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ANNA/ATV H FINALJFANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN
(PG) 105 mins .00.
ME," you THEM (EU,TU,ELES) (PG) 106 mins 00.
Final Fantasy is being touted as the ‘ . :. I first ever photo-realistic computer ‘ . _ 1, animation. It unquestionably :z. ._ f 1 represents a quantum leap for r ,, animation. Anyone without prior . ; . knowledge of what they were , ; ~ ; . watching could quite conceivably . . ~ 3, . . ;, believe they were looking at real ' a n , I . actors, props, sets, etc. Some of \ .- the time. t , ' ~ v ~ Adapted from the phenomenally H . ,I , ‘ successful Japanese role-playing . , .‘ . , computer game series, The Spirits . . ,. 1 . , Within tells a new story in which the ~ ‘ r r . . 1,. t - Earth of 2065 has succumbed to an A quantum leap for animation H r. " a alien invasion. As the survivors -: r‘ . ~ attempt to deal with the cancer-like of the game is given the standard the basis for the computer mapping " . ’ n l'”) w iii 1' infestation of invisible extra- Hollywood blockbuster treatment. of movement — plus an army of >1:- ‘M a Aw 2' terrestrials, a feud breaks out However, it’s the small things that animators working with specially- ’ "" .z r ' ; iv '1“ between the scientists and the convince. In the opening sequence created software tools specific to .i s r sin: 1’ military over the solution. Aki Ross Ross searches for life in the ruins of each character. The results are gwiir l‘:""7.".'_“- w, ‘ ll"'l->l and her mentor, Dr Sid, argue for an old New York City. As she creeps mixed, but often astonishingly ' r «,iiti r: » liarlw» organic one which involves through rubble-strewn Times believable. Human movement is still i r n "xiriw: "zili’lr‘w harnessing Earth’s spirit or ‘Gaia’, Square it’s her nervous looks and problematic, sometimes too ; °. (7' , while the warlord, General Hein, baited breath that create suspense, smooth. Occasionally there’s too . {in r i; H; w ~ wants to exterminate the invaders and when she’s pursued by aliens, much detail; animating every strand ’. a, .. .-.;iu with a space cannon. it’s the news reportage-ster shakey of hair on a human head looks at pin/M, Minuet :i. mi Co-produced by a Japanese and camera which thrills. So, though hyper-real. And textures, '32- (it/i. of a Harlin" American crew, co-directed by there’s plenty of spectacle on particularly skin, can be a giveaway. .-’,-’l .'.':l": my game creator Hironobu Sakaguchi display, from hi-tech gadgetry to Whether Aki Ross will replace her '_",'~',-o'- '~ £i"’lfi ..".’l‘:l tw. and voiced by Hollywood talent interstellar dreamscapes, it’s with human counterparts is debatable; new: ‘ " ,r :2 riw gm». ir‘
the human characters that the it’s clear, however, the future of film animation most impresses. has arrived. (Miles Fielder) '25:»: twee“ T'."lt:’l (".0 i-. .. Each one is created by two actors I General release from Fr" it) Aug. l;‘:’l “xiii. "1; air/Le. I».
- one providing the voice, the other See feat: page
(Ming-Na Wen, Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Donald Sutherland, James Woods), the Eastern spiritualism and questing element
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t.‘,"it:.>,t".r"‘tt‘ ("'.:!, ANIMATION COML-DY ‘af.'tir.~"t:’: , r . i'irl HELP! I’M A FISH THE PAROLE OFFICER it; t . fat» at a .t (U) 78mins ... (12) 95 mins ... £‘iif1-’:""a‘. .~’: fan‘il, airmt a'irt'
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With sophisticated animated features like Shrek and Toy Story allowmg an adult audience to watch cartoons \‘JllhOtlI worrying about not being accompanied by a responsible child, it's posSible to forget that some animations really are Just for the kids. That's the case With Help! I'm A Fish. a new offering from Denmark. but featuring familiar British veices.
This is a llll“ that has 'Made in Britain' stan‘ped all over it: a comic caper let down by low production values. What would be a fine Christmas TV special Just does not have enough
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Coogan's better known IOlCWSIOl) characters. SUTTON Garden, the parole
This cheerful offering involves three kids: pesky Fly, his sweet little sister Stella and their geeky cousm Chuck. After sneaking out of the house they come across a secret tunnel by the sea. in which lives a professor (veiced by Terry Jones) who's created a formula to turn humans into fish. Lo and behold. Our junior heroes are soon Swimming With the fishes. trying to find an antidote and doing battle With an evil
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pilot-fish (a swtably charming and villainous Alan Rickmani. officer. concentrates on the Coogan’s comic talent ".r ‘e 'ir'i ‘i'e’: The clean-cut animation is reminiscent of Disney. and comic possibilities that result .'I:fl'fib’fliifi‘fiitf"; n‘ate'a: there's a sense Of awe as the wonders of the sea are from someone not being up to their ,ob Alan Partridge is ’. “:xii".sfa".ces. Tani Daxuxx‘i
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explored. Younger children should enJOy it. but if you're
looking for humour or any real moments of high drama. a hopefully inept prob; tion officer .‘rl‘o has only helped Air; F "afloat/2.
you'll be disappOinted. (Louisa Pearsoni three peeple go straight. 50175.1"? "0'7; Fri ’1' a
I Selected release from Fri 70 Aug. Garden's en‘ployers transfer hin‘ to the Marchester o‘fice. '.‘/e 3/ CD 801/ ’I.’"r’:’:’/S where he promptly gets frarred for "‘Lflté'. The ex :rience To ,r to .vlio
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that ‘.‘.’|H prove his innocence is looked .n a bank vault. so
Garden has to CONNHWCC the tnree 'i‘ei‘. [Om Pull. Ben Miller correct’ tr, .a-"mm am Ste-'0” \-"‘-/add”igf:>rii he helped go straight to con‘nwt r; ’;_’)'l"_"}_‘"r':’;/ created?
one last crin‘e. To add to his Garden has starter:
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ta ent of Ste. e Ccoga" r: " S’Y/I :1, a s:"r;t EtCk‘r‘g n t6 we" to «eer. costs down at the expense e ges rot n. the a sies. (Kaleem Aftabi
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Some animations really are just for kids
10 THE LIST 9- "5 Aug;