DVDizzy Forum

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:34 am**

DisneyFan09 wrote:
PatrickvD wrote:I liked Spirit quite a lot. It's very 'un-Dreamworks'.
How so?

It kind of sticks out. It feels different from their other hand drawn films. Just my own personal feeling about the film.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 7:28 am**

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 8:52 am**

Sinbad is kind of underrated, too. Heck, I think most of Dreamworks's 2D movies are underrated in a way because of freaking Shrek stealing the spotlight. I do agree with him that cocky Sinbad does take away from the movie a bit, but it is really good and very creative. I say it is worth watching once.

I forgot to mention earlier that I do disagree with him regarding Chicken Run, especially his whole hatred of the liar revealed trope. I do get what he is saying that the trope is overused, especially in animated movies. But what he seems to forget is that while in other movies we see the lie from the outset, on Chicken Run the lie isn't actually revealed till the very end. Yeah, we do see the circus owner looking for him, but what we know of Rocky then is that he is a circus performer that can apparently fly. The fact that at the end they learn the truth not from Rocky himself but from the final piece of the poster is clever. Chicken Run is a tightly written movie and thus one of my favorite movies ever.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:42 am**

PatrickvD wrote: It kind of sticks out. It feels different from their other hand drawn films. Just my own personal feeling about the film.

I agree. It felt very quiet and serious compared to many Dreamworks films.

I actually really loved (parts of) Sinbad when I was young. The 3D was really awful, but I loved loved Eris, her design and animation. They were very creative with her, especially the scene where she steals the book/Tome. I liked Proteus's design, also. I need to watch it again sometime.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:09 pm**

Sinbad is one of the movie I really like. As DD mention, Eris is awesome. everything about her made her great. While it seems odd to change an Arabian centered story into a more Mediterranean/Greek setting, I'm ok with it as I love the design and look of Syracuse. The worlds they visited were great and I like beastly animals they encountered. They were well designed and awesome. Also love the Siren scene.

Ony dislike I have to say was the slobbing dog was meh. annoying mutt.

Also how come the video not playing for me? God I hate Blip. I can't play any blip powered videos even on cinema snob or AVGN. Anyone know what's the problem?

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:10 pm**

I like all of DreamWorks' hand-drawn animated features. Even the direct-to-video Joseph: King of Dreams.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:08 pm**

Sotiris wrote:I like all of DreamWorks' hand-drawn animated features. Even the direct-to-video Joseph: King of Dreams.

I saw it on Netflix. I wasn't expecting it to be great but it was pretty solid. It blew my expectations out of the water.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:05 pm**

When I was little I loved Sinbad, now that I'm older it does feel really cliche in parts. Though like Doug said it is a really fun and entertaining flick.

estefan wrote: Did you miss the montage where they're both having fun and slowly falling for each other? Not to mention, there's that scene where Shrek and Fiona are having that sweet conversation at the fire and then come very close to kissing. Shrek wouldn't be bringing that sunflower later on, if there wasn't that connection and love between them.

Shrek doesn't find out Fiona is an ogre until AFTER he tells her that he's in love.

Oh my gosh ! You're so right ! Sorry that part slipped out of my memory.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2013 9:03 pm**

Super Aurora wrote:Sinbad is one of the movie I really like. As DD mention, Eris is awesome. everything about her made her great. While it seems odd to change an Arabian centered story into a more Mediterranean/Greek setting, I'm ok with it as I love the design and look of Syracuse. The worlds they visited were great and I like beastly animals they encountered. They were well designed and awesome. Also love the Siren scene.

Ony dislike I have to say was the slobbing dog was meh. annoying mutt.

Also how come the video not playing for me? God I hate Blip. I can't play any blip powered videos even on cinema snob or AVGN. Anyone know what's the problem?

Is it just Sinbad that's not playing for you? If so here it is on youtube

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PHfuJWB35iQ" frameborder="0"></iframe>

If you want the others let me know and I'll post them

Posted: **Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:00 am**

Posted: **Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:58 am**

I'd rather hear what he has to say about Shark Tale, easily the worst Dreamworks animated film from what I have been told (I saw it some 8 years ago and it was just meh).

Posted: **Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:39 am**

I recall Shark Tale as being an average/below average animated film.

Strangely, I remember being impressed by the rendering of the undersea environments. The film wasn't completely photo-realistic, which was refreshing. I wonder what they did that made it look different from other CG films.

Posted: **Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:42 pm**

I agree completely with Doug about Shrek 2. I remember my friends, who could care less for Shrek in general, fell head over heels in LOVE with the movie. The movie is just very inspired and has since gained a timeless feel to it unlike the first Shrek which has since become outdated in a way. Yeah it has references to Burger King, Star Bucks, Big Boy and such, but on the whole it focuses on solid character humor and a great story.

AND THAT CLIMAX IS FREAKING FANTASTIC:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xApn6r6Olu8" frameborder="0"></iframe>

When the Nostalgia Chick talked about Dreamworks, she said that around the time Kung Fu Panda came, it began a period for Dreamworks as a studio without an agenda against Disney. I would say that period really began with Shrek 2 as the movie was more focused on characters and story than satirizing Disney, which is what the first movie did. I think that's why it worked so well: the writers focused on developing an all around solid story rather than trying to find ways to mock Disney or any other company.

I too am curious as to what he will say about Shrek 3. The biggest beef with that movie is that it doesn't quite know what to do with its story. I said before that the movie doesn't know if it wants to be funny and dramatic, the king's death being one of them. Then there's a clear pattern regarding Shrek as a character: the story is always that he isn't happy with where he is. In Shrek 1, he isn't happy that people fear him and wants to be loved. In Shrek 2, he isn't happy that the royal family doesn't accept him as a member. In Shrek 3, he isn't happy that he is about to become a father, and in Shrek 4, he isn't happy that he is a family man.

That's just lazy writing to me, and typical when it comes to evolving a character with a relationship. For me what saves Shrek 4 is that it actually focuses on the relationship and it does feel genuine and honest, and unlike Shrek 3 which misses the point. It picks an emotion, a mood, a feeling and focuses on it.

Posted: **Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:41 pm**

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2013 1:33 am**

Will Smith Fish belongs on a Official Top 10 Worst Animated Flicks list.

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2013 4:44 am**

Sotiris wrote:I like all of DreamWorks' hand-drawn animated features. Even the direct-to-video Joseph: King of Dreams.

Well, they've all been good, but personally I've found them uneven. "Prince of Egypt" is grand and epic, but too heavy-handed at times. "The Road to El Dorado" is fun, but suffers from a rushed and not well developed script. "Spirit" is quite good, but the Bryan Adams-songs got annoying. And "Sinbad" is just okay. No more, no less.

However, it would be nice if Dreamworks decided to make a handdrawn flick again.

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2013 4:56 am**

Sotiris wrote:I like all of DreamWorks' hand-drawn animated features. Even the direct-to-video Joseph: King of Dreams.

So do I. I wish DreamWorks would hurry up and release them on Blu-ray. The current DVD editions for Prince of Egypt and El Dorado are particularly problematic, with Prince sourced from a dark and murky print (and what feels like several layers a clear plastic laid over the image) and El Dorado has some very objectionable macroblocking in fast moving scenes.

I believe these films sell, so I can't fathom my DreamWorks have been so slow in rereleasing them.

Also I really want DreamWorks to do another serious, ambitious feature a la Prince of Egypt. There's nothing wrong with aiming high. You just risk being parodied to death.

Oh, and Sotiris, what is the animation in King of Dreams like? Is it theatrical quality, or DTV level? Or maybe somewhere in between, like Bartok the Magnificent?

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2013 5:22 am**

Jules wrote:Oh, and Sotiris, what is the animation in King of Dreams like?

How about you watch it and see for yourself?

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2013 6:00 am**

Sotiris wrote:
Jules wrote:Oh, and Sotiris, what is the animation in King of Dreams like?
How about you watch it and see for yourself?

Aah. I don't want to watch it from a low-quality YouTube video.

It won't do the film justice (even the movie sucks). The film is very unlikely to be available for rental, though. Maybe I should torrent it! Oooh, naughty!

EDIT: OK, I watched up till 6:10. The animation doesn't seem to be quite feature quality, but every now and then comes a moment when it truly shines. This is good work.

Also, just before I hit stop (and while Joseph seems to be dreaming) the background and foreground started moving in such a way as to look like a Van Gogh painting come to life!

Posted: **Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:54 am**

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