A+
Before "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Bridge to Terabithia", "Pan's Labyrinth, before even "Fellowship of the Ring", this film helped to give fantasy a wider audience and cement its popularity as a genre. Like many of those films, this one too is based on a book, by. Many probably don't know the film doesn't cover the entire length of the novel, due to time constraints as well as budget. However, the production team didn't allow this stop the movie from being as adventurous and memorable as it is.
Where can one start other than the effects? The advent of CGI has expanded the world of fantasy, but one must always remember the roots. Epic long shots, some even taking advantage of very clever landscape matte shots, help to create the world of Fantasia. The well constructed sets are also a treat, and they fuse to make it all very convincing. Good old practical effects are used for the wide range of creatures, to make-up, animatronics and full-scale models. One can't help but marvel at the work put into it all.
The score by Klaus Doldinger, and in the American cut cues being added by Giorgio Moroder, creates an energetic yet also dark tone for the movie. This brings me to the target audience. It is definitely a movie children will enjoy, but if you closely any one of any age can enjoy it. Note my favorite scene, the one where Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) and G'mork, superbly voice-acted by Alan Oppenheimer, have a very eerie exchange of dialogue. Pay attention to what the characters say and you'll get the full grasp of what the film is saying about humanity, most importantly the death of dreams.
A classic and one of my personal favorite films.
Before "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Bridge to Terabithia", "Pan's Labyrinth, before even "Fellowship of the Ring", this film helped to give fantasy a wider audience and cement its popularity as a genre. Like many of those films, this one too is based on a book, by. Many probably don't know the film doesn't cover the entire length of the novel, due to time constraints as well as budget. However, the production team didn't allow this stop the movie from being as adventurous and memorable as it is.
Where can one start other than the effects? The advent of CGI has expanded the world of fantasy, but one must always remember the roots. Epic long shots, some even taking advantage of very clever landscape matte shots, help to create the world of Fantasia. The well constructed sets are also a treat, and they fuse to make it all very convincing. Good old practical effects are used for the wide range of creatures, to make-up, animatronics and full-scale models. One can't help but marvel at the work put into it all.
The score by Klaus Doldinger, and in the American cut cues being added by Giorgio Moroder, creates an energetic yet also dark tone for the movie. This brings me to the target audience. It is definitely a movie children will enjoy, but if you closely any one of any age can enjoy it. Note my favorite scene, the one where Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) and G'mork, superbly voice-acted by Alan Oppenheimer, have a very eerie exchange of dialogue. Pay attention to what the characters say and you'll get the full grasp of what the film is saying about humanity, most importantly the death of dreams.
A classic and one of my personal favorite films.