Guillermo del Toro says Gravity Falls, "is one of the best realized, most compelling series around"

[jamail77]

Sooooooo...Guillermo del Toro just legitimized something I watch, a cartoon no less. I think this is the first time a famous but more importantly well respected (and might I add deserved respect) film industry veteran has legitimized my TV interests.

Whether you're a fan of either Guillermo del Toro or Gravity Falls, both, or neither what are your thoughts on him telling the creator of Gravity Falls this?

 

[madwarper]

what are your thoughts on him telling the creator of Gravity Falls this?

Complete indifference.

The show has its fans, there's no denying it. But, I highly doubt that anyone was losing sleep at night wondering whether or not del Toro counted himself among them. del Toro liking the show doesn't make it any more or less "legitimate" than any other show, much less cartoon.

 

[jamail77]

But, I highly doubt that anyone was losing sleep at night wondering whether or not del Toro counted himself among them. del Toro liking the show doesn't make it any more or less "legitimate" than any other show, much less cartoon.

I wasn't trying to imply any of that or seem insecure. But, cartoons are bashed quite frequently especially when adults continue to watch them and they're aren't along the lines of things like The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, South Park, etc. What I meant by legitimacy wasn't entirely literal but more in regards to people who dismiss cartoons for the absolute silliest reasons, which includes many film industry veterans in fact (I still remember all the people in the film industry who foamed at the mouth that certain animated features, mainly The Lego Movie is coming to mind, were even nominated for awards outside of strictly animation categories by full grown adults). I mainly posted this because it came out of nowhere for me, it's not something I expected to see.

 

[madwarper]

in regards to people who dismiss cartoons for the absolute silliest reasons,

And, do you suppose it's beyond the realm of possibility that they might not find some equally "silly" reason to dismiss the opinion of del Toro? Assuming they even knew who del Toro was, or cared about what he liked...

I mean, the quote by CS Lewis, about critics that treat "adult" as a term of approval, has been post on these forums numerous times. And, if one takes comfort in it, knowing that it's OK to indulge in something that would otherwise be considered childish, then that's healthy.

However, it's not like parroting off that quote to the actual critics is going to change their mind about whether to shame people that read fairy tales.

which includes many film industry veterans in fact (I still remember all the people in the film industry who foamed at the mouth that certain animated features, mainly The Lego Movie is coming to mind, were even nominated for awards outside of strictly animation categories by full grown adults).

It could also be because that awards are not always about overall merit of work, and are more about the politicking behind the scenes by studios, publishers and actors.

That and interpretation of the quality of work is entirely subjective, and not bound to either rhyme or reason.

 

[jamail77]

And, do you suppose it's beyond the realm of possibility that they might not find some equally "silly" reason to dismiss the opinion of del Toro? Assuming they even knew who del Toro was, or cared about what he liked...

Well, sure. I doubt it would be from the same angle as they approach cartoons though.

I mean, the quote by CS Lewis, about critics that treat "adult" as a term of approval, has been post on these forums numerous times. And, if one takes comfort in it, knowing that it's OK to indulge in something that would otherwise be considered childish, then that's healthy.

Part of my point was they are often not childish, some are for the whole family and others are strictly targeted towards adults with many variations and mixtures of target audience in between. For many, they see animation and they see kiddy with the exception of the aforementioned animated, lewd satires. And, even when that is the case, I'm of the realm of thought that children are vastly underestimated and disrespected Take these forums for example: How many times has there been a "Does anyone hate kids? Because I do" thread topic posted or some variation on that? There is also a point to be made that a particular animated work may be targeted towards kids, but it was still written by adults.

However, it's not like parroting off that quote to the actual critics is going to change their mind about whether to shame people that read fairy tales.

Of course. For someone like me, it's just nice to see someone healthily breaking a common characteristic of people not only among his age but among his industry. Though, again, it's mostly just really cool that Guillermo del Toro said this about something I like. That's just cool to me. But, back on track...

Not that negative opinion of this kind is overwhelming or tipping the scales or anything because I also think many animated fans take this too far and act like animation is being persecuted, which is also far from the truth. Sometimes it just depends on the source and venue for the animation that turns a positive or neutral opinion into the negative type I'm specifically talking about. However, it is still a bias against animation of a certain stripe that they wouldn't feel the same way towards live action of the same stripe.

It could also be because that awards are not always about overall merit of work, and are more about the politicking behind the scenes by studios, publishers and actors.

That and interpretation of the quality of work is entirely subjective, and not bound to either rhyme or reason.

To your first point I remember reading and watching many clearly explicit opinions that a movie like that should not be taken seriously on the basis that is animated. To be fair, it was mostly because it was about Lego, but as I said, there are other instances of animated movies that were criticized as well for the same reason. But, yes, that is where much criticism towards awards comes from and one shouldn't assume that is what was going, which is why I point out many explicitly impliedif not downright stated that it was about the fact it was animation and can't be on the same level as...I don't know...Shawshank Redemption...or Godfather or something (I'm not good at picking good examples in a context like this).

 

[Albino Boo]

I'll think you find that a recommendation from a someone he could easily be regarded as a manchild isn't necessarily a definition for widespread acceptance as work for adults. If you enjoy Gravity Falls thats fine but don't expect readers of Jane Austen to put their books down and watch it on the grounds of a recommendation from man that has a house to put his poster collection in. I watch the Jungle Book and Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the age 42 despite being clearly aimed at children. They are not In Brugge but I enjoy both and I really dont give shit about what anyone else thinks.

 

[jamail77]

I'll think you find that a recommendation from a someone he could easily be regarded as a manchild isn't necessarily a definition for widespread acceptance as work for adults.

Well, I wasn't trying to imply anything about widespread acceptance. If you read through my responses to [user]madwarper[/user] I'll think you'll notice more clearly that's not what I meant to imply. In fact, that such isn't the case was part of my point.

I'm a little confused on the manchild part. I'm not the most familiar with the guy to be honest. I'm just aware of the aura he invokes if that makes sense and doesn't sound pretentious and the impact and reception a few of his films have gotten.

 

[Albino Boo]

I'm a little confused on the manchild part. I'm not the most familiar with the guy to be honest. I'm just aware of the aura he invokes if that makes sense and doesn't sound pretentious and the impact and reception a few of his films have gotten.

Guillermo del Toro makes horror and action films. Only two of his films have had critical acclaim both were in Spanish and were much more art house than his subsequent work. People like his films and they make money but he isn't Wim Wenders or Jim Jarmusch. Guillermo del Toro really doesn't have an aura outside his fans and if you ask the average person in the street I strongly doubt they could name one of his films.

 

[jamail77]

People like his films and they make money but he isn't Wim Wenders or Jim Jarmusch. Guillermo del Toro really doesn't have an aura outside his fans and if you ask the average person in the street I strongly doubt they could name one of his films.

That didn't really answer my question about how he can easily be regarded as a manchild.

I don't know who Wim Wenders or Jim Jarmusch are and I'm pretty sure at least some of those random people on the street would be aware of either Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, or Pacific Rim if not all of them. Unless you meant that people wouldn't realize the name of the person largely behind those?

I think people would know more of his films than they realize even though, yes, they most likely wouldn't be able to place a name to them.I am speaking, of course, mostly those he did not work in a role that gets name recognition and marketing (basically anything other than director and to be fair movies he had a director role in were more inspired by his vision so your statement does hold true in that respect if we revise one to many because I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of at least 1 of the 3 above). I mean, Kung Fu Panda 2 and upcoming 3, Rise of the Guardians, The Hobbit movie trilogy are all movies he worked on.

 

[Albino Boo]

People like his films and they make money but he isn't Wim Wenders or Jim Jarmusch. Guillermo del Toro really doesn't have an aura outside his fans and if you ask the average person in the street I strongly doubt they could name one of his films.

That didn't really answer my question about how he can easily be regarded as a manchild.

I don't know who Wim Wenders or Jim Jarmusch are and I'm pretty sure at least some of those random people on the street would be aware of either Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, or Pacific Rim if not all of them. Unless you meant that people wouldn't realize the name of the person largely behind those?

I think people would know more of his films than they realize even though, yes, they most likely wouldn't be able to place a name to them.I am speaking, of course, mostly those he did not work in a role that gets name recognition and marketing (basically anything other than director and to be fair movies he had a director role in were more inspired by his vision so your statement does hold true in that respect if we revise one to many because I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of at least 1 of the 3 above). I mean, Kung Fu Panda 2 and upcoming 3, Rise of the Guardians, The Hobbit movie trilogy are all movies he worked on.

A fifty year old man that dresses in t shirts and sweatshirts and has a separate house for his memorabilia collections is not someone who is going to win an award for maturity. Furthermore his tiresome habit of his hero's being against the man is more reminiscent of dull predictable student politics than mature film maker with individual voice. In short he's bog standard student pseudo-intellectual that never grew up.

 

[deleted+75193]

DELETED

 

[Fox12]

In the 90s the most mature, thought provoking, and sophisticated series on television were all cartoons.

Hey Arnold is still more subtle and sophisticated then 90% of adult entertainment. It doesn't surprise me that this is still true of cartoons today. Gravity Falls is a wonderful show. I'm not surprised that Del Toro realizes this.

Edit: wait, it's over? Gravity Falls is over? Well, that just sucks. Now I'm going to shoot a puppy in Fallout 4. I hope you're all happy.

 

[Silence]

People like his films and they make money but he isn't Wim Wenders or Jim Jarmusch. Guillermo del Toro really doesn't have an aura outside his fans and if you ask the average person in the street I strongly doubt they could name one of his films.

That didn't really answer my question about how he can easily be regarded as a manchild.

I don't know who Wim Wenders or Jim Jarmusch are and I'm pretty sure at least some of those random people on the street would be aware of either Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, or Pacific Rim if not all of them. Unless you meant that people wouldn't realize the name of the person largely behind those?

I think people would know more of his films than they realize even though, yes, they most likely wouldn't be able to place a name to them.I am speaking, of course, mostly those he did not work in a role that gets name recognition and marketing (basically anything other than director and to be fair movies he had a director role in were more inspired by his vision so your statement does hold true in that respect if we revise one to many because I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of at least 1 of the 3 above). I mean, Kung Fu Panda 2 and upcoming 3, Rise of the Guardians, The Hobbit movie trilogy are all movies he worked on.

A fifty year old man that dresses in t shirts and sweatshirts and has a separate house for his memorabilia collections is not someone who is going to win an award for maturity. Furthermore his tiresome habit of his hero's being against the man is more reminiscent of dull predictable student politics than mature film maker with individual voice. In short he's bog standard student pseudo-intellectual that never grew up.

How do you know someone take himself far too serious? If he talks like "growing up" is by far the most important thing in the world. Really does not show anything else than the pseudo-intellectualism you so speak of. What is even that important about being "grown up"?

Anyways, I only know Pan's Labyrinth from Del Toro, and the film is "grown-up". Means I might give Gravity Falls a look, if it does have a recommendation from someone who made Pan's Labyrinth.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Rick and Morty is a cartoon. I...think. Unless i am the cartoon and it is the reali...no, it is definitely a cartoon. Contains more maturity in condensed nuggets than a lot of live-action T.V. Never heard of gravity falls. Does it have anything to do with the rapid descent of a weak force or some quirky name for an artificially designed waterfall in space? Lose face? Sorry, i just quoted captcha there solely because it rhymed. What was the question again? So sleepy...

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

A fifty year old man that dresses in t shirts and sweatshirts and has a separate house for his memorabilia collections is not someone who is going to win an award for maturity. Furthermore his tiresome habit of his hero's being against the man is more reminiscent of dull predictable student politics than mature film maker with individual voice. In short he's bog standard student pseudo-intellectual that never grew up.

I happen to believe the best sign of maturity is knowing that one never needs to fully "grow up" to be a mature adult. What clothes one wears at 50 years old isn't relevant to maturity, neither is having a memorabilia collection, be it in a separate house or whatever.
Maturity is more or less knowing how to keep the lights on, food on the table and clothes on your back, the bills paid, etc. Beyond that, I find the people who're older yet still retained a bit (or more) of childlike wonder or fun or whatever you wish to see it are much better folks than the ones who think becoming an adult means one has to act and dress certain ways to be credible "grown ups."
That being said, there are plenty of "adults" who're absolutely immature, wearing suits and ties. People who peaked in high school and never got over it. Or people who can't keep their bills paid because they never learned not to just spend money on trash and candy.
One does have to grow up, and make mature decisions, this is true. But it doesn't mean one cannot still enjoy things in life and have fun. And sometimes its just fine to be a bit immature, so long as you're not fucking yourself or your family or whatever over in the process.
Responsible immaturity I guess you could call it.
Anyway, I'm just saying that its a poor outlook to judge one's maturity by how they dress or what they spend their excess cash on, so long as they're responsible adults.

 

[Fox12]

I'll think you find that a recommendation from a someone he could easily be regarded as a manchild isn't necessarily a definition for widespread acceptance as work for adults. If you enjoy Gravity Falls thats fine but don't expect readers of Jane Austen to put their books down and watch it on the grounds of a recommendation from man that has a house to put his poster collection in. I watch the Jungle Book and Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the age 42 despite being clearly aimed at children. They are not In Brugge but I enjoy both and I really dont give shit about what anyone else thinks.

Hey, I read Jane Austen, and I like Gravity Falls just fine, thank you very much. Heaven forbid I put down James Joyce or Faulkner for five seconds so that I can go watch Gravity Falls.

What does his poster collection have to do with the quality of his films? The man can walk around in footsy pajamas for all I care, it still doesn't say anything about his work as a director. He's shown that he's capable of making interesting, thought provoking art house cinema. The fact that he's able to move between auteur cinema and pulp action cinema isn't a slight against his character. The only people who need to grow up are the ones who who can't judge a work on its own merits.

Sadly, Gravity Falls is one of the best television series around. Though, this has more to do with awful state of television, and less to do with the genius of Gravity Falls.

 

[FPLOON]

...And now, all we need is the complete series to make a DVD/Blu-Ray release and have Del Toro's comment on the set... Then, let the moneyz roll in...

But [more] seriously, that's pretty cool... It's one of those things that reminds you that someone you like is, at times, no more different than the rest of us... But really, could you please release the complete series of Gravity Falls on Blu-Ray, Disney? I gots moneyz!

 

[FirstNameLastName]

But, I highly doubt that anyone was losing sleep at night wondering whether or not del Toro counted himself among them. del Toro liking the show doesn't make it any more or less "legitimate" than any other show, much less cartoon.

I wasn't trying to imply any of that or seem insecure. But, cartoons are bashed quite frequently especially when adults continue to watch them and they're aren't along the lines of things like The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, South Park, etc. What I meant by legitimacy wasn't entirely literal but more in regards to people who dismiss cartoons for the absolute silliest reasons, which includes many film industry veterans in fact (I still remember all the people in the film industry who foamed at the mouth that certain animated features, mainly The Lego Movie is coming to mind, were even nominated for awards outside of strictly animation categories by full grown adults). I mainly posted this because it came out of nowhere for me, it's not something I expected to see.

No offence, but when you create a thread devoted solely to the fact that someone on twitter likes a thing you like, then proceed to talk about how cartoons are unfairly looked over, it's hard to see this as anything other than insecure.

 

[Luminous_Umbra]

I happen to believe the best sign of maturity is knowing that one never needs to fully "grow up" to be a mature adult. What clothes one wears at 50 years old isn't relevant to maturity, neither is having a memorabilia collection, be it in a separate house or whatever.
Maturity is more or less knowing how to keep the lights on, food on the table and clothes on your back, the bills paid, etc. Beyond that, I find the people who're older yet still retained a bit (or more) of childlike wonder or fun or whatever you wish to see it are much better folks than the ones who think becoming an adult means one has to act and dress certain ways to be credible "grown ups."

Heck, keeping it in a separate house could even be seen as more mature. It keeps the items safe and out of the way, not taking up a bunch of space in your living area.

Nice to see Gravity Falls getting some more praise either way.

 

[jamail77]

No offence, but when you create a thread devoted solely to the fact that someone on twitter likes a thing you like, then proceed to talk about how cartoons are unfairly looked over, it's hard to see this as anything other than insecure.

Fair enough...I suppose. I mean, it's not like I pointed out another side of this:

Not that negative opinion of this kind is overwhelming or tipping the scales or anything because I also think many animated fans take this too far and act like animation is being persecuted, which is also far from the truth. Sometimes it just depends on the source and venue for the animation that turns a positive or neutral opinion into the negative type I'm specifically talking about. However, it is still a bias against animation of a certain stripe that they wouldn't feel the same way towards live action of the same stripe.

People who are insecure are more likely to not add clarification like that and act more like...I don't know, this?

I just thought it was cool because it's not any old day something like this happens. It's that more than anything else I said. I didn't mean for this to turn into debates about whether Guillermo del Toro (who I wouldn't just call "someone on Twitter") is a manchild or whether my choice of sharing something I thought people around here might also find cool is indicative of some sort of insecurity. I don't like people who react to things in a kneejerk manner, provide poor reasoning, and close their minds off due to caricatures of the things they insult. They don't provide good conversation unlike people who do the opposite when insulting, no, criticizing, such things. I won't pretend that isn't my perspective, but that doesn't necessarily have to overlap with me taking their unconstructive criticism personally and not being comfortable with myself.

Also, I'm not sure why people bother saying, "No offense" before they say something because they know the thing they are saying is going to sound offensive. Hey, don't get mad, but I'm going to say something negatively critical of you that you have every right to object to. But, you know, I don't want to deal with that objection. Just saying. It's kind of a useless preemption, not that I don't understand the caution being taken because at the same time it is nice to take feelings into account but it really falls flat. No offense.

In the 90s the most mature, thought provoking, and sophisticated series on television were all cartoons.

As a child of the 90s I get really tired of "daz 90s werez deh bestz" memes and what not because, come on, there was a lot of terribleness too, but if there's anything that may very well have been the best it was the cartoons.

Rick and Morty is a cartoon. I...think. Unless i am the cartoon and it is the reali...no, it is definitely a cartoon. Contains more maturity in condensed nuggets than a lot of live-action T.V. Never heard of gravity falls. Does it have anything to do with the rapid descent of a weak force or some quirky name for an artificially designed waterfall in space? Lose face? Sorry, i just quoted captcha there solely because it rhymed. What was the question again? So sleepy...

Took me a while to get into it but I love me some Rick and Morty.

This isn't the best indication of what Gravity Falls is but here's somewhat of an idea:

Sadly, Gravity Falls is one of the best television series around. Though, this has more to do with awful state of television, and less to do with the genius of Gravity Falls.

Very true. If things were different Gravity Falls might just be considered filler while you wait for the top notch stuff.

But [more] seriously, that's pretty cool... It's one of those things that reminds you that someone you like is, at times, no more different than the rest of us

Nice to see people who get where I was going with this