Madagascar

[ShyViolet]

I

think the "adult in every child" quote (which I just KEW you were gonna bring up!) is, sadly, little more than JK trying to sound as if DWs is the smart and sophisticated version of Disney.

This might be true but I think if you look at his past, the fact that he puts all this very adult-orientated material into these kiddie films--even though he knows kids are going to watch it--becomes more significant.
Yeah I brought the quote up but this time because I DO agree that the material is out of place and that something is amiss, much as I love DW. I don't think he purposely is out to taint kids' minds, but the fact that certain subject matter comes up again and again in DW, even though they are purportedly a "family" studio, is important to point out.

I mean if you think about it he could play it a lot "safer" by limiting this material and sticking to family guidelines like he did at Disney and beating them at their own game. At Disney he was much less of a risk-taker, by and large, when it came to stuff like this. I think it's less about being a salesman and more about unresolved issues he has. But that's just my opinion.

Also, if you ever watched The Critic episode where Jay goes to Hollywood after he sells his script, the movie mogul Gary Grossman is definetely modeled on JK. (Billy Crystal did the voice.) He's even more like K than Hades was, especially in appearance.

These are just my observations, though. I still think K is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Macaluso]

Yeah okay. That movie was all kinds of awesome.

[Meg]

I think Animan was talking about the CG specific films, Violet.

POE is as good as anything Disney did in the late 1990s (and I always refer to it as "Disney does Moses", since most of the staff followed JK out the Mouse House door to make it), and even Spirit had something unique about it.

But when you start looking at their CG stuff, it's not that textured.

Ben, you hit the nail on the head! I was actually writing a post very similar the other day, but let's just say I tried to hit the nail on the head and got my thumb...

Dreamworks' CG films are so different than their traditional movies that it's like watching stuff from two different companies for me. And yeah, I don't like the adult humor they use, either.

[Ben]

So... you've seen it then?

[Macaluso]

yes! Last night.

[Ben]

I

At Disney he was much less of a risk-taker, by and large, when it came to stuff like this

Thin you'll find that he had to watch out for "the Disney name" and what that stood for. Remember that at the beginning, JK and ME were very much in the hands of the artists, trying to get back on their feet.

Also, much as you don't like this, Roy WAS around more in those early years, keeping an eye on what was "Disney" and what wasn't. When stuff DID get a bit close to the bone, it was released under Touchstone, as Roger Rabbit and Nightmare Before Christmas (both Disney pictures in production) confirm.

Now he's at DreamWorks, and especially where he's the boss, he doesn't have to answer to anyone, so can get away with a bit (a lot?) more.

[Christian]

I get the impression he liked it.

[SPACEHERO55]

All good points. And I agree on the fact that DW's Traditional Animated Films are much better than their CG stuff. I really liked POE and Sinbad, Spirit was ok, but I was not to happy with El Dorado. I felt that the female love interest was animated and potrayed a little too........ erotic and adult for a kids movie.


Dreamworks CG films are all about Flash and glitter. Crude humor just for the sake of it. Unecessary, Out of place jokes and gags and these out of place jokes and gags actually cause bad pacing and story structure. It's like "Oh this is funny, lets put it in the movie." "But It throws off the structure of the story" "Who cares it's funny people will laugh thats all that matters" These jokes just seem so forced and not very well thought out and it makes me think that Dreamworks has the worst story people in animation.


Dreamworks is all about selling and using cheap underhanded methods to sell their movies to annoying 15 year olds. It's all about selling soundtracks by wrecking their animated films by filling with bad pop and rap music, bad contemperary obnoxious pop songs. I cant count the times that I have seen a Dreaworks CG film and watch a scene that would have been soo much better if it had had a orchestral music cue rather than a bad pop song.


Celebrity Voices. It's all about the celebrity voices for them. They drill you with it, they punch you repeadedly with it. "See this movie cause it has these hot popular stars in it. I hate how in all the trailers for their films they feel the need give you a roster of what actors are doing the voices and what popular pop star is doing songs for the fil. "Justin Timberlake, Christian Augiellera and Missy Elliot" It's just soooo annoying.


Ronald C

[Meg]

I get the impression he liked it.

No,I'm sure he hated it.

[ShyViolet]

Also, much as you don't like this, Roy WAS around more in those early years, keeping an eye on what was "Disney" and what wasn't.

Yeah, I knew about this. Well, I guess that's why all those animators are so loyal to him. I also know that he didn't like all that stuff with Simba and Nala frolicking as adults in the Lion King, didn't like the increased concentration on character motivation rather than plot exposition, didn't like the fact that JK edited parts of the Black Cauldron out (Even though he was supposedly "horrified" by the film when he first watched it. What a load of BS!)

[Dacey]

I saw it and I thought that it was pretty good. You might be surprised by how easily your eyes adapt to the squash-and-stretch animation style (which some have been booing after watching the ads). I always liked this style, but thought it might be a little distracting when actually watching the movie. It (for the most part) didn't.

When it came to the storyline, it started with a roar. Then, somewhere in the middle, it seemed to drag a little (the scenes where Marty and Alex were fighting on the beach). But then it picked itself back up near the end, so I can't complain.

I won't deny it; I wanted more of those penguins! But thank God that someone decided to put those lemurs into the story. I *loved* those little guys, especially their king (what was his name again?). He was probably the best when it came to the free-for-all animation style, and easily the most fun to watch. He was the funniest character.

As for the main characters, I wish that they could've found more for Melmen and Gloria to do, other than just sit in the background while Marty and Alex drive the story. I really liked Marty, but Alex seemed slightly bland (but still had his moments).

All in all, it was a pretty good film. Though I'm probably alone on this, I found "Shark Tale" a lot smarted (and funnier) than this. Ditto to the "Shrek" films. But this was still a lot of fun, and I think that children should especially enjoy it. I'd give it three stars out of four.

And, yes, I certainly dug the whole "I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT!" sequence. That was one of my favorite parts.

[Dacey]

http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

I must confess, this is certainly surprising. I thought that "Star Wars" would be on top for the third week in a row.

But speaking as someone whose college education may be boosted by DreamWorks shares, I can't complain.

[James]

Great minds think alike! I posted this to the main site 3 minutes after you posted it here! We must have been reading Box Office Mojo at the same time!

[Macaluso]

woo!

[James]

Even more surprising is that SW III got knocked down to #3, after Madagascar and the Longest Yard!