After the crew screening of the final cut for ParaNorman on Saturday many of my colleagues involved with the project have been praising and touting the movie socially both in blog posts and social networks, so I'm band wagon jumping a little and doing the same here. Although I did want to express another perspective as to why I think this movie is particularly special for the animation industry.
I have been a part of the animation industry now for fifteen years and have almost exclusively worked in stop motion as an animator. I am a proponent of the idea that the medium in which one creates a movie is a decision that should be based on the content of the story, the physical and budgetary constraints of the project and the creative decisions of the filmmakers to portray a look and style. Also, I feel that it is not a selling point, there are good movies and bad movies, in every medium.
Historically when a new medium is used in film it can draw attention solely because of its use. The clearest example in my lifetime has been the introduction of computer animation. When the first full length CG features were released the excitement, the hook, even for the lay audience, was that this was something never before seen. However the success and longevity of movies like Toy Story was due to them being very good stories well told.
After the initial "we pushed animation to a new level" thing passes with the second, third, fourth movies, that particular medium finds its true place and becomes what it really is, a technique with which to tell a story. There will always be incremental advances ("look how we can make hair more realistic") and they will still be a part of the promotion of a project, but the best studios know that once a film is 30 seconds in that no longer matters to an audience.
Stop Motion has almost always been different, for some reason feature film makers working in this medium have often relegated themselves to the world of the specialist. There's a core market of movie goers that want stop motion for stop motions sake and due to this rarely has it lost its initial appeal, its hook. Albeit with a small audience, relatively.
It also seems that this core audience of stop motion purists have an attraction to the macabre, the gothic, and the theatrical. I want to make clear at this juncture that Tim Burton has made a few excellent movies.
There is of course another pool of stop motion movie goers, looking specifically for thumb prints in clay. Again the filmmakers involved have made considerable contributions to the entertainment industry.
With all of this in mind studios making stop motion features tend to push their projects in the direction of this audience. I will say there have been excellent examples to the contrary but not to my knowledge in the $50m+ budget realm.
Much of the promotion surrounding ParaNorman has had the usual focus on the technique, and it's fair that this core audience be catered to and expanded. However, leaving the theatre after watching the movie I was elated that the movie is simply a movie, and a really good one too. The stop motion medium is beautifully wielded, and the rapid prototype techniques are amazingly advanced and deserve credit, but when you watch the film all of that just slips away as you watch great characters go on a great adventure.
There is not a single point where you are brought out of the movie and reminded, "isn't it cool, you are watching little puppets". That I feel is where Laika has succeeded tremendously. This is a great big step in the right direction, it is not an attempt to become mainstream yet it is an example that not every stop motion film has to be "quirky".
ParaNorman manages to be unique without alienating anyone. I would hope that audiences seeing the movie will, within 30 seconds, forget they are watching stop motion, or animation of any kind, and laugh, shriek, giggle, weep, watching Norman go on this awesome adventure.
GO SEE IT!
Toots.
Great write up man!!
ReplyDeletejustin