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In his first collaboration with Wes Anderson on Isle of Dogs , Paul Harrod translated an auteur’s live-action style to stop-motion, a medium that allowed for a spectacular visual presentation, but came with a set of limitations that proved problematic. Gathering reference materials and establishing certain visual parameters early on was Adam Stockhausen , an Oscar-winning production designer who has been the auteur’s go-to craftsman since Moonrise Kingdom , and had to leave the production early on, heading into the VR world of Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One . Picking up the baton, co-production designer Harrod brought 30 years of stop-motion experience to Anderson’s set, realizing early on that this production would challenge him like no other. Set in a specific vision of Japan—caught between past, present and future— the film would follow Atari, a young boy who goes on an odyssey in search of his lost dog. “Wes likes everything to be in focus, and of course, when … [Read more...] about The Art Of Craft: ‘Isle Of Dogs’ Production Designer Bends Form Of Stop-Motion To Realize Vision Of An Auteur

When A League of Their Own hit theaters on July 1, 1992, it was up against a crowded slate of blockbusters, including Batman Returns , Lethal Weapon 3 , Patriot Games , and Universal Soldier , that were expected to linger around multiplexes all summer. But when Labor Day rolled around two months later, all those other movies had faded away, and A League of Their Own was still packing in crowds on its way toward a $107.5 million domestic gross. Love for the Penny Marshall-directed film about the World War II-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, staring Geena Davis , Lori Petty, Tom Hanks , Madonna , and Rosie O’Donnell, has only grown in the three decades that followed thanks to VHS rentals, DVD sales, and endless replays on cable television. It’s a rare movie that appeals to people across all age groups and demographics, and it revived interest in the half-forgotten AAGPBL. In honor of A League of Their Own ‘s 30th anniversary, we spoke with … [Read more...] about ‘There’s No Crying in Baseball!’: ‘A League of Their Own’ Turns 30

In the competitive world of feature animation, it takes more than an entertaining yarn and a bit of slapstick comedy to cut through the noise. To make an impact at the box office in 2018—and at the Oscars, heading now into its 91st go-round—filmmakers are called upon to pursue a new standard of excellence, going back to the drawing board with each new effort, and finding exciting ways to break the mold. Leading the charge as regular contenders for Best Animated Feature since the category was created in 2001, Walt Disney Studios , and its Bay area subsidiary Pixar , once again enter the field of 25 films, with two projects that embody the category’s ideals. First, there’s Incredibles 2 , Brad Bird’s return to the groundbreaking superhero world he established in 2004. Sending the Parr family off on new adventures (with Elastigirl out chasing runaway trains, and Mr. Incredible taking a backseat), the film easily achieved hard-to-get hit sequel status, setting a record … [Read more...] about Oscars: Can Anyone Break Disney & Pixar’s Animated Feature Streak In 2019?

After working with screenwriter Mari Okada for a number of years, producer Kenji Horikawa needed to learn to work with the artist in a different way, as she set out to make her directorial debut with Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms . An ambitious anime that conjures up a singular, fantastical world, the Oscar-shortlisted feature centers on Maquia, an immortal girl who takes a newborn baby boy out of dire circumstances, raising him as her own, and watching the relationship blossom into myriad complexities over the years. Certainly, Maquia was an ambitious project for any director to take on, and particularly for a fledgling helmer. “It was such a big project that a lot of people weren’t sure that she could do it, so there was some resistance met there, and that was also a challenge to push through,” Horikawa reflects. “A lot of really amazing talents came together for this film, so my first question was, how do we get them to all recognize her as a director, when she … [Read more...] about With ‘Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms,’ Producer Kenji Horikawa Stands Behind Talent Of Visionary Newcomer

In a robust year for international animation—with a record eight Japanese films on the Oscars shortlist—Mamoru Hosoda brought a most personal project to Cannes, trying for a historic first. The first Japanese anime to premiere at the prestigious French festival—and the Directors’ Fortnight’s sole animated entry this year— Mirai was ambitious, taking as its protagonist a four-year-old boy. Undoubtedly, small children have featured into many an animated film over the years. It’s the way children are handled, though, that sets Mirai apart, in its approach and the level of complexity at hand. As a point of comparison, Hosoda references The Boss Baby , a 2017 film starring Alec Baldwin as a briefcase-carrying tot in professional dress. “Boss Baby is a character. He’s not really a baby, because it’s an old man [playing] the baby,” the director reflects. “I really wanted a realistic four-year-old as the main character, and we really had a challenging time because it’s about the way … [Read more...] about Mourning Loss Of Paint-And-Paper Anime, ‘Mirai’ Director Attempts Animated First With Four-Year-Old Protagonist

Asked to direct Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation —following his work on two prior installments of the franchise—the biggest obstacle Genndy Tartakovsky faced was that he didn’t want to make the film in the first place. Seeing installments one and two snowball to major commercial success, the director was nonetheless loathe to repeat himself, continuing the story of Dracula—played by Adam Sandler—and the castle to which he is bound. Breaking out in television, through the creation of hit Cartoon Network series including Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack , Tartakovsky was used to the creative control that came with this arena, which presented an altogether different creative experience, still informing his work to this day. When he was approached by Sony Pictures Animation to make his feature debut with the original Hotel Transylvania , Tartakovsky couldn’t have anticipated the internal conflict that would result. Seeing major results at the helm of studio … [Read more...] about ‘Hotel Transylvania 3’ Helmer Genndy Tartakovsky Confronts Studio Notes, Striving To Break Out With Original Works

With Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , their latest animated outing, producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller took a big swing, experimenting with bold formal choices to meet great power with great responsibility. The big screen debut of Miles Morales—an Afro-Latino teenager who dons the spidey suit, within a Marvel multiverse— Spider-Man would feature an unprecedented visual presentation befitting a truly groundbreaking character. Created in 2011 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli—and soon amassing a major fan following—Morales comes into his own in the fast-paced origin story, swinging through poignant family moments, rampant meta comedy, and various dimensions, coming face to face with a number of Spider-Men and Women, while combatting a dire threat to humanity. An endlessly innovative duo, Lord and Miller have always sought to raise the creative bar, demonstrating that there are few limitations to what is possible, when imagination is in no … [Read more...] about ‘Spider-Man’ Producers Phil Lord & Christopher Miller Bring Miles Morales To Big Screen In Spectacular Style

Avid fans of the Dr. Seuss canon that were excited to bring one of the author’s most well-known characters to life in a new animated iteration, Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney set out on a long process of trial and error, seeking to bring a freshness to The Grinch . The third adaptation of a classic 1957 children’s book, Illumination Entertainment ’s latest would place Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of the iconic green curmudgeon, setting out to ruin Christmas for those pesky Whos of Whoville once and for all. Making his feature debut alongside veteran Cheney, Mosier had produced a 3D animated film in 2013— Free Birds , starring Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson—getting a “crash course” in the form. So, when it came to The Grinch , the challenge wasn’t learning the ropes—it was taking a pre-existing world and fleshing its 60-something pages out, playing with story, character and world design where possible, while delivering fans a faithful adaptation of the story they … [Read more...] about With An Eye Toward International Audiences, ‘The Grinch’ Directors Seek The Essence Of A Seussian World

After working for years on the socially conscious Zootopia and seeing it win the Oscars’ Best Animated Feature prize in 2016, Phil Johnston and Rich Moore had no time to rest on their laurels, returning to work on Ralph Breaks the Internet . A sequel to 2012 Disney hit Wreck-It Ralph —a beloved work centering on video game characters Ralph and Vanellope, and the friendship they share—this film would send its two heroes on a mission into the Internet, where they would confront new personal challenges and an astonishing new world. Making his directorial debut alongside veteran Moore, from a script he co-wrote, Johnston explains that with the second Ralph installment—as is often the case—themes emerged first. “The first idea of sending them to the Internet was more about looking for a place where Ralph and Vanellope’s friendship could be tested. One of the themes we’re working with is the idea of change, that friendships change, and that good friendships can survive and … [Read more...] about Confronting Fairy Tale Tropes, ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’ Directors Examine A Friendship In Flux Within A Whole New World

It’s hard to think that any superhero film could qualify as a Hollywood rarity these days but Spider-Man : Into the Spider-Verse is just that. As an animated big-screen adaptation of a comic book superhero the Sony film is on a surprisingly short list. On Thursday the film’s three directors — Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman –were celebrating their shared nomination in the best animated feature film category for the 76th Golden Globe Awards. The competition in the category includes Brad Bird and his Incredibles 2 from the Pixar superhero franchise that took its inspiration from comic books but not any of its characters. The vast majority of superheroes adventures on the big-screen have been live-action films with signature successes imported from comic books, among them Superman (1978), Batman (1989), X-Men (2000), Spider-Man (2002), Iron-Man (2008), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Avengers (2012). It’s not nearly as easy to … [Read more...] about ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ And ‘Incredibles 2’ Offer Animated Argument For Super-Heroes