I am honored that you not only noticed the other recommendations and remembered them, but that you're following through with it. It really is one of my favorite animated films, and I'm really glad that anyone decided to watch it on my recommendation.
There is a lot "like" this movie, in a lot of ways, but this is probably the best executed of them(obviously a subjective opinion there, though, especially since other films do some things better and some things worse and it's up to you to really decide what is more important, I imagine). Maybe I should make a list of animation from the era that is really worth watching sometime, because there is a LOT in this timeframe that is simply underrated or(more often) a completely unknown quantity in the US anime market that has fixated itself on really shallow kids' stuff and nerd-appeasing fodder in things like the harem genre. You know, not to be pretentious, though I totally am.
He admits he's pretentious. I'm bookmarking this post. No, but I just finished the movie, and DAAAAAMN. I enjoyed it. This movie does so much right on so many levels and in so many areas. I was very surprised. One of the biggest surprises was the music. It was very fitting and it sounded great in the scenes, especially the fighting scenes. The animation was gorgeous; you could tell thought had been put into it. This was by no means a soulless production and story like some anime I could name (coughFMAseries2Brotherhoodcough). I can not get over the great use of lighting effects, which was probably my favorite thing about this entire film. The ninja stars looked like laser bolts, but it was cool. And this is also probably the best instance of speedlines I've seen; normally they drag a scene down for me in anime but here they were again, visually pleasing. There was so much lightplay at work it was sometimes hard to follow though; I wouldn't show this film to an epileptic. I need to go back and rewatch it again tomorrow to pick up on finer details. And Jiro will forever go down in my book as the ultimate example to prove that this asshole is not a real FRICKING NINJA! When Jiro finds his mother and the boy in the background starts crying, I was laughing. Not because it was stupid, but because I haven't seen such a great usage of small touches like that in an animated movie in forever! Again, Princess and the Frog, where the HELL did your budget go? Probably the end credits song. (Okay the Facilier song wasn't bad but other than that, gah!) I haven't seen such a consistently unique animated movie. I'm trying so hard not to exaggerate here but I feel like I'm gushing. I mean we have ninjas....traveling to America...and fighting cowboys! What more can I say about this movie? I fully recommend it. It is fully of twists and surprises. Everyone go out and see it now.
I personally would skip Rock-A-Doodle and Thumbelina. If I had a time machine, damn, I'd go back and tell myself not to watch them. Personally, I don't like any of his output past All Dogs Go To Heaven. Anastasia is kind of okay, and I haven't seen Titan A.E., but yeah. The animation itself in his films remains beautiful, but man do the films begin to really, really stink.
I liked All Dogs for the insincere, sleazy main characters. It was unique to see such low mains. I also liked that Dom Deluise had a bit of a different type of role. Instead of that dumb guy, he was that gripey, selfish guy. However, the orphan was ripped off from the Rescuers. As a Don Bluth fan even I will admit that. I think she even had the same voice actress.
I'll add these to my back-catalog of titles I still need to see. Not sure how long it'll be before I do, but they're near the top and on my mind.
Wait, what the hell? Why did I add Cat City 2 in that list? Cat City 2 sucks ass, don't watch it. Cat City 1 is all right though.
So I just got done watching Felidae. Um...holy fricking cat shit. This quote from the main character says it all.
"What I saw before me wasn't exactly a scene from the Aristocats."
I've never seen such a disturbing movie in my entire life. Ever. EVER. And I've seen a lot. You could imagine from the content of my jokes that I'm not easily shocked, but this movie did it every five seconds. I can now say I have seen it all. I haven't seen Human Centipede or Teeth, but I'd be willing to bet those movies are like Bambi compared to Felidae. When the title screen shows claws slice a red background behind the title, with a cat SCREAMING in the background, you know what you're in for.
It's basically, as I said, a whodunnit starring a cat, who is investigating serial murders of cats in his neighborhood. This main character is awesome; his brain is toe to toe with Sherlock Holmes (the original) and he puts most college professors to shame. He could probably catch Light Yagami before L, as convoluted as that kid's intelligence is. I will say this. This is a great murder mystery. It's atmospheric up the wazoo, with interesting characters, lots of clues, very Hitchcockian scenes, and a huge sense of menace and danger. Some of the camera work, I swear, is extremely well done, and there is some really dramatic camera work as well that feels mildly ahead of its time. The color palette was fantastic as well; very vibrant yet realistic. The action scenes actually feel dangerous; like the characters could be seriously horribly injured at any second. And there are so many twists and turns in this movie you never have time to breath; in fact I would say a big complaint of mine with this movie is that the pacing is a bit too fast.
Now for the motherload. This movie is gross. Incredibly gross. Holy shit is it gross. Decapitations. Disembowelments. Ritual suicides. Electrocution. Disturbing nightmares. Animal testing. Brains. Guts. Gore. What the hell? Did it need to be this disgusting? Why is it this disgusting? I guess this is based on a book so maybe they wanted to make a straight adaption but DAMN. It's as sick as a green moldy bloody piss. Yet it all gives the impression that the killer is a madman; a sick disturbed freak who has to be stopped at any cost. The reveal of the culprit is surprising and dramatic; I didn't see it coming at all. In fact I didn't see a lot of what happens in this movie coming. Except for the scene where two cats have sex. I wish I was joking. I wish I could erase that image from my head. I wish I could have been murdered by a cat before I saw that awful tasteless disgusting smutty scene. What were they thinking? The movie was an interesting, if not grotesque, horror murder mystery up til then. This movie is somewhat tasteless. It tells a great story and it has good atmosphere, but it gets really pointlessly vulgar. I will admit, some of the talk about sex does tie into the plot and is needed. But not the damn sex scene. Damn it what can erase that from my head. Just....damn...couldn't they have cut away before they finished. Damn. Maybe I'm complaining too much about a natural act, you say, but no there was nothing natural about this. Cats don't scream when they orgasm, do they? Why the hell would anyone need to see this extra scene? Who would be into that? I need a drink.
So yeah, Felidae. Watch it if you want a great murder mystery with some fantastic animation, but be warned. There is some screwed up stuff in this film. If you get sick easily, or offended easily, do not watch this movie. Ever. But if you think you can handle it, go for it. It actually is worth watching, outside of that damn sex scene. Some people have said "it's not sex its mating". It's nasty cat sex. Moving on.
I know I'm going to get a lot of flack for this, but... I can't stand An American Tail. Normally I'm pretty tolerant of little kid characters being little kids, but man, Fievel reeeeally gets on my nerves. And the animation in Anastasia really bugs me. It's all too stiff to me, and I just recently found out why: a lot of it was rotoscoped. Not cool, mang. Not cool. And yeah, Thumbelina's pretty terrible. Watched it a million times when I was a kid, though.
The Secret of NIMH is still awesome, though!
Fievel is an annoying chaarcter. In the beginning. And because of a twisted trick he pulls, he suffers some serious consequences, and grows to be better for it. That's why I like him and consider him a great character. Although in AAT 2 they completely reverse it, just so they can do it all over again. I still like AAT 2 but did they really have to do that? Sigh. I don't know.
And as for dislikes for animation. I happen to dislike ANYTHING from the creator of Family guy. TDI, and basically anything on TV animation today is just horrible to look at. Except for Sym-bionic titan{from the maker of Samurai Jack :cool:}.
I like some of the jokes in Family Guy, but it doesn't work as an animated sitcom because the plot is secondary to the jokes. It would work better as a 15-minute sketch show like Robot Chicken, both because they wouldn't need a plot at all, and also because they wouldn't need to pad for time.
The mention of Family Guy brings up one point I dislike about many animated projects: they often go for cartoony sounding voices, and it comes off sounding forced and difficult to listen to. Chris Griffin from Family Guy fits this description (the character could have worked well enough with Seth Green's normal voice), as does Ron from Kim Possible (which is a shame since I loved Will Friedle's voice work in Batman Beyond), Kuki from The Kids Next Door (again a shame, since I love Lauren Tom's voice work in Futurama and King of the Hill), and countless others.
Now for the motherload. This movie is gross. Incredibly gross. Holy shit is it gross. Decapitations. Disembowelments. Ritual suicides. Electrocution. Disturbing nightmares. Animal testing. Brains. Guts. Gore. What the hell? Did it need to be this disgusting? Why is it this disgusting? I guess this is based on a book so maybe they wanted to make a straight adaption but DAMN. It's as sick as a green moldy bloody piss.
And as I said earlier in the thread, the book is actually worse! The movie skips one of Francis' nightmares, and a lot of the stuff involving Preterius. (which is a diary in the book) It's actually one of my favourite books, because the author (Akif Pirincci) has clearly studied cat behaviour before writing it, (unlike Erin Hunter) in much the same way as Richard Adams used Locksley's 'The Private Life of the Rabbit' for reference when writing Watership Down, the author of Felidae uses Desmond Morris' 'Catwatching'. Watership Down shows that bunnies aren't just cute and fluffy, Felidae does the same for cats.
Maybe I'm complaining too much about a natural act, you say, but no there was nothing natural about this. Cats don't scream when they orgasm, do they?
Yes, they do. It's actually a pretty accurate depiction as well. Tomcats will always seize the female by the scruff when mating to stop the female from attacking them, (big cats like lions and tigers do the same) and the females hiss and spit and scream. There is a reason for this, but it's pretty gross, so let's just say 'it's normal for cats'. And if you're wondering why I know such a disturbing amount about cat sex, it's because I've got a copy of 'Catwatching' as well. It's an awesome book if you own a cat because it explains all sorts of things like why cats eat grass, why they spend so much time grooming and where the phrases 'not enough room to swing a cat' originates from.
Anyway, the book is awesome, and I do recommend it, if you can find it. It's actually the first book in a series, but only the first two have been translated into English, and the second one isn't as good as the first. (no idea about the rest since I can't read German) I prefer the book to the movie, but I ALWAYS prefer the book to the movie so no surprise there, but this is one of the few cases where I actually like the movie adaptation because it's pretty faithful. (unlike Secret of Nimh, which I would have liked a lot more if I hadn't read the book beforehand)
It might just be me, but I like An American Tail 2 much more than the original. I just like the villain better, probably because he's John Cleese.
So yeah, Felidae. Watch it if you want a great murder mystery with some fantastic animation, but be warned. There is some screwed up stuff in this film. If you get sick easily, or offended easily, do not watch this movie. Ever. But if you think you can handle it, go for it. It actually is worth watching, outside of that damn sex scene. Some people have said "it's not sex its mating". It's nasty cat sex. Moving on.
Is it weird that this just makes me want to watch this movie? Even though I'm a total wuss when it comes to scary stuff (...couldn't even watch the creepy pasta video without turning the sound off...)?
Maybe I'll wait until I don't have to sleep for a few days...
Aw man, it's no fun if you're told about the cat sex. The best part is to watch people's reactions when it gets there.
Is it bad that I really, really want to make a Mameshiba version of this? "Did you know? Lady cats scream during sex" Though I guess that Mameshiba is disturbing enough to begin with...
Yes, they do. It's actually a pretty accurate depiction as well. Tomcats will always seize the female by the scruff when mating to stop the female from attacking them, (big cats like lions and tigers do the same) and the females hiss and spit and scream. There is a reason for this, but it's pretty gross, so let's just say 'it's normal for cats'. And if you're wondering why I know such a disturbing amount about cat sex, it's because I've got a copy of 'Catwatching' as well. It's an awesome book if you own a cat because it explains all sorts of things like why cats eat grass, why they spend so much time grooming and where the phrases 'not enough room to swing a cat' originates from.
Anyway, the book is awesome, and I do recommend it, if you can find it. It's actually the first book in a series, but only the first two have been translated into English, and the second one isn't as good as the first. (no idea about the rest since I can't read German) I prefer the book to the movie, but I ALWAYS prefer the book to the movie so no surprise there, but this is one of the few cases where I actually like the movie adaptation because it's pretty faithful. (unlike Secret of Nimh, which I would have liked a lot more if I hadn't read the book beforehand)
As soon as I read that it's a book, I wanted to read it. Frankly, the story is AWESOME. The villain is AWESOME. The hero is AWESOME. And if the cat sex is naturally portrayed, then I really can't complain. I mean you do see this sort of thing every day. I'm just honestly ignorant on the subject of cat mating....not that that is surprising. And yes, my face was hilarious when it came to that; should have had a camera ready. I'll probably pick the book up if I see it.
It might just be me, but I like An American Tail 2 much more than the original. I just like the villain better, probably because he's John Cleese.
The two movies tie for me as my favorite movies of all time. I don't like how they reused Fievel's character development; I only realized they did this last night and it's seriously made me rethink the film, but there is so much to like about the second American Tail. Fievel becomes a hero. Jimmy Stewart; especially the speech he gives at the end, which gives me chills. The action is fun; the soundtrack is FANTASTIC. And yes, John Cleese is a ton of fun as Cat R. Waul. I also love that Tanya floors the villain with her singing; that's fun to watch. In fact Tanya was a much more fun character in this film; and Tiger was hilarious. I still missed Tony, even if he got a cameo. That wasn't nearly enough for me. In fact that's the best way to describe this movie: fun.
Fun fact: The voice actress for Tony played Miranda the reporter in Full Throttle.
As soon as I read that it's a book, I wanted to read it. Frankly, the story is AWESOME. The villain is AWESOME. The hero is AWESOME. And if the cat sex is naturally portrayed, then I really can't complain. I mean you do see this sort of thing every day. I'm just honestly ignorant on the subject of cat mating....not that that is surprising. And yes, my face was hilarious when it came to that; should have had a camera ready. I'll probably pick the book up if I see it.
I think the book has been out of print for quite a while, and I don't know if it was ever published in the US. I checked on Amazon UK, and secondhand copies are selling for as little as 1 pence, (seller makes their money through shipping) so you could look into getting it from there. Amazon US logins work on Amazon UK, shipping just costs more than it would for an Amazon UK customer. ETA: Now that I look at it, you would have to get the book from a third-party seller, I'm not sure if they'll ship to the US. Worth a try though, as long as they don't charge you the earth for shipping.
And yes, John Cleese is a ton of fun as Cat R. Waul. I also love that Tanya floors the villain with her singing; that's fun to watch. In fact Tanya was a much more fun character in this film; and Tiger was hilarious.
Now that I think about it, that's probably why I prefer the second movie, the first one is very much all about Fievel, but in the sequel the other characters get their chance to shine too.
I'm a fan of animation, be it traditional or CG, so long as it tells a good story. Granted, that's how I feel about any medium, but for some reason I have a lower tolerance for stupid animation than I do for stupid movies.
Thumbelina was the king of Disney imitation, though.
Ironically the voice actress who voiced Thumbelina provided the voice of Ariel{Jodi Benson}. Werent there other voice actors from Disney in this movie as well?
Have you watched any French animated films, like Persepolis or The Triplets of Belleville? They're pretty fantastic.
I havent seen triplets of Belleville, but I have seen Persepolis, although not for a long time though. I remember enjoying it though. I remember that my older brother was a bit aggravated that the fact that this lost at the animation awards due to Pixar's Ratatouille. Seeing how Persepolis was animated by the french{yes french animators} does anyone know if the animators or anyone who worked on that film were angry about it? I know I was because nothing personal on the people who enjoyed Ratatouille, But Persepolis is the better film here. But thats my own view.
I like some of the jokes in Family Guy, but it doesn't work as an animated sitcom because the plot is secondary to the jokes. It would work better as a 15-minute sketch show like Robot Chicken, both because they wouldn't need a plot at all, and also because they wouldn't need to pad for time.
The main reason why I happen to dislike Family guy is because its a similar note to what John K said about the show. Because REAL cartoonists cant get the work to change animation. Studios want to try to copy family guy and that just aggravates me because Seth in my own view isnt a cartoonist. He's just a bum who is doing animation as an excuse just for cash. Same goes for Robot Chicken.
The main reason why I happen to dislike Family guy is because its a similar note to what John K said about the show. Because REAL cartoonists cant get the work to change animation. Studios want to try to copy family guy and that just aggravates me because Seth in my own view isnt a cartoonist. He's just a bum who is doing animation as an excuse just for cash. Same goes for Robot Chicken.
Ehhhhh... As long as there's TV, there will always be popular, badly animated shows. Just look at the Flintstones. Is the fact that people want to make a cheap buck in Showbiz really shocking? It's incredibly hard to break through otherwise, but it is possible, and it does happen.
It really is all about the ratings....most of the time. Family guy's a weird case as it made it's return on DVD sales, and Fox cancelled it like twice yet it keeps coming back.
I have to admit I like the early seasons of Robot Chicken, but given their frequent descent into dick jokes and the like in recent seasons, my enjoyment has significantly decreased. Titan Maximum shows the creators still can be clever, they just choose not to be.
That link mentions that FOX won't accept any new animated series, but to be honest I don't see why anyone, whether they are animators or creators of live action television shows, would even consider pitching a new series to FOX.
They have a history of moving shows around so much that fans don't know when they are on, not advertising their shows properly, and then canceling them due to low ratings.
The other networks aren't much better. Corporations and art never seem to be able to coexist peacefully. Even when a show has been on the air for years, you always hear stories about the network wanting the show changed in some way. The internet is a much better venue for creative output.
Also, the fact of the matter is that in America, the general public tends to think: Animation=Cartoon=For Kids. Until we can remove that stigma, nothing's ever going to change.
Wow. I'm quite impressed with seeing everybody's opioions and tastes for animation. Even though I should have mentioned my tastes in the beginning, I like mostly 2D animation from Japan. But some American stuff is good to look at depending on what it is. Say has anyone seen Cats Dont Dance or Ferngully?
That link mentions that FOX won't accept any new animated series, but to be honest I don't see why anyone, whether they are animators or creators of live action television shows, would even consider pitching a new series to FOX.
I think that is what Leplaya was saying but in a different term I guess. Besides Fox's animation stuff is nearly the same recycled junk{expect for earlier simpsons episodes}. Although I remember the whole Fisaco of Family guy when it was new when people were telling it as a knock-off of the simpsons. There was even a video on youtube{before fox removed it for copyright issues} that had clips of some simpsons episodes along with clips from family guy that were similar to the matter.
Fergully is one of those movies I really enjoyed as a child, but now have a hard time watching because the plot is (to me at least) poorly constructed and ridiculous (It's not Black Cauldron bad though). However, I've sort of made a hobby of hurting myself with bad/silly movies and cartoons, so I've gone back to it every once in a while.
Cats Dont dance I have enjoyed, and heck its one of the few Non-Disney animated films thats actually enjoyable{I'm a sucker for Randy Newman's music }. Ferngully, I havent seen. But I remember it being mentioned quite alot from James Cameron's avatar ripping off a piece of the story from it.Now lets get on with the video games. Has anyone seen Adventures of Sonic or Sonic satam? I say they are both highly enjoyable while Sonic X can just screw itself.
Speaking of other animation has anyone seen films such as Secret of the kells or even stuff from japan? Oh and does anyone know when the heck Last days of coney island comes out or even dragon's lair?
I've ordered the DVD of Kells but I gotta wait for awhile for it to arrive. Now Last Days of Coney island (from what I have heard) is on hold but however the guy behind it is saying there might be a chance of it being finished someday. Anyways as for the dragon's lair movie...That has been in the planning stages since the game itself came out. Don should do a new video game if he wants the film made(hey it worked for ghostbusters didnt it?)
Speaking of other animation has anyone seen films such as Secret of the kells or even stuff from japan? Oh and does anyone know when the heck Last days of coney island comes out or even dragon's lair?
I've seen Secret of Kells. GORGEOUS design and animation, but the story was a bit lacking I think... And I'm pretty sure most everyone has seen something from Japan.
No, I'm commenting on the phrase: "Cats Dont dance I have enjoyed, and heck its one of the few Non-Disney animated films thats actually enjoyable.", which is just a weird comment to me.
Sonic SatAM is one of those shows from childhood that still manages to hold up fantastically (a lot of 90s cartoons are like that though, I've found). I actually re-watched it during my winter term and really enjoyed revisiting it. Of course, I enjoy the old Legend of Zelda cartoon as well, so I guess my tastes are a bit...odd.
Sonic SatAM is one of those shows from childhood that still manages to hold up fantastically (a lot of 90s cartoons are like that though, I've found). I actually re-watched it during my winter term and really enjoyed revisiting it. Of course, I enjoy the old Legend of Zelda cartoon as well, so I guess my tastes are a bit...odd.
Giant tope why do u think its weird that I said that? (should have said it earlier) I should tell you I like non-disney animation, but I hate it how everyone who doesnt even do the research think that films like cats don't dance are Disney films. When in real life they are not.
And Sonic satam is still a good show. But for zelda...Why the hell they even make that is way beyond me. Its an insult to the games in my own view.
I saw The Maxx mentioned in a Wikipedia article, and I decided to revisit it. All 13 episodes, 11 minutes long each without ads, are here. It really is excellent for TV animation. Stylish, intelligently written, powerfully atmospheric, dramatic, and funny. I really wish stuff like this could get on television more often than it ultimately does.
I wonder if someone from this forum goes to the same school I do, because in the animation lab yesterday one of the lunchbox screens had a sketchy, redone version of Curse of Monkey Island, from when he's picking up canon balls at the beginning. SPEAK UP, WHO WAS IT?
And so this post isn't meaningless I love this studio's short animations, specifically "Le Royaume" but the rest are also awesome. (watch out as some of them are risque!)
Just bumping this thread to say you guys should give Megamind a chance. I just watched it with my class expecting a flood of mediocrity like Monsters vs. Aliens was, but I actually enjoyed it A LOT. It was a very pleasant surprise. It's not loaded with annoying pop culture jokes, (in fact a lot of the jokes are actually funny and some of them made me roar with laughter which hasn't happened in years) and the characters have actual development and you might even feel something for them! And they totally blew my mind by nullifying one predictable plot twist that I was groaning at with another plot twist I wasn't expecting at all. It's like they knew what I was thinking.
I'm impressed, Dreamworks! Two good movies in one year?! They better keep this up.
Although I hate that they always need to put a
dance number at the end.
FFFFFFFF. Even Pixar does this with Toy Story 2 and 3! This needs to stop and it needs to stop now.
THE WRONG BLOCK, a new animated noir thriller from some of the guys behind Ugly Americans. The movie is still in production and no date has been set. It looks really impressive from the trailer and I hope this gets a release very soon.
Synopsis
Following the mysterious and tragic death of his partner, the city's top detective, Max Braddock, retires from the force and buries himself in the bottle.
Eleven years later, as he attempts to put the pieces of his life back together he discovers that the child he swore to protect that night, his partner’s son, has become the most feared criminal mastermind in the city. Drowning in guilt, Max fights his way out of purgatory and takes it upon himself to right the wrong he committed so many years ago...with this one last case.
The crumbling, urban blight is the battleground for this twisted, dark tale of redemption, courage, and sacrifice.
Sometimes, you have to go to war to escape your past...and Max Braddock is locked and loaded.
This is The Wrong Block.
And so this post isn't meaningless I love this studio's short animations, specifically "Le Royaume" but the rest are also awesome. (watch out as some of them are risque!)
Pssssst... Gobelins isn't a studio. It's a school.
...which makes their stuff even more impressive.
EDIT: And whoooooa my goodness, swedish_jedi, that thing you posted was AWESOME.
Comments
I liked All Dogs for the insincere, sleazy main characters. It was unique to see such low mains. I also liked that Dom Deluise had a bit of a different type of role. Instead of that dumb guy, he was that gripey, selfish guy. However, the orphan was ripped off from the Rescuers. As a Don Bluth fan even I will admit that. I think she even had the same voice actress.
Wait, what the hell? Why did I add Cat City 2 in that list? Cat City 2 sucks ass, don't watch it. Cat City 1 is all right though.
So I just got done watching Felidae. Um...holy fricking cat shit. This quote from the main character says it all.
"What I saw before me wasn't exactly a scene from the Aristocats."
I've never seen such a disturbing movie in my entire life. Ever. EVER. And I've seen a lot. You could imagine from the content of my jokes that I'm not easily shocked, but this movie did it every five seconds. I can now say I have seen it all. I haven't seen Human Centipede or Teeth, but I'd be willing to bet those movies are like Bambi compared to Felidae. When the title screen shows claws slice a red background behind the title, with a cat SCREAMING in the background, you know what you're in for.
It's basically, as I said, a whodunnit starring a cat, who is investigating serial murders of cats in his neighborhood. This main character is awesome; his brain is toe to toe with Sherlock Holmes (the original) and he puts most college professors to shame. He could probably catch Light Yagami before L, as convoluted as that kid's intelligence is. I will say this. This is a great murder mystery. It's atmospheric up the wazoo, with interesting characters, lots of clues, very Hitchcockian scenes, and a huge sense of menace and danger. Some of the camera work, I swear, is extremely well done, and there is some really dramatic camera work as well that feels mildly ahead of its time. The color palette was fantastic as well; very vibrant yet realistic. The action scenes actually feel dangerous; like the characters could be seriously horribly injured at any second. And there are so many twists and turns in this movie you never have time to breath; in fact I would say a big complaint of mine with this movie is that the pacing is a bit too fast.
Now for the motherload. This movie is gross. Incredibly gross. Holy shit is it gross. Decapitations. Disembowelments. Ritual suicides. Electrocution. Disturbing nightmares. Animal testing. Brains. Guts. Gore. What the hell? Did it need to be this disgusting? Why is it this disgusting? I guess this is based on a book so maybe they wanted to make a straight adaption but DAMN. It's as sick as a green moldy bloody piss. Yet it all gives the impression that the killer is a madman; a sick disturbed freak who has to be stopped at any cost. The reveal of the culprit is surprising and dramatic; I didn't see it coming at all. In fact I didn't see a lot of what happens in this movie coming. Except for the scene where two cats have sex. I wish I was joking. I wish I could erase that image from my head. I wish I could have been murdered by a cat before I saw that awful tasteless disgusting smutty scene. What were they thinking? The movie was an interesting, if not grotesque, horror murder mystery up til then. This movie is somewhat tasteless. It tells a great story and it has good atmosphere, but it gets really pointlessly vulgar. I will admit, some of the talk about sex does tie into the plot and is needed. But not the damn sex scene. Damn it what can erase that from my head. Just....damn...couldn't they have cut away before they finished. Damn. Maybe I'm complaining too much about a natural act, you say, but no there was nothing natural about this. Cats don't scream when they orgasm, do they? Why the hell would anyone need to see this extra scene? Who would be into that? I need a drink.
So yeah, Felidae. Watch it if you want a great murder mystery with some fantastic animation, but be warned. There is some screwed up stuff in this film. If you get sick easily, or offended easily, do not watch this movie. Ever. But if you think you can handle it, go for it. It actually is worth watching, outside of that damn sex scene. Some people have said "it's not sex its mating". It's nasty cat sex. Moving on.
Fievel is an annoying chaarcter. In the beginning. And because of a twisted trick he pulls, he suffers some serious consequences, and grows to be better for it. That's why I like him and consider him a great character. Although in AAT 2 they completely reverse it, just so they can do it all over again. I still like AAT 2 but did they really have to do that? Sigh. I don't know.
The mention of Family Guy brings up one point I dislike about many animated projects: they often go for cartoony sounding voices, and it comes off sounding forced and difficult to listen to. Chris Griffin from Family Guy fits this description (the character could have worked well enough with Seth Green's normal voice), as does Ron from Kim Possible (which is a shame since I loved Will Friedle's voice work in Batman Beyond), Kuki from The Kids Next Door (again a shame, since I love Lauren Tom's voice work in Futurama and King of the Hill), and countless others.
And as I said earlier in the thread, the book is actually worse! The movie skips one of Francis' nightmares, and a lot of the stuff involving Preterius. (which is a diary in the book) It's actually one of my favourite books, because the author (Akif Pirincci) has clearly studied cat behaviour before writing it, (unlike Erin Hunter) in much the same way as Richard Adams used Locksley's 'The Private Life of the Rabbit' for reference when writing Watership Down, the author of Felidae uses Desmond Morris' 'Catwatching'. Watership Down shows that bunnies aren't just cute and fluffy, Felidae does the same for cats.
Yes, they do. It's actually a pretty accurate depiction as well. Tomcats will always seize the female by the scruff when mating to stop the female from attacking them, (big cats like lions and tigers do the same) and the females hiss and spit and scream. There is a reason for this, but it's pretty gross, so let's just say 'it's normal for cats'. And if you're wondering why I know such a disturbing amount about cat sex, it's because I've got a copy of 'Catwatching' as well. It's an awesome book if you own a cat because it explains all sorts of things like why cats eat grass, why they spend so much time grooming and where the phrases 'not enough room to swing a cat' originates from.
Anyway, the book is awesome, and I do recommend it, if you can find it. It's actually the first book in a series, but only the first two have been translated into English, and the second one isn't as good as the first. (no idea about the rest since I can't read German) I prefer the book to the movie, but I ALWAYS prefer the book to the movie so no surprise there, but this is one of the few cases where I actually like the movie adaptation because it's pretty faithful. (unlike Secret of Nimh, which I would have liked a lot more if I hadn't read the book beforehand)
It might just be me, but I like An American Tail 2 much more than the original. I just like the villain better, probably because he's John Cleese.
Is it weird that this just makes me want to watch this movie? Even though I'm a total wuss when it comes to scary stuff (...couldn't even watch the creepy pasta video without turning the sound off...)?
Maybe I'll wait until I don't have to sleep for a few days...
Is it bad that I really, really want to make a Mameshiba version of this? "Did you know? Lady cats scream during sex" Though I guess that Mameshiba is disturbing enough to begin with...
The two movies tie for me as my favorite movies of all time. I don't like how they reused Fievel's character development; I only realized they did this last night and it's seriously made me rethink the film, but there is so much to like about the second American Tail. Fievel becomes a hero. Jimmy Stewart; especially the speech he gives at the end, which gives me chills. The action is fun; the soundtrack is FANTASTIC. And yes, John Cleese is a ton of fun as Cat R. Waul. I also love that Tanya floors the villain with her singing; that's fun to watch. In fact Tanya was a much more fun character in this film; and Tiger was hilarious. I still missed Tony, even if he got a cameo. That wasn't nearly enough for me. In fact that's the best way to describe this movie: fun.
Fun fact: The voice actress for Tony played Miranda the reporter in Full Throttle.
I think the book has been out of print for quite a while, and I don't know if it was ever published in the US. I checked on Amazon UK, and secondhand copies are selling for as little as 1 pence, (seller makes their money through shipping) so you could look into getting it from there. Amazon US logins work on Amazon UK, shipping just costs more than it would for an Amazon UK customer. ETA: Now that I look at it, you would have to get the book from a third-party seller, I'm not sure if they'll ship to the US. Worth a try though, as long as they don't charge you the earth for shipping.
Now that I think about it, that's probably why I prefer the second movie, the first one is very much all about Fievel, but in the sequel the other characters get their chance to shine too.
That explains why I always thought her voice sounded familiar! And now I know! (it's half the battle)
I havent seen triplets of Belleville, but I have seen Persepolis, although not for a long time though. I remember enjoying it though. I remember that my older brother was a bit aggravated that the fact that this lost at the animation awards due to Pixar's Ratatouille. Seeing how Persepolis was animated by the french{yes french animators} does anyone know if the animators or anyone who worked on that film were angry about it? I know I was because nothing personal on the people who enjoyed Ratatouille, But Persepolis is the better film here. But thats my own view.
The main reason why I happen to dislike Family guy is because its a similar note to what John K said about the show. Because REAL cartoonists cant get the work to change animation. Studios want to try to copy family guy and that just aggravates me because Seth in my own view isnt a cartoonist. He's just a bum who is doing animation as an excuse just for cash. Same goes for Robot Chicken.
Ehhhhh... As long as there's TV, there will always be popular, badly animated shows. Just look at the Flintstones. Is the fact that people want to make a cheap buck in Showbiz really shocking? It's incredibly hard to break through otherwise, but it is possible, and it does happen.
I have to admit I like the early seasons of Robot Chicken, but given their frequent descent into dick jokes and the like in recent seasons, my enjoyment has significantly decreased. Titan Maximum shows the creators still can be clever, they just choose not to be.
They have a history of moving shows around so much that fans don't know when they are on, not advertising their shows properly, and then canceling them due to low ratings.
The other networks aren't much better. Corporations and art never seem to be able to coexist peacefully. Even when a show has been on the air for years, you always hear stories about the network wanting the show changed in some way. The internet is a much better venue for creative output.
also yes.
I think that is what Leplaya was saying but in a different term I guess. Besides Fox's animation stuff is nearly the same recycled junk{expect for earlier simpsons episodes}. Although I remember the whole Fisaco of Family guy when it was new when people were telling it as a knock-off of the simpsons. There was even a video on youtube{before fox removed it for copyright issues} that had clips of some simpsons episodes along with clips from family guy that were similar to the matter.
FernGully was pretty much my favorite movie (besides Land before Time) when I was a kid.
what?
I've seen Secret of Kells. GORGEOUS design and animation, but the story was a bit lacking I think... And I'm pretty sure most everyone has seen something from Japan.
No, I mean, is anything not Disney really that enjoyable to you?
And I love animated movies, like Toy Story and the likes.
And Sonic satam is still a good show. But for zelda...Why the hell they even make that is way beyond me. Its an insult to the games in my own view.
also on the subject of animation, i just watched a anime film (hint: its professor layton) and it was really good.
And so this post isn't meaningless I love this studio's short animations, specifically "Le Royaume" but the rest are also awesome. (watch out as some of them are risque!)
Oh, and http://www.cracked.com/article_18516_the-6-most-psychotic-rip-offs-famous-animated-films_p1.html
I'm impressed, Dreamworks! Two good movies in one year?! They better keep this up.
Although I hate that they always need to put a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26E4Zo9W4K4
THE WRONG BLOCK, a new animated noir thriller from some of the guys behind Ugly Americans. The movie is still in production and no date has been set. It looks really impressive from the trailer and I hope this gets a release very soon.
Synopsis
Pssssst... Gobelins isn't a studio. It's a school.
...which makes their stuff even more impressive.
EDIT: And whoooooa my goodness, swedish_jedi, that thing you posted was AWESOME.