by Geoffrey Golden

Before we begin in earnest, a note: the first half of this review is more for those not yet initiated into Team Venture. Monarch Henchmen can scroll half-way down for the sneak peak stuff. Also, this is not an objective review. I’ve been a fan of the show since it first premiered.

Alright, let the arching begin…

On The Simpsons, there was a Treehouse of Horror short called The Genesis Tub, which was inspired by a Twilight Zone episode. Lisa creates a tiny, complex mini-universe of people inside a petri dish, starting with just a loose tooth, some soda and a surge of electricity. She runs downstairs to get waffles and comes back an hour later very surprised. The people in her petri dish quickly evolved from cave dwellers to Renaissance folks. Eventually, they become a highly advanced, futuristic society… until Bart starts messing with them, of course.

That “tub” is an apt analogy for The Venture Bros., which launches its “Season 4.5″ on Sunday, Sept. 12th at 11:30 pm EST. The Venture Bros. began as a straightforward parody of Jonny Quest, following two naive, dim-witted boy adventurers — Hank and Dean Venture — as they unravel creepy, surprisingly adult mysteries. From there, the show has grown over the years into a wonderfully complex organism, featuring a sprawling, delightful ensemble cast, as well as a vast, interweaving mythology spanning decades in time and a fondness for obscure, unmined pop culture allusions.
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By Geoffrey Golden

If you are a loyal Lineboil reader, and therefore a dedicated fan of animation, I’ll sum up this review for you in 5 words:

Go see Waking Sleeping Beauty (opens in a limited theatrical run this Friday).

There are so many reasons to see this documentary by director Don Hahn (producer of several Disney features including Beauty and the Beast), who brings us a candid look inside the Magic Kingdom from the early 80s to the mid 90s. As Roger Rabbit would say, “let me count the ways…” One is that you’ll see handheld documentary footage of storyboard readings, staff meetings and voice recording sessions at Disney Animation. Two is that it challenges our pre-conceived notions of how executives and creatives work together. Three is that you’ll gain a level of understanding about Disney’s Second Renaissance you never had before.

Apparently the cameras were always on at Disney Animation. Though a good chunk of the documentary is told in still pictures — including hilarious caricatures drawn by the animators at the time, illustrating the creative tensions behind the scenes — a good half of the film is culled together with home movie footage. (One of the camera men? None other than John Lasseter.) This creates a very intimate effect. For an hour and a half, you really feel like you’re inside “Mousewitz,” experiencing the heartbreaking staff meetings and over-the-top office parties. Hahn’s insider knowledge of the subject matter and smart storytelling creates a more immersive experience than a lot of 3D animated movies.
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This Sunday’s telecast of the 82nd Academy Awards will present 5 nominees for the Best Animated Feature Film prize. Only once (2002) in the storied 9-year history of this award have more than 3 films been given the nod, presumably because animators eat so much at the post-awards buffet. We ask you, who better to break down the race for Oscar gold than comedy writer Geoffrey Golden? In this rainbow-flavored infographic below, Golden offers his take on the nominated films and their chances of taking home the sword-wielding statue named after Sesame Street’s homeless pack rat, Oscar the Grouch (EDITOR: fact check this before posting).
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By Geoffrey Golden

American animated movies tend to think big. Our heroes set-off on a journey to explore humongous landscapes and meet other over-the-top characters, as they complete a mind-bogglingly impossible task. I’m a huge fan of animated adventure stories, but it’s nice to have some variety in the cartoon cinema. That’s why Wes Anderson’s first animated feature, Fantastic Mr. Fox (now playing theaters), was such a breath of fresh, cider-scented air.

Pixar is the current gold standard for animated films, and they lean heavily towards the big adventure story. Up is about an around-the-world journey in a hot air balloon house; The Incredibles help save the world from an evil genius; and WALL-E helps save humanity from an apocalypse of pleasure. Even in Toy Story, because the perspective of the characters is so small, a trip to Pizza Planet becomes an epic journey.

DreamWorks Animation and other studios tend to follow suit, with stories involving kingdom-saving ogres and animals trying to survive the ice age. Big stories, even bigger set pieces and enormous characters voiced by comedy legends. When a formula works, there’s little reason for Hollywood to stray.
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By Geoffrey Golden

It’s been a long, long ride to get to Planet 51, which opens in theaters tomorrow. Since 2002, Illion Animation Studios has been perfecting their first feature length animated movie for theaters. Seven years of re-writing, re-recording and re-animating later, they finally launched their film into theaters, but will it be a smooth landing with audiences?

The best CG animation sweats the details, whether it’s tweaking a story beat or perfecting the bounce of an antenna, so it’s no surprise that Illion wanted to get everything just right for their debut feature. On the visuals, they scored a home run. A perfectionistic attention to detail makes the film pure eye candy.

The textures are especially well-crafted, from the peach-soft alien skin to the glossy metallic shell of Rover, the dog-like space exploration robot. You also can’t help but admire the backgrounds and visual touches, like the glossy bowling alley and the humorously stylized poster for the alien horror movie poster, “Humaniacs 2.”
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