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WonderCon 2010: Day 1

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Comic Con International kicked off its 24th annual WonderCon convention this Friday at the Marscone Centre in downtown San Francisco.

Smaller than its sister convention, San Diego Comic Con, it is a celebration of comic books, art, popular culture, and film. This year’s big events include the Disney panels for upcoming summer blockbusters Prince of Persia and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, as well as the much-anticipated Kick-Ass panel (released April 16th in the USA), plenty of content from IDW Publishers, and much more.

Day 1 was a short day for me. Taking a leisurely stroll towards the registration desks at around 2pm, the first stop was:
 
Disney’s Art of Princess and the Frog Panel

You may think: this film has been out for a long time already, what else could they have to show?
The panel comprised of a number of distinguished Disney animators, including the film’s co-directors, John Musker and John Clements; man of a thousand voices and director of Pocahontas, Eric Goldberg; visual effects supervisor Marlon West, and veteran Disney colourist Ian Gooding.

The idea for The Princess and the Frog was conceived some years ago, as an adaptation of fairy tale book The Frog Prince. Disney and Pixar studios worked independently on versions of the film, none of which were completed. When John Lasseter took over as Creative Head for Disney, he enlisted Musker and Clements to look over the material and create a whole new Princess and the Frog film.
Lasseter’s stipulated that, though previous versions were set in Chicago, the film was to take place in 1920s New Orleans.

John Musker and Ron Clements talked us through a series of photographs from their numerous research trip to New Orleans, introducing us to the locals who inspired key characters including Ray the firefly, Mama Odie, and Princess to-be Tiana. They also discussed the process of styling the characters and developing the tone and style to reflect the setting of New Orleans. Eric Goldberg drew for us, demonstrating how he developed Louis the alligator and how his research of alligators allowed him to add style and detail to the character to make him less human and more reptilian.

They also screened a couple of scenes in crude animation, which is simple yet fascinating to watch. The Blu-Ray version of the film will include the option to watch the entire film in this fashion. Marlon West showed exactly what his special effects supervision adds to the film, and Ian Gooding finished up by talking us through his choices of colour and everything that each element of this bright film represents.

As is always the case for Disney panels at this type of convention, it was well-structured and fascinating to watch, adding a deeper understanding to an already brilliant and sure to be classic film.

Nickelodeon Animation Studios Panel


This one was a bit of a disappointment. Nickelodeon’s animation model involves optioning stories and characters from popular CG-animated films. Recent examples include the penguins from Madagascar and Kung-Fu Panda, both originally from Dreamworks Pictures. The emphasis of the panel was on the ways that they streamline production in order to make shows quickly, efficiently, and – above all – on a tight budget.

Perhaps I’m spoiled after having attended so many well-structured and engaging Disney and Pixar panels, but the Nickelodeon guys are as new to conventions as they are to animating CG television shows in 3D, rather than traditionally animated 2D cartoons. Unfortunately, their talk on adapting and remaking shows with known characters from film was not tailored to its audience’s level of understanding.

Kevin Smith


After a half-hour delay, Kevin Smith graced the stage of WonderCon’s Esplanade Ballroom to a near-full audience. A veteran of Comic Con International, Smith has been attending San Diego Comic Con and San Francisco Wonder Con for over 10 years. His panels continue to be popular, with fans in the front row whom he claims to recognise. The “panel” – if you can call it that – is a maxi Q&A session wherein Smith ostensibly digresses and relays detailed accounts of his sexual escapades and other TMI-related incidents.
Despite the adult, often TMI content, his ability to work a stage is impressive. His primary interest is in conversing with his fans and opening a dialogue on certain issues. Interestingly, he did not take back his harsh words about critics, but did admit that his tirade was a product of disapointment and anger.
Not my sense of humour, but definitely a worthwhile panel visit every ‘Con season.

Day 1 rounded off with a Last Man Standing Star Wars trivia contest.

Classics: The General

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The Classic: The General (1927)
Director: Buster Keaton, Clyde Buckman
Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack

The Excuse:
Well, I took a silent comedies class during my first quarter at UCSB. I loved it to bits, and watched quite a few Buster Keaton films as part of the course. Since then, I’ve revisited Keaton’s shorts, but none of his features. Since we just got Netflix streaming set up on the X-Box, and I posted about Buster and Charlie Chaplin earlier this week, they were first on my must-watch list.

The Review:
The version I watched was fully restored with music from The Alloy Orchestra circa 2003. I am by no means an expert on film music, but this score definitely added to my enjoyment of the story. Set in the South during the Civil War, Buster Keaton plays Johnnie Gray, a railroad mechanic. His two loves are a girl, Annabel Lee, and his engine, The General. Annabel Lee falls out of love with Johnnie when the army refuses to enlist him. On her way to visit her wounded father, she finds herself aboard his train. During a dinner stop, the train is stolen and – unbeknownst to Johnnie – Annabel is captured by enemy soldiers. Naturally, an endless chase ensues, full of boobie-traps, foolish acts, trickery, and quantum mechanics.

Fittingly, The Alloy Orchestra provides a score that chugs, screeches, and trembles along with the action in classic Mickey-Mouse style. Less kitschy than it sounds, it lends a certain element of rhythm and excitement.
As with all Keaton films, the mechanical tricks and physical comedy are impeccable. The battle scene is just as grandiose and impressive as one can imagine it was on its first screening. Who needs CGI when you have a train firing across a burning bridge and a river bursting its banks?

Favourite Quote:
Just kidding!

The Verdict: A classic, no doubt. Since I was first introduced to Keaton through his shorts, I’m spoiled and have a tendency to pout when the emphasis is on story over physical comedy. However, on the railroad, Keaton is in his element. I’m willing to retract my lower lip and say that  this is one of Keaton’s most exciting adventures.

Further Viewing for Experts:
Oh, I don’t know. How about the entire movie?!

The Underappreciation of Charlie Chaplin & Buster Keaton

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chaplin-vs-keaton
One can liken our underappreciation of the silent clowns in the way that Mark Twain once did…

‘Classic.’ A book which people praise and don’t read.

Last night, browsing through Tumblr, I came across numerous reblogs of GQ’s 50 Most Stylish Leading Men of the Past Half Century. The first one my eyes fell upon was Gene Kelly, which said:

Audiences will always imagine Gene Kelly with an umbrella and a smile; his role in Singin’ in the Rain is so iconic that it tends to overshadow everything else…

I soon became completely engrossed in the article, and was delighted to find both Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin on the list. It quickly occurred to me that, although we’re all familiar with their looks and – most of all – their character costumes, there is no such immediate connection to a particular dance, gag, or scene.

I know it has all been said before. Charlie Chaplin, the ultimate silent comedian. Buster Keaton and his stone-faced acrobatics. A class apart from their cheatin’, sound-usin’ contemporary counterparts.

Or so you hear.

Not many people I know can admit to having seen a full Chaplin feature, and you can forget about Keaton. Don’t mistake this for mocking – it took me until a month ago to intentionally watch a single frame by the Marx Brothers. How does this happen? Everybody knows the silent clowns were great, but what has your average person really watched in terms of silent comedies?  There’s not much one can do to remedy this through the method of blogging, but perhaps a wee taster is all you need.

Chaplin’s most well-known scene is probably the table ballet. Although this is my best guess, it may only be due to Johnny Depp’s re-imagining of the scene in Benny & Joon.  As much as I adored this scene when I was in my young teens, it didn’t send me running towards the classic film archives.

The original:

Some more elaborate scenes in his full-length films incorporate not only gags but moments that are hilarious and glow with heartfelt sincerity. This is one of my favourite sequences from The Kid, where they go about their daily routine of neighbourhood scams in order to make a living. The way he bunts the kid out of the way as they run off toward the horizon is too adorable not to giggle.

Brilliant.

One of the most iconic images of Buster Keaton depicts him with a scarf tied around his head in that old-timey way that screams, “I have toothache!” So iconic, in fact, that I cannot seem to find such a photograph; I may well have invented that one. Nevertheless, this image introduces Keaton in the short that first enamoured me to him: The Scarecrow. The one-roomed house perfectly demonstrates Keaton’s incredible talent for using mechanics to create laughs. His use of objects is as multi-faceted as his comedy. Take a look.

It’s difficult to condense the genius of Keaton into one short clip, since much of his comedy involved epic chase scenes and elaborate use of space and machinery. Take, for example, this short clip from Sherlock Jr. This clip exemplifies his uncatchable, nigh-unshakable demeanour during chase sequences.

All I can do now is hope that this has whet your appetite for silent comedy. If you’re interested in silent comedians and have learned all you wish to know aboutCharlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, check out some of their contemporaries: Max Linder, Fatty Arbuckle, Mack Sennett, and Harold Lloyd.

Who is your favourite silent clown?

[Images from Salon.com, NNDB, & Senses of Cinema.]