Goodbye Christopher Robin

Throughout my life, I have been intrigued by the works of Alan Alexander Milne, such as his famous stories of Winnie the Pooh and his son, Christopher Robin Milne (moreso the latter than the former). As a result, I was excited to learn from my friend Kyle that Fox Searchlight was in production of a film about A.A. Milne and the real Christopher Robin. However, before diving into the review I must give this disclaimer; if you grew up with the Disney adaptation of Milne's characters and their fictionalized version of Christopher Robin, then this movie may ruin your childhood. This film dives into topics such as A.A. Milne's PTSD from serving in World War I, along with the struggles Christopher Robin faced when his father essentially used him to propel his own success. After viewing this movie, I had a lesser amount of sympathy for one of my favorite childhood authors; however, I had more sympathy for his son and could relate to him on some levels. Like Christopher, I was put into the limelight with a short modeling career (which I admit was a tad overwhelming at times, while also being fun), and I was constantly bullied throughout my elementary and middle school years.
The story primarily focuses on its title character, and his role in the creation of his father's Winnie the Pooh. Us viewers are treated to Christopher's imaginative childhood, as he spends his days playing in the forest that served as the inspiration for Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood. We are shown the creation of the characters inspired by the child's stuffed animals given to him by his mother, how they received their names, along with A.A. Milne being inspired to write stories about his son (which sparks the main conflict of the story). Milne is portrayed as a struggling playwright returning from the horrors of war, struggling with multiple bouts of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In staying true to his actual counterpart, he is a somewhat cold-hearted and distant individual due to his previous experiences. He seemed to care primarily about his work and little about his family, unless the situation was of some benefit to him. There was a reason I lost some respect for him (considering he is one of my favorite childhood authors), and that was his treatment of his son. Alan Milne and his wife essentially used poor Christopher Robin as a means of elevating their status, since the latter was also used as the protagonist of Winnie the Pooh (much to poor Christopher's later dismay).
The only thing young Christopher desired was to live like a normal child with a loving family, but unfortunately he was unwillingly thrust into the spotlight and consequently traumatized for the remainder of his life.
While I was viewing this film, my heart shattered seeing the poor child going through this at such a young age. Since he technically created these characters, he definitely deserved to express his opinions on his newfound stardom, and I applauded when he attempted to do so. He had every right to say no to his parents or refuse people prying into his personal life; under no circumstances should a child not be given a choice in being famous. If he was given that right when Winnie the Pooh rose in popularity, then he would not be bullied at boarding school and he would not try to distance himself from his parents in his later years. As much as I admittedly have a soft spot for the bear him and his father created, I can definitely say it was the bear that ruined his life. Christopher Robin was not in the wrong, but his parents definitely were.
While this film may not be a 100% accurate adaptation of the story of Winnie the Pooh, it captures the essence of the tale and nails it. Every member of this cast was on point with their roles, and managed to accurately portray their characters. I can definitely say the filmmakers did their research on the characters' historical counterparts, and made a beautiful film as a result. I would highly recommend this film if you are looking for a good biographical drama or curious about the life of A.A. Milne. For those that have experienced situations to Milne or Christopher Robin, you may find it as relatable as I did along with sympathizing with the characters. Now it begs the question as to how it stacks up with Disney's Christopher Robin film...

Fullmetal February: Fullmetal Alchemist (2017 Film)

At last, we conclude Fullmetal February with a look at the most recent adaptation of Arakawa's beloved manga; the live action Fullmetal Alchemist movie! While I praise the two animated versions and the original manga, I have some mixed opinions about its transition into live action.

Like many other adaptations of Japanese anime and manga, the story is a highly condensed version of the source material's events. However, it corrects many of the mistakes Brotherhood made with its story; such as starting at the most logical point, Edward and Alphonse's first attempt at human transmutation. Comparatively, this film is the most faithful version of the Elric brothers' tale; albeit with some events receiving slight changes, switched around, or omitted entirely. As a result of the latter, major characters were also surprisingly omitted. I am not worried, since I believe some will make an appearance in the inevitable sequel. While I did not like their choice for the main antagonist, they managed to expand upon a minor character from the source material, and somehow connect them to the Homunculi.

My largest gripe with this film was the story and pacing; similar to Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, the film's director decided to severely truncate the plot in order to cram as much as possible into a two and a half hour timeframe. Consequently, this makes it difficult to connect with the characters and become engrossed with the story. I was hoping for a strong amount of character development and seeing my favorite plot points unfolding in live action. While I was treated to both to some degree, it ultimately left me wanting more and feeling disappointed as a result. The pacing was the film's biggest flaw, simply because so much is coming at you in such a short amount of time. Maybe to alleviate this, they could have split the movie into two and dedicated each film to a specific story arc from the manga.

In terms of characters, the actors portrayed each one as faithfully as possible; Edward was short-tempered and high strung, Winry was loving and always worried about the Elrics, and Alphonse was the group's voice of reason. I love how Maes Hughes was also given a larger amount of development and was upgraded to a major character in the film. He stole the show, and I was always excited to see him onscreen. While I despised Shou Tucker in the previous versions, I found him more tolerable in this one and I am thankful they left Nina's fate as ambiguous. It does beg the question, will she survive in the sequel, be killed offscreen, or be killed by a potential live action Scar?

Overall, I would say this film is a solid attempt at adapting Fullmetal Alchemist. It was not as bad as others have said, it is in desperate need of improvement. The framework for a good story is there, but the directors need to iron out the bugs in the pacing for the sequel. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series, and I am hopeful for a stronger film and the inclusion of omitted characters.

That concludes Fullmetal February, if you have suggestions for next February's anime month, feel free to email me at austinmmyers18@gmail.com and also please follow if you like my content!

The History of Beauty and the Beast Chapter 3

After Purdum’s bitter resignation from the project, Katzenberg sought after a new director to lead the production team toward the film’s new vision. Initially, the studio asked Ron Clements and John Musker; who recently completed production on The Little Mermaid. Unfortunately, they both declined since they were both exhausted from working on the previous project. Instead, Disney asked rookie directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale (who would later become the directors of The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Before Beauty and the Beast, the duo directed sections of EPCOT’s Cranium Command attraction. To create a “Broadway Musical” feel similar to Mermaid, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman were hired once again. The latter also served as an unofficial director on the project, despite experiencing severe health problems and working on a project of his own; an adaptation of Aladdin. To accommodate Ashman’s health, the production team moved from their original location in London to Fishkill, New York. It was at this point which Ashman, Menken, Trousdale, and Wise worked to retool the original script with Don Hahn and Linda Woolverton.

              To give the film a lighter tone than Cox and Purdum’s earlier drafts, the once-mute enchanted objects were given distinct identities and personalities, to serve as “guides” for the audience and as comic relief. Gaston returned from Purdum’s version, albeit in a drastically altered form; instead of being a foppish marquis, he was changed into a narcissistic hunter and “town-hero”-type of character. To quote Belle in the final film, this new version of the character was “boarish” and “brainless”. He was also given a sidekick in the form of LeFou, whose name fittingly translates to “the fool”. Belle and Beast’s personalities were also given a drastic overhaul, adding more development to their characters. In addition to being a simple peasant, Belle was also made a bookworm; she was fascinated by the worlds that books could show her, such as those that included “daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise”. Unfortunately, she and her father (who was once again an inventor) would be ostracized by their fellow villagers because of their lifestyles. Belle became an outcast amongst her peers, since she now preferred to read rather than what is typically expected of a woman in the village. One could say her intelligence made her stand out from the crowd. The Beast’s overall development as a character can be attributed to the ideas of Howard Ashman, such as reducing the character’s age and starting the film with a prologue that explains the cause of his grotesque transformation. In this new version, an arrogant prince refuses to let an old beggar woman seek shelter, purely based on her appearance and her small gift of a red rose. As a result, the old woman transforms into a beautiful enchantress; cursing the inhabitants of the prince’s castle. To raise the overall stakes, the same rose given by the enchantress served as a timer; “If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.” Essentially, this added a “race against time” element to the love story. The Beast has to learn how to love and be loved by the time the rose completely wilts. According to a 1990 draft, the team initially decided on a fully-animated prologue, which also included a chase sequence of the Enchantress trying to cast her spell on the prince; accidentally hitting the servants along the way. The animated prologue was (of course), abandoned in favor of the one seen in the final film. The same beggar was also planned to appear at the end of the initial draft, with the young royal and Belle meeting her as they leave the castle on a stagecoach. Comparing this draft to the final one, the story was nearly identical aside from some minor scenes being cut (such as Gaston and Lefou travelling to the Maison des Lunes) along with some musical numbers being added, one being shifted, and one being cut entirely.

              The first song Menken and Ashman wrote for the film served the purpose of introducing the female lead, as she goes about her day in the small village near her home. The late Ashman once said in an interview, “In almost every musical ever written, there’s a place, it’s usually the third song of the evening. Sometimes it’s the second, sometimes it’s the fourth, but it’s quite early. The leading lady usually sits down on something, sometimes it’s a tree stump in Brigadoon, sometimes it’s under the pillars of Covent Garden in My Fair Lady, or it’s a trash can in Little Shop of Horrors, but the leading lady sits down on something and sings about what she wants in life…” (Howard Ashman, Waking Sleeping Beauty) Belle was no exception, and introduces the audience to the “Beauty” of the story. The song was later reprised, further developing the character and revealing how trapped she felt in the village. Personally, these two numbers are my favorites in the film. To further develop the castle staff, the duo wrote a showstopper known as Be Our Guest, which would be performed when Belle’s father initially enters the castle. However, the team felt the sequence would have a greater impact if shifted to the point when Belle is in the castle instead of her father. Their development would be further expanded using the song “Human Again”, to be performed after Belle and Beast rescue each other from the wolves. As production progressed, Human Again would be cut in favor of a song that developed Belle and Beast’s relationship instead, titled Something There. Of course, these two needed a song that served as a culmination of both characters’ arcs, which is where the title song Beauty and the Beast comes in.   However, Human Again would later be added to the stage musical and reworked into the film’s 2001 IMAX release. They also needed a song or two for their villain, Gaston; the circumstances surrounding him being an interesting case.

Typically, Disney villains would be given a single song (and sometimes a reprise of that number) to develop their character. However, Gaston is a unique exception; he was given two villain songs during production. The first is his self-titled sequence (which fits his egotistical nature) and its accompanying reprise afterward, and the second is during the angry mob sequence when Belle returns home; this would later be titled The Mob Song. The latter scene served as a prelude to the climactic battle and to show Gaston’s psyche coming apart at the seams; his growing lust for Belle being the only aspect that remained.

Unfortunately, while it seemed production was moving smoothly as the release date quickly approached; a larger problem was brewing. Ashman’s health was drastically worsening with each day that passed; and the team was unsure if he would live to see the end of production. According to Peter Schneider and John Musker, after a successful press event to promote the movie, the entire crew “jumped into a cab and we raced downtown to St. Vincent’s… we were high from it when we came into the cold shock of Howard dying in a hospital room. His mother pulled back the sheets to show us the Beauty and the Beast sweatshirt he was wearing. He was eighty pounds, had lost his sight, and barely had a whisper of a voice. We shared with him what happened that day and how amazing it was, and how he was there in every way. Then, when it was time to leave, we said our goodbyes; before I left, I bent over and whispered ‘Beauty and the Beast was gonna be a great success. Who’d have thought it’, I said. Howard lit up and whispered, ‘I would have’.” Ashman passed away on March 14, 1991 and would never see the completed film. Thankfully, the film was dedicated to him in the end credits. Sadly, things would have to move on without this idea powerhouse. While Ashman’s passing was a massive blow to the team’s morale, higher powers blessed them with amazing opportunities such as presenting a rough cut at the New York film festival on September 22, 1991. Despite being unfinished, it garnered a massive standing ovation and hyped the public for the premiere on November 13^th of that same year and the public release nine days later.  

From the moment it was released, it was a critical and box office success, garnering universal critical acclaim and a total box office gross of 425 million (not including re-releases in 2001 and 2012). In addition to the aforementioned success came various accolades such as Oscar nominations for Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Best Picture. The latter nomination came as a shock to everybody, as an animated film has never been nominated for that category and would not be again until the releases of Pixar’s Up and Toy Story 3. While it did not walk away with an academy award for best picture, it did snag awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. This was far from the end of Beauty and the Beast’s story; on the contrary, it was only beginning. The film was re-released again in 2001, with the deleted Human Again sequence reintegrated into the story. However,  this version of the song was based on that which was seen in the 1994 Broadway Musical adaptation of the film (the latter of which we will be covering in the next chapter of our tale). 

Shawnee Mission Theater in the Park: Beauty and the Beast

Since I was a child, attending productions of Shawnee Mission's Theater in the Park has been a family tradition. The first show I could remember seeing was when I was three years of age; when my grandmother took me to see a production of The Wizard of Oz. Unfortunately, I do not remember much of it as I believe I fell asleep during the first act. This show is when I became enamored with musical theater (and when The Wizard of Oz became one of my favorite stories). As the years progressed, I have seen other productions from this venue such as Footloose, Fiddler on the Roof, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and recently, Beauty and the Beast.
On the evening of July 29th, 2017, I attended a production of Beauty and the Beast with my younger brother and my mother; the latter of which is a huge fan of the film this show is based on (like myself). This was her and my brother's first time seeing the film's stage adaptation, and it was my second; I saw another production in 2010 at Starlight Theater. The three of us agreed this was a beautiful production in all aspects, from the music and plot to the design of the set and costumes.

The visuals of the production seemingly takes inspiration from the 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast. My theory for this choice is because the recent remake is still fresh in fans' minds. In the costume department, the transformed castle staff takes copious amounts of inspiration from the original Broadway run of the show. As an example, Lumiere's costume is almost identical to the one worn by Gary Beach in the original 1994 production, the only change being his candelabra hands. The other costumes seem to be lower budget versions of their Broadway counterparts, which is understandable since this is a smaller production. The only costumes that were drastically different than other adaptations were those of Belle's father, LeFou, and the wolves. The latter seemed to bear more of a resemblance to werewolves rather than the wolf puppets from other productions. This aspect intrigued me as it shows they were taking a show in a different direction than usual.

While the show's plot was the same as it usually was, there were some small changes that made it an intriguing production. To start, the prologue was narrated by the castle staff in human form instead of an off-screen narrator; similar to the prologue of the 2017 remake being narrated by Agathe (the Enchantress). Starting the show through this method makes it seem like the story is being told from the perspective of the castle staff, similar to another Disney production; The Hunchback of Notre Dame (a show I hope is at Theater in the Park next year). After the prologue, the show plays out as normal. If I could pick two of my favorite moments, I would say that I enjoyed their version of Be Our Guest and my favorite song from the musical, If I Can't Love Her. However, I felt the cast could have done better in two of the show's musical numbers, No Matter What and Gaston. At certain points in these two songs, the actors playing the lead singers (Maurice and LeFou, respectively) would skip certain lyrics entirely. I can forgive them for that mistake as they could have been doing so to keep in time with the music, as the music's tempo was inconsistent in some spots. Other than the minor issues in the audio department (such as the volume being inaudible in some spots), the musical numbers were phenomenal.

Aside from two characters, the cast was perfect in their roles and portrayed them in a believable fashion. While my three favorite characters in this production were Beast, Lumiere, and Belle (as they are my favorite characters from other versions), I believe the character who stole this show was their version of Chip Potts. I found the child portraying him to be hilarious and adorable, especially during the songs Something There and Human Again. That child deserves an award for his role, especially after his final line of dialogue, "do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?" (My mom, brother, and I started laughing when he said that)

Overall, this show is a beautiful one and I look forward to the next time Theater in the Park decides to produce it. While the production values are lower (since it is a smaller production) and there were some small audio issues, it is an amazing show and one I would definitely recommend to everybody if they have the chance to see it. Theater in the Park is known for their quality productions and to see them putting on one of my favorites was an amazing sight to behold. I look forward to seeing what they have next (hopefully next time the "Bells of Notre Dame" will ring for us). Congratulations on an amazing theatrical season and ending it with a bang!

The Samurai's Journey is Complete... (Samurai Jack Finale)

(Source: Thrillist)

Even though I have not been a fan of the animated series Samurai Jack until its final season started airing, I must say it is a sight to behold for people of various demographics (I would not recommend watching the final season in front of children; as the violence and overall tone have been significantly increased). At the time of writing this post, the series finale has come and gone, so there will be some massive spoilers in this post. I will be discussing the final episode and giving my thoughts on it and the series as a whole.

(Before beginning, I would like to state the premise of the show. The series follows the adventures of a young samurai thrust into the future before striking the final blow on the villainous Aku. Upon arriving in the future, he is given the name "Jack". Throughout the course of the show's five seasons, Jack gains a handful of iconic allies such as "The Scotsman", "The Woolies", "The Spartans", and a young woman named Ashi who serves as the romantic interest for Jack. As a result of Jack being sent to the future, he is unable to age and is biologically immortal. His end goal (of course), is to defeat Aku in the past and bring forth a bright future.)

To properly begin, I found the pacing of this episode to be excessively rushed; the length should not have been that of a standard twenty-two minute episode. At least, it should have been extended to an hour (two hours at most). I do not like finales that are the length of a standard episode; especially for shows of a serialized format such as this. The purpose of a serialized show's finale is to tie up all loose ends, and while all were tied perfectly; I felt there were a few questions left unanswered. We never learned Jack's real name or the fate of the baby Jack raised in the season 4 finale. Matter of fact; when Jack defeated Aku in the past, he essentially erased the entirety of the allies he met along his travels. It was not the smartest move on Jack's part (and a bit selfish), but I understand it was a necessary sacrifice to free the future. If they still do exist, I wonder how their lives would be without Aku's tyranny looming over them. The Scotsman would still have both legs and his daughters, but what about The Woolies, The Spartans, and the group of intelligent dogs? Would the latter three groups still exist in that new future? I wonder if they would have given the viewer a glimpse into the future if there was more time in the episode.

In terms of Jack, I am happy he found a way to return to his time and complete his quest, as well as being reunited with his family. It would have been a bad idea to kill off the main character and leave his goal incomplete; even if Aku was defeated beforehand. It was a wise move to return to the moment Jack was sent to the future, to defeat Aku while he was still significantly weakened was a brilliant strategy! As for Ashi, it was extremely saddening to see her die at the end of the episode (perhaps I will put her death in an upcoming video). I would have loved to see an epilogue sequence of her and Jack under that cherry blossom tree.

Overall, I was impressed with the finale and the series as a whole. It was filled with amazing action sequences, a beautiful story, and astounding character development. The show and its finale reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as the shows are structured similarly; plus Aku's two voice actors were the ones who portrayed Uncle Iroh in Avatar.  The final battle of Samurai Jack also reminded me of the battle between Aang and Ozai. I would highly recommend Samurai Jack to all of my readers. The story is crafted beautifully, causing viewers to keep tuning in to see Jack's next adventure. The characters are memorable and likable, allowing for the viewer to easily recognize them. Finally, the series ends on a bittersweet note; tying up any loose ends while also causing viewers to wish for a sixth season (make it happen, Tartakovsky).