Kino Lorber was planning a Blu-ray release of 1941's MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN, but has now cancelled it. It seems as if the master was a mess, and Kino doesn't see spending a lot of money for a brand-new remaster.
Kino Lorber was planning a Blu-ray release of 1941's MR. BIG GOES TO TOWN, but has now cancelled it. It seems as if the master was a mess, and Kino doesn't see spending a lot of money for a brand-new remaster.
This is disappointing. I knew there were set backs but I thought it had to do with disputes over copyright.
As far as I am aware, first time ever Astro Boy pilot episode uncut, in Japanese with English subtitles.
I also read two "lost" episodes of the original series were discovered in Japan. They've been cleaned up and shown on Japanese television for the first time in 50 years. Obviously we westerns have never seen these two episodes.
In 2015 and 2016, Bluth and Goldman crowdfunded US$731,172 for a 10-minute teaser for an animated feature-length Dragon's Lair prequel film, their first feature film since Titan A.E. Bluth and Goldman have announced that the film will provide more backstory for Dirk and Daphne and that Daphne will show that she is not a "blonde airhead"
My thoughts-
Ive been waiting over a decade to finally see this! As a huge fan of the game I had mixed feelings about a Dragonslayer movie. Don Buth's The Secret of NIMH remains one of my favorite movies of all times (if not my favorite) but Bluth isn't the animator he was early on. His projects became less and less impressive over time and far to juvenile. Could he bring back the magic of his earlier days?
I never saw the pitch demo because it was exclusive to people who donated to the cause which I did not at the time for whatever reason. But someone finally uploaded it to YouTube.
Anyway I got my answer and you just can't go back. The demo is pretty awful. Bluth is credited as doing (most or all?) of the animation and it just doesn't look good. It kinda looks like when Hanna-Barbera was trying to do Disney. The demo looks cartoonish. I really dislike how Bluth animates human characters as well, at least since Thumbelina. They come across like performers in a 40's musical. Kinda "gosh golly gee willikers". Bluth seems to make his male characters very feminine, meanwhile Daphne is now this tough little chick. Worst of both worlds.
I also dislike the use of computers in rendering 2D animated films. There's something mechanical and sterile about it. It looks like a mashup of styles, 2D and 3D that I just immensely dislike. Everyone is doing it this way including the Japanese. The line art has no personality and the enhanced computer graphics stick out like a sore thumb.
Furthermore the voice acting sounds cartoonish and juvenile. They just sound like Saturday morning cartoon characters instead of real breathing people. Compare the voice acting here to The Secret of NIMH.
Finally and this apparently upset a lot of contributors to the project, the demo's animation was only partly done! Much of the demo are story boards and animatics. I'd feel pretty ripped off if I paid for a 7 minute proof of concept and instead saw an unfinished project.
Apparently the demo was shopped around to various studios but no one wanted to back it.
I always wondered what happened with that pitch reel after the campaign, Solium. After seeing it, I can some of the issues you have with it, particularly the computer-rendered 2D look (never did like recent uses of that). One thing that struck me is that Daphne’s design in that pitch more or less rehashed Thumbelina’s character design (the original design is better, but I suppose it would never fly in this overly sensitive age). Overall, I felt it was decent, if underwhelming compared to the original game, and to a lesser extent, the sequel.
I always wondered what happened with that pitch reel after the campaign, Solium. After seeing it, I can some of the issues you have with it, particularly the computer-rendered 2D look (never did like recent uses of that). One thing that struck me is that Daphne’s design in that pitch more or less rehashed Thumbelina’s character design (the original design is better, but I suppose it would never fly in this overly sensitive age). Overall, I felt it was decent, if underwhelming compared to the original game, and to a lesser extent, the sequel.
Yeah, I'm just not a fan how "2D" animation is done nowadays. (Computer assisted) But any animation company are going to use the tools to cut costs.
I'm not surprised Daphne was somewhat redesigned. As you said her original form wouldn't fly with modern sensibilities. But I always think its a mistake to pander to the masses instead of making the film for the fans and the target audience.
BTW, here's an earlier storyboard from Dragons Lair the Movie before Bluth started crowdfunding
Quick thought as far as the voice acting in the Dragon’s Lair pitch reel (which is admittedly poor): Now this is just a guess on my part, but it’s possible that the voice acting heard in that reel may have been temporary and probably would have been re-recorded with better actors had Bluth gotten the necessary funding to go ahead with his vision.
Quick thought as far as the voice acting in the Dragon’s Lair pitch reel (which is admittedly poor): Now this is just a guess on my part, but it’s possible that the voice acting heard in that reel may have been temporary and probably would have been re-recorded with better actors had Bluth gotten the necessary funding to go ahead with his vision.
Oh, I'm sure of that. Depending on the budget the studio financing the film would've wanted some big name celebrities. That's been the MO for decades because they believe getting named actors to voice the cartoons brings in the audience. I'd rather have the right voice actor not a celebrity.
The original games were done on a shoestring budget. Don Bluth and his animators lended their own voices to the characters. Princess Daphn's voice in the games were done by animator Vera Lanpher then wife of effects animator Dorse A. Lanpher. Sadly both have passed away.
Bluth and his people did some very nice films, but his career was certainly lesser and hampered by leaving Disney long ago, but he needed to do what he wanted with his artistic style. And he thought they had moved away from an animation focus in the 70's, and they had. I think if had remained at Disney and been able to tolerate the system he would have likely made some pretty big films, and for a lot longer. If he had managed to stay till the revival in the 90's he would have been much happier more than likely, there was a lot of freedom and resources being put back into animation at that point. As it is his last big movie was Titan AE and it was a big flop, although I like it quite a bit.
Hey Ado I agree, he was an up and coming talent at Disney. Going from directing animator (Pete's Dragon) to director (The Small One). Unfortunately at that time the studio heads ignored his requests to make a better product. Bring back classical animation. He even tried to work on side projects to improve the animation staff without pay but Disney wouldn't let him use their equipment.
So he was forced to start moonlighting in his garage and over time 13 animators would go to his house after working at Disney to improve their skills. Even then when he almost finished his first short "Banjo the Woodpile Cat" he offered it to Disney and they turned it down.
He was forced into quitting because no matter how hard he tried to improve things at Disney they gave him the middle finger. Further more there was a split in the animation department. Some believed in Bluth's vision while others thought he was old fashioned and hated the direction he was trying to take the studio.
He quite on his birthday along with his two best friends. One day later 13 other animators quit Disney to join Don Bluth's new studio. Disney said, "You'll never work here again" and he didn't. He was quite hated by management and the animators that stayed at Disney.
But two things ironically happened. NIMH came out and while it bombed at the box offices for various reasons (E.T. becoming the family movie of the century the exact same summer) it got critical acclaim and it put what Disney was doing to shame. Their own Black Cauldron bombed as well. After the fact Spielberg saw NIMH and was so impressed he wanted to make his own animated film. Thus American Tail was born. It became the highest grossing animated release in film history. Again putting Disney to shame. So while Bluth failed to initially win the day with NIMH, AMT did what Bluth wanted all along, push Disney into putting more effort into their projects. Make better animated fiilms.
Bluth had a three picture deal with Spielberg but unhappy with their partnership broke off and went looking for other financing after Land Before Time. (A film that initially beat Oliver and Company at the box office by the way!) Oliver eventually beat out Land but only because Disney said they were going to keep Oliver at the box office until it made more money than Land.
Anyway, Bluth wanted creative freedom again. So he split with Spielberg. Unfortunately when you can't self finance your always going to be under the thumb of the people with the money. So just like with Spielberg he was always faced with smaller budgets and studio heads who dumbed down his films. Bluth's had many bankruptcies because most of his films failed at the box office if they even got finished. While he never went back to Disney many of his animators and even one of his partners did. (John Pomeroy)
Long story short, he had to leave Disney and challenge them to make them better. If he stayed, Disney likely wouldn't have had their resonance as they were just bean counters at the time and didn't care about the animated product they were producing.
That is a good overview and history Solium, I mean, I kinda feel sorry for him somewhat, so many bumps and bruises and failures and discouragements all along his career. But it is the way he wanted to go, it appears. I am sure he always wanted one really successful film, an unqualified success, but he never really got it. Artistically his best films like Land before Time and American Tale, Nimh and Anastasia endure, and over time I think some of the others like Titan AE will gain respect.
