After watching Final Fantasy Advent Children I think that style of DVD would be a great alternative to a live action movie, and in some ways would be better then a live action movie. Advent Children proved that serious action/adventure fantasy movies can be effectively made just with CGI, so that makes it a real option. The problem of money would all be disapear, as doing an animated CGI movie would cost a LOT less then a live action film that would need Green Screen, force perspective, a HUGE amount of CGI work on battle scenes and magic effects, a huge amount of sets to be built etc.... This also means (I believe anyway) that it would be more likey to get the whole series made as CGI movies. I think it would possible that we would/could also get the Legends Trilogy, Summers Flame, War of the Souls etc.... in the same format if they were successful. Where as these would never be made as live action movies. CGI also gets rid of the problem of casting. They need twins who look a lot alike and completely different? You need a 6'10 (or whatever) plainsman, much easier to build them in a computer.
I would love to see a series of Dragon Lance, CGI animated movies in the style of Advent Children.
That didn't do so well, as opposed to PIXAR's CGI films. (BTW, Cars raked in nearly $63 million over the weekend, beating X-Men 3: The Last Stand.)
I still prefer live-action with CG special effect, as long it is not out-of-place as D&D: The Movie. Any special effect should complement the story, not be a story itself.
That's why you see so many of these Pixar films, but that Final Fantasy movie was pretty much a one-and-done.
I do still CGI myself, so I keep up with the industry a bit. Final Fantasy, while visually stunning, is basically regarded as a flop. It's generally accepted in CGI circles that the general public is not interested in CGI "faking" reality.
Something to keep in mind, while it may seem that CGI is cheaper than live action, that is not necessarily the case. It takes a huge team to build a CGI movie. Beyond that, you are talking about a minimum of hundreds of thousands of "computer hours" spent on rendering, on very expensive computer equipment.
I used to know the specifics of Final Fantasy such as cost to make it, computer hours spent, etc. but I don't recall any of it right now. IIRC, it didn't make a great profit, if at all.
You'll notice that even movies that have some elements of realism are still cartoonish. Take Polar Express for example. Lots of effort was put into making the conductor look like Tom Hanks, but it was still basically a computer-generated cartoon.
I'm sorry to sound like I am raining on the parade. In all truth, I would love to see Dragonlance done this way. The problem is, it would wind up being a one-and-done movie, and never attempted again. Keep in mind, DL is not Narnia or LotR. The DL crowd, while we are committed to Krynn ourselves, is not famous enough to make the movie a hit on name alone. It would be one of those movies that needed a big commercial with orchestra music and huge fight scenes, and a big dragon to grab Joe Public's attention and drag him to the theater.
If it isn't live action, I would rather they just never did it. I want the DL movies to be big. If they can't be, I would rather someone didn't put together something that only satisfied a small section of dedicated fans, and then disappeared into the void. I'd hate to see Autumn Twilight, and never reach Winter's Night. (Besides, I'm greedy. I want to see Legends and WoS on film as well!)
Final Fantasy, as well as movies such as Finding Nemo, the Incredibles, etc. showed the CGI industry something very important. "Cartoony" CGI films make money, trying to capture realism doesn't.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children shouldn't be confused with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The latter was a remarkable picture, but the former is outstanding. It's the future of animated features out of Japan, I think, although you'll never see the end of traditional animation while there are still talented artists and animators out there practicing their craft.
Cheers,
Cam
As for the cost, while a CGI movie isn't cheap, a live action movie like LotR would cost into the hundreds of millions of dollars, CGI animation would not cost that much.
But if you want something so badly a fix right now, like how Rankin-Bass did The Lord of the Rings (with Rotoscope feature!!! :D ) before PJ did a live-action version 20 years later, fine. We'll go with animation. We'll even skip the theaters and head straight to DVD with no fanfare (marketing and advertising cost too much anyway).
I am not trying to say that I wouldn't want to see DL as a CGI movie. In fact, I would actually prefer to see it done this way. I think so much more could be accomplished with animation, that would either be extremely hard, or impossible with live action.
Plus, there would be no doubt that Raistlin looked like Raistlin, and let's all admit, this is the biggest fear with live action.
That said, however, my issue, and the reason I say it wouldn't/shouldn't happen, is economics.
From WikiPedia:
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a science fiction movie by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of RPGs. It was released on July 11, 2001 in the United States and it was the first animated feature to seriously attempt photorealistic CGI humans. Despite aggressive promotion by Sony, it also became the second-biggest box office bomb in film history (behind Treasure Planet), with losses of over $124 million, effectively bankrupting Square Pictures.
Now I admit, I haven't seen this movie. I will at some point, simply because I am interested in it. If I can, I will check out the other one you all have suggested. As someone interested in seeing it, you would think I would have hit the theater for it, but I didn't. If I didn't, what would make someone who really isn't interested in it go?
The film's production cost was $137M. That's 137 million dollars! By contrast, the budget of the original Matrix movie was $63M. See what I mean about it not being cheaper?
You have to keep something in mind, computer generated animation is not something simple. First off, there is the effort of creating the characters, and all of the scenery. If you have ever built a 3D model, you can appreciate the time and effort needed to build even a "simple" model such as the characters in The Incredibles. To create a "photo-realistic" model is extremely time-consuming, and that is putting it lightly.
After the model is created, which for photo-realistic purposes I would guesstimate around a month per model for one developer, that model needs to be animated. Did you ever watch Gumby as a kid? The little Claymation figure. Each frame of those shows had to be individually shot. The clay models needed to be ever-so-slightly moved, and a picture taken. Then, those individual frames were joined together to make one half-hour show. Lot's of work, little return. This is the same thing with CGI.
Granted, the advantage over Claymation is that once a CGI character is "rigged" for animation, some programming code can be used to generate the movements for the characters. Obviously, an animator would need to manipulate the figure throughout the animation process, and combine the characters and scenery etc., however, this step can be made a slight bit easier with some code.
After this however, is where the actual work begins. All of this previous stuff is great. It is a lot of work, it takes a lot of time, it's probably not that cheap. But it is better than the next step.
Now comes the rendering process. Every single frame of a CGI film must be individually "rendered." What this means is that every single frame of the movie must be individually generated graphically. On a good day, a lighter image I make will take about 10 minutes to render. That's one image. To put that in perspective, let's look at the logistics of film.
Let's say, we want a film to be NTSC-standard. That's 29.97 frames per second. (We'll round it to 30 for purposes of this demonstration.) Let's say we want the film to be 2 hours long. (A fair amount of time, though shorter than LotR.) That's a total of 7,200 seconds. Now we multiply 30 frames per second, times 7,200 seconds, and we have 216,000 frames of animation to render. Let's just say the machines the animators are working with are able to pump out the animation at the same speed as my light work. That's a total of 2,160,000 minutes of computer time! That equates to 36,000 hours of computer time. That's 1,500 man-days! That's after all of the previous months of work to get the animation ready to render!
This hasn't even looked at the cost. Remember, you need to pay for each machine that is doing the rendering. Go on Dell.com, and look at their Workstation level computers. The base packages are in the multi-thousand dollar range. You can't use an e-Machine for this stuff. You also have to pay the whole development team. Concept artists, modelers, animators, composers, etc. Then you have to pay voice actors. I'm willing to bet Tom Hanks didn't come cheap to the Polar Express team.
Realistically, CGI films for adults will never take off. The reason Pixar can do films such as A Bug's Life, or Finding Nemo is simple. Their movies target children. Kids want to see cartoonish films. Parents will take them. Let's say a mother takes her 2 children to the movies to see the new film Cars. In NY, tickets are now $10.50/adults, $8.50/child. That's a gate take of $27.50.
Let's say a man and wife go to see Dragonlance: The Movie. That's a gate take of only $21.00. That $6.50, multiplied by the number of children who see CGI movies, compared to the adults who see any singular movie, is exponential.
And this is assuming that a normal-size movie-goer crowd even attends DL:TM. Keep in mind, LoTR, and Narnia are world-famous. Yes, our beloved Chronicles spent it's own time on the NY Times Bestseller list, but let's be honest, how many people who never picked up a d20 have picked up a copy of Autumn Twilight? Further, yes, D&D probably has a few millions fans, but how many are DL fans? It has to be enough to make up the cost.
Figure, based on the FF:TSW numbers, it would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $125M. Computer hardware, that can do the same level of processing is significantly cheaper, so rendering time can be cut with more machines. Can DL sell 12M tickets, which wouldn't even actually turn a profit, rather only make up the budget in gate-sales. My guess would be something in the area of 20M seats would need to be sold to even blink at a profit.
Sorry all, I know this long, and it's a "rain-on-the-parade" post, but it's realistic. Yes, it would be best-case scenario if all of the movies were made with CGI, and they were all smash successes, leading to more DL fans, and more sales for Sovereign Press/WotC. The reality of the situation is that it takes a huge risk of failure.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a science fiction movie by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of RPGs. It was released on July 11, 2001 in the United States and it was the first animated feature to seriously attempt photorealistic CGI humans. Despite aggressive promotion by Sony, it also became the second-biggest box office bomb in film history (behind Treasure Planet), with losses of over $124 million, effectively bankrupting Square Pictures.
Thast because it sucked and tried to sell itself on the animation, not the story and it showed. And if you look at the amount of money it would cost to make another LotR type trilogy, 124 is cheap. And remember that Spirits Within was made 6 years ago (2000 I believe), as technology moves foward things get cheaper and easier and quickier to do.
Realistically, CGI films for adults will never take off
So explain the success of Advent Children. They just havn't made many GOOD CGI films for adults yet.
So explain the success of Advent Children. They just havn't made many GOOD CGI films for adults yet.
And perhaps they never will. Look, I am not trying to argue with you, I am just trying to show you the other side of the coin, the business side.
A few points:
1) Advent Children was a direct-to-DVD release. Would you have a problem with a direct-to-DVD version of DL? I would.
2) I can't locate concrete numbers, however, wikipedia mentions that 420,000 copies of the DVD sold in Japan. Based on the numbers I posted before, that wouldn't dent the budget we are talking about.
3) Further into the wikipedia writeup of The Spirits Within it details the production numbers. The film was originally rendered on a 960 system server farm, each running at 933-Mhz. Sure, those are slow computers by today's numbers, but let's triple the speed of the CPU, and factor in another factor of one for better graphics subsystems for a total of quadruple the speed. Now let me say that I was TOTALLY off on my estimate of time to render each frame. It actually took one and a half hours per frame! Round down the division and give it 20 minutes a frame. Now do the multiplication I mentioned earlier.
Now you could surely speed up the process. At the same time, you would lose significant quality.
As far as me saying that companies will not make the film, I can tell you I am not just making that up. As I mentioned, I do CGI myself. (I am not a professional, but I do work on images practically every day.) I also, like any enthusiast, keep up with the trade magazines. I also keep up with the video game development trades, as I actually do that semi-professionally. Numerous times, I have read about the reluctance to venture into Final Fantasy territory.
As I mentioned, companies like Pixar are targeting children. Children are a revenue source. Not only do they watch the movies, they eat at McDonald's to get the prize in the Happy Meal. They beg for toys at Toys R Us. They are practically guaranteed to beg for the movie when it hits video. They buy the video game based on the movie. These are all revenue streams for the studio. If there were a DL movie, how many Happy Meals would you buy to get a Tanis figure? Perhaps you might visit Toys R Us to get your hands on some action figures to put on your shelf. How many people would immediately go out and start purchasing a PHB and the DL Campaign Setting after seeing the movie? Probably not many. Would it increase book sales? Yes, it probably would. Any video game based on the movie would probably sell fairly well also. The key is, could the revenue stream make up for the movie budget?
Again, I don't disagree with wanting a DL animated movie. I am just concerned that risking it would ruin the vast potential of the setting. I would hate to see Autumn Twilight on celluloid, only to never see Winter's Night fall.
Also keep in mind, with a live action movie, if you have a director with a love for DL, and he/she garners input from Weis/Hickman, the film can become what the imagination has already established. If you have a team of CGI people, there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. Unless all of them somehow are DL fans, you are going to wind up with many differences from the established imagery. Could you imagine the uproar from the fanbase if the artist who contructs Raistlin missed something like the hourglass eyes?
Plus, there would be no doubt that Raistlin looked like Raistlin, and let's all admit, this is the biggest fear with live action.
Only if the casting crew did not consider Paul Bettany for that role. The dude is spot on. Just look at him in The Da Vinci Code playing the albino monk and just think "gold skin and hourglass eyes."
1) Advent Children was a direct-to-DVD release. Would you have a problem with a direct-to-DVD version of DL? I would.
2) I can't locate concrete numbers, however, wikipedia mentions that 420,000 copies of the DVD sold in Japan. Based on the numbers I posted before, that wouldn't dent the budget we are talking about.
3) Further into the wikipedia writeup of The Spirits Within it details the production numbers. The film was originally rendered on a 960 system server farm, each running at 933-Mhz. Sure, those are slow computers by today's numbers, but let's triple the speed of the CPU, and factor in another factor of one for better graphics subsystems for a total of quadruple the speed. Now let me say that I was TOTALLY off on my estimate of time to render each frame. It actually took one and a half hours per frame! Round down the division and give it 20 minutes a frame. Now do the multiplication I mentioned earlier.
1) If it was the same quality of Advent Children, not at all.
2) You're buget is for the very movie of its kind 6 years ago. Just to give an example when GL released the Star Wars special edition and they added the scene with Jabba talking to Han they had to add Jabba into hte scene. It took them over a year to do 5 shots. 5 years later they were able to do the samething in almost every shot in a 2 hour movie inside of 2 years time. Technology has moved foward. If a direct to DVD version of Advent Children wouldn't make a dent in the cost involved in making it, it wouldn't have been made.
Only if the casting crew did not consider Paul Bettany for that role. The dude is spot on. Just look at him in The Da Vinci Code playing the albino monk and just think "gold skin and hourglass eyes
First, I don't think he can convey the intelligence that Raistlin has, as I've said before the argument for Raistlin starts and stops with Wentworth Millar. Second, the problem with live aciton casting is, who then plays Caramon? Who is Bettany's twin, and he also has to be huge.
First, I don't think he can convey the intelligence that Raistlin has, as I've said before the argument for Raistlin starts and stops with Wentworth Millar.
When I look at this I have to say, I have no idea what on Earth you see in these two.
Cheers,
Cam
1) 2) You're buget is for the very movie of its kind 6 years ago. Just to give an example when GL released the Star Wars special edition and they added the scene with Jabba talking to Han they had to add Jabba into hte scene. It took them over a year to do 5 shots. 5 years later they were able to do the samething in almost every shot in a 2 hour movie inside of 2 years time. Technology has moved foward. If a direct to DVD version of Advent Children wouldn't make a dent in the cost involved in making it, it wouldn't have been made.
Fair enough. I looked up the budget for The Incredibles, since it was much closer to the present. Total budget, $92M. Again though, I am trying to stress, this is for cartoonish film. The same goes with Jabba The Hut. When trying to gain realism, which is what I would assume we would want for DL, the render process is significantly harder, and by extension, longer. (Also, I doubt the DL team will have ILM or the Skywalker Ranch on speed dial. So anything a Lucasfilm team can do is not necessarily what another studio can do.)
First, I don't think he can convey the intelligence that Raistlin has, as I've said before the argument for Raistlin starts and stops with Wentworth Millar. Second, the problem with live aciton casting is, who then plays Caramon? Who is Bettany's twin, and he also has to be huge.
Well, let's remember something. If The Great Queen of Darkness herself gets her way, James Marsters (Spike from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel t.v. series) will play Raistlin. I have no idea who in Hollywood could possibly play a close version of Caramon in that case. (Perhaps he would have to dual-role?)
Honestly, in terms of Raistlin/Caramon, there is no one in Hollywood currently that I would want to see garner the role. I would rather any DL team went in the same direction as the LotR team did with Baromir/Faromir, and got two people who aren't necessarily related, but resemble each other in a decent manner. My mental image of the twins is that they don't necessarily look like twins all the time. In the novels, it is often mentioned that they sometimes appear totally different, and at times eerily similar.
I do like Bettany as a choice though. Thinking about his look in TDC, yeah, I could definitely see it. The only problem is then casting Caramon. But hmmm, thinking about it, could they get away with Marsters as Raist, and Bettany as Caramon? Hmmm...
When I look at this I have to say, I have no idea what on Earth you see in these two.
Cheers,
Cam
Watch the show
When trying to gain realism, which is what I would assume we would want for DL, the render process is significantly harder
Never once did I say it would be easy, but its a cheaper alternative to shooting a live action triology.
I would rather any DL team went in the same direction as the LotR team did with Baromir/Faromir,
They aren't twins, big difference. Brothers are easy to cast, twins are not.
Watch the show
I think that's the problem! You like the show, your mind drifts to those two since they're supposed to be brothers, etc. I've seen enough of the two of them on screen to come away with a different opinion.
Cheers,
Cam
Never once did I say it would be easy, but its a cheaper alternative to shooting a live action triology.
I wasn't attempting to put words in your mouth. The point I was trying to make is that your perception of cheaper is probably significantly different than a Hollywood producer's. It's cost vs. potential payoff. Studios don't have the confidence in animated movies with realism aspirations. Just because you liked Advent Rising doesn't mean John Q. Public will. In all honesty, and in no way do I mean this offensively to you, but you don't count. Neither do I, nor does any other DL fan. Even if every single one of us went to see it, if people who didn't know Tanis from George Bush did not attend, the film would lose money.
They aren't twins, big difference. Brothers are easy to cast, twins are not.
Well my point on that one is that, while they are referred to as "The Twins" it is almost always pointed out that they are quite different in appearance. The times that they show resemblance are few and far between. I'm not sure, but has it ever been officially mentioned what type of twins they are? Remember, there are identical twins, from the same egg, and fraternal twins, who just happen to be two eggs that made it through 9 months.
Look at Elmore's and Stawicki's artwork. Never do the twins look identical. That's why I am in favor of the Baromir/Faromir approach.
I don't think that the Chronicles on their own would make a successful enough movie series. Not enough people are familiar enough to warrant buying tickets when they can wait for the DVD (or DirectTV). They would get completely bashed by the film critics for resembling The Lord of the Rings, and bashed once more by the DragonLance fans who wanted it done a different way. There would be far fewer people who were satisfied, and thus, little chance of a sequel.
How do they resemble LotR? I'll answer that before getting the question asked when I'm not around.
First, we start off in a happy, warm place in the trees (instead of the hills) where a wise elder (Fizban instead of Gandalf) gathers some people to share a wealth of information. He informs a few humans (instead of Hobbits) about some trouble brewing and their services are needed. They must get out before their mission is discovered (or the Ringwraiths find them at home).
Next, we have Tanis. A man (or one who lives longer) raised by the Elves who must get over his two loves (a la Arwen and Eowyn) and accept his role as the leader of the group. This character is a flat-out copy of Aragorn; there's no way around this.
Then there's a disgruntled dwarf (just like Gimli) who hates the fancy one (Tass instead of Legolas), but eventually develops a unique and comedic relationship with him.
Draconians are brutal savages, though intelligent, bred for the war in this tale instead of the Uruk'Hai.
One army is under the rule of a wicked blue woman instead of a wicked white Wizard; and the other is under a sinister Dragon Highlord who doesn't say much or show himself often. He has remarkable powers as a fighter and a magician, much like Sauron, and is eventually deceived to his doom. (The Ring was destroyed right under Sauron's very nose after he was tricked as well).
There's a Gully Dwarf, who's basically the good guy version of Gollum, but dumber. It's still the random, if sometimes cute and dirty character that is rather unexpected.
There's a noble man who just can't fit in, but will fight for his honor, his faction (Solamnia instead of Gondor), and any chance at redemption. Sturm is a combination of Faramir and Boromir; Faramir for his qualities, and Boromir because he died in an honorable way defending those beliefs until the end.
There's a two front war going on that threatens the continent, which our party managed to travel all over. This of course takes right from Isengard and Mordor, and the journey of the Fellowship.
A curse warped the mind of a once noble Lorac, just like the Palantir warped the visions of a once noble Denethor (which was only hinted at in the films).
They meet an elven lady that is a vision of immortality and beauty in it's purest form (a la Galadriel) while in the forest.
I could go on and on...
Don't get me wrong: there are definitely some unique characters, places, and unique character traits here that would clearly stand apart from any other movie series. Tass is funny, Fizban is more of a goof than Gandalf, that's for sure; Raistlin would rock, there are Dragons everywhere, etc. I just find that the story was hardly original, in the epic, fantasy sense. This is a pretty clear observation--not a bias opinion--coming from an author who happens to study this particular genre. I think that the Legends series would actually make for better, and more original films. The struggle between the brothers and their conscience(s) would be heavy, dramatic, and heart tugging; while there would also be enough action to excite and draw out those goose pimples. Furthermore, the focuse would be on two characters who don't so closely resemble those of another saga.
Again, I could be nuts.
First, I don't think he can convey the intelligence that Raistlin has, as I've said before the argument for Raistlin starts and stops with Wentworth Millar.
:rolleye2: Oh, please. I have seen Wentworth before he did Prison Break. He's not wizard material. If anything, he's a warrior. He's born for physical acting.
You want intelligence, you have to see Paul Bettany in his other film credits, from Knight's Tale to Master and Commander to his villainous roles in Firewall.
Second, the problem with live aciton casting is, who then plays Caramon? Who is Bettany's twin, and he also has to be huge.
He doesn't have to be "Vin Diesel" or "Sonny Lister" huge. He just have to be physically strong and is comfortable in his warrior trappings.
But I'm not going to take Wentworth and Dominic because they conveniently look like brothers.
snip
Actually Sauron is more like Takhisis. The character that Orlando Bloom played is more like Gilthanas. Lorac is like Agent Smith from the Matrix (forget the actors name), etc. The Blue LAdy is a Dragon Highlord herself. Ariakas is more like Saurumon (Ariakis is a Black Robe as well).
The point I was trying to make is that your perception of cheaper is probably significantly different than a Hollywood producer's. It's cost vs. potential payoff. Studios don't have the confidence in animated movies with realism aspirations. Just because you liked Advent Rising doesn't mean John Q. Public
Hollywood also redoes what people like, and Advent Children was a HUGE hit (for a DVD release). When you look at other movies that either are more cartoony or mix the CGI and real actors, adults are clearly willing to accept CGI animiation in their movies and like it.
Look at Elmore's and Stawicki's artwork. Never do the twins look identical. That's why I am in favor of the Baromir/Faromir approach.
They are identical twins, they look different because one is huge and not cursed.
I have seen Wentworth before he did Prison Break. He's not wizard material. If anything, he's a warrior. He's born for physical acting.
You want intelligence, you have to see Paul Bettany in his other film credits, from Knight's Tale to Master and Commander to his villainous roles in Firewall
And Bettany is made for a wizard? Hes a very physical actor. Wentworths biggest role as been a thinker and a planner, and someone whos always a step ahead. Thats perfect for Raistlin
He doesn't have to be "Vin Diesel" or "Sonny Lister" huge. He just have to be physically strong and is comfortable in his warrior trappings.
But I'm not going to take Wentworth and Dominic because they conveniently look like brothers
Yes, he does have to be "Vin Diesel" huge, because thats what Caramon is. And not only do they look like brothers, they also fit what Raistlin and Caramon should be. One his big and physical, the other is smaller and more of a thinker/planner.
And Bettany is made for a wizard? Hes a very physical actor. Wentworths biggest role as been a thinker and a planner, and someone whos always a step ahead. Thats perfect for Raistlin
Sorry, but I gotta to with the brit, Paul Bettany, who by the way, is NOT to be confused with Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, nor Tom Hank in The Da Vinci Code, nor Heath Ledger in Knight's Tale.
:P
Yes, he does have to be "Vin Diesel" huge, because thats what Caramon is. And not only do they look like brothers, they also fit what Raistlin and Caramon should be. One his big and physical, the other is smaller and more of a thinker/planner.
Well, if you can find one that can be a mirror opposite of Paul Bettany, you let me know.
Originally Posted by Juergen2005
Actually Sauron is more like Takhisis. The character that Orlando Bloom played is more like Gilthanas. Lorac is like Agent Smith from the Matrix (forget the actors name), etc. The Blue LAdy is a Dragon Highlord herself. Ariakas is more like Saurumon (Ariakis is a Black Robe as well).
First, I wasn't comparing Orlando Bloom, specifically, to Tasslehoff. I was discussing the "odd-couple" relatioship parodies that are ripped off from Gimli and Legolas, to Flint and Tas.
Second, I stand by my Lorac example. Hugo Weaving is the actor's name, by the way. I am aware that Kitiara is a Dragon Highlord. Again, it was a comparison of tales whereby someone who was once good becomes bad and aids in a two-front war, much like Saruman. Actually, Kitiara does this again in the Legends series.
While Takhisis and Sauron warrant comparison, (Sauron trying to re-enter the world, as was Takhisis, etc.), Sauron himself was the servant of another evil, Melkor. While Melkor, or Morgoth, wouldn't make his return until many ages later (the end of the world), he is still the cause for evil infections in the world prior to Sauron. Ariakas, while the most feared individual at the time, was also the servant of another, greater evil in Takhisis. She, however, served no one except herself.
Originally Posted by Ranger REG
Sorry, but I gotta to with the brit, Paul Bettany, who by the way, is NOT to be confused with Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, nor Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code, nor Heath Ledger in Knight's Tale.
It's easy to confuse Mr. Bettany with Russell Crowe twice, as he also played the Prodigal Roommate in A Beautiful Mind. One should also not confuse Paul Bettany with Kirsten Dunst in Wimbledon.
Do I now HAPPILY eat my crow?
There is a DL animated film in the works?
I was just cruising the D&D Minis forum, and someone posted that there is a DL movie currently being produced, animated no less!
Supposedly Tracy Hickman has confirmed it on one of his podcasts? Lucy Lawless has said she has already done the voice of Goldmoon?
Does anyone have any confirmation of this? I am in total shock right now, and that is DEFINITELY a good thing!
Well, if you can find one that can be a mirror opposite of Paul Bettany, you let me know.
Which is one of the reasons why Bettany isn't good for Raistlin
lucy lawless confirmed that she did the voice of goldmoon on her fansite, and paramount will be distributing the film. that's all we know so far (aside from the fact that it is some form of animation).
Is there a link to any of this information?
I just did the voice of an animated cartoon for Paramount, called Dragonlance. Obviously it's a fantasy story, with gods and monsters -- (no lesbian subtext). I never felt I nailed animated performance before, so wanted to get a handle on it.
I played a character called "Goldmoon,” a Native American. We played around with accents awhile. I didn't know she was Native A till I got there and so didn't have time to research the accent (not many of those where I come from). More staccato! More comanding! More warm! Less disjointed! . . . Ummm, do you just want me to do Xena? Ahh, yes! That's it, do Xena! The voice is perfect! So warm, so commanding, so . . . yeah, yeah, let's get on with it.
It was actually really fun. At last I have done something my friends can actually watch. My son is gratified that I am not playing a bad guy. He can't stand me going to BSG every day to be mean to humans.
Oh well, it's a living!
L
HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY! Any ideas when it will be released?
You need a website that is continually updated, every day, with all of the facts, release dates, content analysis, and other details, and you need to bookmark that website, and you can go there and stay up to date all the time. I think that's what you need.
I don't think you'll ever get that, but them's the breaks.
Cheers,
Cam
Dear Friends,
I really wanted to wait until we could make the WAHOO Big Announcement on the dragonlance movie site (which is coming any day now, so keep watch!). But since Lucy Lawless gave us away, I'll let you know what's going on. Paramount Studios is making Dragons of Autumn Twilight as a full-length, adult, animated movie. I'll let the movie site provide you with details on the director, screen play writer, animation house, and all that.
Suffice it to say, Tracy and I have been working with the production team for over a year now. They've been wonderful to work with! They've allowed us to have script approval and asked for our suggestions. They've shown us all the art work and allowed us approval on that (as well as the WoTC art director in charge of Dragonlance). We've been working with the Whitestone Council people on this as well. (Thanks, guys!)
From what I've seen, it's going to be amazing! The art is great. Hopefully some of it will be up on the movie site. And Tracy and I will be talking more about the movie and maybe bringing along some art pieces on our book tour.
Tracy and I are both very excited about this!
Margaret
today on the dl.com boards--
Two things:
1) WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! It's TRUE!!!!
2) When Lucy Lawless days are done, I hope she spends eternity sitting in a room full of kender! How could she steal The Dark Queen's fire???
J/K, Lawless let the cat out of the bag, but at least we now know we are getting our beloved DL!!!
Cast list (so far)
Tanis Half Elven -- Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor from smallville)
Goldmoon -- Lucy Lawless
Tasselhoff Burrfoot -- Jason Marsden
Director -- Will Meugniot
Writer/Adaptor -- George Strayton
Production companies -- The film is being produced by Toonz Animation, Commotion Pictures and Epic Level Entertainment, with conceptual artwork from Kunoichi and others. Paramount Pictures will be looking after worldwide distribution.
Release date -- Autumn 2007
According to the FAQ, the movie will be a combined 2d/3d animation in the style of the DL comics.
Could this mean we will eventually see not just Winter's Night, and Spring Dawning, but the Legends series, Summer Flame, and the War of Souls as well???
By the gods! Please let this film not be crap. And please let it do extremely well! It has potential. I just spoke to my brother-in-law the other day when news first broke. He was an avid DL fan when he was a kid. He left all fantasy behind many years ago, but when I told him there was a DL movie coming out, he said "What? With Raistlin?" I said yes, and he said "I would DEFINITELY bring back out my inner geek for that!" I hope the same goes for any other old-school fan.
***Begin hype machine!***
OFFICIAL DRAGONLANCE MOVIE SITE
Cast list (so far)
Tanis Half Elven -- Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor from smallville)
Goldmoon -- Lucy Lawless
Tasselhoff Burrfoot -- Jason Marsden
Rosh Penin is Tasslehoff???
http://www.dragonlanceforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9522
I can't believe I was right about something.
Just need to hear what kind/style of animation its going to be.
http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/movie/
http://www.dragonlanceforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9522
I can't believe I was right about something.
Just need to hear what kind/style of animation its going to be.
Heh, yup, you pegged this one pretty decently.
The deal with the animation is that it is going to be a hybrid 2D/3D. The people responsible for the artwork in the comic from Devil's Due are doing the artwork. My assumption is that the characters will be drawn traditionally, and the scenery will be done via CGI. Of course, this is simply my interpretation of what I have read so far, so it's free to be picked apart if wrong.
The only bad thing about this is that it is still over 14 months before we get to actually see it!
Director -- Will Meugniot
Hasn't done a whole lot. Worked as a producer on a couple of cartoon series some of might remember, such as the Fox X-Men Cartoon, and the Spider-Man Unlimited cartoon a few years later. Those Spidey series, Spider-Man & S-M Unlimited, were mostly 2D with 3D backgrounds.
Writer/Adaptor -- George Strayton
The only shows this guy has worked for is Hercules, Xena, and Cleopatra 2525.
Hopefully these guys can not make us scream in agony. ;)