#animated films released in 2004
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#polls#animated films released in 2004#teacher’s pet#clifford’s really big movie#home on the range#shrek 2#shark tale#the incredibles#the polar express#the spongebob squarepants movie#disneytoon studios#warner bros#walt disney animation studios#dreamworks#castle rock entertainment#nickelodeon movies
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𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔦𝔞𝔫 - 𝔚𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔴𝔬𝔩𝔳𝔢𝔰 ℭ𝔲𝔯𝔰𝔢
#Mortician#Re-Animated Dead Flesh#Werewolves Curse#Release date:#October 2004#Full-length#Genre:#Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore#Themes:#Horror films#Gore#USA
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Junior Senior - Move Your Feet
2002
"Move Your Feet" is a song by Danish pop duo Junior Senior from their debut studio album, D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat (2002). The song, originally released in June 2002 in the duo's native Denmark, was issued worldwide in 2003 and became Junior Senior's biggest hit, reaching #4 in Denmark, #3 in the UK, #10 in Ireland, and #20 in Australia. In 2013, the song re-entered the French Singles Chart at #11.
The song was accompanied by an animated music video by British art collective Shynola, using low-resolution (90×72) pixel art produced using Deluxe Paint. The video features animated characters of the members of Junior Senior, dancing figures, and personified inanimate objects.
The second single, "Rhythm Bandits", was featured on the soundtrack for FIFA 2004, while the third single, "Shake Your Coconuts", can be found on the Looney Tunes: Back in Action soundtrack alongside "Move Your Feet", and as background menu music in the video game Worms 3D. The song "Good Girl, Bad Boy" can be heard in the film She's the Man when Viola arrives at the private school masquerading as her brother.
"Move Your Feet" was also featured in the 2004 comedy film White Chicks and the 2008 comedy film Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
"Move Your Feet" received a total of 82,6% yes votes!
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Bulgarian Music in Studio Ghibli films
”Myth has it that Orpheus was born in what is now Bulgaria. It seemed to be fact, not myth, that his daughters are still singing there”
These words were written by the New York Times in the remote 1963 — the year in which the largest Bulgarian folk ensemble crossed the Iron Curtain to conquer an entire continent with its cosmic art.
The 1975 release of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, a compilation album of modern arrangements of Bulgarian folk songs, further popularized Bulgarian music, and in 1977, a vinyl record featuring the folk song “Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin” (Eng: Come out rebel Delyo) began its journey aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts.
From this point on popularity from the West spread to the East, and Bulgarian folk music made it to the entertainment industry, including legendary Japanese anime films, like the cult cyberpunk “Ghost in the Shell” or the heartwarming Studio Ghibli features.
In this short article I write about two occasions of Bulgarian music playing in Studio Ghibli’s films.
The record that inspired the creation of “Only Yesterday”
“Only Yesterday” is a 1991 Japanese animated drama film written and directed by Isao Takahata, based on the 1982 manga of the same title by Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone. Set in rural Japan, the film draws parallels with the peasant lifestyle present in Eastern Europe.
The original work is a compilation of short stories about 11-year-old Taeko’s daily life in 1966. Director Takahata had a hard time making it into a movie since the manga, told in the form of a memoir, has no plot to hold a feature. Together with producer Toshio Suzuki, they came up with the solution of bringing the narrator of the story, adult Taeko, into the movie. But there is a curious anecdote about how this idea came to mind.
Taeko picks safflower as the Bulgarian song “Malka moma dvori mete” plays in the background. © Studio Ghibli
In a 2021 interview with students from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, producer Suzuki recounts how a record of Bulgarian songs performed by the children choir “Bodra Smyana”, introduced to him by director Takahata, inspired the creation of the movie. Moved by the cosmic voices of the children, they decided to make “Only Yesterday” a musical. He also recalls what a tiring process it was to acquire the rights to the music, but if you’ve seen the movie, I am sure you will agree that it was worth it; the haunting, beautiful songs with the pastoral images of farmers picking flowers contribute to one of the greatest scenes created in cinema.
Producer Suzuki showing the record that inspired the creation of ”Only Yesterday”. Source: Studio Ghibli’s Twitter
In “Only Yesterday”, we can hear two songs from the album Bulgarian Polyphony I by Philip Koutev Ensemble. The upbeat “Dilmano Dilbero” [Eng. beautiful Dilmana] sets a happy mood as the protagonist gets changed and ready to go on the field. As the scene shifts and Taeko starts narrating a sad story about the girls in the past picking safflower with their bare hands, the song and mood shift as well.
While the first song has a fast rhythm, with lyrics about pepper planting that can also be interpreted figuratively, the second one, “Malka Moma Dvori Mete” [Eng., a little girl sweeps the yard], is a ballad about a young girl who is forced into marriage but has never known true love.
Both compositions sing about life-cycle events like marriage and the regular coming of the harvests, with lyrics perfectly fitting the setting and plot of the movie, which makes me wonder if the filmmakers chose them by chance or if they had someone translate the words.
Bulgarian Cosmic Voices Enchanting Howl
“Howl’s Moving Castle” is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, loosely based on the 1986 novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Set in a fictional kingdom the movie draws inspiration from various places in Europe. One of them being Bulgaria.
The story focuses on a young girl, named Sophie, magically transformed into an old woman, and a self-confident but emotionally unstable young wizard, Howl, living in a magical moving castle.
A sketch of a Star Child. Source: The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle
If you’ve seen the movie, you surely remember the scene when Madame Suliman ambushes Howl and tries to strip him of his magic powers. Star Children encircle him and his companions; their shadows grow big, dark and intimidating. They start dancing and chanting unintelligible magic words and are almost successful in their devilish act.
This scene, together with the music played in the background, have been a favourite of many fans of the film. Some even recount it giving them nightmares when they were children.
Star Children encircle Howl in an attempt to strip him of his magic powers. © Studio Ghibli
It turns out, however, that these aren’t any incantations, but the lyrics of a folk song. In Bulgarian. And a love song! Contrary to popular belief, the lyrics have nothing to do with magic and are actually about a boy taking his sweetheart, Dona, to the market to buy her new clothes. The excerpt used in the movie is very short and a bit altered from the original, but the words used go like this: Trendafilcheto, kalafercheto, Done mamino, translated as “the rose, the costmary, my darling Dona”.
I am planing a follow up article where I will post the translated lyrics together with a brief explanation on how they are related to the movies.
If you want to comment on or add something, I would love to hear!
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#studio ghibli#only yesterday#howls moving castle#Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares#bulgarian folklore#bulgaria#toshio suzuki#hayao miyazaki#isao takahata#bulgarian music in ghibli films#the boy and the heron#スタジオジブリ#ブルガリア#おもひでぽろぽろ#ハウルの動く城#宮崎駿#高畑勲#鈴木敏夫#bulgarian music
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A Different Beast
Beast Wrestler (ビースト・ウォリアーズ "Beast Warriors") was one of the first monster fighting games. Released in 1991 for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, it is notable for its unique style and concept.
Yasushi Nirasawa was the man responsible designing the game's monsters, dubbed Dragon Warriors. Nirawasa's designs have appeared in various Tokusatsu productions such as Kamen Rider, but perhaps his most famous would be the 2004 redesign of Gigan for Godzilla Final Wars (He was also responsible for the Xilien designs in the film as well).
Back in 1991, Nirasawa was primarily known for his sculptures and models featured in, and on the covers of Hobby Japan. The box art for Beast Wrestler showcases his work. The image was prominently used in the print advertising.
The Dragon Warriors all quite varied, ranging from humanoid animals to an ooze. Some with various levels of cybernetics and some had truly chimeric designs.
Instead of randomized fights each match of the Tournament is fixed. The player is the "ruler" of a ENTSLL 2019 Dragon Warrior and starts at the bottom of the Domestic Rank to work up to the top of the World Rank.
Yasushi Nirasawa did a six-page comic that was in the instruction manual for the Japanese version of the game. It gives a look at the world where genetically engineered 10 meter tall monsters battle in the arena.
Aside from the designs and the setting, the other defining feature of the game is the concept of combining your Dragon Warrior with a vanquished opponent.
The first time, the player gets two options for combining. This sets up two different paths for completing the World Rank. Based on this decision, a different Dragon Warrior is used in each path to combine for a second form.
While there is much to appreciate about the concept and designs, the gameplay is a shortcoming. The hit boxes don't correspond well and fights are slow. There are some loops and exploits that help with the difficulty, but that doesn't lead to a satisfying victory.
The game also has a Match mode for a fight against the computer or another player, using some of the Domestic and World Rank fighters. Unfortunately, this mode is also is subject to the same issues and the Dragon Warriors are very unbalanced.
It would be fun to see this game made today with modern game technology and design. Yasushi Nirasawa's detailed creations could really come to life. Also, it would be great to see more and varied combinations of beasts.
With a little more time and polish, Beast Wrestler could have been a cult game. Instead, it's an interesting obscurity.
#beast wrestler#yasushi nirasawa#video games#sega genesis#mega drive#renovation products#telenet#ビースト・ウォリアーズ#韮沢靖#日本テレネット
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Rewatched Princess and the Frog today and honestly it feels more like a celebration of Disney's 100 years than Wish. A classic fairy tale respun in interesting ways while still being undeniably Disney? Check. A traditional story with modern twists and a (narratively) strong female protagonist? Check. A return to 2D animation in a time when the medium was dying out? Check. Hell, it even takes place in the same time period (1920s) that Walt Disney released the first animated feature film and started a hundred years of magic. There are multiple references to older Disney movies, from classics like Pinocchio and Sword in the Stone to (then) recent films like Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. It features the fucking wishing star! In a more narratively sound manner than Disney's actual 100th year celebration!
And even beyond that, Princess and the Frog feels like it pays tribute to the magic of magic - the power of believing in stories, of having a dream, of working hard to reach your happy ending while never losing sight of what's really important. There is so much effort put into this movie and it shows: the animation is gorgeous, the story is creative and structurally sound, and behind the scenes reveals that the producers put their backs into making sure both the African American aspect and the New Orleans cultural aspect were accurately depicted. It was the first Disney movie in over a decade to return to the Broadway musical format, and they literally had to dust off the abandoned 2D art tools because the company hadn't used them since 2004.
Princess and the Frog was a labor of love through and through, a heartfelt tip of the hat to Disney's legacy while still being its own story. I don't know what could be more celebratory of Walt Disney's dream than that.
#i admittedly haven't seen wish yet so i feel a little hypocritical complaining about it#but i have Not been hearing good things about it and i trust the youtubers on this one#years of cross referencing other people's reviews with my own thoughts has taught me how to sense#when the masses are right and when they're talking shit#and when it comes to wish i think it really is just a corporate-controlled mehburger :/#anyway please rewatch princess and the frog it is SOOOOOO GOOD#i really couldn't ask for a more perfect movie#might make another post talking about it because it needs way more appreciation that it gets#it's the movie that killed disney's 2d animation era#but it was so worth it just for the movie to exist#princess and the frog#wish 2023#analysis#sage speaketh
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David Tennant's Obscure Performances: Sweetnightgoodheart and its time traveling release date(s)
Heya all you David Tennant fans! I'm back with a small thread about a 2001 short film which David starred in called Sweetnightgoodheart (hereafter called SNGH).
SNGH was 9:16 in length. It was written and directed by Dan Zeff and produced by Litmus Productions in association with Bliss.com films for BBC Films. Its original title was Sweetnight Goodheart (with the two words separated) but somewhere along the way, the words were connected.
More about the title, this time from the BFI: "This entertaining short film takes a lighthearted look at the anxiety of modern relationships. The mix up of the title - a play on the familiar WWII song 'Goodnight Sweetheart' - highlights the confusion and miscommunication that is the film's premise."
Now, although I just said it was released in 2001.....if you look at the IMDb entry above very closely, I'm sure you've noticed it says 2005.
This, my friends, is wrong. And I'm about to prove it.
According to the British Film Institute, SNGH was one of the short films which made its premiere in August of 2001 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It was a nominee for Short Films. It also screened at the 45th Regus London Film Festival as part of their Urbania Shorts slot in November of 2001, and was a nominee for Short Cuts & Animation.
Sooooo.....unless David and everyone involved with the project are all time travelers and they somehow filmed the short in 2005 but took it back to 2001 to show at the festivals?....well, you get the picture.
After SNGH's premiere at the two festivals, it was sold to HBO and Cinemax. It was broadcast in the USA (and yes, you read that right!) on Cinemax beginning in August of 2002. It was shown every couple of months or so until July of 2004. It was first aired on HBO beginning in March of 2003 and was broadcast intermittently until June of 2004. Judging by the broadcast listings, it appears both networks used it as short "filler" material in between their full-length movie offerings. And after those two stopped airing it, PBS in the USA then aired it as part of its Imagemakers series in September of 2005. Here are some newspaper blurbs (with the newpaper titles and dates above them) to prove these broadcasts occurred:
Further proof? On Valentine's Day of 2009, the BFI screened SNGH with its other main features. That screening's entry for the short also says it was released in 2001.
I wanted to find out why IMDb would say 2005, so I poked around a bit. Oddly, its release date information specifies "Hungary" (okaaay?), while sources elsewhere have the 2005 date noted as the date of its "world premiere". The Hungary release date might well be accurate, but I'm not sure exactly what world premiere means...besides, it's obviously an error (since we've already shown it aired in the US in 2002 through 2004). So I think we can safely cross out 2005, don't you?
But ohhhh, we're not yet done on the dates, because some sources also give a release date of 2003! This date, however, is much easier to explain. The 2003 date originates from its initial broadcast on BBC2. It aired as a part of a 50-minute program called Ways To Leave Your Lover (hereafter called WTLYL) at 11:20 pm on 25 March 2003. WTLYL featured five 10-minute short films with a common thread - the end of love. in addition to SNGH, the other four films were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine.
So...now that we've taken care of the date mix-up, let's get into the short itself!
SNGH starred David as Pete, and Kate Ashfield - who he would also go on to star with in a 2002 audio drama called The Island and in 2005's Secret Smile - as Juliet. It also starred Diana Hardcastle as Anthea, Cliff Parisi as Colman, and Thusitha Jayasundera as Yasmin. Here is the archived BBC press release for WTLYL before it was aired.
And the plot? Well, if you haven't yet seen SNGH here's a great plot synopsis which might intrigue you enough to chase it down. It's from the 23 March 2003 edition of the Sunday Times: "Dan Zeff's cautionary tale Sweetnightgoodheart observes [how] David Tennant's attempts to ditch his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) spiral out of control." And from the
Here are also a couple of photos!
And while we're at it, here are a number of short summaries - and one longer article from the Evening Standard which includes a photo! - which appeared in various newspapers when WTLYL aired in 2003:
During my research into the origins of SNGH, I've seen the BBC series it featured in variably titled as Ways To Leave Your Lover, and Eight Ways To Leave Your Lover. This discrepancy appears both in print and on the CVs of various actors and crew involved with the project (here's an example). While not confirmed, my belief is Eight Ways to Leave Your Lover was a working title. Five films aired on the program, but I've found an additional two which didn't (which makes me think there was a third whose title I have not been able to ascertain). I believe that at some point in the process, a decision was made to remove three of the films originally scheduled to air, and the name was changed accordingly.
in addition to SNGH, the other four films aired during WTLYL were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine. I didn't find places to watch most of them, but you can see Dog and Dumping Elaine at the links I've provided. Here's what I know about them:
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Stag - written by Ian Iqbal Rashid and starring Stuart Laing and Nitin Ganatra: a bridegroom wakes up on the morning of his wedding in bed with the best man.
Dog - written by Andrea Arnold and starring Joanne Hill, Freddie Cunliffe and Veronica Valentine: a fifteen year-old girl finds the will to stand up for herself when she witnesses a disturbing and violent incident.
Unscrew - written by Clara Glynn and starring Douglas Henshall and Emma Fielding: a surreal short about a guy whose girlfriend unscrews his penis and takes it with her when they begin separating their belongings after their breakup.
Dumping Elaine - written by Peter Lydon and starring Susan Lynch, Matthew Delamere and Dido Miles: waitresses play Cupid.
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SNGH is archived at the BFI on VHS and Beta, and in two master forms (16mm/35mm). You can see it there, but I'll save you a trip: while a 4.35G digital copy was made off the master, there's no access to it. The viewing copy MP4 is only 305MB.
If you've read this far, you're probably wondering how you can see it. There are plenty of ways! If you are a registered BFI Screenonline user - and registration is free for users in UK libraries, colleges and universities - you can watch it here (and perhaps download it, though I'm given to understand it's only available for download during certain times). It's also floating around the webs in various forms and qualities on Vimeo, Dailymotion, FilmNow, etc. All of these aren't the greatest of quality, but it's the best we've got. Ah, for a better quality video file taken off the master copy!
But I'd recommend watching it at Dan Zeff's own website.
And that's it for Sweetnightgoodheart. I hope you've enjoyed reading about it as much as I have writing and researching it!
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The Legend of the Holiday 5 is a 2004 computer animated CGI movie, written and directed by the Holiday 5. Released in 2004 it is the first Computer Generated film to be animated by the Holiday 5 who directed and released the movie in Theatres in 2004. Starring the Holiday 5 the film centered on the Legend of the Holiday 5, a story about how they worked together in to write and direct the movie the Holiday 5, and how they worked together to release the 2004 movie The Legend of the Holiday 5.
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10 Great Horror and Sci-Fi TV Shows You Can Stream For Free on Tubi
Farscape: The cult-beloved sci-fi series about a ragtag crew aboard a living spaceship had the magic of the Jim Henson Company helping bring its alien and robot characters to life. An Australian-American co-production, it hit U.S. airwaves on what what then called the Sci-Fi Channel in 1999; it was cancelled in 2002 but a 2004 miniseries directed by Brian Henson helped soothe the series’ abrupt ending. Watch seasons 1-4 on Tubi, as well as Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.
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Red Dwarf: The cult-beloved theme continues with Red Dwarf, a long-running British comedy about the last human in existence and his companions (holographic, AI, creature, android, and otherwise) aboard a drifting mining ship. It first aired in 1988 and Tubi has all 12 seasons (including three-part 2009 special Back to Earth), though completists will need to look elsewhere for 2020 special Red Dwarf: The Promised Land. Watch seasons 1-12 on Tubi.
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Babylon 5: Yes, it’s another title with a passionate fan following: J. Michael Straczynski’s 1990s sci-fi saga that aired first on the now-defunct Prime Time Entertainment Network before shifting to TNT. Named for the space station where its 23rd century action takes place, Babylon 5 spawned a franchise that’s still going—including several made-for-TV movies and a direct-to-video animated film released just last year, something to keep in mind if you get hooked watching the 110 episodes that make up the series itself. Watch seasons 1-5 on Tubi.
#Farscape#babylon 5#favorite shows#science fiction that changed me forever#good good#yes good#delenn
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Nobody asked but over the last couple of days I decided to listen through every mainline Skinny Puppy album (all formal LPs + Remission which is for some reason considered an EP, never fully understood that) from beginning to end in order of release. I've listened to all these albums 5 billion times and know them more or less by heart but it occurred to me after the last show that I don't know if I've ever done this.
After each album I wrote a little Twitter-sized review of it and highlighted a few standout songs. This is, of course, because I originally did this on Twitter. It was a really fun little post-concert activity so I figured I would share it here too.
Maybe even a good introduction if I still have any followers putting off checking them out...? 👀
Remission (1984). The one that started it all. Kind of. Simpler than the rest maybe but still so iconic. “Far Too Frail” continues to be my favorite, hearing it live for one of the encores blew my mind. “Film” as the encore opener also brought tears to my eyes.
Bites (1985). Still simpler than later outputs but also still a classic. Has a ton of really underrated instrumental-heavy/atmospheric tracks, and “The Choke” and “Last Call” are perfect songs. “Assimilate” is legendary but unfortunately gets hardcore overplayed lol.
Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse (1986). The addition of DRG is palpable. SP starts coming into their own and sounding less like a Cabaret Voltaire tribute band. Lol. Moodier, more complex, and lush with dark soundscapes. “God’s Gift (Maggot)” is one of the best.
Cleanse Fold and Manipulate (1987). From the first beat of “First Aid” onwards, this is one of THEE quintessential Skinny Puppy albums. IMO the real start of their “golden era.” Contains some of my favorite songs of ALL time. “Addiction” is easily a no contest top 5 SP track.
VIVI SECT VI (1988). One of the greatest. Noxious war zones, sterile hospitals, choking, burning, cold clanging cages in animal laboratories. One of the darkest, most nightmarishly psychedelic, heaviest, absolutely masterfully crafted albums. “VX Gas Attack” remains unparalleled.
Rabies (1989). Hi Al. This album just oozes sex appeal. I never get tired of it. It has a deranged masculine militaristic machine gun energy unlike anything else. I’ll never tire of “Hexonxonx,” “Worlock,” or “Tin Omen.” And ending on the dreamy delirious “Spahn Dirge”… Goddamn.
Too Dark Park (1990). A lot of people call this one THE supreme SP album. It’s legendary. Pure unadulterated Skinny Puppy. Sounds like home. An endless barrage of chaos and stormy monstrous polluted amorphous landscapes. “Grave Wisdom” is an all time favorite ever.
Last Rights (1992). The most utterly mindblowing devastating masterpiece of an album maybe ever made. The cohesiveness of the themes, sounds, lyrics, imagery—pure art. It’s a terrifying and desolate hellscape. Flung into sonic Knowhere. “Mirror Saw” is pure perfect transcendence.
The Process (1996). I have some trouble with this album—It can just make me very sad. You can both feel and hear the devastating loss. Barren and hopeless. Still, it’s TEEMING with absolutely rocking, heavy, guttural bangers. “Cult,” “Blue Serge,” and “Curcible” stand out.
The Greater Wrong of the Right (2004). A personal fave. Forever enthralled by the dreary smoking futuristic cityscapes painted by the various textures across each track. An epic journey through destruction of civilization and the mind. “Goneja” is an easy top 5 SP song for me.
Mythmaker (2007). Used to struggle with it, was even my least favorite, but it’s grown on me and I love it. A high octane reality-bending journey through alien dimensions and human mythos. If Ogre’s alien Other belonged to an album it’d be this one. I adore “Dal” and “Pedafly.”
HanDover (2011). Grossly underrated and constantly written off, I ADORE this album. It captures a sort of dreamlike melancholic sharp surrealism unmatched by anything else, like rain falling softly atop a rusting metallic dystopia. “Gambatte” is a stand-out forever favorite.
Weapon (2013). A fitting end. Nostalgic familiarity rejuvenated with sharp crispness. This one taps deep into my imagination; post-apocalyptic fantastical mechanical wastelands haunted by ghosts of the past. “Plasicage” is an all-time fave, and I love the reimagined “Solvent.”
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Tarzan (1999)
It's hard to define sometimes where the end of the Disney Renaissance period from the late 80s through the 90s is. After the release of The Lion King, the 2D animated features steadily made less money and critical acclaim became more mixed. There was a sea change occurring thanks to more competition from companies like DreamWorks and Warner Bros., as well as the advent of the computer. For me, the dividing line is 1999's Tarzan, mostly because it's after this point that we get to what I and others call the 2000-2004 "experimental" age with films like The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo & Stitch, and Treasure Planet. But Tarzan has much in common with those films, representing a step away from the Broadway musical traditions and into a new, intriguing arena of animation storytelling. It's genuinely one of my favorite Disney films to revisit, and I hope this review helps explain why.
The story takes Edgar Rice Burroughs' initial novel Tarzan of the Apes as a guideline more than an actual adaptation, namely ditching concerns about nobility wealth inheritance and unflattering black African caricatures (the spinoff TV series would deal with the latter in trying to be, uh, less problematic about such). We pick up with Ye Olde Dramatically Convenient Boat Wreckage in a truly commanding opening sequence set to Phil Collins' anthemic Two Worlds. Tarzan's unnamed parents land in Africa and are put in parallel to gorillas Kala (Glenn Close, at the time coming off a very different performance for Disney as live action Cruella De Vil) and Kerchak (Lance Henriksen). Tragedy strikes for both families, and where one loses his parents, another gains a son. But Tarzan (Alex D. Linz as a child, Tony Goldwyn as an adult) grows up knowing he is "different", desperate to prove himself as an ape and belong. He seems to find an equilibrium, becoming best friends with Terk (Rosie O'Donnell) and Tantor (Wayne Knight at his most nebbishy), and even managing to vanquish Sabor, but then strangers arrive. Strangers who look like him, in the form of British scientist Archimedes Porter (Nigel Hawthorne), his daughter Jane (Minnie Driver), and their guide Clayton (BRIAN BLESSED). Now things steadily grow more complicated as Tarzan wishes to learn all he can about these outsiders and himself, but what might it cost?
One of the first, most notable things about the film to me is its complexity in the writing and characterization. Looking back, the Renaissance can have a problem in terms of male leads being love interests who don't get as much focus or slightly bland focus-tested "likable". This isn't true for ALL of them; the Beast has many layers to his personality, while Simba and Quasimodo are great, imo, because they have more baggage tying them down and thus more to rise above for true heroism. Nor does it make most of them bad characters. But it was notable enough, as was the tendency for them to be overshadowed by the villains or sidekicks, for co-directors Kevin Lima/Chris Buck and writers Tab Murphy/Bob Tzudiker/Noni White to slightly...course-correct.
Ergo, Tarzan himself is very much the main focus here. There's only one major sequence that he's not really involved with, and even when he's not onscreen, the other characters are as intrigued by his contradictions as the audience. (Insert your own Poochie jokes here, though obviously it doesn't come CLOSE to that) We truly feel his anxiety about fitting in, and the lengths he goes to are intensely relatable even at their most self-damning.
The other characters, too, feel richer and more lived-in than many of the standard types. Kala is a mother figure, one who tries to make Tarzan feel like he belongs, but is deeply scared of losing him. Kerchak is possibly my favorite character in the film because of how much you have to read into his actions because he holds so much back emotionally until the very end. Even then, he comes off as a more realistic harsh father figure than a caricature, and we can always understand where he's coming from. Jane is one of the best Disney love interests, meanwhile, feeling like a modern romantic comedy heroine with a lot of drive and initiative, as well as being just genuinely nerdy, which you don't often see even today. Clayton manages a nice two-step of seeming like an obvious bad guy but playing things down the middle until he gets what he wants. Even the comic relief gets good moments, such as Professor Porter gently supporting the romance or Tantor standing up for himself at a critical juncture.
Of course, what helps here is that said characters have some of the most beautiful environments and animation backing them up in Disney history. The African jungle is depicting as a kind of painterly, hyper-real fantasy, with impossible tree shapes and vines that bloom in the sunlight. And the then-revolutionary Deep Canvas CGI process allows Tarzan to soar through them, the camera spinning and rotating with each movement. The design sensibility is "classical" Disney to a large degree, but with slightly longer faces or larger eyes to add expressiveness. The California, Parisian, and Florida animation teams all clearly busted their asses to make this come to life. And Glen Keane's work with the Paris studio on Tarzan might be the best of his legendary career in terms of the variety of movements and subtleties in expressions. So too goes the rest of the supervising animators: Ken Duncan makes Jane truly lovable and wholly distinct from the likes of his Meg or Amelia; Randy Haycock gives Clayton a macho swagger that feels entirely his own rather than feeling like a Gaston ripoff; Bruce Smith combines remarkable anatomy work and microexpressions with Kerchak; Russ Edmonds' Kala is warm and motherly while never letting you entirely forget she's a gorilla; Dave Burgess makes Porter funny with his slightly squat, short shapes; and Mike Surrey and Sergio Pablos make for an excellent duo on Terk and Tantor in terms of contrasting their size, as well as the latter giving nervous-nelly body language to such a huge character. That's harder than it looks.
The aural end is just as good. Much hay and memery has been made of Phil Collins going ridiculously hard on the storytelling songs, which I fully support. But it really is true that they add so much here and take the burden off the characters in terms of singing save for the improvisational scat number "Trashin' The Camp". I'm partial to "Strangers Like Me" in terms of the earnest yearning and connections that Tarzan makes over the course of it. And of course the various versions of "Two Worlds" are essentially the mission statement of the film, complete with absolutely bitchin' percussion. Mark Mancina's accompanying score is also excellent, sounding like a fusion between The Lion King (which he produced/arranged for both the film and Broadway show) and his action movie work on projects like Speed or Bad Boys. Particularly great is the cue that plays when Tarzan defeats Sabor and builds up to his classic yell, which milks the heroic triumph for all its worth.
The voice cast is also excellent top to bottom. Goldwyn has a deeper timbre than many Disney male leads, less of an ingenue, and this adds to the stormier emotions; we truly feel his pain on lines like "Why didn't you tell me there were creatures that look like me?" But he's not TOO grim, thankfully, and gets some good subtly funny moments such as sounding out monkey noises in a conversation that Jane only hears one half of. Close is properly maternal, of course, getting her best showings in emotional one-on-ones with both Linz and Goldwyn as they hash out their relationship. Henriksen, like the animation, wisely underplays Kerchak and lets the emotion come out through his gruff, gravel-pit voice rather than obviously signaling things. Driver is hilarious and winning as Jane, getting some of the best laughs and most sweetly tender bits of the proceedings. It's all the more impressive when you consider she played Lady Eboshi in the Princess Mononoke dub the same year, which is the utter opposite of this performance. BRIAN BLESSED doesn't do a lot of his patented BRIAN BLESSED yelling outside of some choice bits at the end, but he makes a meal of Clayton regardless as a charismatic asshole, and I like how he plays a climactic bit of manipulation in particular. Hawthorne gets a much better showing here than his previous Disney voice role as Fflewddur Flam in The Black Cauldron, daffily sweet and humorous in equal measure, while O'Donnell and Knight are familiar vocally but use that to inform their characterizations rather than distract.
I think what I like most about this movie is that it feels incredibly well-rounded. Some Disney movies from this period might have a great villain or sidekicks but a weaker protagonist in Hercules or strong protagonists/villains but a weaker supporting cast as in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Then you have Pocahontas, which sucks on ALL ends!) In Tarzan, everything feels of a piece, and nobody jars against the tone or mood. Combine that with the dizzying highs of the animation and truly excellent emotional beats, and you've got a real winner that stands the test of time in my eyes.
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𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔦𝔞𝔫 - ℜ𝔢𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔊𝔯𝔞𝔳𝔢
#Mortician#Re-Animated Dead Flesh#Return to the Grave#Release date:#October 2004#Full-length#Genre:#Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore#Themes:#Horror films#Gore#USA
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Happy 18th Anniversary Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers!
On August 17th, 2004 Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (also known as The Three Musketeers) was released as a direct-to-DVD animated adaptation of the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.The film was directed by Donovan Cook, produced by Disneytoon Studios, and released directly to VHS and DVD by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The movie was re-released as a 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy on August 12th, 2014. Gemstone Publishing even released a 32-page comic book adaptation as promotional material for the original film’s release.
#animationedit#disneyedit#disneydaily#disneynetwork#dailyanimatedgifs#userlarri#userbbelcher#fyeahdisney#bigfrozensix#animationsource#animationdaily#userstream#mickey donald goofy: the three musketeers#moviegifs#*mygifs#100#150#250
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I love to laugh.
DreamWorks revealed what their 9/26/2025 movie is...
It's a movie based on the show GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE, which is - of course - a DreamWorks TV Animation production. So basically, SPIRIT UNTAMED Redux...
I was predicting the seemingly long-gestating RONAN BOYLE from director Fergal Reilly, based on the fantasy book series by Thomas Lennon, was after THE WILD ROBOT as the next DreamWorks not-sequel movie. Then again, this fella predicted it would be this autumn's DreamWorks movie as well. It was announced some time ago, had a director and writer locked... Where is this movie? Has it been cancelled? WILD ROBOT and this project have been announced well after it and are coming out, RONAN BOYLE hasn't been talked about since its initial announcement back in... September of 2020...
So yeah... DreamWorks Animation occasionally doing the TV show-to-movie thing. And releasing them as mainline "DreamWorks Animation" movies, and not under a different banner.
This isn't really a thing the other houses do or have done.
Yeeeeears back, Disney formed Disney Movie Toons Studios to make feature films based on Walt Disney Television Animation's then-hit shows. The first of which was DUCKTALES: THE MOVIE - TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP, released in summer 1990... To less than stellar box office results, but it probably lived a great second life on home video. That film was largely produced at a French unit that Disney used to have. This was followed by A GOOFY MOVIE in 1995, based on the show GOOF TROOP. That too was largely animated at the French studio, as well as their Australian unit with contributions from the mainline Burbank building. It never counted as part of the Disney Animation "canon", however. And following former chairman (and future DreamWorks founder) Jeffrey Katzenberg's departure in fall 1994, A GOOFY MOVIE was kind of just brushed off. While it did okay at the box office, it was no blockbuster, and would later become a cult smash. Movie Toons eventually became Disneytoon Studios, and their future was making direct-to-video sequels to classic Disney animated films with an occasional outlier, such as the THREE MUSKETEERS movie with Mickey and the gang.
Whereas DreamWorks? Both this movie and 2021's SPIRIT UNTAMED - whose TV series was based on a DreamWorks Animation film anyways - were under the mainline DreamWorks Animation banner, and are theatrical pictures.
I'm sure this news is going over well with certain folks, lol. Weird-ass adults who think every DreamWorks movie absolutely *has* to be the sword-wielding cat adventure...
I just find it fascinating myself, because this isn't usually a thing American animation powerhouses do. Disney made it very clear what was part of the major animated movies "canon" and what wasn't, as if an animated movie continuation of an animated TV series was somehow less than? (Fittingly, A GOOFY MOVIE is held up in high esteem by some, even above many of the mainline WDAS-made movies. It was given a rather mixed reception upon its original release.)
But also, Pixar, Illumination, etc. don't really have TV animation divisions per se. Sometimes a film spawns a series that's made elsewhere, such as HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, but that's about it. Sony Animation did do that AGENT KING show and YOUNG LOVE recently, so they do some TV animation stuff alongside the heavies - it's all under "Sony Pictures Animation" anyhow. With Disney, their TV animation division is separate, ditto DreamWorks.
No Disney TV Animation show since the 2000s got the theatrical movie treatment, the last one in question was TEACHER'S PET in 2004. Those were straight up Disney Television Animation productions, not Disneytoon. DreamWorks is a lot more fluid, as we recently saw what was essentially a pilot film for a MEGAMIND TV series debut exclusively on streaming, while SPIRIT UNTAMED and GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE got full-on DreamWorks movie treatment. It's a little weird, yeah, but it's how they've been rolling.
I'd imagine, like SPIRIT UNTAMED, this will be animated elsewhere. Not Sony Imageworks, probably a Mikros or a Jellyfish-type studio. It's a preschool show, so I'd imagine DreamWorks isn't going to want to sink too too much into this.
Anyways, the mystery's over. I'm still wondering what's going on with RONAN BOYLE. 2025 now houses, for DreamWorks, a non-sequel (DOG MAN), a sequel (THE BAD GUYS 2), and a TV series adaptation (GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE)... Doesn't affect me either way, I'm not the audience for GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE lol.
2026 is all but confirmed to be the year of SHREK 5, now it's the original in question that I'm curious about.
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Hunting with hounds was banned in 2004, but people continue to hunt wild animals just for the thrill of it. There is still no respite for the foxes, deer, and other mammals chased and killed.
SOURCE: protectthewild.co.uk
In 2004 the passing of the Hunting Act made fox hunting illegal. Since then hunts have claimed to be following artificial scent trails rather than deliberately hunting wild mammals. This is nothing but a lie.
Trail hunting is a smokescreen used as a means to continue to illegally hunt wild foxes. Indeed, in November 2020 hunting official Mark Hankinson along with other senior hunters spoke of this ‘smokescreen’ during a Hunting Office webinar which was leaked to the public. You can read more about these now infamous webinars at the bottom of this page.
In 2022 Protect the Wild released the ‘A Trail of Lies’ animation to expose this smokescreen once and for all. Narrated by Chris Packham, the film documents key moments in the campaign to end fox hunting for good.
youtube
However, don’t just take our word for it.
In 2021/22 we supported the Hunt Investigation Team in two ground-breaking exposés in which both the Beaufort Hunt and VWH Hunt proved beyond any doubt that ‘trail hunting’ is nothing but a lie.
youtube
The footage secured from the investigation is the first time that a hunt has ever been caught on camera shooting their hounds, but this is not to say that the incident is a one off.
It is yet further proof of the ‘trail hunt’ lies. If hunts were genuinely following trails there would be no need for them to kill young hounds in this manner.
Please, please help stop this cruelty xx
#TW#tw animal death#stop animal abuse#fox hunt#trailhunt#deer hunting#fox#foxhound#petition#wildlife#conservation#uk wildlife#protect the wild#therian community#otherkin#alterhuman#therianthropy#Youtube
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I'm getting up at the crack of dawn on a freakin' Saturday to tune into the Cutie Honey FES live stream. I'm assuming it'll be available afterwards but I don't wanna take the risk... besides, watching it in real time will be fun.
I doubt they'll be any big announcements at the event. I'm sure the only thing they have planned is (yet another) release of the original manga and maybe some new figurines. What I'd like to see announced...
An HD remaster or upscale of the original series. I know this probably won't happen but it'd be nice if Toei surprised us.
A reprint of Cutie Honey Tennyo Densetsu or some of the more obscure manga that are basically lost media at this point.
An art book! Please give us a nice, extensive Honey-only art book!
A new anime. Maybe something to make up for the monstrosity that was Universe?
A single blu-ray release for the 2004 film.
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