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Post by Chris on Feb 4, 2014 13:47:40 GMT
And here's the trailer: Pretty much what I was expecting. While I enjoy CGI when it's done well (Nitrogen and Arc are shining examples, producing a level of quality for a TV show that easily holds up on the big screen) the animation in this trailer feels... rather charmless, I'm sorry to say. I think I'll hang back and rent this one rather than waste money on an overpriced cinema ticket. Even so, I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised to see some old faces return. Wonder if they'll have speaking parts?
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Post by OJ on Feb 4, 2014 14:26:45 GMT
I had posted this in the shoutbox Chris and gave my views on the movie. I think I'll wait to rent as well. I'm also glad to see the old faces. It seems we have more than one villain in this. Could one of them be Pat's rival?
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Post by Ryan on Feb 4, 2014 22:06:59 GMT
What must be borne in mind is that this is a stand-alone movie, they're not carrying the animation style over to the TV Series as far as I can tell. Last series they did, which came out in 2013, was still stop-motion.
Dunno what to make of it to be honest - I'll probably go and see it when it comes out for nostalgia purposes, but it definitely doesn't sit as the Postman Pat we've grown up with.
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Post by Culdee Fell on Feb 4, 2014 22:59:04 GMT
I'm at odds with the Postman Pat film. I love the original TV series and when I heard who the voice cast was going to be I thought the film sounded like a lot of fun. Every development since then has rather put me off going to see it; it seems like something of an attempt to cash in on the franchise. The plot, which I originally thought was going to be about Pat having to negotiate the line between big time success and loyalty to his home town, seems instead to be about David Tennant playing an over the top evil character who's trying to take over the world with an army of robots. Now, David Tennant taking over the world with an army of evil robots sounds like a lot of fun to watch, but it also feels a bit soulless. I'd rather have a story with a bit more emotion and heart in it.
The Simon Cowell parody is about five years behind the curve and feels like a shoe-horned in attempt to try and be relevant. The animation is a bit stiff, acceptable, but not in it's own right an incentive to go and see it. The returning characters and nods to the show's history, including all the very accurately recreated sets and characters, are nice, and suggest that some thought has been put in to try and make the film good. I don't know. I think I'll wait it out and see what reviewers have to say about it before thinking about going to see it myself.
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Post by WhitehouseFilms on Feb 4, 2014 23:17:21 GMT
Same as Ryan, I'll probably go and see the film for nostalgia sake. Like I said in the shout box, I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie. There were a few bits that made me think "Wah?!" but there were a few jokes that made me laugh. The old robot film bit is one. (Robot breaks down door) "Fear-not-old-lady" (Lady screams). Is it me or does Brian the Robot not come into mind when seeing that? Anyway I like the animation designs and as for the story...I'm cool with it. Been a while since I saw Old David acting the evil side of him since Harry Potter. Plus a robot Jess that shoots lasers, thats both funny and cool. So yeah, some may have other views but for me I'm looking foreword to seeing this.
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TurboJ
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Post by TurboJ on Feb 5, 2014 1:22:13 GMT
Well, that was interesting. Not sure exactly what to make of it, but I may give it a chance and go see it. The robots seemed a little out-there, and that amused me. It seems nobody's posted this yet: Alton Towers are retheming one of their areas into CBeebies Land, with one of the new attractions (read old attractions with a new theme) is "Postman Pat's Parcel Post". Not only that, but the Alton Towers Hotel is getting some Postman Pat themed rooms. www.towersstreet.com/news/2014/iggle-piggle-mr-tumble-and-more-coming-to-cbeebies-land/
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Post by Eden on Feb 8, 2014 0:01:56 GMT
Back to the movie, I feel it's a big step in a direction, certainly not bad, but visually able to be better; to fair, like the current Thomas series today. I was surprised when seeing this, but I give my views I have on it now anyway. Finding my memories of the show on certain topics, this is much longer than I anticipated, by the way:
Looking at the trailer, one thing I see is it's a step back to the nostalgia times, most noticeably, 4 returning characters: Major Forbes (0:56/1:01), and also within the trailer, rumors say there's George Lancaster, (0:17), Miss Hubbard, (0:17/0:56), and Granny Dryden (1:05)(It's not just me though, check the YouTube comments). I'm surprised and certainly pleased by this, though not too familiar with the old series' personally, seeing how the production team are doing similar work to how Thomas has changed in S17 with nostalgia characters (Duck, Bill and Ben...)
People have complained on several features of the trailer, but I see logical and simple answers to the main ones (These are purely my own thoughts):
1. The robots: though odd to me myself, I see it as that Edwin fellow is wanted to rule the world, blah blah blah, and sees the opportunity and excuse to do so by Pat being asked into the talent show, and needing a replacement for his work, therefore, robots.
2. David Tennant's role: I see it as the character is a talent star in the world of the movie, but sees Pat as competition, either if he himself is or isn't in the talent show with Pat. He then tries to take him down to stay on top, e.c.t.
3. Pat's singing: Honestly, a large change, but I feel it does fit in well in other ways than forming the movies base, though I'm not sure on it.
4. The animation: Everyone says it seems too off, particularly Jess, but I don't see the problem, as animation has been put in to more kids shows these days (Thomas, Bob the Builder...), and how I've seen worse on several occasions.
Barring that, I feel it's an oddball of the movies I've seen in a while, but I disagree with the negativity it's receiving on YouTube, as it could have other features we would be interested in. I won't say any more thoughts for what might happen in the movie yet, but I am curious about it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2014 17:01:08 GMT
OK, now I really enjoyed Postman Pat when I was younger and to an extent, still do. But in all honesty, before I say what I think of the trailer for the film, time for an exclusive history lesson.
Postman Pat, as I recall, was at it's best when it first began, and I'd happily watch it when it was on TV. I loved the theme tune, I loved the animation and I can still recall most of the major characters (Pat, Jess, Mrs Goggins, Ted (what surname did he have again? Robbins comes to mind, but that can't be right), Alf Thompson, Peter Fog, Sam Waldron, the Policeman (don't remember what he was called), Reverend Tims, etc etc.
It was around the time the Greendale Rocket was introduced that I started to lose interest. I'd still watch it, but I felt that the individual character voices, mostly for the children (except Bill Thompson), were weighing it down, along with all the musical numbers (there's no real need for at least one every episode in my opinion) and with the loss of a few characters (although I did notice Sam Waldron's old blue Van at one point in a post-GR episode) were starting to take it's toll on the show. I still enjoyed the animation though, as unlike most childrens TV-shows (CGI Thomas, Fireman Sam & Bob The Builder come to mind), Postman Pat still remains one of those wonderfully animated childrens shows.
When 'Special Delivery Service', I thought "You know what? I've had enough." I think the show just became another one of those childrens shows that does what most childrens shows do: promotes toys. I mean, now Pat had a helicopter as well as a van, I thought I'd back out and stick to my primary childhood love: Thomas. I'm sure the show may not be as bad as I think it may be nowadays, but remembering what Thomas was like for almost a decade, I'm not willing to take the risk yet.
So, the trailer for the new film. Well... I'm think I'm just going to slip aside this one. I'm more looking foward to 'Tale Of The Brave' from Thomas, knowing that that won't be a dissapointment. The CGI for Postman Pat: The Movie just doesn't take my fancy. But there were two quotes that made me laugh.
1. "Oh muffins..." 2. "The most important rule of being a Postman is... "RULING THE WORLD" "Well, I was going to say being friendly..."
I don't honestly think I'll see the movie. Judging by other notable things I've seen in the trailer, it doesn't take my fancy at all... It's come way to far away from the original TV show that I remember so well.
The biggest question of all I have though is this: Having watched that trailer, at no point did I hear the infamous "#Postman Pat, Postman Pat, Postman Pat and his black & white cat..." and so on. So is it likely that at any point in the film, we could hear the original 'Postman Pat' theme tune at all? No remixes, no new lyrics, just the pure, original theme tune that would brighten up my day whenever I'd hear it as a child. I'm sure we all remember:
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Post by WhitehouseFilms on Feb 8, 2014 18:05:34 GMT
The biggest question of all I have though is this: Having watched that trailer, at no point did I hear the infamous "# Postman Pat, Postman Pat, Postman Pat and his black & white cat..." and so on. So is it likely that at any point in the film, we could hear the original 'Postman Pat' theme tune at all? No remixes, no new lyrics, just the pure, original theme tune that would brighten up my day whenever I'd hear it as a child. I'm sure we all remember: When they were showing Prince Charles the opening scene preview of the film, I think I they said that the theme tune will be played at the start. The clip in the trailer where Pat is seen waving from his van could be part of 'All his friends will smile as he waves to great them' in the song.
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SteamArt
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Post by SteamArt on Feb 8, 2014 19:35:17 GMT
I highly doubt I'll be seeing the movie at all. I much prefer the original format, since with puppet-related shows such as Postman Pat and Fireman Sam, the producers are willing to put a lot of time and energy into the whole thing, whereas with CGI, all you do is tap a few keys and hey presto! (The same goes for any kind of kids' programme made before the turn of the millennium!)
I don't blame you, jjlr, for steering clear of 'Special Delivery Service'. I remember reading the synopsis for one episode that involved Pat's satnav misdirecting him (I forget the title, but it was all there on the back of the DVD!). I myself had a bad experience with a sat-nav in the course of which my family ended up in a tree plantation instead of the hotel where we were heading. That and the aggravating voice led to me nicknaming it the sat-nag! Plus, the idea of Pat flying a helicopter and riding a motorbike looked utterly surreal to me! And what's all this about adding more vehicles? Pat's meant to be one postman working in a small village in Northern England, but it all looks like something out of the average city!
I did consider going out and buying the DVDs of the original series, but the Amazon reviews haven't been very promising, mainly because the makers seem to have added the new intro and the song 'What's in his bag?' Never heard either of them before, but from what I've read, that's probably a good thing!
By the way, Ted's surname is Glen and the policeman is PC Selby.
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Post by Chris on Feb 8, 2014 20:40:12 GMT
whereas with CGI, all you do is tap a few keys and hey presto! If only it were that simple. With respect, I think you are doing the many studios that take their time producing quality CGI work a bit of a disservice. Admittedly I steer clear of many animated films these days, but that's usually because I fear they'll have a formulaic storyline, not because of bland visuals. The likes of Pixar and Dreamworks still manage to impress with their attention to detail, regardless of how bad the script is. That's not to say the new Postman Pat film was rushed through production (the release date was put back several times, after all), but budget-wise it undeniably looks like it would be more at home as a TV special rather than on the big screen. That's because in the SDS series, Pat is based in Pencaster - a city. Greendale still features quite heavily though.
As an aside, at least the film has gotten folks here talking about something other than My Little Pony for a change.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2014 11:17:45 GMT
I highly doubt I'll be seeing the movie at all. I much prefer the original format, since with puppet-related shows such as Postman Pat and Fireman Sam, the producers are willing to put a lot of time and energy into the whole thing, whereas with CGI, all you do is tap a few keys and hey presto! (The same goes for any kind of kids' programme made before the turn of the millennium!)
I don't blame you, jjlr, for steering clear of 'Special Delivery Service'. I remember reading the synopsis for one episode that involved Pat's satnav misdirecting him (I forget the title, but it was all there on the back of the DVD!). I myself had a bad experience with a sat-nav in the course of which my family ended up in a tree plantation instead of the hotel where we were heading. That and the aggravating voice led to me nicknaming it the sat-nag! Plus, the idea of Pat flying a helicopter and riding a motorbike looked utterly surreal to me! And what's all this about adding more vehicles? Pat's meant to be one postman working in a small village in Northern England, but it all looks like something out of the average city!
I did consider going out and buying the DVDs of the original series, but the Amazon reviews haven't been very promising, mainly because the makers seem to have added the new intro and the song 'What's in his bag?' Never heard either of them before, but from what I've read, that's probably a good thing!
By the way, Ted's surname is Glen and the policeman is PC Selby. Thanks for that. Where as I did 'steer clear' of SDS, I actually noticed it was on the other day and thought 'You never know, it may not be as bad as I think." And you know what? Eh, I found it OK. I still think they need to lay off on all the musical numbers and stories focusing on the children. But there were three things I liked: 1. The animation - Still stop-motion animated (mostly), so I was happy about that 2. What appears to be Ajay's new train - after a quick Google Search, I found that that High Speed Train seen in the new intro's called 'The Pencaster Flyer'. I like it, but what happened to 'The Greendale Rocket', the steam train? 3. The theme song - I know I said 'No remixes of the old one please', but I actually like the one they did for the new intro to SDS. It's really catchy and certainly reflects the fact that this is the newer style of Postman Pat So yes, Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service isn't as bad as I thought it was. A little improvements here and there are needed, but hey, it's alright.
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nodrog93
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Post by nodrog93 on Feb 12, 2014 1:38:01 GMT
I'll second Chris in saying, just because something is computer animated doesn't mean it's not as hard to make as any other form of animation. Computer animation has just as many restrictions as Stop motion. Alot of detail go into these productions and they certainly aren't easy. Seeing the trailer, this isn't the best CGI but it's better than alot of other CGI based movies. I think the CGI fits the look they have for this movie.
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Post by Chris on Feb 13, 2014 10:04:56 GMT
In light of the news on the film, I've found myself rewatching a lot of the early/mid 2000's episodes for the first time in a while, and I reckon they still hold up remarkably well alongside the classics. And so much more respectful of the original work when compared to what HiT was doing with Thomas and Fireman Sam around that time. The show was certainly made pacier, and yet it somehow still managed to retain that cosy feel that IMO went out the window with the SDS revamp. Intriguingly, in the episode Postman Pat and the Jumble Sale, I spotted a prop that must date back to Cosgrove Hall's time working on Wind in the Willows!
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Post by Culdee Fell on Feb 13, 2014 13:47:33 GMT
Wow, nice find Chris! Is that Mole dressed up as the Major General from the Pirates of Penzance? (From the Wind in the Willows episode "A Producer's Lot".)
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Post by Christopher on Feb 14, 2014 8:05:16 GMT
And if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that violin looked like it came right out of Badger's study too Otherwise, a neat little find there. Love finding Easter Eggs like these mself.
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TEngine
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Post by TEngine on Feb 22, 2014 16:31:36 GMT
Those who might have purchased the original series when released for DVD last month will have noticed a change of title format for both the first and second series. The image above shows the "Royal Mail" title sequence that was used for all episodes of the first series when shown on Cbeebies, this is from one of the Spanish DVD's that includes the english audio, including the original composed theme tune. Classic Media however looks to have chosen a different aproch for the "enhanced remastered" versions of both series, they now use the Series 2 intro (above) with the 2003 logo, and theme tune. The end credits now use the closing theme What's in his bag from Season's 3 through 8. Despite this, the original version is still heard throughout the episode Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen. Rather than the editorial team enhancing, it looks more like they tampered with the original footage to make it fit in with the current series. At least Classic Media didn't attempt doing anything with the half hour specials. Postman Pat now becomes the third classic UK TV show to have it's original series titles "enhanced" for the use of DVD and digital, but doesn't keep it's original tune unlike Thomas and Fireman Sam.
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Post by WhitehouseFilms on Mar 7, 2014 16:27:56 GMT
Classic Media however looks to have chosen a different aproch for the "enhanced remastered" versions of both series, they now use the Series 2 intro (above) with the 2003 logo, and theme tune. The end credits now use the closing theme What's in his bag from Season's 3 through 8. Despite this, the original version is still heard throughout the episode Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen. Postman Pat now becomes the third classic UK TV show to have it's original series titles "enhanced" for the use of DVD and digital, but doesn't keep it's original tune unlike Thomas and Fireman Sam. I managed to get a copy of Season 2 on DVD today in Toy Town toy shop. I can see what you mean about the change of title sequence but I have seen this done when they showed the show in other countries. But here's something I've noticed. If you listen really hard to the last bit of the opening song you can hear the end of the original theme. I'll try and get hold of Season One when I see a copy and added to my collection. Really pleased to see these classics on DVD now.
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TEngine
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Post by TEngine on Mar 31, 2014 17:34:13 GMT
Here's the second trailer for the upcoming movie.
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Post by WhitehouseFilms on Apr 24, 2014 21:17:13 GMT
A small preview clip from the movie where we see Pat auditioning for the contest.
Singing is not that bad and the video montage is quite nice too.
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