This was an interesting journey I was taking. I was told there would be perilous weather, lightning, rain, hail, wind gusts of 50 mph, but no manner of physical world weather was going to keep me from seeing footage from PRINCE OF EGYPT & ANTZ and from returning safely to tell all of you about it. You are all well familiar with how much I've been slobbering over these two projects. I've read the script to ANTZ and think it's the smartest, most adult feature animation project ever. (Adult meaning, for adults, not porno) And PRINCE OF EGYPT... well, other than the pics on the site, a description of the first 10 minutes, well... there hasn't been much. Well, this trip was going to change that.
First, I launched into the ether via a Southwestern airplane. They asked if I was going to drive up. Something I was eager to do, but my van (known as THE TICK, due to it bloodsucking of my wallet) was sounding more and more like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and was not about going to take me through the land of the Branch Davidians, along the concrete snake called I-35. I was asked if I had any friends that could drive me up. Nope, all my friends are rather broke right now and I had not the money to leap the gulf between me and that Prince of Egypt footage. So it was that Dreamworks SKG flew me to Dallas on this stormy eve.
I flew up with the score to SIX STRING SAMURAI and the songs of the Red Elvises. Bryan Tyler, composer on 6-String, created some magic here. Move aside Zimmer; John Woo hire this guy. The essence of cool.
The plane bucked like a stubborn jackass all the way to Love Field. Yeah, the same one Kennedy landed at on that fateful day. I was hoping for a different conclusion.
As I came in, I was listening to Young Frankenstien (on the fantastic Cult Files 2 CD) and landed just as those french horns came up for the conclusion. As the plane slowed on the tarmac, it was the theme to Midnight Express.. Ahhhh... music...
This dude in a green dress coat met me at the airport. He will be named Shaggy, in honor of the tie I was wering. He drove me from Love Field to the Cinemark 17 where the event took place. We arrived an hour and a half early, so he offered to buy me a Whataburger. Since it was going to be my one meal of the day, I agreed. So I nibbled oh so delicately upon the precious Whataburger. Greasy sustanence and a diet beverage. I weighed myself on the baggage weight thing, and discovered I have lost 30 pounds (295 for those keeping count. I think I'll aim for 215)
As we talked it was obvious that this guy was part of the advertising world and not the film world. When I asked Shaggy about Dreamworks, he responded, "I like how innovative they are. You know, like in the Peacemaker. I don't know if you saw that one, but I liked the different angles they shot that film, it was new, ya know."
To confirm my beliefs, I asked if he got into the game through advertising, Shaggy confirmed and I decided to talk to him by way of film marketing and what his company does. They mainly handle the Dallas area. They do screenings and marketing for Buena Vista (Disney, Hollywood Pictures & Touchstone) and DreamWorks SKG.
After my meal we headed over to the Cinemark 17. This theater was pretty huge. In the lobby was, what has to be, the largest standee I have ever seen, it was for MIGHTY JOE YOUNG. Plus there was a great big GODZILLA standee with a moving lite thingee causing coolness.
As I walked down the long hallway of stars to the theater that the EVENT will take place, I see the pile of press kits, so I head over and grab one. Immediately I meet Susan Jacobs, the lady who flew me up for this event. She tells me that the concessions are on the house, so I get a drink (diet) and wish I could stuff myself with the variety of candy, nachos, hot dogs, popcorn. Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!! To be free!!! But I have had my overage of calories for the day already and passed.
So I talk with the head of DreamWorks marketing, a Teresa Press. I have heard her name before. If memory serves, she was a head of Disney marketing for some years, before leaving with Katzenberg for the creation of DreamWorks, three years ago.
Everyone seems cool, ultra nice (like they would be rude and callous). This guy escorts me to the center of the auditorium, where I would have naturally sat. After a while Shaggy comes and sits next to me. I guess he is there to 'monitor' my reaction, and/or laugh or clap at key moments to influence me. Ok, it's the conspiricist in me.
I sat through Tank Girl with an entire audience that laughed and applauded and still hated the experience. This sort of thing doesn't sway me.
Then a bit later this guy, who looks like that large guy from Not Necessarily The News, comes out. Turns out he moonlights at a Rennaisance Festival and is a comic collector and a geek. A guy I could talk to. We talk about Mego Action Dolls, Slinkys (Plastic vs Metal)... Ahhhhh a human.
Then I begin talking again with the heads of DreamWorks marketing about a cool Prince of Egypt item I was sent. I am told that they haven't been distributed yet. That there are 3 out of Teresa's hands. She gave those three to Jeffery Katzenberg, who kept 1, gave 1 to Steven Spielberg and the other one to David Geffen. And she has all 497 of the other ones
"Who's do I Have?"
I immediately begin thinking, which of these three would give theirs up. No way Katzenberg was going to give up his. This is his first Non-Disney baby. Spielberg is an animation collector. I heard he owns one of the great pan cels from Fleischer's classic GULLIVER'S TRAVELS. One of Gulliver staked down to the beach with liliputians all over him. Man... I'd love to see that in person. I collect animation too, and Fleisher Studios was my fave animation studio.
Then the presentation started a bit late, due to the traffic of Dallas. (By the way. If you click on the below logos, you will be taken to the little press page they handed me on each film, that includes credits and a short synopsis!)
