#i loved flik when i was a kid

[chrismcshell]

URETHRA‼️

[damnprecious]

What's your favorite animated film??

We all know I'm incapable of giving just a simple answer of one film so have four instead:

Toy Story 2 - if I really had to pick just one it'd probably be Toy Story 2 but since I make the rules I won't pick just one. Rise of the Guardians - I will admit I don't think I have rewatched it since I did my thesis on it? I really should rewatch it I love that film so much Treasure Planet - The animation is gorgeous and !!! space !!! pirates !!! and the song !!! the frigging song, man!!! A Bug's Life - I don't really have a good explanation for this one but I absolutely adore the film, I just like unionizing okay?? I honestly don't even remember when I actually saw the film for the first time and I'm pretty sure it was already my fave film even before I saw it - I remember listening to the story on one of those story casette tapes and also playing the shit out of the PC game based on it (the tunnel level was so pretty, all hail glow mushrooms) which did have clips of the film as cut scenes but who the heck knows when I actually first watched the film, certainly not me.

*Gollum Voice* Ask Us

[laura-the-yellow-cat]

MSA X Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost Chapter 6: The rest of the Mystery Teams going to Ben's Mansion and Flik's Mansion have Horror Writers/Other Rest of Mystery Teams going to Restaurants

**Shaggy's stomach growls, John Kingsmen's stomach growls and other's stomach growl**

Shaggy: Hey, we like to see a puritan pizza joint. We're starved

John Kingsmen: I'm kinda hungry, i think i want to eat roast beef or something, when my mother who love to cooking and baking for my siblings and i

Scooby-Doo: Reah

Mayor Corey: Don't worry, boys, we got the best restaurants in all New England. It's back in town, I'll walk you there

Mayor Blaine: Yeah

Ben: Do you all kids wanna go, or do you all want to see our studio?

Flik: Yeah

Velma: Wow, would we ever! Shaggy, we'll meet up with you later!

Ben: Mayor! Tell Jack and Blaine that anything they order is on us

Flik: Indeed

Shaggy Rogers: Zoinks! Like what a great guy

John: Yep, sure he is

Scooby-Doo: Reah, reat!

Daphne: (laughs) You're gonna regret that offer, Ben, Flik

Starla: Yeah

Laura: Me too

Sarah: Indeed

**At a two place called "Oakhaven Restaurants," Shaggy, Scooby John Kingsmen and others are smell the food**

Mayor Corey: Jack's gonna take care of you, boys. You're gonna love his cooking

Mayor Blaine: Yeah

Shaggy: We sure will, your honor

John: Yeah

Mayor Corey: Enjoy your stay at Oakhaven

Mayor Blaine: Indeed

Shaggy and John: Thanks your dudeness

(A man is eating his lunch when Scooby appears from behind, looking at his food. Jack walks to Shaggy and Scooby.)

Jack: Well, boys, are you hungry?

Shaggy Rogers: Man, are we ever.

Jack: Come over here to the back, I've always have a table for V.I.P's.

Shaggy Rogers: Groovy. Come on Scoob.

(He takes Scooby along, as they got into a table)

Jack: You're Mr. Ravencroft's guests so order up anything on the menu, fellas. I've got a nice juicy ham bone for your dog. What do ya think?

Scooby-Doo: Rone?! Yuck!

Jaxson: No thanks

Kirby: **cute noises** (Me either)

Shaggy: Scooby's allergic to bones. We'll have whatever that great smell is

John: Yeah, kirby prefer something the great smell is

Jack: Well, that's our Yankee pot roast, New England clam chowder, maple baked ham and beans, Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, and apple cinnamon pie and more

**Shaggy, John, Jaxson, Kirby, Josh, Scooby and others a gets excited**

John: Kirby and I want Roast turkey

Shaggy: Sounds great! Like give us 2 orders of everything

Josh and Jaxson: Us too

Jack: (laughs) Oh, I love people who love to eat.

**They prepare to eat everything that Jack brings**

For @sfcabanasstarcgs and @mysteryideasgroup

My msa x sd ocs sonas and My new msa x sd Ocs Sona belongs to Me

Her msa x sd ocs sonas and Her new msa x sd Ocs Sona belongs to @sfcabanasstarcgs and @mysteryideasgroup

Mystery Skulls Animated MSA belongs to Ben and MysteryBen27 of YouTube YT Series Shows

Scooby Doo SD belongs to WB (Warner Bros) and HB (Hanna Barbera) of Animated Movies and TV Series Shows

[kakusu-shipping]

💞 What are your cradle ships?

🧵 What are some themes about cradle ships that you enjoy?

😈 Do you prefer to keep your cradle ships innocent and chaste or do you make them spicy?

Thankyou so so so much for asking!! I'll try not to make this post too long but I may ramble a bit djkkfds

💞 What are your cradle ships?

Izuku/All Might/Bakugo - MHA

Bakugo/Best Jeanist - MHA

Twice/Toga - MHA

Tomura/Izuku - MHA

Molayne/Sophocles - Pokemon SuMo

Kukui/Ash - Pokemon SuMo

Drayden/Axew - Pokemon BW

May/Maxie/Archie - Pokemon OrAs

Mest/Wendy - Fairytail

Rouge/Frosch - Fairytail

Kiriyama/Hayashida - March Comes like a Lion

Ichinose/Toudou - Love at Fourteen

Peridot/Steven - Steven Universe

Grime/Sasha - Amphibia

Andrias/Marcy - Amphibia

Belos/Hunter - TOH

Phillip/Collector/King - TOH

Kipo/Jamack - Kipo and the age of wonderbeasts

Kipo/Hugo - Kipo and the age of wonderbeasts

Black Hat/505 - Villainous

Papyrus/Frisk - Undertale

Papyrus/Flowey - Undertale

Spamton/Kris - Deltarune

Shuu/Nageki - Hatoful Boyfriend

Hitori/Nageki - Hatoful Boyfriend

Morgo/Misfortune - Little Misfortune

Feddy/Gregory - Fnaf Security Breach

Flik/Nina - Suikoden 2

I feel like these are pretty normie type picks, but that's to be expected considering my start was in Maxvid

I recognize now there's a different term for Teen/Adult ships but I both don't remember what is was and don't care particularly about the difference, to me Cradle Ship just means Adult/Minor.

🧵 What are some themes about cradle ships that you enjoy?

All of my Cradle ships are pure fluff, everything fine and nothing is wrong sort of concepts, there's never anything dark or bad or twisted about most of them, the exception being Andrias/Marcy and Belos/Hunter, but even those have their soft everything's fine AUs

I like guilt in Cradle ships and the exploration of the Grey area between parental and romantic love, mostly in the sense that kids, especially young kids, don't have a Different Types of Love understanding, it's something that is taught instead of innate in human understanding.

Too bad I don't really have any Cradle ships outside of self ships where the younger is young enough for that. Still. Love when the older is agonizing over being in love with a minor. They think it's complicated, the kid thinks it's simple.

I think it's a funny dynamic

😈 Do you prefer to keep your cradle ships innocent and chaste or do you make them spicy?

It depends on the ship for sure but honestly ever sense the porn ban of 2018 I've kinda fallen off on Ships being NSFW at all. Most, if not all of my ships, are SFW by default just cause I'm Ace and don't see a lot of nsfw art anymore.

Some of them I'm like "Oh yeah this guy's a massive pervert about this" but even then they're mostly just weird about it in their head and are too guilty to actually act on those thoughts.

Again. I think that's a really funny dynamic. Tortured Pervert X Teasing them on purpose.

[theowlgoesmoo]

Oooh, these are fun! 1. Owl (sometimes Cabbage); He/Him.

2. Saw it in theaters which was awesome, so 7. Perfect time for it to sink its roots into my brain =p

3. Well you've got the whole drawing and writing thing you see here. Also have a fondness for gardening and cooking, when I get the chance.

4. Besides ABL of course, probably The Incredibles (There was no sequel =p), Lilo and Stich, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, A:TLA, Star Trek TNG, and The Clone Wars

5. It's got to be the three main ants, Flik, Atta, and Dot. I love them individually and I love their interplaying relationships. It's a dynamic I've used time and time again in my own works.

6. Has to be the scene where the grasshoppers break into the bunker. It's terrifying, you see just how cruel they all are, Hopper has such PRESENCE, and just SO many iconic lines. "Nature has a certain order..." "I swear, if I hadn't promised mother on her deathbed I wouldn't kill you, I would kill you. "First rule of leadership: EVERYTHING is your fault." And of course, "LEAVE HER ALONE." Heck, I made a fanfic based on that scene alone. You want her? Go ahead... take her.

7. Professional voice work / author, especially for kid lit.

8. Anything by C.S Lewis, the Ciaphas Cain series, and A Confederacy of Dunces.

9. Both my siblings and their spouses were able to get a lot of time off over the holidays, so for the first time in years, we're going to have the whole clan in one place! Been a long time since we've even all been on the same continent, let alone together.

10. Trying to get a new job, as I've been stuck in a pretty awful dead-end one for the past couple years, one that barely pays enough and isn't wonderful for my health.

let's get to know each other!

if you follow this blog, i'd love to get to know you a little more! choose 3 or more of the following q's and leave your answers in the comments. some are ABL related, some are not. i'll share mine as well :)

name (/what you go by here) + pronouns

approx how old you were when you watched a bug's life for the first time

one or two favorite hobbies

2-3 favorite movies/shows

your personal favorite a bug's life character(s)

your personal favorite a bug's life scene(s)

your dream job

1-2 favorite books

what's something good in your life at the moment?

what's something hard in your life at the moment?

[z0urcherri]

I forgot the cinematography at the end of Bug's Life (Ant revolt and Hopper chase in particular) was GOD TIER. I'm gonna gush about it for a minute. Like, perfect camera angles. Perfect use of zooms and wide lenses. Balanced lighting, even in the darkest scenes! Lightning is usually overdone and is hostile to epileptics, but here it's just bright enough. The rudimentary fluid dynamics of the time actually compliment the small scale of the set. Colors aren't washed out to the point individual shades aren't discernible anymore, again, even when there's a drastic environmental change. THE. SOUND. DESIGN. Still sounds amazing and crisp years onward. Voice acting didn't have to go so hard but it adds that much needed weight to the dialogue exchanges. The whole thing gives me chills. Flik's speech with Hopper slowly walking towards him. You can hear genuine fear start to slip out but he keeps talking. He never even breaks eye contact with him. Not even once!! And even in the chase, the tensest part of the climax, there's a gag with Slim getting stuck in the branches and it's not a bit out of place. It's an unforced hindrance for our heroes and it makes you laugh. Striking a balance between seriousness and humor is a mark often missed in most films. This was effortless. Loved this movie since i was a kid, even more now that i've learned these little tidbits.

[bluemoonbeam15]

If Flik had a bad dream about everything he's gone though, especially Thumper beating him up and the poor ant would be scared of him, Hopper would try to comfort him, right?

Of course, he would. The only thing is that Hopper would initially feel pressed to keep his distance in order to make Flik feel safe. Considering Flik was only harmed because of him.

Also, I got your other messages concerning this prompt. Just for future reference, I try my best to get to asks within a day they were sent. Sometimes it does take longer, apologies to PurpleFalls for the two prompts I still have yet to answer.

I am holding two jobs, school, church, and my responsibilities at home. It won't be an instant answer. Please keep this in mind when messaging me, thanks.

<><><><><><><>

Something rustled beside him before there was silence again. Hopper drowsily opened his eyes and blinked through the darkness. Slowly -- as if trying to be sneaky -- something pressed against his back and stilled.

It wasn't that cold yet. The freeze had yet to settle in the air. He twisted around to lay on his back, seeing Flik looking up at him sheepishly. "I-I'm sorry...did I wake you?"

"Don't worry about it, kid." Hopper moved an arm around the ant, "Are you cold?"

Flik opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He pursed his lips and settled on pressing closer against the grasshopper. Hopper rose an eyebrow, "What's wrong, Bubba?"

"Nothing," Flik furrowed his brow and buried further against him. "Y-You're right. It's cold."

"Nope, too late for that," Hopper propped up on his forearms, leaving Flik no choice but to show his face. Despite the dim light in the room, he could see how red Flik's eyes were. Dried tears streaked down his cheeks and his face was flushed. "Alright," he sighed, "who do I need to kill?"

Flik smiled small, "No one, really, it...," he looked down as he pulled at his fingers, "it was just another nightmare."

"Not the same one, was it?" Hopper looked concerned.

"No...this one was different..."

Hopper waited but Flik wasn't elaborating. He lifted Flik's head, "You gotta give me more than that, kid. I'm not a mind reader."

He diverted his gaze, speaking softly, "It was about that night...b-but when...when Thumper-- w-well when he...a-and then you were there...but th-this time Atta...she d-didn't show up."

Oh...

Hopper didn't know how to respond to that. A nightmare about him? He withdrew his hand and leaned back a little to put some distance between them. "I'm sorry, kid. I...you didn't have to come here if you didn't want to."

"What? No!" Flik at least remembered to keep his voice low. "Can I please stay?" He grabbed Hopper's arm, pulling it around him again.

"But the ni--"

"I know...that's why I just wanna be here with you right now," Flik tried coaxing him to lay back down by tugging on his arm.

Hopper didn't move for a heartbeat or two, looking at Flik worriedly. The ant looked determined, though, to not move from his new spot. "...Alright."

Barely after laying back down again had Flik wrapped an arm tightly over his chest. Hopper adjusted the leaf over them, despite Flik having found his body to be a better source of heat than the foliage. "I'm not afraid of you, Hopper, and I never will be...you're like my brother."

Hopper looked down at the ant curled up against him. He gave a small laugh and turned over on his side, arms holding the ant more securely, "You have no idea how much that means to me."

If his hold was anything to go by, Flik would say it meant an awful lot. That nightmare was sorely out of place in his subconscious. The safest place he could think of would be right next to Hopper. In a heartbeat, the grasshopper would kill anyone who laid a hand on him.

He felt Hopper nuzzle the top of his head, "Probably as much as you mean to me." His eyes finally started to grow heavy as circles were rubbed on his back.

Another chuckle escaped Hopper, more watery this time. "I know I don't say it a lot...but you do know I love you, right?"

"I know," Flik smiled, "and I love you too, Hop. But you probably already knew that," he laughed.

Hopper chuckled, "Never hurts to hear it again sometimes."

"I love you."

The grasshopper rolled his eyes, "Smart-Alack."

[zootopiathingz]

Any Bug’s Life headcanons? :O

*clears throat*

Flik and Atta were friends when they were little kids, but overtime Atta started to distance herself bc she was too busy with royal duties. And she began to resent him bc he unintentionally would make her look bad in front of the colony by making disastrous inventions.

Manny met Gypsy during a circus performance and fell in love with her right away. They got to know each other and she would help him practice his magic act, and eventually decided to be his assistant.

Atta’s father passed away right after Dot was born. No one ever talks about him bc their loss was too much and it’s hard for them to think about.

I have a lot more but these are my favorites.

[blueberrydot]

Her sister was right and there was no way Dot could deny it. For all it may make her seem cocky to admit, she was really great with kids. She loved the little fuckers so much, even when they were throwing tantrums or putting their lives at risk for just a laugh. And she really did have some kind of secret talent for them, almost as if it were her own sort of magic. Only instead of being anything cool it was just the ability to calm a kid down or make them smile with little to no effort. Which, she supposed, a lot of parents would find pretty fucking awesome actually. “Yeah. And I’m trying to be strong and not social media stalk all the parents, even though I totally know that’s what they’re all doing to me. No way they aren’t.”

For a moment she’s almost offended that Atta would really think she’d fall for that - like she would be asking this question if she didn’t already know at least something was going on between her sister and Flik. Why else would Dot have bothered bringing it up? Of course she was already aware that Moly knew all of those things - everyone did. “Something else,” she confirms, now feeling a bit more annoyed that Flik had opened up far easier than her own sister would. She shouldn’t have had to have heard about the kiss from the boy, it should have been Atta that told her. And Dot had thought that earlier but had really hoped now that she brought it up, the blonde would just come out and tell her without having to be prompted. “Something like… a kiss. On the night of your engagement party. Which happened months ago, might I add, and yet I only just found out about it like two days ago. And not even from you.”

"Oh, no one's ever going to doubt why they hired you once they see you with those kids," she assured her, reaching a hand over to rest on her sister's shoulder. Atta had seen just how good she was with children, and it was honestly impressive. She could never handle them as well as Dot could, which was just another reason why she'd been so hesitant about agreeing to have some of her own. "Everything's going to feel so worth it once you meet them, I just know it. Do you have your class list yet?" Atta wondered if there were any last names she would notice, if any people from college had kids who were already in elementary school.

Dot's question took her back for a moment--had she really told her sister that she'd kissed her best friend? She didn't remember mentioning anything about it, not even when she had been so drunk after Myles had proposed to her. That could only mean one thing: Flik had told her about what had happened. Atta had never expressly authorized telling her, but maybe something had slipped. "What do you mean, does he know? Like, that we're friends, that he worked for the company? Of course he does." Atta didn't want to tell her anything more than that if Dot had no idea. But, her sister was smart, and if she kept dancing around the subject, it would eventually wind up slipping from her, if Flik hadn't already done so. "Or ... are you talking about something else?"

[ladies-and-gentlebugs]

3, 5, 11, 14, 19

hey! thanks for waiting, it took me a few days to get to this ask for some reason.

3. My favorite scene and 11. The character I'm most like: already answered here

5. My first memory involving this movie

the first time I saw a bug's life I was pretty young, I'm not old enough to have seen it in the theater when it came out but I used to watch a lot of animated movies on dvd when I was a kid. I have exactly one memory of a bug's life from that time period, and that was being absolutely terrified by the flaming death scene. you know how when pt flea peels himself off the fly paper, a few hairs stick to it? as a kid I read that as some of his limbs coming off. I also couldn't recall whether or not he even survived being burned alive, so I was kind of afraid to see the movie for several years after that.

14. My favorite ABL fanfic

hmm. I'd have to say @/abugeatbugworld's fic Nightmare. I love how they write flik and dot's relationship in general, and that story is full of it. also honorable mentions go to @/bluemoonbeam's take on more abl bloopers (here) and their truth or dare fic (here), they're both just really fun.

19. The scene that made me laugh the hardest

I already mentioned the introductory sequence with the circus bugs as one of my favorite parts overall, but slim, francis, and heimlich's introductory scene within that when they perform together is the funniest part of that whole sequence in my opinion. the performance going off the rails as soon as heimlich sees someone eating candy in the audience and it just getting worse and worse from there is just great.

[kriimhild]

4, 8, 10, 18?

4. My least favorite scene

Maybe these:

When Francis made the Blueberry team cry. As a kid, it was horrible to see that there were adults who were so hot-headed. Sadly, I'm always reminded of my mother in this scene, she's not a particularly cold person either, but I love her anyway. However, Francis at least tried to make up for his mistake and distract the little ones with tricks. My mother never juggled for me. XD

When Molt announced with great pride that the return to Ant Island was his idea. Then when Hopper snapped, he immediately pointed the finger at the others, because he's afraid of his brother. I'd like to punch him in the face. :D

8. My favorite/least favorite circus bug

I would say Slim is my favourite circus character because of childhood memories, but I identify much more with Francis as an adult, as a short, bullied person. Not to mention my two favourite pillbugs, who were reportedly Hungarians, or at least they’re from some very Eastern European part of the world. Rosie and Dim are charmingly cute as mother/child. And Gipsy and Manny shatter to pieces the misconception that love is fleeting, and they are not young at all. Respect to them. Honestly, I really like everyone except Heimlich.

10. My favorite/least favorite ant

I cannot elaborate on this, because I have already explained why I like Flik's character. But there is no ant I don't like. Cornelius is a bit of a boomer, but his mischievousness and the fact that he can push-up with one hand makes up for everything.

18. Have I ever cried while watching this movie?

Yes, when I was a child, I often cried at Flik's exile. I found the tear effect of the ants extremely lifelike even then.

Thanks for asking! <3

[finallymothman]

I can and will elaborate (stoned. If you read the whole thing and can more or less understand me? Props to you, I'll kiss you on the mouth)

Qualifications: I have watched this movie over 3000 times, and I'm autistic and I said so.

I'm literally rewatching this right now with my girlfriend and I'll just keep a running tab from the point in time the grasshoppers show up. While Hopper yells at Molt the way that only older brothers can, lemme give a few quick ones

Building: special interest

creative, out of the box thinking

Maybe he's ADHD too but that bug is not neurotypical

(Dear GOD what is wrong with Thumper)

Standing up for Dot: black and white morality, strong sense of justice

He's kind of gullible. Like yes this is a movie for babies, but Atta does not have to try very hard to convince him that she's not, ultimately, making fun of him. He also doesn't get that people cheer when he's Gone, not that they're cheering For Him. Also similar for the kiddos. He's really literal when the kids are kinda ragging on him from the beginning

I feel like when he was growing up he said he wasn't like "other bugs"

Tbh there is also a case for Dot, but I feel like that is the vase for all "later bloomer" stories

While we're waiting to see Flik again, we're doing the circus scene, I'm going to see if I can find any examples of him having sensory issues. I think it could be argued that he was sensory seeking??? And I feel like he does something with his hands consistently when he's excited that could be a subtle stim

God I love Francis

"Try not to look like a country bug. Blend in." I promise you, neurotypical people do not have to tell themselves to Blend In. Out Loud. "But Casper! This is a movie for babies!" OK! And? That's still his personality, even if they made him transparent enough for babies to understand.

Additionally, he is very literal and upfront with his whole everything. Like he's just genuine. And not that you have to have a high-masking/high-functioning blend with ADHD to present in the way he does. And, granted, he's also in a pretty desperate situation that the theatrics are kinda warranted when he asked the circus bugs to come back to Ant Island with him.

I would also like to make the statement that I think this is very much "undiagnosed high functioning autist through their own eyes"

Nobody really likes him, but he has great intentions, and even some big fuck ups are forgivable because they really were just accidents and you're so gosh-darn accident prone and who knows what could be the root cause of all that and your social difficulties and- ohhhh how was it not caught sooner?? type deals, you know?

and "They're just waiting for me to screw up"?????????????? Excuse me????

In the wrods of my good friend Mogan (Mo + Logan) "The plot of the movie is just "a small village sends their most autistic citizen to hire some assassins to get rid of their local despot, he returns with an improv group""

I feel like the average joe would not think to buld a bird, but ants don't have guns so really what's their alternative

While the story is preoccupied with the grasshoppers again (creepy fashy motherfuckers) -- I actually got distracted talking about a creepy af deleted scene where you watch the grasshopper die that Hopper buries under the grain

Anyway back to Ant Island here we go

Actually I think this is where the hand stimming scene pops up

"Thank you for finding them, Flik"

"Me?????" that is so mecore

Though I do think more autistic behavior would be for him to have told the queen and Atta about the circus bugs but just continued with the bird plan. However I totally understand that he was scared they would react exactly the way they did, but he also didn't give them the chance to react any other way by not telling them the truth

THE COLLECTIVE GASP JFC

Can I just say how stupid it is that they just drop his plan when they kick him out for lying? Like, they have I think one or two days until the grasshoppers come back, can you not just stick to the plan and deal with the personal shit later? They are going to KEEEELL you guys.

Also I have such a visceral reaction to seeing the grasshoppers walk out of the fog, it will never cease to freak me out. It's so creepy.

I don't think there are many other big moments that feel relatable with Flik in the tism sense for the rest of the movie, I'll reblog this again if I think of more, Dot is being chased by Thumper

Flik from A Bug's Life is autistic

[rosecorcoranwrites]

Klaus, El Dorado, and The Liar Revealed

Mediocrity vs. Cliches

Around this time last year, when we were young, innocent, and oblivious of the horrors of 2020, people in internet circles were loosing their minds over a movie called Klaus. You have probably never heard of it, but if you had, it would have been by stumbling across it on Netflix or from hearing a YouTube reviewer singing it's praises.

The main reason people loved it was that it was traditionally animated. In fact, it's director, Sergio Pablos, worked on several Disney Renaissance films, and it shows. The animation is gorgeous. The character designs are stylized and unique. What I found the most pleasing was the color palette, which I would describe as pastel watercolor. The film is set in the Far North, and the dour scenes feel cold and depressing while the heartfelt scenes look warm and cozy. The film was a visual delight.

The story? Eh, it was ok.

The reviewers I watched tended to focus on the beautiful return-to-form animation that we rarely see in the days of 3-D animated films while not noticing, or ignoring, that the story was kind of blah. It was a typical "rich-kid-layabout will get cutoff if he doesn't prove himself", with a heaping helping of "The Liar Revealed", which is one of the most annoying tropes in the history of narrative, but we'll get to that later. There's also a subplot that's basically the Hatfields and McCoys, and a randomly villainous matriarch who decides to keep being the villain because... conflict, I guess? Sure, there were a few original ideas—mostly involving Klaus's wife and the couple's struggle with having children—but overall nothing to write home about. The "feelsy" moments were unearned; I felt nothing.

Now, you'll notice that in the previous paragraph, I described many cliches, but I would not describe Klaus as cliche. I would describe it as mediocre. As I said, it was an ok story, but only ok. The problem was that it took its cliches and painted by numbers, which is why it could never rise above mediocrity. A film that knows how to play with cliches—not even necessarily subverting them, but just getting creative with them—can rise to greater heights.

Cliches as Genre: Road to El Dorado

Let's look at another gorgeously 2-D animated film: The Road to El Dorado. This film, too, is rife with cliches: Europeans being mistaken for gods by a non-western civilization, a witch doctor (basically), going native, the Leyenda Negra, and so on. It also features the cliche of two scoundrels going on what is basically a buddy-comedy adventure. The thing about many of these cliches is that they are part of the genre. That genre is as general as "Adventure fiction", where it's not unusual to encounter witch doctors and native tribes and such, and as precise as "Road to" comedies of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, which El Dorado is unarguably a pastiche of. Simply read the "running gags" section about these films on Wikipedia and you have a blueprint for El Dorado.

And that's the point. El Dorado follows a number of cliches because those are staples of its genre. Cliches, contrary to popular opinion, are not only not an automatic flaw in, but are often essential to, a work, especially when those cliches are what make a story a recognizable example of the genre in question.

El Dorado, however, plays with it's cliches. Most notably, it portrays the natives as normal human beings, which, lets be honest, a lot of old-timey adventure fiction didn't do. Miguel, one of the two main characters, sees the beauty of the culture he and Tulio, the other lead, find themselves in. The "white men mistaken for gods" trope is also played with in that the chief of the tribe figures out rather quickly (or possibly always knew) that Miguel and Tulio are just normal men like himself.

Thankfully, the film never strays into noble-savage territory, which lesser stories stumble into in their attempt to make up for the racism of the past. The natives have personalities, flaws, and vices. Chel, the female lead, is a floozy and a thief who happily joins the con that Miguel and Tulio are pulling, which she sees through immediately. Tzekel-Kan, a priest of a human-sacrifice-loving religion, is not only a zealot, but also a murderer, in that he sacrifices his own assistant to summon up a Jaguar spirit to hunt down the two false gods (yeah, that happens. Seriously, if you haven't seen this movie, you're missing out!). The characters, both white and POC, are fleshed out and three dimensional.

Finally, there is the story itself, and it's conclusion. Let's compare it to Klaus.

Conclusions

For those who never saw it, Klaus ends with a Liar Revealed scene where the scheme of the main character, Jesper, is revealed, and all his friends frown at him despite him obviously having changed by that point. Then a chase scene happens so Jesper can prove he's really changed, then a reveal that there was no good reason for the chase scene to have happened, then the main character is forgiven for his honestly-not-that-bad previous lies.

The whole story boils down to rich-kid learns a lesson and opens his heart, giving up his richness for the true treasure of generosity. Unfortunately, a lot of that was derailed by the weird Hatfields-McCoys subplot, which felt cartoonish next to the heartfelt-ness the rest of the film was trying (and maybe failing...) to achieve. It felt forced, in that the film needed that subplot so the chase could happen, and they only needed that so the Liar Revealed could make up for his Revealed Lies. Bleh.

El Dorado was more organic. Miguel and Tulio, by the last third of the film, have grudgingly decided to go their separate ways, with Miguel deciding to stay in El Dorado (the city), which he has fallen in love with, and Tulio and Chel going off with a shipful of gold that they presumably sail back to Spain ("And buy Spain!"). These are not happy conclusions, as it means a break in their inseparable friendship.

But then, Cortez, the Big Bad, shows up! Note, unlike the Hatfield-McCoys in Klaus, he is introduced in the beginning of the film as an actual threat, and has an understandable goal: conquest and gold. Miguel and Tulio, knowing this, decide he has to be stopped. That's when Tulio—the objectively more greedy, in-it-for-himself, not-gone-native of the pair—realizes that the only way to save the city is to crash his boat into the columns at the city entrance. It's a good plan, but will mean that he has to sacrifice what he wants: gold. But he makes the sacrifice, because he has become more that just a guy lying about being a god for money.

But then the boat isn't going to make it fast enough because the sail is stuck! It's gonna crash, and not in the way they wanted! Miguel, who had fallen in love with El Dorado and was willing to part ways with his friend and treasure to stay there, as to ride out on his horse and jump onto the mast to unfurl the sail. He knows the ship will then whoosh towards the columns and the only entrance to his beloved city with be destroyed, stopping Cortez, but also blocking him from the city forever. But he makes the sacrifice, because he cares enough about the people in El Dorado to let them go, and enough about his friend to not let him smack into the columns and die.

The Liar Revealed: Why It's Bad

Those were the conclusions to each movie, but not the conclusion to this blog. We still haven't discussed why the liar revealed is so lame, and how to fix it.

First, what is it? Basically, Main Character lies about something—his motives, his identity, etc.—for a large chunk of the story, then somewhere around the third act, his lie is revealed! Usually, this means that all the other characters turn their back on him, literally and figuratively, because they can't imagine how he could do something so terrible. Then, he does something to prove his mettle and his heart, and then everyone forgives him.

And I hate it. I hate it for three particular reasons.

First, it is just a different version of the thing that happens in romcoms where the main couple should declare their love for each other, but because the writer wouldn't know what to do at that point, they introduce a stupid misunderstanding that could be cleared up in two seconds if the leads talked like grown-ups. The Liar Revealed is that stupid, tired trope, but for kids.

Second, the lie is sometimes understandable, or not even that bad. In Klaus, Jesper claimed to be trying to spread hope and good cheer by sending kids presents, but in reality, he was trying to rack up the number of packages/letters he sent to prove to his dad he wasn't a useless layabout. How... despicable? Is it though? And can't he do both? He literally did, and he could have said so, except that the movie pulled a romcom and he got seperated from his friends before being able to explain that it started out mercenary and then quickly grew into the real deal. Even if it hadn't, though, like... is wanting to prove that your not a gutless layabout a bad thing? I don't get it.

Third is when the lie might be bad, but it's too late to care. In A Bug's Life, the colony learns that the so called warriors that Flik brought them are actually circus performers, so they have a reason to be miffed. Then again, they learn this on the eave of the day the grasshoppers will come to murder them all, and as Flik says, his bird doohickey will work. Not only does the colony have no reason to doubt this, they have no better options. Get all frowny and turn your backs on him after you lose the battle tomorrow, cause you have no time for such romcom drama tonight.

The Liar Revealed: When It's Good

Now, just because the Liar Revealed is awful doesn't mean that we can't keep having liars who eventually prove that they've changed in our fiction. But we don't have to follow the same tired trope.

For example, Over the Hedge has the Liar of RJ the Raccoon be Revealed, but saves the fallout between him and the other animals for a later action sequence, with hilarious results. Watch Schaffrillas Productions's video “Why Over the Hedge is Surprisingly Good” for a more detailed explanation of how this trope is dealt with in this film.

Or we have Tangled, where Eugene, by rights, should follow the Liar Revealed trajectory. He starts off scruffy and selfish, then slowly falls for Rapunzel and her good and pure outlook on life. He goes to give the Stabbington brothers the swiped crown that he no longer desires, but gets conked on the head by Gothel, who tells Rapunzel that he left with it cause he was just using her. We have a misunderstanding; we have a Rapunzel sadly walking away from the "liar"; we have the trappings of the last act of a romcom. But then, the real liar is revealed: Mother Gothel! And as soon as Rapunzel knows this, she never doubts Eugene, because that would be boring and nonsensical.

Finally, we have Road to El Dorado, with two liars, Miguel and Tulio, who are pretending to be gods to get wealth and adventure. They change over the course of the film to care about something more. They prove this change in a climactic scene We have all of the Liar Revealed, except for the reveal. There is no scene where everyone in the city frown and turns their backs, because that's not needed. The story isn't about the characters earning the forgiveness of the community like in Klaus, or proving themselves like in A Bug's Life. It's about two dudes who are scoundrelly friends going on an adventure, becoming a little less scoundrelly, and remaining friends. In the end, they both gave up what they wanted, but that's ok, because they have each other. Is it cliche? You bet! But that's way better than being mediocre.

[abugeatbugworld]

Cold

LISTEN say what you want about it but I unironically love the movie Avatar (yes like the blue people one) and I once saw a crossover trailer that mashed audio from Avatar with scenes from A Bug's Life and well it got me thinking so

here you go tehe

Flik doesn’t remember life before the grasshoppers. All he knows is that Hopper took him under his wing when no one else saw value in a crippled ant, and since then he’s done everything he can to repay the captain for his kindness.

So when Hopper invites him on the gang’s yearly visit to Ant Island, Flik is thrilled to go. This time, Hopper has a special mission for him: he wants Flik to get to know the islanders, to learn more about their culture and gain their trust so he can persuade them to migrate from their home tree, which sits atop the largest known fluorescent mushroom mine in the bug world.

At first, blending in with the ants proves to be more difficult than Flik anticipated. However, as he gets to know the island — and its future queen, Atta — he finds himself beginning to feel more and more like a part of the colony. He also finds himself questioning his reason for being there, wondering if there’s more to life than profit and power…

…and who the enemy really is.

“Haven’t got lost in the woods yet, have you?”

Flik glanced up from the mug of hot nectar he’d just poured himself. Hopper’s face was twisted into a smug smile, his upper arms outstretched in a playful shrug as he strode towards his soldier. His lower arms were hidden behind his back.

Flik gave Hopper his best attempt at a grin in spite of the sinking in his gut. He’d been dreading this conversation all morning — all week, really — but he couldn’t put it off any longer. It wasn’t fair to his captain or to the rest of the gang for him to keep playing this game.

Hopper reached the table where Flik was sitting and stopped, scraping his claws along the bark’s gritty surface. Flik’s antennae twitched at the sound. He squinted, trying to remember the words he’d rehearsed alone in his room until almost three that morning.

“Look, Hopper…” he began, averting his gaze from the captain’s. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now about…about the mission.”

Hopper cocked his head, his antennae suddenly rigid. “Oh?”

Flik nodded, daring to look up and lock eyes with his boss. No matter how many times he saw that scar, it never failed to unnerve him. Someone who could survive an attack as brutal as the one that had left that mark wasn’t someone whose bad side Flik wanted to find himself on.

“You see, I’ve been spending time with the ants. A lot of time. And…and I’ve really gotten to know them, and how their colony works, and because of that I’ve realized just how important Home Tree is to them. It’s more than a tree. It’s more than their home, even. It’s like…it connects them, somehow. All of them. I know, because…because I can feel it, too, now that I’m one of them, and—”

“One of them?” Hopper repeated, his voice sharp as the blade sheathed beneath his waist.

Flik gulped. “Yes, they consider me one of them. Well, they will, after my Mushroom Lighting ceremony tonight, which is the final step in the process of becoming part of the Colony, and—”

Hopper’s palm was a millimeter from his mouth. Flik shut up, the last part of his sentence fading from his tongue. And the first step toward marrying the princess.

“Kid,” Hopper sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Immediately Flik felt like a child who’d shouted out the wrong answer to his teacher’s question in front of the class. He waited for the lecture he knew was coming, about how all the soldiers had signed a contract saying that they would maintain strict professional boundaries between themselves and the inhabitants of Ant Island. They were here for one thing and one thing only, and that thing was the fluorescent mushrooms lining the tunnels beneath Home Tree like thousands of glowing gems. That was why they needed the ants to move, and it was Flik’s job to convince them to do it without raising their weapons. And instead he was taking their side, which was a clear breach of contract.

Finally, the captain spoke.

“It’s great that you’ve been getting along so well with the ants,” he said. “Really. Clearly they trust you, which was the whole point of sending you to the island in the first place. So in my eyes, your mission has been fulfilled. In fact, I’m ready to send you back to the sombrero now, so you can finally get those legs of yours fixed while we move ahead with the operation. You’ve earned it.”

Flik felt his jaw drop before he could stop it. Hopper withdrew his hand and took a step backwards, smiling down at him like a proud father. Waiting for the ant to babble his thanks and accept his gracious offer.

Flik’s eyes found his legs, the ones that ended in dull blue stubs just below the kneecaps. He’d dreamed for years of being able to use those legs again. To dance to the mosquito’s terrible mariachi music back home. To go water skiing through the puddle outside the sombrero with Molt. To finally be able to keep up with the rest of the gang.

But his time exploring the island with the ants — with Atta — had stirred up a new dream, one that had nothing to do with him or any of the grasshoppers. One that was better than working legs.

Flik took a deep breath, then looked into that scarred eye again.

“I appreciate that more than I can express, sir, but I don’t want to go back. And I think we should leave Home Tree alone.”

The shift happened as soon as the words left his mouth. Hopper’s expression didn’t change, but it was as though the air around him had dropped ten degrees. He was a statue of ice, and Flik was terrified that any sudden movement would make him shatter.

But instead of shattering, it melted. There was a fire in the room he hadn’t even noticed.

Flik saw movement from the corner of his eye. He shifted his gaze to see Hopper’s lower arms emerge from behind his back, then felt his heart plummet.

Dangling from the captain’s left hand was a tiny purple ant, her eyes scrunched tight with fear.

“Dot,” Flik breathed.

Atta’s little sister was the first friend he’d made on the island, the only one who’d been kind to him when other ants wouldn’t even look his way. She’d show up at his workshop and sit for hours while he tinkered with his inventions, asking questions about where he came from and why he lived with grasshoppers instead of ants even though he was an ant and did he ever feel sad about his legs. She talked about how she couldn’t wait to fly someday and how if she could she would make wings so he could fly, too.

She was the one who’d convinced the Queen to finally let him inside the Anthill. She was the reason he’d fallen in love with the island. Falling in love with her older sister was an unexpected bonus, but Dot was the reason he’d decided to stay.

And somehow, Hopper knew. He may have only suspected it, but Flik’s expression had given him away as soon as the little ant entered the picture.

His captain had the upper hand now.

Hopper swung Dot upward so her toes nearly grazed Flik’s forehead. The princess whimpered, her lower lip wobbling and her hands kneading together the way they did when she was afraid.

“Did you forget what team you’re playing for?” Hopper asked. A threat posed as a question.

I didn’t forget. I just switched.

The words were on the tip of Flik’s tongue, the truth begging to be released. He didn’t want to pretend he supported the grasshoppers’ greed-driven mission any longer. He didn’t want to disclose any more of his research findings to Hopper, knowing that every sacred piece of information he shared about the ants was one more weapon for the gang to add to their arsenal.

I’m done was what he wanted to say.

But then his eyes flickered to Dot, his sweet and fragile friend whose wings were just starting to grow in. He saw how Hopper’s hand eclipsed the girl’s head, and he knew all it would take was the right amount of pressure on his part — and the wrong words on Flik’s — for the captain to do irreparable harm. Judging by the fear in Dot’s eyes, she understood this, too.

So instead Flik bowed his head and lowered his eyes, curling his hands around his mug. It was cold now.

“No, sir,” Flik whispered. “I only play for one team, and you’re the captain.”

Hopper’s sneer was audible when he spoke. “Glad to hear it, son.”

Atta’s trusting eyes flashed before Flik, her irises the color of the island sky at twilight. His gut twisted as he offered her a silent apology. Maybe knowing her little sister’s life was on the line would make her more sympathetic to his choice.

A loud plunk startled Flik from his thoughts. He looked up from his mug to see Dot sitting at Hopper’s feet, attempting to regain the breath knocked from her lungs by the fall.

Flik lunged forward and Dot scrambled into his arms, locking her arms around his neck like a tiny vise. He could feel every part of her trembling against him as he held her close, one hand cupping the back of her head and the other rubbing circles between her shoulder blades.

“It’s alright, Dot. You’re safe now,” he murmured into her antennae, knowing as he said it that even she knew it wasn’t true anymore.

Hopper clasped two of his hands together as though touched by the scene before him.

“How precious,” he said, reaching another hand towards them.

Flik flinched away, instinctively curving himself around the girl in his arms like he could protect her from the insect who was twice his size and had triple the amount of functioning limbs.

Hopper chuckled as he flexed his fingers in midair. “Relax,” he said, reaching down to pick up the mug of cold nectar. “I was just going to finish this for you.”

He tossed it back in one gulp, then slammed the mug down so hard it shattered. Flik jumped at the sound and felt Dot bury her face in the crook of his neck.

Hopper wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, then nodded towards Dot.

“You might want to get the princess home soon, soldier,” he said. “Her family is probably starting to worry.”

Then he turned and strolled from the room, whistling as he went.

[spookybreadstick]

Henlo!🖤🖤❤️💜 I have a little request 🥺👈👉

what are the creeps' favorite animated film? (like Disney movies, Pixar, Dreamworks ...)

-dancing parrot🐦🎶

This was fun to think about! Thank you bby <3 I also wanted to include gifs for each movie because why not, so it’ll all be under the cut :) 

 DISNEY

🔪 Jeff does not like Disney movies. If was forced to pick, he'd probably say Tarzan, just because he thinks it's kind of a cool movie.

🖤 Jane likes Frozen (I & II) because she is 100% convinced that Elsa is a lesbian, so naturally she sees herself in Elsa. She also really liked the Little Mermaid as a kid

🎮 BEN has two favorites: Peter Pan (he sees himself in the boy who never grows up) and Meet the Robinsons (he secretly thinks of the members of the mansion as his own little Robinson family)

🧣 Liu says he isn't a fan of any of the films, which is mostly true (Sully hates Disney), but he has a secret fondness for Big Hero 6 

🤍 EJ likes Beauty and the Beast because he definitely sees himself as a beast and he is secretly hoping to find his Belle one day

🍬 LJ loves all Disney movies very much, and he doesn't have a real favorite because he likes them all! If he had to choose, he'd probably say Cinderella, but that's just because it's the first one he ever saw

❓Hoodie's favorite is Bolt, for some reason. He just likes it

🎭 Masky's favorite is the Lion King. In his mind, it's just a classic that can never be beat

🪓 Toby loves Disney films, but his favorite would probably be either Wreck-It Ralph (he sees Vanellope's glitching as similar to his Tourette's) or the Aristocats (he used to watch that with Lyra) 

🌲 Slender likes Fantasia because he's old

🧸 Sally's favorite changes after every Disney movie she watches, it'll suddenly become her new favorite. But the one she always comes back to is Lilo and Stitch. She sees herself as Lilo and the other creeps are like Stitch to her

DREAMWORKS

🔪 Jeff likes the movie Antz. He likes the crude humor and the violence (I mean, have you guys seen that movie? Who approved that for children? I was scarred for life when I first saw it)

🖤 Jane likes Monsters Vs Alien (Ginormica is what really makes the movie for her)

🎮 BEN's favorite is Shrek. He claims that Shrek is love, Shrek is life

🧣 Liu has always liked How To Train Your Dragon 

🤍 EJ also likes How To Train Your Dragon

🌲 Slender surprisingly likes Over the Hedge. He can't quite explain it, but he just does

🧸 Sally really prefers Disney/Pixar movies, but she does love Shrek 3 for the famous scene with the princesses teaming up

❓Hoodie's favorite is Mr. Peabody and Sherman 

🎭 Masky always says he doesn't like any Dreamworks movies, but he honestly does like Megamind 

🪓 Toby's favorite used to be the Bee Movie, until one of his most frequent tics became "ya like jazz?" Now his favorite is Flushed Away

🍬 LJ loves Rise of the Guardians. He sees himself so much in Jack Frost, and really identifies with the struggles of being invisible 

PIXAR

🔪 Jeff liked Cars growing up, if that counts. He's not a Pixar person, either

🖤 Jane loves the Incredibles (and Incredibles II is even better in her opinion) 

🎮 BEN loves Coco, which is sort of weird or maybe ironic considering how it's a movie about the Land of the Dead. And he's, you know, dead 

🧣 Liu (and begrudgingly, Sully) likes Finding Nemo 

🤍 EJ has always loved Wall-E. He thinks it's a cinematic masterpiece

🍬 LJ has always loved the Toy Story movies, and they're a bit emotional for him considering the fact that he used to be considered a "toy" of sorts 

🌲🧸Slender & Sally both like to watch the movie Brave together. It's Pixar's only princess movie, so that's why it's Sally's favorite 

🪓 Toby loves A Bug's Life. He has always identified with Flik about feeling like you don't fit in where you are, and always feeling like you’re messing things up

❓Hoodie loves Monster's Inc and Monster's University. They've always been comfort movies

🎭 Masky loves Ratatouille. It's his comfort movie (yet he denies it. He'll admit that it's a good movie, but not that he's comforted by it or anything. But there is something about watching Ratatouille that just soothes the soul)

[steves-on-a-plane]

Disney Quote Writing Challenge

So back in 2018 I did one of these with Avenger’s Infinity War Quotes, and last year to celebrate Endgame I made a new challenge filled with quote-prompts from across the MCU. Well I’m back at it again, this time with Disney quotes! I’ve tried to pull quotes from Disney movies between Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) & Toy Story 2 (1999). [I’d like to do this again another time with Disney movies from 2000 and newer.]

How to Play: Send me (Via Ask or PM) A quote from this list and a character you’d like to see in a Reader Insert with that quote. You can include multiple characters if you’d like or characters from difference franchises. Then I’ll write you a fic based on the quote & character you’ve chosen! 

*Feel free to reblog this Challenge and do it yourself as well! I only ask that if you write a fic based off the challenge that you tag me!* 

“It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.”  -Alice, Alice in Wonderland, 1951

“Well, I’m certainly proud of you blockheads!” -Peter Pan, Peter Pan, 1953

 “I came to listen to the stories.”  -Peter, Peter Pan, 1953

“Well, he’s tall and handsome and so romantic. Oh we walked together and talked together and just before we say goodbye, he takes me in his arms and then...I wake up.”  -Aurora, Sleeping Beauty, 1959

“First of all, I’d like to make one thing perfectly clear, I never explain anything.”  Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins, 1964

“Ladies don’t start fights, but they can finish them.”  Marie, The Aristocasts, 1970

“Goodbye may seem forever, farewell is like the end, but in my heart’s a memory. and there you’ll always be.”  -Widow Tweed, The Fox and The Hound, 1981

“Oh what a pity. I was so hoping for someone who could help me escape. Oh, well, if you want to come with me, you may.”  -Princess Eilonwy, The Black Couldron, 1985

“You’re alright kid, we’ll keep a spot in the gang for ya.”  -Dodger, Oliver and Company, 1988

“I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things, could be bad.” -Ariel, The Little Mermaid, 1989

“Were you in love with her, Beast? Did you honestly think she’d want you when she had someone like me?” -Gaston, Beauty and the Beast, 1991

“Well, there’s the usual things; flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep.” -Cogsworth, Beauty and the Beast, 1991

“If I were as rich as you, I could afford some manners.”  -Aladdin, Aladdin, 1992

“What if you were the chump husband?” -Iago, Aladdin, 1992

“Oh look, another glorious morning! Makes me sick!” Winifred Sanderson, Hocus Pocus, 1993 

“The past can hurt, but from the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.”  -Rafiki, The Lion King, 1994

“Being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble.” -Mufasa, The Lion King, 1994 

“I’d rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you.” -John Smith, Pocahontas, 1995

“You are a sad, strange little man and you have my pity.” -Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story, 1996

“Giving up is for rookies.”  -Phil, Hercules, 1997

“I’m a damsel, I’m in distress, I can handle this. Have a nice day.” -Megara, Hercules, 1997

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” “Would you like to stay forever?” -Mulan/Grandmother Fa, Mulan, 1998

“Why didn’t I think of that? Oh, because it’s suicide!”  -The Queen , A Bug’s Life, 1998

“You might not feel like you can do much now, but that’s just because you’re not a tree yet. You just have to give yourself some time. You’re still a seed.” -Flik, A Bug’s Life, 1998

“I Asked you to protect our family and you betrayed us all.” -Kerchak, Tarzan, 1999