Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Should Comic Book movies be animated ONLY?


Question...Would it be better if Comic Book movies were animated instead of live action?

After the drama with Watchmen, and the hype Batman has to live up to, I think this could be an easier route. Imagine the money that could be save from using artists versus actors. Honestly, I believe we could benefit so much from that.

Here are the good things.
  • No egos from actors or studios.
  • The creators can actually tell the story of the comic and stick to what the fans want.
  • The budget will be cheaper and studios will save tons of money.
  • Nothing would be impossible to do...it's animated.
  • The story will be 'THE STORY' for example: The Phoenix Saga would be The Phoenix Saga, not Brett Ratner's mess.
  • The art would be upscale and tight.
  • DC Comics cartoon movies are really good, think about the specific stories that could be told and done right.
  • We could see these movies faster within a year versus four years later.
I really think animated versions of our favorite Comic Book stories would be a great thing. It would be true to the comics and the fans. We wouldn't have sit through studios battling over who has what, actors wanting more money or screen time, and we may get a good story in the end. Just a thought.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You forgot age, I think.

Traditional animation, and now CGI are probably the better way to go, for most of the reasons you cite (age, ego, budget, physics...)

That said, some of the animated product could also face similar obstacles and have.

Prince Todd said...

I agree with this 100%!

Myself, I hated all three X-Men movies. I happen to be a purist, and not only did the Phoenix Saga (which was screwed straight to hell in a handbasket)rub me the wrong way but it was also the casting...

The usual suspect is definitely Halle Berry (who did not epitomize the goddess Storm in any way, shape, or form. The only reasons he was chosen was because she was the black girl of the moment). Moreover, I hate Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Wolvy is supposed to be a short burly brute...Not a heart throb.

Furthermore, when we talk animation I want hand drawn animation...NOT CGI.

For what it's worth they have a Thundercats movie in the works and they are saying that it will definitely be animated.

Really, when you think about it animation looks so much better. The directors would not be inhibited by the limitations of live action.

Jonathan Pizarro said...

I think we can have both, and we can have them in cinemas too. All that needs to be done is for studio execs to realise animated features aren't just cheap Saturday morning ventures.

But yet, look at stuff like Ben 10 and High School Musical. When Ben 10 got the live-action treatment it was straight to dvd, something normally reserved for bad movies. And HSM waited until number 3 to get to the big screen.

Why? Because dvd sales are so much cheaper to produce and market and make oodles more money. I think the cartoon stereotype needs to get out of people's heads and we need to look to Japanese animation for success.

I for one cannot wait for the day when DC brances away from the Bruce Timm stuff and makes a Jim-Lee inspired DC Universe movie for the grown-ups.

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.