The Underrated animated movies of the '90's

Post by **Dacey** » May 9th, 2006, 5:44 pm

A lot of people are mentioning that one...

Post by **ShyViolet** » July 19th, 2006, 9:48 pm

That's like a car-crash of a movie - you want to drive away but you just can't stop looking...

Yeah, I saw parts of it (Cool World) again recently. In addition to being mostly nonsensical, it is also a bit...creepy. I do like it on a "freaks me out" level to some extent, and I'd like to see the longer cut. Also, it may seem doubtful but despite the inept directing and depressingly murky images, there are weird subtexts of repression, sexual impotence and anarchy/social politics in this trippy, wacked-out mess.

(BTW that's where my new sig is from!--Holli Would)

Post by **Ben** » July 20th, 2006, 8:25 am

But that line (as with the rest of Cool World) pales under comparison with Roger Rabbit's Jessica saying that "I'm not bad...I'm just drawn that way"...

Post by **eddievalient** » July 20th, 2006, 10:46 am

Cool World is an okay flick, but I only got it because Walmart was selling it for $5. I don't know that I would have paid full price for it. I think the film's story is okay, but the problem is in the pacing. A lot of parts seem to drag and if they had just tightened it up a bit it could have given Roger Rabbit a run for its money. I like Bakshi's other work that I've seen and I feel that Cool World is one big glob of lost potential. If you want to see what the guy can really do, track down his 1977 film Wizards. You won't be disappointed.

Post by **Ben** » July 20th, 2006, 1:53 pm

I find Bakshi frustrating as the guy oviously has a wild imagination but not the reigns to pull it in and make it any fun for anyone other than himself.

You thought parts of Cool World dragged? And that was WITH 40-odd minuted pulled out by Paramount!

As for Wizards, well, I was disappointed:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/317

For my money, Bakshi's best animated is Fire And Ice, which doesn't resort to too much rotoscoping. His early stuff, like Fritz, I don't find clever at all, though American Pop is interesting but mainly for being something so different.

His Lord Of The Rings remains a painful "what if?" compilation that only makes you wish he'd been able to plan the film properly and not work himself into a corner by coming up short in the production time he had agreed to.

I've not seen Coonskin and Heavy Traffic, but would like to someday to get a better understanding of his work, but overall, to me, he's like a failed Don Bluth, who took too many drugs to really be able to work within the movie industry and its crazy ways.

Post by **ShyViolet** » July 20th, 2006, 9:45 pm

And that was WITH 40-odd minuted pulled out by Paramount!

Was it due to content or just unnecessary length?

Post by **PixarVixen** » July 21st, 2006, 1:29 am

Ben wrote:But that line (as with the rest of Cool World) pales under comparison with Roger Rabbit's Jessica saying that "I'm not bad...I'm just drawn that way"...

I've always thought of Cool World as Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on crack and beyond. And yet, whenever it's on, I can't help but watch it.

I love the gambling bunny. XD

~~=oP

Post by **Ben** » July 21st, 2006, 7:22 am

As I said, it's like a car-crash of a movie - you want to drive away but you just can't stop looking...

I think Paramount just knew they were on to a stinker and a non-family film in the way Roger was and pulled the plug half way through production. More was filmed and boarded but it all git junked just to get it finished and out of the way.

Let's just say that the animation director played no part in the promotion of the film. After patching up the disjointed ending, it was very heavily marketed on the back of Kim Basinger's name.

Post by **ShyViolet** » July 21st, 2006, 4:30 pm

After patching up the disjointed ending, it was very heavily marketed on the back of Kim Basinger's name.

Funny, and no one even thought to mention Brad Pitt....

Post by **Ben** » July 21st, 2006, 4:34 pm

Well, they wouldn't have at the time.

He was an up and comer, with Cool World one of a few films that year that were intended to be his break-out roles. He was not the big star he is today.

Post by **ShyViolet** » July 21st, 2006, 4:46 pm

Oh yeah, I totally knew that he was an unknown in 1992....

I just meant, like, in an ironic sense. I should have specified.

I remember thinking at the time: "Oh, he's kinda cute," but later on when he became a BIG star, I didn't feel one way or the other.

Post by **Jake** » July 27th, 2006, 2:24 am

I still watch "Cats Don't Dance" from time to time. I remember thinking when I was younger how lame it was that I had to go to Subway for the toys. Subway always had the reject toys, and "Cats Don't Dance" deserved better lol. I love the movie though, and find it criminally underrated. Everyone should see and love it! "Tell Me Lies" is one of the best songs written for any movie, let alone an animated one, ever.

Other movies I loved as a kid: We're Back, A Troll in Central Park (that one hasn't been mentioned, maybe theres a reason for that?), The Pebble and the Penguin, Rover Dangerfield (REALLY loved!), The Brave Little Toaster, The Rescuers Down Under, Fern Gully (I just bought the new DVD), Anastasia, Titan A.E., and I'm sure there were others. I love 2D, there isn't a single CGI film that I think of as fondly as any of these films. (exceptfortoystory)

Post by **ShyViolet** » July 28th, 2006, 10:48 pm

Let's just say that the animation director played no part in the promotion of the film

Was Ralph Bakshi just the animation director or did he direct the live-action stuff too? Was it a Roger Rabbit situation, with Zemeckis doing the live-action and Williams doing the animation?

Post by **Ben** » July 29th, 2006, 2:59 pm

He directed both. Which explains a lot.

Post by **ShyViolet** » August 4th, 2006, 7:25 pm

Yeah, the Bug's Life reference was a set up.

Plus, I would be surprised if they're going for that kinda audience with Cars...it certainly seems like it'll be a much more "gentler" kind of film as opposed to the hyper Incredibles.

Nah, some parts of Cars are actually very hyper, fast-paced (the racing scenes especially).

True, it does have a gentle outlook, but the (visual) execution is very sharp and almost video-game paced, stuff is always happening on-screen and sometimes it's almost overwhelming.