Do Avatar's storyline similarities to Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves piss you off?
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Question for the week of February 01, 2010
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- A couple of weeks ago, Disney announced that it’s changing the name of its December animated release from Rapunzel to Tangled in order to expand the potential audience of the film—and stay away from the girlcentric “Princess” label. Do you think this was a wise choice? How do you feel about the fact that many animated films try to stay away from girl-centric storylines to appeal to a wider demographic?
- Now that the Academy Awards season is finally over, what’s your feeling about the whole awards season? Did the right films and projects (Up, Logorama, Avatar) go home with the glory or where the smaller, indie toons get lost in the shuffle? Do you think animation finally gets enough recognition during awards season? Do you think the Annual Annie Awards should be broadcast on cable?
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Reader Comments
Rocky Haggard : Head Animator : NeptuneCircle
Monday, February 01, 2010
Mark Twain once said, \"Adam was the only man who, when saying a good thing, knew that nobody had said it before him.\"
There is nothing new under the sun. There are only so many plots but variables can be changed to make new stories. Take Titanic, make it about two ships, set it in outer space and badda bing badda boom you have a whole new story.
No I\'m not pissed off about Avatar\'s plot being similar to Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves.I applaud Cameron\'s ability to turn old stories into an epic sci-fi/fantasy movie.
muskratboy :
Monday, February 01, 2010
Avatar _IS_ dances with wolves, right up until the navi start fighting back. the scene with the chief of the tribe to get the main dude into training... is almost WORD FOR WORD from DWW.
but... it\'s very obvious that Avatar isn\'t really that great a movie. it is derivative and shallow to its core. fun, interesting, and amazing technically... but \"best director\" is a joke.
so yeah... good movie, but also very weak in some very important places. but fun! and neat to look at.
but calling it \"derivative\" is a vast, vast understatement.
Jeff Kaplan : Animator :
Monday, February 01, 2010
What is this \"Avatar\" movie I keep hearing about?
Michael : Board Artist
Monday, February 01, 2010
Gee...do you think? Of course, it rips off DWW and Pochahontas. I saw that immediately from the trailer. It\'s a familiar apology theme...mean old western civilization (loaded with sc-fi technolgy) rapes peaceful, agrarian tribe of \"indians\" (this time on another world). I guess the paying public can\'t get enough of that, right?
Jim Krisvoy :
Monday, February 01, 2010
There are seven basic plots out there, and almost everything we see in films and television is a rehash to a certain degree. We may be to this - so, in respect to Jim Cameron using old storylines, its a matter of what one can do with those old ideas and what Cameron has fashioned is one very spectacular achievement in entterainment. At an Imax (film) presentation of Avatar I attended recently, there was a woman sitting nearby who was seeing it for the third time. That says it all right there. Avatar is closer to the way movies used to be made, the films that could move an audience and it deserves all the success it is getting.
Jim Krisvoy :
Monday, February 01, 2010
Looks like something got lost in translation: what I meant to say is that we may most likely are conditioned to repitition, both in real life and in the reel world.
Job van Zuijlen : film maker : electona
Monday, February 01, 2010
It\\\'s amazing what people find to get pissed off about...
Anonymous :
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
I just think there are movies out there that are more entertaining, well scripted and have better acting than Avatar and yet they are not getting the publicity they deserve.
Philip : Animator :
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Avatar is not a film d\' author. That starts and finished a little like Alien 2, Re-cycle for the place of action, Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves. Yes one can see similarities on history, and this to say to the end \" he dies or he does not die\" (Abyss or Titanic). The cinematographic request is. that to ask moreover. Congratulation Mr. Cameron.
Christian Leiss : Manager : Postproduction
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
did anyone see \"FERN GULLY \"
it \'s a 2d animation about the rainforest,
some elfs, a worker ........
a little bit more than similarities.
in fact ( i think ) it is allmost the
same story.......
Corporal Bacon : Prof. animator, illustrator, comic artist and writer : Rexford Avenue
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
I\'m so tired of people excusing poor writing and recycled plot lines. There are thousands of talented writers out there who have creative, original stories to tell. But no, we don\'t want original, we don\'t want creative - we want the same old tired myths with pretty pictures to look at.
Wayne Sung :
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
No, not at all. If Cameron could come out with an imaginative world that engages the audience then I don\'t mind the parallels. Movies in bulk are derivatives of each other anyway. It\'s the little details that set them apart. And Cameron had many little details to set Avatar apart from the rest.
Eddie Danger :
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Not at all mad that he used tried and tested story elements. However, I am disgusted that the movie going majority seems to be eating this up like its fresh and extraordinary.
Amazing visuals, pedestrian plot
John James Cameron : Director/producer : Digital Domain
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Fine, make a movie and if it grosses more than 600 million dollars then, we\'ll talk! Until then, stfu!
Christian Leiss : Manager :
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
one thing is for shure:
not many countries and / or their leaders did learn
the lesson this movie teaches.
maybe it has to be told over and over again until
they finally get it........
Kathleen McCord : film professor : community college
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
really, I must agree Job van Zuijlen...it iS amazing what people get pissed off about. James Cameron and his colleagues (George Lucas, Steven Speilberg, for starters), are at the forefront of a Renaissance in filmmaking. They have created alternate realities, just like Leonardo da Vinci and his colleagues did 500 years ago. It will never be the same.
Anonymous :
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
the basic reason it seems to be similar to many stories is because its based off of history. Of corse there werent realy 9ft tall blue people but the basic idea is that one seemingly \"civilized\" society is going into an \"uncivilized\" area and taking there natural reasorces and taking out anyone who gets in the way. From the africans, to the asians, and native americans it all is the same. Avatar is basically a \"fictional documentary\" which actually makes sense if you think about it.
Kees :
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Avatar pisses me off, period
Terrence Byers : Professor Animation and Game Development : Rose State College
Thursday, February 04, 2010
No. If that were the case, we\'d never see anything in the theaters.
Morgan Allen : Wannabe Animator :
Thursday, February 04, 2010
extremely! but may movies have the same plot/story... but Pocahontas pones!
Anonymous :
Thursday, February 04, 2010
All of you who work in animation & VFX shouldn\'t be upset that Avatar is doing so well - b/c it will only create MORE JOBS FOR YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE! Everyone get AVATARDED!!!
indiana dog : head of fur : fur fluids solids
Thursday, February 04, 2010
I was about to comment until I read the post from JJ Cameron.
But I was going to say something nice...
Oliver Zuniga : Visual Effects Supervisor : MarteStudio
Thursday, February 04, 2010
As long as this kind of story keeps happening in the real world, whoever wants to tell it is completely justified.
Remember the days of oral culture (of course not! but we know what that is) Before people had writing, stories used to be told again and again from the older to the younger. Part of the art of being a story teller is taking that story everyone knows and telling it in a way that makes it valid for the era you are living in. Very few kids would jump at the chance to see Dances with wolves or Pocahontas. But Cameron brought a very important story to the 21st century and thanks to him this generation will not go without knowing it. What Cameron has done is not only amazing, but truly legitimate in the art of story telling. It is our stupid copyright laws that constrain us from showing our creativity by doing the same. This kind of thinking today is called Remix, and it is a very powerful idea that takes us back to something that used to be fine in the past and that we broke at least in some way accidentally. Take Battlestar Galactica, the reimagining and you have another great example of what Remix can do. We need more of that, even if new stories are always welcome.
BTW: The movie could have had a bit finer writing, but I completely forgive it. In fact I am sure that the level of character development was thought having in mind that the movie is a roller coaster ride and the star in it is us. So the least baggage he has the more we identify with him. The sequels can make up for that later.
rustedhalo : artist : rustedhalo incorporated
Thursday, February 04, 2010
As mentioned, when I first saw Avatar is reminded me of Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest. The plot was almost too perfect. I didn\'t even think of DWW or Pocahontas(probably because I didn\'t see either film).
In Fern Gully a human male is interjected into a mythical rainforest where fairy like creatures live and is forced to interact with their type. Meanwhile a group of humans plan the destruction of the rainforest with no care for the creatures that live there, only for their humanistic wealth and gain. The human male learns the way of the natives and helps them to fight for their freedom and land.
In Avatar and human male is interjected into a mythical rainforest planet and forced to interact with their type. Meanwhile a group of humans plan the destruction of the planet with no care for the creatures that live there, only to rape the land for their own humanistic wealth and gain. The human male learns the way of the natives and helps them to fight for their freedom and planet.
The only difference was one was a cartoon and the other a 3D movie. The only thing appealing about Avatar was the 3D effects and to be honest, it\'s nothing ground breaking or something we haven\'t already seen. I have seen Avatar in both 3D and without, there\'s a huge difference.
Leonardo Da Vinci : artist : florence
Friday, February 05, 2010
Answering Kathleen who compares me to Lucas and Cameron:
I\'m deeply offended and I beg you to pick up an art and/or history book (please).
Terrence Walker : Director : Studio ArtFX
Monday, February 08, 2010
Funny people are complaining because the audience wants the same ol\\\' thing. But if that\\\'s what people WANT, what are you gonna give them?! Maybe NO ONE wants to see your deep intellectual art film with it\\\'s new, original story.
I second the notion that ALL these similar films are based on history. It happened and this story CANNOT be told enough times. Maybe some feel guilty watching it. Why?
Anonymous :
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
No. The artistry, cutting edge technology and message far outweigh those similarities. Dances with Wolves after all was \" Little Big Man.\" And not a good version of it. Benjamin Button was Forrest Gump. Tarantino ripped off John Woo, Lucas ripped off all sorts of movies, especially the Kurosawa movie, which the name escapes me at the moment, but you get my point.. Who cares? People who criticize this much, go make your own film and bring your brilliant original stories to the screen please.
mike : teacher :
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
The story line sucks.It is as if several writers got together and combined their stories.-thus creating a soup of a story.
Derrick : Critic :
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Doesn\'t matter. One way or another, Avatar still sucks.
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