Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Jim Hill is a valued contributor here at AICN, the man with his finger on the pulse of Walt Disney. Only Sir Etch-A-Sketch has a more direct connection (that I know of) to the House of Mouse. When Jim Hill pipes up with something to say about Disney, it's worth your attention, I've always found. On that note, here's an e-mail he just dropped on us:
You just gotta feel sorry for the guys working at Pixar Animation Studio.
I mean, here's a company that usually gets high marks when it comes to smarts. What with all the innovations that Pixar has brought to the field of computer animation over the past 15 years, it's easy to believe that the studio has plenty of bright people on staff. So why is it that Pixar's collective IQ always heads for the basement whenever Oscar time rolls around?
Don't believe me, Knowles? Well, think back to last year when Pixar appeared to have a lock on the 2001 "Best Animated Short" Oscar. After all, their June 2000 short - "For The Birds" - had already won that year's Annie. So last year's Academy Award looked like it was in the bag ... Until the person at Pixar who was supposed to file "For the Birds" 's official nomination papers apparently neglected to get the proper paperwork back to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in time.
As a result, "For the Birds" was forced to sit out the 2001 Academy Awards. Determined to make up for last year's mistake (And win an Academy Award for Pixar veteran, Ralph Eggleston, "For the Birds" 's director), Pixar made a point of filing the proper paperwork for the short on time this year. But - even so - the studio's senior staff was extremely embarrassed by this whole incident.
Well - if you thought the folks at Pixar were embarrassed last year - imagine how they must feel right now. This year, Pixar's locked in mortal combat with Dreamworks. Each is determined to be the studio that wins the first ever Animated Feature Film Academy Award (And all the bragging rights that go with that honor). So both companies are spending tens of millions of dollars on special Oscar promotional screenings, ads & billboards - all in an effort to tout the artistry of "Shrek" and/or "Monsters, Inc." Dreamworks and Pixar are also out there, actively courting the animation community. Trying to convince all those who will vote for this year's Animated Feature Film Oscar that they (and not that *OTHER* company) are really "the good guys."
So here's Pixar's PR staff (With considerable help from Disney's deep pockets) trying to put the best possible face on the studio during this year's Oscar race ... And then - late last week - Pixar's legal department goes and files suit against a group of former Pixar employees, claiming that their company (Exluna) is "knowingly infringing on Pixar's patents."
Harry, it's important to understand here that Pixar's legal department felt that it really had no choice when it came to the timing of this lawsuit. Why? Well, late last week, Exluna released this new commercial software program, "Entropy." Retailing for just $2,250, this software package supposedly gives any would-be animator access to "the same Look Development tools and technologies (that are currently) in use at the top film studios without the expense or training previously required." Translation: Pixar quality computer animation at "South Park" like prices.
So Pixar's lawyers felt that they had to move quickly to shut down the distribution of Exluna's "Entropy." Get this patent infringment issue in front of a judge ASAP to see if Exluna really had broken the law. Hence the lawsuit. (And -- just for the record, Harry -- Exluna insists that there is absolutely no merit to Pixar's claims. You can learn more about the whole Pixar / Exluna / Entropy brouhaha by CLICKING HERE!!
But imagine how this all must look to the animation community? Here's Pixar - the studio that prides itself on having started small - suddenly being cast in the role of the big bad bully. Based on the way that the studio's lawyers behaved last week, it would appear that Pixar is actually out to shut down Exluna (An outfit that was started by former Pixar employees, no less) before that company even gets off the ground. So how can Pixar possibly be perceived as the "Good Guy" by the animation community when the studio does something like that?
Which is why ... you just know it, Harry ... Katzenberg & the rest of the crew over at Dreamworks have got to be just loving this whole situation.
Meanwhile, up in Emeryville, CA. (Home of Pixar's new animation studio), the staff is said to be absolutely furious with the company's attornies. "The lawyers couldn't have just waited 'til March 25th - the day *AFTER* the Academy Awards - to file this suit?," grumbled one senior Pixar staffer. The big worry now is - should the Exluna lawsuit stir up any anti-Pixar sentiment among the animation community - 'Monsters, Inc.' 's Oscar bid might be over before it even gets started. And Dreamworks could end up winning the very first Animated Feature Film Academy Award pretty much by default.
That's why you gotta feel for the guys at Pixar, Harry. Here, they lose out on one Academy Award last year because someone supposedly moved too slow when it came to sending in a short's nomination papers. And now... another Oscar may be slipping through the studio's grasp. All because Pixar's lawyers moved too quick when it came to dropping the company's briefs.
It would be sad if something like this kept Pixar from cleaning Dreamworks' clock in this category. SHREK may be a pleasant diversion, but MONSTERS INC. is another Pixar classic, with moments that rank among last year's finest in any film. It's also beautifully animated, jaw-dropping at times, and marks another step forward for the company that is already leading the way in the field of all-CG features.
"Moriarty" out.
