauty of a list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_animation.
Now I rest from carrying my suitcase.
Thanks, I'll have a look at both.
ReplyDeleteOf course the fact that somebody needed to make up a list of "adult animation" supports my point. :)
Thanks, that list has many things I want to check out.
ReplyDeleteI'm still hoping for something with the production values of Pixar or Disney, rather than "12 oz. Mouse", but OK. :)
Sample of 12 oz. Mouse:
ReplyDeletehttp://youtube.com/watch?v=WqH4Bpe7Mjk
"the fact that somebody needed to make up a list of "adult animation" supports my point."
ReplyDeleteWell, it's an encyclopedia, they have lists for far more relevant-feeling stuff!
I'll bet they even have a list for "Nekkid websites with zero porn factor". ;-)
If you can find Les Shadoks with english voices/subtitles, go for it head-on. It seems as simplistic as 12 oz. Mouse, but it's a timeless classic of your kind of humour. I know the complete series in original french is now available as a complete set DVD box. Might have "european captions" included.