Chapter 158: The rise of Blue Sky Studio

In the large and spacious offices of the Blue Sky Animation Headquarters in White Plains, New York, festive ribbon balloons were set up at this time. The employees in casual clothes all smiled happily. Everyone gathered around and shouted: " 3, 2, 1 "
"Wow" Mike Elingis, the director of the animation department and technical director who returned from Los Angeles to New York, shouted open the champagne in his hand. Bu said, the sparkling wine suddenly spewed into the sky, and he shook the champagne with a smile Shaking away, spraying everyone around to dodge, there is also a laugh in the office, the animators shouted with a scream: "Oh my don't come to my side. (Reading Net)", "No, I really Can't stand this "...
More than 60 million box offices were screened in the first week, and the achievements of "Ice Age" greatly exceeded the expectations of the market. It is also worth celebrating with flames and blue sky. One of them is to have a small party in the office.
"Guys, guys," Mike Erinkis shouted several times, and everyone slowly calmed down. Mike smiled excitedly, looked around the crowd, and said, "I must announce a good news. "When I heard the good news, everyone immediately gave a round of happy applause and whistles, and Mike Elinkis laughed with a drag:" As far as I know, this is actually our dear, lovely magic Yang, and Flame Movies, have decided to cast two CG movies next "
"Wow, is this true?" Austin, an animator, couldn't help but widen his eyes. Other people who responded also asked one another. His face was full of surprises and incredible. There will be new projects that make sense, but all of a sudden They really made them unexpected. The animator Marg was also surprised with breathing, and asked, "Really, really? Are we going to make two movies soon?"
Mike Ehrings nodded solemnly and smiled happily: "I dare to tell my blog that this is really" Ice Age 2 "and the other one has not been determined yet." He paused. Excited: "But it's not just us, Blue Sky will recruit more partners"
"YES wow, cool" Austin, Marg and others all laughed and shouted, and some people used excuses directly: "It's too good", "We are going to kick new The of those guys coming "
The two CG film projects and the company ’s expansion of employees all know what it means. First of all, Blue Sky will not lay off employees, and their generous job will continue. In fact, the position of the animator is very dangerous. Once the film is completed, they will Will idle, the company will naturally not spend money to support idlers who have nothing to do, especially these idlers are not irreplaceable.
However, after the completion of "Ice Age" at the end of last year, the flame film did not dismiss any animator or let them idle every day, but joined the special effects team in the "Ninth District" and painted a part of the lens; Chris -Weiqi also pulled a few TV advertising projects slowly through his connections, both the company and employees were happy. (Originally, Fox cut off more than 100 animators when "Ice Age" is about to be completed.)
And now not only will not cut staff, but will also expand the scale, which means that they have the opportunity to be promoted, because they are all old guys with a CG film production experience, if they are assigned to the new animation team, obviously It's more important than the newcomers, unless those people are coming from Pixar and DreamWorks. But what about that? Blue Sky is no weaker than any animation company, they are just on the road
"Jan has a sentence for me to tell everyone." Mike Ehrings smiled and raised the champagne in his hand, looking at many familiar faces, shouting: "Let's create a big scene together haha"
"Wow wow wow" the office suddenly applauded, everyone clapped his hands frantically, cheered and shouted, "Yes, we can do it", "blue sky, blue sky"
At this time, Austin picked up a bottle of champagne from the dining table and shook it a few times. BU's opening smiled and sprayed at the crowd. A cheerful exclaimed sound immediately sounded, and the crowd laughed and scolded while avoiding : "Don't spray me, damn, I can't stand it", "Oh my neck, you're dead"
Faced with the situation that the North American and overseas markets of "Ice Age" are showing a surging trend, the senior partners of the flame film have unanimously agreed to the production of "Ice Age 2"; and whether there are two projects to be carried out simultaneously, there are also several I have reservations, but Wang Yang said, "If you are scared, you will not have today's flame movie. If you are afraid, I will bear the investment alone." It is persuaded them, not to mention his magical investment vision, and the major shareholders are not afraid. , What are they afraid of?
After confirming, for the promotion of "Ice Age", the flame film can't wait to announce this news to the media. Blue Sky will start two CG movie productions. "Ice Age 2" is scheduled to be released in the summer vacation of 2004; another The project will not be disclosed for the time being.
"Crazy" Although the flames and the blue sky are not what they were today, this move has still been lamented by many film companies and media. Now the second week of "Ice Age" is not over, even if it is super big, the problem is magical. What's the rush of Yang's people? Are you afraid of Le Ji being sad? But everyone knows that this kind of thing will not happen on "Ice Age" ...
The two directors of "Ice Age" Chris Wedge and Carlos Sardanha have also become recent celebrities in the film industry. The two said in an exclusive interview with "Variety" magazine: Our original decision was correct. The flame movie is full of vitality and vitality. I really appreciate it. It gives the blue sky a stable, generous, and free creative environment, let us grow up. "
"The technology of" Ice Age "really dominates the concise style, maybe it doesn't look so exquisite." Chris Wedge smiled happily, confidently: "But we are always developing new technologies, regardless of Whether it's a 3D engine or a rendering system, we have made many breakthroughs now, and everyone will see it in "Ice Age 2". I believe it will scare you out. 'Is this still a rough blue sky?' Haha "
When talking about Wang Yang, both of them were full of praise to the reporter, Chris Wedge praised: "He is awesome this young man is incredible. You know and one is 23 years younger than himself, and he is only 22 It ’s weird for you to work with a guy who ’s 19 years old and 19 years old before, but he just has the ability to break all your old-fashioned prejudice and prejudice.

Carlos Sardanha agrees with this, and jokingly and seriously said: "If I have such a big daughter, I must introduce them to know that he is one of the best people in his 20s. "
"He gave" Ice Age "a lot of help, which can be said to change everything. At first, our vision was to make this story into a feature film." Chris Wedge shook his head with a smile, recalling : "Then he said," Don't you think this story can be humorous and funny? The kind of family comedy suitable for a family eating popcorn and watching with a smile. "When we heard it at that time, we were a little flustered, God "Carlos took the word and frowned and smiled," This little guy is going to turn things around? He wants to intervene in the production of "Ice Age"? "
Reporter Fernando knew that "Ice Age" is now a family comedy and asked with a smile: "So why did you change your mind?"
Chris Wedge shrugged and smiled: "Because this really makes sense. Our original idea was just to 'shoot a story of prehistoric glacier animals', and then we added human babies to enter into the sense of substitution, but Nothing is set, so we asked 'how?' Carlos took the hand and said: "He said 'make the character's character interesting, especially their dialogue, such as making the mammoth's speaking style full of irony ? Dude, our technology is rough, but humor does not require computer technology. '"
"Then discuss, discuss ..." Wecht gestured for a long time, and finally nodded, laughing: "We are all convinced, and we are also interested in family comedy stories." Carlos laughed: "Then we said, okay, just do it now. If you think" Ice Age "is a serious adventure drama, it will be a disaster."
The creators of "Ice Age" are busy accepting publicity interviews during the screening period; and "Sweetheart", which is very popular and only covered in light, also has a media layout, because it meets "The New Ding" arrived by Eliza Dushku On a positive note, in an interview with People magazine, Jessica was asked about the casting of "Hands of Leisure" a few years ago. The female reporter Claudius asked: "Have you ever thought about if Ellie What happens when Sha-Dushku goes to "High School Musical"? "Jessica replied:" If this is not interesting, Eliza and I are good friends, and we are all very good now. "
"How is your relationship with Miracle Yang? Many people used to say that you would finish playing in a year, but now it's almost three years." Claudie asked another gossip question. Jessica couldn't help but smile sweetly, and said generously: "Every time I see him, I will have a heartfelt feeling. What do you say?"
After attending the premiere of "Ice Age", Wang Yang still spent the day in the editing room as usual, dealing with the thousands of kilometers of film stacks. He returned home at 9 o'clock in the evening and sat on the fabric sofa in the living room. He closed his eyes slightly, and the whole person was relaxed. But the eyes were not dark, but the image of "The Ninth District".
"Hey, little guy." Feeling Danny twirling around his feet, he reached out and stroked its short hair, and after a while he opened his eyes, picked up the vibrating mobile phone on the coffee table and looked at it, it was Will -A text message from Smith, "Man, call me when you have time." He called the night with some doubt and said, "Hey, Will, is there anything to do with me?"
Will Smith over there laughed haha: "Good evening, MAN." He had already made a congratulatory call for the results of "Ice Age". This time it has nothing to do with the movie. He organized a speech and said, "In fact, this is the case. Since Jaden saw your great kung fu last time, he has always said that he wants to learn kung fu. You know he is less than 4 years old. Children always like it today. This, like that tomorrow, so Jada and I do n’t care much. "
Wang Yang yelled and took a bottle of beer from Jessica: "Yang, here you are." He opened the lid of the can and listened to Will Smith with a smile, "He is watching every day these days. Kung Fu movies, which Jada bought him, Bruce Lee, Jet Li ... He is now 'drinking', 'ah hitting' all day, haha ​​"
"Haha, that's really interesting." Wang Yang also laughed suddenly, guessing Will's intention in his heart and asked: "Jarden really wants to learn Kung Fu?" Will Smith responded with a smile, saying: "Now he Fascinated by Kung Fu, crying and making trouble to learn, but also to learn from you. So man, can you teach him? "
"Oh, learn martial arts with me?" Wang Yang was a little stunned when he heard this request. He thought Will was here to ask some opinions, such as whether a four-year-old child is suitable for starting martial arts or learning martial arts. Will laughed from the phone, he said: "Yes, he said your kung fu is the coolest, and it is best to fight" Wang Yang smiled and thought for a while: "Will, learning kung fu is very hard , Especially learning my eight pole punches. "
He looked at Jessica, who was reading a magazine next to him, thinking about the hardships he had eaten since childhood, and said seriously: "It is very hard and very hard. If Jaden just wants to learn some superficial posture, I can also teach To ensure that he plays cool and makes movies, but I will not admit that I am his master. Will, please understand, this is the rule. "Will Smith said:" I understand very well. "
"But if I want to learn real Kung Fu, Ba Ji Quan, I have to say to a four-year-old kid ..." Wang Yang couldn't help but laugh. At that time, he was going to the old man's yard every day in order to practice sticking back A locust tree bumped, fluffy ... He always felt that he could have grown to more than M. The standard PG body was just because it hit too much.
Of course, four-year-olds will not immediately practice post-mortem tricks when they first get started. At first, they will only practice moderate basic skills. They have to take care of ligaments, muscles and bones, otherwise they will really affect development. But Bajiquan is a kind of strong close-fitting fist, even the basic skills of getting started are more difficult than other fist. Thinking of this, Wang Yang laughed self-deprecatingly: "The court can sue me for child abuse, and I have to go to jail again."
Will Smith thinks Wang Yang is a bit exaggerated. Besides, he is tall and handsome now, isn't it good? Will laughed: "Yang, Jia Da and I are not the kind of parents who spoiled our children. The main thing is their own wishes. But if you ask Jia Deng, he must say that he wants to learn true kung fu, man, I do n’t think you will. Will really abuse him, haha, I'll ask now, he ran over, Jaden ... "
Soon, Wang Yang heard Jia Deng's excited shouting voice: "I want to learn real Kung Fu, I want to learn real Kung Fu" Wang Yang took a sip of beer and smiled, "OK, OK, I know the little guy Let your dad listen first. "Then he heard Will's hey, Wang Yang frowned and considered the matter, and said after a while:" Will, I think Jaden is still a little too small. "
"He is less than four years old. If he is allowed to start practicing kung fu now, he will probably not be able to stick to it for two days, so he will cry and say 'I'm not going to learn'." He shook his head and continued to talk to the phone Dao: "And I will lose interest in Kung Fu, maybe it will become annoying, which is unfair to Jaden." Jessica heard the reason and nodded in agreement.
"MAN, you're right." Will Smithton agreed there and asked, "Then do you mean to wait until he grows up?" Wang Yang thought for a while and then said: "So I will teach him some postures to make him happy and have a kung fu addiction; when he is 6 or 7 years old, if he still wants to learn true kung fu by then, and all aspects are suitable, I will accept him as an apprentice. "
Will Smith said happily: "Wow, this is so good. When will you have time to teach him? Huh, I ’m going to be crazy about this kid. Oh, h" Jaden vaguely heard from the phone. The voice seemed to be beating his dad.
"Haha" Wang Yang smiled and waved his fist, said: "You know I am busy with the editing of" The Ninth District "every day recently, and I just returned home today. So either wait for a while; or, I probably Wake up at 6 o'clock, and then practice boxing and running in the morning ... it seems a little too early. "Will quickly said:" Oh, no, no, he can't wait for a minute, shall we go to the night tomorrow? "
"Okay, no problem." Wang Yang couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Although Will doesn't spoil the child, he is definitely pampered and smiles: "It doesn't have to be so early, you just need to come at 7 tomorrow."
In the morning air, there is a refreshing freshness, the green grass on the lawn is covered with dew, wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of shorts in the "Ice Age" mammoth-like pattern, Wang Yang, who is no master, is playing. Eight pole punches, boxing styles, huohu, huhushengwei, the speed is as fast as a leopard, but the strength is as big as a rhinoceros, as the fist rushed between the feet, the air kept ringing "huo" "," Pop "," huh "and so on.
Will Smith, Jada Pinkett, and the little guy Jaden watched cries, Jaden even brightened his eyes, and his immature face was full of excitement, and he waved his fist, he felt himself Jessica, who is about to become such a kung fu master and her arms around her chest, has a common smile. She has not known how many times he has practiced punching since she cohabited.
After "calling" a set of small racks, Wang Yang pressed his legs together, pressed his palms together, and breathed into Dantian. The Smiths and Jessica both laughed and clapped, and Jaden exclaimed excitedly: "Cool Kung Fu, Kung Fu is great." He waved his fists wildly, while mimicking the sound of the wind: "Ho Ho Ho Ho what--"
Wang Yang took a clean towel from Jessica, wiped the sweat of his palm, looked at the captivating Jaden, and smiled steadily, "How do you want to learn?"
"Hmm" Jaden nodded continually and said, "Want to learn what I want to learn" He suddenly seemed to remember something, and asked again: "Can you interrupt a board?" Will, Jada, Jay Sicar suddenly smiled; Wang Yang was also amused. The child Xiwu just wanted to be cool, didn't he? He shrugged and smiled, "Look at how thick the plank is. If it is the ordinary model of performance block, yes, I can interrupt."
"Teach me teach me Yang, teach me" Jia Deng's face was full of excitement and pleading, Wang Yang laughed and said OK, gave the towel back to Jessica, then stepped on the green grass under the foot, right fist Before doing a bent arm posture, he smiled and said, "Teach you a few punches today, follow me."
Jia Deng quickly stood upright, bending his arms in a decent manner according to his posture, with a meticulous expression. Both Will and Jada looked at his son with a smile, his eyes full of warm love.
"Then look good, I'm going to punch." Wang Yang slowly slammed his fists while looking down at Jia Deng's learning. When he saw the child's enthusiasm and seriousness, he couldn't help but smiled and remembered himself. Picture of learning boxing as a child. Children like Kung Fu very well. They are fit and healthy, and they can exercise their will and be cool ... Let more kids like Kung Fu?
He suddenly had this idea, and then thought of another undecided movie project of Blue Sky Studio, whispering: "Kung Fu, Kung Fu ..."
When the week of May 17-23 ended, "Ice Age" also became a "milestone-style CG animated film of this year." The reason for the simple reason is that this cartoon is in North America. The box office broke through 100 million US dollars
In the weekly box office rankings ~ EbookFREE.me ~ standing in the championship position is the unstoppable "Star Wars Episode 2: The Attack of the Clones", which crazyly took the second "Spider-Man" in a single week. Received 51.28 million, which is about to enter the second week of North America, "Ice Age" ranked third, sweeping 45.49 million box office, the total box office number reached 108 million
Why is this a milestone? Who currently has more than 100 million North American box office CG animation movies? 267 million, "Shrek", DreamWorks; 255 million, "Monster Company", Pixar; 245 million, "Toy Story 2", Pixar; 191 million, "Toy Story", Pixar; 162 million, "Insect Agent" "Team", Pixar; 137 million, "Dinosaur", Disney.
Then the seventh place is DreamWorks. The eighth place is Paramount. ※ DNA received 80.93 million "Genius Kid Jimmy".
Apart from Pixar and DreamWorks, no company can make CG cartoons, but now it is different, everything is different, because "Ice Age" has become the seventh North American box office CG cartoon blue sky studio After becoming Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks, it is the fourth company with this achievement to be hot for a while.
"The Rise of Blue Sky Studio"-Title of the special report of "The New York Times"