Invasion America

Invasion America is the latest of unusual experiments to air on the WB Network. The first animated mini-series designed to be shown in prime time in the USA, it undoubtably has already earned a place in the history books. Whether it will earn a place in your heart and imagination is another matter entirely.

Traditionally, both science-fiction and animation have been essentially derivative entertainment forms. Men in Black borrows from Ghostbusters, Battlestar Galactica borrows from Star Wars, Robocop borrows from The Terminator, Independence Day borrows from War of the Worlds and at the end of the day the worth of a science-fiction movie lies perhaps not in its uniqueness but in the way the film maker juggles familiar elements into a new constellation. Genre requires an audience of connoisseurs.

Invasion America, however, borrows chunks of material and characters liberally from several live-action science-fiction movies and TV shows. There are echoes of V, The Stand, Star Wars, The X-Files, and Alien. These elements aren't neatly integrated, making it fairly easy to pick apart the "inspiration" for each scene and character. Invasion America's story line isn't new; it's deja vu. Good aliens vs. bad aliens, government coverups, the notion that earth is too nice a place for those nasty humans to have it all to themselves - you've seen it all before in dozens of live action movies.

You've probably seen it done better, too. The dialogue in Invasion America is startlingly stilted at times, which is a shame given that Dreamworks hired Robert Urich, Leonard Nimoy, Lorenzo Lamas, and other fine actors to intone the voices. In fact, the dialogue is so jarringly awkward, it makes Stan Lee's early 1960s purple prose sound casual by comparison. Memories of Ed Wood uncomfortably drift to mind. While the draftsmanship is quite good, the animation itself is very jerky; the shadows drawn on the characters do not flow as realistically as the character design demands. The incorporation of computer-generated effects was frankly done better in the current versions of Spider-Man and The Silver Surfer shown on Fox (which isn't saying much); here, amazingly detailed computerized vehicles are controlled by stiffly animated characters, and the backdrops are stylized to the point of being right at home in Animaniacs.

This doesn't mean that the story is bad. The bare bones of the simplistic plot (a half-breed son of an alien leader slowly learns of his heritage while the evil aliens track him down and try to eliminate him) leave enough room for several paths to be pursued in subsequent episodes. True, I have no idea why an alien civilization would waste its time and energy pursuing a half-breed ignorant of his true origins instead of simply going ahead with their invasion as planned. It's equally unclear why an alien race with an advanced enough technology would need a secret military base in the Southwest in order to contemplate an invasion. But other science fiction movies and TV shows have equally ludicrous premises, and go on to have some highly entertaining installments. Invasion America's milieu may not be terribly original, but has the potential for great adventures should the series continue.

As the plot outline suggests, this is a drama suited more for older children than for adults. Children will enjoy the comicbookisms of the story and identify with the recently orphaned David as he learns his true purpose as a half-breed alien. Adults will likely be quickly bored by Invasion America. With a few trims, Invasion America would fit quite comfortably on the WB's Saturday morning schedule. Children would also be more likely to forgive the essentially derivative nature of the show, since its unlikely that they've seen most of Invasion America's influences yet. (As the current NBC ad campaign states: If you haven't seen it yet, it's new to you). Not surprisingly, the WB has chosen to run Invasion America after the ratings sweeps period is over.

The only mystery surrounding Invasion America is the fact that Steven Spielberg is credited as producer. Jaws, Schindler's List, Close Encounters, and ET are the best examples of what an original talent Spielberg is, and his Indiana Jones movies proved that he can borrow stylishly from the best of pulp fiction. Spielberg's hand also played a role in the creation of both Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, two of the best examples of childrens' programming that doesn't dumb down to the kiddies and provides great fun for the older audience. We expect more from Spielberg than just a random shuffling of science fiction elements. Even his short-lived Amazing Stories TV series took some chances as an anthology of fantasy-themed episodes.

Spielberg is a genius. He is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind talent. We look to his name as a symbol of quality. I hope that Spielberg continues to challenge the status quo with his terrific entertainment skills, and that his future forays into dramatic animation will be less mediocre than Invasion America. Then again, Speilberg's other animation attempts (such as An American Tale and Who Framed Roger Rabbit) were successful in part due to his collaborators - much of the credit for their success goes to Don Bluth and Richard Williams. Spielberg may enjoy animation, but only excels at the medium when paired with skillful artists.

Were Invasion America simply a pilot for a potential Saturday morning TV series, virtually no one would feel compelled to write about it at length. It would be regarded as mediocre, perhaps, but superior to the retro reruns on the Cartoon Network's Toonami, and a decent way for children to spend some free time. But Invasion America is a mini-series aimed towards proving to an adult American audience that animation is a suitable medium for storytelling, and that it's okay for a self-respecting adult to watch cartoons. As such, it carries some pretty heavy baggage, and it's not overstating the case to say that the immediate future of prime-time animation depends on Invasion America's success.

Personally, I believe that properly promoted reruns of Reboot or Batman: The Animated Series would be more successful in wooing non-animation fans into the fold than Invasion America. For a start, both shows are written far better than Invasion America and can boast of better animation. Reboot, in particular, has highly original characters, witty humor, and truly stunning computer effects. Batman has the benefit of cross-generational appeal: like the Silver Age comics they are based on, the Batman episodes are written so that both children and adults can appreciate them. Do yourself a favor - acquaint yourself with either of those two shows if you haven't already. You'll have a better idea of what television animation is capable of than if you simply watch Invasion America.

Other NonAnime Reviews Prince of Egypt Review* Gotham Girls Review* Jackie Chan Adventures Review* Godzilla 98 Review Titan A.E. Review*

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