Both of the upcoming animated releases that aren't Wall-E or Space Chimps got new trailers yesterday. Here's one for Igor (and here's a link to the poster we premiered a few weeks ago), and here's one for Kung Fu Panda.Kung Fu Panda looks like it'll be just a step or two above -- *shudder* -- Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Igor, on the other hand, looks like a charmer: the premise is inherently nerdy, requiring viewers to think back to the original Frankenstein films (or at least Young Frankenstein, or Van Helsing in a pinch) to get the joke, and the trailer has a few big laughs.
The biggest upside of Kung Fu Panda coming out on June 6th: those of us who frequent AMC Theaters will no longer have to endure the Kung Fu Panda-themed pre-movie interlude exhorting viewers to shut up. I'm not sure how many more times I can listen to Jack Black tell me that he can hear me texting before I have an aneurysm. But I guess I should be grateful AMC is no longer airing that horrid Three Doors Down "Citizen Soldier" video pimping the National Guard (because no one screams "role model" to teenagers like the lead singer of Three Doors Down). That thing gave me nightmares.
1. Yes, but... here's the thing. I saw those earlier trailers for "Panda" too, especially with the live-action Jack Black, and it looked absolutely god-awful, right up there with the rest of the crap Dreamworks has produced.
There is a great animation site called "Cartoon Brew," and the editor is a guy named Jerry Beck. He's one of the most respected animation journalists and authors in the business. And he has made no bones in the past about his detestation of the Dreamworks films. This is what he posted in March:
"I see a lot of animated features in advance and, for the most part, keep my opinions to myself until the movie is in general release. Today I had the opportunity to screen Kung Fu Panda and cannot contain myself. I’m not going to write a review or post spoilers - but I just want to alert you to what I believe is one of the best CG animated films I’ve ever seen.
"Yup. Right up there with The Incredibles. Dreamworks has done it. No joke.
"The art direction, the voices, the character animation, the comedy, the action scenes, the opening 2-D cartoon sequence, the heart… it all works. Don’t miss this in a theatre. I don’t care what you think of the trailer, or Dreamworks track record, or anything like that. None of that matters. This film is good, and will a big hit. Mark my words - you’ll want the action figures.
"Yes, this is a rave. I’ll post a more formal review as we get closer to its release. I just wanted to be the first to tell you."
Believe me, coming from this guy, this is pretty amazing. It still has no real interest for me, but I wanted to share it with you guys. And do check out cartoonbrew.com
Posted at 10:02AM on May 8th 2008 by David