Video loading...
At the recent THR Roundtable for The Best Animators of the Year, seven of Hollywood's best-known animated film directors, including Tales of magic string director Taraves Knight, Zootopia director Byron Howard, Trolls director Mike Michelle, Oceans director John Marx, and The Voice of Joy director Garth Jennings, gathered to talk about animated filmmaking.
"Legend of the Magic String" leads the Golden Globe Awards "Totoro" became an inspiration for animators
When it comes to the animation film that has influenced them the most, the directors speak freely. Mike Michelle, director of Trolls, mentioned that Disney's 1944 production of The Three Horsemen gave him a lot of inspiration. Mark Auslin, the director of The Little Prince, believes that Miyazaki's 1988 work "Totoro" presents an unprecedented character and magical world, which not only allows Mark to relive it with his own children, but also is a source of inspiration for all animators. Taraves Knight, director of "The Legend of the Magic Strings", developed a new line of thought, mentioning the childhood memories of generations of "Heman the Giant of the Universe", which triggered laughter on the scene.
As the best animation director in Hollywood today, several directors at the Roundtable have their work competing for Oscars and other awards this year. The magic stop-motion animation film "Legend of the Magic String", which will be released in the mainland, has been nominated for a number of heavyweight awards since its release in North America, including the Golden Globe Award, the Animated Annie Award, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award, the Critics' Choice Award, etc., becoming a hot animated film in this year's awards season. At present, in the announced Oscar primary, "Legend of the Magic String" also has a gratifying record, ranking among the "top ten visual effects films" as the only animated film, which has triggered a round of Oscar and Golden Globe Awards in 2017.
In addition to the Oscars, the Golden Globes are one of the important awards in the American film and television industry, also known as "an important bellwether of the Oscars". "Zootopia" and "Ocean's Edge" and "Legend of the Magic Strings" have all been shortlisted for this year's Golden Globe Awards, and "Legend of the Magic Strings" is considered the biggest hit. Director Knight said, "Laika's team members are talented, and I am grateful to the hard-working craftsmen for making lovely images, the unique and perfect dubbing cast and all the team members, and your efforts have been nominated and recognized." What I want most is for the stories we tell to be deeply rooted in people's hearts, resonate, and give new experiences to audiences around the world. ”
"Magic Strings" Director: In addition to doing animation, I can't imagine that I can have a better life
In the 20 years of animation, Taravis Knight has done stop-motion animation, CG animation, project development, producer and other types of work. And these different experiences also contributed to this time as a director. Knight has a lot of experience in this, he feels that the director's work requires attention to detail, must dominate the overall situation, and always keep in mind the general direction of storytelling. "Directing this film is the hardest job I've ever done, but it's rewarding, and it's been a lot of work for us to create a wonderful story with a great, passionate, innovative spirit of artists."
From the outside world, working in a world of animation surrounded by whimsy is fun. In response, Knight unveiled the truth that animators face at the Round Table, that is, they need to endure loneliness for a long time, unless they truly love the cause, not to get praise and recognition from others. "I'm in love with animation, and it's been 30 years since it became a part of my life. Stop-motion animation is when you do it alone in front of the screen and won't see anyone else for hours, and being exhausted is the real feeling of doing animation. But as long as you feel that it is an essential part of your life, then all the effort is worth it. I can't imagine that I could have a better life, and I love my career. ”
Talking about the emotional journey of creating "The Legend of the Magic String", Knight broke the news at the scene that this animation is inseparable from his own personal experience. "I put my own upbringing and child-rearing experiences into it, reminisced about them and put them on the big screen, and I believe that when people see this movie, they will see their own shadow in the characters, and the best art forms can make people feel empathy." We can see the world from the perspective of others through art, and feel the story of others in a few hours, which is the charm of the movie. ”
Theme song adaptation of the Beatles classic song Fresh lament "Cry of Strings"
During the development phase of the project, Knight determined that music was an important part of The Legend of the Magic Strings. Never before this film had music had such an important place in Laika's work. In this regard, Knight explains, "Music can express the indescribable emotions in our hearts, which is why pop music is evergreen. "The association with composer Dario Marianelli is a tacit collaboration from the previous Laika work 'Box Monster.'" Kubo's emotions come alive, and music influences his art, which is also a metaphor for our creation. I wanted the ending song to be special enough and evocative. Just like this film, this piece must perfectly express the eternal love and emotion, forgiveness and healing contained in the film. ”
In the movie, Kubo's mom makes Nate think of her own mom, so Knight is the first to think of George Harrison's When My Strings Are Crying. "My mom was a big fan of the Beatles, and I was inextricably linked to the Beatles as a result of my childhood. One of our favorite songs is "When My Strings Are Crying", and if you listen carefully to the lyrics, you will find that the meaning of this song is very much in line with the theme of our film, which is the expression of mother's love for the child who is about to leave. As a result, "Legend of the Magic Strings" re-adapted this classic rock music of the 60s, using traditional oriental instruments and unique romantic elements to mix and match, and interpreted a fresh and mournful song belonging to Kubo, "Cry of Strings".
In addition to composer Dario Marianelli, the 3D "Legend of the Magic Strings" also brought in director Knight's ten-minute love of female singer Regina Spector to sing the elaborately adapted theme song. "We looked for a lot of singers, hoping it sounded like Kubo's mom. I listened to a lot of Regina Spiketer songs while I was doing stop-motion animation, and I was a big fan of her and she was my source of inspiration. When she finally agreed to join our film, I felt like I had received the best gift from God. ”
Produced by Lycra Studios, directed by Tallavis Knight, and co-dubbed by Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Marla, and Ralph Fienne, the magic stop-motion animation film "Legend of the Magic Strings" 3D will be officially released in China on January 13, 2017.