Comic Book Brain | Archive Page 32

Blog by Erik Weems, graphic artist, website designer and sometimes cartoonist. His design business site is here. All pages site map.

THINGS TO CLICK

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ONLINE COMICS

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Oh Rats!
The film is entertaining, but probably a bit over the head for little kids who won't catch on to the adult issues about pursuing a career that is the heavy problem in the midst of the film's levity and episodes of slapstick. The distinctions being made between good gourmet food and not-so good food is another area probably lost on little kids.

Ratatouille is a little clumsy in how it goes about explaining all of this, but it seems to be an honest film about ambition, facing up to unbeatable personal limitations, and also the myriad consequences all that brings. Unusual territory for family-fare animated movies, and certainly not a topic many live action films aim for. But this is Pixar, and it's Brad Bird (who did the film The Incredibles) who has the directing chores, and thus Pixar continues to stand well out and away from competition from it's (ironically) in house rival, Disney Animation. The difference between the jaded numbness from Disney and the earnestness of Pixar is made clearer with every Pixar release.

Ratatouille

A Love Letter to Surfing
Surf's Up The story is generic (penguin overcomes numerous impediments to become a champion surfer) but there are human touches about the cost of wanting to be a champion (and it reducing other people to mere tools for the goal). Ultimately, though, the movie is one long kiss blown toward the sport of surfing. It is also an ode to the plain beauty of getting out in the water (well, the water around a fictitious Pacific Island). The animation is very pretty, the story isn't subtle but it get's the point across (friends are more important than winning), and it celebrates the wonder of 'riding inside the tube.'

From Sony Animation.

Surfs Up

Surfs Up 2

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[Below] Another page from my comic book story "Dream." This is page nine.
The story has not been lettered yet.

To see additional Erik Weems artwork, go here.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
[Below] A production scene from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from Hollywood, 1931. The film won Frederic March (the lead actor) an oscar and tossed a little bit of legitimacy onto horror films (which at the time were just beginning to be called such). You can read the original Robert Louis Stevenson story here.