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[Treefox]

Wendy and Richard have uploaded the complete unused storyboard on EQ.com:
http://www.elfquest.com/comic_viewer.php?fd=/gallery/OnlineComics/PressWR94/_ElfQuest%20-%20the%201994%20storyboard_page=1

I am so totally smitten with the art!

But I must say that some part of me is somewhat glad that this didn't get made into a movie after all. Some parts are great and I love how different it is, it's just that Leetah as permanent damsel in distress and Rayek as super-villain left me a bit  .
Anyway, it's just amazing with how much care and detail this storyboard is done! Especially in this sketchy stage Wendy's brilliance shows through, I think. The fluidity of line, movement. The still spot-on expressions, timing and action are 

[Startear]

Ah... yes, the movie script. Read it all last night.

What I liked

The art is really nice. As Treefox says, it is sketchy, but it is emotionally very good.

Covering how scary the Wolfriders finds open spaces. After living so long under trees, it is no wonder that they feel intimidated by the sky. Was in OQ too, but not covered as well as here.

Picknose being shut out with the elves, and crossing Sorrow's End. He was my favorite character in the movie script, and brought everyone down a peg when crossing the desert. Or tried to, at least.   

Not leaving Nightfall and Redlance behind.

Rayek becoming the king of the trolls. Or, the scene we saw that he was king of them.

What I did not like

Pike was a caricature of himself. Just silly and clumsy. Which is very sad.

Leetah. First we see her resurrect our favorite treeshaper. As it saves us the loss of him, I am very against someone having super powa to save a character. Second, her being damsel in distress. She had none of the fire in her. Just very passive. Oh, and the super sending because we are recognized and so very bonded made me grit my teeth.

Rayek becoming the ultimate EQ villain.

The effect of not fulfilling recognition was almost none.

In all, I'm very glad that it wasn't made into a movie.

[Treefox]

Hm, and actually Nonna and Adar are somewhat redundant... They don't really add anything to the story. So, hm, was that more or less to have Wendy and Richard in the movie?
Oh yes, the Redlance saving scene was a bit painful for me! I mean, he wakes up and the first thing he does is making and giving Leetah a flower?? *squirm*

Again, don't take my rambling too seriously, because I am totally happy to get the chance to see this with all the never-before-seen-Wendy-superness.

[Miss Gillespie]

Actually I really liked the script and I wouldn't bother to see it as a movie.

- Wendy removed Rainsong and Woodlock and their children, wise idea, there shouldn't be too many characters
- story is close but differs from OQ, me likes^^
- Rayek as king of the trolls reminds me of the picture of Winnie as "queen" of the trolls (a green-dark picture with Winnie, a throne and several trolls), which I always liked (the picture:P)
- not too much emphasis on recognition, it might "drown" the movie

**meow'**

[Foxeye]

Fun, entertaining stuff, with some great art moments, for the most part.

Turning Rayek into the schoolyard bully, with all that implies about personality depth and intelligence, however, sent me through this progression:

   ->  -> ->  ->

If Rayek hadn't been a favorite of mine, though, I might not have cared. He wasn't the only one oversimplified for what I suspect was a younger demographic (though on behalf of that younger demographic, I'm slightly offended that they are presumed to only tolerate simple characters).

[Startear]

This emicon fascinates me. But I agree, the Rayek thing really annoyed me.

Then again, Ive never seen him as bad... just as a character who has taken bad choices.

[Wildfire]

He got all of Winnowills' worst characteristics and all of his own redeeming features had been taken away. Poor Rayek

It was nice to see what a movie-script could look like though. And the art was pretty gorgeous (even if there were a couple of derpy faces). But I do hope they don't go with any of this in the final movie xD

[Eregyrn]

Actually I really liked the script and I wouldn't bother to see it as a movie.

Should that be, "wouldn't be bothered to see it as a movie"?  (I assume so, from the rest of what you posted.)

(I haven't looked at it yet, I have no other comments, but I was reading through and at first this made me go  )

[Miss Gillespie]

Should that be, "wouldn't be bothered to see it as a movie"?  (I assume so, from the rest of what you posted.)

(I haven't looked at it yet, I have no other comments, but I was reading through and at first this made me go  )

sorry, sloppy English (*blush*)

Rayek is one of my favourite charas, too, but this is something of its own. It's not EQ, the comic books, but EQ, the movie. I'm comfortable with such changes. Hey, I got the impression he came to his senses in the last scene ("...fair fight..."), so there is hope.


Weeeeell, for the "real" movie, he's still the most handy villain, right? Unless it, the movie, would really cover all of OQ, there might be no Winnowill, no troll-wars. And we all know how mean Hollywood villains are, don't we? Isn't the movie going to be a Warner-movie?

[Foxeye]

I'd have to dig through old posts at the SoC, but I think Thurber has suggested in an interview that he'd want the movie to cover all of OQ. High Ones knows how they'd do that storywise, but it does suggest they'd have Winnie to utilize.

[Eregyrn]

Okay, having read it all now...

Wow.  That is wacky.  I'm glad I was forewarned by reading this thread.  It allowed me to just sort of enjoy the art and the craziness, rather than be all 

Was it supposed to have been an animated movie?  I don't remember anything about the putative 1994 movie plans.

[Treefox]

Yep, I think this was supposed to be an animated movie, which is something I would have liked.

Hm, but I hope if they really make the whole OQ Winnowill will not become such a terrible two dimensional character as Rayek has become here.
I definitely also think that this was aimed at a younger audience. Just looking at it a bit again, I also noted all the songs in the movie.
It's a bit like they wanted to jump the back then still popular Disney train.

[jaRf]

From what I was reading here... I was happy that this didn't come to reality. Making Rayek a stupid plain villain, nah. And king of the trolls, of course.

But then, on the other hand... well. It's Cutter telling his story so what would you expect? An unshifted perspective? Telling the truth? No. Rather his own dreamberryblurred vision. And thus having Rayek look as dirty as possible.

Hah!




I mean I do not want a simplified EQ just because some "audience" might need their satisfaction for easy black/white schemes, has a short attention span or whatever. I don't want one of my favourite characters dragged into the dirt because of it. I know that a movie or a computer game sometimes has to work out some compromise because it is hard to display the content of a media 1:1 in a different media. But that ain't a reason to turn the whole thin 180 °.

[Mirror]

Poor Rayek - degraded form "Master of the palace" to "King of the trolls" 

This change kinda reflects the dangers of turning EQ into a film, though. In a feature film, generally, there is room for less characters, less character development, less nuances.
EQ has great depth, and I fear some of that might get lost in a filmatization.

I suppose making a film means that "the way must be stetched and bent a little". 

Ok, I'm not all negative about this. Overall, I enjoyed reading it. The artwork is wonderful. Wendys linework, even when rough, is just exsquisite. And I believe they did a good job of conveying some of the "weirder" concepts of EQ, like recognition, by comments such as Nightfalls: "The ways of your folk are strange. When recognition happens in my tribe- we just accept it".

Oh, and did anyone else notice all the songs? At times I really got Disney-vibes

[Eregyrn]

Yes!  I meant to also comment -- oh my god, it was going to be a MUSICAL. 

(I don't categorically hate musicals.  But they can either be really good, or really bad.  I don't get a good feel for them merely by reading some lyrics without music, either.)

As a member of the audience, who doesn't like her intelligence insulted, I get tired of the argument that "it's a movie, it has to be simplified!"  (Not that I think any of you are saying that.)  I wish people making movies would have more faith in the audience sometimes. And EQ was a comic that had a lot of faith in its early audience.  I wish the film version could be equally bold in that respect, rather than feeling as if it has to Hollywoodize the EQ story in order to make it successful.

[Jeb]

Yep. I've only gotten as far as page 190 or so, and so far my response has been "Wait! Stop singing! No singing!"

[Treefox]

I wish people making movies would have more faith in the audience sometimes. And EQ was a comic that had a lot of faith in its early audience.  I wish the film version could be equally bold in that respect, rather than feeling as if it has to Hollywoodize the EQ story in order to make it successful.

I agree! Even if it was to be a movie for a younger audience, I think you should also take kid's intelligence seriously. Kids can handle more than just a simple black and white color scheme.
I read Elfquest first when I was really young and definitely loved that some things made think. I guess that's also one reason why I love Astrid Lindgren's books (and movies) so much. She definitely takes kids seriously and deals with more difficult subjects in her books. And still it was likes, popular and I can also still read these books as an adult without being bored.

[Miss Gillespie]

There's nothing wrong with a film, which takes it audience seriously (that's why I've been watching a lot of Korean films recently), but if you want this for an EQ-film, please ask Wendy and Richard to choose an other studio. I've read, they had a special contract with Stanley Kubrick (he had free hand over his movies, but I doubt they would give the Pinis (or the director of the EQ-film) the same freedom.
Maybe I have prejudices, but Warner makes me think of more or less good blockbusters (=big money, safe bet), not rather independent films (=smaller audience, maybe a loss)

[Startear]

I agree! Even if it was to be a movie for a younger audience, I think you should also take kid's intelligence seriously. Kids can handle more than just a simple black and white color scheme.
I read Elfquest first when I was really young and definitely loved that some things made think. I guess that's also one reason why I love Astrid Lindgren's books (and movies) so much. She definitely takes kids seriously and deals with more difficult subjects in her books. And still it was likes, popular and I can also still read these books as an adult without being bored.

Marry me.

[Treefox]

Marry me.

 

Maybe I have prejudices, but Warner makes me think of more or less good blockbusters (=big money, safe bet), not rather independent films (=smaller audience, maybe a loss)

Yeah... to me there also seems to me that there are less big studios that are willing to take artistic and financial risks...

By the way, I just read on Facebook that there is another unused, unpublished storyboard.
I quote Richard:

So I just found the second version of Wendy's original #Elfquest movie storyboards - another 370 page opus. Watch for it soon - surprises await!

High Ones, when did Wendy make all that?

[Mirror]

  By the way, I just read on Facebook that there is another unused, unpublished storyboard.

 

  So, this is a completely different story - nothing to do with the "Master of the trolls"-musical verison?

And I definately agree about the dangers of trying to make EQ into a Warner blockbuster.
Heh, y'know those hardcore Tolkien- fans who went ballistic about Peter Jacksons filmatization of LOTR? "He doesn't respect Tolkiens universe! The elfish pronounciation is wrong - the accent shuould always be on the last syllable" -and so forth?
I'm turning into the EQ-fandom-equivalent of those guys
(No offence intended to the afformentioned Tolkien-fans, if some of you happen to be on the forum!)

[Eregyrn]

I agree, it feels like the studio that has the rights to EQ now isn't going to allow it to be done in the complexity that we might like.

I don't think of myself as THAT big a purist.  I don't mind some things being changed, if it seems like they make for a more streamlined story.  (For example, I'm not automatically aghast in this movie treatment that Redlance is already a plantshaper at the beginning; or that we skipped a lot of the byplay in the troll caverns, with King Greymung; or that Picknose went with them.)  I've been a massive Tolkien fan since I was 12, and really, nothing about the movies bugged me all that much; on the contrary, they made me very happy, on the whole.

But what I WOULD have been upset about, with the LOTR movies, is if the original plan to try to cram them into one movie, or even two movies, had been followed.  At least with a trilogy of long movies, they had the time to do the story's pace and complexity justice; even if they made other "cinematic" decisions.

But, that LOTR got made the way it did was practically a fluke.  Unfortunately, we're not going to get anyone plunking down to allow an ElfQuest movie to be a trilogy.  So, adapting the first "volume" alone makes sense to me (rather than trying to cram all 4 volumes into one movie).  I'm just not quite down with all the decisions made here, like Rayek the Super Baddie.

High Ones, when did Wendy make all that?

Must've been between the end of KOTBW (or maybe her issues of Hidden Years), and whenever she did Dreamtime?  In other words, that period of time in the mid-90s when a handful of EQ titles were coming out, but none of them featured art by Wendy.  She was probably working on this -- which obviously would have been really valuable if it had led to a movie.  But for those buying the comics, it felt like she'd disappeared; because no way were we going to get to enjoy this work of hers (for another 15 years!).

[Treefox]

You are right, of course. Was she really gone for that long?
Now that you mentioned it, I do remember some ongoing information about the movie progress on the last pages of some issues...

[Treefox]

Hm, I suddenly see so much of Scar in Rayek... It's like he's to the Trolls what Scar is to the hyenas.

[Foxeye]

Did Rayek get a musical number? Scar had an AWESOME musical number. "I know that your powers of retention...are as thick as a warthogs back-side. But THICK as you are, PAY ATTENTION! My words are a matter of priiiiide."

Yes, I have most of that soundtrack on instant recall in my brain. ^_^