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More Articles on CG Films |
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Thursday, 16 November 2006 |
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Movies such as "Monster House" and "Open Season," both from Sony, Paramount's "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals," Universal's "Curious George" and the Weinstein Co.'s "Hoodwinked" all did respectable though unremarkable business in 2006. DreamWorks' latest, the rodent tale "Flushed Away," also is off to a good but unexceptional start.
"There's been a wonderful selection of films and it's encouraging to see so many people getting into animation," said "Flushed Away" co-director David Bowers. "Not all the films made as much money as people hoped. I think in a couple of years we'll maybe see fewer animated films. Studios being more cautious."
The year's notable bomb was "The Ant Bully" from Warner Bros., which left audiences yawning despite a clever premise, a voice cast led by Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, and the luster of "Toy Story" voice star Tom Hanks among its producers.
Critics called "The Ant Bully" a retread of past animated tales, mainly Disney-Pixar's "A Bug's Life" and DreamWorks'"Antz."
"A lot of it just comes down to the content. Story and character," said Antran Manoogian, president of ASIFA-Hollywood, a branch of the International Animated Film Association that presents the annual Annie Awards for animation. "You can have all the flashy bells and whistles, but if nobody cares about the content, it's hard to get people to buy into it."
Movies about wild animals — "Madagascar,""The Wild,""Over the Hedge,""Open Season" — can blur together, despite different visual styles and story lines. "Over the Hedge" co-director Karey Kirkpatrick said he thinks his movie would have done more business had it not been preceded by Disney's "The Wild" a month earlier.
With the lineup so crowded, Kirkpatrick said he has heard people greet each new animated flick as "one more furry, talking animal movie."
"As a filmmaker doing these, you certainly wish it was back to the day when it was just DreamWorks and Pixar going head to head. It makes them feel more special and more of an event," Kirkpatrick said. "On the flip side, having that many, it certainly keeps you on your toes to do your best and make yours exceptional."
Next year looks huge — though familiar — again for animation, the schedule fronted by "Shrek the Third"; another rodent tale, "Ratatouille," from Disney-Pixar; a big-screen take on TV's "The Simpsons"; and another penguin comedy, "Surf's Up."
The question is: Which films will cut through the cartoon clutter and find an audience?
"The cream always rises to the top," said Wood, who provides the voice of the dancing penguin in "Happy Feet.""What is truly good will be recognized as truly good. What is just part of the flock will be recognized as that."
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