Review of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973) by Steve B — 25 Apr 2011

Richard Bach's book doesn't translate well to live-action film because the seagulls in the book are stand-ins for humans, with the same doubts, fears, hopes, and dreams as we have, and the same group-think and pressures to conform that we face, but the state-of-the art in 1973 for making them come alive was limited to clunky, traditional cell animation.

Jonathan bravely separates himself from the crowd because something inside says he was meant "to fly," which of course is a metaphor for the ultimate human trait of striving toward perfection. This radical theology--that we are meant for divinity--was considered pretty far out in 1973; now, it's standard fare for a large percentage of the world, which makes his subject a perfect one for Pixar's genius. They could capture the talking seagulls, along with the death-defying (and death-inducing) aeronautical feats Jonathan accomplishes, which bring him to the attention of the gulls from a higher dimension.

I hope John Lassiter et al. have this project in the queue.

Two stars for execution, five stars for theme.