Despite what everyone said about Tom Hanks' dead eyes, Robert Zemeckis' foray into motion-capture animation with The Polar Express wound up being a huge financial success. Then, of course, came Beowulf, which convinced the world that Ray Winstone is a hunk and that Angelina Jolie is made of gold. Now he's giving the technology yet another go, with Monster House director Gil Kenan set to helm Airman, which Zemeckis will produce.
Airman, a children's book released in January, is described by The Hollywood Reporter as a "swashbuckling scientific story" that also involves a land where there is a king, and a young boy born in a hot air balloon. There's a lot going on there, and, to be honest, a lot that could look really great in motion-capture animation. Just look what happens next: "After his tutor and king are murdered, Broekhart [the boy] spends two years in prison, escapes and must decide whether to should turn his back on those who abandoned him or fight those who plot to overthrow the government. "
It's hard to know if motion capture is the future, but as long as Zemeckis thinks it is, and he has the money to play with, we'll be seeing a lot of his experiments with the style. As the technology improves, it's only likely to get more impressive, so at least it'll always be worth watching.
