TPM Animated Series

Gwas - I'm intrigued, what's the address for these sites where I can view these cut-scenes?

And its CEE JAY, not GEE JAY!

 

Excellent points Gwas! If they can do it for the video games, then they can do it for the series too! Some people here are going to blindly attack people like CeeJay's opinion as an attack on the show itself. It is not, but simply a desire to see more effort put into the series than that of Samurai Jack! What is wrong with wanting more than a simplictic goofy looking cartoon style when so much more could be done?? At least the creators of The Matrix saw the potential and sought the best of the best instead of squandering the wonderous opportunity like Lucasfilm seems to be doing all over again (again, this slam is against the animation quality and not the story, etc.)!

 

Sorry CeeJay.

The scenes are on the official Lucasarts site.

The site doesn't seem to be playing ball with my computer at the moment but this will take you to the page where you can select it. Scroll down within the purple box.

www.lucasarts.com/products/starwarsbountyhunter/index.html

Just the job I think, I hope you agree. The game isn't too shabby either.

 

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just crazy. But, could we at least wait until we see a frame of the cartoon until we totally judge the merits of it, and what should have/could have been done?

 

It is just you!

I know what to expect, a well animated cartoon in the style as previewed in the one sheet poster. I therefore also know what I'd prefer, a well animated CGI show in the style of realistic looking characters motion captured and fluidly moving amongst virtually realistic landscapes such as in Final Fantasy, fully uterlising the captured features of the real actors, 12 parts, 10 minutes long each, opening scroll at the begining such as the SW films and the old Flash Gordon serials, a cliffhanger end to each episode and presented in 1.78:1 format so to fully uterlise the screen of a 16:9 widescreen TV.

Yum yum!

 

If you want to see this CGI spectacle so much, and are so convinced that so many other people want to see it, and that it will be so amazing, why not make it yourself? After all, that's exactly what the makers of Samurai Jack did, according to the official website...

 

If it was THAT easy we'd all be making films don't you think? Furthermore, I'd make a whole new SW not just an animated series if I had the resources and the cash!

Any more wishfull thinking comments?

 

In other words, to quote a certain whiny farmboy; "I can't. It's too big..."

You get the resources and the cash once you've sold the idea.

What happened to the CeeJay who was slamming the "don't try" comments at the top of the page?

I mean, I'd love to be able to show you the comics I've drawn... except I haven't drawn any. I don't have the cash or the resources. Of course, some people say that I just need to pick up a pen and paper and draw it- but if it was that easy, we'd all be graphic artists now, wouldn't we?

 

Well funny you should say that but I was a proffesional Comic Strip illustrator for 8 years and I was one of many artist drawing the most popular comic character in the UK ever, Judge Dredd for the comic 2000ad and it's sister puplication Judge Dredd the Megazine, i can show you examples if you wish to proove it too! All that not to mention drawing half the only ever Lone Wolf graphic novel by best selling author Joe Dever. I stopped drawing to take a break from it all and ended up working in a comic shop which is paret of one of the biggest retailers of sci fi and fantasy merchandise in the country and now I'm deputy manager. I will be returning to comics when I feel good and ready to so it's not about bragging without any zeal to do my own thing here dude! What's your excuse for not making a film already or a comic for that matter?

Now to put you straight once and for all, this isn't a thread about starting your own film, if I wanted to make films then I would have endevoured to do so, this is a thread about people who's job it is to make films and are not producing the best at which they can with the rescorces available to them - not me! Not anyone else replying on this thread either, WE... let me repeat WE are the audience - Get it? We are what they make films for in the interest of entertaining us and in return us paying them for their efforts so to actually make it a profitable business. They don't make these things for themselves oterwise the films woould never be seen outside the ranch - Get it? This is a thread where you express your opinion on how well or how much you think they are doing in the production of such films - get it? Not a thread about questioning why we who complain about things havent gone out and done better ourselves, if it was, then half the people who post here would be making films and getting sued by GL for producing superior SW films without his permission - get it?

If you actually can voice an opinion further than, "if you don't like it then why don't you make your own" then I would like to hear it. Otherwise i'd suggest the next time you bite into some food you don't like, then make build your own restaurant and make your own food, or the next time you are not happy with an element of your computer or it's operating system, then gather some production money and develop your own; and the same goes for anything you ever decide you not completely satisfied with - go out and just make your own! It can't fail, it's your own advice after all!

 

Judge Dredd the Megazine, I can show you examples if you wish to proove it too!

I would be interested in seeing them.

 

Give us your email Stryphie and I'd be happy to oblige!

 

>>>Well funny you should say that but I was a proffesional Comic Strip illustrator for 8 years [...] not to mention drawing half the only ever Lone Wolf graphic novel

I know- you've mentioned it before, and that's exactly why I said "comics"...

>>>What's your excuse for not making a film already or a comic for that matter?

Excuse? Well, I have no desire to make a film, because I don't have a story I want to tell. I am quite happy with the Star Wars films that I can watch already, so I don't feel the urge to rewrite how they would be different if I had made them. My drawing skills are terrible, I'm colourblind, and I don't read comics (apart from Calvin & Hobbes.) If I feel the need for artistic expression, I make music.

Good enough excuse, or do you want me to carry on?

>>>>this is a thread about people who's job it is to make films and are not producing the best at which they can with the rescorces available to them - not me!

I thought this thread was about the spin-off cartoon series that someone (not George Lucas- the maker of Samurai Jack) wanted to make, asked to make, and went ahead and made, and then you complained that it wasn't being done in the style YOU wanted to see.

To quote; "I just wish it was done in another style, namely the type of CGI used in Max Steel and Starship Troopers. My preference!"

>>>They don't make these things for themselves oterwise the films woould never be seen outside the ranch - Get it?

On any occasion George Lucas has been asked who he makes the films for, he says he makes them for himself. (Hence him paying for them himself, writing them all himself and so on and so forth.)

>>>If you actually can voice an opinion further than, "if you don't like it then why don't you make your own" then I would like to hear it.

My point is that the Clone Wars cartoon was made by someone who asked to make it. If you want to see your idea become realised, then don't sit around complaining that nobody's doing it, or if you do then expect me to complain that you're not doing it- you've got artistic experience, an impressive sounding portfolio and a clear idea of what you want to see.

The makers of the Clone Wars cartoon are making the cartoon that they wanted to make, because it's presumably the cartoon that they wanted to see. It's not made for 20-something graphic artists, or it wouldn't be 2 minute fillers on the Cartoon Network.

And to quote from my earlier post;
Obviously, I'd love to see an animated companion piece to the prequels, done to the level of quality of the films.

However, I don't think it's an idea that is realistic, simply because of the possible budget for a CGI TV series, with (presumably) different environments for 2 minutes at a time.

 

This isn't 1989, the level of CGI needed to do televison doesn't set companies back millions upon millions. And why does the CGi have to be the same level as that which exists for the film? You're talking about an extremely high resoloution to hold up on a massive projected screen in comparison to a much lower resolution for TV. Do you think the companies that do Dan Dare, Starship Troopers or Max Steel are wealthier than Lucasfilm? Babylon 5 made tons of CGI fx cosisting of landscapes, enviroments and full scale battles which held up well for TV on a miniscule budget and that was over 7 years ago!

 

Yeah but you aren't talking about the low level CG in Max Steel or Starship Troopers (which I think is pretty bad quality anyway). That's sub video game cut scene level animation in my opinion. Besides, I don't want to feel like I'm watching a cut scene when I watch this show either. You're talking about Final Fantasy/Square CG animation. High quality CG animation. Which runs at about a million a minute.

 

Well, in the end it boils down to the fact that Lucasfilm leans towards the cheapest direction possible when it comes to anything in the realm of animation. [face_shocked] The Wachowskis saw the chance to utilize some of the best animation studios available for ANIMATRIX, where as Lucasfilm gives us DROIDS and EWOKS quality stuff, or the equivelent to with the Samurai Jack-ish CLONE WARS.

I do not see the need for a CGI series. As mentioned above, STARSHIP TROOPERS and other stuff like it looks like ultra garbage, while incredibly expensive, highly rendered offerings (FINAL FANTASY) tend to forget how to tell good, well paced, interesting stories because all eyes was on on the CGI realism itself. Who here would complain about the series having been done by one of the highly regarded Anime studios from Japan, or an equivelant to?? As I can tell right now, CLONE WARS is another missed opportunity by Lucasfilm that could have been something outstanding, featuring some top of the line animation.
Yet again, though, Star Wars fans must "settle for" and "be happy with" what we are getting.

 

Ultimate - Nice of you to take it upon yourself to guess at what I'm talking about, but who said I wasn't talking about the Level of CGI in Max Steel and Starship Troopers? I find very little wrong with those shows they're great which is why i've repeatedly stated so in this debate. You must be talking about another Ceejay! Furthermore, just because I am wowed by the level of CGI done by Square in Final Fantasy doesn't mean that the quality drop would have be that significant if Lucasfilm put there muscle behind it.

Darth Janus - It never ceases to amaze me how many people just plain didn't "get" Final fantasy the movie, it was a fantastic film with an intelligent story just not suitable for a western audience, it was very much a subject more at home in Japan. The trailer sold it as a gung-ho James Cameron type ALIEN 2 flick when in actuality it was about spirituality and interconnecting life, not the type of thing the average western audience wants in his sci fi film. Some of the most stunning Japenese box office hits do amazingly bad in the west because they simply aint what the audience cares to watch. Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and such are awesome films but they couldn't make any sort of impact at the Box Office as would a typical Disney flick. For me, Final Fantasy was easily the best animated film of that year and it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar!

 

Having an animated series on The Clone War is bad enough. We don't need an animated series that falls between Episodes I and II.

 

"...and it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar"

Well CeeJay, I'll agree with you there, the CGI is a beautiful accomplishment and definitely should have been nominated, if not even won, the academy award for best animation. But the overall film itself was a huge missed opportunity for and fans of the FF games. For one, it should not have been called FINAL FANTASY. It had nothing in common with the themes and environments, or stories that are always the focus of the games. The movie could have been awesome, but instead wanted to be an ALIENS rip-off with some misplaced spirituality mumbo jumbo thrown in for good measure. The combination didn't work at all! Had FF stuck with what is does best (in the vein of the awesome stories told in the various games), the movie would have been a hit over here and Japan. Of course that doesn't mean throwing sprituality and other such elements out the window, because the games are full of that too and are very successful for it! As I said, they got too caught up in making the best looking ultra realistic, highly rendered CGI film ever made and completely forgot how to come up with something that was actually interesting to the audience in any shape, form, or fashion! As it stands, the film may have merrit with some people, but for most FF fans (and there are many), it is nothing more than the red headed b*stard stepchild of what could have been!

 

Darth Jamus - It definately should have won best Animated film, but to call it an Aliens rip off is inappropriate. The only reason anyone associated it with ALIENS is because of the stupid trailers with the soldiers, the battling etc, the final trailer for the film sold it on a completely different on the theme of the spirtual content which was much more accuarte to the content of the film as a whole. I agree that they shouldn't have botherd calling it Final Fantasy as although most of the games hardly link up together the film was of an entirely different theme to them. It could have stood as a film on its own merit witht he title The Spirits Within. I can't help feeling though that although not being a big screen production of one of the previous games, the fans really missed out on enjoying a stunning cinematic experience by not getting over their initial dissapointment and accepting the presentation at hand.

Mortimer_Nerdly - Maybe not for you, but personally I know of many SW fans that were not impressed by the jump made in between Ep1 and 2 and the missing out on the years of Anakin and Obi Wans relationship and adventure not to mention Anakins training experiences as a Jedi. Obviously those events alone are not reason enough to do an animated series but having already seen Ep2, the events that brought about the death of Sifo Dyas, the forging of the deal with the Kaminoans to make the Clones, the intialisation of the Sepratist government, the discovery and recruiting of Jango Fett, the assaination pact made with the TF for the life of Padme and most importantly, the swaying of Count Dooku to the darkside and his journey to leadership of the Seratsit movement are all wealthy elements for an animated production or two!

 

Well, funny thing is that I coined the ALIENS comparison (as applied to my own opinion of the film) myself. I did not pick it up anywhere else. I had not seen the trailers to the film or anything, but simply read that there was a movie of the video game series FINAL FANTASY. I walked out (actually ran out) scratching my head over why they chose to base the look of the movie from the land of ALIENS over coming up with something interesting and neat more on the level of the themes introduced in the games. I don't mean to compare the story of FF to ALIENS so much as the look of the films. That was a BIG mistake by the creators of the film, in my opinion. True enough, the film does have more weight if you try to forget that it is a FF entry, but that is kind of hard to do when every fan was looking forward to seeing their awesome games brought to the screen, but instead we got this! They definitely should have released it under the title SPIRITS WITHIN and stayed as far away from FF as they could. The film would have stood a much better chance!

Back on subject, all the things you mentioned sure would make a great animated series for Star Wars! You just got my imagination rolling! I would not want to ever show it to anyone in consecutive order with the films who has not actually seen the films though, because it would spoil several surprises for them. But in retrospect for fans like us it would be great!

 

Darh Jamus - The "Aliens" comparisson was a popular one amongst many after seeing the railers believe me. As for the TV show spoiling the suprises in the films, well the TV shows come out well after the revelations of the films so there shouldn't be any problem there. As it stands, the PT already spoils the biggest suprise in the SW trilogy which is that Anakin is Lukes Father.

 

CeeJay

I rented the Bounty Hunter game on PS2 last weekend, and I couldn't help think that the CGI cartoon series you are suggesting would basically look like the cutscenes in the computer game.

 

I almost felt more involved in the story in Bounty Hunter than AOTC and TPM. Jango is an interesting character...

 

Hawk -

SomeRandomNerd - Well I realise that CGI to a lot of people is the devil and woulf rther have animatronics, models and stop motion picture instead. But having watched Starship Troopes, Max Steel and pretty recently the Animatrix Final Flight of the Osiris, I have to stick by what I've experienced with these as the prefered way to present an animated series for addition to the SW saga. Final Flight of the Osiris had a sword fight that although tounge -in-cheek, was equal to a majority done in the SW films and superior to anything done in AOTC in particular, not to mention impossible to deliver in such reality and detail in flat 2D traditioianl animation especially the style employed in Samurai Jack.

CGI is only as good as the artists and animators on the project, with the right people at in the right jobs, a CGi animated series of SW shorts would be astounding!

 

CeeJay - Don't forget that FFotO is being shown on Channel 5 on Wednesday as part of their Matrix Night.

Good times indeed.