ROTTEN TOMATOES: Five Animated Faves From The Man Behind Horton

Five Animated Faves From The Man Behind Horton

Horton Hears a Who! co-director Jimmy Hayward shares his essential cartoon quintet.

by RT Staff | March 10, 2008

Horton Hears A Who Director Jimmy Hayward Picks His Five Fave Animated Flicks

"This is weird for me because I've spent so much of my life studying live action films. I love animation but I'm not one of those guys who can watch traditional Disney movies over and over. I'll blow the needle off my princess-ometer if I do. I love those pictures, I just don't go back to the well that often. I was always a Looney Tunes kid anyway. This is also difficult because I'm such a film nerd and I just can't decide! Here goes nothin'!" -- Horton Hears a Who Director Jimmy Hayward

1) The Jungle Book

"This picture is amazing. The design, the voice performances, and most of all the character animation is astoundingly accomplished. Frank and Ollie were at the height of their ability to exercise their extraordinary talents and animated huge chunks of the movie. Shere Khan is amazing, and Kaa is so fun to watch because he's such an appealing villain.

2) Toy Story

This was the first picture I ever worked on and the one I learned the most from. John Lasseter is an amazing director and I was a wide eyed little punker who was lucky enough to watch him work every day. (John drove a Honda then, now he literally has a Nascar!) I got the chance to animate Buzz Lightyear for %#$@'s sake! Seriously though, it's an incredible story with amazing characters and the amazing comedy talents of Andrew Stanton and late great Joe Ranft flowing out of it. After working on Toy Story I just assumed that's how it was done.

Akira

3) Akira

I love this picture because it showed me at a very young age the scope an animated movie could have. It also inspired me to look deeper into this genre and the different filmmakers working in it. I loved the graphic novels and it was the first time I saw a comic book translated to the big screen. It unspooled at a second run by my house and I saw it a TON of times. I also believe this is why I own a red Japanese motorcycle that goes really really fast. AKIRA HUUUUH?!

4) Iron Giant

Brad Bird is a triple badass. That's all there is to it. I would have said Incredibles but I watched Giant more. It was so ground breaking with the mixed media. Great story, great characters, good heart, super smooth filmmaking AND Christopher McDonald is in it and I love him. Too bad they marketed a bunch of other movies that year. Good thing there's life after death on DVD.

5) Heavy Metal

Don't shoot! I know this picture is corny and sexist but nobody loves the whole "She-warrior in an iron bikini riding a snow leopard over her smited bloody fallen foes" more than me. You need to understand what a true cheese dealer I am. Heavy Metal is nothing if not living, breathing boogie van art. And what's wrong with that? John Candy as Den of Earth?! Oh Canada! It came out when I was very young and I watched it a million times. It made me look at animation a whole other way and it had Black Sabbath in it! Dio AND Black Sabbath! So Rad!"

See what Pixar, anime and Heavy Metal influences come through in Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino's co-directing debut, Horton Hears a Who!, starring Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, and Seth Rogen, in theaters this Friday.

Click image to watch the Horton trailers!

Related Items

Movie:	The Iron Giant
	The Jungle Book
	Akira
	Toy Story
	Heavy Metal
Celeb:	Jimmy Hayward
	Seth Rogen
	Steve Carell
	Jim Carrey
	Steve Martino

(1-19 of 19 posts) | Reply

T45Red writes:
on Mar 10 2008 07:35 PM

I remember the Iron Giant. I loved that movie. I want to watch it again now.

(Reply to this)

Bob* writes:
on Mar 10 2008 09:23 PM

"It also inspired me to look deeper into this genre...."

when somebody that makes animated films refer to them as GENRE it doesn't give much confidence...

Animation is NOT A GENRE. Why is that so hard to understand?!

(Reply to this)

mouse_clicker writes:
on Mar 10 2008 09:32 PM

"Animation is NOT A GENRE. Why is that so hard to understand?!"

Quoted for truth. In fact, Brad Bird is one of the most vocal people in animation about this distinction. Once the American public recognizes animation as a MEDIUM that can fit into MULTIPLE genres, we might start producing more serious works.

-Moses

(Reply to this)

Young Turk writes:
on Mar 10 2008 11:18 PM

I like the man's taste in films, but I think we all know this "Horton" movie is going to suck.

(Reply to this)

~*Admiral Snowstorm*~ writes:
on Mar 11 2008 03:33 AM

I don't expect Horton to be all that good, but it's holding up on the Tomatometer so far. I'm sure I'll be eating my words in a couple of days when the other reviews start flooding in, but it seems like it's alright as of now. And the guy's taste in movies seems good enough that he knows what makes a good movie.

Still, Genre? Seriously? That's a problem.

(Reply to this)

Jen Yamato writes:
on Mar 11 2008 10:16 AM

I think Hayward acquits himself well as a fan of many types of animation - classic, CG, anime -- and didn't mean to speak in marginal tones about the medium as simply a "genre." His list is pretty cool and varied, and he obviously loves each of his picks for a different reason.

It's also neat to see that animators aren't just nerdy artists holed up in a barrack at Pixar. I love his comment about his Akira bike.

(Reply to this)

gunrack writes:
on Mar 11 2008 12:11 PM

Pretty sure he was referring to Anime as a genre of animation. And check out Wikipedia, claims animation IS a genre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genre

"Genres unique to movies.

* Animation: It's a genre that isn't about the story's contents. Its about the visual effects in movies instead."

(Reply to this)

danielfrohlich writes:
on Mar 11 2008 02:33 PM

I love Akira and Iron Giant is pretty cool too.

(Reply to this)

Osmosisjones writes:
on Mar 11 2008 06:42 PM

You can't judge a director because he says that field that he has dedicated his entire life to is genre. The term is only used to differentiate it's differences (or uniqueness) not to limit it's possibilities.

Read the meaning not the words.

(Reply to this)

rt_hire_me writes:
on Mar 11 2008 09:03 PM

Jungle Book at number one. Totally deserving. Every time I see that hottie sing about fetching the water in the well I just wish I was Moglie sooo bad. Akira and Heavy Metal? I guess I missed the point on those ouevres. It's just nice to use french words sometimes, like ouevre or genre or fromage.

(Reply to this)

ivor1 writes:
on Mar 11 2008 09:16 PM

So where was "Lady and the Tramp" "Spirited Away" "Pinocchio" "Monster House" or "Treasure Planet" ?, not to forget "Fantasia" "Animal Farm" "Over the Hedge" or "South Park's Bigger, Louder etc."

(Reply to this)

ivor1 writes:
on Mar 11 2008 09:26 PM

So where was "Lady and the Tramp" "Spirited Away" "Pinocchio" "Monster House" or "Treasure Planet" ?, not to forget "Fantasia" "Animal Farm" "Over the Hedge" or "South Park's Bigger, Louder etc."

(Reply to this)

pinkincide writes:
on Mar 12 2008 02:46 AM

Heavy metal only works if you're high.

(Reply to this)

kiss bang kill writes:
on Mar 12 2008 03:51 AM

I love how everyone jumps all over innocent comments and likes to flex the elitist in them. Actually, the way I read into it and assumed he was trying to say was, Anime as a genre. He then mentioned that he read the mangas as well.

I'm pretty sure he was talking about the genre of anime, within the medium of animation.

With that said, I don't understand why everyone assumes Horton Hears a Who will be terrible. The cast is sooooo amazing, and this is the only "medium" that you would ever see them/hear them in one place at one time.

So far the reviews are not just good, they are great. The critics that have reviewed it are not saying "Well, its OK", they are saying things like "Perfect".

Eh, either way...cinema-philes jump to conclusions way too often. Stay gold pony boy...

(Reply to this)

Bob* writes:
on Mar 13 2008 08:15 AM

In reply to this comment (#1626640)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animation

"Animation is a storytelling medium that it consists in the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement."

Do you still trust blinldy in wikipedia?

(Reply to this)

Steve Berry writes:
on Mar 14 2008 07:40 AM

Bob, you're being a dork-- it seemed pretty clear that he was referring to anime as a "genre" of animation. Look back at the article, and see the context of his comment.

(Reply to this)

BluMizu writes:
on Mar 14 2008 09:25 AM

In reply to this comment (#1625853)
Ok,

Bob- You need to calm down. You are at a five right now, I need you at a two.

Ivor1- DANG. the man was given Five spots to fill. Geez. These were HIS favs not the Best ever.

Honestly people relax.

(Reply to this)

MaxFisher14 writes:
on Mar 15 2008 12:51 PM

IRON GIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My brother loves that movie

(Reply to this)

zooter writes:
on Mar 15 2008 08:51 PM

Nice list...I love "The Iron Giant" and "Toy Story" -- in fact the #1 movie that I have so far seen is "The Iron Giant" -- Vin Diesel as the mechanical robot, how ironical can it get!?

(Reply to this)