BSA206, Animation 1980-1985, 13 September, 2016

Canada
Gerald Potterton
Heavy Metal 1981
animation divided between studios and directors, lots of rotoscoping
psychedelic, sci-fi fantasies about sex, violence, and rock 'n' roll

Nelvana Studio
Rock & Rule (1983)
similar to Heavy Metal
post-apocalyptic world where mutant animals take over

France
Paul Grimault
formed company with Andre Sarrut and created many short animations
1948 The Shepherdes and the Chimneysweep started but falling out led to halt in production, Grimault won rights in 1967 and finished in 1980 (32 years after start) and renamed it The King and the Mockingbird

UK
Dianne Jackson
The snowman (1982)
nominated 83 for best animated short for Oscars
one of more successful British animators later to be superseded by Aardman Animations

David Bowie????  What?!!?

Cosgrove Hall Productions
The Wind in the Willows (1983)
worldwide success of stop-motion film led to a 52 episode TV series and second film a Tale of Two Toads (1989)

UK/USA
John Halas
Dilemma (1981)
claims to be first fully digitized CG film (following limits of previous experiement in Autobahn (1979))

Canada/Germany
Frederic Back
German by birth, films examine Canadian culture
Crac! (1981) a story of the life of a rocking chair
early example of pastel shaded look that was popular in the 80s

Canada
The Big Snit
Richard Condie

UK
Gerald Scarfe
15 minutes of animation for Pink Floyds film The Wall 1982
mental breakdown of a rock star Pink (based on band's experiences)

UK/Canada

Steve Baron
Money for Nothing 1985 Dire Straits
 landmark in CGI, some rotoscoping around live action

lots of rotoscoping

Take on Me by a-ha

Today's blog entry:
In your own opinion, what remake or reboot of a film is WORSE than the original?
Stanley Donen's Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant was incredible.  Jonathan Demme's The Truth About Charlie with Thandie Newton and Mark Wahlberg is AWFUL.  Full disclosure:  I was excited about it then I saw this:

 Mark Wahlberg in a BERET.  no.

 Not a substitute for Cary Grant in an overcoat.  So I haven't seen it.  You can't remake excellent films.  Why not take a bad movie with a good concept and remake that instead?  Do it until you get it right?
In your own opinion, what remake or reboot of a film is better than the original?
Parts: The Clonus Horror
Great idea (clones discover that they're being kept alive as parts for their real world counterparts), terrible execution.  I know it from Mystery Science Theatre 3000.  So unintentionally hilarious.

The remake, The Island, is much much better.  Is it a strict remake or just a lot of ideas from multiple sources mashed together?  A significantly bigger budget plus better actors makes a huge difference as does adding more action pieces.

Is there a film from your past that you would like to see a remake of?
Great movies shouldn't be remade, good ones can go either way, so why not remake bad movies and make them better?  So, don't do Casablanca or The Godfathers, do something from fiction that has has a strong story but hasn't had a good shot in live action.  Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was tolerably well done in the past but really took off when it was made into a 6 part? mini-series in the 90s with Colin Firth.  When they tried to make it again in the 00s with Keira Knightley as a movie it sucked.  I think I'd vote for remaking The Chronicles of Narnia.  The technology is there to make the world come alive, now they need a better script and child actors.  Maybe in another 20 years.