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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 20, 2021 20:07:53 GMT -5
Obviously time just continues to advance so things just keep changing.
It's like what that article on TV Tropes says about how as time passes various things on The Simpsons stay the same even though they don't make sense anymore because it's animated and goes with comic book time. Or how on X-Men a necessary part of Magneto's character is that he needs to be a survivor of a WW2 concentration camp even though that would mean as time passes he'd have to be impossibly old.
I say just try to ignore the small details.
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 18, 2021 9:41:16 GMT -5
If you are referring to the Kittens, there was that Holiday one we discussed some time ago. You remember that one? Why you think security may need to be called, Trey!? I didn't forget, and plan on using it for my third book. Maybe on account of a real-life comic book universe battle occurring? I'm also thinking of doing a new comic where Roxy sings for our OCs if anyone wants to add theirs speak up. |
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 17, 2021 11:35:20 GMT -5
I did hear that Glenn Close had some say in the direction of the film.
I'm interested.
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 16, 2021 8:36:14 GMT -5
I see your Roxy Comic is based more on the Weiss Kittens version of her, I see. Diana's one is amusing, too. Though, that is A LOT of Hugs & Kisses on Roxy's Autograph, there! Though, It now makes me wonder what Diana & Roxy are like, when they attend conventions together. Awesome Images, Trey! Looking forward to seeing more from you! I could do another if you would like. I was thinking that since I did that one autograph for my friend's daughter I would treat Diana like she would give a modest "Diana sends her love" while if someone would want a signed picture of Roxy hers would be like "You won Roxy's heart!" and she would go wild with the affection. Diana's probably thinking "look at that tramp, treating her cooch like M&Ms!" There might have to be elevated security, for all we know. Thank you again babclayman. I will have updates once I do more. |
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 15, 2021 22:10:45 GMT -5
it's Tara Strong's birthday today! Happy Birthday Tara! Well I wish her the happiest belated birthday.  This is more like a memorial birthday but today would have been Chris Farley's 57th birthday. |
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 15, 2021 9:39:51 GMT -5
This movie is now at least one full year old now and it's still a bucket of fun.
I know I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel, it feels like there is a lot more they can do with it just like with Pokemon.
I was planning to do an anniversary pic to commemorate it but I remembered that the original Sega Genesis game is turning 30 this year so I decided to wait.
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 14, 2021 3:55:23 GMT -5
Okay!
My newest pics are up, check them out!
I also have two new tributes that will be coming soon, they are anniversary tributes to popular video games!
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 10, 2021 18:55:38 GMT -5
Thank you babclayman.
Clues eh? ...okay why not.
First, I have a new Lover's Lane Cafe pic coming.
I also have a new anniversary pic being done.
Plus I have a new comic that will be very Valentine's Day related and Roxy's going to be the star!
How's that for clues?
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 9, 2021 18:44:11 GMT -5
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 9, 2021 8:39:01 GMT -5
Hey everyone! I have my new pics up on DA and I thank everyone for their faves.
Valentine's Day is coming and I have some really nice pics coming for that day!
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 7, 2021 9:23:59 GMT -5
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012)
Distributor: Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
Director: Chris Renaud
Cast: Danny DeVito (The Lorax), Ed Helms (The Once-ler), Zac Efron (Ted Wiggins), Taylor Swift (Audrey), Betty White (Grandma), Jenny Slate (Mrs. Wiggins), Rob Riggle (Aloysius O’Hare), Chris Renaud (forest animals)
Runtime: 86 min.
MPAA rating: PG (brief mild language)
This movie is about a 12-year-old boy named Ted who lives in Thneed-Ville, a town where everything is completely plastic and artificial; even something natural as air is sold in containers. Wanting to impress his crush Audrey, who wants to see a real tree, Ted sets out to find the Once-ler on the outskirts of town where he tells the story of how he was once a powerful businessman thanks to his creation of the Thneed, a multi-purpose item harvested from Truffula Trees. Against the protests of the Lorax, a hermit who speaks for the trees, he overproduced the Thneeds which caused the outside world to be a barren, contaminated wasteland. However, the greedy air baron Aloysius O’Hare becomes aware of Ted’s ambitions and seeks to stop him, knowing the threat to his empire. So can Ted learn the truth, save the environment, win Audrey’s heart and release the iron grip of Aloysius O’Hare?
This movie is a feature film adaptation/expansion of the classic 1971 book that was written by Dr. Seuss. I’m sure if you had any sort of childhood, you probably had grown up with the classic stories that were told by Dr. Seuss, just like Mickey Mouse and Sesame Street. Hell, I am no stranger to the world of Dr. Seuss; my birthday is within Dr. Seuss month!
Because these books he wrote are pretty much money in the bank, it stands to reason that Hollywood would want to go and adapt them for feature films; after all they were adapted for animated cartoons in the past. I even make sure that every time Christmas comes close I go out of my way to make sure I watch the Chuck Jones cartoon adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. But how do you go about doing that? Taking a short story and adapting it to be a movie people will pay money to see? They did it in the past, with not the best results. You have the at least decent Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, the less-than-perfect Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and the franchise killing Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat. Indeed, after that fiasco, Dr. Seuss’s wife Audrey Geisel would refuse to permit Hollywood to make anymore live-action adaptations of her husband’s work—if studios did so she would threaten to sue.
This movie was then the second big screen animated adaptation of a famous Dr. Seuss book. Now that the original story is turning 50 I thought I should go ahead and review this movie. And because Universal has the rights to the Seuss properties, they’d go and get Illumination Entertainment to do the animation. The very same studio that people know from the wildly popular Despicable Me and the profitable but not beloved Hop.
I’ll start by saying the material adapted from Dr. Seuss’s book still works. That is, however to be expected. The movie caught all of what it’s supposed to be about the Once-ler being a former Thneed baron and how his greed caused the town to be a massive wasteland. That part of the story is where the movie is strongest.
The padding that was added to extend this to a movie? That doesn’t work. For starters, the movie doesn’t have a very strong grasp on the concept of subtlety; it takes all it’s intended messages about environmental awareness and hammers you over the head with it. An example of which being when the Once-ler chops down the first Truffula Tree, all the forest animals are utterly aghast at what they see. Some good can come from using trees for resources as long as there are limits to what is chopped down but the movie treats it like a little kid was brutally murdered. The problem with that sort of writing is instead of making a valid point it leaves very little to your imagination; instead of making you think on the matter it just goes in one ear and out the other.
For the look of the movie, I’ll say this: they did a good job making the world seem superficial as it is meant to be. Everything has a Seuss vibe about it almost like you are making a dime store visit to the Seuss Landing part of Universal Studios. This does however, further push a problem related to some of the story and characters. It doesn’t help that the movie has musical numbers that make it blatant what their point is and only exist to pad out the runtime.
The characters that were adapted from the story are a mixed bag. For one thing Ted is supposed to be the protagonist of the story and the one kids can identify with but his motives are weak. Prior to the events of the movie, as far as we knew he was perfectly happy living in a plastic and artificial world. The thing that caused him to want to do something about the environment was a wish from his crush. But what’s going to get him to want to keep that going after he scores? The Once-ler is supposed to be the very person who made so many mistakes that wound up ruining the environment, but the odd juxtaposition of his backstory and Ted’s issues make the narrative confusing. The Lorax himself you ask? He’s supposed to be a hermit who speaks for the trees and his voice by Danny DeVito could not have been better cast. However, because he’s on screen for about 40% of the movie, he doesn’t get the attention you would probably think he should have, not to mention he feels like he’s meant to be more of a joke than someone whose warnings you are meant to heed. For all the Bears, Birds and Fish, they are clearly trying to channel the success they had with the Minions. However, this isn’t the best idea as the Despicable Me Minions can be part of the movie and make some gravy through the merchandise, so they are able to work that way; with this movie it feels very much like they are trying to simply cash in. It’s one thing if you take a toy commercial and try to pass it off as art, but take a piece of art and try to use it as a toy commercial is just crass.
For the other characters, there’s not really a point. The grandmother is a nice character but Audrey is nothing more than Ted’s motive. The movie’s villain, Aloysius O’Hare, is supposed to be a greedy baron who’s basically got Thneedville under an iron grip. Problem is though, he’s a black-and-white character who has no backstory other than he found a way to make Thneedville function and now just wants to line his pockets with cash. It wouldn’t have surprised me if at one point in his career he once tried out to be a Captain Planet villain. You know, just cackling while he pollutes the ocean just because he can. The movie does adapt the book’s original ending with the Once-ler giving Ted a seed to give the story some hope as in the original story Ted would be the one to plant the seed to maybe give the ruined town a chance for a brighter future, but the over-the-top climax defeats it somewhat. You can’t argue against the movie’s point, but it’s just not that effective.
You know how the movie prominently features marshmallows? That little food item can be an appropriate metaphor for the movie itself: it’s light, sweet, fluffy, goes down easy and great fun at parties, but has no nutritional value and you can’t survive on it. Kids will probably get a kick out of it but it’s not really for anyone else. This movie is not going to leave a bad taste in your mouth about Dr. Seuss or his stories, but the original animated cartoon from 1972 is a much more effective version. I don’t hate this movie but it’s not really going to get better with me over time.
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012)
TreyVore rates it: C-
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 7, 2021 9:06:04 GMT -5
Holy crap, when did this happen!?
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Bab Pics
Feb 6, 2021 14:24:07 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 6, 2021 14:24:07 GMT -5
I've always been a cat person so I approve. |
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 2, 2021 7:57:07 GMT -5
Man. That's far too young.
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Post by Trey_Vore on Feb 1, 2021 9:16:01 GMT -5
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures/Disney MovieToon Studios
Director: Bob Hathcock
Cast: Alan Young (Scrooge McDuck), Russi Taylor (Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby), Terry McGovern (Launchpad McQuack), Richard Libertini (Dijon), Christopher Lloyd (Merlock), Joan Gerber (Mrs. Beakley), Chuck McCann (Duckworth), June Foray (Mrs. Featherby), Rip Taylor (Genie)
Runtime: 74 min.
MPAA rating: G (all ages admitted)
After going on a treasure hunt for Collie Baba’s treasure, qualti-zillionaire Scrooge McDuck and his family finally find the fabled treasure but lose it following an act of deception from pickpocket Dijon, who’s on the side of the powerful magician Merlock. Keeping nothing but a dusty old oil lamp, the kids rub it and it unleashes a friendly child-like Genie. The Genie quickly befriends the kids and they enjoy having their wishes granted, but after Scrooge discovers the lamp with its powerful Genie, his greed takes over. However, Merlock is still hot on their trail as the lamp was his coveted prize; if he places his talisman on the lamp he will be permitted limitless wishes. So, can Scrooge keep his family safe, protect his money bin, foil Merlock’s evil plot and maybe learn that some things are worth more than money?
I’m going to start by saying this movie is a feature film adaptation of the highly popular and successful Disney Afternoon series DuckTales. At the time, this was not simply a show that kids were into but it became a popular water cooler discussion piece at the workplace. It had copious amounts of merchandise; there were T-shirts, lunch boxes, VHS tapes containing 2 episodes of the show, coloring books, children's storybooks, a monthly magazine, plush toys, Valentines… it was inescapable. The series even had a hot-selling NES video game made by Capcom that is very fondly remembered by gamers including me. It even had a lesser-known sequel that was released near the end of the NES lifespan. We all knew a movie was inevitable.
During a time when animated movies were starting to find their voice again, I do remember watching this movie by seeing it in theatres. Back in 1990, my dad took me, my brother, sister and friends to see it and we enjoyed it being fans of the series, and during that time I had no knowledge that it was like a swan song for the series; the suits at Disney figured it was time to cancel the show so they should go out with a big one. It kinda faded out of mind within the next few years, but I do have some nice memories of it. Since everything old is now new again, I thought it might be a good time to review the movie from my now-adult viewpoint.
I’ll start by saying it must be difficult, making a movie about a popular show. On one hand you have to make something that will appease the show’s ardent fans and simultaneously make something that a non-fan will understand and appreciate. Maybe if done well, you could even turn a non-fan into a fan. There’s probably a whole plethora of ideas and themes that the writers need to take into account and wonder if it really will appeal to the very lowest common denominator.
This movie was hardly out to re-invent the wheel. It’s very cookie-cutter with no real surprises and gets by on your then-existing fondness for the show and the characters. The story feels very much like its something of a mix between a classic animated film that you’d expect from Disney and the type of product you’d expect to see on a Saturday morning. The writing isn’t the best either as in the first part of the movie is very pun-heavy and nowadays more likely to elicit groans than laughs. Sample would be:
Huey: What’s the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook say about booby traps?
Louie: (produces his book) It says “Stay alert and use your marbles”.
Dewey: (produces a bag of marbles) Boy, good thing I brought some!
In retrospect, the series itself had serialized 5-part episodes that were just normal episodes of the show which were ultimately superior to this movie—maybe the fact that the series had such a high bar set for itself together with the fact the series was so successful and fresh in people’s minds was what caused the movie to tank especially in the light of Jetsons: the Movie.
The fact that it came out in summer 1990, when we just had the first live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was also a factor as well, as TurtleMania was sweeping the nation. Not to mention Huey, Dewey and Louie were featured characters on Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue during the spring of that year so overexposure had to have hurt it. That probably was what put the kibosh on them making animated feature film adaptations of other popular Disney Afternoon series like Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck.
The animation is perfectly fine as they just had to use the high-quality character models from the series; but that’s sort of a liability as it just looks like as you’d probably think it would being based on a popular Saturday morning cartoon. Nothing of note to really single out, but it looks like it should.
For the characters, there’s a good number of them here as you were probably expecting from the show. Being that it likely started production during the first season they use all the recognizable characters save for maybe Bubba Duck and GizmoDuck, who were added to the show in later seasons to up the ante so it wasn’t completely soft and safe but more action-minded like later Disney Afternoon series were, similar to Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin and Darkwing Duck. Nobody really gets a wide assortment of development—while you probably know who characters like Huey, Dewey and Louie are being familiar characters from the classic Disney shorts there’s not a lot of explaining to do with them, there are others such as Scrooge McDuck, who you more than likely know as he was previously featured on Mickey’s Christmas Carol. He’s not as immediately recognizable as Donald Duck but he’s hardly an obscure character; he doesn’t get a whole lot of development in this film probably because he got so much attention on the show, and now he’s more like the typical greedy relative who only at the end makes a hackneyed change of character because the story requires it. The other characters don’t get a whole lot of development either; Launchpad is the clumsy pilot and… that’s about it, Duckworth and Mrs. Beakley are loyal members of Scrooge’s staff, and Webby was originally three separate characters—she was at a time Daisy’s three nieces April, May and June, merged into one character to save money on production costs as they were not characters that Carl Barks used much. Here she doesn’t get to be much of anything other than the token girl. Dijon is a bumbling pickpocket who really isn’t all that threatening and isn’t meant to be a metaphor for anything, just a character that antagonizes the family on their level. I guess just one pickpocket was easier than using all the Beagle Boys. Even the Genie is a little shallow being that he’s on the kids’ level and his longing for freedom from the lamp is all-too-familiar. The only character to get some level of depth is Merlock, the powerful magician who wants the lamp for sinister purposes. These complaints are not against the movie as they were all fresh in peoples’ minds during the series’ original run. I just don’t know if it was made with great longevity in mind—remember that one year earlier we just got Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Confession time: there was one line in the movie I didn’t initially understand but I get now as an adult: after Scrooge discovers the kids' new friend is a magic Genie, Mrs. Beakley then asks "Does his mother know about this?" As a kid, I did not understand that line as the Genie probably would not have had parents, but now as an adult, I get the context. As far as the adults were concerned, he's just an ordinary kid, but if he really does have magic powers, she's thinking his parents would be very surprised.
Regardless, the movie does have a good heart and a nice, if overly familiar, message about your friends and family being more valuable than vast wealth. I’m not going to dig too heavily into that because I know that there are some limits; it’s better to have a lot of money and no friends than to have no money and a worthless friend, but it is intended to teach children to put people’s feelings first and not be selfish. Nothing wrong with that.
Neither treasure nor trash, DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp is perfectly serviceable as a series finale. I do think though, that it’s rather blatant with its ideas and themes not to mention more childish in nature; Disney would, in 2 years’ time, give us Aladdin which is undoubtably a vastly superior movie. If you couldn’t get that classic film, I suppose this would make an okay substitute. Just… lower your expectations.
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)
TreyVore rates it: C
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