Towelling for grass, cotton balls for smoke and cling film for water – Wes Anderson has reverted to traditional forms of animation in his new film Fantastic Mr Fox.
I’ve spoken a lot about the future of 3D animation on this blog, but I’d like to highlight a great piece of stop-motion animation in Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox – starring George Clooney, Bill Murray and Meryl Streep.
In a recent interview, director Anderson discusses the effort he went to, relying on old techniques, and it really pays off. The animation was created here in London, where he steered clear of digital animation and used material to create effects – like towelling for grass, cotton balls for smoke and cling film for water where possible. I must say, while I’m one of the first to sing the praises of developments in film creation like advances in 3D cinema – it’s great to see a picture going back to basics and producing fantastic results.
The movie does look adorable and I agree with the opinion expressed on thepeoplesmovies’s blog that it was a bold move for a director to create animation in classic stop-motion style in the days of computer generated effects – however, it’s bound to be a hit. On top of the great production, the film boasts an impressive voice cast that is sure to be a pull with the audience.
There are very few other companies who are embracing stop-motion animation. Aardman is another company which is still producing that quirky old-school feel when generating animations.
If you haven’t seen it yet check out the Fantastic Mr Fox trailer on our YouTube channel. What do you think? Is there still a place for old-school animation in today’s film industry?
As I’m sure many of you are aware, last Friday saw the Avatar trailer hit cinemas around the world before its official release in December this year. James Cameron’s epic has caused much hype within the film industry lately, with many claiming the sci-fi movie has the potential to change the face of 3D cinema forever.
However split reactions are already emerging following the 15 minute preview. Film reviewer, Kevin Maher, thought the trailer only managed to reveal how 3D is the ideal format for demonstrating the laws of diminishing returns. According to Maher, there was nothing in the footage to suggest that “3D is anything other than a trick to squeeze more out of the giddy, yet increasingly wearisome thrills, of point-of-view movie chases.” Whereas, Paul Carter, head of cameras at Axis, believes that with more money now in the system we should see 3D cinema move forward on the back of Avatar’s release.
As far as I’m concerned the future success of 3D cinema is by no means certain, but with advances in 3D tools such as Maya, Nuke and ZBrush, there is real potential to dramatically enhance the quality of the viewing experience. However, I can understand why the scepticism exists. In the past, 3D blockbusters have gained a bad reputation with the visual effects adding little to the poor scripts and storylines. Like any major box office smash, it’s only when great directors, producers and storylines align that I think we’re going to see an era defining motion picture. Avatar definitely has the potential to be groundbreaking, and I’m looking forward to its release later this year, but its success will all come down to how good the story is – no amount of technology is going to improve a movie which lacks that basic principal.
If you’d like any information on how to get into the 3D film industry, check out our classroom courses and online 3D courses we currently have available:
Nuke for 3D artists
Visualisation with 3ds Max
ZBrush Foundation
Maya Core Training
