Yogi Bear and The Smurfs - from animated show to live action movie - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

waichingliu81 · 08-25-2010, 10:55 AM

How Yogi and Smurfs went from cartoon to live-action film
Updated 2h 8m ago

By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY

Sometimes reality can be stickier than ink and paint. A talking bear in a green hat and necktie? No problem in the cartoon realm.

But when Warner Bros. decided to set its Yogi Bear movie in the live-action world, in 3-D no less, re-creating the ursine funnyman was complicated.

"Early on, the studio had done some studies on 'What if you take an actual bear and try to put a hat and tie on him?' " says director Eric Brevig. With that photo in hand, the shape of the head was digitally changed to be more Yogi-like. "It was frightening," says Brevig. "It looked like a cross between a wolf and a science experiment."

Another problem: The original Hanna-Barbera animators could squash and stretch in ways that would stand out in live-action.

"Take a two-dimensional drawing, in which the artists just cheat the shape of Yogi's head, for example," Brevig says. "In a head-on shot, its circular, sort of a sphere, and from a three-quarter profile view, it's cylindrical. You can do that in the cartoons just fine, but if you build a 3-D, computer-generated character and his head morphs visibly whenever he turns, it's very disturbing."

The designers tried to blend the two without compromising Yogi's classic look.

"We had to come up with the shape that his head should be if it were constant, but still looked like the familiar character from all angles so that it didn't seem like we were deviating from the Yogi we all loved," Brevig says. "Bringing him into the real world turned out to be more of a challenge than we expected."

So why do it? The Berenstain Bears also are being developed for the screen in what producer Shawn Levy (the Night at the Museum films) expects will be a mix of animation and live-action. Levy says that clash is good for humor. "It isn't oblivious to the fact that they're bears," he says. "There is comedy to be mined from this bear family coexisting in a more recognizably realistic world."

It's no easier to adapt a more fantastical cartoon.

The creators of the upcoming Smurfs film, opening next August, worked on redesigning the blue forest-dwellers for a year and a half, says producer Jordan Kerner (Charlotte's Web). He started by pushing the limits of realism, then walking back toward something more cute.

"One of the first things I asked the designers to do was take the cartoon as we know it, the line-drawing, make it three-dimensional, then take them all the way to creatures with veins in their eyes and arms and all those things," Kerner says with a laugh. "It becomes a cartoon on one end, and a troll on the other."

The original drawings by artist Peyo are very simplistic, and there are angles and details of a Smurf you never see. "Do the other Smurfs shave and Papa doesn't? Do they have fingernails? Do they have bellybuttons? These are all questions that had to be thought of and addressed," says Smurfs director Raja Gosnell.

Do they have bellybuttons?

Gosnell laughs. "If they do, we don't see them. They wear their pants a certain way."

Like animators, live-action filmmakers have their cheats, too.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...ies25_ST_N.htm

MrCleveland · 08-26-2010, 03:40 PM

Can't Warner Brothers just leave these Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Be?

I think It's time for me to get busy with my show "Bertstown" and hope that Warner Brothers can buy the script!

waichingliu81 · 08-27-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

Can't Warner Brothers just leave these Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Be?

I think It's time for me to get busy with my show "Bertstown" and hope that Warner Brothers can buy the script!

i smell box office turkeys with the pair of them. and am i the only one who doesn''t like the new-look CGI yogi and boo boo?

MrCleveland · 08-27-2010, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waichingliu81

i smell box office turkeys with the pair of them. and am i the only one who doesn''t like the new-look CGI yogi and boo boo?

I think they suck.

PS-This is what I was working on....

"Bertstown".

It's about a down and out boy named James Paul Warner who lives with his parents, has two crappy jobs, rides the bus, has no relationship with a girl, goes to a Community College, and hangs around with...if Adult Swim picks this show up, is animated, and I get the permission from the Hanna-Barbera Library...James Paul Warner would hang around with Loopy de Loop.

The second option will still called "Bertstown", It's a Cleveland suburb rather than a city, James Paul Warner moves there and lives with his 1/2 brother John Paul Warner and his grandparents, has one job, and has two cartoon characters that he's inspired by...Loopy de Loop (acts very kind and generous, does what the good book says, and always helps out) and Donald Duck (won't take **** when pushed around one too many times).

08-25-2010, 10:55 AM	#1
waichingliu81 debbie allen Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 28, 2006 Location: london, england, UK Posts: 4,347	Yogi Bear and The Smurfs - from animated show to live action movie How Yogi and Smurfs went from cartoon to live-action film Updated 2h 8m ago By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY Sometimes reality can be stickier than ink and paint. A talking bear in a green hat and necktie? No problem in the cartoon realm. But when Warner Bros. decided to set its Yogi Bear movie in the live-action world, in 3-D no less, re-creating the ursine funnyman was complicated. "Early on, the studio had done some studies on 'What if you take an actual bear and try to put a hat and tie on him?' " says director Eric Brevig. With that photo in hand, the shape of the head was digitally changed to be more Yogi-like. "It was frightening," says Brevig. "It looked like a cross between a wolf and a science experiment." Another problem: The original Hanna-Barbera animators could squash and stretch in ways that would stand out in live-action. "Take a two-dimensional drawing, in which the artists just cheat the shape of Yogi's head, for example," Brevig says. "In a head-on shot, its circular, sort of a sphere, and from a three-quarter profile view, it's cylindrical. You can do that in the cartoons just fine, but if you build a 3-D, computer-generated character and his head morphs visibly whenever he turns, it's very disturbing." The designers tried to blend the two without compromising Yogi's classic look. "We had to come up with the shape that his head should be if it were constant, but still looked like the familiar character from all angles so that it didn't seem like we were deviating from the Yogi we all loved," Brevig says. "Bringing him into the real world turned out to be more of a challenge than we expected." So why do it? The Berenstain Bears also are being developed for the screen in what producer Shawn Levy (the Night at the Museum films) expects will be a mix of animation and live-action. Levy says that clash is good for humor. "It isn't oblivious to the fact that they're bears," he says. "There is comedy to be mined from this bear family coexisting in a more recognizably realistic world." It's no easier to adapt a more fantastical cartoon. The creators of the upcoming Smurfs film, opening next August, worked on redesigning the blue forest-dwellers for a year and a half, says producer Jordan Kerner (Charlotte's Web). He started by pushing the limits of realism, then walking back toward something more cute. "One of the first things I asked the designers to do was take the cartoon as we know it, the line-drawing, make it three-dimensional, then take them all the way to creatures with veins in their eyes and arms and all those things," Kerner says with a laugh. "It becomes a cartoon on one end, and a troll on the other." The original drawings by artist Peyo are very simplistic, and there are angles and details of a Smurf you never see. "Do the other Smurfs shave and Papa doesn't? Do they have fingernails? Do they have bellybuttons? These are all questions that had to be thought of and addressed," says Smurfs director Raja Gosnell. Do they have bellybuttons? Gosnell laughs. "If they do, we don't see them. They wear their pants a certain way." Like animators, live-action filmmakers have their cheats, too. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...ies25_ST_N.htm

08-26-2010, 03:40 PM	#2
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	Can't Warner Brothers just leave these Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Be? I think It's time for me to get busy with my show "Bertstown" and hope that Warner Brothers can buy the script!
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)