Ratatouille the 3rd (time)

I recently saw Ratatouille again, even though it will probably be on DVD any time now. I really enjoy seeing movies in a theater, especially animated ones, and the DLP was a nice plus. Digital projection doesn't impress me that much with live action, but seeing 3D animation in digital makes it even more lively and vibrant. Of course, I live for rich colors, so that and the clarity of picture are enough to make me overlook the downside of slight "stairstepping" on some diagonal fine lines that will surely disappear with upped resolution in the future.

Anyway, I got to thinking about Ratatouille not because of the presentation but the film itself. One thought that keeps popping into my head is that I actually enjoyed a film set in France and focused on haute cuisine more than a story about cars and various aspects of car culture, especially vintage cars and ways of life. Anyone who knows me is well aware that I am far from a "foodie", despite living in Northern California for many years. As for cars, they are my biggest love after animation, and I'm rather nostalgic at heart, so a story about old-times and old-time cars would be a "slam dunk" for me. Don't get me wrong, I really loved Cars, and saw it in theaters thrice as well. Somehow though, I just felt more involved with the characters in Ratatouille, and was more excited, sad and overjoyed with them. I honestly was not overly excited in the run-up to this film, and didn't go to see it until it had been out for a couple of weeks. The character designs appealed to me, but I wasn't sure how much story could be wrung out of the premise. Suffice it to say, before the film had even ended, I was sold on it.

There are some other upcoming animated films that I have had similar doubts about, but this film has reminded me that amazing stuff can spring from relatively austere sources.

Gotta start somewhere...

Hello all, my name is Kevin Wood, and I am probably the last person on Earth to get around to starting his or her own blog. Odd, since I enjoy reading and discussion so much, and am always reading other people's blogs and commenting on posts and articles. Maybe I'm averse to attention, or at least careful about what elements of myself I draw attention to. Yet I strive to create artworks that will be noticed, perhaps inspiring others and provoking thought. Of course, being paradoxical is all part and parcel to being a creative person. Maybe I'm old fashioned, not quote ready for the uber-candid zeitgeist of today's online world. Jeezus, my first blog post and I'm already using "zeitgeist." Next thing you know I'll be paraphrasing quotations mis-attributed to famous thinkers and going off on stream-of-consciousness rants. Well, two out of three ain't bad for a start. Anywhoooo, enough verbal effluence...

In the coming months/years/eternity, I'll be posting (at an almost perfectly intermittent rate) my thoughts on art and life, sharing other cool creative stuff I come across online, and responding to comments I receive. I hope this will be a fun, open site for anyone interested in art and animation, or really anyone with something to say.

I'll conclude my first post with a link to my website Funkybat.com. (Yes, many of you have probably come to this blog FROM Funkybat.com, but some of you may not have, so there it is!)

Good day and good blogging!