Robert Zemeckis’ performance-capture adaptation of the epic poem Beowulf has had a handful of press screenings and is generally being embraced by attendees, myself among them. However, the film is taking a bit of a beating in the animation community, mostly from people who haven’t even seen it. I understand the reaction, but I think it stems from a narrow view of what animation is. It may not have animator-driven performances like Ratatouille or The Simpsons, but it’s exactly the kind of movie we need to succeed right now.
Moving a puppet one frame at a time is not the same as drawing moving pictures, yet stop-motion is accepted as animation nonetheless. Animation is the process of bringing life to something that is inanimate. Does that exclude Kermit the Frog? Was Jim Henson any less of an animator than Chuck Jones just because he chose to work in real-time versus tiny increments? Did his characters feel any less real? Don’t get me wrong, I believe there will never be a fitting substitute for the blood, sweat and tears that go into a performance generated by a master craftsman at a drawing table or a miniature set with an articulated puppet. I’ll always prefer a hand-crafted film to something made possible by technological shortcuts, but sometimes the end justifies the means.
Beowulf is a very good film. Even my wife, who is not so much an animation fan, really enjoyed it. In addition to offering a great story and compelling characters, the movie represents something that we really need right now. It’s an animated movie for adults, and it’s opening in wide release in the United States. This is huge, folks. If the film does well, it could open all kinds of doors. Studio execs who only see dollar signs in cuddly critters making broad jokes to pop-music soundtracks will wake up and realize that audiences want to see different kinds of stories told with digital technology. For moviegoers who don’t normally attend animated films, Beowulf could also be the perfect vehicle for easing them into the fold. They won’t be jarred by something that is too far removed from live-action, and they won’t be embarrassed to show up without a kid. Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille and 20th Century Fox’s The Simpsons recently laid a bit of groundwork in this area by stepping outside the family film box and capturing the imagination of grown-ups, perhaps even more than the small children they brought with them or, more importantly, didn’t bring with them.
The general public doesn’t care if something is mo-capped or key-framed, they just want to be entertained. So the fear that performance-capture movies will become the new standard is mostly unfounded. True, studios will largely favor their economic model, but the money they save by not hiring a room full of animators will be largely offset by the expensive stars they tap to perform the roles. Besides, the big key-frame studios aren’t going anywhere. Imagine the possibilities if Pixar suddenly felt free to create a PG-13 fantasy, action or horror flick. What if DreamWorks Animation believed they could make money by creating a CG graphic novel adaptation along the lines of Sin City or 300?
The prospect of seeing more diverse stories told by our reigning master animators is very exciting, but it may all hinge on the success of Beowulf. If the movie flops, we’re likely to be looking at an endless string of silly talking animal movies and cutesy family fare. There’s a place for that sort of thing, and I often enjoy them, but is that really all we have to look forward to? I seriously doubt that those are the only kinds of stories people like John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Glen Keane, Ron Clements, John Musker and Chris Wedge want to tell.
From the works of Japanese maestro Hayao Miyazaki to the recent French releases The Triplets of Belleville, Renaissance and Persepolis, we’re seeing a good number foreign filmmakers daring to bring fresh stories to the screen with animation. Meanwhile, here in the States, it’s all about playing it safe with tried-and-true formulas for attracting the widest audience possible. Change may ride on the back of one brave movie that breaks from the pack and collects its spoils at the box office. And if that film happens to be a performance-capture production, then so be it.
Am I way off base here? Let us know what you think.
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