Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Tintin Goes Photo Realisitc

So it looks like Tintin, one of the more famous comic book characters of the last six or seven decades, will get the photo-realistic treatment on the big screen rather than the hand-drawn treatment:

STEVEN Spielberg and Peter Jackson are to join forces to direct and produce a series of three-films based on the beloved Belgian comic-strip hero Tintin.

Entertainment journal Daily Variety reports that the legendary film-makers would direct at least one of the films each, and serve as producers on all three...

From the stories, it appears as though Weta in New Zealand will be the principal studio making these films. Of course, there's three features, so maybe one gets produced stateside? Like maybe at DreamWorks Animation's Glendale campus?

Regardless , animation is a global enterprise -- have a Imentioned this? And the more product that gets made, the better for everybody.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is sad news to me, very sad. Motion capture cartoony looking photorealistic characters?
these guys are going to ruin Tin Tin. It would make a great 2D feature becasue those characters were designed for 2D, if you try to translate them into 3D and worst of all photo-real 3D, they'd lose all their appeal and look ugly as hell. not to mention the poor animation that you get from mo-cap, I thought Polar Express tought Zemekis and Spielberg a lesson, but it seems that I was wrong.

With all the respect I have for Peter Jackson, I think he should leave animatin alone and make live-action movies. everytime I hear an animated-feature director talking about the pores on the skin and how realistic and wonderful the cloth is going to be, I just know the film is going to be another depressing uncanny valley of effects.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me the 3D 'Polar Express' argument needs an update... MoCap is simply getting better and better...'Happy Feet' and 'Monster House' are a better representation of the technique. Spielberg and Zemeckis have always been trusted and inovative film makers...don't expect them to do anything but move the medium forward.

Anonymous said...

...same guy again...I know it's "innovative"...oops. Just when I think I can work without spell check.

Anonymous said...

MoCap, schmocap! Does anyone really think that apart from cartoon fanboys, the average American will even go see a movie about a French comic character he's never even heard of?

Anonymous said...

mocap is not the whole issue here. Tin Tin simply is not suited for 3D, it would make a great 2d feature but those characters would look aweful if you try to make them photo real. its just wrong.

and well, mo-caped human will look creepy, no matter how developed your hardware and software.

the avrange american may not know about tin tin but the it is a beloved character for the worldwide audience, europe, south america, australia, japan, it's a big market

David Germain said...

Why don't they just shoot it live action if they're going for photo-realism? Of course which of those two techniques is a better way to ruin a cartoon character: Mo-Cap or Live Action? Well, we've found out that live action ruins Popeye, Mr. Magoo, George of the Jungle, Dudley Doright, and Inspector Gadget. Now we'll see how much damage Mo-Cap can do.

Anonymous said...

David, in your profile you list "Roger Rabbit" as one of your favorite films, (on my list as well). Don't you trust Spielberg (Exec. Producer of "Roger") to take a shot at this material?

Anonymous said...

as far as I know, Spielberg wasn't involved in Roger Rabbit much, even Zemekcis was only a formality, Roger Rabbit was Dick Williams film.

Anonymous said...

"Zemekcis was only a formality, Roger Rabbit was Dick Williams film."

Really?! Wow, I bet Zemeckis and Williams would like to know where you 'hear' your info from.

Anonymous said...

"Zemekcis was only a formality, Roger Rabbit was Dick Williams film."

Yes, Zemeckis put an incredible amount of time and energy in to "Roger". Talk to people involved and they will tell you it was his vision and dedication that kept that train moving forward...period, end of story . Really, an odd accusation.

Anonymous said...

I always thought Tintin was going to be live-action. There are quotes out there from Herge (I'll leave you to find them) that he envisioned a Tintin film that way. This is very disappointing news.

"Pores on their skin"? "Each individual hair"? Why bother?

Anonymous said...

"Spielberg and Zemeckis have always been trusted and inovative film makers...don't expect them to do anything but move the medium forward."

They'll move the medium forward, that's for sure. Too bad animation and mo-cap are two sepparate media.

Do mocap artists have a guild too?..

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