OT(?)--Animation, Music, and The Corpse Bride


Just some Halloween musing.....something to think about during these slowly lengthening autumnal nights.......

In a time when traditional animation departments have been digitalized, I just find it very interesting that former Disney employee, and current visionary, Tim Burton, chose to make another animated feature using, not his computer, but stop-motion animation(with a nod to the great Ray Harryhausen--note the piano's name plate in the film). But, that's what a true visionary does, isn't it--he or she journeys along the road less travelled, which may actually prove more interesting and enriching in the long run.

So, Tim's striking film uses the "novel" idea of stop-motion animation, and--ready for this, getting back to music--Danny Elfman's songs--yes, there are original songs in the film("Remains of the Day," as Satchmo might have said, is a real gasser!)--are sung by the characters themselves!

Congratulations, Tim, on going your own way, in spite of current trends--and happy Halloween, folks!!!

Mike

P. S. On the same note, Nick Park's gem, "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," just opened this past Friday, using, what animation method? Take a wild guess(Julian Nott's great score is scheduled for release 10/11). Here's a quote from Friday's Boston Globe review of the film: "What does it say when this(W & G), the stop-motion puppetry of "Corpse Bride," and Hayao Miyazaki's hand-drawn "Howl's Moving Castle" have provided the best and richest animated experiences of the year? It says that CGI cartoons have a long way to go before they acquire a visual soul."
Hmmmm...... the word may be getting out about CGI......the time may be about right for the Disney folks to pull out some vintage--but timeless--Joni Mitchell: "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone--you pave paradise, put up a parking lot."
 

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