The focus of the Squaresoft booth may have been the collection of high profile games they're priming for release (Final Fantasy Chronicles, Final Fantasy X,, and Kingdom Hearts, their joint effort with Disney Interactive), but Square Pictures' upcoming CG flick, The Spirits Within, wasn't without a solid presence as well, both at their booth and in their presentation. Posters and books lined the display cases surrounding their booth, while a real treat awaited those making their way into the Squaresoft presentation - a treat many were willing to wait in line for, while others managed to just strut in as though they were actually important or something. How little those silly reps actually knew, confusing us for even remotely important folk... **tsk, tsk**

To call the presentation merely cheezy would be an understatement of epic proportions, but what the lead-ins and lead-outs for each bit of game or movie footage lacked, the actual content more than made up for. After groaning at being told to "look into my mind... look into my past," albeit told via a rather impressive audio / visual display, anime scenes from the Playstation re-release of Chrono Trigger kicked in. The Final Fantasy Chronicles footage led into scenes from Final Fantasy X, - scenes that couldn't be watched without visions of Final Fantasy VIII dancing through my head, thanks to the same creative team from the previous game being instrumental in the development of Final Fantasy X,. Seeing Cloud and Squall merge to create the ultimate surfer lead in motion was an amusing experience, if nothing else.

Finally, the The Spirits Within segment got underway. The majority of the teaser consisted of the theatrical trailer for the movie, which we have available for your viewing pleasure here. I'm still at a loss in figuring out the Final Fantasy connection with the movie, other than to milk the franchise's popularity, but advertising department nonsense aside, the CG in the movie is nothing short of breathtaking. The CG from previous Final Fantasy games is taken to a whole new level in The Spirits Within, so much so that the process for creating the animation is dubbed hyerReal, alluding to the amazing realism achieved in skin tone, wrinkles, hair, eyes, musculature and motion... you name it, it's as close to real as CG technology can get at the moment.

The content of the trailer reminded me less of a Final Fantasy adaptation than it did of an Alien meets Starship Troopers flick, with some Starcraft thrown in for good measure. There seemed like there might be the potential for a deeper plot than something like Starship Troopers, however, and I'd liken it more to one of the earlier Alien movies that was actually good. I couldn't help but think of The Dig while watching the trailer progress. The glowing aliens just recreated the atmosphere from that classic Lucas Arts game for me perfectly, although the comparison ends at atmosphere, not continuing into the tone of each title. As a visually stunning sci-fi adventure to save the human race from marauding alien invaders, and a showcase of the realism and emotional impact available from the heights of today's CG animation, I don't doubt The Spirits Within will be a big success. I just hope there's more to the movie than that, and I have a feeling there just might be.

The presentation closed out with footage from Kingdom Hearts, an odd mix of Disney characters thrown in with an anime styled lead, Sora, totting a massive key. I've always been afraid of locking devices myself, so all those Disney villains had best watch out, lest they find themselves pummeled by the righteous justice of a boy and his mighty key. With the Disney influence, the target audience for the game is undoubtedly a younger crowd, but there were darker undertones here and there, likely in hopes of blurring the target audience and opening the game up to a wider consumer base.

Wrapping up this installment of our post E3 reports, we have a collection of The Spirits Within media, in addition to the trailer mentioned previously. First up, we have a collection of character art, from the leading lady, Aki, to her mentor, Dr Cid (a Cid in a Final Fantasy property? Wonders never cease!), to Captain Gray, which can be found here. Next, we have a selection of screens from the movie here, and 6 pages of concept art here. Finally, we have a couple of wallpapers to spice up your desktop with some Final Fantasy goodness here.

Could this media flood be just a fairy tale? Nay! Like the guy in the trailer says, "it is true," and why would he lie!? He has such an honest voice, so why not just believe? Go on, clap your hands and enjoy! Tinkerbell may not make it otherwise.