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Disney’s Mars Needs Moms opens today. It got no love from The New York Times where reviewer Mike Hale began his critique this way:

“It seems that it’s time to admit that dressing actors in LED-studded catsuits, asking them to give performances on sterile white sets and handing the results to a team of computer animators is not a way to make a good movie. It didn’t work for “The Polar Express,” “Beowulf” or “A Christmas Carol,” and it doesn’t work for “Mars Needs Moms,” the latest product of Robert Zemeckis’s obsession with motion-capture animation.”

The Los Angeles Times was equally unimpressed. Writer Betsy Sharkey declared:

“Live versus lifelike continues to be problematic for this particular technique. Despite refinements in the years since filmmaker Robert Zemeckis — a producer on “Mars” — pushed it into the long-form, storytelling arena in 2004 with “The Polar Express,” its characters still carry the Stepford look.”

I had a chance to catch M-N-M at a critics screening (there was no way I was going to pay to see it) and – Surprise! – I didn’t hate it. I’d certainly rank it next to Monster House as one of the better of the ImageMovers Digital bunch. But let me be clear, I hate-hate-hate these Zemeckis films for one simple reason – I cannot get past the zombie-like faces of the human characters. When I allow myself to do so, I can see the craft involved and actually think the stories and storytelling is very good. Simon Wells directed this film for Zemeckis, and it’s certainly an action-packed, visually delightful children’s adventure. But it is so hard for me to watch the lead little boy (Milo, acted by Seth Green) and his mom (Joan Cusack). Since the rest of the characters are “martian”, I had no problem with anything else on screen – even humanoid Gribble (Dan Fogler) who was rendered almost photo-real and was less zombie-ish than the others. This might have been an incredible film, a children’s classic, if they inserted human actors into the picture. If you have no problem with the mo-cap visual phoniness of the lead characters you may enjoy it.

Will you or any other Cartoon Brew readers see it? If so, I want to know what you think. The comments below are open ONLY to readers reviews by those who have actually seen the film. This will be strictly enforced! I’ll be very interested in hearing your opinions.

Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Mars Needs Moms

Trailer: ‘Mars Needs Moms’ | Animation Magazine

I… don’t know what to say. I guess… I’m glad Disney is continuing to make animated movies, and thus employing artists? Yes. That. 

I am taking this under the radar thing to the next level by coming in myself under the radar. No group listing, no recount of where I’ve been — oh, and it’s been great — just a review from way back in 2006. Now that this fantastic book is available in paperback, let’s take another look...

After reading up to page 46 of It’s Kind of A Funny Story, I almost gave up on it. There’s something about a book where the character is losing it mentally which make me kind of uncomfortable. I went upstairs, got a cup of coffee, came back to the book, picked it up, studied it for a minute and thought, “Eh, what the hell.” And just kept reading.

I am very glad that I did, considering that I would have missed a great and insightful book. Disaster averted.

Craig is having some trouble. He doesn’t feel like himself and can barely force himself to eat. When he does eat, he can’t always keep it down. He knows that he has bad days and less bad days, but there comes a point where it just wants all the days to end. Fortunately, before actually taking drastic measures, he calls a suicide hotline and goes to the emergency room to be treated. He is surprised to find himself admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital, but makes the best of it. There are the usual crazy characters — crazy being the operative word here — and emotional breakthroughs. What is great about this book, however, is the characters are realistic and handled with a degree of sensitivity. It would be easy to make fun of the people in this psychiatric facility, but Ned Vizzini lets us laugh with them, not at them.

Now is when I should add that I worked in a psychiatric hospital just after college, mainly with the teenagers and children. The author has captured this world pretty accurately. There are usually a few regulars who come back repeatedly, but more of the people seem — for lack of a better word — normal. They just need some help getting back on track. Vizzini does a good job of conveying the messages about depression and suicide without being preachy. He also does a good job of showing hope, without seeming like a Pollyanna.

In the end, it is kind of a funny story, because the fragility of people has humor to it, as well as angst.

This episode is part our Publishers’ Showcase, a special series of interviews with children’s book publishers, which we are running during the weeks of July 2 and July 9 2007.

One in five children suffers from mental illness. That’s a pretty significant statistic to be lacking of quality resources for families and caregivers. So, when her own son was diagnosed with mental illness, Gayle Grass took matters into her own hands. She created Iris the Dragon, a series of picture books to help children and educators.

Our guest on this edition of Just One More Book is Jessica Grass, head of marketing and education for Iris the Dragon. You can learn more about Iris the Dragon and the books in which she appears by visiting the website, iristhedragon.com.

Mars Needs Moms
Berkeley Breathed
Philomel (2007)

Milo, like Where The Wild Things Are's Max, is not so convinced that the world needs mothers, especially ones like his. His mom makes him eat his broccoli and carrots. She makes him take out the trash. And when she orders Milo to bed without supper for innocently painting his sister purple, Milo rebels shouting "I sure don't see what's so special about mothers!"

Well, just because whiny human boys haven't figured out the importance of moms doesn't mean motherly benefits have also gone unnoticed by the likes of, say, Martians. The rest of the story follows various Mom-napping Martians, who by the way "grow motherless from the ground like potatoes" and therefore have difficulty finding rides to soccer practice, as they lay their Starbucks-laden traps. Wouldn't you know it, Milo's awful mom is one of the (un)lucky moms to be whisked away to Mars.

Of course Milo stows away on the spaceship (more likely for adventure than mom-loyalty). Unfortunately, as Milo disembarks, he trips, smashing his helmet on the Martian earth. We see Milo gasp and choke for air and then we turn the page to one of my favorite pictures by Breathed. Here comes Mom to the rescue - glowing, floating, her face darkened and haloed from the blazing sun behind her. There is a glint off the glass of her own helmet that she seems to be taking off. Can she save her son in time? Would you if you were Milo's mom? (The picture also shows that tower of light spots that even movie cameras can't get rid of when shooting into the sun. Cool effect. )

There is a happy ending. Maybe moms really are special. And maybe this book would be perfect for a digital art class. Here comes the Teacher Brain. I've gotten better at not thinking like a Teacher every time I read a book - "This would be great for my Butterfly Unit!" "What a captivating read-aloud this would be while we study Geometry!" Blah, blah, blah. I mean to say, I'm much better at reading books as a Reader, as She Who Enjoys Stories.

Still, I can't help categorizing Mars Needs Moms just a smidge. And my category? Books That Hook 'Em With Art First. The handful of kids I've given this book to have all read it twice - once to melt into Breathed's virtual art (copyright info puts it this way: "The illustrations were created with virtual acrylics and virtual watercolor on 100% rag archival virtual illustration board.") and the second time to pick up the text. Me? I'm not a huge sci-fi-for-kids fan. I tend to prefer more nostalgic stories. Mars Needs Moms is a very modern, very bright, very busy little book. And this is where reading as a Reader comes in handy. It wasn't my favorite book, but I spent plenty of time marveling at how computer chips can make such cool pictures.

Child-lit recently discussed (and still is a bit) celebrity authors. I remember someone mentioning Berkeley Breathed's new book and a comment Breathed made about writing for children during an NPR interview. I think the post's take on Breathed was negative, something about not understanding how to write for children. On my celebrity-book-o-meter (on a scale from Madonna to Lithgow), I'd put Mars Needs Moms somewhere between Jerry Seinfeld's Halloween and any book by Jamie Lee Curtis. Tell you what. Check out Breathed's other children's books and lemme' know what you think.

"What if you had one year to live...and you knew it?"

This is what Ben, aka Little Wolf, finds himself dealing with. Ben lives in small town Idaho with brother Cody, his dad and his crazy mother. He is a runner, diminutive in size, and most consider him a good guy.
When Ben goes in for his annual physical to get the okay for track, Doc Wagner leaves a message on his machine saying that he wants to see Ben in his office, and that he'd better bring his folks. Cashing in on his 18-year-old status, Ben goes alone, and then does the unthinkable. He refuses treatment. And he tells noone.

What follows is a story about bravado, faith, love, and the search for meaning. This is a layered story, not only about mortality and faith, but abuse of many kinds, football, small town racism, and other weighty issues.

Crutcher does it with style, as always. Ben is bigger than life, despite his size, and many of us could learn a thing or two about how to live from him.

I am sure that some readers may find Deadline too issue laden, and Ben's bravery beyond his years. I, however, bought in, and aside from Dallas' situation and a few too many football details for my taste, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I would love to be able to meet kids like Ben, Cody and Dallas Suzuki!