I’ve refrained from saying that I’ve really liked Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues for awhile, but since it’s available on a real DVD I might as well praise it now. (Since I actually liked something, I had to wait awhile for it to stew and see if I still did later.)
As Mike Barrier plainly puts it in his brief post, I didn’t know Flash could look this good either. I was worried when I attended one of Cornell’s screenings of it in 35mm that my positive opinion of it (having already watched it on the Internet) may waver seeing it so huge. (Actual film projection and Flash don’t exactly fit together in my mind). Thankfully it didn’t.
What can I say that hasn’t been said ad nauseum; the film is awfully funny in both the writing and animation (I had to settle for a blurry capture of one of my favorite pieces in it since the DVD hasn’t arrived yet), moves at a brisk pace, and is personal without being quirky. Its meta-style is hilarious without being smug or obnoxious, and we’re not reminded that we should cry here or there every ten minutes. Coming out of Cornell Cinema, it was the first time in awhile I can think of (at a non-revival screening anyway) where I thought that I should have paid more for admission. (Then again, it was only four bucks.)
Eddie Fitzgerald mentioned to me awhile ago that what he likes best about cartooning is its “grass roots” feel (a term that we should use more since it hasn’t been abused like others); that anyone can pick up a pencil and try. Animation was basically an extension of the print cartoon, so it (for awhile) retained the same flavor. Yet very little animation these days (and arguably, cartooning) abides by this law. Even a lot of the best animated product these days feels like it was made by a machine, regardless of the talent poured into it. I’ve had the feeling for awhile that the really good stuff is going to come exclusively from the non-studios, and Paley’s film only further cements that idea.
As if it wasn’t obvious, I don’t anticipate to enjoy new movies much these days. All I can do is pray to the skies there’s more I like about something than dislike. A friend advised me that he refrains from commenting on certain things, like CGI, because “that’s not made for me.” What he and I get upset about though is: where is the stuff made for me? Sita is the kind of film made for me. I can’t think of an animated feature I’ve liked on the whole like this since Bakshi’s Heavy Traffic. My sole issue with it is that Paley should have had more money at her disposal, but then again, the film probably wouldn’t have been the same with it. I can’t say that her plans to get the movie out there were sound (and you can read all about them by going to her blog) but it was a huge gamble that paid off faster than it could have.
If Sita is playing at a theater near you, go see it, because if it fully convinced me that Flash can be used to create art rather than sausage, so imagine what it will do for you. If it isn’t playing, buy the DVD, and kick in a few bucks more so Paley can start her next movie. We need it.
(The audience reaction at Cornell was great, I might add. The only complaint I overheard was that it was too short, but I guess their brains must be fried from Speilberg, Lucas, Jackson, etc. and forgot that most movies used to wrap up within 100 minutes.)
Grass Roots is definetly the correct term.
I think the biggest problem of today’s animation is it’s completely personality deprived, the best films today are sterile products from a machine that adds detail but no life. You can’t connect to that. HEAVY TRAFFIC is a film driven by an individual in his own point of view of his world, no one elses.
WHOA! I actually agree with Thad about a modern film being good? but seriously, Sita IS really good. And it is further proof that you don’t need to try to work your way up in a studio for years for a chance to make that great film you have inside you. (though that struggle and the experience you gain CAN help the quality of your end product). The technology is readily available for anyone willing to put forth the effort, risk the odds of failure, and just MAKE what they want to make.
Please, though, make it be something good like this! (but don’t take chances with copyright laws :-) )
But let’s give the term “Bi-Partisan Grass Roots” a rest, please!
Hope I can see this soon.
“A friend advised me that he refrains from commenting on certain things, like CGI, because “that’s not made for me.” What he and I get upset about though is: where is the stuff made for me? ”
Exactly.
I completely resonate with that . I think the same thing: “where is the stuff made
for me ?” Was I born 40 years too late? But to me it’s not just about nostalgia for the “olden days” . I want to see new characters and modern situations and sensibilities expressed through cartoony character animation. I have no interest in seeing a “new” Bugs Bunny short or “new” Mickey Mouse, whatever . But I do want to see hand-drawn animation continue to flourish. You’re right that it will probably not come from the big studios.
I do actually enjoy some of the CG films more than you , but I recognize it for what it is and accept the limitations, but it’s not really “made for me” as you said. I don’t think of it in the same category as animation, what I think of as “real” animation. (I know I’m a terrible snob for saying that , but that’s how I feel about it.)
What does set me off is when people speak of “2D” animation in the past tense, as if it was a mere stepping stone in the evolution to “3D” (CG) animation , so “2D” was ok for it’s time and we can laud all sorts of praise on the older Warner Bros. cartoons or Disney or Fleischer , whatever, but the attitude is that 2D drawn animation has long since been surpassed and supplanted by 3D/CG animation and we should just deal with that reality and move on. Of course the irony here is that Sita is a totally CG film , in the sense that it was drawn paperlessly in a computer program (Flash). TECHNICALLY Sita is as modern as anything else out there , but the sensibility is more personal, more “grass-roots” as you say, not so corporate and formulaic as many big-budget animated films. It gives me hope to see an animated film like Sita . (or other independent features like Triplets of Belleville, Persepolis, Secret of Kells ) I hope we’re seeing the beginning of a new wave of independent animated features , not just a momentary blip on the timeline . The copyright and distribution fiasco that surrounded Sita is a cautionary tale to anyone else wanting to try the same thing. Plan it better !
I adore Triplets of Belleville and I eagerly await Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist.
Belleville is great. Thad, you’d probably like it.
I’ve been familiar with Paley’s work since her days in print. She had two syndicated strips, “Fluff” and “The Hots” (The former was a pretty good strip about animals; the latter was just another young couple strip, although the drawings were nice).
As you’ve said, Sita is a very well done film for something that took about 5 years to make and on Flash. It proves that if used right Flash can do wonders.
Her anti-copyright stance sometimes makes me want to bang my head, though. Yeah, it’s very hypocritical of me to say that since I don’t always respect it, but it’s entirely valid that there are artists (especially current artists) who relies on copyright to make a living. Really, she just got screwed over because of the rights issues with musics that were thought to be public domain and it’s understandable that it pissed her off.
But yeah, let that be a warning to other animators who wants to make a film independently.
I sympathize with Dave’s complaint about 2D being seen as a now-obsolete stepping-stone to 3D. It’s very frustrating, as a student hoping to become a professional 2D animator, to have to hear people’s reactions — “you’re doing 2D animation? But 3D is more detailed and so it’s better lolz”
About Flash, I’m also trying to use it as a tool for traditional frame-by-frame animation, rather than using its tweening system. I don’t know how successful I was with that, but you can see the results here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhqnZa45wms