MARS NEEDS MOMS
US, 2011, 88 minutes. Colour.
Voices of: Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Joan Cusack, Elizabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, Kevin Cahoon, Tom Everett Scott.
Directed by Simon Wells.
An expensive animation film which did not succeed at the box office. The title may be enticing, but it may also seem too absurd.
For those who thought the red planet could not support life, here is an alternative scenario. Under the surface is a huge world, rather mechanistic, where children are hatched and looked after by robot nannies and the men are just fools kept in custody. There is a witch of a supervisor of the women (Mindy Sterling, erstwhile Nazi-like harridan assistant of Dr Evil against Austin Powers). But, one of her helpers, Ki (Elisabeth Harnois) who picks out mothers on earth who teach their children obedience and who are then abducted to give their powers to the Martian nannies, has also been looking at some old earth TV from hippy days (and has absorbed their jargon). On Mars, there is also a human whose mother died there and he has grown up on the planet, Gribble (Dan Fogler).
Joan Cusack is the victim mom here and, speaking of Dr Evil, his son was played by Seth Green, who is Milo the boy who has spoken hurtfully to his mother, wants to say he is sorry and who finds himself leaping aboard the Martian spacecraft.
Which means that a lot of the film is about Milo on Mars, searching for his mother and being helped by Gribble. There is a time limit, a build-up to an emotional climax, the unmasking of the supervisor who has lied about Martians not being love-and-family-oriented.
By the end, this is a wholesome affirmation of parental love and the need for children to be loving to their parents.
Director, Simon Wells, has worked on a number of animation films including Fievel Goes West and Prince of Egypt as well as the live action version of his grandfather’s novel, The Time Machine. The animation process used here is that of live action where actors perform and are linked up to camera and sound, the animation being drawn over them: Performance Capture, which was used for Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. That means that the adult Seth Green can be ten year old Milo with a younger voice dubbed. Part of the interest of the final credits is a fourfold divided screen presentation of many of the scenes being filmed and audiences seeing what the process is.
An expensive animation film which did not succeed at the box office. The title may be enticing, but it may also seem too absurd.
For those who thought the red planet could not support life, here is an alternative scenario. Under the surface is a huge world, rather mechanistic, where children are hatched and looked after by robot nannies and the men are just fools kept in custody. There is a witch of a supervisor of the women (Mindy Sterling, erstwhile Nazi-like harridan assistant of Dr Evil against Austin Powers). But, one of her helpers, Ki (Elisabeth Harnois) who picks out mothers on earth who teach their children obedience and who are then abducted to give their powers to the Martian nannies, has also been looking at some old earth TV from hippy days (and has absorbed their jargon). On Mars, there is also a human whose mother died there and he has grown up on the planet, Gribble (Dan Fogler).
Joan Cusack is the victim mom here and, speaking of Dr Evil, his son was played by Seth Green, who is Milo the boy who has spoken hurtfully to his mother, wants to say he is sorry and who finds himself leaping aboard the Martian spacecraft.
Which means that a lot of the film is about Milo on Mars, searching for his mother and being helped by Gribble. There is a time limit, a build-up to an emotional climax, the unmasking of the supervisor who has lied about Martians not being love-and-family-oriented.
By the end, this is a wholesome affirmation of parental love and the need for children to be loving to their parents.
Director, Simon Wells, has worked on a number of animation films including Fievel Goes West and Prince of Egypt as well as the live action version of his grandfather’s novel, The Time Machine. The animation process used here is that of live action where actors perform and are linked up to camera and sound, the animation being drawn over them: Performance Capture, which was used for Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. That means that the adult Seth Green can be ten year old Milo with a younger voice dubbed. Part of the interest of the final credits is a fourfold divided screen presentation of many of the scenes being filmed and audiences seeing what the process is.
1. The audience for this film? Children? Boys or girls? Parents? Mothers? The fantasy, the family values?
2. The animation, the 3D style? The performance capture techniques? The actors, the setups, performance and recording, the animation over the performance? Seth Green as a boy – and his voice dubbed? The final credits and the audience able to see how the performances were captured?
3. Mars, the planet, the subterranean world, vast, a machine world, lifts and chutes, laboratories and assembly halls, weapons and spaceships?
4. The imagination for Mars? The action, the score?
5. Mars and the machines, the hatching of the children, the robot nannies? The men in prison? A derelict lot? The role of the Supervisor? Checking the families on Earth, the visuals of the disobedient children and their tantrums? The mothers capitulating to the children? Seeing Milo and his mother? The decision to take his mother? Coming to Earth, the capture?
6. Earth, the child with the tantrums about the ice creams, confronting her mother? The boy and his tantrums? Milo, the taking out of the rubbish? Dad, his being held up by the weather, Milo’s disappointment, not eating his broccoli, giving it to the cat, the cat being sick, being sent to bed, playing on the bed, his mother and her exasperation, his hurtful words to her? His wanting to apologise? Not sleeping, coming down during the night – discovering she was being abducted?
7. Milo, pursuing the spaceship, getting on board? The landing, being chased, encountering Gribble, the contact, his help, the range of adventures, eventually meeting Gribble, the mechanical creature? The connection, the voice? Searching for his mother, the limited time?
8. Mum, her being captured, her being imprisoned? Her being used to give information to the nanny robots?
9. The character of Gribble, large, George Gribble? His help, upset at being called an idiot, Milo’s apology? His capacity for blushing, especially in his encounters with Ki? The flashback of his story, the abduction, the sadness, his mother, staying on Mars? His helping Milo, Ki, the rescue, his finally saving Mum, with the helmet and air? Coming to Earth, he and Ki not staying, his blushing, his life on Mars?
10. The Supervisor, her malice, her use of Ki, the confrontation of the mothers, of the workers, her pursuing Milo? The guns? Her telling lies, the discovery of the portrait of the family, of colour? Her finally being one of the nurses, and the baby peeing on her?
11. Ki, her role, character, curious, selecting Mum for abduction, hearing Milo’s words? The Supervisor depending on her? Her curiosity, wanting to help, her fascination with colour, watching the television – and all the hippie jargon which Milo didn’t understand? The proliferation of colour? Milo and his being coloured, her rescuing him? The attraction to Gribble? The return home?
12. The blend of action, adventure, chases, rescue?
13. The technology, capacity for focusing on Earth? The hand screens and the capture of events?
14. The end, Milo returning home with his mother, the mother and her experience, willing to give her life for her son, going without the helmet? The return home, Dad and the happy reuniting of the family?
15. Themes of love, hurt, reconciliation, learning?
