Wes Anderson: Absentee Director

Fur flies on 'Mr. Fox' -- latimes.com

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Toy OTD: Creature Comforts Figurine: Frank The Tortoise

Aardman merchandise has never really taken off here in the states, but fortunately, it's all over the UK! If you're willing to brave the dollars-to-pounds exchange rate, you can get some really cool stuff based on Aardman's nifty television shows and movies!

A fairly extensive resin figure line sprang from the Creature Comforts TV series, inspired (of course) by the animated short. The British series, in turn, was the model for a show in the US as well! It's one of Aardman's best known properties outside of Wallace & Gromit, so it's a gimme as far as UK toys go.

Frank is a great character who (I think) has been in all of the incarnations of Comfort. Since he's a clay-mation piece to begin with, he's a natural for resin. The sculpt here is simple but quite good, although Frank's cranium looks a little low. Otherwise, it's a very accurate piece! There's just enough asymmetry to keep some life in the figure, and the color choices are fine. The biggest difference between the two is the treatment of the shell - it seems darker on the toy, and less convincing as 'the real thing'. The eyes are also a little less subtle than the original model, but overall it's appealing.

Since this piece is a figurine, there's no articulation at all. It's so low and wide that naturally there's no balance issues whatsoever. The packaging is pretty sharp - a creative variation on the plastic/cardboard box theme. Here, most of the box is plastic, allowing for maximum visibility of the item, while a printed cardboard base/back card allows for some disposable graphics and branding. It's also worth mentioning that the figure has no base or visible logos on it, which I think is consistent with the whole line. Very nice!

I can't find Frank for sale online anywhere exept the Aardman shop itself - you can get one there for £5.00+ shipping (and they do ship internationally). If you want one, get it quick!

Toy OTD: JUN Planning Corpse Bride Figure: Scraps

JUN Planning is still the king of Tim Burton merchandise - word has it that he was so happy with their Nightmare Before Christmas figures, that he personally requested them to make a Corpse Bride line. And they didn't disappoint!

It's another terrific figure - it looks like you snatched it right off the set. There's almost no paint work to speak of, and the articulation is pretty minimal. The sculpt and construction is so good, though, that it's still an awesome display piece (the loose, red-vinyl collar is a nice touch)!

I think the only minuses with this toy involve the base. I don't recall there being any instructions included with the figure, and setting it up isn't really intuitive. I improvised as best I could, but that leaves an awkward-looking hole in plain view, which I'm not sure is correct. Also, the base isn't really on theme with the movie - ideally, I would've preferred a cobblestone street, a wooden floor, or a patch of ground that would look more like an environment from the movie. This one strikes me as a bit generic and bland - like one you'd buy from an art supply store. Still, it's awesome that JUN included a base at all!

You can still get this figure easily and inexpensively - it costs $39.99 + shipping at wizardwebshop.com. Happy shopping!

PCs Piss Off Santa Claus

Here's a cute new stop-motion Apple spot, with characters designed by Shane Prigmore and directed by Drew Lightfoot. I love the fact that there's so many Rankin-Bass nerds out there eager to make this stuff!

I hope Apple makes dolls of these characters - especially the PC guy. Wouldn't that be the best - making money from merchandising your dig at the competition? Come to think of it, though, I guess South Park does that every week!

Wes Anderson Turns To Animation

MTV MOVIES BLOG: Wes Anderson Enlists Bill Murray For ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox’
Published by Josh Horowitz on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 7:04 pm.

It will be five films in a row for the collaboration that is Wes Anderson and Bill Murray. I talked to Anderson about his upcoming animated flick based on the Roald Dahl story and he confirmed his voice cast. “George Clooney is going to be Mr. Fox. Bill Murray has a part. Jason [Schwartzman] is doing a voice. That’s our team,” he told me.

But don’t line up at the multiplex just yet…this one is still a long ways off. “It will take a couple years to do the animating,” said “The Darjeeling Limited” helmer, adding that they are about to record the voices. As for the animation, “It’s stop-motion. It’s like ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ or those Christmas specials. These [characters] have fur, so it’s not like claymation.”

It sounds like Anderson will make this one quite unique (big surprise). “The settings will be very natural. We want to use real trees and real sand, but it’s all miniature,” he said.

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I haven't liked a Wes Anderson film since "Bottle Rocket", so I'm not thrilled about this news. It's hard for me to see how Anderson's chilly storytelling will mesh with the content and the new-to-him medium. I remember liking the book, but I'm not even sure how well it'll adapt to film - I'll have to read it again.

Bowling for Sandercoe Lego Short

I think that this short was made for a contest - it's really well crafted! But where's the Dude??

Robot Chicken Star Wars Special

Looks pretty funny! I've never watched a full episode, but the clips that I've seen on YouTube are great. Check out some trailers and TV spots here - I think the George Lucas one and the full trailer are the best. I wonder if that's Lucas' real voice?

I'm A Sucker For Bubo

Remember that stupid robot owl in Clash of the Titans? I don't know if I love it because it's a such a blatant R2-D2 rip-off, or in spite of it. Even though I'm not a big fan of the movie itself, I've always wanted a Bubo toy or statue or something, and now I'm going to get my wish. Gentle Giant takes one more name off the rapidly-shrinking list of recognizable genre film characters that haven't been mechandised yet by making a limited-edition (500 pieces) Bubo statue! Cool!

You can pre-order it here - it'll cost $59.99 + shipping at Entertainment Earth.

How Big Of A Ray Harryhausen Nerd Are You?

If you're a really, really big one, you'll probably get a kick out of this Harryhausen animation reference library. It contains almost every character that he ever animated - complete with clips of each one! Enjoy, creature geeks!

Starveillance

It's a new stop-motion show that's premiering on E! this month, made by the folks who brought you Celebrity Deathmatch. There's some segements you can see now at revver.com. Here's my favorite of the first batch: Ashton and Demi's first date.

Santa And Rudolph, Good As New!

A while ago, a whole bunch of Rankin-Bass stop motion figures were unwittingly discarded in a company move. These two puppets, kept at (an employee's?) home and used as Christmas decorations for decades, may be the only two left.

The new owner's just had them restored. Bask in their holiday goodness! This almost looks like Santa went to Sears and had their picture taken! Either that, or the yearbook photo place.