Animated Antics. - Review - video recording review

The past year has been a remarkable one for animated films, breaking the virtual stranglehold the Disney Studio has had on the genre and demonstrating how innovative techniques are changing the way such films are made without in the least destroying their charm.

Chicken Run (DreamWorks Home Entertainment, 84 minutes, $19.95), a devastating send-up of classic prison breakout movies like "The Great Escape" and "Stalag 17," presents a barnyard full of chickens desperate to find freedom before they are turned into potpies by the evil Mrs. Tweedy and her lunkhead husband. The various plans by Ginger, the rebellious leader, are constantly thwarted until the arrival of Rocky, a purportedly flying rooster with the voice of Mel Gibson who is reluctantly dragged into the escape schemes. The picture is hysterical, quite obviously aimed more at adults than the kid audience animated features usually are designed for.

The animation technique comes from the creative team that turned out the Oscar-winning shorts "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave"--stop-motion photography using Plasticine (clay) sculptures with metal armatures, all covered with latex skins. The method requires moving each figure 24 times to achieve a single second of film, explaining why shooting three minutes a day was a major accomplishment. As entertaining as the film is--which is plenty--the extra features easily match it in viewer interest, from the director's commentary to the "Making of ..." portion that shows how the creatures were built and operated. Throw in bloopers, interactive games, trivia questions, and a panic button that triggers a bunch of chickens hysterically screaming, "We mustn't panic," and you've got more fun than a day at an amusement park.

Toy Story 2 (Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 92 minutes, $39.99) follows in the footsteps of the blockbuster "Toy Story," the first time Disney went to an outside source and veered away from its prototypical animation techniques. Both films are the product of Pixar Animation Studios, utilizing cutting-edge computer animation to achieve effects traditional cel animation never could. TS2 is quite a bit darker than the original, possibly too intense for very young children, but it's one of those rare kids' pictures that adults can enjoy to the hilt.

TS2 brings back the original characters and, most important, the voices behind them, especially Tom Hanks as Woody, the cowboy puppet, and Tim Allen as the dim-witted space toy, Buzz Lightyear. This time around, Woody is wavering and self-doubting after getting the feeling that his owner is outgrowing him, and Buzz turns into the stalwart hero he always thought he was as he leads an expedition to rescue Woody from an evil toy store owner hell-bent to sell him to a Japanese museum. The villain, lip-smackingly voiced by Wayne Knight, gives TS2 its edge and makes the picture even richer than the original.

"Toy Story 2" is being sold in DVD in a two-pack that requires purchasing "Toy Story" as well, thus raising the price considerably. However, most families will want both anyway, and the special features packaged with the two disks make it all worthwhile, including a remastered version of the 1986 Academy-Award winning short "Luxo Jr." and sneak previews of the forthcoming Disney/Pixar collaboration of "Monsters, Inc." Be sure to keep the disk running for the outtakes that appear over the closing credits of TS2--a brilliant parody of those tagged onto many movies nowadays--which may be even funnier than the movie itself. Even the concept is a riot. Just think about it--how do you get outtakes from an animated feature?

The Road to El Dorado (DreamWorks Home Entertainment, 89 minutes, $19.95) sticks to the classic time-honored cel technique. Moreover, it borrows to its advantage from two sources--the long-running Ding Crosby-Bob Hope road pictures and the 1975 Sean Connery-Michael Caine adventure movie, "The Man Who Would Be King." The inspired pairing of Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh to provide the voices of the two lovable rogues in search of the lost city of gold, trying to keep one step ahead of the brutal conquistadore Hernando Cortes and pull the wool over the eyes of the evil native high priest (the oily-voiced Armand Assante), makes the movie a delight throughout. Riddled (deliberately) with anachronisms, especially in dialogue, the picture is a fun-filled romp.

The bonus features are a veritable grab bag for all ages. Kids will get a kick out of the interactive games, mazes, and read-along adventures, while teens and adults are treated to an Elton John music video, as well as the usual filmmakers' commentary and various behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Cartoon Noir (First Run Features, 83 minutes, $29.95), on the other hand, is a collection of a half-dozen short animated features (two from the U.S. and one each from England, Portugal, Poland, and Czechoslovakia) that combine traditional animation techniques with abstract and symbolic art to create a dark (noir) imagery. More disturbing than amusing, these are definitely not intended for youngsters. Nevertheless, they are visually striking, provocative, and imaginative, a fine sampling of the type of animation that is going on outside (sometimes way outside) the mainstream, The DVD eschews bonus features, perhaps figuring that viewers will be so stunned when it comes to an end that they will have no time for fun and games.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group