tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130650256161013147.post8512976195813652501..comments2024-02-16T05:28:21.518-05:00Comments on Creative Juices: Where have all the puppets gone?Bob Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13053411253123465715noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130650256161013147.post-41933131493275849592008-08-31T20:32:00.000-04:002008-08-31T20:32:00.000-04:00I dearly miss some of the ingenuity, imagination a...I dearly miss some of the ingenuity, imagination and energy of the puppetry-anchored movies I remember from my childhood. The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth to name two, were both Henson vehicles that I still find highly more imaginative and fun then today's run-of-the-mill CGI fantasy clones such as the Spiderwick Chronicles or The Chronicles of Narnia. There was a certain personality and life in those characters that has yet to be captured by computer artists. I hope it never does!John Brissette Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14513601477631865198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3130650256161013147.post-48036361571746258132008-08-31T20:28:00.000-04:002008-08-31T20:28:00.000-04:00Great post, John! I'm gonna pull out my John K wan...Great post, John! I'm gonna pull out my John K wand and direct folks over to his blog post about vintage puppets:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-makes-funny-puppets.html" REL="nofollow">What makes Funny Puppets</A><BR/><BR/>I thought this line in particular was interesting:<BR/><BR/>"I love vintage puppets. They are totally different than post-muppet puppets. The muppets were great, but they ruined puppetry by making everyone else think that they had to copy them. Sort of like how Peanuts ruined comics, even though it was wonderful itself."<BR/><BR/>It's kinda true. So much of the contemporary puppetry I've seen is so muppet-derivative. Why?<BR/><BR/>I doubt we'll ever see a ton of puppets used for special effects work anymore (specialized and mechanical, at best). And I'm not sure it will find a home again in film anytime soon. Traditional animation is having a rough enough time as it is. I think puppetry is akin to stand-up comedy in that it's best experienced live. But I'm all for puppeteers reinventing the form a bit to make it fit into contemporary media.Bob Flynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13053411253123465715noreply@blogger.com