Hey Lorne Lanning:

Meh, I think there's enough differences for it to fly on its own. Though I admit I was thinking at various points throughout it "this is what the Oddworld film would be like."

I think even plot/underlying messages aside, most people will immediately go "LOOK TRIBAL BLUE HUMANOID THINGS".

And armless octopus-headed businessmen, tentacle-faced green things with guns and robotic legs, sadomasochistic scientists with heads as big as their bodies, and much more.

Im sure the resemblance would be noticed, but the two worlds differ in so many ways and Oddworld is already known. Plus, Abe is the only blue one and he looks more like a deep mauve in the cut scenes anyway.

I'm pretty sure the grace period between Avatar and any Oddworld-related anything in the coming years will help.

Avatar release date: 2009
CS estimated release date: 2013 (that's generous)
Future OW media of any sort: 2450 (that's also generous)

Gabe, Justin, and myself will ream 'im good on the Oddtour if he agrees to come out of his tasteful den and shake our sticky, grubby hands. Over some quiche and Sonoma I'll pop the question; "So uh... how's that there Oddworld thing coming along?"

Aside from them both being high standard fancy CG effects, I fail to see what both movies would have in common? Or is every future CG/3D now going to be an Avatar rip-off?

Is Avatar a Toy Story rip off?

Havoc, you really are stupid aren't you?

I hate it when people compare one thing to another thing, but the thing they compare it to is completely wrong and nothing like the first thing.

Have you seen Avatar? Even if you haven't, the lead roles from both Oddworld and Avatar look very similar. Blue skin, hairless bar long ponytail, loin cloth? Come the fuck on.

If anyone calls Lorne out on it, it's not that hard to clear it up by pointing out that Oddworld came way first.

You are right on the condition that general audiences are stupid as fuck and will connect different works on such a shallow level. Even if it's apples and oranges, people compare that shit all the time. It's like when people called Swordfish a Matrix rip off based solely on the trailer and one slow-mo action sequence in the beginning.

But also tall, slender, bio-luminescent, passionate, clever beings with full heads of hair. Certainly not too much alike with the short, lanky, all-male, childish, fish-eyed, noseless Mudokons. Have you fogotten only Abe is blue? And to reiterate, he isn't that blue anyway.

Eh, I've always found the messages in Oddworld to be apparent but not in your face. It can just be a charming story. Unlike Avatar which is all "LOOK AT MY POLITICS AS I SHOVE MY BIG MEATY MESSAGE DOWN YOUR THROAT"

That sounds pretty hot, Anonyman.

Messages can be a tricky business. If the story is told from the side of the oppressed fighting back, it appeals to a mass market but the message can be entirely lost. When told from the side doing the oppressing, with people there gradually learning that they are in fact the bad guys, the message can be far more important and the plot more complex, but if done poorly will be too in-your-face.

I think Lorne's method is quite subtle, and appears to be heading towards a balanced middle-road between these routes.

A Slig centric movie would be interesting. I think Glory Slig / Silpher's Pack / Slig Chronicles / Prison OtherSide would be very good in that kind of format (or else a Flash miniseries).

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE OTHER AVATAR MOVIE THE ONE THAT EVERYONE THOUGHT I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE SMURFS ABOUT AND IT WILL PROBABLY BE NOT THAT GOOD ANYWAY

I THINK AVATAR IS A RIPOFF OF THAT OTHER AVATAR BECAUSE THEY SHARE THE SAME NAME