Space 2022: Invasion of the Cartoons

I watched Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa for the nth time last night. I don’t know if it’s the voices of those comedians I adore (Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Shwimmer; in that order), all the jokes, or the fact that I have truly madly and deeply fallen in love with, and can’t get enough of, co-producer Tom McGrath’s character (Skipper, the Penguin) in the movie that captivated the abesheet heart.

But I watch it so much (twice an evening sometimes) that it’s become a dinner-preparation routine: I start chopping when they start ‘movin’. Afterwards, I go to the video shop next door to get one more movie for “tonight-after school”. The owner is a cute 20 something with a shaggy dread locks full of ideals & God-knows-what. He goes to my good friend Biruk’s video shop, Otherwise known as ‘Biruk Video’, which distributs most of the latest movies in Addis, only on Wednesday and stays open until those who asked for certain movies showed up. “Bolt” (another cartoon film) seem to be what’s left.

Now, Cartoons used to be a strictly children affair, when only Walt Disney made them and they were based on fairy tales. Enter the area of 3D animations, with Pixar as the forerunner, and the story of cartoons movies changed. Cartoons become as good, or even better, as the real life movies. And why not, when:

• They appeal to both children and adults
• You can sneak your agenda (Sacha Baron Cohen character’s dancing “I’m a lady, I’m a lady everyone, I’m a lady. Not really.. it’s me, King Julian! Which of you is attracted to me?” wearing fake breasts) without offending anybody with indecency
• You need neither an in-built studio or an actual location to film it. And, most importantly,
• When you can have cartoon characters do things for you neither real life animals nor actors & actresses, and sometimes stunt men, can’t. Or won’t (like bare their breasts, for example. A cartoon porn featuring Angelina Jolie wouldn’t just sell in millions but is likely to fulfil many a young man’s fantacy)

Which, naturally, would make one wonder: Would a day come in which Cartoons would replace real life actors? Kind of like machines taking over human’s jobs?!

This is a question that’s been weiging on my mind ever since I saw how the characters actually resemble the real-life actors doing their voice on “The Polar Express” and “Beowulf”. What is there to stop Hollywood movie-makers to yet improvise the motions, make the faces look more expressive and make cartoon films look & feel like the real deal?. The dough they would be saving, not to mention the creative challenge, would no doubt be tempting.

Now I know that’s what everybody believed e-businesses would do until that prophesy proved a no-no. But you gotta wonder, with animtors like Pixel around and the ever growing number of “D”s out there (IMAX 3D, Real D, standard 2D), if actors won’t become history in the not-so-distant future. Ex, as in New York Knicks!

~ Rotten Tomatoe Critiques’ take of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
~ Somebody else’s Madagascar I’s favorite movies quotes.

Stupid Movies
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