![]() ![]() ![]() While I consider the art direction and set designs to be remarkable, a majority of the film's cinematography, costuming, and creative direction are consciously restrained and earthbound. Strangely, The Spirits Within doesn't aspire to either possibility. ![]() Without the advent of 3-D graphics, it wouldn't be possible to produce such convincingly lively playthings and prehistoric creatures. Films like Toy Story and Dinosaurs are perfect examples of this. Another reason for using CG technology would be to animate and invent situations that otherwise wouldn't be possible with conventional filmmaking techniques. Is it necessary when you can film the actual voice actors themselves? The most obvious reason for using 3D stand-ins is that you subject them to life-endangering situations that only Jackie Chan in reality would volunteer for. Did the filmmakers ultimately make the right decision to go with recognizable voice actors? I'm not sure, but I'll get back to this later.Īnother issue that The Spirits Within raises revolves around its decision to create human 3-D models that are near life-like. On the other hand, by using some of Hollywood's most respected actors, the film gains immediate notoriety and might be deemed more accessible and attractive to marketing executives and casual moviegoers alike. On one hand, they had to combat the preconceptions that audiences might associate with the celebrity voices. I immediately realized the quandary the filmmakers at Square Pictures had to face. If they wanted to avoid this dilemma all together, why not cast unknown voices in the key roles? Were Affleck and Norton the original choices for the roles, but declined the opportunity? Why weren't the digital models made to look more like their vocal counterparts? Even Disney cel-based character designs are molded to resemble their respective voice-actors. Questions kept popping up while I was watching. Conceptually, I couldn't resolve the preconceived notions of the actors in my thoughts. ![]() In the case of the lead male protagonist, Gray Edwards, I'm staring at a near life-like mannequin that bears a strange resemblance to Ben Affleck but… sounds like Alec Baldwin? The same could be said of the Neil Fleming character, who is unmistakably voiced by Steve Buscemi, but semi-looks like Edward Norton. Something else along the same lines didn't gel with me either. Ironically, this was never a problem with traditional cel-animation or even previous CG films like Toy Story and A Bug's Life. Expressions were often too stilted and lip movements didn't jive with some of the more lively vocal performances by Donald Sutherland, James Woods, and especially the comedic Steve Buscemi. The physical movements of the polygonal replicants were surreal and their facial gestures failed to captivate and register with audiences. The same affliction plagued the very theater that I attended. Reports of audiences giggling or laughing aren't exaggerated. Right from the earliest scenes of the film featuring extensive dialogue and movements of the digital actors, audiences will be consciously aware that something is awkwardly disingenuous. Why? Because if the first-of-its-kind, all-computer-generated (CG) sci-fi movie, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, proves one thing, it’s that technology still has quite a long way to go in artificially recreating human expression physically and emotionally on the big screen. Living actors and actresses can all breathe a sigh of relief. ![]()
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