ARTS Page 5 The Michigan Doily Wednesday, November 23, 1988 BY ALYSSA KATZ Tired of the cutthroat competition and complexity of college? Do you yearn for a return to childhood, to a time of innocence and carefree bliss? Sorry, there's no going back. But at least you can go through the motions of being a kid. You could infiltrate a school group at the Natural Science Museum, put "kick me" signs on peoples' backs - or you could trek out to the movies and throw popcorn and spit wads while watching The Land Before Time and Oliver & Company. These two films are the latest in the Steven B Spielberg/Don Bluth vs. Disney animation wars that began a couple of years ago with An American Tail t (Spielberg) and The Great Mouse Detective (Disney). .While Steven Spielberg and ex-Disney animator Don Bluth have set out to make quality animated films ~resembling classics of the genre, Walt Disney Studios has attempted, through the use of computer graphics and other advanced production techniques, to modernize the animation process. But by relying on worn stereotypes and flat characters, the venerable Disney has clearly lost this battle. Disney's Oliver & Company is a retelling of Oliver Twist set in New York, with cats and dogs . splaying many of the roles. Oliver is a tiny, cuddly orphaned kitten who is adopted, first by a gang of thieving dogs led by the bumbling Fagin, then by a lonely little rich girl named Jenny. All of them are threatened by Sykes, an evil extortionist, and his vicious dobermans. The production quality is excellent. The film's director, George Scribner, is remarkably successful in the difficult task of animating authentic-looking New York streets. The computer animation used in this film is often effective, allowing for amazing changes in visual perspective. The musical numbers, sung by Billy Joel and Bette Midler (who play a street-smart dog and a pampered poodle, respectively) are not spectacular, but are still entertaining. The film's major flaw is that its characters are two- dimensional (figuratively speaking, of course). Instead of focusing on the development of one or two characters, Scribner tries to give all of them a chance to shine in the spotlight. This means that not one of them, not even the protagonist Oliver, is given a chance to develop much of a personality, and we never get very close to them. As a result, it's hard to be upset when terrible things happen to Oliver and his friends. This tendency towards oversimplified characteriz- ation becomes downright offensive in the case of Tito, a chihuahua whose voice is provided by Cheech Marin. Tito is a stereotypical Chicano, clearly provided as Dinos VS. Disney Spielberg/Bluth's prehistoricLand outdoes Disney's old dogs and new computer tricks done some impressive work. But if you're looking for an interesting script, don't bother with it. Don Bluth, the co-producer and director of The Land Before Time, seems to have beaten the Disney studios at their own game by creating a film which, while not as brilliant as the old Disney films such as Pinocchio and Cinderella, manages nevertheless to be both beautiful looking and fun to watch. Bluth uses conventional animation - no computers were em- ployed in making the film - to create, among other things, elaborate prehistoric landscapes and the cutest baby dinosaurs in cinematic history. To its benefit, The Land Before Time has an almost nonexistent plot. Littlefoot, a baby brontosaurus (or "longneck" in this film's jargon), loses his mother when she is slaughtered by a vicious Tyrannosaurus. In her dying moments, she tells Littlefoot that he must find his way to a distant green valley to be reunited with his grandparents. Our intrepid little hero sets off and meets up with a diverse bunch of other lost little dinosaurs, who accompany him on his journey. The Disney influence is pervasive. Some shots at the beginning of the film look like they could have been lifted directly from the "Rite of Spring" sequence in Fantasia. An adorable interlude involving a bunch of tiny pterodactyls is reminiscent of the old Silly Symphonies. Littlefoot's mother's death brings Bambi to mind. These homages help give The Land Before Time pleasantly reassuring familiarity. An additional reason to see The Land Before Time is that it is preceded by Family Dog, a great animated short about a dog's life in a suburban hell. In fact, in its own way, Family Dog is better than either of the full-length features. It brings a refreshing sense of cynicism to the often over-sentimental world of anima- tion. Unfortunately, the film also pays tribute to Spielberg by incorporating too much of his trademark sentimentality. Bring a toothbrush to the theater - things can get almost unbearably sweet at times. Littlefoot occasionally sees images of his dead mother: in his shadow, in a pond, in a cloud. During these scenes, choral music surges forth, her voice echoes down from above, and the little dinosaur cries out to his mother. The dialogue is also corny at times, as when Littlefoot is told, "some things you see with your eyes; other things you see with your heart". Cynics should keep their distance from this film; it, may make them ill. If you can tolerate the mushiness, you'll probably enjoy this movie. It has a lot going for it: gorgeous animation, a good sense of humor.and imagination, and a brief running time - things wrap up before they have .a chance to get boring. Disney could learn something from this. This holiday season viewer's have two sets of cute animals to choose from. Above abandoned puddy-tat Oliver updates Dickens in Oliver & Company. Below, Littlefoot gets help from his friends in finding his grandparents. right, (left) comic relief - he hot-wires cars, leers at attractive female canines, is highly talkative and listens to salsa music. It is a shame that a movie aimed at impressionable children contains such a blatantly racist stereotype. And although Oliver and Company has a pleasant visual style, it lacks a soul. The plot churns on mechanically; events follow one after another in a predictable sequence, with a few musical numbers intervening. The film also has the dubious distinction of being the first Disney animated film to contain a product advertisement (for Coca-Cola). Although it contains some cute little touches, such as the fact that one of the dog thieves is a Shakespeare- loving snob,Oliver and Company fails to be much more than a lot of nice looking animated scenes which don't amount to very much. If you like good animation, go see the film; Scribner and his crew have Hound: Critics take stage BY DEBRA CHESNIN FOR some people, the names Bird- boot and Moon recall unlucky friends whose parents named them during the '60s. For others, the names are reminiscent of Frank Zappa and his children. For a select few, however, the names are connected with Tom Stoppard, and in particular, his play,The Real Inspector Hound. Birdboot and Moon are variations on character names that appear in many of Stoppard's plays, which in- clude The Real Thing and Rosen- crantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. "Sometimes the name will be Bird- foot or something similar," says producer Peter Knox. "I don't personally know why, but he seems to have a fascination with those names." In The Real Inspector Hound, Birdboot and Moon are two drama critics who attend a mystery with the purpose of reviewing it, but find themselves caught up in the play and 'the ensuing action on stage. Birdboot is "a philandering type who buys drinks for the actresses and promises them that he will write a great review of them," describes Knox. Moon is an up-and-coming reviewer who watches as his older partner falls in love with the actresses he is sup- posed to be reviewing. The onstage play is populated by such stereotypical murder mystery otherwise does not deal with the types of "socially relevant, minority issues, women's issues and general social struggles" that Production Network usually focuses on, accord- ing to staff member Linda Kendall. In part, this is because Production Network is only sponsoring the play, which is being produced by Knox and directed by B.J. Wallingford. Knox is "It's got a twilight zone-y sort of experience... The critic gets caught in the play within the play, but he doesn't really notice and neither do the other characters." -Peter Knox, producer of The Real Inspector Hound Knox admits that, although his father worked for the Detroit Reper- tory Theatre, he does not have either the connections or the wish to be- come "rich and famous." "I've grown up in the design and technical aspect of the theatre but I also love acting and producing." says Knox. "I just want to be able to do the kind of art that I want to do and not be con- trolled by the kind of art that I have to do." THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND will be performed Thursday, Novem- ber 25 through Sunday, December 4 at Performance Network. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and Sunday perfor- mances are at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $8, $6 for students and seniors. WEEKEND MAGAZINE Fridays in The Daily 763-0379 --- Monday, November 28 and Tuesday, November 29, 7:30 p.m., Performance Network, 409 W. Washington Three women needed for the roles of three effervescent, adventurous explorers in the Performance Network production of On the Verge; or The Geography of Yearning. Age range: 20s to mid-40s. Also, one man to play a wide variety of roles, including a 16-year-old gas station attendant, Madame Nhu, the Dragon Lady, and a middle-aged stockbroker. Prepared audition pieces are not necessary. Copies of the script are available at Performance Network. Call 663-0681 for more information. " Week of December 5, Call Board of the Theatre Department, 2nd floor, Frieze Building Audition information for the Musical Theatre Program's winter show, Dragons, will be posted. Auditions are tentatively scheduled for the second week of classes winter term, January 9-15. Auditions and Opportunities runs each Wednesday. If you have any information regarding theater auditions or similar opportunities, contact Cherie Curry at 763-0379. A BOLD STATEMENT Y FREE TUTORING in all 100-200 level Math & Science courses UGLi rm 307 Mon-Thur 7-11 pm Bursley rm 2333 (by main office) Mon & Thur 8-10 pm Markley's Library Mon & Wed 7-9 pm S. Quad Dining Hall Mon & Thur 8-10 pm Sponsored by LSA St. Gov't, UMEC, and MSA characters as Mangus, the wheelchair ridden half-brother of Lord Muldoon. "It's got a twilight zone-y sort of experience," says Knox. "The critic gets caught in the play within the play, but he doesn't really notice and neither do the other characters." The play makes fun of stereotypes of murder mysteries and critics but " . " a t * 0 * -" apparele * jewelry e~ -accessories 325 E. 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