While Pixar are now seen as the juggernaut of CGI animation, it all had to start something. In this case, it started in 1984 with a 1 minute short called ‘André and Wally B.’ The short revolves around a character who wakes up from a nap and is confronted by a bee. Not wanting to be stung, André tricks the bee and runs away, only to be stung anyway.
Directed by Alvy Ray Smith, this was not so much a short film as an experiment to see what new company, Pixar, could be capable of. At the time of making this, this was the first time that CGI animation was used solely for a short film and didn’t rely on live action to carry it through to the ending.
In that regard, ‘André and Wally B.’ is a technical achievement, even if does looks extremely outdated by today’s standards. The animation also has to be taken into consideration; the first fully CGI animated TV show ‘Reboot’ wouldn’t be released onto TV until 1994, and ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Titantic’ would be released around 10 years after the Pixar short.
Overall, ‘The Adventures Of André and Wally B.’ was a sign of what was the future of animation will be. While it’s considered very outdated by today’s standards, it’s still an important short to watch, even from a study point.
Rumours of an ‘Artemis Fowl’ adaptation have been rumoured ever since I was 12. I always hoped I would see a film based on the book series during my childhood. However, it wouldn’t be until 16 years later that I’d see one…and it’s awful!
‘Artemis Fowl’ is the adaptation of the beloved book series by Eoin Colfer, and revolves around a 12-year old criminal mastermind who is caught up in a battle between magical creatures, and a quest to find the artefact Aculos, which was stolen from the fairies by Artemis’ father.
If the plot sounded confusing, don’t worry: the film is also a confusing mess!
Until now, I had never seen a book adaptation as bad as ‘Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant’ (another book series that I grew up with), but at least that film followed the first book’s basic plot. In a confusing decision, this tries to mix different plotlines from the overall series into a 90-minute film. Originally, I was going to write an article comparing the film to the book series. However, after watching ‘Artemis Fowl’, I realize that this can’t be achieved, because of the mixture of plots.
At the same time, what else is there to say other than it’s terrible and really boring? Most of the cinematography is made up of long, panning shots and is used whenever the film can. The editing and pacing are all over the place; the first 20 minutes is painfully slow but then suddenly changes its pace awkwardly and without any warning. Because of the rushed beginning (which could’ve been achieved in 5 minutes), the relationship between Artemis and his father (played by Colin Farrell) isn’t established, making them unimportant. Their emotional core is also non-existent because the film rushes to get rid of Farrell’s character to start the main plot. I’m also convinced that some shots have been cut earlier than they were supposed to, making some scenes awkward and uncomfortable.
All the actors sound bored and, for the most part, have no change of tone or expression in their voices. Colin Farrell tries his best with the small amount of screen time he gets but again, like previously mentioned, the film rushes through the plot, giving us hardly any character development and no reason to care about him. Ferdia Shaw, who plays the titular character, tries to carry the film, but all I ended up realizing is that he can’t carry an Irish accent, and sometimes forgets that Fowl is even supposed to have one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl2r3Fwxz_o
Even Josh Gad, who plays the giant dwarf Mulch Diggums, does a mediocre job with his character and the narration he’s given. But the narration is often confusing; at the start of the film, it’s established that he’s telling the film’s events to whoever’s keeping him captive. However, at certain points, the narration seems to address the audience. The first signs of this happening are 20 minutes into the film.
If I had to say anything positive about ‘Artemis Fowl’, it would be that the character designs and costumes are my favourite parts, however the film industry has had ‘Lord of the Rings’ to thank for the character designs. By now, the fantasy genre has found its formula so copying or even finding inspiration isn’t too difficult when approaching this genre.
Overall, the 16 year wait for an adaptation of the ‘Artemis Fowl’ series wasn’t worth it, and I can only repeat what other sources have said about it, including our own review here on the site. It’s boring, uneven and a mess that newcomers to the franchise would probably find very confusing.
The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh: Disney+ Talk
Growing up, I loved Winnie the Pooh; my favourite toy was a Winnie the Pooh bear (which I still own, making it the oldest possession I own at 25 years old!), as well as having pyjamas, posters and books belonging to the brand.
One item that I also owned was a VHS tape of ‘The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’, which I watched numerous times to the point where I probably wore the tape out! However, this is a film I haven’t watched in a very long time and, re-watching this has brought back a lot of childhood memories.
‘The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’ is an hour-long film based on the books by A.A. Milne, and tells the tale of Winnie the Pooh and his friends Christopher Robin, Rabbit, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl and Kanga and Roo as they have various adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.
The film is narrated by Sebastian Cabot (who also voiced Bagheera in the original ‘The Jungle Book’), who occasionally interacts with the characters in the storybook featured in the film. The charming narration is a wonderful addition to the animation.
The hand drawn animation is a wonderful glimpse into the past, and a reminder of how delightful this style is; the original sketch lines can still be seen in some places. The film includes a few songs, one of which was even included in the 2018 live-action film ‘Christopher Robin’. Even if you’ve never seen the 1977 film before, chances are you would’ve heard of at least one of the songs. They’re charming, innocent and bring a child-like wonder to the scenario that the song is about.
The film also breaks the 4th wall occasionally. Like previously mentioned, the narrator sometimes interacts with the characters. But there are other breaks too; the film is set in a storybook, which the characters are aware of, and refer to. An example of this is the character Gopher, who never tires of mentioning that he doesn’t actually exist in the book.
Later in the film, Tigger even tells us that the narrator is there, and mentions him by name, and Pooh Bear talks to the narrator too. This film was the first time I had encountered 4th wall breaks and, being a 4-year-old at the time, it blew my mind! It adds a special element to the film.
Overall, ‘The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’ is not only a childhood memory of mine, but it’s a glimpse into an animation style long replaced. The film is a good length for young children (at an hour) and brings an innocent and child-like wonder, thanks to the delightful characters and fantastic narration.
‘As The Earth Turns’ is a silent film that was originally released in 1938, and was written and directed by Richard.H.Lyford. After receiving warning messages from someone called ‘PAX’, the warnings of apocalyptic disasters are ignored. However, as they get worse, a reporter and soldier go to investigate, and find out who is sending the messages.
This was the last film of this genre that Lyford made. Considered an ‘indie’ filmmaker, Lyford would end up working at Disney. Before this, he created 50 plays, and 9 award winning films, all of which were never released for public viewing.
This film is an example of achieving what you can with very little, and the result is inspirational. The film industry had moved on from the silent era almost 10 years before this film’s release, with the release of ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1921. Therefore, the decision to make this silent was presumably due to costs; Lyford used his own equipment, and the disaster sequences are displayed by using models, e.g.: trains and planes, as well as creating establishing shots via pencil drawings. The latter, especially, makes the film stand out and gives viewers a unique perspective on a shot that they are used to seeing.
The film draws in similar themes to ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’, a film that would come out around 13 years later, as well as the character of PAX drawing a similar vein to that of Andrew Ryan, from the horror game ‘Bioshock’; if this film influenced those two properties in any way, that would come as no surprise to me. Lyford plays PAX, the German scientist who was appalled at what the Germans were doing during the First World War and exacts revenge on humanity because of this. He brings a glimpse into the Silent era furthermore; while the other lead actors act through the film as realistic as possible, aside from a few comedic scenes, Lyford plays PAX like the theatre actors before him, and gives the character an overdramatic feel, which suits the character.
‘As The Earth Turns’ was digitally restored by GT Recordings in 2019 and the restoration is impressive. Care has been taken to make sure this can be viewed in the best quality as possible without damaging any of the film reel. Furthermore, a musical score has been added, composed by Ed Hartman (‘KillJoys’ and ‘Lucifer’), that elevates the film. Despite being composed recently, the score blends in perfectly with the visuals, and sounds like it belongs in the same era.
‘As The Earth Turns’ is overall enjoyable. The digital restoration is an impressive piece of work and the new score adds to the visuals. ‘As The Earth Turns’ is also inspirational to any film-makers wanting to create their films, but are unsure of what steps to take.
The Wise Little Hen: Disney+ Talk – Today marks Donald Duck’s 86th Birthday so, in celebration, I went through the Disney+ site to see if Donald’s first ever appearance was on there.
‘The Wise Little Hen’ is an 8-minute short film that was released in 1934. After no one helps a hen with harvesting corn, she decides to eat the food, that she makes from it, all between herself and her chicks.
Like ‘The Three Little Pigs’ short that I previously reviewed, this short is accompanied by a song and has a lesson to it. The lesson in this short is to help your friends and loved ones out when required, and don’t expect to be rewarded if you haven’t contributed to the work required.
These shorts are not only timeless due to the hand drawn animation, but also because of the life lessons that they provide; they’re fantastic shorts to show young children, and for family viewing.
Donald Duck makes his debut appearance in this short. While the voice has rarely changed, his appearance has changed quite a lot, and become more detailed over the years. He’s developed a wider head and beak, and detailed feathers, as well as developed an expressive personality too!
Overall, this is a charming and timeless short film. I would highly recommend this short; the animation is gorgeous, and the characters are lovable. This is also a good introduction to Donald Duck and a window into the iconic character’s past.
