ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Rabbit House

FLOWERS FROM WONDERLAND

Another floral fantasy background from ALICE IN WONDERLAND!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Corridor

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Tiger Lilies Love the Dandy-Lions

When I get into the mode of recreating backgrounds for a particular movie, it can border on obsession. Such was the case with this ALICE B/G. Why?

Well, it becomes a matter of getting at the background art, no matter how difficult. I'll bet no one at Disney ever envisioned a day when technology would allow dis-assembling the films one frame at a time.

But here we are.

I almost gave up on this one. The Tiger Lily and Dandy-lion sway all over the screen, making it a tremendous challenge to eliminate the animation and get to the background art.

But as I watched the "Golden Afternoon" sequence, I was struck by how reminiscent this particular B/G was of the background art in the "Waltz Of The Flowers" segment in FANTASIA. So I hammered away, one little section at a time. And by George, I succeeded!

So... here it is. There are several things I love about this piece. There's the extraordinary Mary Blair color styling, which is very subtle here but still a "wow." And I love the "dabs of color" that add such wonderful texture to the "background within a background."

All this could well go unnoticed in the mere 4-5 seconds it's on screen. It's obscured by the lively animation. And, it's over just as soon as it gets started!

But, now, here it is, re-created, and we can savor each and every lovely detail.

Enjoy!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Bread & Butter-flies

This ALICE IN WONDERLAND background is a marvelous example of economy of detail and subtlety, yet brimming with style. Great colors, too, don't you think?

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Follow That Rabbit!

Beautiful bunny backgrounds!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

This recreated pan background is from the scene in which Alice sees (and follows) the White Rabbit. ("I'm Late!")

I particularly like the well-worn path, with its shaggy patches of grass dotted with daisies, and the beautifully rendered aquamarine water.

I especially love the brooding skies, equally stunning on both sides of the artwork, and yet rendered completely differently.

Gotta say it again... while the overall film may not have been Disney's most enchanting, it contains artwork that is among Disney's best.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Autumn Leaves

I thought this background from ALICE IN WONDERLAND had a decidedly Autumnal feel to it, as well as the strong influence of the brilliant Mary Blair. It's from the "A E I O U" song sequence. I hope you enjoy it!

This is the last day of November. I've been waiting for months for December 1st, so I could post Holiday related artwork. I've prepared lots of wonderful treats for good boys and girls. Be sure and check back tomorrow...

:)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Horsefly

I was looking through my archives of re-created backgrounds tonight (including artwork from ALICE IN WONDERLAND). Couldn't resist posting this. Incredible green and blue color palettes (thank you, Mary Blair) and wonderful play of light.

Lovely, eh?

ALICE'S SEAT: The Un-Birthday Tea Party

You wouldn't believe how much time it took to digitally eliminate a tiny teacup from the table. But... the result is an unobstructed view of this delightful ALICE background painting.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951)

The dazzling artwork of ALICE IN WONDERLAND was hugely influenced by the virtuoso color styling of Mary Blair. This re-created pan background which opens the "Golden Afternoon" musical sequence is truly stunning.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Here's an ALICE B/G unlike any I've ever created. As Alice walks down the path, the foreground lighting fades and the upper left is lit. It's a wonderful effect.

I've composited both sections together, and of course Alice was intentionally vaporized.

The multiplane cameramen might have seen this during a lighting test. But here it is, now presented for the ANIMATION BACKGROUND audience for the very first time.

Alice: Madness Returns

By Paige MacGregor

I had never heard of the 2000 PC game American McGee’s Alice, but nevertheless when I came across a press release for its sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, I was more than a little excited by what I was reading. Just last week, American McGee officially announced the forthcoming 2011 release of Alice: Madness Returns, a collaboration between American McGee, EA (Electronic Arts, Inc.), and Spicy Horse Games that takes place ten years after the conclusion of the original game, as Alice struggles to overcome the emotional and psychological trauma she suffered after losing her entire family in a fatal fire.

At the start of Alice: Madness Returns, Alice is released from the insane asylum where she spent the past ten years, and into the custody of a London psychiatrist who may be able to put a stop to the nightmarish hallucinations that continue to haunt her. Unfortunately for Alice, the move to London only exacerbates her condition, and as a result she leaves the cold, dark reality of London behind and takes refuge in a shattered and twisted Wonderland.

Although I’m not familiar with the visuals from the original game, American McGee’s assurance that Alice: Madness Returns takes the “colorful world” from American McGee’s Alice and “reinvents it with psychotic personalities and pervasive insanity” sounds absolutely delightful to me. As the recently released promotional images and game trailer illustrate, Alice: Madness Returns promises to be a dark, addictive action-adventure game that will thrill fans of the popular BioShock and BioShock 2 games and psychological thrillers like Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake, or Ignition Entertainment’s Deadly Premonition.

What excited me most about Alice: Madness Returns, also known informally as Alice 2, is the concept art and screenshots that were released recently. Not only do the screenshots for Alice: Madness Returns illustrate the dark, violent nature of the game, but the game’s concept art also hints at the expansive, imaginative nature of the Wonderland setting where much of the game will take place. Despite G-rated past representations by companies like Disney, the Alice in Wonderland story lends itself extremely well to exploration of the darker side of human nature and the type of psychological thrills that it seems Alice: Madness Returns will have.

At this point, my only concern regarding Alice: Madness Returns is the lack of information about the game’s user interface. The ease of use for game controls and menus is particularly important to me, so I can’t wait to get more information on how those will work. Alice: Madness Returns has a lot of potential, so I thoroughly hope it isn’t ruined by a shoddy user interface or difficult controls. At this point, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Black Sheep's Blu-Tuesday

We're going to try something new this week.  As I cannot always find figures on last week's sales on time to post this column, I will also begin each week with the most exciting Blu-Ray release announcements from the last week.  I assume you don't check these sorts of things every day like I do so I figure summing it up once weekly will work for you.  The title that gets all my attention this week is the Oscar-nominated, A PROPHET.  I caught this one just before the telecast, where it lost to the inferior THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, and I was floored.  It will be released on August 3.  Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning are more likely to find a larger audience with the home release of THE RUNAWAYS, July 20.  And looking even further ahead for all you collectors out there, the original 1933 version of KING KONG will make its way to Blu-Ray on September 28.

As for this week's releases ...

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

The first time I saw Tim Burton's wildly successful version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, my ex had told me that morning that he was already seeing someone else just a short while after we split.  Needless to say, I did not have an easy time focusing on the explosion of matted colour on the screen.  The second time I saw it was the following weekend and, not to be outdone, I was on a date of my own.  I was able to see the film a lot clearer but I can't say I enjoyed it anymore the second time around.  Burton's vivid imagination is something of a cliche now that it is just being used by Hollywood to put a supposedly fresh spin on classic tales.  That hardly matters though when ALICE IN WONDERLAND is the biggest film of Burton's career and only the sixth film in history to cross $1 billion in international ticket sales.

LIFE

Unfortunately, I was stuck in traffic somewhere on the 401 yesterday when the good people at Warner Bros. tried to deliver this brand new BBC Earth series, LIFE.  Subsequently, I have not yet had the chance to watch any of it but I do know what I'm doing as soon as I post this.  The people who brought you the breathtaking series, "Planet Earth", are doing it again, but this time, they're going to focus more on the inhabitants of the planet instead of the planet itself.  The original series was narrated by Richard Attenborough, just like "Planet Earth", but most North American retailers will be carrying the version that played on the Discovery Chanel, narrated by Oprah Winfrey.  I'm somewhat skeptical of this but also certain that whatever imagery will be on my screen will quickly allow me to drown out any voice around.

THE WOLFMAN

I can't say I remember disliking this film as much as most of my colleagues did when the film played in theatres.  I gave the film two stars and a lot of people said I was still being pretty generous.  The truth of it is, THE WOLFMAN has very little to sink your ravenous, razor-sharp teeth into.  It is all show with very little substance and honestly, the show is only passable really.  You spend most of the movie in the dark, literally as the action has to take place at night for the most part, as to why you're even there to begin with.  This is because Joe Johnston infuses the classic horror tale with modern ideas like daddy issues and girl trouble and does a bad job selling that too.  Even more mind boggling is how such a great cast got roped into this mess.  The wolf himself, Benicio del Toro, even served as a producer on this.  I don't get it.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY:

Tom Cruise teams up with Steven Spielberg for the surprisingly enjoyable and suspenseful, WAR OF THE WORLDS.  Will Smith and Martin Lawrence do wonders for their careers with BAD BOYS.  And a bunch of Clint Eastwood classics, from SPACE COWBOYS to THE ROOKIE with Charlie Sheen, make their way to Blu-Ray, either individually or as part of the new CLINT EASTWOOD COLLECTION.  And yes, I was being sarcastic when I said, "classics".

Source: Blu-ray.com

Black Sheep @ The Box Office

I met a guy last week who was really keen on seeing HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.  No, it was not the 3D element that was calling to him, as it did to millions of people this weekend.  No, he just really digs dragons.  With the positive reviews, both from critics and audiences alike for this Dreamworks animation, I'm pretty sure he won't be the only one digging on dragons for very long.

Between HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and ALICE IN WONDERLAND following in second place, 3D pictures continue to command the dollar of the movie going audience.  There isn't enough room for three 3D titles in the Top 10 this weekend though.  The biggest box office success of all time, AVATAR, exits the Top 10 for the first time in its 15 weeks of release.  Its disappearance from the public consciousness will only be temporary though as the film will be made available to purchase within the next month.

As HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON basks in the warm, soothing bubbles of its own great success - one of the Top 10 March debuts in history - HOT TUB TIME MACHINE had to wait in line to get in.  The buzz for this time travel comedy has been boiling over -  I promise, I'll stop - in recent weeks and most were expecting a surprisingly large gross this weekend .. which wouldn't really make it a surprise, mind you.  The insider buzz didn't spread though and this Steve Pink film had to settle for third place.

A few Top 10 titles managed solid holds this week, suggesting repeat business and good word of mouth later in the run.  I tried to warn you guys but yet THE BOUNTY HUNTER managed a reasonable drop of only 40% this weekend.  If you missed it last weekend, you really should have just let it go.  I want to see a much steeper decline next week, alright?  Meanwhile, SHUTTER ISLAND and SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE managed even better declines of less than 40%.

Below the Top 10, Noah Baumbach's GREENBERG, starring Ben Stiller, added 178 screens for a grand total of 181, and saw an increase of nearly 800%.  It pulled in a solid average of just under $6K and has made $1.2 million in two limited weeks.  On less screens, it managed to pull in more than Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan's latest thriller, CHLOE.  The Toronto-based love triangle debuted in 13th place this week, with a total of just over $1 million on 350 screens.  Some of that money is mine as I saw the film on Friday.  The Black Sheep review is coming in the next week.

NEXT WEEK: Next Saturday is my birthday.  Every year on my birthday weekend, there is nothing but garbage released in theatres .. or at least what I presume to be garbage or movies that completely disinterest me.  This year is no different whatsoever.  On Wednesday, hoping to score some early Easter money, the Miley Cyrus movie, THE LAST SONG, opens on 2500 screens.  The Tyler Perry sequel, WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO? opens on 2000 screens on Friday.  There are a few indie sprinklings here and there but the big guy in town with be CLASH OF THE TITANS, roaring on to 3600 screens, with a bunch of them being 3D.  Of those three, which do you think I have no interest in and which do you think I think look like garbage?  Happy birthday to me, indeed.

SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO

Black Sheep @ The Box Office

ALICE IN WONDERLAND continues to dominate the spring box office but the spring box office bestows it's riches upon a number of other films regardless. Tim Burton's biggest career hit dropped off a respectable 45% in its third week and continues to rule internationally as well, with a grand global total of $565 million so far.


The runner-up spot was fought for all weekend. The Jennifer Aniston-Gerard Butler dud, THE BOUNTY HUNTER, opened second behind ALICE IN WONDERLAND on Friday but the family crowd push throughout the weekend helped DIARY OF A WIMPY KID overtake the supposed romantic comedy for a number two finish. Final results may vary when the final numbers come in on Monday but my money is still on the kid flick.


Past that, there was very little love for the REPO MEN remake, starring Forest Whittaker and Jude Law. Buzzed about Sundance Joan Jett biopic, THE RUNAWAYS, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning pulled in a disappointing $3300 per screen average on 244 screens. Roman Polanski's latest, GHOST WRITER, expanded as successfully as possible considering its rough start with a 71% increase after adding 595 screens. The film's total gross now stands at just under $7 million with a reported budget of $45 million. Providing hope though, art house success Noah Baumbach's latest, GREENBERG, pulling in over $120K, on just three screens, with an average of $40K. The Black Sheep review will be coming later this week.

NEXT WEEK: The much-hyped, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, will be cracking it up on 2750 screens. 3D animated offering, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, will be exploding out of 3000 screens. And Atom Egoyan's latest, CHLOE, hits the limited scene.

Black Sheep @ The Box Office

And Black Sheep returns to the box office after a long and arduous awards season. Arduous might be a bit of a stretch but I'm in a bit of a dramatic mood today so just roll with it. It would have been great to come back last weekend to celebrate the phenomenal success of ALICE IN WONDERLAND but there were those pesky Oscars last weekend. Instead, we're here to see the Tim Burton film cross the $200 million mark in only its second weekend. In fact, at ten days to cross, it is the 11th fastest film in history to accomplish the feat, just a few million shy of AVATAR's same pace. I'm not suggesting that we should expect AVATAR size business here but it's only about $40 million shy of surpassing BATMAN as Burton's most successful film.


Four other films debuted in the Top 10 this weekend but none made any sort of significant dent. Leading the charge was the Paul Greengrass / Matt Damon pairing, GREEN ZONE. Pulling in an average of less than $5K per screen means it will be a big stretch for this one to make back any of its reported $100 million budget. Stealing third place from Robert Pattinson is Canadian boy, Jay Baruchel's headlining act, SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE. The lighter fare brought in a light gross but one that improved over teen romance, REMEMBER ME as the weekend went on. Subsequently, the Pattinson vehicle had to settle for fourth, proving lack of interest in the star past his turn in the "Twilight" movies. Opening in sixth place was the Fox Searchlight title, OUR FAMILY WEDDING. Essentially, with ALICE IN WONDERLAND monopolizing the global business these past two weekends, little interest is being generated for anything else.


Speaking of little interest, although the Oscar telecast last Sunday was the highest rated since 2005, most of the films that took home awards were no longer playing in theatres. Best Picture winner, THE HURT LOCKER, was rereleased in 75 new theatres and took in about $825K, allowing the film to actually make back its reported budget. DVD/BD sales saw great increases but this is the lowest grossing Best Picture winner in Oscar history and that is not about to change. Meanwhile, if it had won, AVATAR would have been the highest grossing Best Picture winner and it suffered another scant 18% decline this week. CRAZY HEART, starring Best Actor winner, Jeff Bridges, slipped just 6% and THE BLIND SIDE, starring Best Actress winner, Sandra Bullock, saw a bum of 24% seventeen weeks into its run for a grand total of $252 million.

NEXT WEEK: Big week people ... THE BOUNTY HUNTER, starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, hits 3000 screens. On 3100 screens, family hopeful, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID opens. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are REPO MEN on 2400 screens. Sundance film, THE RUNAWAYS, with Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett hits 225 screens. And the latest film by one of my favorite directors, Noah Baumbach, GREENBERG, starts its limited run on 3 screens.

SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO

Black Sheep Previews: ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Well, I wrote this whole thing about Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND yesterday and then Disney went around the net snatching up all the youtube videos of the teaser because it wasn't supposed to be out yet. Well, here we are, a mere 24 hours later and it's out now! So, here it is ... Feast your eyes because there's plenty to feast on. Here's to March of 2010!

More Burton Alice in Wonderland Production Art Revealed!

Anyone wondering why Alice in Wonderland is being covered on a horror blog has clearly never read Lewis Carroll's original book. And they most certainly have not seen any of the recent images from Tim Burton's 2010 film adaptation that have been wowing fans on the internet.

And now, I've stumbled across some breathtaking production art for the promising-looking picture, posted on a French blog called The Art of Disney Animation. Judging by all the sweet art on this site, it seems like it's run by someone who actually works at Disney (does anyone in the House of Mouse know about this guy??).

Check it out:






That Rabbit looks like a dressed-up refugee from Watership Down. Which is a good thing. And how about those giant, grotesque Tweedle brothers?

For even more of the production art, in much larger, high-res versions, check out the original site.

BLACK SHEEP'S WEEKLY NEWS WRANGLE

FESTIVAL SEASON ANYONE?
The 65th Annual Venice Film Festival opens on August 27 with the world premiere of the Coen Brothers' follow-up to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, last year's Oscar winner for Best Picture, BURN AFTER READING. The pic stars Coen regulars George Clooney and Frances McDormand as well as Coen newbiews, Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton. Like the Cannes festival, the line-up is short on American fare due to the wrtier's strike that halted productions that would have ordinarily been ready for festival season. Other high profile Hollywood pics include Darren Aronofsky's THE WRESTLER (starring Mickey Rourke), Kathryn Bigelow's HURT LOCKER (an Iraq war film with Ralph Fiennes) and Jonathan Demme's RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, starring Anne Hathaway as a struggling addict who goes home after ten years. The latter two will go on to screen at the Toronto Film Festival days later and all four titles find themselves in competition for the Lion d'Or.
Source: Variety

WHITE KEYS BOND
It has already been reported that Alicia Keys had been tapped to sing the theme from the upcoming Bond feature, QUANTUM OF SOLACE. This week, more information about the song itself has surfaced. The song, entitled, "Another Way to Die", was written and produced by White Stripes frontman, Jack White. White also plays drums on the tune which happens to be the first Bond theme duet in the franchise history. The soundtrack will be available October 28 and the film itself hits theatres November 7.
Source: Billboard

THE MARTIAN IS LANDING
Warner Brothers has given the green light to a movie based on the popular Looney Tunes character, Marvin the Martian. The project, which will be specifically aimed at the prepubescent crowd, will be a mix of CGI and live action. Marvin will make his way to earth with the intention of destroying Christmas, only to find his plans foiled when he gets trapped in a wrapped present. There is no word yet on who will helm the project nor whether Bugs Bunny will be making a cameo.
Source: Variety

TIM AND JOHNNY DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE?
Last week, Tim Burton confirmed that he has cast his Alice in his upcoming mixed CGI/live action remake of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. The actress is young, Australian, Mia Wasikowska. She might now have her Madhatter. In what would be a seventh pairing between director and star, Johnny Depp is reumoured to be in talks to take on this iconoclastic character. Burton and Depp first worked together on EDWARD SCISSORHANDS in 1990.
Source: Internet Movie Database

WHATEVER, WOODY
Woody Allen's 40th feature, VICKI CHRISTINA BARCELONA, is about to hit theatres but news regarding his 41st feature, currently in post-production, is already starting to surface. As per usual, details are scarce but Allen has revealed the title to be WHATEVER WORKS. The story itself supposedly centers around a relationship between Larry David (61) and Evan Rachel Wood (21). Gotta hand it to Woody .. he never shies away from exploring his own demons.
Source: JoBlo