Yeah…3D, cool…Monsters Vs. Aleins…??? [shakes head]
When I saw the paddle-ball shot in the Superbowl ad, I knew that was DreamWorks was getting gratuitous. I mean, did that scene serve any other purpose than to show off their 3-D effect? What does it contribute story-wise? How does this convey the character’s personality? That he likes to play paddle-ball when he’s bored? I suppose so, but you can see how out-of-place that action looks (with the ball coming at the screen) if it was shown in 2-D. 
Oh, and the immediate bit after that where the dude runs down the hallway with the papers trailing him. That too.
I have absolutely no intention of seeing this film in theaters unless I have nothing to do on a Friday or Saturday evening, which means that I’ll definitely be seeing it… 
Truth be told, I’ve always “appreciated” DreamWorks’ crude sense of humor, as I tend to be drawn to that type of comedy. As far as Monsters Vs. Aliens is concerned, I really don’t see any gold in the story at all. DreamWorks is just trying too hard to be funny, which is a shame. You’d think they’d take a leaf out of Pixar’s book.
That said, I do kind of like Dr. Cockroach… Woah, wait. He’s voiced by Hugh Laurie?! Gosh, I hate that guy (as an actor, not as a person). Oh well. I still like the cockroach… (heh)
– Mitch
I LOVE DreamWorks. Whether they are the enemy of Pixar or not, they are highly skilled and respectable artists and I respect them just as much as I respect those at Pixar.
I’d hope you guys all feel the same way.
I have nothing against any of the artists at DreamWorks either, CMB, or the company as a whole for that matter. I actually find it quite sad that just because they are opposite a more popular company with a larger fan base, that a lot of people act like the artists are any less talented.
I personally have enjoyed all of their films, Kung Fu Panda in particular.
- C-3PO
I respect the artists and work they do to a degree…but on the other hand. If I don’t like what I’m seeing come out of the animation studio I don’t necessarily see why I should be easy on them. I don’t have respect for what are essentially gag filled money making machines that will keep kids amused on a Saturday and not much else.
I don’t like to be overly negative towards DreamWorks Animation (it’s becoming a worrying trend) but the only reason I’m so harsh on them is because they’re essentially wasting time and money on a medium that I very much adore. Admittedly, not everyone else feels the same way and I can live with that, but I won’t start respecting the studio until they start to respect the audience.
If they can make one movie without two pop culture references, I’ll swallow a shoe.
With that said, Monsters Vs. Aliens doesn’t look THAT bad. Although it still seems very gag heavy, and the title seems to be very basic. Although I would imagine that’s the approach they’re going for.
Time will tell, I guess.
Hey, to each their own opinion. It’s just that the artists work with the scripts that they are given, and the animation that they are producing is very good.
I have read Kung Fu Panda’s script, and it is very well written. You can read it here: paramountguilds.com/movies/script/kfp.html
KFP was actually not really run on all kinds of Western pop culture references. That was one film that actually, I found really respected it’s audience. I feel sorry for the three year old whose parents put KFP on to babysit them. Tai Lung could give them nightmares… they didn’t tone him down, or make him a silly villain, and the rest of us should thank them for that. Not only was he well developed, but we knew why he felt the way he did. Not to mention Ian McShane’s job voicing him… The animators also did an amazing job on the kung fu scenes. The bridge scene was amazing! Also, what brought the movie to a whole other level, was the amazing scoring work done by Hans Zimmer, and John Powell. The music in there is just great!
[spoil]The question is, in a sequel, could Tigress become a villain, at least temporarily? She always seemed very jealous, because of the way that she could never live up to the expectations that Shifu had come to expect when he had trained Tai Lung, despite the fact that she was very close talent-wise. [/spoil]
- C-3PO
To back up CMB and C-3PO:
As has already been expressed, I also have nothing against any of the artists at DreamWorks Animation SKG. There is (probably) nothing they can do about the scripts that are handed down to them; they’re simply given a project to develop, tweak, and enhance technically. I’ve said before (not on this forum, I believe, but elsewhere) that the animation itself which comes out of that studio is absolutely breath-taking; they really do have a bucketful of talented artists there, and I hope that they never lose or mistreat those artists.
That said, I do not appreciate most of the stories that come out of the DreamWorks company. What I’ve heard is that Jeffrey Katzenberg usually sticks his hands in projects that he shouldn’t be sticking them in. No offense to Mr. Katzenberg, but he should leave the artists alone and let them do their job. The reason why Kung Fu Panda was so successful was because of a non-Katzenberg involvement in the project – or, at least, a limited involvement. To date, Kung Fu Panda is probably DreamWorks’ best film because of this.
– Mitch
All I am trying to convey is whether you like the story/plot of one of DreamWorks films, or whatever it may be that you dislike, you have to understand the detail that is put into every second of every scene of every movie they do.
They put their hearts into these films, and I’d have to say I like DW just as much as Pixar. KFP was incredible, along with Over the Hedge and Shark Tale.
I’m a 3D animation fan, I don’t play favorites with studios. Although I may favor one after I have seen a number of their films, I wont ever push one away just because it’s a rival studio. A good movie is a good movie. 
You guys are all entitled to your opinions, and I appreciate reading them, but that’s just the way I look at things.
And from what I’ve seen, it seemed like thre was quite a few DW haters.
Someone’s got to stick up for them!
I suppose I didn’t make myself too clear at first, which is my own fault. I should say that I do actually respect the artists and make that perfectly clear. They want to animate and they’re doing that, and the animation IS of a good quality. So I hold no problem with the animators. Like it was said, the problems tend to be more with a script more than anything.
I just can’t say that I particularly like or respect DreamWorks Animation as a studio, because they’ve never made a movie I’ve genuinely liked so far. But this is just my opinion, and I’ve said once before that I can understand the reason why people like their movies so much, and I can respect that opinion. It’s just for those reasons that I tend not to like the DreamWorks animated movies so much. I won’t be calling for the studio to be burned down or anything like that. 
It’s really hard to strike a good balance, I know that people clearly do like these movies. So I’m trying to find a way to express my opinion in a way that won’t offend fans of the features…it’s bloody hard! But it’s nothing personal when I say I don’t like something, so don’t take me too seriously.
I should also clear up though, that there aren’t many studios I respect anymore. Of course I do respect Pixar as a studio which is why I joined this forum in the first place.
But with this all said, I’m not trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking or anything like that. I just think it’s healthy to have a nice friendly debate and show the difference of opinion.
I’ll still continue to give DreamWorks animated movies a chance, because I always try and keep an open mind (apart from Shrek).
I understand what you’re saying now. 
I didnt like Shrek AT ALL at first, but it actually kind of grew on me once I watched Shrek 2 though. I never saw the third yet, but I will check it out.
I guess if you don’t like DW’s storylines, then they just aren’t right for you, I try and stay as open minded as possible when I watch animated films, so I tend to like them all from Toy Story to Everyone’s Hero.
I’m not saying you’re close minded either, just saying how I react/adjust to films.
blueskydisney.blogspot.com/2009/ … liens.html
Early review.
It was kinda obvious in the trailer that she’s the focus. I bet she has to come to terms with her monsterness. Heck, I bet at the climax she has to choose between being a normal person after having been cured, or becoming big again and saving the other monsters (whom she rejected at first but then grew to like whilst hunting the alien). At least that’s my guess from just having seen the trailer. We’ll have to wait and see.
This might be from my observation and my opinion, but doesn’t that giant girl in the movie remind you of Mirage?
She did a little…but she was much fatter…
Mirage was like a tooth-pick while this girl has got some pounds…
Plus her attitude was much different.
But her hair was exactly the same…
They do seem to have different personalities though.
Hmm, I had a feeling they might look similar. I guess it is just the hair.
Today when I went to the store, I saw a bunch of Monsters Vs. Aliens crud. 
Do you see Russell on a box of oatmeal? Seriously? Anyway, I think Monsters Vs. Aliens will be like any DreamWorks movie.
This could be one of the worst animated films of all time. Seriously. It tries too hard and fails.
If I see one more ad, I’m going to sue DreamWorks for loss of sanity and brain cells.
I doubt it will be that bad. But I do understand what you are saying. Now that I think about it, Monsters Vs. Aliens will probably be as good as Bee Movie. Entertaining, funny (not as funny as Bee Movie), and some stuff I really can’t explain.
Really? I thought Bee Movie was worse than awful. I can’t even describe in words how much I hated that film. I mean, come on! Maybe I can let the fact that the bees are suing humans, but now the bee falls in love with one?! That was just stupid.