From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.movies

Among the things Mark Leeper wrote:

when seen in its widescreen format, much of it still looks very
good sixty-five years later. The beautiful planet-scapes and
space-scapes would not be surpassed until STAR WARS. For the pre-
digital age, the effects are very impressive. And the scenes are
all the more impressive in widescreen format.

2001 says, "Am I a joke to you?"
Just a side-mention of the TV cropped version. Back when I was looking for the special effects tricks, this showed the tiger on a rise of ground, then Adams having to shoot it as it leapt for Altaira, but the tiger only entered the frame when it had already been replaced by animated dissipating clouds, making it look like they had cheated more than they actually did.

MGM was not able to do themselves all the effects for FORBIDDEN
PLANET and got some technical aid from Disney Studios. The result
is that several of the scenes have the unmistakable feel of Disney animation. When we see sparks in Robby's dome, or long arcs of
electricity, they look like Disney animation. When walking to the
reactor, we see a scene in the power shaft that looks very much
like Disney animation. I assume they also did the rays coming out
of the blasters, but not very well. The line of the blast remains
steady even though the gun is shaking around.

Not the first time MGM favored Disney over their own animators!
"Anchors Aweigh" (1945) featured a fantasy segment of Gene Kelly dancing with a cartoon. He originally wanted Mickey Mouse. It was when Disney turned down the request that they went with Jerry Mouse. This was while Tom & Jerry were in the midst of a four-year run of Academy Award wins, in a nine-year run of nominations! (I think I read that at the time nominations were not competitive, a few titles were submitted by each studio, in most cases by the executive in charge of keeping the animators from running amuck around the real studio.)
I tell myself it was justified by getting an "effects animator": Disney could specialize, having someone special to do all the water and wave effects for The Sorcerer's Apprentice in "Fantasia," while the others basically had everyone as basically character animation, and made do with their water seeming to have intelligence and purpose.
--
-Jack
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From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.movies

Paul S Person wrote:

Robbie returned in (and was used to attract customers to) /The
Invisible Boy/, which, when I saw it, turned out to have rather too
much boy, who was visible rather too much of the time.

A model kit was made of Robbie. They produced a second version to replicate the movie poster, with Robbie's legs dramatically spread in a way the actor would have probably found hazardous, and a few alterations as the physical model could not hold a three-dimensional Altera in the way the 2-D artist had painted. I've wondered about building a representation of the "Invisible Boy" poster, with its even more dramatic stance.
--
-Jack
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From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.movies

In my top 50 all time favorites.
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