Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of The Rocketeer, CGI Style!


This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Rocketeer, a 1991 superhero movie that was based on the comic book of the same name. In honor of this anniversary, animator John Banana put together an amazing, Pixar-esque animated shot that you can watch on the Vimeo video site here. You can also read BigFanBoy.com's exclusive interview with Banana about his colorful tribute cartoon here.


The Rocketeer character first appeared in 1982 and was created by the late writer/illustrator Dave Stevens. Stevens designed the Rocketeer as a homage to the Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930s and 40s, and the visual style of the Rocketeer comics had a very nostalgic, retro look. (It should also be noted that the director of The Rocketeer movie was Joe Johnson, the same man who directed this summer's nostalgic, retro Captain America movie.) If you're a fan of the Rocketeer, Banana's cartoon is a wonderful trip down memory lane. If you've never heard of the Rocketeer but are a fan of all things that are pulpy sci-fi, check out the Rocketeer short and movie--you'll be greatly entertained. The Rocketeer comics are also still available, both in regular and deluxe editions.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 30, 2011 at 3:56 PM

    I wish comics would go back to a more fun approach, I suppose the 40's can bring back that type of feeling with the Rocketeer. I understand a grittier Batman and Wolverine--but Superman, Captain Marvel, Spider Man, Fantastic Four, etc... were always a little lighter, I suppose I just miss that type of writing style.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TimJune 30, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    I know what you mean. I think what the comic book companies are thinking is that "grittier" comics will boost sales by appealing to older audiences. The problem, though, is that they lose sight of what made many superheroes and other comic book titles successful in the first place: imaginative, colorful storytelling.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Tron: Uprising (Part 1 of 4): Characters

Image
This month marks the one year anniversary of the cancellation of Tron: Uprising , which aired on Disney XD for 19 episodes. Set between the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy , Uprising chronicled the events shortly after Clu’s rise to power within the stand-alone Grid created by Kevin Flynn. Personally, I think that Tron: Uprising got a raw deal from Disney. It’s a fantastic addition to the Tron saga that went on to win both Emmy and Annie Awards , yet Disney clearly had other priorities and was willing to toss Uprising aside without so much as an official cancellation notice. Even to this day, Uprising has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray and I’m wondering if it ever will. In honor of this amazing animated series that was cut down in its prime, I have decided to do something that Disney won’t. Since there will never be an official Tron: Uprising art book, I have searched across the Internet to find a selection of art from Uprising that I can share here on my blog with
Read more

FOUND: Mechanical Shark from Universal Jaws Theme Park Ride

Image
When the Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida shut down its Jaws ride back in January 2012, Jaws fans everywhere were devastated. Yet even though this part of the Jaws franchise is no longer operational, some of its sharks are swimming around out there … including places such as Frederick, Maryland. A few days ago, I was contacted by a fellow Jaws fan named John Ryan, asking me if I knew anything specific regarding the sharks from the Universal Jaws ride. He was asking because he thought he found one and is trying to verify its authenticity. We spoke on the phone and exchanged a few emails, and here’s what he told me about his find: “I've been collecting Jaws memorabilia for decades and when I found this incredibly rare gem sitting in a backyard in Frederick, Maryland, I wondered about its connection to the state. The current homeowners said the shark was already there when they purchased the property. They also told me it had been the subject of neighborhood rumor for y
Read more

Machine Robo's Magnificent Robot Combiners

Image
I don't collect Transformers merchandise, but I see articles and advertisements about it when I browse through Japanese robot toy sites. From what I can gather, one of the latest product lines for Transformers is called "Combiner Wars" , a line that consists of five or six transforming robot toys that combine into one bigger robot. Combiner robot toys have been around for a long time, and Transformers had quite a few of them even back in the '80s. Yet of the many combiner robot toys I've seen over the years, the ones that have consistently impressed me were the ones released by Bandai under the Machine Robo line. Whereas other robot toy lines are stuck in the novelty of combining smaller toys into a bigger toy, Machine Robo has used the concept of combination to promote creative play. Read on for a review of how Machine Robo has built upon its combiner toys throughout the years.
Read more