Comic-Con founder Shel Dorf remembered

AN APPRECIATION, BY MARK EVANIER

When Shel Dorf died Nov. 3 at age 76, he was hailed as the founder of that big comic book convention down in San Diego – the one that reminds some of a cross between Brigadoon and Disneyland, materializing for but four days each year. “Founder” was not a bad word to describe Shel’s contribution since others did much of the organizing. What Shel contributed was the sheer love of comics, and of the folks who create them.

 And there was also the whole idea – “Hey, let’s put on a convention” – which seems to have come from him. Uttered to a group of local comic fans, it was as potent and transformative as Billy Batson shouting “Shazam!” and morphing into Captain Marvel. When folks wonder why the nation’s largest gathering of this kind is in San Diego of all places, the answer is simple: Shel Dorf lived in San Diego. That’s why.

He moved there in late 1969 when his parents retired to that city. Before that, he’d lived in Detroit and participated in a convention called the Detroit Triple Fan-Fair. And before that, he’d grown up in Detroit, utterly captivated by comics. He clipped Dick Tracy and other favorite strips from local papers, pasting them in vast, keepsake scrapbooks. Everyone loved "the funnies" back then but few went to that much effort to preserve and respect them. Shel wrote fan letters to the cartoonists, struck up friendships, even received invites to visit.

Pursuing a dream to become one, he studied art ... and if wishing alone could make you all you want to be, he’d have become Charles Schulz at least.  It apparently doesn’t, since Shel got no closer than his 14-year stint lettering the Steve Canyon newspaper strip for his friend and idol Milton Caniff. He also, in the 1980s, assembled a series of books reprinting the Dick Tracy newspaper strip. Those scrapbooks he’d filled as a child were the primary source material.

I met him in early 1970, months before the first convention, which they’d call the San Diego Golden State Comic-Con. His round face glowed when he spoke of the synergy (no, he didn’t use that word) that could result if fans and creators intermingled, each caste to be inspired by the other. The first three days of August of that year it happened, pretty much as he said it would – at the then-shabby, now majestic U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. There were 300 of us there, give or take a Star Trek fan, and it was a joy. These days at the con, there are that many people there ahead of you in line to buy a Diet Snapple.

Year after year, it grew and changed names ... though some of us called it (lovingly) the DorfCon, as in, “You going to DorfCon this year?”  Finally, it became the Comic-Con International.

Annually, it convenes in a mammoth convention center built in the late '80s as part of a far-reaching redevelopment project.  And what inspired the civic makeover?  In large part, the comic book convention, which now covers so much more than comics: motion pictures, television, video games and almost any form of imaginative, superannuated storytelling. For the 2009 edition, a staggering 125,000 attendees were reported; there would have been more there but that’s all the building could hold.

Among those not present: Shel Dorf.

He was hospitalized with multiple ailments, diabetes chief among them, for what turned out to be the rest of his life. Even if he could have attended, he wouldn’t have. He cut back in the 1990s and made his last visit in 2001. Too depressing, he said, instead spending the con dates in his tiny Ocean Beach apartment where he lived alone. He’d read comics and watch old movies ... making his own con, I suppose.

He didn’t like how big the one he started had become, didn’t like how top movie stars were eclipsing top comic creators. He wasn’t the only person who felt that way but Shel had a more personal “didn’t like.”  He didn’t like having no piece of its annual seven-figure cash flow.  In the 1980s, he’d quarreled with those handling operations, demanding this and that. When he didn’t get it, he stormed out in a fit of pique, thereafter resisting all offers to come back, play a role and collect a paycheck or pension. I acted as go-between for some of those discussions but cannot explain why he preferred to play the angry exile.

Still, he was proud of what he started, but from afar. Entertainment industries thrive at that event. Millions are spent on books, comics and memorabilia. Mega-deals are made. Careers are launched. New talent is discovered, old talent is honored and everyone has an awful lot of fun. It flourishes because it was created not for money but upon a solid foundation of passion. Others did the heavy lifting, but that passion was supplied by Shel Dorf.  They can call the event what they will, but, for some of us, it’ll forever be the DorfCon.

-- Mark Evanier

Mark Evanier is the author of the 2008 book "Kirby: King of Comics" and is a longtime presence in the comics field as a writer, historian and former production assistant to Jack Kirby. His writing career includes stints in live-action television ("Welcome Back, Kotter"), animation ("Scooby Doo") and comics ("Groo the Wanderer").

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PHOTOS: Top, Shel Dorf in the days when the fan event was still called the San Diego Comic-Con. Middle, Dorf and Ray Bradbury, photographed by Mark Evanier. Bottom: Comic-Con International in 2008 drew more than 100,000 people.

Comic-Con founder Sheldon Dorf dead at 76

Sheldon Dorf, who founded the world-famous Comic-Con International comic-book convention, has died. He was 76. A longtime friend, Greg Koudoulian, says the Ocean Beach resident died at a San Diego hospital on Nov. 3 from kidney failure. He had diabetes and had been hospitalized for about a year. Dorf, a freelance artist and comic-strip letterer, founded Comic-Con in San Diego in 1970 after moving from Detroit. Today, the convention draws 125,000 fans a year and is a major gathering for comic-book fans, artists, writers and movie stars.

-- Associated Press

Documentary reminds fans to 'Dig Comics,' not just superhero movies

SATURDAY: FREE SCREENING OF "DIG COMICS" AT MELTDOWN

It seems comic book heroes are bigger than ever.

In 2007, "Spider-Man 3" topped the charts with a $891 million in worldwide box office. The following year "The Dark Knight" grossed more than $1 billion while "Iron Man" rang up $585 million.

But while heroes are flying high in theaters, comic book publishing is on the verge of being a mere footnote to the cinematic franchises it spawned.

That is deeply alarming to Miguel Cima, who wants to preserve the lore of the truly American pop-culture phenomena -- and he has the help of someone who knows about endangered species, namely actor Edward James Olmos, who led the ragtag fleet of human survivors in the critically acclaimed series "Battlestar Galatica" and, back in 1982, was a key cast member in "Blade Runner," regarded by some as simply the best sci-fi film ever.

Cima's documentary “Dig Comics” will screen this Saturday at the Los Angeles landmark store Meltdown Comics [7522 Sunset Boulevard, 323-851-7223] and it cautions that comic book lore and legacy is in jeopardy.  Through various interviews with comic industry vets -- such as Jeph Loeb, Scott Shaw and Dame Darcy -- personal pleas and assorted examples of the comic as art, Cima challenges viewers to see the importance of comics.

“It’s the most vibrant art form that exists in America today and yet nobody engages in it,” said Cima, who took a closer look at the state of the industry after trying to publish his own comic. “At the same time, there’s monetization of properties like X-Men and Batman; they’re making millions of dollars. But no one is going back to the source. People only know comics from the movies. It’s sad.“

The film won best documentary at the Comic-Con International: Independent Film Festival and has been selected for screenings at the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Tucson Film and Music Festival and the Royal Flush Film Festival in New York City. It recently screened at the Downtown Film Festival: Los Angeles.

And it’s garnered the attention of Olmos’ company, Olmos Productions, which has agreed to produce a full-length version of the documentary.

“I had no idea the comic industry had been so badly beaten up until I saw the documentary,” said Olmos, who will also appear in the upcoming masked-man film "The Green Hornet." “It’s a crucial art form that goes beyond comic books. We use it in the film industry all the time with storyboarding. It’s a fantastic art form and a great way to increase literacy among kids.”

Olmos will make a special appearance for the Saturday screening. He’ll take part in a post-screening Q&A with Cima, along with members of the cast and crew. 

-- Yvonne Villarreal

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When Spike met Maurice: Bringing 'Where the Wild Things Are' to the screen

It seems like everyone at the Los Angeles Times wants to write for Hero Complex now, and I couldn't be happier. This blog reached 1.2 million hits in July and is one of three finalists in the category on blogging commentary at the upcoming Online News Assn.'s Online Journalism Awards in San Francisco. One of the key reasons is the excellent exclusive content contributed by my fellow Times colleagues. Today, Chris Lee, a star writer for the Calendar section, writes up this conversation with Spike Jonze, who has some "Wild Things" on the horizon. -- Geoff Boucher

When bestselling children’s author Maurice Sendak contacted Spike Jonze at the start of this decade and broached the idea of a big-screen adaptation of his illustrated classic “Where the Wild Things Are," the filmmaker demurred. The book was a childhood favorite for Jonze, but how could he possibly translate a sweet story of a mere 10 sentences into a feature-length film?

“I was very hesitant in terms of, like, when I first started talking to him about ideas,” Jonze told me last month during a conversation about the process of creating a distinctive look for the movie’s big beasties.

Jonze warmed to the idea, however, during a frosty patch in his own life. He re-read the storybook about a little boy in a wolf suit who imagines himself in a magical neverland at a low ebb in his life -- it was during the break-up of his marriage to Sophia Coppola in 2003 -- and the director had a thunderbolt of creativity, a sudden moment of clarity. He phoned Sendak, spewing a torrent of ideas about how to bring “Wild Things” to the screen.

“I was telling him things I wanted to do and ideas of what the movie was about," Jonze recalled, "but I also wanted to make sure that this doesn’t betray what the book is."

Instead of being proprietary about all the new narrative twists and embellishments, Sendak encouraged the director -- or to be more precise, he demanded that the “Being John Malkovich” director be bold enough to put his own stamp on things.

“His attitude is so counter to that, to protecting anything,” Jonze said. “His assignment to us was, ‘Take this, make it your own. Make it something personal. This book was something I made when I was your guys’ age.’ It was almost like he handed it to us.”

Jonze enlisted big-deal literary sensation Dave Eggers to co-write the screenplay but continued to solicit Sendak’s input. Because of his health, though, the 81-year-old author was unable to travel to Los Angeles to give his OK to the movie’s monsters, plotting and overall production design. Undeterred, Jonze sent Sendak reams of drawings and photos of the work in progress. And from 2004 to 2006 he took every opportunity to travel back to Connecticut to meet with Sendak in his studio, an old converted barn.

“That’s where we got all the tweaks on the characters,” Jonze remembered. He added, while laughing: “He was like, ‘The muzzle is too long on the bull' or 'The feathers on the rooster could be much more flamboyant!’ ”

Once the production moved to Australia for principle photography, Eggers’ younger brother Toph -- who happens to be the co-protagonist in the author’s breakthrough memoir, “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” -- was consigned to shoot and edit a video diary for Sendak. For his part, the author remained fully committed.

“To be empowered by an artist whose work you respect and whose work has effected you for so much of your life was not only liberating, it was a mandate,” Jonze said. “Like, OK, we gotta go there. We can’t compromise it in any way.”

At Comic-Con International in July, Sendak left little doubt that he continued to have Jonze’s back after seeing the finished product. 

“I’ve never seen a movie that looked or felt like this,” Sendak said. “And it’s his personal ‘this.’ And he’s not afraid of himself. He’s a real artist that lets it come through in the work. So he’s touched me. He’s touched me very much.”

-- Chris Lee

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Toons and music unite: 'Phineas and Ferb' and 'Da Jammies' [updated]

It's kids' day, so why not spotlight two cartoons: the popular and successful "Phineas and Ferb," and the upcoming hip-hop toon from the creator of "The Proud Family" called "Da Jammies."

Each show puts emphasis on music and musical numbers.  Not a background filler, the music is a big part of the shows' originality.  Watching the Con's final program, "Buffy the Musical," or Fox's new "Glee," it's brought home how music is used more often to tell stories and not just set a mood.  The same can definitely be said about cartoons.

Even on the last day of Comic-Con, there's still some hustle and bustle.  I got to talk to the creators of the Disney Channel's "Phineas" -- Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh (who's in the above video) -- while they were in between events. Swampy spoke as they walked to an autograph session, and Dan chatted as he waited for the first person to come through a huge line of people waiting for autographs. [Updated 11:00 a.m., July 27]  Povenmire quickly chats about the show's emphasis on music.

Comic-Con 2009: The Hero Complex collection

So you didn't spend your entire weekend refreshing this blog and fighting thousands and thousands of people for a glimpses of "New Moon" and "Iron Man 2" at Comic-Con? We don't blame you, and we're here to help.

The annual film, television and all-things-geek fest at the San Diego Convention Center is a bit overwhelming. Everything from "Glee" to "Family Guy" to "Avatar" gets a showcase, not to mention your ol-fashioned superheroes (check out these photos from the Times' Spencer Weiner for a some of the best fan get-ups).

Team Hero Complex -- with a little help from writer/director David S. Goyer -- is still in San Diego as of Sunday afternoon, and expect more updates to be filed here shortly. In the meantime, here's a quick guide to bring you up to speed.

Comic-Con: Randy's giant doughnut stars in upcoming blockbuster films

To Angelenos, the distinctive doughnut is part of the city's charming urban scenery. To theatergoers, it will be larger than life. The giant doughnut that is the emblem of Randy's Donuts, constructed in 1952, will make appearances in two upcoming blockbuster movies rolling out in 2010.

In "Iron Man 2," the doughnut serves as a couch for Robert Downey Jr., who plays Tony Stark as Iron Man, chewing on a sugary one. In the next cut of the scene, Samuel Jackson peers up at Downey and says, "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to exit the doughnut."

In "2012," a digital replica of Randy's doughnut becomes unhinged. The apocalyptic film was directed by the "master of disaster," Roland Emmerich. As John Cusack's character tries to escape the destruction of Los Angeles in a black limo, viewers are treated to a scene in which the big doughnut breaks away from its moorings (free at last!) and starts bouncing and rolling down the street, barely missing Cusack's car.

Although these will be big moments for the 32-foot doughnut, it has had cameos elsewhere too. It's been in several music videos, including one by Snoop Dogg and another by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

-- Alex Pham

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter @AlexPham.

Photo: Dan Hontz via Flickr

'Iron Man 2' takes flight at Comic-Con

“It all started here,” director Jon Favreau told the packed house during Saturday’s “Iron Man 2” session at Comic-Con International. “Nobody cared before you guys did.”

It was just two years ago that “Iron Man” descended on the San Diego Convention Center and went on to make a staggering $318 million in the U.S. (and nearly $600 million worldwide) for a film about industrialist playboy-turned-fully armed superhero Tony Stark -- previously one of Marvel’s lesser-known crime fighters.

Anticipation for the sequel’s panel was so high that even Marvel executives and studio guests had a tough time getting in -- and some didn’t.

Though Favreau said production on "Iron Man 2" wrapped just a week and a half ago, the director brought five minutes of footage from the film, which -- if the reaction from the extra-packed Hall H is any indication -- could top the first. Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is working alone at the outset of the sequel. He rejects another offer to join forces with the group of heroes being assembled by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and is being ordered by the government to turn in his super-powered suit, which has been branded too dangerous a weapon.

The special preview also introduced the new cast members Garry Shandling as the senator demanding Stark’s suit, Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes (War Machine), Mickey Rourke as bad guy Ivan Vanko (a.k.a. Whiplash), Scarlett Johannson as Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) and Sam Rockwell as arms merchant Justin Hammer.

Cheadle’s replacement of actor Terrence Howard, who played Rhodes in the first movie,  is dealt with quickly during an introductory exchange between Stark and Rhodes: "It's me. I'm here. Deal with it. Let's move on," Rhodes says. (Howard reportedly exited the sequel after a salary dispute.)

Later, during the Q&A portion of the panel, Cheadle was asked if his performance was informed by Howard’s. The actor said he stuck to what the script dictated, “but I will say, being the vampire that I am, I siphoned off everything I could from Terrence's performance and then modernized it for 2009."

The audience also got its first look at Whiplash’s electrically charged whips and Cheadle donning his own high-tech get-up as War Machine.

"I can't believe your rig was heavier than my rig," Downey joked.

"It was a contractual thing," Cheadle replied.

When asked by a fan what she did to get the part of Black Widow, Johansson said, “I did a couple of knee bends, some lunges -- that came out wrong.” Downey jumped in, addressing the fan, “Did you bump your head? Her audition was her body of work.” Favreau said he liked that Johanssen showed up to their initial meeting having already dyed her hair red for the job. To prepare for the physical nature of the role itself, the actress said she trained in mixed-martial arts and ate a “a lot of egg-white omelets.”

Rourke wasn’t able to attend the panel, but in his absence, his co-stars talked up his commitment to the film. Favreau revealed that, to get into character, Rourke spent some quality time in a Russian prison.

“And I thought I was eccentric,” Downey said. “He’s something else.”

“You know, after perestroika, the first film to arrive in Russia was '9 1/2 Weeks,' " Favreau said. “Mickey’s a sex god in Russia.”  

As for the planned movie "The Avengers," a film that would team up a smorgasbord of Marvel heroes including Iron Man, one fan asked Favreau point-blank: Are you going to direct that film?

"I still have another year on ['Iron Man 2'] to go and they're getting ready to make 'Thor' with Kenneth Branagh directing," Favreau said. "'Avengers' doesn't shoot until we're done with 'Iron Man 2...Hopefully the movies will continue to cross-pollinate with each other and be involved with each other."

How's that for a non-answer?

“Iron Man” is set for a May 2010 release.

-- Denise Martin

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Photo: Robert Downey Jr., left, and Jon Favreau pump up the crowd at Comic-Con during Saturday's "Iron Man 2" panel. Credit: Getty Images

'True Blood' at Comic-Con: Yes, ladies, Eric really is that hot

Lest anyone forget, there is more than one vampire-themed entertainment phenomenon in the pop culture universe right now. 

"True Blood," HBO's hit adaptation of the Sookie Stackhouse mystery novels from author Charlaine Harris, has its own legion of devoted fans keen on the show's sexy, campy aesthetic, and plenty of them turned up Saturday to hear cast members Anna Paquin (on her birthday, no less), Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, Michelle Forbes, Deborah Ann Woll and Alexander Skarsgard and creator Alan Ball talk about what's in store for Season 2 and beyond. It was Skarsgard, though, who might have earned the most enthusiastic reception -- he plays vamp heavy Eric Northman on the Louisiana-set series, and well, there just must be something about those centuries-old former Vikings who become powerful immortals. They make the ladies swoon.

After screening a brief teaser reel promoting the second half of the current season, the cast took turns answering questions posed by moderator Kate Hahn from TV Guide and members of the audience, several of whom focused on the tension between Eric and Paquin's Sookie, who happens to be romantically involved with Moyer's Southern gentleman vampire Bill Compton. (The couple are also an item off-screen.) 

Paquin said that after Sookie's experiences last season -- when she suffered the loss of her grandmother and was in almost constant danger of losing her own life -- she felt that her character had become stronger and tougher, but conceded that she still gets into trouble. "Good thing she has her vampire boyfriend," she noted. Moyer, for one, intends to make sure that Bill remains Sookie's beau. "I'm not sure Bill's just going to roll over and let that happen," he said of any potential developments on the Eric-Sookie front. "He might not be as polite."

Which means things could turn ugly, and fast, as Skarsgard said that Eric's most likely not going to drop his advances toward the plucky cocktail waitress any time soon. "Eric's been around for a very long time. He's kind of over humanity, then she comes along and there's something different about her. For the first time in a long time, he's curious."

Skarsgard went on to say that he's enjoyed working on the series' second season, as it's allowed him to develop the character: "Eric was misunderstood. People would say, 'You're the bad guy,' and I had to defend him. He is a bad ass, but as an actor, you have to have layers. . . . He doesn't care for a lot of people, or vampires either, but the ones he does, he's very loyal to." 

For those who thirst for something else related to the show, Ball announced that TruBlood (an all-natural blood orange soda sold in replica bottles that look just like the props on the show) will be available for purchase Sept. 10, just in time for the Season 2 finale. Fans will be able to place orders at hbo.com.

And there's more good news for those who read Harris' novels: She revealed during the panel that she's signed a contract to write three more, which should take her up through 2014.

-- Gina McIntyre

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Richard Kelly on 'The Box': 'It's the most personal film' he's made

In his relatively brief career, writer-director Richard Kelly has seen plenty of controversy. His 2001 debut, "Donnie Darko," played the Sundance Film Festival, flopped at the box office and then went on to find a massive and loyal cult audience on home video (not to mention bolster the career of star Jake Gyllenhaal). His follow-up, "Southland Tales," was a wild, sprawling narrative set in a futuristic version of Los Angeles that drew a decidedly mixed reaction when an early cut screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006; it was more than a year later before the movie saw a very limited release in the U.S. 

Now, the Virginia-born filmmaker has crafted what might be his most conventional outing yet, the Warner Bros. thriller "The Box." Based on the short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson, Cameron Diaz and James Marsden star as a married couple who receive a strange visit from a man, Mr. Steward (Frank Langella) bearing a fairly nondescript-looking contraption. He tells them that if they press the button on top of the unit, they will receive $1 million, but a stranger will die.

Just before Kelly debuted new footage at Comic-Con on Friday, he told Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre in an interview that "The Box" is the most personal of all his films. It opens Oct. 30.

What made you want to adapt this particular Richard Matheson short story?

This story just stuck with me. I read it as a kid and I went and optioned it about six years ago from Mr. Matheson himself. I wanted to know who Mr. Steward was. Why does he show up with this button unit? Who does he work for? Why is he doing this to people? What does it all mean? Like a kid in Sunday school, I had all these questions and I felt like I wanted to be the guy to have a crack at answering some of those questions and playing this six-page short story out. The short story is the framework for Act 1, then Act 2 and Act 3 become all about Arthur and Norma [Marsden and Diaz] and their journey of redemption and discovery and salvation, dealing with the consequences of having pushed this button and then discovering why have they been chosen. 

'Heroes': Redemption in so many ways, and Spock vs. Sylar

We haven't heard much from "Heroes" in a while, and when this panel was announced, we didn't think we'd get much more.  In terms of the story, a new carnival motif with new characters lead by earthmover Samuel (Robert Knepper) will take some getting used to, but it seems to have focus.  In terms of the representation, though it was announced last week, it is always impressive to see so many of the major cast members make it out for the panel.

Introductions and screams go hand in hand at Comic-Con. Tim Kring (scream).  Jack Coleman. (screams). Masi Oka (huge screams). Hayden Panettiere. Adrian Pasdar. Zach Quinto (mega SCREAMS). Milo Ventimiglia. Robert Knepper. Dawn Olivieri. Ray Park. Madeline Zima.

Kring gave his usual thanks to the crowd, acknowledging that it was Comic-Con International that launched the show.  Despite a huge ratings drop, the fandom is still strong -- even before the panel, a crowd of people snapped away at the name placards on the table.

Volume 5: Redemption will launch on September 21, according to Kring.  G4's Blair Butler moderated, and started off with a question about where everyone's character would be at.  Each answered, but let's paraphrase -- it was a big panel.

Noah/HRG is trying to start a new Company. Hiro is dealing with a possibly terminal illness and haywire powers. Clare is in college, trying normalcy, and exploring relationships. Nathan and Sylar are still joined, with Sylar also being inside of Nathan's mind as well.  Their journey will be explained by midseason. Peter is back to being a paramedic, but as Milo says, "if someone comes at him swinging, he'll hit back harder."  Knepper's Samuel is the "reluctant ringleader" who will try to recruit the heroes to join the carnival.  Olivieri is Lydia, an empath, and she's naked a lot.  The super speedy Park "likes to play with knives." Zima is Gretchen, a college mate of Clare's just trying to be her friend ("with privileges," says Panettiere).

Whew...

Roland Emmerich's '2012' is 'the mother of all disaster films'

Disaster epic "2012" is directed by Roland Emmerich. Credit: Sony Pictures

Superheroes are all about saving their cities. Superman's got Metropolis to look after. Batman has Gotham City.

Roland Emmerich, on the other hand, destroys densely populated areas for a living. He wrecked Washington in "Independence Day." He flooded New York City into a watery grave in "The Day After Tomorrow." Now, the German director is busy laying waste to the entire planet in "2012."

It's a big job. And Emmerich, a detail-oriented director, is the man to do it. The film from Sony stars John Cusack and Woody Harrelson.

Sony didn't trot out the actors to promote the film at Comic-Con International alongside Emmerich. It didn't have to. The real star is Earth. Emmerich shows the planet shrugging off entire neighborhoods the way a dog shakes off water.

"I think of it as the mother of all disaster films," Emmerich said. "After this one, I can really retire."

Oh, but wait. What about the universe?

-- Alex Pham

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Tim Burton on past 'Alice' films: 'There wasn't anything underneath them'

Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre sat down with director Tim Burton Friday afternoon in San Diego to talk about the very busy schedule the filmmaker is keeping these days. He's just produced the dark, PG-13 rated animated fantasy "9," due out Sept. 9; he's in post-production on his elaborate adaptation of the works of Lewis Carroll, "Alice in Wonderland"; and he's looking to bring vampire Barnabas Collins to the screen with a "Dark Shadows" movie starring Johnny Depp. Part two of the conversation follows... 

G.M. How challenging has it been for you on 'Alice in Wonderland' since you're marrying several technologies to give the film its unique look? But also, how liberating has it been to utilize these new tools?

T.B.: I don't feel liberated yet, no, only because it's a very strange process and I like what I like. That's why I like stop-motion. On a live-action, you've got actors, you've got sets and that's what I like. This is almost the opposite of that. You've got a lot of pieces and not until very late in the game do you see a finished shot. I think I've yet to see a finished shot. It's quite a scary, daunting process. It's exciting but it's the opposite of what I'm used to. You see a piece of a shot and it's like a puzzle. You're trying to hope and make sure it gets to the right place but you're only seeing one piece at a time.

G.M. Did the process change how you worked with the actors?

 

T.B.: No. Because it's such a long  big process, the key with that is to try to keep that as energetic as quick and moving as possible because otherwise you just get bogged down in technology. We just didn't worry about the technology to begin with and just started to shoot so the actors could keep their energy and their focus. With these kinds of things you're acting against an animated character or something that's not there, so there's a lot of that kind of stuff. 

G.M. The sets and the costumes that Disney has on display here are just beautiful. 

 

T.B.: We had some reality to hang onto there a little bit. It helps, believe me. This is the first time I've dealt with a lot of green screen and it drives you nuts. After a while you start to get kind of jittery and crazy. It's a weird phenomenon. I'd never really experienced it to this degree. The thing is, you can't really deal with Method actors in that scenario. They're in trouble. That was part of the thing, you're going to be working in a void and you're going to be dealing with people who aren't there and you try to suss that out before you work with somebody. You can kind of tell when you meet somebody if they're going to go for it and I like those people anyway. I worked with some new people that I hadn't worked with and they were all great.

 

G.M.: There's so much 'Alice' material. How did you go through and select what to include in the film.

 

T.B.: Linda [Woolverton] the screenwriter, that was the thing I thought she did well and it was a hard thing to do. As books, [the story], it's very episodic, this story, that story. She ended up kind of using a lot of the vibe of the Jabberwocky poem, the weird language, that figures into it. You can't have every character but we tried to keep the few iconic ones, the Hatter, of course, and the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit and the March Hare and Red Queen, White Queen, that fit within the story that Linda wrote. Obviously there are a lot of characters that aren't in it. It was more important to take that material and try to make it a movie. Every other version I've ever seen I've never really connected to because it's always just a series of weird events. She's passively wandering through, [meeting] this weird character, that weird character. It's fine in the books, but the movies always felt like there wasn't anything underneath them. That's what we tried to do. Instead of the Hatter just being weird, is get some kind of underneath him, some kind of character underneath him. That's the goal is to give the Alice material a little more weight to it. 

G.M.: That notion of making her less passive is very interesting. Was that something that you talked about with actress Mia Wasikowska?

T.B.: What I liked about her is she's not a big demonstrative actor. She's got that old soul quality, somebody you can see has an internal life and intelligence and a gravity to her and kind of a slightly disturbed quality, which fits into the material. You've got to believe that she's got an internal life. That's what a lot of these stories are, characters kind of working out their issues or problems. You like to find somebody and they don't have to say anything or do anything, but you look at them and you know there's something going on, they have some kind of gravity. 

G.M.: Was that a difficult quality to find in a young actress?

T.B.: I met lots of good actresses but [Mia] just had something different about her that I liked. She's very quiet. It's not even something that you can put into words. I like those kinds of things were you can't necessarily identify it in a verbal or specific way. It's more of a feeling. 

G.M. How long is the post-production process, one year?

T.B.: Well, it comes out in March, so that's when it will end. It will go all the way up to that. It's the kind of project, most of these that use this kind of technology take probably a couple of years longer than we have. I don't mean that as an excuse. In some ways there's something kind of good about just having to do it, but in reality I wish there were more shots done than where we are at this moment. It's been daunting. If you saw how much was missing, you'd be nervous, too. [laughs]

G.M.: Would you do something this technically complex again?

T.B.: Right now it's hard for me to say. Usually you talk about a film, even at the end it's hard, I don't like it. But at this stage all I can think about is how much I've got to do. It's hard to say. I don't really know what the outcome's going to be. Any film you do, you just kind of finish and you wish you could spend a little bit more time on this or that. I don't yet know how much at the end of this I will have felt that I've compromised or not. It's a hard call to know. I don't even think I'm that much of a perfectionist, but it's hard to let go of anything. It's tricky. This one could be pretty rough way I don't know.

G.M.: You've talked about doing "Dark Shadows" next. Is that still the plan?

T.B.: I think so, yes. That's the plan. There was something very weird about that, it had the weirdest vibe to it. I'm sort of intrigued about that vibe. It's early days on it, but I'm excited about it. 

G.M. We seem to be in the midst of vampire-mania, what with "Twilight" and "True Blood" and other projects. What do you make of that?

T.B.: It happens. You look at the history of film and whether it's vampires or witches or wizards or whatever, it's like any great fable or fairytale, it's got a power to it. I think that's why people keep going back to it. There's something symbolic about it that touches people in different ways. It's symbolic for something, I'm sure with everybody it's slightly different but it's still powerful. All great stories, there are about five different variations. I grew up on monster movies and it wasn't until later that I realized it's all the same story basically, but the monsters are great and they're all different and it makes it feel like it's all different. The monsters have more personality than the actors around them a lot of times.

— Gina McIntyre

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Photo: Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter; credit: Walt Disney Co.  

'Zombieland' keeps the movie genre alive

Zombie movies are pretty straightforward. There are zombies. To survive, you have to kill them. The only surprise is in how you go about it. You’d think Hollywood would get tired of cranking out these films more than 40 years after “Night of the Living Dead.”

But like the zombies themselves, the genre never dies thanks to die-hard fans such as David McRae, a San Diego food service worker who came to watch sneak peaks of “Zombieland” this afternoon at Comic-Con. “There’s a big thrill in survival zombie movies,” McRae explained.

For “Zombieland,” the thrill lies in its witty script and its cast, which includes Woody Harrelson as a roughneck zombie hunter named Tallahasse who snuffs zombies with the zest of a professional exterminator. When not obsessed with Twinkies, Harrelson’s character takes a demented pride in the variety of his technique that is reminiscent of his role in “Natural Born Killers.”

“I thought this was going to be a silly zombie movie,” Harrelson said of why he took the part. “Reading it, I thought it was riveting. It’s a page-turner.”

Of course, if the dialogue fails to win the crowd, there’s always zombie killing as a source of endless creative possibilities (see Sony's trailer above).

Said an approving McRae, “This is the first time I’ve seen someone fighting zombies in an amusement park.”

— Alex Pham

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter @AlexPham.

'Lost' producers vow 'everything that matters will be answered'

Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof are Comic-Con royalty, so when they alluded to this being their last time addressing the throng as the producers of ABC's "Lost," a mass groan rose from the crowd Saturday morning in Hall H.

Well, everyone knew this day was coming. Cuse and Lindelof had arrived to set up the sixth and final season of their desert-island thriller. And they tried to lessen the pain by billing their appearance as "fan appreciation" day.

Lindelof assured the faithful that all the mythology and mysterious plot points would indeed be wrapped up this season. 

"Yeah, everything that matters will be answered," he told the crowd, still leaving some wriggle room for theorists (what doesn't matter?). Cuse even took the step of saying he was locking the scripted ending in a sealed chest, which would prove the writers were not making everything up as they went along, as some skeptics have insisted. 

As they have in the past, the producers made it clear that they were relieved to be able to announce a clear end date for the series. The pair famously battled over the issue with ABC executives, who were loath to let go of something with such a devoted fan base. "The biggest moment in the show's life was when were able to announce the show's death," Lindelof said. 

But as for details on this final season, the producers revealed little. "We will be as honest and forthcoming as we never were," Lindelof joked at the beginning of the session.

Instead, the pair trotted out plenty of surprises aimed squarely at hardcore Losties. Hall H erupted in pandemonium when Jorge Garcia, who plays the beefy Hurley, showed up at the microphone to ask a question, only to be interrupted by costar Michael Emerson. As the two engaged in a mock argument, hundreds of fans screamed and lifted cellphones to snap a picture. The producers then showed a gag reel of Emerson, looking nervous and wearing a baseball cap, supposedly auditioning for the part of Hurley back in 2004.

Indeed, the session brought a cornucopia of bits that can be added to future DVDs and to the overall "Lost" mythology. One favorite: A mock TV spot for Oceanic Airlines. That, of course, is the carrier at the center of the plane crash that launched the series.

— Scott Collins

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Comic-Con: 'Glee' producers spill secrets of Episode 2

Ok, it's not really Hero Complex material, but it WAS at Comic-Con...

For the true "Glee" fans — and there are a lot of them, judging from the standing-room-only turnout for the Comic-Con panel Saturday  — we should get the news out of the way first. The producers of Fox's quirky new show about a high school glee club premiered the entire second episode to fans (the first was aired on TV in the spring) and the reception was enthusiastic.

That was especially true for two musical numbers, covers of Kanye West's "Gold Digger" and (especially) Salt N Pepa's "Push It," which became a showstopper in the episode. Earlier this year, the cast's cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " lit up iTunes charts and became the show's signature tune...

Comic-Con: John Lasseter makes his first appearance

Pixar and Disney animation's John Lasseter arrived in San Diego for his first Comic-Con visit on Friday. In addition to promoting the upcoming 3-D releases of the original two "Toy Story" films and next year's "Toy Story 3," Lasseter was also on hand to accompany 68-year-old Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki (who received a standing ovation from the Hall H audience). Disney is releasing the English-language version of Miyazaki's "Ponyo" on Aug. 14.

Some excerpts of our chat with Lasseter:

Q: This is your first visit to Comic-Con. Why did you feel it was time to come?

A: I am looking at the importance of the Internet and how quickly word-of-mouth about a movie can get out, and the people who come here have always been early adopters. The people who come to Comic-Con also have been such big fans of Pixar, and it’s a perfect time in terms of "Ponyo" coming out. It’s the perfect way to get some word-of-mouth started.

Q: Why did you go back and revise the original "Toy Story" movies for 3-D?

A: It’s been so long since "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" were in theaters. We were really interested in bringing them back in some big way. We always have thought of our movies as being 3-D, because they are truly three-dimensional worlds within the computer. We didn’t want to touch the movies — to go in and change things, and improve things. We just went back to add another eye view to make them 3-D.

Q: Was there a temptation to go back and fix a line of dialogue or improve a shot you didn’t quite get right?

A: No. We feel that when the movie is released, we are happy with it. It takes four years to release these films, and I am happy with that. Where we look back is to see where the technology has gone, “Oh boy, we could things a lot better now.”

Q: When you make a movie in 3-D, do you conceive it differently than when if it were in 2-D?

A: The story isn’t any different. But in the way that we stage the story, it is a little different. We are trying to look at things in terms of more dynamic staging — where the depth is there. Our thing with 3-D is that we don’t want to do all of that stuff where things are coming at you. It’s a gimmick, and I think it pops people out of the movie. One of the things that we strive to do is create a suspension of disbelief — where you get swept up in the story, and don’t think of anything else. And anything within the filmmaking that makes people not just think about the story — well, that goes against what we are striving to do. Our use of 3-D is to pull you into the story all the more, to give it depth and believability.

Q: But is there still a place for 2-D, hand-drawn animation like "Ponyo" and “The Princess and the Frog?”

A: Of course. You have to see these characters and the style and the liveliness of the animation. Everybody thinks there is just one way to make movies. But different stories can lend themselves to different mediums. And the story and characters of “The Princess and the Frog” just lends itself so beautifully to that medium. It just comes to life in a way that is different than computer animation. And look at the painted backgrounds in Miyazaki’s “Ponyo.” They are just absolutely beautiful.

Q: You are very disciplined at story. But you also only make a movie a year. At what point does increased production output put pressure on your rigorous screenplay process?

A: We are going to be at three movies in the next two years. So we are ramping up. Story is the most important thing for us. It always has been and it always will be. But we went from a movie every three years to a movie every year without changing quality. We just recognize that you can’t do it overnight — we can’t just hire a bunch of people and double our output. You have to do it in a way where you have creative leadership, a creative core.

Q: You haven't directed a feature since 2006's "Cars." When are you going to direct next?

A: I am working on the little "Cars Toons" short films. But I am plenty busy right now [before I direct another feature].

-- John Horn

Photo: "Ponyo." Credit: Walt Disney Co. 

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The Emmy-nominated 'Family Guy' and the abortion episode you won't see

Following a rollicking "Chuck" panel that included the actors singing and dancing and pondering the possibility of having action figures, the Emmy-nominated "Family Guy" panel took the stage.

Creator/voice wizard Seth MacFarlane led a panel that included actors Mila Kunis, Seth Green and Alex Borstein, who, after receiving an 'I love you' from some in the crowd said "I'll love you when you shut the hell up!"

In their introductions, a few plotlines were announced for the coming season. Brian, driving while drunk, hits a(nother) dog. Peter has an affair with a cardboard cutout of Kathy Ireland. Meg goes to prison and comes back a bit tougher. The crew's dark humor on display, Borstein belts out, "A little bit raped?"  Kunis counters by saying it's OK because "she liked it."

Even darker still was the revelation by MacFarlane that the group had produced an abortion episode that was a little too edgy for Fox.  It will be released in the upcoming season's DVD compilation.

An extended clip from the upcoming season's "Empire Strikes Back" episode was screened, starting off with a scathing Star Warsian scroll ripping George Lucas, 20th Century Fox, etc. for their marketing dominance. Then the intro text: "A long time ago, when the gays weren't all in your face about it ..."

It continued from there with jokes filled with sexual innuendos and digs at "Star Trek" and women. But that's "Family Guy," and the crowd loved it.

The Q&A session was a bit lackluster, with the first two questions admonished by MacFarlane.

"This isn't an audition," said MacFarlane. "Is anybody here NOT stoned?"

Others followed that included "What are you favorite musicals?" (MacFarlane: "The Sound of Music," "My Fair Lady," "and "The Little Shop of Horrors"); "How did you come up with the name 'Family Guy'?" (MacFarlane: "I was looking for something easy that could roll off the tongue." Borstein: "And 'According to Jim' was taken."); and a question about whether the cast gets along.

As MacFarlane answered it, Borstein and Green embraced, then kissed, then moved under the table.  Kunis joined them, and seconds later, Green came up for air and to grab a bottle of water. Then he went back under the table.

-- Jevon Phillips

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Tim Burton, back at Comic-Con after more than three decades

Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre sat down with director Tim Burton Friday afternoon in San Diego to talk about the very busy schedule the filmmaker is keeping these days. He's just produced the dark, PG-13 rated animated fantasy "9," due out Sept. 9; he's in post-production on his elaborate adaptation of the works of Lewis Carroll, "Alice in Wonderland"; and he's looking to bring vampire Barnabas Collins to the screen with a "Dark Shadows" movie starring Johnny Depp. Part one of the conversation follows... 

G.M.: What's your Comic-Con experience been like so far?

T.B.: I haven't been here in many years. I came here as a student in the '70s and haven't been back since. It's quite amazing how big it's gotten. It's shocking really. It's such a positive energy, there's a lot of passionate people, so it's a bit daunting to show something but that's why you make movies. That's what's great about the environment here. People are very passionate about the environment here and that's again why you make movies so it's exciting to be around that energy. I love seeing people dressed up. It's surreal and amazing and beautiful. I just remember last time I was there, it was some booths and stuff, but the builds that they have, it's incredible.  

G.M.: You mentioned during the Focus Features' panel on "9" that you felt you shared a certain sensibility with the film's director, Shane Acker. I can't imagine that's something you experience too often.

T.B.: I don't. Also, too it was different enough from mine, but I felt a connection to it. Having gone through this process myself trying to get films made and done and how much of a problem it is to have that happen, I thought I could help him with that, I thought I could help protect him from the forces of evil and let him focus on making his film.

G.M.: What specifically did you do to help him get the film made?

T.B.: I suggested the screenwriter who I'd worked with before. What I tried to do, I've been an animator, it's a very strange job. It requires a lot of focus and sometimes you can just get so focused on something, so I felt very lucky to not be in there every day and just be able to look at things and have a fresh perspective. Animation takes so long it's hard to have a fresh view of it especially when it's so in your head. It was luck for me and for [producer] Timur [Bekmembetov] that we could [provide] more of an overview, look at things from a fresh perspective and just kind of help that way. I didn't want to be one of those guys, I liked what he did, so there was no wanting to put my own stamp of approval on it. He could use us however he wanted, and he's very open, which is great. There was no weird ego kind of thing going on. I always felt that real artists don't have that kind of insecurity when it comes to taking suggestions or listening to somebody else's point of view. He was very open to it. That made it very easy to be involved. It was always for the benefit of the film. He took the notes he felt good with. But that's the way you want it. Otherwise, you shouldn't get involved with something if you're going to have to put your own stamp on to it.

G.M.: Did you know Timur before this?

T.B.: No. I'd seen his films. It's great to meet somebody like that. It just brought a whole other perspective too. It was a real international film in the sense. We were first looking to do it in Luxembourg and ended up in Toronto, Paris, London, all over the world. 

G.M.: You've said that we're at an interesting creative point in animation right now. Does a project like this still need a name like yours behind it to help get it made?

T.B.: I don't think so. The technology has gotten to the point where people can actually do this, they don't need a studio to get involved. It also helps doing it for a budget where there's not that pressure that you get when you have a bigger budget film. The fact is the studio was fine on this. The kinds of fights I've had in the past on things didn't really manifest themselves on this. I think it helps that we did it and then went to a studio as well, so it was a different situation. I've been through it, Timur's made films, Jim Lemley, the other producer... I think it allowed Shane to just focus on the film, which I think is a benefit.

G.M. Do you still have to have those kinds of arguments?

T.B.: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. At this point, I expected it to go away, but you'd be surprised. There's not a film that goes by where some major issue [doesn't arise]. I like to be a confrontational person. The movie industry it's a very negative aspect of it. They'll only listen if you go completely ballistic, and you just [want to say], 'Can't we not get to that place where you've got to go nuts?' Some are better than others, but you still have these issues because there's so much involved in making the film. It's not going to go easy. If there were no problems, just making the film is enough of a deal. 

-- Gina McIntyre

 

READ PART TWO: Tim Burton on "Alice in Wonderlad"

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Photo: Tim Burton at "9" panel. Credit: Getty Images

Photos: The faces of Comic-Con 2009

A.J. Wu of San Jose goes old school as "Sleeping Beauty" character Fauna.