Bolt, from the S*N*O*W*T*H Rant Files

[Redsonga]

I love the Canon Movie Tales versions of all the fairy tales . But then, I love musicals :3!

 

[Beakerfan]

Okay, I haven't read through the entire thread, so this is just my take on what Snowth said.

Snowthie, in theatre we have what are known as "Stock Characters". Characters that are basically the same and or used to bring the same effect on a play. They are not often used nowadays, but when they are used the plays may at first seem like copies of plays that have come before them because they use the same basic characters. The character styles work well together and provide a pleasant balance to the performance.

Now, think of this: the same idea can be and has been used in books, film, animation, etc.

The snobby, self-absorbed character; the brainiac; the cute one; the rational, advice-giving one; they all work well together to create a very smoothe plot-line. These characters were actually originally used in theatre during the French Renaissance.

As far as animation goes, these characters can be seen in many cartoons. The plot may be changed, but generally the "stock characters" are used, from Mickey Mouse to Scooby Doo to the Smurfs to Alvin. It isn't plagiarism. It's tradition, and it's what works.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

And an Irish cartoon company came out with a TV series called Skunk Fu.... take a wild guess how they stole that one.

I wonder what other martial arts chopping animal they'll think of next? Get an idea, people.

 

[Beauregard]

I wonder what other martial arts chopping animal they'll think of next? Get an idea, people.

I have to agree with what Beakerfan is saying...Is it plagerism that 101 Dalmations has a tall and a short burgler...the same as Home Alone? Is it plagerism that Peter Pan and the Starcatchers has a tall and a short pirate, one smart and one dumb? Or in Flushed Away...the tall and the short rat. Oh, and in Chicken Run. OH! And in Prawnie's Fan-Fiction with the new Muppet monsters where one is dumb and one is smart.

This is used because it's funnier to put contrasting characters together. Smart, dumb. Tall, short. Fat, thin.

Make it three characters, and you have a new pattern. Which is why the Chipmonks *APPEAR* to be ripped off in other films with a trio of similar characters. But originally the Chipmonks were ripping off the Three Stooges...so what the heck are you on, guys...It's not ripping off, it's working from a pattern.

 

[Redsonga]

The tall and short stupid and smart characters always make me think of Of Mice and Men, that is where all of the "I will love him and hug him and call him George!" characters seem to come from IMHO .

 

[frogboy4]

Stories, books and screenplays old and new rely on arc-types. There's a fine line between them and stereotypes because arc-types are meant to have depth and to develop something along the way they didn't necessarily have at the beginning. Most of the time it is something that strengthens their character.

The trio of leader, brain and goof-off isn't rare. Most every type of story and character has already been told but it's the mixing of the ingredients in a different perspective that makes a project unique.

That’s what that bugs in space project looks to be missing. It appears to be a cynical assembly of parts in order to cash in on the success of other better projects rather than creating something new for an audience. That’s what I don’t care for. I find films like Happy Feet and Space Chimps to have such cynicism while pictures from Pixar and the recent DreamWorks Kung Fu Panda have a heartbeat to them.

Panda really worked a beautiful unique style, color palette and Jack Black branding with high quality animation not yet seen before. Wall-E worked its beautiful state-of-the-art techniques in with an endearing robot and an almost dialogue-free movie! Happy Feet said – hey, penguins are hot right now because of that documentary so lets make some CG models, get some famous voices and use motion capture and hope a story falls into place. That kind of corporate-decision filmmaking is cinematic cynicism at its worst.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

so what the heck are you on, guys...It's not ripping off, it's working from a pattern.

Okay. But this is like not ever a pattern or based something else. It's not even an idea. I mean give me a job and I'll make a from, than and show with a lizard, and one with a chicken. All whee they do Kung Fu. $ecues$ every time! Somehow I feel like I'm ripping viewers off and I don't ever care. $

 

[Oscarfan]

During the preview, there were three pigeons: one with a greenish head, one with a silver head, and one with a purpleish head. Remind you of anything? Yep. The Goodfeathers from Animaniacs!

I guess it's official. Hollywood is running out of ideas and ripping other people off left and right.

Unless they have Italian accents and beat each other up at the drop of a hat, I don't think they're ripping them off.

 

[Redsonga]

Happy Feet said – hey, penguins are hot right now because of that documentary so lets make some CG models, get some famous voices and use motion capture and hope a story falls into place.

I really don't think Happy Feet was a rip off with no story :\. But then I love CATS The Musical which is often bashed for having no story (since it is based on a book of peoms put together to music), and finding stories in movies and shows that have the barebones of a plotline that you can fill in with imagination . I think that is why I like writing fanfic so much...
I did not like Chicken Little because to me it tried to be too many stories at once, and forgot I think, the better of the two plotlines once the other started happening ...
Maybe that is why I did not like the 3rd POTC movie ether after loving the first two (Besides the fact that it became "The Elizabeth Movie" guest starring Jack -.-) too..much..going..on..*dies*

 

[Drtooth]

The trio of leader, brain and goof-off isn't rare. Most every type of story and character has already been told but it's the mixing of the ingredients in a different perspective that makes a project unique.

Actually, I brought it up myself. I honestly wouldn't have lumped it together, but it seemed way too close to Alvin Simon and Theodore, the hit movie of last Christmas to be shrugged off as coincidence, or even old playing old characters.

That’s what that bugs in space project looks to be missing. It appears to be a cynical assembly of parts in order to cash in on the success of other better projects rather than creating something new for an audience. That’s what I don’t care for. I find films like Happy Feet and Space Chimps to have such cynicism while pictures from Pixar and the recent DreamWorks Kung Fu Panda have a heartbeat to them.

I don't even know why they bothered with Space Chimps. When people were flocking to Dark Knight, and younger audiences could find a safer haven in Panda and Wall E, Chimps looked like the same third party animatied film tossed together with the same type of characters and the same type of lame pop culture jokes. Shell, I've seen the video game commercial on television longer than I've seen the commercial for the actual movie. Maybe that film tanking will be a sign.

The Fly movie seems to be even more pathetic. it's based off a crappy pun, and it was created (not kidding) by people who work making 3-D films for theme park attraction rides. And at least with those attractions, they have someone else's characters to use... not a bunch of flat stereotypes. And the animation doesn't look that good either. It seems like it should have been on home video and released in 1998 with Bug's Life.

Can you say oversaturization?