Conspiracy Theories

The posts seem to be coming weeks or even months apart. I guess that's what happens when you lose interest in your own blog. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy writing when I find the time. Finding that time is the hard part.

It's a first! I made a point of avoiding the Academy Award show and all the hoopla surrounding it. I feel so much better for it. I've been so successful, I don't even know who was hosting! How is that for commitment?

Regardless, I still know who won in the animation categories. First off, congrats to the person who made The Danish Poet. She won in the short film category and I can't express how nice it is to see an independant win. Goes to show that the studios can't flex their muscle everywhere.

Happy Feet won for the best animated film. There are plenty of people arguing that the film shouldn't even be considered animated. I'm going to surprise a lot of people here and say that I disagree with that. Maybe they did use motion capture, but the end result is comes across as animated.

Don't worry. My feelings about motion capture haven't changed. I still think a film like Happy Feet is a terrible place to use the technology. Keep it to animated/live action films on human characters. Not cartoons. I have a couple of very dedicated motion capture defendants that constantly email me trying to prove their point that mocap is the future and that I should accept it. I do accept it. Just not in cartoon projects.

To my friends that love to send in that pro-mocap email BS, I'll stir things up in your focused little brain once again. Real animators dont work on motion capture projects by choice. They would rather the whole performance comes from them, not some guy on a stage. If someone choses to work on a mocap project and considers themself an animator... I would argue that it is A) They think it is just a stepping stone for them, B) they cant get a job elsewhere, C) their animation skills wouldn't cut it on a purely animated film. Stick to games, stunt doubles, and animation for live action movies.


Now back to my conspiracy theories. First, I really don't take this seriously or believe it myself, but I want to throw it out there to just start a rumor.

A) The reason Pixar didn't win either the feature or short film categories is because they are now owned by Disney. Everyone knows that the Academy has it against Disney animated projects these days. It has nothing to do with Cars being a boring movie that offered very little beyond eye candy.

B) The reason Happy Feet won is because the Academy in general hates animated films. They chose to pick something that was as close to a live action (mocrap) film as possible. If it has to be animated, they want to see real actors, directors, talent employed. Not just lowly animators or animation directors. (If you haven't noticed, in Hollywood, the animation community is considered the ugly red headed step child of the industry). (Please, no hate mail from ugly red headed people. It is just a saying.)