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A WB Animator Talks Back about Moriarty's Look at THE IRON GIANT!!!
I was in Holland when Moriarty's article was posted, but well... When he was going on and on about the film (The Iron Giant) I told him he needed to see TARZAN, so that he could hold each in his hands, feel their weight, judge their merits and faults, and see in no uncertain terms, where the world of animation is this summer. Then I told him about the composer rumblings I heard, and hooked him up with Sir Etch-A-Sketch. But mostly... I wanted to write the introduction for his piece. Whilst in my trans-atlantic travelings, I read IRON GIANT while my eardrums teemed with John Williams' SUPERMAN score. I have seen glimpses of designs of all the characters, and then I played Brad's film in my mental screen. I can back up everything Moriarty says that is plot based. This film does indeed exceed brilliantly in the script stage. It's sad that right now, between UNIVERSAL and WARNER BROTHERS we have two studios that are in a shifting stage. Rumors that Lorenzo's (at the WB) Contract isn't going to be resigned, and that a massive... purging is mere weeks away... Well, when things like this are in the wind, decisions... gutsy ones... are rarely made. I would like to point out though to Semel and crew that they have a great slate this year, that pulling the switch on the hangman's noose may be premature. I can't believe I'm saying that, but I am. Warners could have a banner year this outing, they have the products to do it.... if they don't choke. And with IRON GIANT.... there is the potential to choke. It's an animated film without songs.... It should be the first of many from WARNER, that should be their brand. "Disney and Dreamworks Brings You TUNES, Warner Brothers Brings You The TOONS!" It is time to be smart, hire the best ad people in the business and make the quality pay off. Otherwise, that noose will tighten, and right now, with films like THE IRON GIANT you have the knife to cut your own rope. Cut it.
And here's what one of the Animators on the project had to say about Moriarty's piece and the film he's working on. I believe it reveals a great deal of pride in one's accomplishments, let's hope that his/her's enthusiasm is shared by Warners' execs....
First of all, Moriarty---whoever you are---you are
the MAN! Or W'man, whatever applies to you! I have
to say that although you spilled the beans on perhaps
TOO MUCH of the story details on The Iron Giant,
including the bit about the ending, I applaud what you
said, and I am very happy that you liked it that much.
It makes us artists very happy to see the audience
respond so well, especially when it concerns
something we worked so hard on.
Furthermore, you
are absolutely right: It IS a terrific film. It will be, by
many standards, a landmark feature in animation,
breaking away from that Disney-ed "Broadway
Musical" crap that comes out damn time! Not that
Disney isn't any good. On the contrary, they have been
brilliant in many aspects of animation and in bringing
the art of this medium on the big screen. They are the
ones responsible for the popularity of animation. The
same company, however, to keep with the "every
animated feature MUST BE a musical" philosophy,
and it's driving a lot of us MAD! It's driving us adults
(and a lot of children, too) just plain CRAZY! Damn!
Enough already, man! This now boring Disney
formula---that same formula that makes most of us
kringe, grunt, and moan every time a song starts,
needs to end! It is So-o-o-o predictable and so
story-stopping---EVERY TIME!. That's why I was so
excited to see The Iron Giant break away from this
tired crap.
I agree that animation is just a medium, a
way in which to illustrate and/or tell a story, and I
think The Iron Giant will be the one to do just that
(and to do animation do justice). In it's almost
simplistic beauty, I believe it will acomplish what
DreamWorks tried to do with its Prince of Egypt.
Unfortunately, however, DreamWorks proved with its
"Prince" that technical and visual accomplishments
aren't what make a movie good. A bad movie is
always a bad movie, no matter how pretty you try to
make it. The visuals in Prince of Egypt were in fact,
in some places, just downright amazing! It also had
some very nice animation and clean up. Prince of
Egypt, however, lacked in the three most important
parts of a film: STORY, STORY, and STORY! I was
never really "sucked in," and the characters were
quite bland most of the time.
I am proud to say,
though, that story is what drives The Iron Giant. The
characters are so very well developed, VERY
likeable, and very well designed. Nice and stylized
almost, and very appealing. Also, you just cannot help
getting sucked right into this one!
This film is driven by
pure 200% HEART at the core, and it comes through
brilliantly! And about Warner's? Warner Bros. has
been responsible for some GREAT films, films that
redefined filmaking and the art of breaking the rules. I
just hope they see Brad's vision the way we see it: a
HIT! The artist see it, Warner's people I think see it.
Now it's just a matter of WILL they back it that same
200%?!
I wish that the people filling out the
checkbooks at Warner's would just have some faith in
the brilliance of Brad Bird and the extremely talented
crew of the Iron Giant. Promote the hell out of this
GREAT film! And, if it has to come out alongside
Disney, let's just ...get ready to RUMBLE! I believe
that people will see more than one movie in any
particular time slot. I believe that more than one
animated film in the theaters at the same time is good
for the industry, and I almost want to "challenge"
Disney to go up against The Iron Giant. I think most
people, especially those people with children, will
see a Disney movie purely on the fact that it's
preceeded by a Disney logo---whether it's good OR
BAD! But once people see what a great film Iron
Giant is, especially when compared to Tarzan and a
lot of the animated films up until now, I think the
boxoffice will prove that change is in the air, a
change for the entire animation industry and a change
in the way we all see an animated film.
And heroes?
Hhhmm... Well, all I got to say is thanks. I feel like
one. I bet Brad does, too. He should. I think he is the
single most important person on the crew. He is the
essential catalyst to bring us all together to make
filmmaking history. ...Take a bow, Brad!
"Look! Up in
the sky: It's a Byrd! It's a'playin... Yes! It's The Iron
Giant!"
Much love, N. Artist
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WHAM! First! Can you feel that?! Anyway, Harry has too much faith in Disney. "See Tarzan before you hand the grand prize to Iron Giant"? Why? Popularity does not equal quality. This isn't geometry. This is art. Disney has no concept of art. And as far as the Dreamworks being 'the future of animation' and that 'animation is growing up,' give me a break! I know I'm not the only one who bows deeply before the almighty Japanese animation phenomena. They've been doing 'grown-up' animation for decades. American animation has a self-indulgent dinosaur. Any movement or action to change this torpid state is something I greatly relish. 'The Iron Giant' looks great! Down with Disney!
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Whoops! I meant '...has BEEN a self-indulgent...'
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Most american _filmmaking_ is a self-indulgent dinosaur.
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You would think that a person working on a world-class project wouldn't feel the need to badmouth the competition. Heaven forbid he let the merits of his project speak for themselves.
Disney (for the most part) chooses to make animated musicals. You may not like that choice, but I (and apparently a hell of a lot of other people) do. It is a perfectly valid choice to make. There is much that I would change if I were suddenly put in charge of Disney Feature Animation -- but for my money, there has never been a Disney movie that would have been better if it had lost all its songs.
I'll leave defending Prince of Egypt to its many fans from AICN, but it was a hell of a lot more than just nice visuals.
I hope Iron Giant is every bit as good as it is being made out to be. It would be awesome to have three American studios turning out top notch animated features. And if they all went in different directions, and expanded the form, we'd all be the winners.
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I have to agree that songs are holding back modern animation. While I'm a huge fan of musical theater, the fact is that animated films in the "Disney mold" now have songs just for the sake of having songs, not because they advance the story. I hope that the studios will take a look at the three big computer animated films to come out in the past few years (Toy Story, Antz, and A Bugs Life) and realize that NONE of them had traditional character-sung songs. All three were big hits because they had great stories, and the music in them worked with the plot, not against it. One minor quibble: did you say that Prince of Egypt had no story? The Exodus story is a classic tale of epic proportions, and the freedom from slavery is a terrific motif that resonates in so many different cultures (the release of serfs in Russia, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclimation, the freeing of the survivors of the German concentration camps). Back to the story: I love what I've read about Iron Giant, and I hope Warners promotes the hell out of it. I can't wait to see it!
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OK, so Prince of Egypt wasn't a perfect film. But I, at least, was sucked in the whole time. And the phenomenal money DreamWorks is making (about US $90 million last time I checked) seems to back me up. Quick gripe: what did this animator really have to say? It seems more of a fanboy letter than anything else; I really don't know anything about the film after reading it. That said, I hope Iron Giant is everything he said it would be.
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Why does every new animated film that doesn't come from Disney have to be "the death of Disney"? The Walt Disney Co. has been producing animation for 75 years. Not one company, not Dreamworks, not Warners, not Fox are going to be able to challenge Disneys dominance in the field until they get more than one or two films under their belts.
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Yeah, but do we really want to see Disney either go bankrupt or improve the quality of their "entertainment"? "Disney" has become a swear word in several circles of philosophy and thought, and were Disney to suddenly veer off into uncharted territory, we curmudgeons would be sorely pressed to find another institution that so deserves our hatred and unbridled contempt. It's what scientists and jargon-spewing talk-show hosts refer to as a "catch 22." I gues there is a certain amount of comfort and security in knowing that every night when you close your eyes, Walt's successors and henchmen are busy fueling our nightmares and keeping the fires of mass-market bombshell manufacturing burning brightly. In a way, we somehow may have to thank the Disney corporation for their truckloads of utter crap. It gives the rest of us a chance to actually do something that really matters. And that's what matters most, in the end. So, who's for a game of "Smear the Queer" using Walt Disney's frozen brain???
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SMEER THE QUEER? What is that supposed to mean?
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Didn't you ever play that when you were growing up? A bunch of kids(almost always boys), one rubber ball(or Walt's frozen brain) and a whole lotta bruisin'. Everyone would chase and wrestle and pummel and kick the one kid who had the ball, and then that kid would get beaten until he relinquished the ball. The winner was the last kid who had the ball and refused to go running home to his mother. It was kind of a rite of passage. Every culture has its own variation on the theme. It was the battle for playground dominance and pecking order. I usually lost pretty quickly. I'm a lover, not a fighter. :-)
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It was called "cream th' man with the ball." Great game, kind of like rugby or hockey without the pesky need to score. Ah, the forgotten remnants of childhood...
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Disney has sat upon the collective conciousness of American animation for far too long, now. It has become a great weight impeding the progress and maturity of the medium. The tragic, end result of all this is that your average moviegoer sees animation as (a) nothing but a kid's medium and (b) it absolutely, positively has to be a musical. Feature-length cartoons without a peppering of innocuous songs? The very concept seems to confuse, even terrify, the average moviegoer. I'm hoping that artistic endeavors like Iron Giant and the others that follow will eventually topple the Disney Goliath and help show the movie audience what animation can be when it is finally allowed to take wing.
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I walked into my local anime video store and asked them if they had any of his movies, and all I got was a resounding "who?" No one carries these cartoons. Can someone please send me a list. p.s if you want a good laugh go watch "The Elden Bride".
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I can't wait to see "Iron Giant." From what I've seen on this site, it looks like the coolest animated graphic ever--the ultimate "anime"--but with an engaging story. I hope Warners realizes what they have in their hands.
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Well the top line subject pretty much gives away what my comments about. I love songs in an Animation flick, especially a catchy tune that just makes me want to sing along.
True some songs do cut up the storyline in a movie and it's probably just another way for Disney to rake up the bucks by selling the soundtrack, but come on, you got to atleast like one song in one of their movies (I personally love 'A whole New World' in Aladdin)
Can anyone please tell me more about the new Iron Man flick? It's the first time I've heard of it (I'm new around here) and any info would be greatly welcomed. -
It was only when 'The Lion King' made something like 5 bazillion dollars that every other studio started making animated movies. How many successful non-Disney animated movies were made before the 90's? An American Tail? I can't think of any others. So don't give me that 'Disney retarded the medium' crap! Walt Disney created the medium, and Michael Eisner brought it back from the grave. Incidentally, Hayao Miyazaki's credits include 'Princess Mononoke' 'My Friend Totoro' and 'Kiki's Delivery Service'. The full list can be found at us.imdb.com. I don't know if that will make finding his movies any easier, though.
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A co-worker recently showed me a copy of a printed online document retrieved from "aint-it-cool-news.com," a review of a film called The Iron Giant, an upcoming Warner Bros. animated film. Upon reading the review, I could not believe my eyes! Could this be true? The Iron Giant? You mean, people actually KNOW about this film ...already?! And it's not even finished yet?
And who is this Moriarty person? How does he/she know all this stuff? How does this person know so much about the film? And how the hell did he see a rough cut? Please tell me, Moriarty!
Well, actually, I asked around a bit and found out that most of the stuff Moriarty wrote about is relatively easy to get. I just don't know, though. This Moriarty person is either working IN the animation industry or is just SUPREMELY CONNECTED! DAMN! How do you do it, Moriarty? What's your secret?
And since that review, I've tried to access this site more often. It's brought me to the fact that people are very curious about the Iron Giant. The buzz is certainly positive, which is fantastic! I hope this keeps up and I hope the WORLD enjoys this film as much as I enjoyed working on it. Yes, it's true. I did. And I feel uncomfortable even admitting to this since I cannot say too much about the new film. Why? "Big Brother" IS watching! Well, that and Brad might shoot me if I say too much! ;-)
You see, I think it's good that not too many people know about this. It's this quietness that is keeping the crew from "too many restrictions," if you know what I mean. I think the quieter, the better. That's why I was a little upset when you (Moriarty) first wrote that article. I thought you said a little too much. Too many details, man! Let's try to make this film a surprise, no?
It feels great, however, to know that your hard work is paying off in some way, and that people are diggin' your work. As a matter of fact, the applause should go to BRAD BYRD, who's singular vision will amaze even the "non-believers" out there. The man is a genius. Period. This is not "ass kissing," by any means. I am no longer working on the film and I am not getting (nor want) anything by saying this. I am simply being honest. I think HE is the single most important man on the project. He has inspired the entire crew of talented animators, sometimes even past their own expectations.
I will also say this: The Iron Giant will put a mark in animation history. Hopefully, the "Giant" will PROVE that Disney's "Broadway Musical" formula has been done to death. Think about it: A good animated movie---with NO MUSICAL NUMBERS! Can you believe it? Someone please pinch me---or kick me in the ass! Could it be true?
Yes! The animation industry needs something fresh, something different. We need adult-oriented animated films, not just films for the little tykes. We need GOOD movies and not just McDonald's toy-mania! Believe me. The toys will sell if the audiences like the movie. Don't make animated movies into long-ass comercials for toys---or sountracks ...PLEASE!
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE musicals. Put me in front of the TV and VCR, and insert "West Side Story" or "The Sound of Music," and I am set for the day!
But come on, Disney! Wake up, DreamWorks! Both GREAT studios with such GREAT potential. You have the manpower and the talent. You both could make such GREAT animated films, if you just try to be original. Why insert a song just to sell the soundtrack? 'Cuase, boy, can Disney sure inset those songs! They LOVE doing that! The more songs, the merrier! They seem to cram about twenty songs in every 2D traditional animated picture---withing the fisrt 30 minutes! Come on!
Besides, I think people buy a soundtrack not just for the music, but to take home a "piece" or a moment in the film. So, why not concentrate on making a good film?
You know, Disney did it before, with a couple of recent films, like Toy Story and A Bugs's Life. both CGI films. Why not do that with 2D, traditionally animated ones? Remember "Jungle Book?" Brilliant film! Why not continue like that? Great characters.
But, wait a minute. I know what you are gonna' say now. Not only is it a good film, but there's even MUSIC IN THERE! And it works! The music is GREAT! You wanna' know why? Because the fundamental FIRST of a good film is a good story. Period. "The Jungle Book" is GREAT story FIRST. The music only pluses the film. That's the secret: Your music must revolve around the movie, not the movie around the sales of a soundtrack at your our local music store.
And that is what Iron Giant has: STORY. A great one. To put it my way, beautifly SIMPLE. The characters and the story make you sit amd watch---whether you want to or not. Really.
And Moriarty? I agree with you both [I am refering to that other WB animator who wrote in the last time I checked this site]: lots of heart! Iron Giant will be the film that will stir the industry, raising the ante for a good story and filmaking, period. Disney, DreamWorks, and the rest of the animation industry will surely be surprised. Eyebrows will undoubtedly rise. The world will ask "What? And it's NOT a musical? Can this work?"
Well, I will have to wait till later on this year to find out, along with the rest of the world. I guess we will find out sometime in 1999, won't we?
Till then, stay on the look out! I sure will!
Signed,
Another Artist
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disney toons are just chick flicks and once little girls get into their teen years they dont care about toon flicks (apologies if you break this rule)and the disney comeback flick was roger rabbit and that had only one song that had no commercial value
so how about some male oriented toons
iron giant sounds cool but why does WB ignore their DC comic characters how about a green lantern toon
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