Binge-Watchers Podcast

Lairs And Layers - A Don Bluth Special - Animation - Animation Film History - Dragon's Lair Series

June 11, 2019 Johnny Spoiler, Dangerous Dave Season 9 Episode 12
Binge-Watchers Podcast
Lairs And Layers - A Don Bluth Special - Animation - Animation Film History - Dragon's Lair Series
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Show Notes Transcript

What Don Bluth means to animated film history, the awesome innovations he brought to arcade gaming, escaping from Dragon's Lair, learning there are cats in America, there was a land before time, how to rock our doodle, and so many secrets... this and more during our Don Bluth special!!!

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spk_0:   0:03
Dragonslayer fantasy adventure, where you become a Value Lights quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of evil. You control the actions of a daring adventurer finding his way through the castle of a dark wizard who hasn't it with treacherous monsters and obstacles. Mysterious cavern below the castle, Your odyssey continues against the awesome forces that oppose your efforts to reach the dragon's your quest.

spk_1:   0:43
What can be said about Don Bluth that hasn't already been said actually a whole lot, because I haven't ever heard anybody talk about before.

spk_0:   0:52
Correct. Open a coal box of wine. Oh, pull something cold on eyes because it's the binge watch and yeah, huh, I felt like it feels like he kind of faded into obscurity, but if you look like he hasn't, he's still like a video

spk_1:   1:30
game Shit. Yeah, I haven't totally faded like the last thing I saw that he was Jonas, like they were trying to raise money for ah feature length movie based on the Dragonslayer games, and I saw that there was like a Kickstarter and indeed go go like almost a $1,000,000 to make that movie. But it's weird, like he's had a string of these box office flops. But if you look at the movies, they're all good. Well,

spk_0:   1:57
I mean some, actually, I can't judge because there's a few of my having seen. Like, I haven't seen a trolled Central park or, um, Thumbelina, but those didnt exactly appeal them if you got a big

spk_1:   2:09
Thumbelina the fucking trash, man, Listen, I can't speak to Thumbelina about trolling Central Park is good. I mean, I think I mean, God damn it, he's the guy that made the anesthesia movie, which everybody raised about. But before that,

spk_0:   2:22
I watched it. I

spk_1:   2:23
mean, all right. Like, obviously like, he was talented enough to work at Disney, and he was also talented enough to form his own company and also clearly his ambitions, for I'm just gonna keep him a Disney. He had things that he wanted to do and make, and he struggled to make him. But God is the

spk_0:   2:39
only better. He kind of did as a fuck you to Disney too, because they, ah, like him and a bunch of Disney animators air like separated and mets. How secret of NIMH got started? Basically,

spk_1:   2:51
is that is that the origin of the with that movie.

spk_0:   2:55
Well, I mean in the sense of like, how he started an animation company like For what? For a while, it seemed like his career was based on a failure. Like Secret Name has a cold status now. But it was a failure at the box office, and he and he went bankrupt. And then he got in touch with video game company. He's and created Dragonslayer like, which is pretty revolutionary for the time. Did you ever play Dragonslayer?

spk_1:   3:19
Yeah, it's kind of cool, huh? We'll figure out how we explain. It's like a side scrolling movie that you play like you make decisions and then you get rewarded with cut scenes, which are like animated, but they were shot on film, so the game has a quality that's like, unlike other games for the fact that they have these things and animation cels from, like a real movie. Yeah, and I was trying to How do you How do you describe it? Like it was like, you

spk_0:   3:45
play like a Saturday morning video game, but like I remember the it was perfect. It was a perfect quarter popper because I remember he gets so pissed off like it was about timing, like Okay, gotta turn left to right to duck a log coming at you or something. And you always like, Yeah, it was just the perfect timing. And if you fucked up, the game was over. And then they fucking get you to pop into the quarter.

spk_1:   4:05
Yeah, you have, like, this silly night, and I don't remember his name, but you would execute these commands, and then the night would do it. You would see the animation for it. They did have us. Another game like that takes place in space days. Yeah, but it's not as fun is the dragonslayer. But then, like through the different like, um, like the arcade business, too. I can like, um, or home, you know, home computer gaming himself, like they kept dragging. So you're alive, like, kind of Ah, a little bit of different iterations. Like when they started making the console gaming and stuff, but, uh, yeah, Like I said, they're trying to raise money to turn it into a natural movie now, but I mean, okay, this is the guy you could basically just credit this guy with, like these following movies like As You Said They Did It. The adaptation of the name books into the secret of Newman. The movie. I mean, Spielberg recognized that he was so talented, he went to the sky and they did, you know, Pfeifle, right? Right. And then he was around this equal. But he did, and Spielberg also plugged in to do the land before time. So

spk_0:   5:11
what's like at the time American Tail came out like it became the highest, the highest grossing non Disney cartoon at the time,

spk_1:   5:21
which is funny because, like, uh and do is gonna go on, he's gonna go on like all right, we got some gems coming up. But like I say, like when I was a little kid, Pfeifle actually meant a lot to me and that move that. All right? Yeah, like I was sitting there thinking, like, how do I just talk about this guy when, like, I mean, I feel kind of bad that I historically don't know he's the guy that's responsible for American tail. And, like, uh, I mean, that's one of those movies. Like, I think I talk about my VHS copy of the Princess bride like I played that movie out like I literally lost the color bar on the top of the screen because I had just played that literally played the cassette tape so much that the tape, the micro tape or whatever inside the magnetic strip was wearing out. So I don't know how many times I've seen American tell. It's one of those movies. It's on TV. You stop whatever you know and you watch the movie. There's not many movies that have that kind of power, but this little cartoon about a mouse emigrating to the United States makes you stop and watch it. You mean so well,

spk_0:   6:23
it's, you know, the one. The one common theme that I c E r maybe not theme per se, but like is his movies aren't afraid to be dark for kid's movies like they get fucking brutally dark and you know, believe it or not, American towns no exception like they have, like the design on the cats. Like the Russian cats. They're like, eat fucking downright evil, like nightmare inducing, you know, because you know, you think to a little mouse

spk_1:   6:49
Well, is it fair to say dark or just dramatic like you just pulled into drama.

spk_0:   6:55
Um, I guess I guess I'm kind of combining it because I think he definitely gets dark in, um, secret in them. I mean, like, I watched it, um, like, a week or two ago and, like, you know, spoiler alert for anybody who hasn't seen it. Although you should go out and see it. But like, there's a scene in there towards the end, Where you there's these little mice imperiling. Do you think they're gonna die? And I fucking like, I'm sitting there like, Holy shit. Are they gonna actually fucking go for it? Because they've been years since I've seen it. So, you know, like, there's, um there's some real tension. Like there's a real darkness and the movies. But

spk_1:   7:29
isn't the mouse dad dead?

spk_0:   7:31
Yeah, it's a single mother.

spk_1:   7:34
Yeah. So there's that history Baxter buildup, how the dad went. And like all the mice are concerned, that's how they're gonna go out. Right?

spk_0:   7:44
Um, trying, even though I just wanted a week ago. Now I'm forgetting these t tells.

spk_1:   7:50
Don't they use Don't they use like what happened to Dad is like a parable of what's gonna happen to the rest of them or something,

spk_0:   7:56
I believe I believe so. Um, like, Mrs name asked a guy like getting art Mrs name. That's Mrs Brisby. Little mouths. Ah, like trying to excuse your son Timmy, cause he's got pneumonia. But, oh, my God. There's ah, they're seeing the actual tension in that little cartoon I'm telling you. And he's like, um God, I mean, you know, we talk about Disney and Old Yeller and, um, you know, Bambi, But like his shit's pretty traumatic. I mean, like, um, American tell is a weepy for like, a little kid because, you know, uh, imagine getting separated from your parents land before time. Uh, you know, he gets his mother dies and he is that left all alone. Although that kind of happened in Bambi, too.

spk_1:   8:41
But just a little foot. He's talking about a dinosaur. Currently, Yeah, jumping around jumping. I'm sorry. All the way around. All the dinosaur kids work together in land before time. And this was like before these ice age movies came out and, like, uh, try to think of it, there's only other dinosaur movies that are really that popular, but

spk_0:   9:03
not that popular in dinosaurs

spk_1:   9:07
before time was a big deal for quite a while because there was only there. Weren't that many epic cinematic dinosaur stories that were coming out and then land before time has done, like 13 Sequels. Directive video, which is predicted

spk_0:   9:21
instead of them, are worth your time

spk_1:   9:24
at the 1st 2 You could watch land before time. And then it's immediate sequel. He's all right. Oh,

spk_0:   9:29
I I cut after the second, the original sequel or the first sequel. If I hated it so much like that the music and shit minute just annoyed me. Um, but hey, having said that, I mean the originals. A classic I watched a year or two ago. Yes. Forget it holds up. I mean, it tugs at your fucking heart strings, dude. Um, death actually is a big part of his movies, man. Like death or separation. Um, because how? Look at his next movie After land, before time, all dogs go to heaven. It's right there in the fucking

spk_1:   10:03
folks. All bunch of heaven is awesome. There's a junkyard dog and him is other dark buddy run cones on people at like the boardwalk. And then, like, they also bet on horse races and they're like the docks talk to the horses and that's how they pick the beds. And then they they find a kid that can talk to them, and they really polish is an orphan's. They pulled her into, like, the betting world. They're obviously, you know, using her like a tool. But then she formed Attachments to the dogs, and then they form attention with her. But it's like I don't know. I mean, I guess in theory that dude, the main dog was a good dog. And then, like, he lost his way and then he literally has to be murdered in order for him to regain his heart. And then, like, I want to make sure that this girl was taken care of. But there's a bunch of Doesn't he have a bunch of puppies she takes care of because he visits his girlfriend dog and looking, Yes, orphanage or something. All right,

spk_0:   10:58
because I have that whole song pizza. Yeah,

spk_1:   11:01
cold pizza. And then hey gives these puppies some pizza and then, like it's a big, fat, cigar smoking cat that knocks a car off the end of a bridge like any drowns or whatever but his his friend is an alligator. Who the cat is afraid of something like that And like, uh, the cat or that the alligator owns, like a nightclub? Uh, something again. It sounds pretty zany, folks, but if you haven't seen all dogs go to heaven. I mean, if you had to like a race, this guy's entire, like filmography. Then you just pull out all dogs go to heaven. Everything else is gone and stand on it still stand on its own.

spk_0:   11:42
I agree that. I mean, he's that's I actually got to see that and land Before time in the theaters, I think those were the only two of his I'd actually seen it a theater. But

spk_1:   11:52
I saw a rocket on the theater's motherfucker,

spk_0:   11:55
Did you? I think I've seen it once on video, but it didn't matter. I have to give it a re watch at some point.

spk_1:   12:01
I mean, who doesn't want to see a chicken Elvis? And, uh, it's almost what? It's one of those adventures where it goes live action and animation like the kids sick on his farm, his family farm. But it's getting flooded during a drain storm, and so he has like a I don't know, the storm knocks him into a cartoon world, and he's like a little cat. And then, uh, and then the rocket little guys like, Oh, yeah, but he also carrying on like you're really going to the big city on some musical adventure, a little bit like Page master, you know, like Macaulay Holden's character, Storm Drain. And he suddenly animated, which, like you're talking about dark themes or death or whatever, like, Yeah, I'm sure that's what these these two kids were seeing as they die. They turn into cartoons as they drowned to death. You think this is the last fantasy

spk_0:   12:50
go? What is it like a Jacob's ladder type situation?

spk_1:   12:53
It's totally Jacob's ladder. You're just waiting for, like these, you know, demonic, uh, post traumatic syndrome demons. The chauffeur's off the way you think kids out. It's like rock a doodle. Then all of sudden, you find yourself in a Hell Raiser sequel. She's like, Hello, doodle hell raise a doodle. Well, why not matching up? We'll just imagine completely together. I mean, you're gonna end up, you know, Blue's gonna end up working on tightening of all things

spk_0:   13:26
We haven't gotten that quite We're getting there. I know. That's what you said. Just quickly. You know, next is Thumbelina and troll in Central Park. I guess she votes for those I haven't seen.

spk_1:   13:38
Okay, well, look, it's downhill from there, but well,

spk_0:   13:43
he has an uptick with, I think. Thumbelina. At least career.

spk_1:   13:47
I was gonna say,

spk_0:   13:48
Excuse me, Anna stages When? I don't

spk_1:   13:50
know. I was gonna skip that. We're gonna say Pebble on the penguin.

spk_0:   13:53
Oh, yeah, you know that. Apparently, I can't find that that much information, but apparently there's a lot of trouble with this one. And he, like, he wanted his name taken off because of the studio. Yeah, because in fact, it even says he's uncredited, But everybody knows he did it like, Hey, you had a fight with studio. I do believe

spk_1:   14:14
probably with a voice talent.

spk_0:   14:16
I'm not sure. Um, I seen this like once, years ago. I think it like, uh, I was baby sitting some kids, and they had him. I threw it on for him, but that's that's my memory of it. They are very little memory of it. Mmm. I don't know if that's prime. Believe it. I guess he would even say not So if he wanted his name taken off,

spk_1:   14:38
I don't know. I mean, he did. I mean, you know, it's Martin short going up against Tim Curry. So I mean that right there to draw people in?

spk_0:   14:51
Um, I don't know. I mean, it's Ah. What is it? Ah, you know, it's love story about this pebble our Pavel this pain when going after a pebble. Because, of course, uh, you know, they have to present that there. That's like their engagement ring was like the perfect double.

spk_1:   15:09
Am I sure? Um, yeah. Yeah, like you're supposed to show this tree killed or whatever, But look, Martin short, Tim Curry, Jim Belushi. And it's considered a animated musical adventure. That means the penguin sing.

spk_0:   15:28
Uh, I wonder what other movies air about Penguins A sing. Here's my name. Here's lusted on.

spk_1:   15:37
Here's an indicator that it's terrible. Um, it's got a common censoring and common sense media folks, if you don't know where are terrible, terrible censorship Nazis. So the fact that it's on their scale means that if they approve it, you know, it's gonna be a cheerful movie. Okay, um well, and then it obviously that I am to be scores pretty low. So is the rotten to me. But, I mean, I remember I remember it. It's that's six in my brain. So it's like the pretty coursework to all the other stupid penguin movies that would come in later, like happy feet or serves up. You know,

spk_0:   16:13
there's been a lot of fucking penguin cartoon does on their side

spk_1:   16:18
discussion. Hit it. Penguin movies. Take Oh, uh, yeah, we did kind of just long straight into it, but I was gonna talk about look behind the scenes, but I won't keep going. Okay, Let's see

spk_0:   16:32
if you got if you got some juicy behind the scenes a pebble in the pain when I want to hear

spk_1:   16:36
it Oh, no, I don't have any juice for Pamela the Penguin. Oh, movie I would like to go back and see is the one about the stupid bat?

spk_0:   16:45
Actually, you know, it's so funny is because I just watched Anastasia on, um, Blue Ray because my wife likes it, and I already watched secret name. I'm like, Oh, that's a Don Bluth I haven't seen, and I surprised, Really liked it I mean, it's not. It's clearly like in the Disney Princess. Vain, but it's not. It's not as bad as I thought it was gonna be or it wasn't. It was better than I thought. Um, but coincidentally, I got to go back and watch that, too, because it's an extra on the blue ray that I already own. Is that Yeah.

spk_1:   17:13
The stand alone movie with bar talk? Yeah.

spk_0:   17:16
Yeah. So you have to watch. That

spk_1:   17:19
was Rasputin is bad, though, wasn't it?

spk_0:   17:22
Yeah, that's why I'm confused. Like this would be like giving ya go. His old movie.

spk_1:   17:26
What's I think they did, didn't they?

spk_0:   17:28
Not that I remember, but I don't know. Disney put out a ton of director video Sequels. Maybe I missed it.

spk_1:   17:34
It was the leading cartoon in the burner was like features, but essentially bar talks a little bad character in the East Asia that the villain had as a pet. And then he got his own movie, like, two years later. Um, now do you Are you? Are you a tiny? They are intact. All right. So this mixed traditional animation with computer generated graphics. And like, it's Matt Damon, You've been running around in the future where humans get wiped out because they come to earth and they fuck us up. And then humans were basically the scum of the informer, just like floating around and and, I don't know, this is like they're gonna The humans were gonna get another earth. So there's, like, a secret map, and then, like, very Hansa like character runs into the kid and the kid in here, like working together to find the And there's a word backstory like one of the dudes helped his dad. His dad was like, this guy that created this artificial planet and, uh, I don't know. And then they're being chased by the aliens that blew up Earth to make to ensure that the humans don't get their own planet. I mean, like, they wanted our planet that killed us. And then when they find out we were gonna get another one, they were they came back.

spk_0:   18:50
Yeah. You know, I I don't even remember. I haven't seen this since it first came out. Like, um, it felt like even though there were a few years apart, it felt like this was a bad time in Hollywood trying to, like, make the SciFi cartoon happened? Because there was, what, this and treasure planet that both bombed within a couple of years of each other.

spk_1:   19:08
Yeah, that's true. They try to adapt. Like, uh, what's the name of that phone? What is the name of that book? But oh, try to refine it is based on what is it called Treasure Island Island Planet? Yeah, but but yeah, around the planets. Um,

spk_0:   19:29
I remember that being a good movie, though, but I had spent the years since I've seen

spk_1:   19:32
it like, but fantastic cartoons around the corner. I mean, they're they're making Toy story for that has, like, a toy with an existential crisis on. And I'm fairly certain that either one of your buzzer, both of them, is gonna die in a spoon. Oh,

spk_0:   19:46
that's something. We're gonna all die in the last one.

spk_1:   19:49
Yeah, well, um, then I saw

spk_0:   19:52
you

spk_1:   19:52
came out of nowhere with another movie called Long Word about to l For others in a world that we're like, man, Like all the creatures there, they're like unicorns. Air, like in this world are like raccoons. They have a pet dragon as a well like the family dog? I don't know. Did you see the previous for onward yet?

spk_0:   20:14
Mmm.

spk_1:   20:15
It's funny. I mean, so you could see you could see how Don Bluth, like, help get us to this point where we're making these. He definitely inspired the Ice Age movies. There's, like, a series of movies with, uh, what's his name, Ray. Something everybody loves Raymond. What's his name? Really?

spk_0:   20:33
Mono? Yeah. Ray Romano. Yeah, Yeah. I mean, I think he's mean. You know, one thing, at least in his earlier movies, I think from, like, I want to say from people, the penguin or Anastasia going forward, he has he developed a much more slick, even slicker looking animation. But, like, you know, specifically secretive name up to all dogs, go to heaven, Have a very kind of I don't know. Um, it's just a very distinct style is almost flickering, like you could feel like the flicker of the the light on the panels. I don't know. Um

spk_1:   21:09
oh, yeah, he texted his animations toe look like they were part of the material world is pretty interesting. Um,

spk_0:   21:18
like they look like

spk_1:   21:20
Look, just looking at these four, like, um, I'm looking at an image on Google off Donald's films, and it has the cover art for these foreign movies. Seeing them closer together is truly like film history, like he does nothing else like to be the guy that's responsible for all dogs go to heaven, The secret from them, an American tail on the land before time. That's a hell of an accomplishment,

spk_0:   21:44
right? I mean, I'm surprised this guy just doesn't get much play like he seems to be in forgone Thio. You know, the history kind of in a weird way, like he's like his country, you know, we mostly talk about like, live action films, but like, I like a good animated film and, you know, like he was one of the king's for quite a while and like he seems to have been for gotten, which, you know, I'm not sure why. I mean, I know Titan A E. It was like a huge block financially, but has grown a cold over the years.

spk_1:   22:13
Well, I am baby was reporting that next year we're gonna get the driving's layer movie.

spk_0:   22:17
Well, that would be cool. If that happens, you know, it would be cool. Um I don't know. I just like I'm impressed with his animation style. It's, you know, it's, um it has the Disney cute factor, but, I mean, it's also very, you know, his backgrounds are not very bright and vibrant, like they're kind of very purposely murky. Almost sometimes, like watching American tail. And it's very foggy and very, you know, like dark in a lot of spots. Um, I don't know. You know, he was the, you know, he made he made kid movies for kids, but, I mean, they're very adult themes.

spk_1:   23:00
All right, Well, um, do you a favor?

spk_0:   23:04
Um, you know, probably say American Tele, just because that's the one that, like, that was one of those, um, you know, childhood. Ah, you know, trying to think it's a proper word, but, I mean, you know, that was like a touch that Touchstone that's looking for, like, a touchdown of my childhood. Well, I want to say land before time.

spk_1:   23:24
Yeah, Yeah. I mean, I like him all. I mean, Oh, that's clear. I like a mom, but

spk_0:   23:29
I I d to that something. But I mean, American tell would be like the go to

spk_1:   23:33
all those that heaven is this. It

spk_0:   23:36
is pretty solid.

spk_1:   23:36
It's got a special place in my heart. Um, and I washed the sequel, actually, and I also watched they had a TV show One point,

spk_0:   23:45
Yeah, they also have, like, all dogs go to heaven Christmas care or

spk_1:   23:49
so OK, say, that's the one that got Dom people's kids to college, right? Oh, man. I mean, well, here's the thing. I don't know if you can use it, while obviously, maybe you can survive off us pitter patter career? I don't know. I mean, he made some great movies, and obviously they're mostly kids films. But, you know, uh, I made a joke earlier today that, like, you know, you know what? What are adults like? Okay, there are kids who just have, like, a grown up, and they're just walking around his back with shit, So remember that they still have kid brains, and they're still whoever they were supposed to be. But, you know, so I guess you could always revisit these movies That meant think meant something to you. And I guess it is. That's also why this stupid form exists for us to come back and talk about them is because you get a little bit older and, uh, whatever whatever happens to you and your ambitions happens to you and your ambitions. But, hey, guess what? The movies, they're still here, you know, they're still floating around. You know, we passed on and talked about the whole, you know, something shaking my head when somebody brings of a movie. And it's a completely different perception. You know, if you hear somebody talking about I move a great movie in a negative way. You're just like, what the hell happened?

spk_0:   25:17
Even worse is like I remember when I worked in a bigger office where there were more cubicles surrounding me and like hearing the the pitter patter of people like talking about, like the latest What's Must be dumped. I wish I could give you a good example. But like I remember hearing conversations like the latest fucking dumb, mundane movie that was out, I'm just, like, shake my hand like just shut up. David just said TV, you know, you don't wanna be that guy that shits on people's like generic taste or, you know, although I'm sounding like a snob by saying that. But but You know, I mean, like, uh, second thing of a good example, but like a Nicholas Sparks movie or something, I just

spk_1:   26:00
met Dave, You're a movie style. Then where should movie stops come? But to bed watchers,

spk_0:   26:04
yeah, I am a bit of a snob at times, but,

spk_1:   26:07
uh, that's only

spk_0:   26:12
but my taste good. You know, I try to expand my horizons sometimes, so that I guess I was Ah, it was a dog. Bluth pinch watchers.

spk_1:   26:23
Yeah, and it'll be in some.

spk_0:   26:28
All right. Looking forward to Dragonslayer.

spk_1:   26:31
Everybody go watch the music video to Old Town robe. A little nauseous where he drags Ah, Hillary service through time There's a time little time tunnel from the old West into modern day And then they put on pink cowboy suits And they go into a what looks to be a bingo hall for old people and they sing their song there. You don't know about Old Town Road. You know about this thing? Oh, this laugher. Little nausea like took one of Billy Ray Cyrus's songs or I don't know where the song can

spk_0:   27:00
be. Oh, is it that cowboy songs that that cowboy song that they're trying to say is a country song, but it's really, well, hip Hopper. Yeah. Okay. I think I have heard it, I think. But I haven't heard about the video.

spk_1:   27:14
Yeah, if we get the rights to what I would play at the end of this episode, but that's likely not to happen. So just imagine a cowboy rap song in all of your heads and then go watch. You know, um, go on secret in them. You know what you're gonna do? You're gonna find out where else you confined binge watchers on the Internet. It's a vast wasteland. But you know what? Let's point you in the right direction. Go to Facebook at Binge Watchers and find our page. They're pretty awesome. Cool stuff. Little video, post some funny things. There also episodes. Yeah, Yeah. Um, you can check us out. Twitter binge underscore watchers. And you can find my personal instagram at real Jonty Nay on instagram course. All right. Have a good night, folks. We'll see you next time