This week it’s All About Animation as we take a look at two dynamic and innovative animated films, Oscar Nominee THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES and THE SPINE OF NIGHT, with filmmakers MIKE RIANDA and MORGAN GALEN KING. Two films with two distinctive animation styles, stories, color palettes, and more, but both filmmakers true lovers of the art of animation.
First up, take a listen to my prerecorded exclusive interview with writer/director MIKE RIANDA talking about the Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature, THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES. My pick for Oscar, this is an interesting conversation as we look at all of the components that went into breaking the mold with innovation in style and design, to give MITCHELLS such a distinctive and perfect look, perfect meld, perfect balance, and perfect animated film.
THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES is streaming now on Netflix.
And then, we turn our attention to the hand-drawn classic rotoscope animation fantasy THE SPINE OF NIGHT as we welcome co-writer/co-director/co-editor and lead animator MORGAN GALEN KING live to the show. Another animated film that breaks the mold while paying homage to the rotoscoping greats of days gone by, Morgan talks about it all and how he and his co-director/writer/editor Philip Gelatt brought to life this epic fantasy tale spanning the ages.
More than seven years in the making, this is a fascinating conversation as Morgan goes into detail on the process of rotoscoping, including shooting the live-action first and then the painstaking process of animating each individual frame, as well as the importance of the live-action portion as it adds to the physical nuance of the animated characters. With an acclaimed voice cast that includes Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Joe Manganiello, and Larry Fessenden, among others, Morgan talks about what the actors bring to the characters, as well as the timeline of their joining the project. Digging into the genesis of the story and the choices made as to the levels of brutality, bloodshed, and nakedness, not only is this an animated film (more for the adult audience and not for young children), which is a lengthy process unto itself, but this is also an independent film which means raising funds to make the film. Delving into technical considerations for a color palette, trial and error selection and nuance of shading, as well as lighting, background art, musical score and more, this is a conversation and film not to be missed!
THE SPINE OF NIGHT is streaming on Shudder starting March 24, 2022.
