Alpha and Omega: furry fan-service

[furtech]

I'll give you a break from my interminable trip reports to talk about the new animated film, "Alpha and Omega"



The ads foretold a terrible film: actors in fursuits (they bore more of a resemblance to actors than to wolves), corny gags (more impossible sledding), bad humor, etc., etc.

And...those impressions were realized in spades. At one point I had to apologize to martes for dragging her to see this. I think it was at the point when, during a "howl", the wolves suddenly stood up on two legs and launched into a Bollywood-style dance number. Really.

At the same time I had to admit: If I were 5 years old, this would be MY MOST FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!1!. I saw Disney's "Jungle Book" at about that age and not only was I mesmerized, it remains one of my all-time favorite films. When you're five you have a pretty clean slate, experience-wise. Wolf-behavior, non-sequitor dance numbers, corny plots: there are definitely parallels. I'm sure Kipling rolled in his grave when the wise bear, Baloo, suddenly spoke scat and launched into a dance number like "Bear Necessities".

So, yeah. I'm not saying go see it generally, but if you've got Very Young Children, you might take a bullet and take them to see this.

The end credits were beautifully designed: one of the best I've seen. What I found particularly intriguing were the 2-D character development and design art: they were *wonderful!*. Now my mission is to find someone with access who can get me a set. I'd love to see all of the development-- my best hope is for a making-of type book, but there is no such thing on Amazon yet. I wish this had stayed a 2-D animated feature.

Oh, and fwiw: most of this was done in India, possibly by the same talent who did India Disney's "Roadside Romeo". The character animation and many of the story elements reminded me a lot of Roadside.

Comments

[iisaw.livejournal.com]

So... Pixar shouldn't be looking over its shoulder at the out-sourced animation competition? XD

I may have been the only kid in the world who hated Disney's version of The Jungle Books... because I read them first. Life-and-death struggles woven around the wisdom of the Animal Powers... all reduced to a moronic song-and-dance puppet show. What's not to hate?

[kynekh-amagire.livejournal.com]

You weren't the only one. See also: my intense loathing for Disney's "The Fox and the Hound".

[gilmorelion.livejournal.com]

THIS! Oh most definitely THIS!

I thought Chuck Jone's animated Kipling stories were infinitely better.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

I agree with Gilmore... my expectations for Fox/Hound were high, yes, but it underperformed way below the bar... vapid, plodding story.. inane birds.. forced, idiotic plot conclusions... sooooo much is wrong about it. All there is to like is some of the art.

Thanks also furtech for the heads up on the Aplha/Omega!

[furtech.livejournal.com]

That's why it would take someone of few life-experiences (ie, a blank slate) to enjoy it. I don't know if I'm lucky or unlucky that I saw most of the Disney films (including Bambi, F&H, etc.) long before I read the books. I'd almost consider them (and the Kipling works) separate creative works...

FWIW, I had looked forward to seeing the live action/Sabu version because sources has said that it was so much truer to the original stories than the Disney film...only to find upon seeing it that it was even more egregious in it's "creative license" than the Disney version was!

[iisaw.livejournal.com]

Oh ghod... the Sabu version! I, too, was sucked in by the assurances of some lying bastards people of small understanding.