Will Animation resurface?

2010 had been an year famous for the animated work we got to see on the big screen. The revenues that animated studios garnered had been mind-boggling with 5 movies featuring in the top 10 highest earning movies in the US released that year. Such was the impact of the animation industry which I duly noted in my post 'The Year for Animation!' (flashback link: http://bucksandcorn.blogspot.com/2010/10/year-for-animation.html). So you would have expected something similar or better to happen in 2011, right? You did, but the industry disappointed. For starters, none of the animated movies crossed the $200 million mark at the US box office, whereas four had achieved this feat in 2010. Two movies that had some good collections in international markets were both sequels, and both failed to achieve the kind of acclaim their predecessors had gathered - Kung Fu Panda & Cars. With Cars 2, Pixar probably noted its first critical failure in a so far immaculate 15-year old movie making history. Towards the end of the year, Puss in Boots, the spin-off from the Shrek series got a somewhat positive response, but it was too little too late. And right at the end came the much awaited flick by Steven Spielberg, The Adventures of Tintin, which I found to be rather refreshing as well as true to a large extent to the spirit of the book series, though it too did not light up the box office as many had expected it to.

So after 2011 dulled the impact that the animation movies of the previous year had created, what would one expect from 2012? I would not blame you if you remained skeptical about it. But the animation studios have a lot of redemption work ahead of them. And no one more so than Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar is hitting the theatres with is first animation flick that has a lady in the leading role, titled Brave releasing in the coveted month of June. The initial trailers are making me forget about Cars 2 and being a loyalist, I am praying that we will have the old Pixar works back again. Two series' are coming back to set things right for animation industry; the trio of Manny, Sid and Diego returning back along with the ever adorable Scrat in the new Ice Age movie called Ice Age: Continental Drift, and another bunch of animals regrouping in the next of the Madagascar series, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Usually you wonder about the quality of the work when hit movies are packaged and repackaged in form of sequels, but I was not particularly disappointed with the previous movies of these two franchises. In fact Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs had churned a mind boggling number close to $900 million in worldwide revenues. Also, with 2011 making me a bit worried, it would be better to see some familiar faces on the screen again.

What else do we have? For those who have loved the Dr. Seuss books, there is another animation movie releasing in March on one his books titled Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. While the initial rushes are looking good, what is more comforting is that Illumination Entertainment is working on this project and after watching their previous flick, Despicable Me, I am buoyant about the prospects of this studio. Rise of the Guardians is another animation movie that has got me interested with its imaginative storyline that if pulled off well, would be spectacular - "Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost and the Sandman band together to form a united front against the Bogeyman." There is Hugh Jackman as one of the star voices for the project and it has the name of DreamWorks Animation behind it, so hopefully things will turn out for the best. Hotel Transylvania is the last of the anticipated animated movies I can think of. Voices of Adam Sandler and Kevin James, so it is a no-brainer that this one is intended to be a laugh-riot. I hope I have not missed out on any of the big projects due in 2012 (not counting re-releases such as Beauty and the Beast and Finding Nemo). But all said and done, the animation world is irreplaceable for any movie goer; it adds an extra dimension, an extra feature, a different kind of thrill to watching movies. So I do hope that this year, the animation studios will stand up and be counted... and recreate the magic of 2010! Here's to hope... and to the world of animation!

Warrior: Tom Hardy

I just finished watching 2011's Warrior, though I am late by about 4 months. For those of you who watched it on time... well-done; and for those who are yet to see it, do it soon! With meagre earnings of $18 million worldwide, Warrior came and disappeared from the cinema halls in the blink of an eye. But it has garnered about 41,000 votes (and counting) on Imdb so far and features on the Imdb #250 list as of now! Which if one sees the movie, is not really surprising. It is likely to become one of those movies that does not fare well on the box office but later on develops a cult following. While Nick Nolte would no doubt take away many plaudits for his outstanding (and award deserving) characterisation of the estranged father who is valiantly trying to correct all the mistakes of his past life, I was pleasantly introduced to the wonderful performance of Tom Hardy in this movie.

With a decade long track record in the movie industry, Tom Hardy really came in the spotlight with his role as the identity forger, Eames, in the massive hit Inception of 2010. But what has really made him or will make him a household name in the future is his role as the hefty Bane, the new nemesis of Batman in the yet to be released The Dark Knight Rises. And with the responsibility of taking on such a massive role on his shoulders, after all he will be drawing comparisons with Heath Ledger's Joker, I wanted to see how really big those shoulders are. And if Warrior is anything to go by, those shoulders are huge... literally and figuratively. Tom Hardy plays Tommy Conlon, the younger of the two sons left to look after themselves after their dad, played by Nick Nolte, turns out to be a violent non-caring figure. With such a father and having had to bury his mother, Tommy develops a deep loathing in his heart which he tries to fuel through his fights. Tom Hardy has worked on this character so beautifully that you love his arrogance and sympathise with the reason for his rage. While Joel Edgerton as the older brother appears to have more human like emotions, you still root for Tommy in each fight and can feel what is burning inside him. The tattoos on the body, the sharp punches, the stern look, they all come together for a splendid performance! And one of the scenes that takes the cake for me is when he puts his drunk father to bed after having burst out on him the previous night.

Hooked on to his performance now, I looked up on the other roles Tom Hardy would be working on. He is part of the mouth-watering cast in Tinker Tailor Solider Spy; have been looking forward to this flick for quite sometime and really eager to watch it. Tom Hardy would be also appearing in a not-so-serious role in This Means War where he would be competing with Chris Pine for Reese Witherspoon's attention; action comedy flick that seems so-so to me. What has really got me interested is the period flick called Wettest Country to be released in August 2012 which has Tom Hardy along with the likes of Gary Oldman and Shia LaBeouf. A tale about a bootlegging gang in the Depression-era, it has got a premise that has piqued my ears, and hopefully it will not disappoint. By then though, many would have already formed a stronger opinion about Tom Hardy, based on his performance in The Dark Knight Rises, to be released in July 2012. I hope he rises up to the challenges that such a role demands, but the initial signs are definitely promising! We could be hearing about Tom Hardy a lot more in the future...