Top Five Directors Whose Next Movie Should Be Animated

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I saw Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and it was—
for lack of a better word—fantastic. Now, don’t let that statement of praise fool you—I am no Wes Anderson fanboy. For me, his last few flicks (especially The Darjeeling Limited and the Life Aquatic) felt more like experiments in production design and indie-hipster quirk than full-fledged movies. It seems that sometime after Rushmore Anderson forgot to include actual stories in his movies, and oddly enough it took a journey into stop motion animation to bring his craft full circle. In my very humble opinion, here are some other directors who could you use this same sort of animated resurgence (pun very much intended, bitches).

*puts on scarf, hops on Vespa, drives off*


Michel Gondry
Let’s face it…the Science of Sleep wasn’t great. Neither was Be Kind Rewind. Every time I watch a Michel Gondry movie, I marvel at the way he uses common items and knick-knacks to create a very stylistic, and designed world. So, why not just go whole hog and make his next movie completely animated? Much Like Fantastic Mr. Fox, I think a stop-motion aesthetic would be a perfect match for Gondry’s sensibilities. He could use his ability to craft engaging props and elements and apply it to a whole world. Plus, his whimsical, dreamlike style of filmmaking is perfectly suited towards the realm of animation. It really is a match made in heaven (just like me and your sister).

Gore Verbinski
Ignoring the fact that both the Pirates sequels were so overwrought and stupid that they could even make Michael Bay blush, I think Gore Verbinksi is a solid director. I like both the Ring and the original Pirates film. And, the Mexican…well…um…I mean, c’mon, man we all have off days…

Now that he’s off the Bioshock film adaptation, I’d like to see Verbinski sink his teeth into animation. He’s obviously a capable storyteller, and criticize his decisions all you want, but you can’t help but admit that he does an excellent job at creating unique worlds for his characters to play in. Take that visual panache, sprinkle in a good script, place it a delicious animated world, and you’d have something that I’d be rushing into theaters to see. And, for some reason, suddenly I’m hungry for pie.

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

Otherwise known as the guys who wrote and directed Crank (and former Geekscape co-hosts), Neveldine and Taylor kicked some serious ass with the release of their frenzied, video-game mash-up of a movie in 2006. To put it bluntly, Crank was just so damn fun—self referential, smart, stylistic—it was the movie Shoot ‘em Up wanted to be. However, 2009 hasn’t been as kind to this directing duo. Crank 2 lacked the same innovative magic of the first, and this year’s Gamer felt like it needed more story to balance out it’s gimmicks. So, what should these young, talented guys do? Two simple words: go animated.

The way I look at it, Crank was pretty much a cartoon anyways. So, imagine letting these two guys play in a completely animated world where they are only limited by their creativity. My nipples are hard just thinking about it.

Baz Luhrmann
Last year’s Australia was a long-winded bust. So, what’s a well-respected, flashy musical director to do? I say turn to the world of animation. Amidst the CGI cluster-f-ck at the box office lately, we are in serious need of a traditional animated musical in the vein of the classic Disney titles from the past. Yeah, I know that Disney’s Princess and the Frog is just a week away from wide release, but just think how cool it would be to see a visual auteur such as Luhrmann take the helm of stunning, lushly animated musical—complete with dance numbers and crafty songwriting. Think Moulin Rouge—except you know—not as LSD induced. Heck, with the power of animation Luhrmann may even be able to make Nicole Kidman attractive again. On second thought, maybe not…I mean, he’s not a magician, people…

Terry Gilliam
It seems like God really hates Terry Gilliam. The acclaimed filmmaker behind Brazil and 12 Monkeys just can’t seem to catch a break. His Man of La Mancha film was killed in production (and inspired a documentary). And, his last few movies have been…how does one say this nicely…sucky. The Brothers Grimm? Eck! Tideland? Just plain creepy. I say it’s time for a fresh start.

With an imagination as brilliant as his, why should Gilliam be restrained by the pesky trivialities of reality? Forget the real world and let the man tackle animation…where not even chaotic weather or the death of a main actor can stand in the way of his vision. I’d love to see an animated world as seen through the lens of Terry Gilliam. Heck, it might be the closest I’d ever get to being high (stay off drugs, kids). Not to mention, it might actually be good for a change. Hmm, now there’s a thought…