As a parent, I recall the joy of seeking out the unusual and beautiful when shopping around for picture books for my son. Sadly, that time is passed but recently, I discovered Russian illustrator Varya Kolesnikova's work on Anna Glyanchenko's Babay and love the tone, abstraction and palette. Between Varya, me and Google translate, we managed to muster up the following introduction to Varya and Babay.
"My name is Varya Kolesnikova. I live and work in St. Petersburg. As a child, I wanted to be a writer, then a policeman, then a veterinarian and cynologist, and a writer again. But it happened that I graduated from the philological faculty and became an illustrator.
I love to illustrate children's books. I love to create worlds in pictures in which you can immerse in like in a warm bath with almond foam so you can forget about reality. Babay, written by Anna Glyanchenko, is living in just such a world. This is a story about the friendship between a boy and a ... fur. It tells how the imagined becomes real, warm, soft and alive. It is not just an old tattered fur that falls out from the closet but big and kind Babay who quietly comes to tea."
I've only just discovered this in an announcement of a second season of this collection of shorts. The new season comprises 13 two-minute episodes from writer/director Wataru Arakawa with music from Usui Yoshiyuki and animation from Jinni's Animation Studios.
The story centres around a female robot duchess named Drosel von Flügel and her guardian servant robot Gedächtnis.
The videos below contain the trailer for the upcoming season as well as a compilation of the freshman outing. Unfortunately, it's dialogue heavy and in original Japanese without translation. That said, the Chris Cunningham-influenced designs are fun and I like Usui Yoshiyuki's music.
I think I've been overlooking games on the WIRE for far too long. It has taken some time to digest what is on offer and swimming upstream against media questioning the merits of the medium has stymied my progress.
And so I start with the puzzle-based series of games centering on the adventures of Professor Layton and trusty apprentice, Luke. As this last Christmas approached, the seventh for my son and with an unwieldy collection of action figures, bricks, vehicles, and boardgames, we decided to get him a Nintendo DS XL along with a pair of Professor Layton games.
"Don't be fooled by the children's book presentation: this is essentially an interactive detective story, although the story is just an excuse to present you with a series of increasingly challenging puzzles, some of which could cause even the most sophisticated brain to overheat. If I had children, I'd force them to play this on the basis that it would almost certainly turn them into geniuses."
Now, it's two months later and the entire household often spend spare moments working through the games. Across age and gender, these games have drawn us into its charming pan-European vision of England with its Japanese sensibilities.
It's greater than the sum of its parts which all work toward enhacing the other. The puzzles, animations, music, voice acting and quirky storyline is at once familiar and comforting while likewise presented in such a incongruous ways as to make something new. For example, accordian music which we tend to associate with France serves as the base of much of the soundtrack. It's a bit like giving Tolstoy a soundtrack of steel drums. Odd, but it works in this context.
The puzzles themselves remind me of puzzles that various teachers throughout my schooling would bringe in a couple times of year to challenge and delight, but each Professor Layton has 100+ enigmas. Each is delightful with a good balance of challenge(and occasional frustration) while offering an endorphine-releasing payoff that spurs the player on to the next puzzle.
Recently, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva was released which is an animated film based on the series. Not as compelling as the games themselves, it does serve to buttress the series without detracting from its achievements. My son in particular was charmed by it.
Most of all, it is something that takes the medium and makes the most of its abilities and has a broad appeal, particularly among those who find little to no appeal in the usual fare offered by video games while likewise drawing in veteran gamers more accustomed to shooting zombies.
The imagery that's been released by USA Today hints at something wondrous, menacing, and true to the original without being overly familiar. Promising. The cast includes Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Christopher Lee as the Jabberwock, Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts, and newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsley.
For more than five years, I have been reading to my son Jack Raven an ample selection of children's literature. In this new series of posts I'll be introducing the artists and writers that rank among his favourites.
We are currently working through Tove Jansson's Moomin books which are full of wonder, wisdom and invention. Nine books were originally released in Swedish between 1945 and 1970 as well as five picture books and a series of comics written and illustrated by Jansson. The Moomins are a family of furry, hippo-like creatures who have a somwhat Bohemian outlook on life.
What I find so compelling about these stories are the strong characterisations and honesty all set within a world full of challenges and frights that remains benign without being banal. For my son, it's quick pace and curiosities keep him enthralled, its humour keeps him smiling, and its invention has him thinking.
The publisher Sort Of Books has recently released lovely editions of the picture books The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My and Who Will Comfort Toffle?in the UK. For information about Moomin books where you are, visit The Moomin Trove.
Bitone (translating as "talents) is a Ugandan children's home and troupe that have recently produced their own album entitled Movement of Life using a laptop and a single microphone in the centre's living room. This album is being sold to fund the home and continue its work.
Most of the charming music is traditional and performed by the children at the home with the exception of a suitably innocent rendition of Björk's All is Full of Love. You can listen to it in on their MySpace and it comes with a hearty recommendation from the WIRE.
"The mission of The Bitone Children’s Home/Troupe is to restore the lives and hopes of Ugandan children between 8 and 18 years old who have been traumatized by the death of their parents or loss of their home due to disease, war, or economic hardship. The program was founded by Branco Sekalegga, and Hassan Kayemba with the vision of “Restoring Hope by Nurturing the Body and Spirit.” Bitone youth are provided with basic food and shelter, a nurturing environment, an academic education, and counseling. Through learning traditional African music, dance, folklore and theater, the children build self-esteem, become self-reliant and contribute to creating a peaceful future for the next generations of Ugandans and others worldwide."
It's been some time since I've posted anything for children, but this simple and effective story and animation based on the Un monde en couleurs series of books illustrated by Mathieu Roussel and written by Nathalie Tousnakhoff is a charming diversion. See it HERE.
I have a small request from all of you that requires very little effort but will mean a great deal to a sick little boy for whom a calendar has become a countdown. Diagnosed with leukemia some months ago, he is beyond treatment and to keep himself going, he has taken to collecting postcards sent from various places. He's a part of my extended family and is currently living in Poland. At just 8 years old, it's an absolute tragedy.
What I'm asking is that anyone out there who is willing to send him a postcard, email me at sioux(at)siouxfire.com and I'll send along his name and address. For him, a postcard is a source of wonder and inspiration.
And for those of you who have blogs, please feel free to duplicate this post as you see fit.
Hiyao Miyazake's animated masterpiece, My Neighbour Totoro has a very special place in my household. We've all been taken by its mixture of fantasy and reality. In particular, my 4 year-old son has taken it to heart.
But this post isn't about introducing you to the film, but to comment on a change made to the western version which is unnecessary and unsuccessful. There have been two releases in English. The first was released in 1993 from Fox and it is pitch perfect albeit with unknown actors. In 2004, the rights expired and two years later, Disney released a new version featuring Dakota Fanning and her sister Elle.
I have a lot of respect for Dakota Fanning as a young actress, but she just doesn't seem to be capable of expressing wide-eyed, childhood exhubrance and innocence. The rest of the cast are equally inferior. The Fox cast are more relaxed and seem to take a leed from the animation, gelling better with their animated selves. Still, the new cast are not horrible, they are trying but somehow the effort works against them coming across as less natural and more self-conscious.
You can see both versions below. The one on the left is the new Disney version which also presents the film in widescreen format. On the right is the Fox dub which is presented in cropped full screen.
It is really unfortunate particularly for this film as it is enjoyed so much by younger viewers who aren't quite ready for subtitles. This film really doesn't need a star's name to sell it. It stands on its own. The real tragedy is that the existing dub is superior.
So my recommendation is that if you can get one of the last few copies of the Fox version, do so. The picture isn't as good, but the performances are a real treat.
In her upcoming book ABC3D(her first to be published in the UK or US), Marion Bataille bends perception from the lenticular cover to the diverse visual tricks within.
Graduating from Ecole Supérieure des Arts Graphiques de Paris, she is a multi-skilled artist, illustrator, costume designer, photographer, graphic designer and typographer. In her native France, she has written and illustrated Bruits (Sounds) and Livre de Lettres, the original version of ABC3D. In addition, she has illustrated Les Yeux Qui Chantent by Alex Cousseau, and La poésie surréaliste.
The clip below is an introduction to ABC3D. The book will be released in Autumn this year (2008) and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
When has adapting a children's picture book into a film ever succeeded? Certainly Dr. Seuss hasn't fared well in recent years with The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. And is there a point?
The above image is from Spike Jonze's upcoming adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The image looks wonderful and there is a lot of talent behind the production. Jonze is a great choice as director, going with Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a wise move, and Dave Eggars knows his way around a typewriter but a lot of questions arise into the premise of adapting a picture book. Writers Spike Jonze and Dave Eggars have quite a challenge.
Much of the charm of picture books is their ability to distill big ideas into small, simple packages with enchanting imagery. While I'm sure Jonze will get the imagery right, the question remains: how does one preserve the charm and simplicity of a picture book over the course of a feature length film? I hope that we will have the answer when Where the Wild Things Are is released in October.
I'm afraid this is more advertising, but there is something incredibly captivating about these surreal and sometimes sinister commercials. From Japan, these spots advertise Tarako's noodles and cod roe(eggs) and have become something of a national obsession. It isn't entirely new though it does have incredible staying power.
For those who find this captivating, it might be worth looking up Takashi Miike's The Happiness Of The Katakuris which has a similar surreal, musical feel though the promised menace does on many occasions come to fruition. (Miike is best known in the west for Audition and Ichi The Killer)
Also, don't miss the links below which are equally surreal. The Tarako site also features downloads and addition clips. What I find interesting is not just the surreal visuals, but the gambit of emotional hues these clips manage in a fractional space of time.
Watch this spot with it's melancholy and haunting opening that quickly turns...
From a young Argentinian team comes the pilot for October Le Chat. Aimed at a young audience, the trailer which can be seen at the official site features some nice visuals and fluid animation. October Le Chat will premiere at Annecy.
It's interesting to see the the unique programming created for children's television internationally and it's often more experimental and subversive than anything dreamed up on the major networks.
This clip is from the Japanese children's program "PythagoraSwitch" and is comprised of several "algorithm dances" from the show. Just watch the expressions on the faces of the two lead men and don't miss the marches. Compiled by a YouTube user and subtitled by Dattebayo fansubs, this is great surreal fun.
Director Lee Seong-Gang's new animated feature Yobi, the 5 Tailed Fox has been picked up by Les Editions Montparnasse. Of his work, I've only seen My Beautiful Girl, Mari which is an incredible blending of the sounds and sights of the sea, clouds, and plants to a pitch perfect, dreamy blend.
The official site for Yobi is HERE. The screenplay was written by Lee Chang-Dong. Again, I haven't seen it but given the stale state of children's animation westward, I have a little hope for something fresh to share with my little one. At least in the visuals, this looks like fun. 천년여우 여우비(Korea)
**NOTE: I've just added the tag "children" for those of you out their with kiddies in your lives or who are kids at heart. You can click on the tags in the right margin to filter the blog posts by criteria.
Euterpe Jones(AKA Maid Marian) has posted a lot of vintage cinematic work over at YouTube, but this has to be one of the best. It's a compilation of what remains of the first version of Alice in Wonderland and it's great. Only 9 minutes long, it features the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the March hare, the Cheshire Cat (a disembodied and bored looking Persian), and the Queen of Hearts. Suitably surreal.
