2D? 3D? CGI? Muppets?

[TrollHammer]

I will apologize ahead of time if this sounds a bit angry, it's not intended that way. I have been frustrated for a while though.

Frustrated that this hasn't happened sooner, but glad it's moving forward faster than it's been in the past. I'm also feeling a bit better when I realize that movie quality has increased over the last few years, and will hopefully do EQ justice!

[frustration comment forcibly removed by Two-Edge the character as he crawled from his secret passage and slapped me upside the head with his hammer]

Anyway, as far as suggestions for movie format I have only a few ideas that probibly have their own issues or have been noted before. Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse.

1) After seeing some of the older CG and mucking around with it myself a little, CG does not seem a good fit. To me, live action/forced perspective (with digitally deleted fingers) would be good, similar to LOTR, and I would have to say that using some muppet like costumes for the trolls wouldn't be out of place if done right. I'd try casting characters that wouldn't need much facial doctoring. The only CG I've seen that origionated as drawing that was decent was Futurama, and I'm not feeling that it's a good fit.

2) Animiated, as it's drawn to begin with and would be easy to capture in it's origional style. A shift in work flow from the 'test animiations' would be required to make it work for film, though, as well as a whole lot of animators trained up to do EQ in true Pini style. Key framing and matting are the major reasons these earlier animations are as choppy as they are, and the film would (hopefully) be a lot better.

3) If the movie deal falls through and no one wants to pick it back up, perhaps falling back on an anime company to produce it would at least get something out, and something is better than nothing. After all, the origional quest is a serial, and would be ideal for a late night cartoon network season. It would get some new attention, that way. If this were to happen, it seems that the artists that worked on Samuri 7 might be a good fit, as the main character's style is close. (I have the first book and the whole of the tv show, and the drawings are different, however, the main character's face is close to Cutter's in both, though with different color hair.) This is kind of a troll's way of doing a project I realize, but it would be quick, cheap, and probibly get done.

Sorry if I seem a little down or not have the most faith in things. It does seem like things are going to work this time, but I've seen so many 'interested parties' come and go with promises of an EQ movie I'd about given up and tried to do something myself if I had to draw every frame myself, though it still would never have gotten done the way I work

[stripeydani]

I would love to see Elfquest done by actors if I'm honest! Provided it's done with the same love and care as Lord of the Rings I think it could be amazing!

Otherwise 2D cartoon style. I hate this whole 3D computer animated fad that movies are all doing now! It wouldnt suit the style, 3D is so soulless in my opinion.

[Apogee]

Shrek and Ice Age are about as far from soulless as I could imagine, but that's just my opinion...
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[faeriegirl]

If done properly, all 3 options could come out great!
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[Pencil Craft]

I would definitely vote for hand drawn animation.

Look at the books: that's the style. It's a drawn epic. The storyline is important of course, and that could still work well if translated to live-action or CG , but so much of the charm is based on the warmth of Wendy's hand drawn art in the original, imo.

There is an incredible talent pool of traditional animators in North America who are being under-utilized at the moment. It would be great to see a dream team of traditional animators put together for this project to bring 'Elfquest' to the screen in a style that is true to the original.

On the other hand, quite honestly I have to say I am a bit disappointed to hear that Warner's got their mitts on this project. (they also have the 'Bone' movie rights now ) The Warner company has a horrible track record of mishandling animation. (remember this is the company that completely botched the marketing of one of the best animated films ever made , Brad Bird's "The Iron Giant") . I have misgivings about how Warner's will handle 'Bone' and 'Elfquest'. But I will continue to hope for the best.

Has the director currently attached to the project , Rawson Thurber, expressed any preferences ? Does he favor hand drawn, CG, combination of CG and "muppets", motion-capture ... or what ?
*EDIT: oops, I'm new to this forum and just saw that there is a whole discussion thread on "Ask Rawson Thurber". I'll head over there now to see if anyone's asked this question directly to Thurber yet.

I wonder if Disney's *soon-to-be released hand drawn film "The Princess and The Frog" is a huge box-office success if that will have any influence on them to stay with the original style of the Elfquest books and do the movie in hand drawn animation ? (*actually PATF opened in limited release in New York and Los Angeles this week, and will be released nationwide on Dec. 11)

[EuripedesCO]

I first encountered Elfquest on Issue #8. That would place it about 1980, and I was in full blown comic mode, reading Marvel and some DC. ElfQuest opened my eyes to the medium, and me and my friends ran out and bought all the back issues (fortunately EQ kept them all in print back then).
Even as a high school student it was obvious that EQ was a blending of Anime and Disney animation styles. Wendy had a beautiful fluid style that told the story very effectively, but I never got over the feeling that these where Storyboards for something bigger.
I feel that the most effective means to tell the story for screen would be to recapture that feeling I had as a kid. There is a look of Wendy's art that can only be recaptured in something that looks like traditional cel animation (look at all the covers and back covers of the original run...they screamed cel animation). We didn't know what CGI was at that time, and what was in Wendy and Richards mind eye had to look more like a (REALLY GOOD) cartoon.
Regardless on what method is decided on, I will most definitely go and see the movies (I feel that EQ deserves four movies, one for each volume of the original story). The story is paramount, but I would love to see it done with a cel animation look, even if they utilize all the computer generation advances that we have developed in thirty plus years since they started their quest.

[Rainy]

What they said³. ^^^^
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