It's dusty in here
October 15, 2016 8:08 AM Subscribe
Borrowed Time. A short animation done by Pixar animators in their spare time.
That was fine. Not the level of storytelling I'm used to. I am disappointed.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:14 AM on October 15, 2016
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:14 AM on October 15, 2016
"And the Academy Award for Best Presentation Of Stubble In An Animated Short goes to...."
posted by hippybear at 9:29 AM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 9:29 AM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
Well. I kind of wish I hadn't watched. Hoped for something.... mildly hopeful out of all that, I guess. I realize that's not always what you get in life. And yet.
posted by Glinn at 9:45 AM on October 15, 2016
posted by Glinn at 9:45 AM on October 15, 2016
According to the "why we made Borrowed Time" video, also on that site, the film makers were trying to show that any kind of story is suitable for animation. I thought it was a wonderful piece of story-telling and the technical aspects blew me away. I've got a kid in the industry and immediately shared it with him.
Glinn, I think there was something hopeful in the story...one can move on, one can heal. That doesn't mean a happy ending, necessarily, but a hopeful one.
posted by angiep at 9:50 AM on October 15, 2016 [8 favorites]
Glinn, I think there was something hopeful in the story...one can move on, one can heal. That doesn't mean a happy ending, necessarily, but a hopeful one.
posted by angiep at 9:50 AM on October 15, 2016 [8 favorites]
"And the Academy Award for Best Presentation Of Stubble In An Animated Short goes to...."
That kind of blew me away, actually. That and the individual fibres in his flannel shirt, his blowing strands of hair, the dirt,etc. So many tricky textures. CGI has come so far from when everything just looked shiny.
posted by chococat at 10:00 AM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
That kind of blew me away, actually. That and the individual fibres in his flannel shirt, his blowing strands of hair, the dirt,etc. So many tricky textures. CGI has come so far from when everything just looked shiny.
posted by chococat at 10:00 AM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
...the film makers were trying to show that any kind of story is suitable for animation.
Yet a ledge was necessary? With the twist of a shotgun? Which gets you blood.
Because that's real? Know I know what Road-runner is missing. /sarcasm
This is more than anemic compared to the set-up of Up.
That said, the opening scenes of the sky knocked my socks off.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 10:14 AM on October 15, 2016
Yet a ledge was necessary? With the twist of a shotgun? Which gets you blood.
Because that's real? Know I know what Road-runner is missing. /sarcasm
This is more than anemic compared to the set-up of Up.
That said, the opening scenes of the sky knocked my socks off.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 10:14 AM on October 15, 2016
The animation was beautiful, but I have to agree that the writing felt weak.
posted by YAMWAK at 10:25 AM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by YAMWAK at 10:25 AM on October 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
That kind of blew me away, actually. That and the individual fibres in his flannel shirt, his blowing strands of hair, the dirt,etc. So many tricky textures.
It's one of the few things online that I've watched on my ridiculous "5K" iMac monitor that seemed to really make use of the super-high-resolution of my screen.
posted by hippybear at 10:42 AM on October 15, 2016
It's one of the few things online that I've watched on my ridiculous "5K" iMac monitor that seemed to really make use of the super-high-resolution of my screen.
posted by hippybear at 10:42 AM on October 15, 2016
You really need a Cor-Mac to watch that one.
posted by chavenet at 10:48 AM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 10:48 AM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I don't get the grar. That was a whole world in under six minutes. I liked it.
posted by mochapickle at 10:53 AM on October 15, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 10:53 AM on October 15, 2016 [9 favorites]
The scenery was beautiful and the introductory character felt alive in a startling way but issues with the story made me start skipping forward: what happened to the bad guy who was right on their tail? How exactly did the 250 pound father think that beckoning his 88 pound son over the edge of the cliff was going to work, I mean apart from the safety issues - how was the kid supposed to get enough leverage to make any kind of a difference? Then I start thinking about Trump supporters and their struggle - needing to be ever wary of a faceless evil, with guns at hand, how noble and proper it is that authority be handed down through a bloodline. Then I feel like a jerk for dumping all my issues over the hard work of people who are just trying to make something nice for me to enjoy.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:59 AM on October 15, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:59 AM on October 15, 2016 [13 favorites]
I agree that the animation was top-notch. I also agree that the writing was a bit choppy, trying to cram a whole story into less than 6 minutes. It's not as polished as a whole movie, but hey - it's a short, that was probably cobbled together in what little tidbits of "free" time the creators had - i.e. it couldn't have gotten the time and effort and money a full movie does. Given that, I don't think it's too bad overall.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:31 AM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:31 AM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
As for asking his son for help, the father is a pretty strong guy, he probably thought he could pull himself up if he just had a little more leverage, just a little more grip. He wouldn't have to put all of his weight on his son. In obstacle course challenges like this, I've helped my husband over walls.
As for the story, it was unexpected. I liked it.
posted by domo at 11:34 AM on October 15, 2016
As for the story, it was unexpected. I liked it.
posted by domo at 11:34 AM on October 15, 2016
I don't get the grar. That was a whole world in under six minutes. I liked it.
I nearly referenced Star Wars Awakens and its smearing blood across a stormtrooper's mask because (and I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong) the only blood presented before had been alien blood and Luke's bandaged hand. So, deliberate choices of graphic terms and new dimensions and all that. That's how I'm interpreting any story here because other than blood, what else hasn't Pixar treated? Certainly not sobbing or generational themes. And that's why I cited Up-- its opening engages loss and the arc of a shared life and has been sufficiently lauded to skip it here except to say the sentiment of this uncanny "ledge scene", twisted by accidental homicide, has more in common with Road Runner than No Country for Old Men.
There is no story animation can't tell, or won't, but this story requires conveniences such as the pocket watch remaining among the debris to be discovered some decades later when the grown man returns, after playing the blood big by it just after the accident. He just left it there?
It's not a world. It's an exercise in unprecedented gore and a debatable metric by which a claim of any story can be told-- it's merely emphasis of what is resisted: blood and animation.
And very male. That's right. I said it.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 11:34 AM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
I nearly referenced Star Wars Awakens and its smearing blood across a stormtrooper's mask because (and I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong) the only blood presented before had been alien blood and Luke's bandaged hand. So, deliberate choices of graphic terms and new dimensions and all that. That's how I'm interpreting any story here because other than blood, what else hasn't Pixar treated? Certainly not sobbing or generational themes. And that's why I cited Up-- its opening engages loss and the arc of a shared life and has been sufficiently lauded to skip it here except to say the sentiment of this uncanny "ledge scene", twisted by accidental homicide, has more in common with Road Runner than No Country for Old Men.
There is no story animation can't tell, or won't, but this story requires conveniences such as the pocket watch remaining among the debris to be discovered some decades later when the grown man returns, after playing the blood big by it just after the accident. He just left it there?
It's not a world. It's an exercise in unprecedented gore and a debatable metric by which a claim of any story can be told-- it's merely emphasis of what is resisted: blood and animation.
And very male. That's right. I said it.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 11:34 AM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
I won't argue with the "very male" part, but the pocket watch contrivance is exactly the sort of thing I meant about the choppy writing. They're sort of lazy shortcuts, meant to cram too much meaning and drama and "backstory" into too short a time; they lack the sort of nuance that would be much easier to work into a full-length story. All the Pixar shorts I've seen, to one degree or another, have traded nuance and complexity for easy tropes and slapstick. The death/blood bit is new, and a bit disquieting, but that still fits into my premise. Maybe they're shooting for sorry, attempting to make animation more "grown up"? I hope they decide to do that, but without going all Tarantino...
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:45 AM on October 15, 2016
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:45 AM on October 15, 2016
Arguing about the reality of an animated short is pointless. Would you really take down, say, Paperman because paper airplanes don't fly that way, because there are too many coincidences, because the stern boss cliche is already a cliche?
Bah. That's no fun.
It got me thinking what the son's life had been like -- he's lived a lifetime of regret, and yet he took on his father's job as sheriff and wears the star. The ledge is a metaphor: He sought out to jump off of it, but found a reason not to (the watch is also a metaphor) and finds a way to move on.
I barely even noticed the blood.
posted by mochapickle at 11:46 AM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
Bah. That's no fun.
It got me thinking what the son's life had been like -- he's lived a lifetime of regret, and yet he took on his father's job as sheriff and wears the star. The ledge is a metaphor: He sought out to jump off of it, but found a reason not to (the watch is also a metaphor) and finds a way to move on.
I barely even noticed the blood.
posted by mochapickle at 11:46 AM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
I barely even noticed the blood.
It's unprecedented by Pixar, no? So, significant.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 11:50 AM on October 15, 2016
It's unprecedented by Pixar, no? So, significant.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 11:50 AM on October 15, 2016
> It's unprecedented by Pixar, no? So, significant.
Boy, talk about inside baseball. I neither know nor care whether Pixar has used blood before, and is that really how we're supposed to judge movies? I liked it and passed it along; thanks for the post.
posted by languagehat at 11:53 AM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
Boy, talk about inside baseball. I neither know nor care whether Pixar has used blood before, and is that really how we're supposed to judge movies? I liked it and passed it along; thanks for the post.
posted by languagehat at 11:53 AM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
And now, watching the "why we made it" video, sure enough they were trying for more "adult" themes. I don't necessarily agree with their choices, but I like the notion itself.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:54 AM on October 15, 2016
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:54 AM on October 15, 2016
I nearly referenced Star Wars Awakens and its smearing blood across a stormtrooper's mask because (and I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong) the only blood presented before had been alien blood and Luke's bandaged hand.
I assumed the smear of blood was so we could track that one Stormtrooper amidst the sea of sameness that are a mass of Stormtroopers. Similar in function to the pink coat in Shindler's List, really. It hadn't even once occurred to me whether blood was presented in the SW universe before. I just saw it as a tracking signifier.
posted by hippybear at 11:54 AM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
I assumed the smear of blood was so we could track that one Stormtrooper amidst the sea of sameness that are a mass of Stormtroopers. Similar in function to the pink coat in Shindler's List, really. It hadn't even once occurred to me whether blood was presented in the SW universe before. I just saw it as a tracking signifier.
posted by hippybear at 11:54 AM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
... is that really how we're supposed to judge movies?
No, but it's significant to this short, and to Mighty Mickey.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 11:58 AM on October 15, 2016
No, but it's significant to this short, and to Mighty Mickey.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 11:58 AM on October 15, 2016
Similar in function to the pink coat in Shindler's List...It hadn't even once occurred to me whether blood was presented in the SW universe before. I just saw it as a tracking signifier.
Exactly, exceptions.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 12:06 PM on October 15, 2016
Exactly, exceptions.
posted by lazycomputerkids at 12:06 PM on October 15, 2016
The visceral display of death was definitely new for Pixar, and for animated shorts of this quality in general. And while the technical achievements were significant, I agree that the narrative was weak. It depended too heavily on the protagonist's pained sighs and left significant plot points - like what happened to the bad guys - completely unresolved. It was almost as if the lead character were overacting to make up for the lack of a plot.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:08 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:08 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure why everyone is analyzing this as a Pixar film, when they're nowhere to be seen in the production credits. Yes, it's made by a bunch of people who currently work for Pixar, but the short is produced by their own company Quorum Films.
posted by effbot at 12:30 PM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by effbot at 12:30 PM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
Jesus, people. Pixar shorts are generally always about testing some small aspect of animation, or the idea of animation. Kind of like a proof of concept. It doesn't always matter if every element somehow redefines animation. If they figured out whatever it was they were asking themeslves, then it succeeded.
Yeah, the cliff was hokey, and we all saw the shooting coming just as soon as the dad handed the gun over. Heck, dad dying was a given as soon as he handed over the watch. But, it wa a nice little bit with not s speck of funny in it.
Did the dad successfully shoot the bandit? I didn't catch it, if he did.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:41 PM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
Yeah, the cliff was hokey, and we all saw the shooting coming just as soon as the dad handed the gun over. Heck, dad dying was a given as soon as he handed over the watch. But, it wa a nice little bit with not s speck of funny in it.
Did the dad successfully shoot the bandit? I didn't catch it, if he did.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:41 PM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
How exactly did the 250 pound father think that beckoning his 88 pound son over the edge of the cliff was going to work,
I'd reckon that he was probably thinking something like "ABOUT TO DIE GRAB ANYTHING" rather than any kind of physics or math about leverage.
posted by chococat at 12:48 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'd reckon that he was probably thinking something like "ABOUT TO DIE GRAB ANYTHING" rather than any kind of physics or math about leverage.
posted by chococat at 12:48 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Jesus, people. Pixar shorts are generally always about testing some small aspect of animation, or the idea of animation. Kind of like a proof of concept. It doesn't always matter if every element somehow redefines animation. If they figured out whatever it was they were asking themeslves, then it succeeded.
Well, shucks. I guess all that money is just a coincidence ;)
posted by lazycomputerkids at 1:05 PM on October 15, 2016
Well, shucks. I guess all that money is just a coincidence ;)
posted by lazycomputerkids at 1:05 PM on October 15, 2016
Reiterating that this isn't actually a Pixar short. I don't know about its funding, but it's definitely not Pixar dollars (not directly) that made this.
posted by hippybear at 1:35 PM on October 15, 2016
posted by hippybear at 1:35 PM on October 15, 2016
I get that we are all different and unique, but I have a really hard time fathoming that some people look at this and wonder "so, what happened to the bad guy".
posted by Iteki at 1:37 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Iteki at 1:37 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
Note to self: whenever using a rifle for cliff edge self-rescue, point barrel up.
posted by gottabefunky at 1:47 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gottabefunky at 1:47 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Loved the animation; it was well done. Agreed the story is a little lacking, but watching the video on why they made it I'm struck by a couple of things:
-they were trying to explore using animation to tell more adult stories/touch on more adult themes which I find interesting - not because it's like "oh wow, what a concept" but that I think the fact that animation can be used for that is pretty well established.
-they also deliberately wanted to play with the stereotype/caricature of the male western protagonist, who is stoic and unflappable; which they did, but again - I feel like that idea has already been played with very well in films like "Unforgiven" and others since.
As a short, I think it works and succeeds at the limited goals they had set for it, and I like it; but I also think that they could have set loftier goals for the story because I feel like what they set out to explore & test has been done. But I'm not going to take swings at anyone for spending the time to go and create something with a lot of production value and then share it for free.
And maybe I'm lost here, but: I get that a lot of the talent currently work for Pixar, but I don't see the name of Pixar or the Mouse anywhere involved with this; it appears to be something they did on their own. So maybe we shouldn't be tying it back to what this means for Pixar or Disney in terms of their storytelling choices? We also spend a lot of time bitching about how our mass-media overlords control the stories we are told, so I'm also happy to see some people involved inside the beast stepping outside and trying something different, even if I think they could have been a little bolder in pushing some boundaries.
posted by nubs at 1:49 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
-they were trying to explore using animation to tell more adult stories/touch on more adult themes which I find interesting - not because it's like "oh wow, what a concept" but that I think the fact that animation can be used for that is pretty well established.
-they also deliberately wanted to play with the stereotype/caricature of the male western protagonist, who is stoic and unflappable; which they did, but again - I feel like that idea has already been played with very well in films like "Unforgiven" and others since.
As a short, I think it works and succeeds at the limited goals they had set for it, and I like it; but I also think that they could have set loftier goals for the story because I feel like what they set out to explore & test has been done. But I'm not going to take swings at anyone for spending the time to go and create something with a lot of production value and then share it for free.
And maybe I'm lost here, but: I get that a lot of the talent currently work for Pixar, but I don't see the name of Pixar or the Mouse anywhere involved with this; it appears to be something they did on their own. So maybe we shouldn't be tying it back to what this means for Pixar or Disney in terms of their storytelling choices? We also spend a lot of time bitching about how our mass-media overlords control the stories we are told, so I'm also happy to see some people involved inside the beast stepping outside and trying something different, even if I think they could have been a little bolder in pushing some boundaries.
posted by nubs at 1:49 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I get that we are all different and unique, but I have a really hard time fathoming that some people look at this and wonder "so, what happened to the bad guy".
I definitely did in the moment, which doesn't have a lot to do with why I disliked it in general. I just thought it wasn't super interesting or well done.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:56 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I definitely did in the moment, which doesn't have a lot to do with why I disliked it in general. I just thought it wasn't super interesting or well done.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:56 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'd reckon that he was probably thinking something like "ABOUT TO DIE GRAB ANYTHING" rather than any kind of physics or math about leverage.
Maybe if your lizard brain was trying to keep your head above water. Not so understandable for someone who's supposed to be the 19th century equivalent of a first responder to be beckoning his child over the edge of a cliff, on the slight chance that they might be able to provide that tiny bit of extra force he needed to haul his butt up from a ledge, especially since at that point, he'd be removing the force one arm from the equation.........aaaaand there I go again.
posted by bonobothegreat at 2:20 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Maybe if your lizard brain was trying to keep your head above water. Not so understandable for someone who's supposed to be the 19th century equivalent of a first responder to be beckoning his child over the edge of a cliff, on the slight chance that they might be able to provide that tiny bit of extra force he needed to haul his butt up from a ledge, especially since at that point, he'd be removing the force one arm from the equation.........aaaaand there I go again.
posted by bonobothegreat at 2:20 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
so, this story was about a plate of beans?
posted by HuronBob at 2:38 PM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by HuronBob at 2:38 PM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
Note to self: whenever using a rifle for cliff edge self-rescue, point barrel up.
Unless you're the one still on the cliff, of course.
posted by Paul Slade at 3:23 PM on October 15, 2016
Unless you're the one still on the cliff, of course.
posted by Paul Slade at 3:23 PM on October 15, 2016
I'm not an animation expert, but I thought it was well done. The plot was an interesting idea but definitely needs work. What happened to the bad guys? Why were they in the middle of nowhere in an empty stagecoach? What did they have that the bad guys were after that was so valuable? And the whole time dad was hanging from the cliff I was mentally screaming at the boy to go grab some leather straps or rope from the wreckage to throw down to him. Finally, how did he get out of there, and why did they just leave all the wreckage there? Of course, the fact they got me thinking about it so much means they deserve more credit than I am giving them.
posted by TedW at 3:48 PM on October 15, 2016
posted by TedW at 3:48 PM on October 15, 2016
There's blood in "Finding Nemo", one of the sharks huffs it up.
posted by chavenet at 4:09 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 4:09 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Looks amazing. It really reminds me of The Last of Us — the themes, the music, the way it's cut, the stubble, the "what do I do, what do I do?!" line. Hell, there's even a gifted watch that gets broken in the defining moment.
posted by lucidium at 4:28 PM on October 15, 2016
posted by lucidium at 4:28 PM on October 15, 2016
Note to self: whenever using a rifle for cliff edge self-rescue, point barrel up.
That's what I don't get. He reaches with his hand to his gun gripping it by the stock, while holding on to the rock with his other hand. He would already have handed the gun up barrel first except he finds time to turn the gun round first and (I imagine - you don't see it) awkwardly manoeuvre his hand down it from the stock to the end of the barrel. What?
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 5:16 PM on October 15, 2016
That's what I don't get. He reaches with his hand to his gun gripping it by the stock, while holding on to the rock with his other hand. He would already have handed the gun up barrel first except he finds time to turn the gun round first and (I imagine - you don't see it) awkwardly manoeuvre his hand down it from the stock to the end of the barrel. What?
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 5:16 PM on October 15, 2016
Aw, this was great! I particularly liked the head model for the son, it's about 3x the extreme of normal character sliders. The crazy-narrow chin, the bizarre nose, and yet it all looked compelling.
I also liked this as an insight into what it looks like for Pixar folks to do something adult. See also Grave of the Fireflies, the Studio Ghibli masterpiece.
posted by Nelson at 6:01 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I also liked this as an insight into what it looks like for Pixar folks to do something adult. See also Grave of the Fireflies, the Studio Ghibli masterpiece.
posted by Nelson at 6:01 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh look; Pixar defaults to male protagonists yet again.
posted by tzikeh at 10:39 PM on October 15, 2016
posted by tzikeh at 10:39 PM on October 15, 2016
I find it interesting, and a little odd, that people are saying the story is "weak" or "lacking" or "hokey". There isn't much story there, true -- but this film clearly wasn't primarily intended as a narrative work of art; it's a portrait of a character's feelings and memories at a single moment in time. You're not wrong, exactly, but it just feels irrelevant... at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it's like criticizing the Mona Lisa because Leonardo did a bad job of explaining what she's smiling at.
Anyway I don't even know why we're talking about this, because HOLY CRAP did you see that sky at the end. What an absolutely stunning technical feat.
posted by teraflop at 11:57 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
Anyway I don't even know why we're talking about this, because HOLY CRAP did you see that sky at the end. What an absolutely stunning technical feat.
posted by teraflop at 11:57 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
The artwork, the style, the framing, the music - there were a lot of wonderful features about the animation. But criticising the writing isn't like criticising a painting for the lack of a plot. I think a closer analogy would be as if a painter had created a great portrait, but had made a mess of the background - buildings slightly out of perspective, a little out of place, and with unrealistic proportions.
There are too many little niggles and things that are not quite right. They've put so much effort into everything, and it's a huge project - it must have taken them ages. They got together professional animators, artists, musicians, producer, directors. And they seem to have decided that they'd DIY the writing.
The story had three writers, but none of them seemed to be full-on professionals.
I'm not saying 'I could do better', but I feel that they didn't take the option to find someone who could.
posted by YAMWAK at 2:12 AM on October 16, 2016 [3 favorites]
There are too many little niggles and things that are not quite right. They've put so much effort into everything, and it's a huge project - it must have taken them ages. They got together professional animators, artists, musicians, producer, directors. And they seem to have decided that they'd DIY the writing.
The story had three writers, but none of them seemed to be full-on professionals.
I'm not saying 'I could do better', but I feel that they didn't take the option to find someone who could.
posted by YAMWAK at 2:12 AM on October 16, 2016 [3 favorites]
I have a really hard time fathoming that some people look at this and wonder "so, what happened to the bad guy".
I don't know if that falls under continuity of just good ol' plotting/storytelling, but how could you just leave that unresolved? The bad guy just vanishes? Some continuity gaps are subtle. This one wasn't.
posted by oheso at 4:26 AM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't know if that falls under continuity of just good ol' plotting/storytelling, but how could you just leave that unresolved? The bad guy just vanishes? Some continuity gaps are subtle. This one wasn't.
posted by oheso at 4:26 AM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think the fact that animation can be used for that is pretty well established.
See Bakshi, Ralph
posted by oheso at 4:28 AM on October 16, 2016
See Bakshi, Ralph
posted by oheso at 4:28 AM on October 16, 2016
Couldn't the bad guy's plot function have equally well been served by (say) a rattlesnake spooking the horses? That way, the story could have avoided needlessly raising a question it wasn't going to answer.
posted by Paul Slade at 5:25 AM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Paul Slade at 5:25 AM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
The thing about the bad guy is that he's there to do several things: gets the coach going fast so that there can be an accident, gets the boy holding the reins so that everything is his fault, and establishes that the father has a rifle of some kind. Possibly more, I'm not sure.
A rattlesnakes could spook the horses, but then the father would be on the reins and so take a little of the guilt off the boy's shoulders. Plus you'd need another excuse to show that the father has a rifle.
The problem is that the bad guy isn't perfect - he disappears as soon as he's no longer needed, and he opens up other questions: why is the sheriff fleeing from the bad guy? Why is the bad guy taking on the risk of taking on a sheriff with a rifle when he's got a tiny little revolver? How come one small bad guy on a horse can't catch up with a loaded coach being ridden by two people? What geography creates a narrow canyon with a (mostly) flat floor that leads on to an open ledge that leads to a much larger, deeper, canyon that is otherwise surrounded by plateaus?
You can answer those questions, but they distract from the story. And it's like that throughout. Each of the quibbles people have mentioned above come from a less than ideal solution to the problem of setting up the boy to get the mother lode of guilt. The story comes first, sure, but it needs some support from the setup.
posted by YAMWAK at 7:06 AM on October 16, 2016 [4 favorites]
A rattlesnakes could spook the horses, but then the father would be on the reins and so take a little of the guilt off the boy's shoulders. Plus you'd need another excuse to show that the father has a rifle.
The problem is that the bad guy isn't perfect - he disappears as soon as he's no longer needed, and he opens up other questions: why is the sheriff fleeing from the bad guy? Why is the bad guy taking on the risk of taking on a sheriff with a rifle when he's got a tiny little revolver? How come one small bad guy on a horse can't catch up with a loaded coach being ridden by two people? What geography creates a narrow canyon with a (mostly) flat floor that leads on to an open ledge that leads to a much larger, deeper, canyon that is otherwise surrounded by plateaus?
You can answer those questions, but they distract from the story. And it's like that throughout. Each of the quibbles people have mentioned above come from a less than ideal solution to the problem of setting up the boy to get the mother lode of guilt. The story comes first, sure, but it needs some support from the setup.
posted by YAMWAK at 7:06 AM on October 16, 2016 [4 favorites]
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posted by twsf at 8:30 AM on October 15, 2016