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Thoughts at a Snowy Lunchtime
Dec. 5th, 2002 01:44 pmIt's snowing in New York. Given what winters have been like they past five years, a snowstorm of any kind, especially in December,is noteworthy. A harbinger of a snowy winter, or a breathe of winter that will exhaust itself too soon? Only time will tell.
For now, the city is under the white blanket and it gains a measure of beauty it rarely attains. The whispers of snowball fights, the scents of cups of hot chocolate and hot soup, they drift about even inside. And thoughts of how quickly NYC snow becomes a gray mass of slush are still hours away.
Thought: We are caught up on Buffy, and it's been a remarkable nine weeks. The show has back almost everything that diminished since "Graduation," especially pacing. Nothing feels dragged out, nothing feels like it's being rushed. We learn the nature of the Big Bad at just the right moment, and feel things shift gears naturally. That so many of us were right about the nature of the Big Bad is satisfying, but I'd rather have been wrong and still seen the quality so high, instead of being right and unhappy at the same time. Rumors abound about what's coming next, and I think that the second half of the season may perhaps offer answers at last into the nature of the Slayer and the power she wields. Oh, and Buffy still has her self-esteem back. Nine weeks without Mopey Buffy, and that alone has made this season that much better.
Thought: Anyone out there reading Peter A. David's "Captain Marvel" comic? Odds are you haven't even heard of it, or think it's about Billy Batson yelling SHAZAM! But this Marvel comic about a very powerful alien super-hero and heir to a father's heroic legacy is perhaps the best in the field today. PAD recently left much of his trademark humor behind in redefining the main character, sending the series towards a much darker yet totally entertaining place. As part of a strange PR stunt not worth rehashing, Marvel restarted Capt. Marvel at issue one, and has posted that issue at its website. Read it. Let me know if you like it as much as I did. If so, the new series is only up to issue 3, so you time to get on board.
Thought: Treasure Planet has tanked so badly that Disney has made massive negative adjustments to its profit picture. I haven't seen it yet, but I can say that if you have seen it and liked it, you'd better savor it. This is the end of the American animation industry's daliance with non-humorous, non-musical hand-drawn films. From here on out, it's music and comedy all the way, and odds are that even the CGI animators will not try adventure again anytime soon. Evne if we ignore the abysmal Disney marketing effort for this film, I will say what I have been saying too often: Americans do not want serious subjects in their cartoons, and the movie studios don't quite know what to do with it when it comes along. The Iron Giant tanked. Titan AE tanked. Prince of Egypt tanked. All that talent, all that effort, and because it's not funny, the effort is wasted.
Advice to animators who want to do something grand: move to Japan, or go to work for someone who uses animation as special effects. Because I think you have no hope of getting the chance to do your own Iron Giant.
For now, the city is under the white blanket and it gains a measure of beauty it rarely attains. The whispers of snowball fights, the scents of cups of hot chocolate and hot soup, they drift about even inside. And thoughts of how quickly NYC snow becomes a gray mass of slush are still hours away.
Thought: We are caught up on Buffy, and it's been a remarkable nine weeks. The show has back almost everything that diminished since "Graduation," especially pacing. Nothing feels dragged out, nothing feels like it's being rushed. We learn the nature of the Big Bad at just the right moment, and feel things shift gears naturally. That so many of us were right about the nature of the Big Bad is satisfying, but I'd rather have been wrong and still seen the quality so high, instead of being right and unhappy at the same time. Rumors abound about what's coming next, and I think that the second half of the season may perhaps offer answers at last into the nature of the Slayer and the power she wields. Oh, and Buffy still has her self-esteem back. Nine weeks without Mopey Buffy, and that alone has made this season that much better.
Thought: Anyone out there reading Peter A. David's "Captain Marvel" comic? Odds are you haven't even heard of it, or think it's about Billy Batson yelling SHAZAM! But this Marvel comic about a very powerful alien super-hero and heir to a father's heroic legacy is perhaps the best in the field today. PAD recently left much of his trademark humor behind in redefining the main character, sending the series towards a much darker yet totally entertaining place. As part of a strange PR stunt not worth rehashing, Marvel restarted Capt. Marvel at issue one, and has posted that issue at its website. Read it. Let me know if you like it as much as I did. If so, the new series is only up to issue 3, so you time to get on board.
Thought: Treasure Planet has tanked so badly that Disney has made massive negative adjustments to its profit picture. I haven't seen it yet, but I can say that if you have seen it and liked it, you'd better savor it. This is the end of the American animation industry's daliance with non-humorous, non-musical hand-drawn films. From here on out, it's music and comedy all the way, and odds are that even the CGI animators will not try adventure again anytime soon. Evne if we ignore the abysmal Disney marketing effort for this film, I will say what I have been saying too often: Americans do not want serious subjects in their cartoons, and the movie studios don't quite know what to do with it when it comes along. The Iron Giant tanked. Titan AE tanked. Prince of Egypt tanked. All that talent, all that effort, and because it's not funny, the effort is wasted.
Advice to animators who want to do something grand: move to Japan, or go to work for someone who uses animation as special effects. Because I think you have no hope of getting the chance to do your own Iron Giant.
