An Animation "Renaissance": a DVD Review

I have always been a fan of animation. I remember watching the movie version of "The Wall" and marveling at the Gerald Scarfe animation sprinkled throughout the movie. I also remember watching Japanese animated cartoons when I was a kid. I once sat through a Japanese version of "Akira" and just had to trust what some other kid said was going on was what was actually going on.

These days, thanks to computers, the world of animation has made anything possible. The people look more and more real. Pixar has made lovable characters out of fish, cars, rats and monsters. These days celebrities are lining up to do voice work whereas, in the past, it was not considered a respectable job.

So, it was with real interest that I looked at the previously unreleased movie "Renaissance" released, now, on DVD by the folks at Mirimax. First off, it features the voice of Daniel Craig who I have become a big fan of since he became, in my opinion, the best James Bond ever. Secondly, it has a strange black an white color scheme and a film noir feel to it that appealed to me. Finally, the package said it was being compared to "Blade Runner" and "Sin City" which are two movies that I particularly like.

Well, I must say, this is a movie that I think any fan of animation needs to hunt down and see. The animation is disturbingly realistic, close to the roto-scoping that animators used to do when they essentially drew and colored over actual footage of real people doing real things. It is a stunningly beautiful movie to look at filled with dazzling shots that will leave you with your jaw hanging open and wanting to know how they did that.

As for the plot? Well, to me, the plot was a tad on the creaky side. For the most part, it worked for me, but I lost the thread and track of the characters several times during the film. I would forget the names of characters and lose track of what was happening. The ending was also a little odd and I didn't feel that it rang true. It seemed to come out of nowhere for my taste.

The plot focuses on the city of Paris on the year 2054. The character voiced by Craig is a policeman who works for a squad that hunts down kidnapped and missing children and people. When a brilliant young female scientist for the powerful company Avalon, vanishes suddenly, he is asked to find her and bring her back alive.

That sounds simple, but of course, in a noir film and a film like this filled with more ambition than it really needs to, it is not that simple. There are gangsters and organized crime figures. There is the villainous head of the marketing company, voiced by Jonathan Pryce, pounding his desk. You have henchmen who wear invisibility cloaks and shooting strange guns. Then there are the scientists who may or may not be mad.

Finally, there is the stark black and white filming. It is like looking at scratch-board. There are no shades of gray here. Things are either brilliant white or pitch black. This means people's faces are in either block or white. While this is a stark and strangely beautiful to look at, it can also make things somewhat confusing. The details of people's faces get lost a bit and I had a few times when I was not sure which character I was looking at.

All in all, however, the action is great. The story is compelling and interesting enough that I wanted to see what would happen at the end. Of course, then comes the ending, which I also had trouble with. At the same time, noir films often had troubling endings. Just look at the end of "The Maltese Falcon" for a good example. With these films the hero does not always walk away with the beautiful woman and they do not always walk off and live happily ever after.

The art looks fantastic. The city of Paris looks impressive, although you would be hard-pressed to know it was Paris since everyone speaks with an English accent. The only thing that gives it away is the Eiffel Tower which you see a couple of times.

I am thinking that the stark black and white of the movie is supposed to be symbolic. Perhaps that the characters want the world to be in black and white, but the plot and issues dealt with are in those gray areas. I have no idea.

I do think this movie could be remembered as an important movie in the world of animated films. I would say it could be almost as influential as "Akira" has become. I also think it does warrant some comparison to those movies I mentioned earlier. It gives an interesting look into the future, tells a compelling story, and leaves you fairly glad for having spent time with these characters.

It's called "Renaissance" and it will be released soon on DVD. Check it out.