The following reviews were originally posted on my Instagram page @film_freeq in February 2023. They represent the brief but intriguing history of one of the major film studios' animation divisions.
Space Jam (1996)
There are very few movies that truly define the 1990s as much as Warner Bros' live-action/animated sports comedy Space Jam, in both good ways and not-so-good.
As a kid, I thought this creative, clever, and high concept was the coolest thing in the world. I mean, was there any young boy or girl who didn't love seeing NBA superstar Michael Jordan--or, at least, a fictionalized version of himself--playing basketball with the Looney Tunes against a gang of space invaders (a.k.a. Monstars)? Plus, any movie that effectively combined animation with live-action (Roger Rabbit, anybody?) was my personal, ahem, jam. Simply put, this was one of our favorites.
As an adult, Space Jam clearly stands more as a fast-paced, studio-driven product (and phenomenon) than an actual movie. On top of that, it unevenly mixes classic cartoon stars (criticized by some historians and even legends, like Chuck Jones, for uncharacteristic depictions) with an out-of-place hip-hop soundtrack and some dated sensibilities, not to mention a few insensitive stereotypes.
That's not to say said album has its hits (that Quad City DJs title track is still dope, and Seal's rendition of Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle" is exceptional). The movie does have its moments, along with first-rate animation (courtesy Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone) and a brilliant excuse for Bill Murray to show up. (After all, the man was friends with the film's producer, the late Ivan Reitman.) That's all for now, folks! But, in the mean time, check out the 2021 Teen Titans Go! parody/commentary on HBO Max.
Quest for Camelot (1998)
Warner Bros attempted to capitalize on the Disney musical formula with this animated retelling of the legend of King Arthur. Based on the novel, The King's Damousel, Quest for Camelot follows a young farm girl, a blind warrior, a two-headed dragon, a sadistic villain, and even an axe-beaked chicken, all on a quest to find the sword of Excalibur and change the course of the land, one way or another.
The film does have some colorful animation and a stacked voice cast (Cary Elwes is a standout as the heroic Garrett, whose animators deserve credit for an authentic portrayal of a blind man). But this heavily-marketed, studio-driven effort tries too hard and falls really short. Its narrative is rushed, generic, and passive. Its comedy and pop culture references feel random and out-of-place. The songs are overproduced and forgettable--with the exceptions of the Oscar-nominated "The Prayer" (performed by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli, respectively) and the popular love track "Looking Through Your Eyes" (by LeAnn Rimes). And the character arcs are a result of lazy writing. (Gary Oldman's villainous Ruber is over-the-top. And a complete psychopath.) Disney's The Sword in the Stone did all of this much better.
TRIVIAL FACTS: Kayley's singing voice was done by Andrea Corr (lead singer of the Irish band The Corrs). Co-writer David Seidler would win an Oscar thirteen years later, for his original screenplay for The King's Speech. Quest, meanwhile, would be Warner's last G-rated animated feature, up until the motion-capture spectacle, The Polar Express, six years later.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Of all the films in this particular library, none had more creative freedom, nor were more daring, as Brad Bird's directorial debut. Based on Ted Hughes' book, The Iron Man (not to be confused with the Marvel Comics hero), this period coming-of-age adventure (set in the 1950s) follows a lonely young boy who befriends a giant robot from another world. (Sound familiar?)
The Iron Giant was not a box-office hit upon its initial release; Bird blamed it on the studio's apparently mismanaged marketing. It did, however, win nine Annie Awards, and was immediately--and still is--hailed by many critics, historians, and fans as one of the greatest animated films ever made. It currently ranks in IMDb's "Top 250" highest-rated films of all time. And it's not hard to see why.
With Bird's skillful filmmaking, Tony Fucile's terrific character designs, clever homages to Max Fleisher's Superman cartoons of the 1940s (ditto DC Comics from the same era), and an impeccable voice cast (including Jennifer Aniston as Hogarth's single mother; Harry Connick, Jr., as a beatnik architect; Christopher McDonald as a government agent; and Vin Deisel as the titular machine), The Iron Giant transcends its hand-drawn medium.
More specifically, it tackles mature themes involving Cold War paranoia, as well as death and destruction. Not exactly themes you would want to subject younger kids to. (Not yet, at least.) There are also scenes of intense violence and some language issues. Still, The Iron Giant has strong, genuine morals about friendship, tolerance, sacrifice, the meaning of souls, and choosing to do what's right.
TRIVIAL FACTS: The two train conductors are none other than late Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson. Also, a "Signature Edition" of the film was released in 2015, with two newly-animated scenes expanding the Giant's backstory. Most of all, The Iron Giant was the first and only movie to showcase the custom-made "Warner Bros Feature Animation" logo.
Osmosis Jones (2001)
At the turn of the century, Warner Bros decided to do another live-action/animated hybrid with this clever, eye-popping, and unlikely buddy-cop comedy. Set inside the body of who else but Bill Murray, a white blood cell (voiced by none other than Chris Rock) teams up with a cold capsule (David Hyde Pierce) to stop a deadly virus (Laurence Fishburne) from killing Murray's slobby and lazy zookeeper Frank.
Recalling the animation style of Fox's Ferngully, Osmosis Jones is, perhaps, more like a hip lesson in biology and anatomy--with many witty and humorous references thrown in (i.e., "popping a pimple without a permit"). The film also highlights the consequences of poor hygiene and the value of a healthy lifestyle. But despite its PG-rating (for "bodily humor," no less), the movie is edgier and more violent than its marketing suggests. Add to that some suggestive imagery and references, and at least two truly gross-out moments (one involving oysters and vomiting; the other, a zit), and we have another ambitious-if-forgettable cinematic oddity.
TRIVIAL FACTS: The colorful and creative animation was directed by Piet Kroon and Tom Sito, while the lesser live-action segments were done by broad comedy duo Peter and Bobby Farrelly. This movie also reunited Murray and co-star Chris Elliott for the first time since 1993's Groundhog Day.
If you look at the history of Looney Tunes films made for the big screen (apart from the countless cartoon shorts made since the 1930s), they're mostly packaged features assembled in respectively narrative formats. It wasn't until the mid-1990s when they were given as close to a conventional feature-length treatment as possible, when they teamed up with Michael Jordan in Space Jam.
Warner Bros had hoped to revive the public's interest in the iconic characters coming into the new millennium (or should I say, "Mi-Looney-um"?). In the 2003 meta feature, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Daffy Duck is fired from the studio lot, while Bugs Bunny joins a comedy executive (a miscast Jenna Elfman) and a security guard (a fitting Brendan Fraser, who occasionally laughs at his own career) on a cross-country and globe-tropping trip to bring him back.
Director Joe Dante doesn't look back fondly on this live-action/animated adventure comedy, as it resulted from a reportedly troubled production, significant studio interference, and a supposed lack of creativity. It also led to the studio officially closing its "Feature Animation" division. Ironically, many fans and critics regard Back in Action as one of the best screen efforts from the Looney Tunes gang. And it shows. Where the movie really falls short is in its wooden human subplots (Steve Martin plays a goofy chairman), as well as some unnecessary innuendo (one sequence takes place at a Las Vegas show).
Dante took the job for two reasons: 1) he was not a fan of Space Jam and 2) he did it as a dedication to animator and friend Chuck Jones (who passed away in 2001). In terms of preserving the classic characterizations and personalities of the Tunes (courtesy animation director Eric Goldberg), they've succeeded. Stay through the credits on this one.
TRIVIAL FACTS: This was legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith's last screen credit. As for Warner Bros, they spent the next decade releasing at least three other animated features (George Miller's Happy Feet duology and Zack Snyder's Legend of the Guardians, all CGI) before reestablishing a new division in 2014, titled "Warner Animation Group."
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