Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 American computer-animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi (pictured), creator of the Final Fantasy series of role-playing video games. It was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film and remains the most expensive film inspired by a video game of all time. Featuring the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin and Steve Buscemi, The Spirits Within follows scientists Aki Ross (Wen) and Doctor Sid (Sutherland) in their efforts to free a post-apocalyptic Earth from the Phantoms, a mysterious and deadly alien race. Square Pictures' staff of 200 rendered the film using some of the most advanced processing capabilities available at the time, taking about four years to complete it. The film debuted to mixed critical reception, but was widely praised for the realism of the computer-animated characters. It greatly exceeded its original budget, costing $137 million and recovering only $85 million at the box office. The film has been called a box office bomb and is blamed for the demise of Square Pictures.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy:_The_Spirits_Within

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1260:

The Livonian Order suffered its greatest defeat in the 13th century in the Battle of Durbe against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Durbe

1793:

Charlotte Corday assassinated Jean-Paul Marat, a leader in both the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, in his bathtub. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Corday

1941:

The Communist Party of Yugoslavia initiated a general and popular uprising against Italian occupation forces in Montenegro that was suppressed within six weeks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uprising_in_Montenegro

1977:

Ethiopia and Somalia went to war over the disputed Ogaden region in eastern Ethiopia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogaden_War

2011:

Three coordinated bombings across Mumbai, India, killed 26 victims and injured 130 more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Mumbai_bombings

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

tardigrade: Sluggish; moving slowly. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tardigrade

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

"What is too silly to be said may be sung" — well, yes; but what is too subtle to be said, or too deeply felt, or too revealing or too mysterious — these things can also be sung and can only be sung.   --Kenneth Clark https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Clark