If Looks Could Kill - Graphic Art & Design

Do you know who this woman is?

Since the early days of the internet *shakes cane* I have searched for a decent image of the face behind the voice of my favorite cartoon character ever…

Denise Poirier, voice of Aeon Flux! Aeon Flux has the most expressive and melodious voice of any female cartoon character - low, sultry, antagonistic. Denise nailed this character and I was pleasantly surprised to see a visage as lovely as her voice. :)

The monosyllabic grunts, sighs and other Aeon sounds were actually done by Drew Neumann’s (the soundtrack creator’s) wife. Might I recommend that Drew Neumann’s EyeSpy Ears Only: Confidential while I’m at it? I bought this some time back and it’s actually the soundtrack to the Aeon Flux cartoons, just with no specific reference to it for legal reasons. It’s a hypnotizing listen.

Might I add that I am especially fascinated with creator of the Aeon Flux series, Peter Chung. He is able to imply incredible intricacy with the simplest of lines, his unusual perspectives and mannerist style proportions (elongated limbs and spindly creatures) - you know when you are watching something that is his. I love it.

It seems that little is known about the inner-workings of the man. Here’s what I found interesting:

• His staff labored at the rate of one second of screen time a month during production of Sleeping Beauty - a direct result of his scrutiny and high aesthetic standards.
• He did not go to his father’s funeral, a man described as “cold, rigid and judgmental”
• Pinnochio lost money and Fantasia bombed (in terms of cost vs. box office payoff), thereby eliminating plans to collaborate with Salvador Dali. God-effing-dammit!
• During WWII, Disney made mostly military training and propaganda movies. (See bizarre, child-friendly Mickey Mouse gas mask, shown above.)

Source: this article about this book I would like to read.

WHY isn’t this show available on DVD?

There’s always hope - they are re-airing them on NickToons, so that’s a good sign.

I’m gonna go see what’s doin’ at the Angry Beavers’ page on the Nick website.

This article touches on something that has bugged me about computer animation from the beginning - it’s too sterile, too calculated, too fluid.

For example, if you are watching the average creature, there are often incomplete motions, twitches and jerks of excitement, indecision, rage or anxiety - the imperfections that are a major part of being an organic creature.

With wholly animated features, it’s not as apparent, or if it’s used for special effects. It’s when they try to pass them off as living characters, mixed in with or passing for live-action, that it becomes immensely distracting because it’s always a little off.

Specific examples in Star Wars:

1. Jar Jar Binks & Watoo:
   Unnecessary to begin with and distracting to boot. Abnormally fluid in movements, even in slapstickery and buffoonery. Attempts at mottled, imperfect skin texture appear systematic and precise.
2. Yoda:
   Not only does he look like an entirely different creature than the puppet seen in the original movies, but his eyes apparently glow in the dark now. Somehow, even in scenes where shadows should be cast over his eyes by his brow-bone, the whites shine clearly and distractingly at all times. [Examples]
3. Revised Jabba (in whichever Episode that was of IV through VI):
   WTF? I don’t think an explanation is even needed here if you grew up with the original originals, pre-Lucas-fucking-with-it-further.

Another offender:

• Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within:
  Here, it seemed like they used intentionally plain looking characters to presumably make them more human. Instead, they succeeded in a visually uninteresting group of CGI characters that looked lifelike at some angles, but moved inhumanly, again with systematic computer-applied “imperfections” such as freckles.