Ex_Machina & Winnie The Pooh: A Good Nights Worth Of Films

 Every time I make a new post about 2 or more films, I'll draw an image to
accompany it. I hope y'all enjoy nightmare fuel

I'm ashamed to say, but it's been a while since I've caught up with any new films...until now!

I'm going through a bit of a slow patch in commissions, so the other night I decided to indulge in some films that I've been meaning to see. 2 films that couldn't be more different, really. The first one was 2011's Winnie The Pooh, Disney's last (to my knowledge) hand-drawn feature-length animation, and immediately after that, 2015's Ex_Machina, a British sci-fi written and directed by DREDD director, Alex Garland.

(It's funny how people always remember the names of directors for live-action films, yet forget the names of Disney animation directors - every Disney animated film seems to have been made by either Walt Disney himself, or Walt Disney Studios. Winnie The Pooh was directed by Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall.)

There's always the fear when it comes to sequels to old franchises that, because the film industry and audiences have changed so much in the last few decades, that inappropriate changes will be made in an attempt to 'update' the source material. Even though film marketing allows for a closer relationship between consumer and product via social media, film makers still seem reluctant to take the risks that will preserve the unique qualities of a franchise, improve the quality of storytelling and elevate the art form.
I wanted to watch another Pooh Bear adventure the second I had heard they were making another one. While I never read the books as a child, I was practically raised on the Disney films, The Blustery Day et al. Next to Thomas The Tank Engine and The Trap Door, there wasn't much else I would watch quite so religiously! The Winnie The Pooh films were short, engaging, and very light-hearted. Even though I did get scared at times (a reaction that all good children's stories should aspire to create), it was still captivating because the characters were fun to watch, and the comedy timing was dead on too. However, with Disney reserving 2D animation to TV, time and money were short for their 2D projects, and it seriously harmed the quality of the animation, the show and the art form's integrity. According to John Lasseter of PIXAR: "2D became the excuse for poor storytelling".
To my relief, the Winnie The Pooh still encapsulates all that was enjoyable in the 60's films, though watching with adult eyes, it was clear to see what made it work. For one, the animation was beautifully fluid and alive, and no effort was wasted in making the backgrounds, colours and overall design feel warm, welcoming and crafted with love.
Secondly, as an adult, I didn't feel I was being excluded from this kid's film and pandered to, and was instead being treated to a fun little story about friendship, in the same way the PIXAR shorts do before a main feature. It warmed my heart, and while some of the jokes fell flat for me, I appreciate that it didn't try too hard to invoke an emotional response. As a product, it falls right in line with the rest of the Pooh Disney franchise.
A.A Milne based Christopher Robin on her son.  With this wonderful idea that this world exists for him in mind, the film starts off in his room and we can see Pooh and the gang as toys, so we are constantly reminded that we are sharing his imagination and adventure with these characters. There is no sense of danger, there is only innocent escapism. Playtime in a controlled, safe environment. This is important, because the characters hold their own through the film and don't need to rely on a catastrophic event to test themselves. Pooh is Pooh, Eeyore is Eeyore etc. The conflict is finding Eeyore's tail, not travelling across the world to save the Hundred-Acre Wood. So it never feels like an adult pandering to children, it instead feels like a child telling families his adventures with his friends.


Alex Garland is a creator I want to keep track of. DREDD was one of my top 3 films of 2012 because of its closed, simple story, interesting characters and fantastic atmosphere and music. Next to Up, it's the only other film that actually looked good in 3D. Ex_Machina is obviously a different type of film, being more of an Asimov-esque sci-fi to Verhoven-esque sci-fi.
The biggest draw to Asimov's stories is not the characters of the story, but more the ideas and concepts, and how they are explored through the story. I read them because I'm interested in robotics, AI, the general ethics and theories revolving around technology, and its applications and inspiration to the progress of all aspects of human culture.
It's also fascinating when it's the other way around - when the imperfections of human nature accidentally inspire greatness in the progress of technology. For instance, Ava - the android in Ex - is created by Nathan, the CEO of a fictional search engine company and uses their unlimited reach into people's public online versions of their private lives to create her AI. She is therefore an extension of tailored internet data, and questions whether or not it can be used against us. It was also refreshing to see this brought up in a way that doesn't involve Ava involved in a ridiculous CG gunfight, but instead through something called 'conversation'. Weird, right?
What helped this story stay focused was its setting, that reflected Nathan's and Ava's respectable isolations. The very limited amount of set pieces compliments the fact that a lot of the film is dialogue, because it didn't distract from it. The architecture of the house and the technology feel very sterile and artificial, contrasting from the mountains and forests outside, that are natural forms that grow and change according to nature. It's a space of which an experiment is taking place (the Turing test), so the dialogue, conversations and conflicts focus completely on the topics at hand. Similar to how Pooh and friends are established to have a closed space within the book to have a story, the 3 characters in Ex are also in a closed environment in which a story can grow.

I recommend both these films! They've both been out for a while now but they're around. If you want to watch a light-hearted animation that's barely over an hour long, or a damn good sci fi story, check them out and enjoy a good story that begins, ends, and doesn't lead onto sequels.