SilentComedyMafia.com

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jan ... -animation

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/bad-ideas/ch ... india.html

Ah well, if it was good enough for Otto Messmer...

You know the drill, Chris.
It won't interest the diehards but if it generates new awareness of the Tramp then....

EDNA was a cute film. It had nothing to do with Chaplin's character but was cute nevertheless.

That French company is spending 11 million on the project.
How many silent comedies could get restored and distributed for that amount?

Well, I suppose it couldn't be any worse than the Laurel & Hardy, Abbot & Costello and Three Stooges efforts of the '60s. And after seeing a resurrected Jacques Tati in Sylvain Chomet's brilliant "The Illusionist", I may indeed have high hopes. In fact, "The Illusionist" had me thinking it might be something indeed to see an animated Chaplin in James Agee's abandoned script "The Tramp's New World".

Chris

I would argue that the involvement of Bud Abbott gave a patina of authenticity to the Abbott & Costello cartoons, and that The Three Stooges cartoons were a legitimate project, employing not only the vocal talents of Howard, Fine, and DeRita, but also live-action wrap-arounds, constituting new footage. (Even though the written material was nothing new.) Perhaps this Chaplin project is more analagous to Larry Harmon's Laurel & Hardy cartoons, except for the creepy computer animation. I like your idea, Chris, about animating unrealized projects. Perhaps we will one day see "Grand Mills Hotel".

Joe Migliore

Well, being eternally, ever-optimistic, and having been swayed by "The Illusionist" (although I'm sure that many Tati-ites have their own issues with "The Illusionist"), it gives me hope for a respectful and interesting interpretation of The Tramp in an upcoming cartoon series. Time will tell.

Even Bud Abbott's or the Stooges' participation in the 1960s cartoons didn't prevent them from being completely antithetical to what made those performers unique in the first place. The Abbott & Costello cartoons are fairly generic H&B work from the era, and the Stooge cartoons...well...I've decided that they're a breed unto themselves. Most of the cartoons themselves have absolutely zero "authentic" Stooge humour; instead they go off into almost surreal realms that really need to be appreciated on a whole other level. Stooge cartoons like "When You Wish Upon A Fish" and "Curly in Wonderland" can almost compete with "Yellow Submarine" -- all they needed was Peter Max-style art direction! But that's a whole other topic of conversation...

Not sure I'd want to see an animated "Grand Mills Hotel", but a script for "Laurel & Hardy's Fabulous Fables" in the right hands...

Chris

I could easily imagine that "The Freak" would work as an animated feature. I wonder if Tim Burton ever visits this site.

Ahhh, yes! The Freak! I like it.

The Chaplin Estate will allow this, but they won't allow release of the uncut versions of the real McCoy.

Sigh...