Comic-Con 2012
Here is the lowdown on a trio of highly anticipated films featured at America's biggest annual pop culture, geek-out event.
Every year, fans and journalists from all over the world pack into San Diego's Convention Centre to get a sneak peek at the latest comics, films, TV shows, toys and games. This year, one of these key events was Disney's prestigious film press conference, with star-studded panels from their latest productions. Three panels came one after the other, including some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Frankenweenie
Panelists: Director Tim Burton, actor Atticus Shaffer and producers Allison Abbate and Don Hahn.
Tim Burton was fielding questions about his latest film, which happens to be the world's first 3D/black and white/stop-motion picture. He was very passionate about the project, explaining that there was "something magical about being able to touch and move the characters around. The fact that it's black and white allows us to show so much more detail and texture."
He also admitted that while 3D was not something he particularly wanted to do, the added element of stop-animation was "an exciting combination."
Burton also believed that "it became its own art form" because of the smaller crew and the fact that it was much more low-tech than his other films.
Producer Alison Abbate was the only one to have worked with stop-animation before, on the adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is a good indication of the quality in store.
And while voice-star Atticus Shaffer (from TV series The Middle) could hardly see over the table, you could tell he was genuinely excited about working with Burton. "I completely geeked out when I found out I got the part!"
When asked what he'll be working on next, Burton admitted that he is due for a long break once post-production ends on Frankenweenie.
Oz: The Great and Powerful
Panelists: Director Sam Raimi, actresses Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams and producer Joe Roth
Director Sam Raimi was very passionate when describing the production process of his latest fantasy film, the prequel to 1939's Wizard of Oz. Producer Joe Roth explained that they wanted to make a film that answered the question, "Who was that man behind the curtain and how did he get there?"
The film is about a side-show magician (James Franco) and how he became the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. Raimi said the film is more about the journey of a man's character than the journey of the man himself.
Raimi fans will also be excited to hear that, "Yes, Bruce Campbell has a small role in the film!"
Michelle Williams seemed particularly excited for her first real family film. "I'm just so happy to be making a film that my daughter can watch, and that all her friends can watch... this is the film that she's most excited about and she spent a lot of time on set."
Kunis said that she was a little nervous before filming started, just because it was her biggest film to date. "The biggest difference between indie films and this is the size of the sets."
Raimi said that he most enjoyed the challenge of telling an uplifting story. "Spider-man was purely an action movie, but this is absolutely different. It's another world."
Joe Roth finished the panel by answering why Hollywood seems hooked on sequels, prequels and remakes. "They're just easier to sell. Audiences know the characters and what to expect. Breakthrough films are a lot harder to get made."
Wreck It Ralph
Panelists: Director Rich Moore, actors John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman, and producer Clark Spencer.
Perhaps the most unique of the three films was the animation feature, Wreck It Ralph, which pays homage to classic and contemporary video-games. One audience member described the concept as "The Who Framed Roger Rabbit? of video games."
Reilly started by explaining his preparation for the role as a voice artist. "It's different because you're taking the whole experience that you would usually use your whole body for and then conveying it with just your voice."
The film also features many popular characters from classic video games, with cameos from Pacman, Sonic the Hedgehog and even Street Fighter's Ken and Ryu.
Moore said that getting permission to use these iconic characters was not as difficult as they first expected.
"We just made sure that we were forthright about how we were going to use the characters. We wanted to be authentic and made sure we had [the owners] approve each animation."
But even with all the character cameos and in-game sequences, Reilly assured us that you don't need to know anything about video games to enjoy the journey. Silverman agreed. "The nostalgia is just one aspect of this film."
To finish, the panelists were asked to name their favourite video game. Reilly admitted to being a big fan of Space Invaders while Silverman chose Pitfall.
Find out more about Comic-Con 2012 here.
Photo credit: Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis at Comic-Con, courtesy of Getty Images/Kevin Winter.
