Wish I had the clout to get animation cels like Kevin Conroy did!
("In lieu of payment for my time, please gimme some cels from my show!")
Great article!
DC Universe Animated Original Movies
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Just finished watching it. Great voice acting, as usual. Been loving Christopher Drake's music scores. Interesting which elements from the comic they took out (the Superman and Batman families getting involved, Metallo teasing his involvement in Thomas and Martha Wayne's death, etc.) and rewrote.
The attempt to mix Bruce Timm's style of animating and Ed McGuinness' style of illustrating appeared a little off to me. I liked Ed's drawings in the original comic, as it had that great mixture of cartoony, yet intensely dynamic look through-out. Bruce's designs by themselves are so iconic that it really didn't need to mix with Ed's.
The attempt to mix Bruce Timm's style of animating and Ed McGuinness' style of illustrating appeared a little off to me. I liked Ed's drawings in the original comic, as it had that great mixture of cartoony, yet intensely dynamic look through-out. Bruce's designs by themselves are so iconic that it really didn't need to mix with Ed's.
Tomorrow is a great day for home video!
It's the first time in a LONG time this year that a lot of great titles are getting released the same day!
First up, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies -- the latest in DC's direct-to-video films finds Superman and Batman branded outlaws by the President of the United States, Lex Luthor! The story may seem silly but features a galaxy of guest-stars with more than a few making their first animated appearance here.
Monsters Vs. Aliens -- one of the first hits of the year debuts on home video. No word if the short included on the double-disc DVD release is on the Blu ray.
The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth also make their Blu ray debuts tomorrow. Presumably these will have all the extras of the last DVD incarnations.
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club makes its DVD debut tomorrow. This is a documentary based on the life and times of the infamous aviatrix who ran a bar on the outskirts of Muroc Army Air Field (Edwards Air Force Base) during the Golden Age of experimental in the US. She was friend to Chuck Yeager, Buzz Aldrin, and many other notable test pilots and astronauts.
And, last but not least...
The Wizard of Oz makes its Blu ray debut!
Most stores will be selling Oz in its deluxe boxset edition.
I had a chance to look at a pre-release open gift box and frankly wasn't impressed by it all that much.
Good news is that you don't have to wait to buy the disc-only version of the release. Target has an exclusive where they will be selling the Wizard of Oz on BD sans the (IMHO unneeded) gift box! It will be several months before other places get the disc-only release. I
In addition to the disc-only edition of Oz, Goonies and Gremlins are exclusive to Target starting tomorrow on Blu ray, too.
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Update to The Wolfman: Legacy Edition -- this has been cancelled for the time being. It had been scheduled for release on September 15th but never shipped... Conjecture by The Digital Bits is that Universal is rescheduling this special edition for release alongside the remake of the movie. The Benicio Del Toro film hits theaters February (?) next year.
First up, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies -- the latest in DC's direct-to-video films finds Superman and Batman branded outlaws by the President of the United States, Lex Luthor! The story may seem silly but features a galaxy of guest-stars with more than a few making their first animated appearance here.
Monsters Vs. Aliens -- one of the first hits of the year debuts on home video. No word if the short included on the double-disc DVD release is on the Blu ray.
The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth also make their Blu ray debuts tomorrow. Presumably these will have all the extras of the last DVD incarnations.
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club makes its DVD debut tomorrow. This is a documentary based on the life and times of the infamous aviatrix who ran a bar on the outskirts of Muroc Army Air Field (Edwards Air Force Base) during the Golden Age of experimental in the US. She was friend to Chuck Yeager, Buzz Aldrin, and many other notable test pilots and astronauts.
And, last but not least...
The Wizard of Oz makes its Blu ray debut!
Most stores will be selling Oz in its deluxe boxset edition.
I had a chance to look at a pre-release open gift box and frankly wasn't impressed by it all that much.
Good news is that you don't have to wait to buy the disc-only version of the release. Target has an exclusive where they will be selling the Wizard of Oz on BD sans the (IMHO unneeded) gift box! It will be several months before other places get the disc-only release. I
In addition to the disc-only edition of Oz, Goonies and Gremlins are exclusive to Target starting tomorrow on Blu ray, too.
**************
Update to The Wolfman: Legacy Edition -- this has been cancelled for the time being. It had been scheduled for release on September 15th but never shipped... Conjecture by The Digital Bits is that Universal is rescheduling this special edition for release alongside the remake of the movie. The Benicio Del Toro film hits theaters February (?) next year.
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- AV Founder
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MvA does include the new short. I'll have to chase up our copy with DWA!
Oz...a big part of buying Oz and Gone With The Wind's big boxes is what's putting me off Snow White. I just wanna know what's in the big SW box that's really worth it, but in the meantime I've gone for both of these.
Crystal and Labyrinth are on the wish list for a future date!
Oz...a big part of buying Oz and Gone With The Wind's big boxes is what's putting me off Snow White. I just wanna know what's in the big SW box that's really worth it, but in the meantime I've gone for both of these.
Crystal and Labyrinth are on the wish list for a future date!
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- AV Founder
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Best release week in a long while. I've got Oz coming (for me, the box is worth it; at least it's not all that badly priced compared to certain other box sets), and definitely will be getting MvA and the Henson films soon as well. Hopefully, I'll be reviewing Public Enemies for the site.
Actually, The Dark Crystal is one of my most-wanted Blu-rays!
Actually, The Dark Crystal is one of my most-wanted Blu-rays!
I was very glad to be able to see the contents of the Wizard of Oz box before street-date.
It would have been one of the bigger buying regrets I've had in a LONG while!
Very glad to see Target is carrying the disc-only BD version. Even if I'm opposed to the idea of exclusivity in principle...
Probably will still get the "book" version of Snow White since it's not that much more than the disc-only option. At least Disney is still giving you options... I'm not happy with Warner's "you will accept this deluxe set or wait forever for the regular edition" release policy. That put me off getting Casablanca last year on BD -- and Casablanca is one of my favorite movies!
It will be a very tough day deciding which 2 or 3 discs I'll get!
The rest of what I want will have to wait another day or for a Christmas wish list.
Best week for mainstream releases in a very long time!
It would have been one of the bigger buying regrets I've had in a LONG while!
Very glad to see Target is carrying the disc-only BD version. Even if I'm opposed to the idea of exclusivity in principle...
Probably will still get the "book" version of Snow White since it's not that much more than the disc-only option. At least Disney is still giving you options... I'm not happy with Warner's "you will accept this deluxe set or wait forever for the regular edition" release policy. That put me off getting Casablanca last year on BD -- and Casablanca is one of my favorite movies!
It will be a very tough day deciding which 2 or 3 discs I'll get!
The rest of what I want will have to wait another day or for a Christmas wish list.
Best week for mainstream releases in a very long time!
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As if all the above weren't enough, tomorrow will also see the release of a 6-DVD boxed set of The Patty Duke Show ..
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- AV Forum Member
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Too bad it's not the "disk-only" version, it's a smaller box with less stuff, for $35 (Ie., no watch.)GeorgeC wrote:Very glad to see Target is carrying the disc-only BD version. Even if I'm opposed to the idea of exclusivity in principle...
(And that's even assuming it's futile to ask by now why you're still k00king us to the gills about the disk stuff..."Oh, but I mentioned Superman first!--And Dark Crystal is sorta like cartoons!")
Don't worry, Ben.
Just let him keep slipping the rope for that noose.
He knows what he's doing.
Not impressed, btw.
As usual, he doesn't add anything to the conversation but scorn.
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Droosan: "Two identical cousins! Identical cousins, all the way!"
Kooky stuff!
The '60s had to be the best decade for kooky TV.
I still say the '50s produced the best two sitcoms (Honeymooners and I Love Lucy) but Star Trek, Get Smart, Dick Van Dyke, Gilligan's Island, and I Dream of Jeanie couldn't have happened in any other decade.
Just let him keep slipping the rope for that noose.
He knows what he's doing.
Not impressed, btw.
As usual, he doesn't add anything to the conversation but scorn.
********
Droosan: "Two identical cousins! Identical cousins, all the way!"
Kooky stuff!
The '60s had to be the best decade for kooky TV.
I still say the '50s produced the best two sitcoms (Honeymooners and I Love Lucy) but Star Trek, Get Smart, Dick Van Dyke, Gilligan's Island, and I Dream of Jeanie couldn't have happened in any other decade.
I'm pretty sure Bruce Timm didn't do designs for this OVA... He hasn't been a primary character designer since Superman: Doomsday. That film had his fingers all over the designs (unfortunately) and was one case where they should have just re-used the Justice League/Superman:TAS designs but didn't.
There are several reasons why the OVAs don't look like the animated series. One is that each film is set in its own continuity and is not meant to connect to the shows -- they're their own entities. Why some fans don't understand this (or choose not to) I don't know -- I thought the film producers were fairly clear on this.
Another reason for the design changes is that after nearly 20 years people get tired of only one house style and it makes sense to do something different. Teen Titans and Legion of Superheroes as well as The Batman sure didn't look like Batman, Superman:TAS, or Justice League. Likewise, Batman: The Brave and the Bold -- which I think is the most succesful series visually this side of Batman: TAS -- is a very different looking series which deliberately emulates character designs and drawing styles from the late 1940s through the early 1970s eras of DC Comic.
Some people will never be happy if a show doesn't look like it was designed by Artist X, Y, Z. The main thing is if the film overall was a good experience.
Public Enemies was still a well-produced film. The vocal performances were great and overall it didn't look shabby, either. They tried their best to emulate Ed McGuinness style and came up with a decent hybridized animated variant on his pencils. It's in the eye of the individual beholder whether they were that successful or not.
I reread the original hardcover reprint of Public Enemies over the weekend and frankly was surprised by how little was changed for the film.
There are several reasons why the OVAs don't look like the animated series. One is that each film is set in its own continuity and is not meant to connect to the shows -- they're their own entities. Why some fans don't understand this (or choose not to) I don't know -- I thought the film producers were fairly clear on this.
Another reason for the design changes is that after nearly 20 years people get tired of only one house style and it makes sense to do something different. Teen Titans and Legion of Superheroes as well as The Batman sure didn't look like Batman, Superman:TAS, or Justice League. Likewise, Batman: The Brave and the Bold -- which I think is the most succesful series visually this side of Batman: TAS -- is a very different looking series which deliberately emulates character designs and drawing styles from the late 1940s through the early 1970s eras of DC Comic.
Some people will never be happy if a show doesn't look like it was designed by Artist X, Y, Z. The main thing is if the film overall was a good experience.
Public Enemies was still a well-produced film. The vocal performances were great and overall it didn't look shabby, either. They tried their best to emulate Ed McGuinness style and came up with a decent hybridized animated variant on his pencils. It's in the eye of the individual beholder whether they were that successful or not.
I reread the original hardcover reprint of Public Enemies over the weekend and frankly was surprised by how little was changed for the film.
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Ed McGuiness's style would seem quite suited to animation (minus some muscle detailing), so I'm surprised that it doesn't look a little more like his work in the cartoon.
We finally got this in for review, so I'll be able to see the whole thing for myself soon.
Personally, I'm okay if we never see Timm's designs again. No slight meant, it's just that it's well time for something new.
We finally got this in for review, so I'll be able to see the whole thing for myself soon.
Personally, I'm okay if we never see Timm's designs again. No slight meant, it's just that it's well time for something new.
Nah.
You really couldn't do most of the current crop of comic artists' designs in animation. Too many lines, too much crosshatching, etc.
The earlier 1940s-1960s characters character designs work better for Batman: The Brave and the Bold because the original comic artists were trained as cartoonists and drew that way. The less exaggerated, more figure drawing styles (Neal Adams, Alex Ross) or anime-influenced designs (this is the category McGuinness falls into) generally don't translate as well. There is just too much work involved with trying to precisely duplicate those styles on film with the budgets the WB crew has.
Yeah, I would agree the S/B look is not exactly McGuiness' but it's not bad looking, either. It's a sight better than Superman: Doomsday for sure! I also liked it better than the designs in Green Lantern: First Flight, too.
You really couldn't do most of the current crop of comic artists' designs in animation. Too many lines, too much crosshatching, etc.
The earlier 1940s-1960s characters character designs work better for Batman: The Brave and the Bold because the original comic artists were trained as cartoonists and drew that way. The less exaggerated, more figure drawing styles (Neal Adams, Alex Ross) or anime-influenced designs (this is the category McGuinness falls into) generally don't translate as well. There is just too much work involved with trying to precisely duplicate those styles on film with the budgets the WB crew has.
Yeah, I would agree the S/B look is not exactly McGuiness' but it's not bad looking, either. It's a sight better than Superman: Doomsday for sure! I also liked it better than the designs in Green Lantern: First Flight, too.
Dropping from orbit tomorrow on October 13th --
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029XFNBC/?tag=imdb-button
Futurama, the Complete Original Fox TV Series + the Four Direct-to-Video Movies in a collectible, limited edition Bender Unit Head!
As Uncle Bender says, "Get this or 'Get Bent!'"
If you already have it, he says, "Steal it!"
Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell (DVD/BD) and South Park the Movie (first time on BD) also debut tomorrow...
Some very good stuff coming out and we're not even halfway through the month yet! It'll get crazy between Thanksgiving and Christmas...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029XFNBC/?tag=imdb-button
Futurama, the Complete Original Fox TV Series + the Four Direct-to-Video Movies in a collectible, limited edition Bender Unit Head!
As Uncle Bender says, "Get this or 'Get Bent!'"
If you already have it, he says, "Steal it!"
Some very good stuff coming out and we're not even halfway through the month yet! It'll get crazy between Thanksgiving and Christmas...
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- AV Founder
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- Location: SaskaTOON, Canada