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Konferenz der Tiere (2010)
Flawed all the way
When this movie came out I was disturbed because Germans redid a dated but still well made movie - and I didn't got why anybody would do that.
The whole film keeps in line with the statement "why would anybody do that". While the first few images where quite good looking, everything from the moment a word was spoken went downhill. I cannot stipulate as how bad English synchronizations are, but I guess they're at least as bad as German ones are, and probably MUCH BETTER then the original voices which never fit and are pathetic all the way.
The render quality varies from quite well made backgrounds to obvious flaws, errors and many things first year animation students would have done better. Animations are OK to just as bad. Overall the thing looks nice or even great in parts but is flawed in oh so many details.
Toilet humor, bad stereotypes and misuse of half a ton of songs aside, the terrible character design and story just doesn't matter and is a complete waste of time. The original "Die Konferenz der Tiere" seemed to matter when I was a kid, and seeing the original movie a few months ago (which is still a great movie, especially for children), this remake makes me almost feel bad living in the same country as people who produce or in seldom cases like something so terrible.
I know the German people watch a lot of really bad movies and have pathetic comedy productions - but this is even worse then the stuff that doesn't make it to the major stations.
Erich Kaestner is probably being brought back as zombie just to hunt down the people responsible for this.
Parents: please go for the original - in contrast to this one it won't hurt your young ones and is actually a good movie.
Non-Parents: just burn your money and watch it burn - time and money better spent.
Flatland (2007)
Nice start, but I'm missing some depth
I've been looking forward to this movie for quite some time. A movie about the basics of multiple dimensions targeted at a somewhat broader audience could be quite intriguing, even more since the general public at least has heard about something named string theory.
Ignoring some basic inconsistencies within the displayed universe(s), of which most can be seen as elements of style or expression, the focus is lost between a pseudo plot and some 'funny' takes on differently-dimensioned lifestyles. While probably most people interested in the movie in the first place will get a few laughs or at least smiles out of it, nobody familiar with the generic topic will be challenged in any way, nor will anyone watching it for more than fifteen minutes.
In addition to the not to well written and acted to plot, the three dimensional visuals are somewhat pathetic. First day animation students are capable of producing more pleasant work, since most stuff looks like somebody wanted to prove one can make a movie using povray.
So, even while the possibly intended final 'point' of the whole thing is lost within the final minutes, and in contrast to everything else not really directly present and repeated about half a dozen times, I'm surprisingly disappointed. I got _much_ more out of a few minutes long, even more simply animated introductory film about 'imagining the 10th dimension'.
The interested viewer having children, or those who will be teaching a class about the subject, especially for younger ages, this film will quite do the trick. Just keep in mind to show/watch it before learning/teaching anything about anything, or simply don't expect to much. Everybody else, well, the two and one dimensional stuff combined with the silent narrator implementation is entertaining.. for about forty minutes (when the third dimension enters). Oh, and somebody please write an accompanying game, the 2d graphics and world is _perfect_ for an actionscript something.