Films

Cube Creative have just released a teaser to their short film Le Meurtre (The Murder).

Using a limited color palette, French artists Tom Haugomat and Bruno Mangyoku have created a stylish, screen-printed look to this animated folk tale.

Once funding has been secured, they’re looking forward to completing the project.

Related posts

Nick Cross reveals Black Sunrise trailer

Nacho Rodriquez unveils Mister Coo music video

David Firth delivers a Bitter Pill

Mukpuddy achieve the impossible in 48 hours with Meanie Pants

Ça Ça Mirlaquerr is a new music video animated by Nacho Rodriguez.

Nacho is responsible for the Las Aventuras de Mister Coo series of hand animated shorts, and this new music video has the same amount of life and frantic energy.

The simple designs allow so much movement and incredible squash and stretch. This is what I love so much about 2d hand-drawn animation.

To see more of Nacho’s works, check out his website: Mister Coo.

Related posts

David Firth delivers a Bitter Pill

Mukpuddy achieve the impossible in 48 hours with Meanie Pants

Classic videogames inspire Mike Scott’s Goldfish animation

Greg Holfeld lifts the curtain on Sumo Lake

I’m probably going to animation hell for saying this, but here it comes.

I have no objections to a well-made, live-action Hollywood remake of Akira.

There. I said it.

Rumors of remaking Katsuhiro Ohtomo‘s anime classic have been buzzing around the internet for a while now.

Harry Partridge even showed us what he thinks could happen to Akira in the hands of a Hollywood hack.

Here’s a few reasons why, if it’s done well, a live-action Hollywood Akira remake might actually be an improvement on the original.

Hollywood knows how to make superhero movies

After a dramatic encounter, a kid discovers he has super powers.

What movie am I describing?

It’s the logline of literally hundreds of Hollywood films, from Harry Potter to Spiderman to X-Men to The Incredible Hulk.

Not all superhero films turn out to be classics, but the one thing you can say is that Hollywood has plenty of experience with this genre.

A great director could do a great job

Movies like Donnie Darko, Inception, Moon and the recent Source Code show that it is possible to create intelligent high-concept films that are also entertaining.

You can’t tell me that a version of Akira directed by someone like David Fincher, JJ Abrams, Richard Kelly or Christopher Nolan wouldn’t be well-handled.

Akira is twenty-three years old

Akira was released in 1988. If you were born when Akira came out, you’d be old enough to drink by now.

Sure – just because a movie is old, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ready to be remade, but fanboys can hardly use the “too soon” excuse.

Akira has problems

Right about now the internet is about to explode with rage and vitriol directed towards me.

But I saw the movie recently and there are significant problems with the characters, script and pacing that could be addressed in a new version.

Most of the third act of the film is dominated by Kaneda and Tetsuo fighting and screaming each other’s name at each other.

Tetsuooooo!

Kanedaaaaa!

It doesn’t make any sense. One short scene at the start of the movie where we see a pattern of Kenada bullying Tetsuo would make a massive difference in explaining the motivation of the characters.

In fact, the opposite happens. In flashback we’re told that Kaneda is one of the few children that is nice to Tetsuo – making their showdown even crazier.

The original Akira will still exist

It’s not like as part of the deal to remake Akira is to destroy all copies of the original.

Quite the contrary.

In the same way that the American version of The Office piqued interest in the original British version, it’s very likely that young people will get turned on to the original as a direct result of seeing the remake.

Don’t get me wrong – I think the original Akira is a flawed masterpiece. Even decades after it was made, I’m still stunned at the lighting and artwork. Not to mention the explosions, smoke, fire and flesh effects.

It’s brilliant, but I don’t think it’s untouchable.

In the hands of the right director, a live-action Akira remake could be fantastic.

Let’s wait and see if it gets off the ground.

Related posts

Mukpuddy achieves the impossible in 48 hours

The perfect animation education

Animation education: general or specific?

The impossible?

Mukpuddy have just done it.

In the V 48 hour film contest, three New Zealand animators created a six and a half minute animated short in a single weekend.

Mukpuddy’s film came third overall and took out the prize for best animation.

Meanie Pants is Mukpuddy’s second entry into the film festival, where teams have to write, edit, shoot and deliver their films within a 48 hour deadline.

Fortunately for us, they documented their progress with this “behind the scenes” video:

Seeing what is achievable is a powerful motivator and allows you to reassess reality.

Most people thought running a mile in less than four minutes was out of the question.

It didn’t seem logical to me, as a physiologist/doctor, that if you could run a mile in four minutes, one and a bit seconds, you couldn’t break four minutes. But it had become a psychological as well as a physical barrier. — Roger Bannister

Yet within three years of Bannister running a four minute mile, sixteen other runners had done the same. It’s now considered a standard benchmark for professional middle distance runners.

Rethink what is possible. Maybe the obstacles you face aren’t that real after all.

For more information, check out the Mukpuddy blog.

Related posts

The perfect animation education

Animation education: general or specific?

Learn from your animation mistakes