Jemima
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Back to Gaya" or "Zurück nach Gaya" is a co-production between Spain and Germany from 2004 that resulted in a German-language movie, even if there are also all kinds of versions out there in other languages. The English-language one is possibly right now even more known than the original because it includes voice work by big names like Patrick Stewart and Emily Watson. The most known name in the German version is probably Michael Bully Herbig. Now about the film itself, I think the voice acting is not the problem at all overall. But the story is. The core here is the heroes' challenge to get back a priceless stone and return to their world. This is an okay little reference in the center of it all. But all the side stories they created around it are either so generic and stuff we have seen a 100 times before in films (like the female character's emancipation) or just complete try-hard nonsense like when they met their creator. At least it needed to have been done a lot better to make half the impact only they were trying to make with this part for example. So yeah, the story here is probably the biggest weakness and I wished they could have kept it more essential, even if it had run for 75-80 minutes and not 100.The animation part is entirely subjective if you like it or nor. I must say the way the characters looked I was never really interested or cared for their well-being and successes. The bad guys were slightly better looking to be fair (also nice voice there from Book of Unwritten Tales), but also nothing really extraordinary. The sets and sceneries were a bit better, but still it all felt so mediocre really, pretty much all aspects from this film. It is already way older than a decade now,so it looks as if there will never be a sequel and I cannot be too mad about that really. It was never a watch where I would say yes this was on par with at least the weaker films Disney and Pixar offer us these days and honestly, there are more than just a few European animated films (also in the full feature category) that certainly managed to do so in the last 20 years. Finally, what is perhaps the most disappointing thing about it all is to see how many people wrote and directed this film and still how forgettable it turned out to be. Too many cooks spoiling the broth here for sure. Then again, looking at some other stuff by Holger Tappe, one of the two directors, it s not too surprising that "The Snurks" is a forgettable disappointment for the most part. I don't recommend checking it out.
jnaradzay
Let me start by saying that the animated movie Snurks. Back to Gaya should not be watched by children. Unless you want to explain why the mean little snurk calls people a "putz". Or why the movie is dark and dreary like a new Batman movie. In order to enjoy this movie you must understand that this is a religious allegory with a some very bad ethnic references, the requisite "a female can be a hero too" story line, and a cookie cutter plot. As far as a CG movie it is good. Not very good, but it has some terrific details. If you like to see pimples, pores, a stray nose hair, and blemishes then you will be impressed by the graphics. The bonus feature is kind of neat because you can watch how they build a skeleton, add "skin", texture, muscle movement, and facial features.Did I already state that this is not a movie for kids? The story involves a "creator" (Patrick "Jean Luc Picard"), a mythical land where good battles evil (Eden, er, Goya), the good guys need "the light", ("dalamite"). The dalamite gets stolen by an evil genius with a limp and (don't be shocked) a big, bald head!! Lemme explain: evil will take away the light and you have to find the creator to get it back. If you don't get it back then you will be a putz (they said it, not me). Explain that to your kids.Whose bright idea was it to give the poor little Snurks a shot glass filled with a Mickey? That's right, the Snurks get drugged by a tank-top wearing bar owner. I'm no censor but I know for a fact that cleavage does not belong in a kids movie. Just to keep adults interested, the artists have decided to show you lot of the barmaid's cartoon cleavage and sagging you-know-whats. I know for another fact that sagging you-know-whats do not belong in a kids movie. And the barmaid's male lackey gets yelled at, scolded, called a putz, then kicked in the head. Way too much violence. And they didn't miss a chance to make fun of fat people, short people, and anyone that looked different than heros. Sure, they had to cooperate to get back to Eden, er, Goya, but the snurk leader still had to bribe the "creator" to get equal treatment.And why does "666" keep popping up in the background? Did I like it? Not really. I wish I didn't see it with my kids. What a putz (their words, not mine) I am.
Alex M. Lehmann
Well, today I've finally watched "Back To Gaya" which I was eagerly waiting for. My anticipation was damped because of the bad trailer which had a bad synchronisation and did not help to make one curious about the movie. Fortunately the movie was much better than what I had expected. Actually it is quite good but it has three major timing problems:1. technically: the animation is not very good (not a single run cycle seems correct in this movie) 2. the pace: the movie seems to last longer than it is because of bad pacing 3. the jokes: first of all there are too few and second they have a bad timing. Either you know the joke seconds before it is spoken or you miss it because you don't have time to laugh about itOn the other hand BTG is technically very well done (except the animation) has tons of places and objects, is beautiful colored and has a nice music. Everyone that likes CG-movies should see it, it's worth the money... all the other should give Brother Bear a chance - since it is much better than most people think =) Well, give it a try - both of them.
GerZah
I've heard the producers say: "Hey, we don't want to be 'like Pixar' or like anything else ... !"OK. But in 2004 you have to reach certain technical standards. And the makers of "Gaya" didn't. The kinematics is wooden, the camera movements make you dizzy and the lip-sync is disastrous. I mean -- this is a German CGI movie, so why are the German voices out of sync? Even movies like "Shrek" or "Ice Age" have been dubbed with German voices without visible glitches like that.Aside from the technique: It's a nice animation film, but the plot is a bit thin and the characters are a bit weak. "Back to Gaya" is OK, but it's not more than that.
