We still need to tell you what's up with this year's Best Animated Feature Film Oscar race, which we'll get to in due time. But for now, here's a sneak peek at a probable contender for 2016's race: Sony Pictures Animation's “Popeye.”
The studio has released a new featurette of sorts presenting an animation test for the film with director Genndy Tartakovsky. You might recall Tartakovsky's last film, “Hotel Transylvania,” which was kinda/sorta in the Oscar hunt two years ago. That film was mostly dismissed by critics but I actually found it a charming diversion during the fall season.
The featurette plays up Tartakovsky's personal connections to this well-known source material. “From a young child I was already destined to make one movie, and that movie was 'Popeye,'” he says. “Even so much that when I first started animation, my very first teacher was a 90-year-old 'Popeye' animator from the Fleischer Studios, Gordon Sheehan.”
The footage itself looks properly reverent of the Fleischer style, with of course the CG sheen that's to be expected of most modern studio animation productions. Will it resonate? Will it be a healthy dose of nostalgia?
Have a look below and see for yourself. It's all temp stuff and meant to mainly give you an idea of the overall vibe they're going for.
“Popeye” is set for release some time in 2016.