Thunderbirds are Go or not

[uk 75]

People of varying ages have encountered the Gerry Anderson puppet shows, of which THUNDERBIRDS was arguably the most successful.
It has spawned three series of a CGI based version called THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO. A lot of work has gone into these, and the creators have included many nods to the original series.
In fact I was not a great fan of the series, I preferred the "guest vehicles" and toy like settings to the actual stories. But my gripe (yes again) here is against CGI.
Is it just me, or does CGI make everything into a bad cartoon version of the original. That is unfair, as I prefer the Toon Star Trek of the 1970s to the big screen modern version with its crazy and unbelievable stunts of people jumping huge distances with no ill effects.
CGI kit and equipment look like the old painted backdrops and don't have the realistic heft of the best models
Well, time for my medication...

 

[Foo Fighter]

Unless they get their fingers out there'll be no more for a while. If anyone needs medication it's those responsible for the split and failing to keep costs down. I was RAELLY looking forward to the next film too. You got any spare meds mate.........

 

[Orionblamblam]

Is it just me, or does CGI make everything into a bad cartoon version of the original.

You're not wrong. As an example, watch "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" on netflix. More to the point, watch the "making of" documentary afterwards. A few years ago before the show had been greenlit, the Henson Co. put together test footage showing a Skeksis chasing a Gelfling. The Skeksis was animatronic/puppetry just like the original, but the Gelfling was done by the very best CGI. It... just didn't friggen' work. Had they gone ahead with a CGI Dark Crystal, it would have been horrible.

When CGI is its own thingit can work just fine. But as a replacement for a distinctive style, it just doesn't work. On occasion CGI has been used to replace actual humans (Tarkin, etc.) and within limits it can work because they try Real Hard to make the CG version look *exactly* like the original. But replacing puppets or some other distinctive style with some completely other distinctive style rarely works.

 

[steelpillow]

CGI too often leaves the computer to fill in the transient human touches and other random details. It can't and the result inevitably has a bland visual quality governed by its fixed algorithms beyond the animator's control. Weta Digital's animation of Gollum in LOTR worked because they took extra pains. Facial movements were manually tweaked over and over under a tyrannical Peter Jackson until he was satisfied. An extra layer of modelling/processing added the semi-transparency that real skin has. And the major character movements were of course not created by CGI mass/force modelling but by Andy Serkis in a motion capture suit. Kid's TV series can't afford all that, like 2D cartoons their CGI is only as good as the medium and the animator. No 2D animator seeks ultimate realism, they all know that the whole art is in matching the graphic style to the subject matter. For some reason, whether technical or artistic I do not know, CGI animators have yet to gain sufficient control over their modelling style. Witness the persistence of traditional stop-motion modelling such as Wallace & Gromit. And, we can only hope, puppets.

 

[Arjen]

I watched the two Paddington movies back to back. At the start, I knew exactly when I was watching CGI. Real bears don't act the way Paddington does. After a few scenes, I simply forgot I was watching CGI mixed with live action. The movies just pulled me right in. Because of the script. The actors. And certainly because the CGI was that good.

 

[Rhinocrates]

A puppet doesn't have to be realistic to be compelling - it comes down to the puppeteers control, sensitivity and feedback. Someone animating CGI is too removed from the object, and not interacting in real time.

The genius puppetry behind War Horse

"Puppets always have to try to be alive," says Adrian Kohler of the Handspring Puppet Company, a gloriously ambitious troupe of human and wooden actors. Beginning with the tale of a hyena's subtle paw, puppeteers Kohler and Basil Jones build to the story of their latest astonishment: the...

www.ted.com

 

[Orionblamblam]

I watched the two Paddington movies back to back. At the start, I knew exactly when I was watching CGI. Real bears don't act the way Paddington does.

Don't worry... go back to the original Paddington movie, before CGI, the bear acts in a perfectly normal bear-like manner.

 

[Arjen]

Somehow I don't think Michael Bond was involved at all.

 

[sferrin]

Back in the day

I watched the two Paddington movies back to back. At the start, I knew exactly when I was watching CGI. Real bears don't act the way Paddington does.

Don't worry... go back to the original Paddington movie, before CGI, the bear acts in a perfectly normal bear-like manner.

Back in the day the book cover gave me the creeps.