New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Bird left WB for the Mouse House-owned Pixar, where he headed some of my favorite films, The Incredibles and Ratatouille. With the aid of fellow screenplay writer Tim McCaniles (who went on to the less exciting TV show Smallville), Bird creates imagination from normalcy the way a child does. The rich moral themes and plausible underlying nature of the characters elevate the story and the anti-gun message that rings true for everyone. Under Bird’s sharp eye, The Iron Giant also marked the first successful wedding between traditional and computer animation. The Giant proved too hard to be drawn traditionally, not having a natural fluency in its movements, so CG stepped in. The decision was a wise and unnoticeable one. Against the sprightly drawn animation, the tin giant balances the color palette. I am excited to see what Bird does next when he steps away from animation for his first live-action directorial feature with Mission: Impossible IV.

When CG animation emerged in the late '90s, the films used the gimmick of A-list star voices to lure in audiences, having them guess whose character voice belonged to who. This practice started to spill into traditional animation which once had only professional multi voice-actors do the work. And while The Iron Giant packed a fair load of star power for the time, the celebrity voices were less of a marketing ploy, but more of a natural fit.

Aniston, who was at a career and personal high point with Friends and boyfriend/future ex-husband Brad Pitt, brought a realistic approach to her voice-over. It is easy for actors to over-extend their voices, exaggerating their lines as if they feel not having their face on the screen will somehow tone it down. Aniston welcomingly stays grounded and never seems to talk louder or more enunciated than a typical performance. Aniston later went on to become a sad-sack Meg Ryan 2.0, meandering in a sea of successful yet clichéd romantic comedies and gracing the covers of People and Star.

Vin Diesel, in one of his finest performances (which is kind of sad when you think about it), voices the Giant. Though his voice is altered, having a human as the initial basis brings a fullness and personality to the character – eliminating the hollow echo that results when a computer generates dialogue. Diesel quickly became a bona-fide action star with his testosterone filled Pitch Black / The Fast & the Furious / xXx trifecta of cool chases and epic explosions. Diesel did show his surprisingly skilled acting abilities in the criminally under-seen Sidney Lumet talky gangster courtroom flick Find Me Guilty. However, he quickly returned to his bread-and-butter - Fast & Furious.

Connick is the perfect fit for cool cat Dean, with his smooth-talking voice and artsy attitude. He still primarily focuses on his successful singing career, but is still one of my favorite actors to watch. I hope takes on movie roles more often. With a resume that ranges everywhere from this to Independence Day to P.S., I Love You, his choices are always surprising, never repetitive, and rarely weak.

Continued:       1       2       3