Tokyosaurus Talks The Next Hayao Miyazaki Movie

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A Great Cartoon Scene in Heidi Episode 1

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Last night, I played the first episode of Heidi, Girl of the Alps. It was the first time I had watched for a couple years, and this is one of my all-time favorite Isao Takahata classics. Like many of you, I am far too upset and heartbroken to even think about watching something like Grave of the Fireflies or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Let's just play in Heidi's happy world for now. Episode 1 is absolutely fantastic and packed with boundless energy and an amazing assortment of compositions, layouts, and art designs. And there are more than a few genuine comic moments. Here is one such example. It's a brief shot where Heidi sees Peter the shepherd boy sprinting down the mountain, and she wants to charge after him. Notice her wind-up pose, which is a wonderfully funny cartoon pose. Heidi begins to dart forward, arms outstretched. The aunt suddenly sees this, and with a very subtle movement, grabs Heidi by the back of her shirt, pulling her back. Heidi's reaction pose...
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Anne of Green Gables (1979, 50 Episodes, English Subtitles)

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Anne of Green Gables is the 1979 season of the World Masterpiece Theater television series, which was created by Nippon Animation. It is the third and final series created by Isao Takahata (director) and Hayao Miyazaki (layout and design). Yoshifumi Kondo replaces longtime friend Yoichi Kotabe (character designer and animation director). After episode 13, Miyazaki would also withdraw to direct Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro. This is a fantastic series, my favorite of all Anne of Green Gables adaptations. Paku-san really dives into the depths of these characters and knows just where to adapt, where to cut and where to expand. He understands the psychology of these characters, not just Anne, but everyone, especially Marilla. His objective storytelling approach is very even-handed and balanced, and it's a quality that is somewhat unique to this Anne. Most other versions identify too strongly with the main character, and they suffer a little as a result. I could write a millio...
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Riffs: Spirited Away, Mary and the Witch's Flower

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It's no secret that Yonebayashi and Studio Ponoc see themselves as the next generation of Studio Ghibli. Many of their artists are alumni from the famed studio, and wish to continue the tradition of high quality, hand-drawn animation into the future. This will be a daunting challenge, as CG has completely overwhelmed everything in its path, but hopefully there will be enough people in the world who prefer the old ways. We will see. Mary and the Witch's Flower at times feels like a mashup of all your favorite Hayao Miyazaki movies, including Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away. Here, in this shot, we see a riff that points back to Miyazaki's 2001 Oscar-winning classic, albeit with a slight change in camera angle. It is here that Yonebayashi makes a fascinating choice: he quotes the Ghibli movies, but not in the slavish blink-and-you'll-miss-it style you see from other films. When Marnie Was There did the very same thing, quoting and riffing on Omohide Poro Poro...
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