Animation First Goes to 11! Plus the final word on Earwig and the Witch - Animation #11
Welcome to another episode of Renegade Animation, featuring our Captain and Guru, Mike and Cameron! Our animated dynamic duo are back with more animation news than is fit to print, including the closure of Blue Sky Studios by Disney, which was very unfortunate. We also have reviews of Earwig and the Witch and three of the major films from the Animation First film festival: Calamity - A Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary, Josep, and The King and the Mockingbird. It’s another packed episode of animated epicness, so let’s get started!
RIP, Blue Sky.
Cam and Mike start us off with a bunch of news stories, which I’ll leave to the podcast itself (so press that play button, everyone!), but I will link to this article about the closure of Blue Sky, which is a huge loss for animation fans. Our best wishes go out to those who lost their jobs because of this closure.
Other than that, I’m going to jump to the main reviews featured here. Let’s talk about Earwig, which we did chat about on the previous episode of Home Theater:
Earwig and The Witch (HBO Max)
Produced by the legendary Studio Ghibli and directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki, Earwig is the first feature-length CGI-animated film from the animation studio, and has released to mixed reviews from critics and audiences. The film centers on Earwig, a young, headstrong girl who is adopted by a witch named Bella Yaga and a creature called a Mandrake, who really wants to be left alone by everyone. Eager to be a witch herself, Earwig annoys Yaga and the Mandrake and causes chaos in order to ingratiate herself to them. When she discovers a mysterious connection to her long-lost mother, Earwig doubles her efforts and mayhem ensues.
Okay, let’s read the Captain’s thoughts on this one:
“The thing that Western audiences need to know about this movie is that this wasn’t intended to be a theatrical release. In Japan, it was broadcast on NHK General TV. I only bring this up so expectations can be managed that this won’t be of the same scope and scale as a Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle. That being said, I still found it rather undercooked, for a number of reasons. Starting with the animation, while I’ve certainly seen worse, it lacks any sort of texture, making the characters appear like porcelain dolls. As for the English dub, and I’ve noticed the same thing with Lupin III The First, it’ll be a long time before we master the art of matching the lip flaps for 3D characters. The voice cast itself was actually great, my favorites were Dan Stevens as the black cat Thomas, Vanessa Marshall as Bella Yaga, and Kasey Musgrave as Earwig’s mother. My biggest problem with the film is with Earwig herself. It’s clear that the film wants me to root for her, and in theory I do, but she comes off as far too unlikeable than perhaps intended. Granted, she’s still a child, and children aren’t meant to be perfect, but what’s missing is a more substantial reason to care about her wants and needs. There’s a more interesting subplot about her mother and the band Earwig (after which her daughter was named), and I wish the film had more time to explore that rather than shoving it to the side. To end this review on a positive note, the song “Don’t Disturb Me” is a genuine bop, and had this been a full on musical I would have loved the film so much more. As it is, it’s mediocre, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who isn’t a Ghibli completionist.”
Now let’s see what the Guru thought:
“The animation is not the biggest fault of the film. To me, the story is the biggest fault. For a TV film that’s 85 minutes long, it feels like there are huge chunks of the story missing. Not like they cut them out ala The Weinstein Company, but they focus so much on one part of the story, that the last third has to push the most important story beats to the last 10 minutes. It’s another Goro Miyazaki film with an abrupt ending. What’s worse is that the ending feels like the story was about to get good. Not that there aren’t nice or entertaining moments during the first two-thirds, but when the last third has such touching emotional beats, and one heck of a closing reveal, well, it stings more. The film spends much of its time with Earwig who is trying to make a potential potion to avoid having to deal with the threats of Yaga, and that simply takes up too much time in the film. What would have been nice is if the film itself was more like two hours or so, and instead of being in the house the entire time, they showed off those moments that you see in the ending credits. It’s disappointing because the story does have some pretty good themes and story elements of dealing with loss and losing that part of you that gave your life spark. Simply put, I was interested in Earwig getting back at Yaga, and that got tiring after realizing how much of the runtime is dedicated to that part of the story. As I said, there are parts of the story where I enjoyed the film. I like seeing the Mandrake choose the meals for everyone. I like Earwig connecting with Thomas. I love her finding out who her mom was, and the past lives of the two adults with whom she lives. The performances are also quite good with Vanessa Marshall and Dan Stevens doing great work, and while I do love Richard E Grant, his character gets stuck saying a lot of his lines in low growly voices. Even Earwig’s mom, who is dubbed by country star Kacey Musgraves, is a cool character, but she is barely in the film, so outside of her singing talents, why cast her? It’s a real shame because this could have worked, and I don’t know if the story was truncated due to it being a TV movie, or if the writers and Goro had trouble coming up with a story that has a better flow to it. ”
Josep (Animation First)
Synopsis from the Animation First festival website: “During the Spanish Civil War, Bartolí, an anti-Franco activist, fled across the Pyrénées in hopes of finding freedom in France. However, French police captured and held him in a series of refugee camps. Drawing on Bartolí’s evocative sketches, Aurel paints an impressionistic and sensitive portrait of the artist in stark contrast to life within the brutal camps, as well as the redeeming humanity of a sympathetic gendarme who helped him escape.”
Sounds haunting. Let’s see what the Cap’n says:
“The story takes place roughly 8 months before the star of World War II in February 1939. Overwhelmed by the flood of Republicans fleeing Franco’s dictatorship, the French government’s solution consists in confining the Spanish refugees in concentration camps where they have no other choice than to build their own shelters, feed off the horses which have carried them out of their country, and die by the hundred for lack of hygiene and water… In one of these camps, two men, separated by barbwire, will become friends. One is a guard, while the other is Josep Bartoli (Barcelona 1910 – New York 1995), a cartoonist who fights against the Franco regime. Something that I’m starting to appreciate about foreign animation is how it allows me the opportunity to fill in certain gaps in my knowledge of world history. This was certainly an eye opening experience, witnessing the story of an artist I wasn’t necessarily aware of unfold in such a unique style. It took me a while to get used to the limited, almost sketchbook-esque aesthetic of the past, juxtaposed against the cleaner animation of the present, but nevertheless I was gripped by Josep and Serge’s journey. This was a fantastic directorial debut from Aurel, and the screenplay written by Jean-Louis Milesi was beautiful. Given its subject matter, it’s not always the easiest watch, and there are scenes with plenty of nightmare inducing visuals, but at least it ends on a positive note.”
And here are the Guru’s notes:
“The true emotional core of this experience is the bond between Serge and Josep. War is, to put it lightly, awful. I’m sure anyone with a heart doesn’t come out of this kind of experience without some baggage attached to them for the rest of their lives. It’s a film that captures more of a mood and a period than worrying about a cohesive three-act structure. It does have moments where the more trippy elements bleed into the more “realistic” elements, but just like Josep says in the film, “that is what it was like”. It reminds me a lot of that indie comic Maus. It can be a real downer of a film, and it doesn’t hold back the horrors those refugees went through and the racist standoffs between French guards, African guards, and the refugees. However, it does balance it out with very human and soulful moments of these people finding happiness and what little joy they can. Serge and Josep have a friendship and chemistry that feels extremely intimate and human. Even after the war is over, and they find each other in Mexico, it feels like they never skipped a beat between them. While Josep may use a somewhat limited style of animation for its visual look, it shows how smart posing and what movements you can make, should be important. This might be an overused word to describe the visual style of this film, but the entire film has a unique look to it with its thin lines, rough sketches, chicken-scratch-like designs, and drops of surreal designs and moments implemented throughout the story. Luckily, it all flows well and is cohesive. It never feels distracting when the trippier or more dream-like moments hit, and it has more emotion put into it than most live-action films.”
The King and the Mockingbird (Animation First)
Synopsis: “This gem by the legendary French animator Paul Grimault took 30 years to make and then another 34 years to be released in the US. Featuring a script by Jacques Prévert—which is based on a tale by Hans Christian Andersen—it follows a shepherdess and chimney sweep on the run from a tyrannical king with some help from a talking bird. This wildly satirical and surreal masterpiece also tells of the corrupting nature of power. Grimault’s masterpiece is a cult classic and is credited with inspiring the celebrated Japanese animators Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata to found Studio Ghibli. It also finds resonance in later films such as Brad Bird’s The Iron Giant.”
Cool! Here are the Captain’s thoughts:
“The King and the Mockingbird is a 1980 animated film directed by Paul Grimault and co-written by Grimault and Jacques Prévert. The kingdom of Takicardie quakes under the rule of the tyrannical King Charles V-et-III-font-VIII-et-VIII-font-XIV, whose favourite pastime is shooting birds. His archenemy is a cheeky mockingbird, whose favourite pastime is thwarting the king’s attempts to shoot birds. One night, a portrait of the king comes to life and disposes of the real king, taking his place. The portrait king falls in love with a young shepherdess in another painting and intends to marry her. But, alas, the shepherdess has fallen in love with a chimneysweep and together they elope from the king’s palace. Enraged, the king sends his police to capture them and once they are within his power he forces the shepherdess to marry him. The mockingbird must use all his guile and courage to once more thwart the king and bring his evil reign to an end. One thing I can say for certain is that this is an absurdist masterpiece. Part of me would have appreciated this more had it been a straight up silent film, but then you’d miss out on some of the Mockingbird’s great comedic dialogue. If you’re a fan of both the slapstick humor of Chuck Jones and the grand ambition of Hayao Miyazaki, then The King and the Mockingbird should be considered mandatory viewing.”
Calamity: A Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary (Animation First)
Synopsis: “Winner of the Crystal Award for best feature at the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, this lush period piece centers on the young 19th-century American heroine who would become the icon, Calamity Jane. As she travels across the US frontier on a wagon train, young Martha Jane Cannary astonishes her fellow travelers when she breaks gender norms to lead her family’s covered wagon and take care of the horses. While she never felt freer, the brazen act brings scorn and anger from her community. Accused of stealing, Martha Jane strikes out on her own and tries to vindicate herself under a newly minted name, Calamity Jane. Her adventures, on the open frontier where men and women pioneers strive to build better lives, shape Calamity Jane into one of the legendary figures of the Wild West. This feminist retelling shows how young Martha Jane Cannary fought against a sexist and male-dominated society to become an iconic frontierswoman.”
This film looks awesome! Let’s read the Captain’s thoughts:
“One of my most anticipated films was that previewed at Annecy last year was Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary. Now that I’ve finally had a chance to see it, I can say that it was absolutely worth the wait. As the title implies, Calamity is a dramatized version of the origin story of the famous American frontierswoman Calamity Jane. Set in 1863, a convoy in the American West, Martha Jane needs to learn how to take care of horses to drive the family wagon. Except she ends up wearing pants and cutting her hair. The scandal that its stark character provokes will force to face all the dangers in a gigantic and wild world where everything is possible. What I love the most about this film is the art style. You can tell right from the opening scene that writer and director Rémi Chayé poured his heart and soul into every last detail, from character designs to some of the most gorgeous backgrounds I’ve ever seen in traditional animation. As a Western fan, I was already hooked by the premise, which made it easier to get invested in Jane’s wild journey, and the characters she encountered along the way. For a film that barely clocked in over 80 minutes, I found this to be quite well paced. Sure, I would have loved to spend at least 5-10 more minutes in this world, and perhaps the rest of her convoy could have used some development, but otherwise this was exactly the story that needed to be told. Lest I forget the amazing score composed by Florencia Di Concilio that perfectly captures that rustic Americana sound. Please seek out Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary as soon as it’s released in the US, this gets my highest recommendation!”
And here is the Guru!
“If I had to pick a theme or a topic of what this film is all about, it’s about how we are perceived in this world. Whether it’s by our wealth, gender, or occupation, this film has a lot of focus on identity and how you define who you are. You can see that commentary throughout the film as you observe the small character-based interactions. Of course, with this being a western, there is a lot of lasso-throwing, adventure, and exploration through the wild. You will find yourself going through the lavish open fields and countryside, small mining towns, and encounters with Native Americans. Luckily, the encounter with the Native Americans in the film is brief but way more respectful than you would think. If this film was made in the 60s and 70s, that might be a different story, and Martha doesn’t disrespect them or talk down to them. It’s a rough world in Calamity, as our lead character has to deal with discrimination and sexism due to her gender. Martha is a great female lead as she’s tough, takes no bull from the boys and men she encounters, but is not just spunk and grit. She’s vulnerable and has a tomboyish side to her as well. She’s on par with Chaye’s previous film’s lead. While the boy she encounters after leaving her group starts out annoying and a bit much, he does get fleshed out and you get his entire arc by the end of the film. Even Samson, the northern soldier has some of the better moments in the film. It’s a wildly fleshed out film, and while there are some antics and goofy moments, they never feel like they talk down to the audience and are fairly funny. The entire experience with the story and watching this film feels more like a True Grit or News of the World than a Magnificent 7 or some melodramatic western drama.”
Alright, everyone, that’s all we have for this episode! Stay tooned for another episode in the near future, and for more Animation episodes, hit the links below and let us know how we’re doing in the comments below! Be safe, stay healthy, and see you later, Renegades!
-Neoplasmic
Previously on Renegade Animation, Captain Kaye, The Animation Guru, Haley, and Teresa dove head first into the Spring anime season and took in the good, the bad, and the bizarre. And now… Squid Game: The Anime.