http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Q8p4cKu3Y
The animation is great, the voice is HORRIBLE.
The great Eric G. writes:
Layouts by Dick, animated by me, and it's still on my reel. Anecdote: When it premiered in London, I was at a party talking to a woman about what I had done for the telly lately. I told her about the Superman spot, and was immediately castigated for it being "anti-gay". Howzat again? She explained: " Superman's all big and butch, and he says, 'Never say yes to a cigarette,' which is like saying 'never say yes to a fag,' and in America, gays are called fags...." I thanked her for her insight and moved on...
Reviews for Recobbled:
Mike Torr
Woo hoo!
I arrived home this evening after a weekend away, to find your
"Recobbled" DVD on my doormat.
WOW!
The YouTube presentation really showed almost nothing of the
astounding detail in this work. You've really done a fine job, and
I'm finding it very interesting to learn more about the history of
the movie from the commentary version (which I've got 20 minutes
through so far - I watched the movie first).
Your cut is very watchable - even, I'd go so far as to say, for the
uninitiated non-fans (provided I explain to them first why there are
pencil sketches etc. in it). Many of my family and friends are
already taking an interest and they are eager to see it - I plan to
visit them all and let them see it.
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate the incredible amount
of work you have put into this project, for no return at all. I am
indeed indebted to you, and if your work is the catalyst that finally
prompts a full restoration (by Disney or whoever), then so will
millions of other people be indebted to you.
Thank you!
christian geoghegan
wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.........
wow.
the whole time to myself watching it, just wow...
then watched the documentaries backwards through time, and had a quick flick through to see what else lay hidden on the discs.
now i really really want to watch it again. im in total awe of the work of that film and the great job you did piecing
it all togther. the story makes so much more sense, and has a great story flow. im shoked at what was missing
from the version i saw years ago.... very saddening. and its amazing to see how much of the stuff they had in storage at
the studio in the documentary. im going to watch the film tonight again, maybe with your commentary, or the workprint.... ill see.
J.S.
Wow! Garrett thank you! I got the package yesterday after being out
over the weekend. What a lovely surprise to come home to, thank you! I
stayed up and watched the "Thief" and was blown away. You
have done an incredible job Garrett, I mean just amazing. Though it
breaks the heart to see the beautiful finished animation that now only
exists in work print (what barbarian could cut two thirds of
the war machine footage? I mean what the f@$#% were they thinking?) It
is still wonderful and thrilling to be able to see it at all. What a
labor of love you undertook Garrett, it shows in every frame
of the restoration. You love this movie and every element you put back
together, no matter how rough the condition has been put back with
infinite patience and exquisite care. All animation fans
should bow down to you for this Herculean labor, this chance to see
something extraordinary thought lost and now, at least, viewable in a way
that hopefully makes the studios get off their backsides
and finish it as it was meant to be seen.
Has Roy Disney seen this?
Just an incredible effort Garrett. Bravo, bravo and thank you so much.
Mark Smith
Hi Garrett:
Well, what can I say? The Thief Recobbled was
absolutely breathtaking. It blew me and my students
away; many had been hearing me say for quite some time
now I'd bring in my old VHS workprint, but I think
I'll have to officially retire it for now (other than
for pure packrat purposes).
Mike Torr
- again!
Recobbling continues to delight and surprise me
Hi Garrett,
(sorry, slightly long email, I know you're busy, hope you have time to
read it)
I've watched your recobbled cut several times now. It really has
turned out incredibly well. I cried the first time I saw it: up to
that point, I had not seen ANY versions of this movie, only the scene
with Zigzag's cards - and that was on TV. I can't believe that such
exquisite animation can exist, and I also can't believe how
extensively it was mutilated, especially by Miramax. This whole
project has been on my mind every minute of the day for a week now.
What I didn't really appreciate in full was just how much work you've
put in. I've been reading the entire topic on originaltrilogy.com
(p13 of 55 so far - blimey, that's a big topic!), and I just saw this:
"I ripped the video both ways . . . . I combined the two through
editing. I took out every fourth frame of the one with interlacing
problems and replaced it with the clean transfer. So you get a shot
which looks good, and sometimes has mildly blocky reds every fourth
frame, which you don't really notice."
You are a very dedicated fellow. (That's an example of British
understatement - what I mean is you are F*CKING
INSANE!) Awesome. Just awesome, that you would take that much
trouble to get the best possible quality... and then, of course,
there's all that painstaking matching of movement between the P&S and
workprint, and your reconstructed backgrounds. In terms of
perfectionism, at least, I think you might be Dick's equal, LOL!
And I read the comments over on awn.com regarding copyright etc. -
ignore those guys, they simply don't get it. If they could only read
what I'm reading on originaltrilogy.com, the documented evidence of
what you put into this, they would realise what this is all
about. It's about ART. I salute you!
Rest assured, I will be revisiting that list of available discs you
emailed to me before, and I may well want to get hold of some of the
others - particularly "I Drew Roger Rabbit", which was where I first
encountered this movie. Yesterday I searched my old VHS collection
in vain for a recording of this programme, even though I'm sure I did
video it when it was broadcast: I'd love to see it again! Funny,
when that programme was made, I'd have been about your age (I'm 41 now)
All the best, and I'm crossing all my fingers that nobody tries to
sue you - you most certainly deserve an award, NOT a visit from a
lawyer.
One more thing before I go... I don't know whether you will like
this, but I do dabble a little in poetry, and I couldn't help myself
the other day. I just wanted you to see this:
Thievery
--------
Infamous deed! We saw a life defiled;
And violence done, the day they stole your child.
They took what they had not the art to make,
And sliced it up, to serve as dollar-cake.
Unlike Abdul, you could not dodge this fate:
For amputation, wooden arms work great,
But how could you have foiled their poison dart?
Its only purpose was to pierce your heart.
What fakery might camouflage a soul
So nakedly afire for passion's goal?
The hungry vermin sense a vital spark,
And then devour its glow, till all is dark.
Through years of labour, army at your side;
Uncompromising quality and pride;
Never had one man made so much power:
This butchery was art's most shameful hour;
But here's the rub: the day may yet be saved:
One artful cobbler, over months, has slaved,
With help from those incensed by what was done,
And scoured the globe, for pieces of your son.
The outcome, though it shines in every scene,
Remains a shadow of what might have been:
Yet all its patchwork bursts with inner joy;
And surely, now, the world shall know your boy.
We hope to lead a father to his child;
And rescue both from hell-hounds of the wild:
Mankind deserves to hear this tragic story;
Then finally you may receive your glory.
Mike Torr
http://bloodfalls.org/
Scurra:
a guy by the name of Garret Gilchrist did the improbable. He took all the release versions, along with Williams' original director's Workprint, and took it upon himself to reconstruct the "lost" film. It's still very much a work-in-progress, as Gilchrist is almost as much a perfectionist as Williams, and he's continually adjusting the film as different material becomes available. But the current version is eminently watchable and I am happy.
What you get is a 90-minute animated feature that is extraordinary. It slides between pristine sharpness, video bluriness and prepaint sketches without warning, as uncompleted scenes have been restored. Indeed, the first five minutes or so are difficult to watch in the extreme as there is little material available to make it work.
But once you hit the royal palace, something strikes you as odd, and it takes a moment to realise why. This isn't a cheap Aladdin knock-off; this was the original from which Aladdin took almost everything except the Genie. The King, the Vizier and the Princess could almost be stand-in doubles for their counterparts in the Disney movie.
But the imagery here is far edgier than anything 90s Disney would have dared. Fantastic flights of fancy, culminating in the most astonishing sequence at the climax of the movie that is quite breath-taking, with eye-watering sequences that you simply cannot imagine how they were done, and, at heart, a warm-hearted story that doesn't need a Genie to make it work.
I'm going to be eternally grateful to Mr Gilchrist for his labour of love, restoring a movie that deserves a greater standing than it has, for all its flaws. Disney's Aladdin is one of my favourite movies - having seen this, I finally understand why.
The Man With No Name
i dont really like the word cobble so i wont be watching this
john kricfalusi -- after someone asked him about recobbled ....
I only like animation that is fun. That's my bias. That's why I post about it here.
Richard Williams is anti-fun. Don't take my word for it. Read what he says about animation.
Yes the movie has smooth animation.
Alex Brunelle
-------------
Now, for the praise: dear crap, man, you're completely insane. Just
like Dick must have been. Major, major kudos. At first, the lack of
story bugged me. Then, I watched it again with the (very, very
interesting) commentary and was able to concentrate solely on the
animation. Then I couldn't really care about the story. Then I watched
it again with a friend of mine. I love this thing. It's damn
heartbreaking to see what was done to the flick, moreso than any other
tale oh Hollywood woe than I can think of. I've already enticed a few
people into wanting to see it, and I'd much rather give them copies of
Mark II now.
The only thing I would suggest about the DVD would be perhaps a
subtitle track illustrating what shots are from what sources, and what
animation is Calvert's (not as if it isn't obvious, but for the sake
of documentation), etc. But that's the only thing. Damn, damn slick
DVD in every other respect.