SKY BLUE (2003)

A film which emits more beauty and majesty than just about any other animated production to date, Sky Blue is an amalgamation of several visual styles which, at its very core, is nothing more than a simple love story smothered in dazzling imagery and richly dramatic music. This Korean gem has all the superfluities of your typical Eastern anime including futuristic setting, post-apocalyptic environment and sentimental back story, but Sky Blue is so much more than a simple fairy-tale, it’s an experience.

The film is set in 2140 shortly after a catastrophic environmental disaster. A small number of elites have built an organic city called Ecoban. Its very existence depends on the work of the ‘Diggers’, refugees who live in the wasteland outside of the city and mine Carbonite to feed Ecoban’s energy consumption. Exploited and often placed in peril, their only hope is Shua, a young rebel fighter who must infiltrate the city and escape with its secrets, to win the freedom of the slaves and save the planet from total destruction. Besides the perils of the Ecoban military, Shua must face both the demons and desires from his past as the ghosts of his childhood return.
In its original skin, this proud Korean film was originally titled Wonderful Days. Now re-edited, re-voiced and re-titled for a Western market, Sky Blue marks the end of a 7 year project which features many production techniques and combines them into a unique cinematic experience. 2D cell animation, CGI, miniature modelling and live action footage are all utilised to bring a truly realistic feeling to the world of Ecoban and its moody surroundings. The imagery captured during the amalgamation of these techniques provides some spectacular scenery which appears as real as any photograph and truly blurs the lines between animation and live footage. During the action oriented scenes you miss most of the fine detail, but there are plenty of slower moments which offer a truly spectacular view of this future world. Most of the more impressive effects come thanks to the weather along with the dynamics of light and motion, so the filmmakers have been especially careful to fully exploit these moments by pausing to give a moment of contemplation before moving on with the story. In an effort to contrast the realistic backdrops, the decision was taken to have all the character animation done in very traditional 2D cell shading which appears odd amongst such sumptuous surroundings. I can only assume that this choice was based on trying to stylise the characters, and after a while you don’t notice there rather basic (in comparison) construction.

The musical score is often an after thought in many animated productions with most thinking that a pumping techno track is all that’s required to satisfy the audio integrity of the audience. Thanks to Sky Blue’s deliberately steadier pace, plenty of time has been given over to developing a more refined musical experience thanks to the employment of a full orchestra. Musical Director Il Won has ensured that traditional up-tempo tracks still blast over the all important action sequences, but he has also used such diverse material as pan pipes, haunting violin segments, pounding drum beats and an ear-splitting operatic performance to enhance the films atmosphere.
Tartan Video has pulled out all the stops in presenting their special edition dual DVD set. The UK retail package is a beautiful affair which slides out neatly from its jacket to display a glossy cloud covered fold-out section housing the 2 DVD’s and a 12 page production booklet. The first disk contains the main feature complete with anamorphic presentation, DTS digital 5.1, Dolby digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 stereo sound tracks. The second disk is crammed full of special production features which should keep most anime fans quiet for a few hours. The extra material is split into three main headings, ‘Production Featurettes’, ‘The Sound of Sky Blue’ and ‘Crew Anecdotes’. The main production section is broken down into 7 different slices most of which examine the storyboard process including a 5 minute look at the computer effects process. 36 and 48 minute Featurettes delve into some rather tedious detail about the paper-to-screen process including shooting footage from a car to try and capture the view point of the films vehicles and a seriously weird examination of the patterns used throughout the film! We also get a 2 minute look at the construction of a very brief dance scene used in the film.

The DVD’s ‘Sound’ section has an amusing part in which the director insults the opera singer by calling her a primadonna and saying “at least she was pretty”, but also has a more serious segment focusing on getting the correct engine rumbles for the films roaring bike segments. Rounding things off nicely is the 5 minute ‘Crew Anecdotes’ section which houses a ponderous Moon Sang Kim as he reflects on his production and his hopes for the future of Korean animated cinema. To be honest Mr Kim, I don’t think you have too much to worry about.