Postman Pat and the Love of Cinema or Money?
The new Postman Pat film, the rather uninspiringly named, Postman Pat: The Movie was released to cinemas last week. Needless to say it hasn’t appeared to do phenomenally well. It has received rather mediocre reviews from confused critics asking who is its audience and what is it trying to achieve? The film is a cheap looking unPat-like garble which has taken Pat from the well-remembered and much loved pastoral Greendale and the simple task of delivering the days post to X-Factor style holiday chasing.
This departure from the “normal” and recognised Pat formula is something that is being commonly mirrored in the present industry. Many old favourites have been taken and adapted for the big screen often leaving behind the source material in search of a wider, different audience. This attempt to pander to a mass multi-demographic often alienates the original audience, as well as not really appealing to the young ideal targets. There is a running trend of classic children’s series reboots and reimagining’s suffering critically at the box office, although sales don’t seem to be stunted. Top Cat, The Smurfs and Yogi Bear are but a few victims (or perpetrators) that produce terrible products that are out for big bucks. It would appear that anything is fair game in this reboot culture.
So what is the issue with recreating an old favourite to entice the younger generation? I would humbly theorise that a lot is lost though the translation from a hand drawn, traditionally animated or stop-motion piece to ‘CG digimation’. Some of the charm and understanding of the characters through their art styles, movement and settings is the established representation that many feel comfortable with and are not willing to see changed. Postman Pat has up to this point always toddled around the screen rather than bouncily marched and for some reason that makes him feel like an altogether different character.
When looking at filmic adaptations and reboots we must consider that there is an exception to the rule and that is The Simpsons Movie. It was met with critical acclaim and healthy box office takings. This may be in part due to the consistent success of the franchise, but also the fact that the creators chose to keep the film in its original cartoon style. Something that other films have not followed. The Simpson Movie is also aware of its target audience and doesn’t confuse its self between appealing to both adults and children. The Postman Pat movie is in a bit of a bind with this, trying to put something forward that will keep the attention of the adults whilst being under 10 friendly and sadly, like other attempts made by other films, the format of a ten minute television show doesn’t translate well into an hour and a half. I am trying to imagine just how dull it would be to watch 90 minutes of classic style Pat bumbling around with Ted Glen because Jess went missing which meant that the post couldn’t possibly be delivered until all the little problems were sorted. It just isn’t sustaining.
This preconception of a Pat story that most people would come to expect is another limitation of the movie format. Perhaps if it were a lesser known series that was taken on to reboot there would be less of a lash back from the masses, save for maybe shows of a cult status, then there would be the fanatical fans to deal with and you end up creating either a massive disappointment or a dull in-joke fan pleaser. It is possible that a new lease of life could be bought to a long lost series that could garner interest from people that remember it in essence but not wholly. There are many animated shows that have interesting and engaging ideas but are horribly dated in terms of art style and use of language. It is usually very obvious when something was produced in the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s and usually the country of origin too. If it were possible to make new and interesting from the old in an original way that adds to the series or films in general then this is always a good thing. Sadly, cinema more often than not takes on a financial interest. Things are picked up if they are likely to make money, therefore a popular character or franchise is more likely to make more money. There are some good cases I can think of, of films that are taken from obscure places, for example Dredd from a couple of years ago, and have come up with some good stuff but this is yet to be seen in the animated sector.
Perhaps the fault is with the creative forces behind all these films that equate to lost breathing time. Postman Pat: The Movie’s director, Mike Disa, may have experience working in children’s cinema, but his other directorial features leave little to be desired. I will admit to watching Deadspace: Aftermath but only because I expected it to be a “so bad its good” type thing. I was disappointed. It is also not the first thing I’d think of when you say Postman Pat. Perhaps a British director who had grown-up with and loved Pat might have shown some more tender love. Maybe that is a little unfair – to Disa’s credit he did refuse to have Dopey speak in Disney’s attempted Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs prequel. Maybe it is the producers and rights owners that care little for the dignity of the source characters.
There may be hope with the new wave of adaptations. The Flintstones are being given another go, with drawn animation and the new Peanuts film is, although CG, trying out a hybrid style going for a drawn-like semi flat look. Hopefully this is the industry giving itself and the characters it loves a little more respect.