From: dannyl@fraser.sfu.ca (Danny Sui-Kit Leung)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.eddings
Subject: Vote for animation.
Date: 22 Jul 92 16:51:45 GMT
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada


   Hello all,


    This is just a layman's (me) opinion of the translation to film. When I
consider the options of animation or live action(for lack of a better term),
I find myself voting wholeheartedly for animation. Live action would certainly
allow us a closer feel to the story line, and the sort of setting the 
Belgariad is in would work well. I mean the low-tech medieval-type settings
with swords and castles. Many modern films give us good representations of
such genres, ie. Kevin Costner's Robin Hood , or Kenneth Branaugh(sp?) Henry V.
(I'm not saying that Robin Hood was a good movie, just that it looked realisitic
 if one overlooked the historical inconsistencies.)

   However, the the most important part of the Belgariad most be sorely lacking
in a live version. Namely the special effects that would be required to 
represent that grandiose notions of sorcercy, magic and the like. There have 
been many movies with outstanding special effects like Terminator2, and the
Star Wars trilogy(for its time), but the Belgariad is unlikely to have a 10
trillion dollar budget, or anything that could even rival the resources
available to the makers of T2. For some reason, in modern movies, the fantasy
genre has been pitifully represented, though the technology must certainly
be present in some studio to give us good special effects. Perhaps the genre
is not recieved well enough by the public to give a fantasy based movie the
money to make it really outstanding.

    Especially when it comes to magic, the modern films really fall short. At
the present, all I can think of are them durn Conan movies, and a multitude
of 'B' films which try thier best to look good, but dont even come close. If
someone can name some films that break my sterotype, then please let me know.
Nothing would please me more than to watch a good fantasy film that I wont
laugh, cough, or groan at.

    Animation, for me at least, holds the key. I dont mean slapstick, carrot
muchin', stuttering overweight farm animals, but 'animation'. I personally 
make a distinction 'tween cartoons and animation, and the difference is a
big one. Cartoons are what we see on saturday mornings, where some stiff animals
smack each other around on unchanging backgrounds (but I still like em :) !
 Animation is the type of high quality work we would see from Disney studios,
where much thought and effort goes into the production. Or more importantly,
the type of films produced by Japanese studios. Stuff like Akira, Crying
Freeman, Lodos etc. I can respect the fact that not everyone likes japanese
style art, where the characters too often have saucer-sized eyes, and 
practically no nose, but I list them to show the kind of quality that can
be achieved through animation.

   Animation could also more easily represent the world of the Belgariad
(whatever its called). Just think of the time when the whole party goes to
Mal Zeth(I think) and C'Nedra is speechless at the sight. An artist can make
it as grand and expansive as he wants, but how would it look in a live action
film? Well, probably not bad, but you get my point.

   Or how about the time when Garion and Torak become huge and fight over the
city of Endless Night(I think) with blazing swords. I fear that a live action
film would turn this into another attempt at 'Honey I Blew up the Kid'. Well,
maybe not that bad, but again you get the point.

   So before you all fall asleep at your terminals, I'll end this. Comments are
welcome, and if you must, flame gently ;).


    'nuff


        Dan Leung
     dannyl@sfu.ca