I think Dreamworks go a real blockbuster with the 3D animated movie How to Train your Dragon. The film looks to be close to an ideal mix of 3D animation, voice acting, plot and humor. Just check for yourself with this amazing bootleg clip of How to Train Your Dragon that was shown at IDF 2009 and just leaked online:
Plot:
“From the studio that brought you Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda comes How to Train Your Dragon—a comedy adventure set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, based on the book by Cressida Cowell. The story centers around a scrawny Viking teenager named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), who lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen’s smarts and offbeat sense of humor don’t sit too well with his tribe or its chief…who just happens to be Hiccup’s father. However, when Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup’s one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.”
To create such vivid characters in 3D is no easy task. Dreamworks work hard for the dream to come true. And Lincoln Wallen, head of research and development at Dreamworks, confirms that it requires a lot of computer power:
“Our teams (Dreamwork’s and Intel’s) have been working together for about a year. It’s been a pretty intense collaboration. We talk about Shrek’s Law, a way of communicating that with each iteration of the Shrek franchise, the power required to meet our creative appetite doubles. There was a dragon in Shrek 1, but in our next movie, dragons are some of the main story characters. Some scenes have more than 1,000 dragons performing at the same time. Our creatives want them to be central characters, able to emote and bond with other characters. The complexity of animation is astounding. We need four times the animation controls.”
Lincoln Wallen,
Head of research and development at Dreamworks
A thousand dragons on screen at the same time, and the whole thing in 3D: sign me up for the movie How To Train Your Dragon!
:)
Jackie Chan got the lead role in the Spy Next Door, an upcoming action comedy movie directed by Brian Levant. Along Jackie Chan, the film is also starring Billy Ray Cyrus, George Lopez, Magnus Scheving, Lucas Till and Amber Valletta. Here’s the first official movie trailer of the Spy Next Door:
The Conspirator
Spy Next Door
