Remember innocence?

In one of the most classic of Movie Musicals, 1952’s Singin’ In The Rain, Gene Kelly explodes onto the screen in a lavish production number belting out “Gotta Dance... Gotta Dance... Gotta Dance.” In the best tradition of that landmark film, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker might add, “Gotta Sing, Gotta Cuss, Gotta Offend”. To that I’ll add, gotta laugh your ass off.

Seeing green.

This weekend the third installment of the enormously popular Shrek franchise from Dreamworks opened and answered the age old question (well at least the decade old question), who owns the hottest animation property in the universe? Jeffrey Katzenberg can look unblinking toward the dwarf emblazoned columns of Disney and shout “We Do!”. Shrek the Third just shattered the opening weekend figures for an animated movie and Paramount Studios, the relatively new owners of Dreamworks, couldn’t be happier or more relieved. There has to be some serious pressure building between Mickey’s ears but then who better to have in your bright red hip pocket than John Lassiter and the school for kid geniuses called Pixar? Disney will be rolling out it’s first Pixar produced animation release since buying up the most artistic CGI animation box on the block. (Not to mention, the best storytellers.) Ratatouille will be scurrying around cinema screens by the end of June but Shrek-sized success will likely belong to the green ogre alone until someone else builds a new character franchise. In the meantime, there’ll be an office pool starting for the announcement of production dates for Toy Story 3 and Monsters Inc. 2. Personally, I don’t see the point in waiting for more CGI critters and anthropomorphic (read enchanted) dish pans. The characters, stories and the music is waiting in the wings with one of the most creative, ingenious and fall down funny animated franchises since a yellow pointy haired kid was introduced with “I’m Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?”. The Simpsons are about to have their silver screen debut in July, just two weeks after Harry Potter begins to conjure more profits, and we wish the family well. But the animated franchise we’d love to see retake our local movie houses most is South Park.

Let’s say it with music.

Ever endearing in animated hits is the music. Beauty and the Beast gliding in dance in a marble and gold ballroom. The tremendous scores and Randy Newman songs in Monsters Inc. and Toy Story. Can you imagine the opening of Lion King without the contribution of “Circle Of Life” or the opening of Tarzan without the contribution of composer Hans Zimmer? You should be noticing that those are all Disney / Pixar titles up there. There’s something to be said for saying it with music and in more ways than Broadway, animated musicals keep a story form alive in ways that slapstick CGI penguins and fractured fairytale telling will never do. But wait, there is another studio that seems to have made the connection between our ears and our tapping toes. Sure, you remember Woody and Buzz’s relationship cementing to “You Got A Friend In Me” but what about “Mountain Town”, “Hell Isn’t Good” or the classic “What Would Brian Boitano Do?”. How about the trials and tribulations of Stan, Kyle, Eric and Kenny? How ‘bout rallying our citizenry to protect our borders from those flap-headed Canadians to the rousing anthem (and Academy Award nominated) “Blame Canada”? I propose that South Park Bigger, Longer & Uncut and it’s creators have most truly and effectively embraced the form of movie musicals and as an animation studio, reinvented the real fun and surprise of plot points that suddenly burst out in song.

Inspired with pure imagination.

In a wonderfully sarcastic tone, Gene Wilder brought a skeptical take on child-like innocence to the role of Willy Wonka back in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. There’s a smirk and a bit of threatening cane thrashing accenting each note as he sings “There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination.”. Music writer and South Park’s co-creator, Trey Parker trashes the innocence and all the child-like crap to pieces with what you would have to imagine is a wickedly wide smile. No beneath-your-breath asides or knowing glints toward the camera. No need to pick up on subtleties.

The humor, satire and sentiment stand way out front in a classic “Step In Time” styled production number titled “Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch”. After breaking out in this upbeat number while standing in South Park’s playground, the irreverent inspiration continues, taking the refrain to countries like China and Africa in the most blatantly stereo-typified manner imaginable. Insulting? Offensive? You bet. And funny as hell. The inspiration of pure imagination goes on and on with no excuses. There are wonderfully clever references to pop culture abounding. Star Wars, television’s ER (this was released in 1999), the “V” chip, Bill Clinton, Barbara Streisand, Bill Gates, Windows ’98 and the MPAA all take shots. There aren’t many social references left off the list either. In a stroke of true strangeness, Saddam Hussein is portrayed as dead and living in Hell as Satan’s boy-toy who is still bent on taking over the Earth (again, this was 1999). That alone isn’t cause to praise South Park for re-imagining the movie musical but Satan breaking into a ballad that explores his inner angst about wanting to know what it would be like to live up on Earth called “Up There” is damn near brilliant in using the conventions of musicals for exquisite counterpoint.

There are so many truly inspired moments in South Park Bigger, Longer & Uncut that it’s difficult to imagine how much work went into the writing sessions that preceded the making of the film. These are creative people who found a creative voice, however patently offensive, that points out the offense in taking offense. By jabbing so hard at our foibles and contradictions they point out our undeniable common ground. We will see a piece of ourselves in that message and that hard look in the mirror may be overdue. The fact that we can laugh out loud and sing-a-long perhaps lets us feel less self-conscious about looking. As in most musicals, movies, animated & theatrical, the songs and score move us along. Exposition to set time and place. Heart tugging ballads to convey longing. Themes that set musical signatures for character. South Park takes us further with an almost imperceptible tug toward introspection. It is a task set best to music and to music fashioned by original thinkers with seemingly limitless talents.

The art of the dance.

Animated musicals will remain staples of the movie business for a very long time. CGI has taken over traditional hand drawn cels and computers have refined the process of 2-D animation. Mixes of CGI, live action, wonderful hand drawn artistry and special effects will all find a place in the storytelling. Celebrity voices and classic characterizations will bring imagination to life on silver screens and entertain millions who in turn will spend tens of millions to see the show. The true art of the dance however rests with the filmmakers. Will the hundreds of millions that Shrek the Third hauls into Paramount’s coffers dictate a definition of success that precludes more unconventional thought? Did the successes of Beauty and the Beast, Lion King and Aladdin change the way the industry approached animation expectations? How loud is stock holder demand for more Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Monsters Inc.? Shrek, Ice Age, Shrek 2, Happy Feet? I think I’d be a lot more comfortable and far more excited if it was South Park setting the course. For as irreverent, controversial and politically incorrect as it is, it is for me, the gold standard for beautifully effective and profusely entertaining movie musicals, animated or otherwise. It is a sign of hope that the next animated musical South Park’s creators put into theaters was entirely cast with marionettes. A lot more commendable than recycling characters and gags into a “happy meals” marketing campaign. I’ll stick with true wit and innovation. My applause won’t likely reach the ears of South Park’s creators but say what you will, I love these guys.

South Park was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. “Blame Canada” written by Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman, was nominated in the best song catagory and performed live on the 2000 Academy Awards telecast. Singin’ In The Rain was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1952. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was produced by David L. Wolper and released in 1971. The song “Pure Imagination” was written by Leslie Briscusse.  South Park Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a Paramount / Warner Bros. release. The DVD is available on Paramount Home Video. Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Monsters Inc. are all releases of the Walt Disney Company. Ice Age was produced by 20th Century Fox. Happy Feet was released in the US by Warner Bros.

Thursday, May 17, 2007