Bill Murray becomes a Na’vi (sort of) in a bizarre AI-generated trailer for Wes Anderson’s Avatar. The elements of Anderson’s quirky and whimsical filmmaking style have become well-known to film audiences, thanks to an extended run of acclaimed movies including The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Later in 2023, Anderson’s unique approach to film storytelling will go on display again with Asteroid City, a 1950s-set piece featuring an all-star cast.
Ahead of the forthcoming Asteroid City release date, YouTube channel Curious Refuge has unleashed its own Anderson tribute in the form of an AI-generated trailer that imagines the unimaginable: Avatar as directed by Anderson.
The clip features AI renditions of many Anderson favorites, including the aforementioned Murray, Tilda Swinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson. Dubbed The Peculiar Pandora Expedition, Anderson’s Avatar does not look as thrilling and high-tech as James Cameron’s, but it definitely appears more gentle and eccentric.
Wes Anderson Is The Perfect Target For AI Parodies
The on-set of AI-generated art has seen an explosion in parodies that begin with the premise of Anderson directing things that Anderson would never direct. The result has been a string of amusing mash-ups, including Anderson’s Star Wars, Anderson’s Lord of the Rings, Anderson's Hunger Games, Anderson’s Gremlins and Anderson’s Harry Potter.
The idea of the largely uncommercial Anderson taking on such commercial properties is of course humorous in itself. But what makes the parodies really work is how they play upon the specificity of Anderson’s style. Even casual film fans recognize the particular elements that have become hallmarks of Anderson’s work: whimsical art direction, symmetrical compositions, muted colors, long takes, wry humor. It’s indeed easy to “Andersonize” any blockbuster film franchise, and the incongruous result is almost always at least mildly funny.
Those who take Anderson to task for essentially making the same film over-and-over could point to AI videos like Anderson's Avatar as proof that the director needs to change things up or risk becoming a parody of himself. But the forthcoming Asteroid City looks to be further evidence that Anderson's style remains as locked-in as ever, and if the movie's all-star cast is any indication, the biggest names in Hollywood still enjoy giving themselves over to the director and his distinctive vision.
Source: Curious Refuge
