There hasn’t been much news about Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated Popeye film…until now. Sony Pictures Animation just released a new featurette on its YouTube channel in which Tartakovsky shares some test animation of Popeye, Olive Oil and a few rogue pirates.
As with test animation, the scene is not an actual clip or scene from the film, but rather seemingly random footage just to give us an idea of the look and feel of the film. And for a CGI film, Popeye‘s animation is able to retain that distinctive rubber hose animation and cartoony sensibility, which characterized animation from the 20s and 30s. Plain and simple: the animation just works. It’s over the top, fun, and great to look at.
That clip alone would be enough to keep animation fans excited, but the first half of the video also gave us a glimpse at concept art, color keys, and storyboards from Popeye. Check the out below:
This video further confirms that Sony Pictures Animation is getting it right when it comes to social media and marketing. By strategically releasing early glimpses of its films that are still years out, it’s able to track sentiment and reactions early in the process, while also allowing fans to stay in the know about its films.
Popeye is still in development and won’t be released for a few more years, but it’s great that Sony treated us with this first glimpse, further getting us excited to see Tartakovsky take on this classic cartoon icon.
Popeye opens in theatres in 2016.
(via Animation Scoop)