I know I have made it clear that for the most part remakes are a waste of time. But here's one that tweaks the notion of what a remake is: "Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated."
Okay I was searching around on Facebook for zombies (which I do often) and came across "Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated." Wow!
On the website, "Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated" is described as "an art show hung on the cult classic's timeline. Every scene serves as walls to hang artworks, the audio becomes the ambiance of the space and the original narrative serves as the theme that holds the show together." The cult classic used as the foundation is George A. Romero's 1967 zombie film "Night of the Living Dead" (a film that is in public domain).
"Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated" features the work of artists, animators, and filmmakers from around the globe. The mixed media showcased includes puppetry, CGI, hand-drawn animation, illustration, acrylics, claymation, and even 'animated' tattoos, just to name a few. So the result is not exactly a remake but rather a "re-viewing" of George A. Romero's seminal zombie film through an experimental lens. Check out the trailer for a sense of what the experience is like.
Here's an excerpt from a Fangoria interview with Mike Schneider: "Reanimation, as defined by animator Winsor McCay, is the process of giving something a new life through artwork. He argued that artists had the potential to bring something to a project which goes beyond what can be seen—a feeling, an impression, perspective. Apart from the obvious pun on the word 'reanimated,' this project is all about the new rising up to consume the old. And isn’t that what NOTLD is all about? In effect this is not just an animated version of Romero’s film, it’s the story turned onto itself as this horde of individuals slowly moves in, rips the film to pieces and finally recreates it in their own image."
I have yet to see the whole film but the trailers really piqued my interest. It made me want to check out Romero's film again and then watch how these artists reinterpreted his classic. Some of the work in the trailer looks absolutely amazing and I wish the film had been shown here on the big screen. Hmmm? Maybe that's something that could still happen.
