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.

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