View Full Version : What's Mr. Purcell Doing?
Falanca
03/09/2011, 06:45 pm
So here we are, in between seasons. It's almost TOO clear that there are no plans of a fourth season at the moment. So, what's Steve doing? Is he there at the office? You keep him there sitting? Is he with you there?
Hey Steve! How are you, my man! How you doin? What do you think of Dreamworks' Puss in Boots movie? Those guys are ridicilous, am I right? Could you rate me on how I look? I took on my best pose (http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp352/Falanca/chalclcepntged.png) just for my main man!
Since Telltale started, Steve's day job has been at Pixar. That's where he probably is most of the time to this very day. And/or he's kept in storage in the mystery space bonus office hidden in the back of our real office.
He was working on Cars 2 IIRC, that's going to be premiered soon
Falanca
03/09/2011, 08:20 pm
He was working on Cars 2 IIRC, that's going to be premiered soon
Poor guy. I hated the first one.
Shyguy
03/09/2011, 09:04 pm
Ergh, Cars. The one Pixar film I hate.
GuruGuru214
03/10/2011, 01:20 am
It's the one Pixar film everyone but me seems to hate. Incidentally, it's the only Pixar film I've never seen.
My sister was in the hospital for a month the year we got it for Christmas, and my family watched it a few times over there without me, and it hasn't been viewed over here ever since.
Molokov
03/10/2011, 01:50 am
All of the Pixar films can be enjoyed equally by children and adults... except Cars. Which seems to appeal very well to children (under 12) whereas adults thought it was pretty ordinary. But it's been very successful (especially in toy sales) so a sequel was inevitable.
All of the Pixar films can be enjoyed equally by children and adults... except Cars. Which seems to appeal very well to children (under 12) whereas adults thought it was pretty ordinary. But it's been very successful (especially in toy sales) so a sequel was inevitable.
But now it has Michael Caine so all's good.
Seriously, my only problem with the film is that there are sidewalks for no reason.
The Highway
03/10/2011, 03:32 am
plus then after that there's "brave"...
But then we get Monster Inc 2, so thats cool!
Irishmile
03/10/2011, 03:46 am
Steve needs to convince those PIXAR kids that Sam and Max would make an excellent film.
RAnthonyMahan
03/10/2011, 04:28 am
Steve needs to convince those PIXAR kids that Sam and Max would make an excellent film.
Steve has said before that he's not interested in letting Pixar adapt Sam and Max, because the Freelance Police wouldn't mix well with Pixar's style.
But yeah, Steve has never been an official Telltale employee. His involvement with the games has been more as an advisor than anything else.
He's said he'd like to do a new Sam and Max comic someday, but Pixar's keeping him pretty busy.
Falanca
03/10/2011, 06:55 am
Steve has said before that he's not interested in letting Pixar adapt Sam and Max, because the Freelance Police wouldn't mix well with Telltale's style.
wat
Hayley the Hedgie
03/10/2011, 10:08 am
I love Cars... I am DYING to the see the next one.
I'll just go away now and shut up forever 'cos I seem to go off topic with bloody everything.
RAnthonyMahan
03/10/2011, 11:07 am
D'oh. I meant Pixar's style. Damn typing on auto-pilot...
Falanca
03/10/2011, 11:17 am
D'oh. I meant Pixar's style. Damn typing on auto-pilot...
Well, that's something.
That's sadly true. Flawless, beautiful animation comes with a price if we're talking about characters that don't fit the general archetype of a CGI movie character. But, you know, movie industry has always marked their accomplishments with doing things out of ordinary, who's to say a possible Pixar movie starring Sam and Max, that retains their humor that everyone loves, will not completely change the way we look at animation? I think that's a risk some people should try to take, and I can't think of any other fictional duo fitting such a role.
Remolay
03/10/2011, 01:21 pm
I always thought the "Pixar Style" Meant the children's movies they make. So a Sam and Max movie would be too risky with Pixar's reputation.
Falanca
03/10/2011, 02:16 pm
I always thought the "Pixar Style" Meant the children's movies they make. So a Sam and Max movie would be too risky with Pixar's reputation.
But, you know, movie industry has always marked their accomplishments with doing things out of ordinary, who's to say a possible Pixar movie starring Sam and Max, that retains their humor that everyone loves, will not completely change the way we look at animation? I think that's a risk some people should try to take, and I can't think of any other fictional duo fitting such a role.
I still say such self restrictions are harmful more than helpful for any company or individual. If it's good, it's good. Would it be controversial? Yes. Creative thinking always baffles people that aren't used to do so. But in my vision, it would be successful.
I always thought the "Pixar Style" Meant the children's movies they make. So a Sam and Max movie would be too risky with Pixar's reputation.
what?
RAnthonyMahan
03/10/2011, 05:14 pm
I always thought the "Pixar Style" Meant the children's movies they make. So a Sam and Max movie would be too risky with Pixar's reputation.
Not really. Pixar's always sort of abided by Walt Disney's old philosophy of "making movies children aren't ashamed to take their parents to." There's a difference between being for children and being for all ages.
Look at The Incredibles. That's a pretty adult movie. I don't mean "adult" in the sense of having lots of sex and violence (though it was pretty violent as far as PG movies go), but actually being adult. Before we get to see all the cool superhero fights kids came to watch, we have Mr. Incredible going through job issues, family issues, and just all-around being discontent with his life. And they've been going more and more in that direction. I can pretty much promise the adults watching Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, and Toy Story 3 got more out of it than the kids did. Being too "adult" isn't a problem, especially since Sam and Max can be made light and kid-friendly with little effort. (See the cartoon and, to a lesser extent, Telltale's first two seasons.)
I think it's more that Sam and Max clashes with what Pixar's aiming for. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore Sam and Max, and I'm not saying it should try to be more deep and complex (although the ending to 305 proved such a thing can work). But Sam and Max just isn't about being complex. It's about two crazy characters living in an even crazier world and going on a never-ending series of increasingly deranged adventures. That isn't a bad thing at all, but Pixar doesn't want to be nothing but comedy. They want to prove that animation is art, and that you can feel for a cartoon character just as much as you can a live actor. I'm not Steve Purcell and I can't speak on his behalf, but I'm guessing that was what he meant.
Then again, I'm sure a Sam and Max movie would be a step up from Cars 2. :p
mathman77
03/10/2011, 05:15 pm
Wow, everyone hated Cars? I hated Ratatouille the most (it's too long for its own good). Everything else Pixar made is great.
Anyway, Pixar better give Steve Purcell some more free time so we can get a new Sam and Max comic!
GuruGuru214
03/10/2011, 07:23 pm
So basically, Sam & Max might be a better fit for Dreamworks?
...Nah.
Sausy Gibbon
03/10/2011, 08:43 pm
I think also it could be that all Pixar movies have a moral were Sam and Max rarely do.
monsters inc has always been my favorite pixar movie, A Sam & Max movie does sound pretty cool tho I must admit
Well, that's something.
That's sadly true. Flawless, beautiful animation comes with a price if we're talking about characters that don't fit the general archetype of a CGI movie character. But, you know, movie industry has always marked their accomplishments with doing things out of ordinary, who's to say a possible Pixar movie starring Sam and Max, that retains their humor that everyone loves, will not completely change the way we look at animation? I think that's a risk some people should try to take, and I can't think of any other fictional duo fitting such a role.
Agreeing with most of your points. To be honest, I've been kind of hoping that Pixar would take itself in another direction when it came to storytelling. It's great at hooking in a diversity of audiences with themes that reach out to many people, and managing to keep concepts fresh (I'm astounded they managed to make a Toy Story 3) - but that's kind of turned into a bit of a comfort zone, and it'd be cool for them to push their boundaries a little, even if everyone won't exactly like it.
Granted, the subjects don't have to be Sam and Max - though that would be quite cool, indeed. While Telltale has managed to succeed in putting a narrative that lasts hours to a series of shenanigans that eventually lead up to something, I am a bit skeptical of how anyone would pull of a complete feature film.
If they could, though - that would be something to see.
Falanca
03/11/2011, 10:32 am
Granted, the subjects don't have to be Sam and Max - though that would be quite cool, indeed. While Telltale has managed to succeed in putting a narrative that lasts hours to a series of shenanigans that eventually lead up to something, I am a bit skeptical of how anyone would pull of a complete feature film.
If they could, though - that would be something to see.
Well, if Pixar sets their minds on such a thing, I believe the first thing they would think of working on would be Sam and Max. Or... If they ever wanted to make a movie with a lot of cartoon violence and downright absurdity -without the use of crude imagery and language, or well, not TOO many of'em -, they would question if they could do it BECAUSE of the availability of Sam and Max to them. If we talk about Pixar, I can think of nothing else. I mean, what else they can work on, other than an IP? South Park? Beavis and Butthead? Those are just too risky and kind of pointless. Taking all these risks and working on an IP would also be just a waste of good marketing opportunity, as there are already many people who are fans of Sam and Max.
Filling 90 minutes with a Sam and Max kind of storyline, characters and dialouges would be the easiest thing, I believe. I wonder why you are skeptical about that, above all other things.
jeeno0142
03/11/2011, 11:10 am
How about Sam and Max in a Pixar short? That might work.
Sausy Gibbon
03/11/2011, 01:45 pm
I think what 1nky means is similar to a quote from Purcell that Sam and Max work best in short doses, which capture the surealism of the original without having to explain Non sequiturs in exposition. I don't believe this is always true as Sam and Max are so flexable. Probably my first option for a film story would be a standard crime story with a villain or number two would be a road trip.
Falanca
03/11/2011, 01:55 pm
I think what 1nky means is similar to a quote from Purcell that Sam and Max work best in short doses, which capture the surealism of the original without having to explain Non sequiturs in exposition. I don't believe this is always true as Sam and Max are so flexable. Probably my first option for a film story would be a standard crime story with a villain or number two would be a road trip.
It always varies within the motives of whoever the villain is. The surroundings Sam and Max has to go through depends on the plan of the villain. Sam and Max is there to narrate and make jokes about the places and the bad guy. So in the end, get a creative bad guy and write him an elaborate yet totally ABSURD goal, and you'll get a good movie scenario for Sam and Max.
monkeyhead234
03/11/2011, 10:56 pm
So basically, Sam & Max might be a better fit for Dreamworks?
...Nah.
dream works sucks. "monsters vs aliens"? wtf kind of movie title is that?
Falanca
03/11/2011, 11:02 pm
dream works sucks. "monsters vs aliens"? wtf kind of movie title is that?
I know right? I can't even think of anything that can be successful bearing a title very similar to this! (http://neoayato.com/Shop/images/alienpredjaguar.jpg)
GuruGuru214
03/11/2011, 11:29 pm
dream works sucks. "monsters vs aliens"? wtf kind of movie title is that?
The title sucked, but I really enjoyed the movie. At any rate, "Monsters vs. Aliens" is better than "Cowboys & Aliens".
Vyse220
03/12/2011, 01:50 am
well sam & max worked for a kids cartoon, then maybe...
nah
Wow, everyone hated Cars? I hated Ratatouille the most (it's too long for its own good). Everything else Pixar made is great.
YOU'RE DEAD TO ME, CAN OPENER!
I loved Ratatouille. Maybe it's because I love Patton Oswalt or maybe I like how it's animals and a human world.
I think what I hated about Cars the most was the obvious car jokes (Bar-har-har, dipstick reference, bar-har-har), the inclusion of Larry The Cable Guy (Look, I know he's "based" on, or in tribute of, the guy who worked for Pixar who died in a bridge accident, but it came at such a time where I was entirely sick of redneck jokes), and the fact that it was a world where cars are the humans. I not really a guy for realism or anything, I'll watch a lot of the animal world Dreamworks stuff like Madagascar and Kung-Fu Panda, but at least animals are already equipped with character and personality. Even Toy Story, almost all the toys had faces, and if they didn't, it's not like suddenly a set of eyes and a mouth were sprouting on them when Andy wasn't around. If it was an inanimate object that came to life, the properties of that object didn't change when he left. I think the only movie I enjoyed that did that was most likely Brave Little Toaster, and part of that was probably because I have fonder memories of it as a child. Cars seems like a caricature, and there's something about the style of it that I didn't like.
What's funny is that there's a webcomic (I'll post it if I can find it) where it shows stick figure guys pitching all the ideas for Pixar movies, weaving them as deeply-knit stories, but when it shows what's happening at Dreamworks, it's just "Animals are doing things that animals don't normally do. And they all make this one face." "Brilliant." That's what Cars feels like to me - Cars doing things that Cars aren't normally supposed to do. And Lightning McQueen MAKES the face (Half a smile, one eyebrow up). To me, How To Train Your Dragon should have been Pixar, and Cars should have been Dreamworks.
EDIT:
http://i54.tinypic.com/30jtvs6.jpg
This comic also brings up Wall-E which I didn't really see too many people mention in this thread - that's not entirely a squeaky-clean movie. The world has gotten so careless and lazy, depending on machines, that they destroy their planet and live in a space station where they all ride hovering scooter beds and have little to no experience walking anymore? That's pretty bleak, even by Disney standards.
There was an interview with Maurice Sendek on the Where The Wild Things Are DVD where he said he only signed off on the movie because he knew Spike Jonze understood that the movie had to be
"dangerous." That's what I like about some of the Pixar flicks, and why I think it's still pretty cool that Purcell is over there right now, even though I hate the Cars franchise. I think Pixar still understands that in order to make something that both children and adults can enjoy, you can't keep everything too sheltered. You have to push boundaries.
As for what individual people at Pixar have done... has anybody else seen "Bring Me The Head of Charlie Brown?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=codEc4P016E
^ Made by Jim Reardon, who worked for The Simpsons, Tiny Toon Adventures, and also co-wrote Wall-E, when he was a student at CalArts.
Well, if Pixar sets their minds on such a thing, I believe the first thing they would think of working on would be Sam and Max. Or... If they ever wanted to make a movie with a lot of cartoon violence and downright absurdity -without the use of crude imagery and language, or well, not TOO many of'em -, they would question if they could do it BECAUSE of the availability of Sam and Max to them. If we talk about Pixar, I can think of nothing else. I mean, what else they can work on, other than an IP? South Park? Beavis and Butthead? Those are just too risky and kind of pointless. Taking all these risks and working on an IP would also be just a waste of good marketing opportunity, as there are already many people who are fans of Sam and Max.
Filling 90 minutes with a Sam and Max kind of storyline, characters and dialouges would be the easiest thing, I believe. I wonder why you are skeptical about that, above all other things.
Whoa, wait - I don't think that if Pixar had to move in this direction, they'd pick Sam and Max - they would pick a new idea altogether. What I'm saying is that I guess it's doable, considering what other people have manged to pull off, using subject matter that's usually spontaneous and all over the place.
I honestly don't think it would be that easy, though. It could just be me used to certain formats, however...
Falanca
03/12/2011, 04:13 pm
Whoa, wait - I don't think that if Pixar had to move in this direction, they'd pick Sam and Max - they would pick a new idea altogether. What I'm saying is that I guess it's doable, considering what other people have manged to pull off, using subject matter that's usually spontaneous and all over the place.
Well, everything said after this point can just be assumptions. But I don't know, they have Steve Purcell over there and they have a moderately sized fanbase over here. It just seems easy to me, definitely more than "doable".
[...]awesome comic[...]
I love the Pixar stickmen in that comic. Especially the one in the far right, opening his arms like "see the world from my eyes for one second". Oh my god so adorable.
I'd like to add Puss in Boots to that "Dreamworks generalization" by the way.
monkeyhead234
03/12/2011, 08:50 pm
The title sucked, but I really enjoyed the movie. At any rate, "Monsters vs. Aliens" is better than "Cowboys & Aliens".
sorry but i really lost interest in dream works after Shrek 3
TentuZero
03/14/2011, 10:21 am
sorry but i really lost interest in dream works after Shrek 3
Ah...i thought the same thing...shrek 3 was horrible. Simply horrible. Anywho, steve will continue the comic when he feels up to it i presume.
Leplaya
03/14/2011, 10:33 am
I dont think a cartoon of Sam and max made by Pixar would be any good. Besides Purcell himself said so. I wouldn't mind a new cartoon show of Sam and max, as long as it can be somewhat faithful to the original comics. Also. I would be furious if Dreamworks adapts Sam and Max. I don't want them to do it just to pop culturdize it and add stuff into it thats not even part of the original comics.
RMJ1984
03/15/2011, 02:19 pm
Pixar should talk to Valve about a TF2 movie :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxMtGXdndzU
2 hours film could be fun :D
StrongBrush1
03/15/2011, 03:38 pm
It's the one Pixar film everyone but me seems to hate. Incidentally, it's the only Pixar film I've never seen.
My sister was in the hospital for a month the year we got it for Christmas, and my family watched it a few times over there without me, and it hasn't been viewed over here ever since.
I seem to be part of a small minority of this issue, actually. A lot of people hated this film, and I don't know why. It wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't bad.
On a side note, Sam and Max would make a wonderful pixar film, if it weren't for one small problem. The rating. Apparently, it's against the law or something to have Pixar release a film that's over the PG rating. They have to convince kids to watch this, remember?
Sam and Max for kids has been done before, but there's a limited scope of what they could accomplish in terms of groundbreaking Pixar movies. The whole point of a Sam and Max movie would be that it's an excellent way to get away with the things that they can't do on television or in the video games. If you took away that privilege, it would just seemed like an extended episode of the TV show.
Also, I think that it would be pretty hard to sell the idea of a six-foot-tall anthropomorphic dog and a three-foot-tall hyper-kinetic rabbity-thing to a six-year-old sitting in the theater with his overprotective mother.
In short, I don't think a Sam and Max Pixar movie would work out. It would probably just end up being a huge disappointment to both fans of the series, and to incoming moviegoers who don't even know what a lagomorph is.
Mmm, good points. Part of the appeal of Sam and Max's style is that it really has no target audience other than itself. You get parodies of children's educational bumpers and of the opening of Space 1999; you get references to 70s exploitation movies in the same breath as references to American Idol and H.P. Lovecraft. As it is, everyone watching it is vaguely uncomfortable and Sam and Max should be vaguely uncomfortable.
I'm sure there could be a good Pixar movie about a couple of animal detectives going on aesthetically noirish madcap adventures; it just wouldn't be a good Sam and Max movie.
Irishmile
03/15/2011, 05:27 pm
I know its pointless to argue with Purcell about his own characters, but I think that Pixar would be able to make a really smart and entertaining version of Sam and Max... I see no reason why it would be less of a fit than the animated cartoon that was already made.
and if they do it rung then we can call it Pixar sham
StrongBrush1
03/16/2011, 12:11 pm
And, if they do it wrong, we can blame it on Pixar.
I would actually blame the MPAA, but blaming Pixar might work as well.
SillyStell
03/16/2011, 01:46 pm
I wouldn't blame Pixar, I'd blame Disney. They are ripe with things to be blamed for already so adding one more thing to list isn't to much of a big deal. ;)
Sausy Gibbon
03/24/2011, 10:25 pm
To answer the question from his blog he is currently working on Brave, and not Cars 2.
Flyingman356
03/25/2011, 02:23 am
They want to prove that animation is art, and that you can feel for a cartoon character just as much as you can a live actor.
I actually, I got pretty emotional during the Devil's Playhouse. It completely turned Sam and Max upside down with its story, Sam losing his strongest friendship on multiple occasions. You really feel the grief Sam is going through when Max had died.
to answer the question from his blog he is currently working on brave, and not cars 2.
bullet dodged.
pepsiboy3
04/21/2011, 06:26 pm
Steve needs to convince those PIXAR kids that Sam and Max would make an excellent film.
in live action movie? (maybe?)
Gman5852
04/21/2011, 06:51 pm
in live action movie? (maybe?)
Uhhh NO!
Thats a terrible idea.
pepsiboy3
04/21/2011, 07:29 pm
Uhhh NO!
Thats a terrible idea.
but pixar guys don't have a live action movie before (not on wall-e movie but the other live action movies),
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WsFaF8VsHhc/TKphKOTENHI/AAAAAAAAABg/N0jWS5Iu77g/s1600/homestar_seriously.jpg
Trenchfoot
04/21/2011, 08:29 pm
Maybe Dreamworks could do it, but only if Sanders and DeBois do it. After all, those two guys totally redeemed DW with Dragon.
It's a shame that they got kicked out of Pixar, but it's business. It happens all the time.
Or for some reason I think that a Sam and Max movie could be done in a more European fashion. After all, non-american animation is always more risky and controversial. And that's what makes it so interesting.
GuruGuru214
04/25/2011, 10:09 pm
but pixar guys don't have a live action movie before (not on wall-e movie but the other live action movies)
That's because they're an animation studio. That's like saying that McDonald's should start serving pizza because they've never done it before. It doesn't make sense.
StrongBrush1
04/26/2011, 05:38 pm
That's because they're an animation studio. That's like saying that McDonald's should start serving pizza because they've never done it before. It doesn't make sense.
It does NOT MAKE SENSE.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jzmKjBcZGOk/SXoG-BwqZMI/AAAAAAAAACM/dsGzwMbEF3g/s400/chewbacca.jpg
coolguy721
04/26/2011, 05:47 pm
dreamworks only makes shitty movies now
WarpSpeed
04/26/2011, 05:55 pm
That's like saying that McDonald's should start serving pizza because they've never done it before. It doesn't make sense.
Oh really?
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7nb52jpvCJSQpEdcHds-wyFkhO45xx7m6NlxGVqsgizyWl7Gugg
lombre
04/26/2011, 06:00 pm
Oh really?
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7nb52jpvCJSQpEdcHds-wyFkhO45xx7m6NlxGVqsgizyWl7Gugg
Oh god. This is a sign of the apocalypse. No doubt about it.
GuruGuru214
04/26/2011, 06:46 pm
Oh really?
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7nb52jpvCJSQpEdcHds-wyFkhO45xx7m6NlxGVqsgizyWl7Gugg
You have no idea how long I spent trying to think up a simile that didn't make sense in the same way as Pixar making a live action movie. And you just ruined it. I hope you're happy.
KeyMaster
04/26/2011, 08:47 pm
They want to prove that animation is art, and that you can feel for a cartoon character just as much as you can a live actor.
I think they can fly the "Mission Accomplished" banner after the first 10 minutes of UP. I've yet to talk to anyone who didn't at least get watery eyes from that.
For the record I loved Cars, not their best work but it was still damned good in my book. I still, however, wish they'd have refrained from making a second one. Same with Monster's Inc (as I'm hearing rumors about a second one) the first one ended very cleanly. The monsters switch to using laughter as a power source and in the end Sully gets the ability to see Boo again. Everybody wins, no need for a sequel.
DAISHI
04/26/2011, 09:05 pm
There probably wasn't a need for a sequel to Toy Story either but those turned out pretty good. It's like Pixar says, if the story needs telling, they'll do it.
RAnthonyMahan
04/27/2011, 04:01 am
They're actually going to do a Monsters, Inc. prequel about Mike and Sully meeting in college.
Kind of weird, but at least they won't try putting anything after the first movie's ending.
LikaLaruku
04/29/2011, 08:32 pm
Since Telltale started, Steve's day job has been at Pixar. That's where he probably is most of the time to this very day. And/or he's kept in storage in the mystery space bonus office hidden in the back of our real office.
God I hate Pixar, I hate them so very very much. But that's to be expected of someone literally raised on dark comedies with swearing, dick jokes, gay jokes, funny violence, & other vulgarities.
Anyway, I've been to his Sam & Max blog & he would occasionally say stuff about still trying to rerelease the old unfinished/canceled games that were worked on prior to TellTale taking over the reigns as well as pondering over ideas for Sam & Max merchandise.
You know, it would probably get him a little amped up if more people would visit & leave comments: http://samandmaxblog.blogspot.com/
coolguy721
05/02/2011, 04:48 pm
^
pixar is using a little more edgy humor these days.
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