#what happened to my beautiful wife 2d animation

[casstelli]

how it feels to not really like the sonic movies in the fandom

[cinnamon-stixs]

TADC EPISODE 3 HAS DRIVEN ME INSANE SO HERES A REALLY LONG RANT ABOUT ALL THE THINGS I NOTICED!!

-The horror visuals fucking SLAYED. SLAY.

-I LOVE that Ragatha loves horror and Pomni HATES it.

-"Zooble turns straight" 10/10 line.

-2 new points of evidence for the NPC!Jax theory: He acknowledges the audience directly, and refuses to share what happens when he holds his breath. This could be shown as a similar clue to him not having a visible room on his enamel pin art.

-Caine made a scary adventure just to get zooble interesteddd 😭❤️

-Gangle's comedy mask can just be ripped off of her face??

-Ragatha's face, I love her

-Caine has a fundamental inability to understand other people's emotions and empathize. Neurodivergent coded king I love him

-Kinger says "I'm starting to think" when they first enter the scary room, and not only is it funny as hell, IT WAS ALSO FORESHADOWING?!

-Kinger is VERY aware of the game mechanics in the world around him

Oh how I love you, Pomni.

-I LOVE THE LITTLE 2D ANIMATED SECTION OF THE EYES

"You look beautiful honey.." KILLING MYSELF. AUGH. POOR BABY..

-"Any torture I inflict is 100% accidental! like any good war criminal!"

-Zooble's trans/dysphoria allegory with their digital body has my whole heart

THEY DID NOT DESERVE THIS.

"What you're saying could imply that I'm bad at.. they only thing I'm good at..." HE IS SO ME FR WHAT THE FUCK. I THINK I KIN HIM WHOOPSIES

-I think Mr. Mildenhall's story reflects kinger's more than we think.

-Living for Pomni and Kinger's father-daughter dynamic

She's hot.

Kinky! (looks like something Amy would do to him)

-THE POSSESSION SCENE WAS SO COOL?

-So he was hitting pomni! I remember a lot of debate about that.

-Kinger and Queenie were canonically married

-Kinger took 7 years of computer science

-Kinger has a SURPRISING amount of emotional intelligence.

-BEING IN THE DARK REMINDS OF HIM OF HIS LAST MOMENT WITH HIS WIFE I'M FUCKING CRYINGGG

-Kinger hated bugs, but now he loves them because they're a subconscious reminder of his entomology loving wife.

-The line "In this world, the worst thing you can do I make someone feel like they're not wanted or loved" paired with Mr. Mildenhall's story of mistaking his wife for the monster and killing her makes me think Kinger caused Queenie to abstract somehow.

"Don't worry about me. As long as you remember, things will be okay. You're very strong pomni." ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Pomni canonically hates physical tough, but felt trusting and comfortable enough with Kinger to hold his hand.

Fucking sapphics

"FUCK-"

-Caine turning Zooble's therapy session into his own is so him omg

-"Welcome back my meowing milkmaids!" CRAZY.

-Kinger's new side wasn't actually all that surprising. Neither was him being the 'supportive dad' type. but i LOVE it

-KINGER VINYL FIGURE AHH NEED!!

This is my fave episode so far!! I love this show augh

[eastsidemags]

DARKFORM Signing

East Side Mags is super stoked to welcome all 4 members of the creative team behind DARKFORM - an amazing indie comic with talent spreading from Essex County to Venezuela!

Meet the minds behind DARKFORM and get all 4 signatures! Collect them all!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/CREATOR My name is Marc Saporito, born and raised in Bloomfield NJ, married to my wife Allison for seventeen years. I have seven beautiful children. Caring for them is the driving force behind who I am and what I do!! I Love them so much!! I’m currently a maintenance worker, house painter, and former Christmas tree salesman!!! I remember the days of standing outside in the freezing cold At Plochs home and garden center, selling trees with my Plochs brothers!!! It was a great time every year!! A big shout out to them, you know who you are!!! Many thanks to Anibal for helping me visualize this project and helping me when I thought all hope was lost. Also thanks Junior for working with him. These two Artists are top notch in this field true masters of their craft!! Another big shoutout to my brother Tony and his wife Cecilia, love you both!! To my brother from another mother my producer and friend for over thirty years Daniel Russomano. He is also my creative partner on these projects who didn’t hesitate when I asked him for his help. When he agreed I then knew my lifelong dream was about to happen. The world is going to hear a lot from MDM STUDIOS, because we have a ton to say and create. So sit back and enjoy a new breed of superhero one that’s going to take the world by storm. Last but not least I know the world is a very harsh place at times but we need to help the less fortunate, honestly I try and do my part everyday!!! Thank you. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram under Marco Sappo!! God bless all!!!

My name is Junior Mejias, im a Venezuelan comic book artist and illustrator. My journey into comics began with a anime called Naruto, which I would watch every Saturday night. It made me fall in love with great storytelling and inspired to tell stories through my own art.

 I think creating comics is much like creating a film, if not more challenging. As comic book artists we are tasked with bringing a script to life by depicting life, emotion, and movement through nothing but 2D images.

 What I found works for me in my approach to creating comics is working backwards. What I mean by that is figuring out how I want the page to end and how that panel will look and go from there. An old professor of mine once told me if you drive without a destination you'll drive forever. 

When it comes to artistic influences I have two that come to mind. Greg Capullo who penciled Spawn for many issues. He has spectacular pencils as well as an amazing eye for filling the space, and J Scott Campbell who’s known for his beautiful stylization of comic book women.

My favorite thing about making comics is the penciling alongside great storytelling. I love starting the production and creating something out of a blank page. I like to take my time rendering my pencils so tight they squeak! 

On the other hand, my least favorite thing about creating comics would have to be the occasional artists block, sometimes you just cant find the the perfect angle for a specific scene and as a perfectionist I don't settle for anything but the best I can offer.

My name is Daniel Russomano i was born in Newark New Jersey and I reside in Nutley New Jersey . I have a son Daniel, a daughter-in-law Lindsay, a granddaughter Mila and another granddaughter on the way. I have a French bulldog named Rocky and a parakeet named Angel who are best friends. I like spending time with my family and pets. I also like to grow tomatoes in my garden. I like to read and go fishing. 

     My favorite super hero is of course The Dark Form. I also like all of the other superheroes. If I could choose one super power it would be to have the strength to unite the world in peace.

     Marc Saporito and I have been friends and coworkers for over thirty years. So when he approached me about coming on board as a producer and investing in the dark form i said yes. Now we share our ideas and work together to create one of the best stories you will ever read. I am on Instagram @ thedarkform.official.

Anibal Arroyo is an illustrator and self published author. He is mostly self taught but did attend the prestigious Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Illustration, achieving a one year certification. He has worked on several independent creator owned projects from graphic novels to children’s books.

He works in a variety of mediums including traditional as well as digital methods.  An exceptional sequential artist and storyteller with an incredible eye for detail, Anibal is an asset to any creative project he dives into.

Don’t miss this all-star signing and grab a copy of DARKFORM quadruple signed by all the creators!

[fritzistoodrunktobeattheworkshop]

Iyashikei Personal Recommendations

(Iyashikei is a subcategory used in Japanese entertainment for stories that have a healing effect on the viewer)

Mushishi - Just beautiful. The entire story is a series of experience with creatures known as mushishi that are essentially little spirits everywhere that all have vastly different effects on their surroundings.

A Silent Voice - I know this one is technical a drama but oh my lord it’s too gorgeous not to include. The entire story is about learning how to forgive oneself and heal and accept love from others.

Heaven’s Official Blessing - Once again not technically a iyashikei show but hey it’s very healing for me. It follows a god who’s trying to gain followers after realizing none of the times he’s ascended he’s ever had worshippers like the gods/goddesses around him. As he takes up quests to help people and spread his name he slowly remembers his things he did in his past incarnations and begins to reconnect with a mysterious stranger from his past (I don’t wanna say more cause it’ll give away too many plot points)

Aggretsuko - Love cute animation styles? Love heavy metal music? Sick of being stuck in middle class capitalism hell? Welcome to the show where a middle class lady with a series talent for metal goes through life’s struggles with only her rage induced music to vent out her frustrations.

The Way of the House Husband - A former yakuza member retires to be a house husband. There’s no shoot outs, no high stakes action. Just a guy who’s adjusting to a calmer lifestyle, takes his husbandly duties seriously, and greatly loves his wife.

Howl’s Moving Castle - Okay yes it’s action packed and fantiful but oh lordy did this movie just take me on a ride like no other Ghilbi movie did. There’s an overall theme of how one should learn to love themself as others can love them - which may I say is never directly stated only shown through the actions of the characters. The fact the main character is a young lady that has never been viewed as beautiful by her peers and gets turned into an old lady and still says dismissive things about herself like “well at least I match what I wear now” throughout the film makes the payoff so much more worth it. Also THAT scene where Howl is all mopey and turning himself to goop because he accidentally dyed his hair and “if I can’t even be beautiful what’s the point” which with how constantly put down the protagonist was her whole life and this gorgeous young man is having a hissy fit about his hair not being blonde when she’s forced to be an old lady. Lordy I loved this movie.

Steven Universe Future - (I wouldn’t recommend without the full context of what happened in the prior show) I already loved Steven Universe because growing up in a household where one’s emotions were constantly dismissed it helped me understand what healthier way of expressing your emotional issues are and the importance of vocalizing yourself when you’re going through something. Steven Universe Future took all of the collective trauma Steven acquired from having to constantly save the world and partake in the effects of a war AS A MINOR as well as being neglected an education as a child and not having proper experience with how to interact with other humans his age group. It’s about him struggling with his sense of self worth now that he has to try to just live a normal life after everything and it slowly sends him down a spiral while he’s finally processing about how he feels about everything that happened in his youth. As someone with a not so happy childhood and who is currently learning how to deal with everything a series like this means a lot to me.

Literally Any Cartoon Saloon Movies - all of them have some of the most beautiful 2D animation and have very spiritual or emotional themes. Particularly The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea, or Wolfwalkers are some exceptionally fantastic ones.

Ernest and Celestine - It’s a bit limited where you can find this one. It has the classic “why can’t we get along message” with the secondary characters but honestly this short film shines with the relationship between Ernest & Celestine. They’re pretty much both social outcasts because they don’t perform well with what their respective societies expect of them. Despite expecting constant shame or complaints from their peers both never judge or dismiss the other. They actively try to lift the other up and stick up for each other when they have to deal with the opinions of their friends peers. It’s simple and sweet with a nice art style.

[angelg0tchi]

Every day I love to see if you still have a provocative photo of a thirteen year old girl tagged as wife. And yep, it's still there lol

I’ve received a handful of messages just like this one recently, so by now I think it’s safe to assume they’re all from the same individual. I know you’re trying to bait some kind of angry, discourse-laden response from me, but unfortunately, I won’t be able to satisfy that for you.

I’ve been using tumblr since I was about 16 years old. That makes nearly eleven years here! I’ve gone through a few url changes, even a whole accidental blog deletion (oops lmao). Around the time I first started blogging, I found Kobato, and immediately adored her! I was still in high school and life was pretty messed up for me, and she was so precious and offered so much comfort. Her lines in the anime made me laugh so much, and reminded me a bit of myself when I was younger (she’s a chuuni-type, which I definitely was too, haha).

I found a community of otaku-type people here on tumblr, and found that they often tagged the object of their figure/merch-collecting affection as “wife,” “waifu,” etc. I began to do the same, and found a group of incredible friends who also collected cute items of their favorite characters, discussed the hobby, all kinds of fun stuff! I still keep in contact with many of those friends today, and they’re so dear to me. It was so fun to see the displays they set up for their favorite characters on birthdays or holidays. So much love and attention to detail, and such a neat distraction from the discomfort of our home lives/whatever.

I got into cosplaying, started collecting more and more and learning more about the history of figure/hobby collecting, became more outgoing, attended conventions - basically, finding Kobato led me to so many beautiful things in life! I obviously got older, and even though I still hold my collection and her as a character dear to my heart, I don’t participate as much in posting actively about it anymore. I have a job and bills and a whole adult life now, so changing the tag itself from what I tagged her art habitually when I was much younger has never really occurred to me, because it was just the term I was used to using. I have other things to focus on. “Wife” isn’t really an accurate term anymore, it was just the most common tag for the hobby back when I began it. I’ll likely just change it to her name sometime soon so I can still keep the posts sorted.

For the record, my interest in the figure collecting hobby and love of this particular character has absolutely never been anything even remotely sexual in nature, and it’s a little concerning to me that you immediately jumped to that conclusion. I attempted to find these provocative images you’re referring to, but all I saw were her legs - she’s fully clothed. I am a woman who has legs, and sometimes those legs are visible - I don’t find that, let alone a 2d depiction of that, provocative in the slightest. If those images happen to make you uncomfortable, I suggest not subjecting yourself to them relentlessly (quite literally “every day,” as you put it). That’s incredibly unhealthy behavior. It isn’t healthy to constantly look at things that don’t bring you some kind of joy, you know? You deserve a space online that makes you happy - take responsibility for making that happen!

Anyway, I hope that answers the questions you clearly have. I would suggest perhaps you don’t visit my blog anymore from here on out, because it is clearly causing you a great deal of discomfort. I hope you have a nice day, and I hope you are able to surround yourself with things you love, too!

[socionicsdatabase]

Charles Lindbergh - SLI (ISTp)

Delta Quadra: The Quadra who fears “clipped wings” (Stratiyevskaya)

For Lindbergh, the sky was not the limit. As is typical of Delta Quadra, personal growth and development was a lifelong goal of his. He felt the most free when he could fly, and desired to live a quiet, peaceful life close to nature where he could develop his abilities and see and experience new adventures. He hated being part of crowds, hated fast-paced lifestyles. He wasn’t actively trying to change the world; he was simply pursuing what he loved and trying to maximize his own personal abilities, as is typical for Delta Quadra. He was happiest when he felt close to nature, with the freedom to pursue possibilities and develop his own potential. IP type: “IPs are both dynamic and irrational, so they see reality as in continuous, gradual, often imperceptible change.” (sociotype.com). Lindbergh was comfortable with abrupt changes. He was flexible, adaptive, and took things as they came. He saw the world as constantly being in a state of change, as can be easily seen from his writings.

Temperament: Melancholic - “These are sociotypes that are calm externally, but restless inside. Melancholics are introverts, so they hide their inner experiences under the guise of calm or, conversely, liveliness. The problem of any melancholy is the search for inner harmony, which is so easily destroyed by the rude influences of external factors.” (socionic.ru) Though Lindbergh appeared calm on the outside, it can be seen especially from his diary writings that he was internally restless, with a vast depth of inner experiences.

Lead function: Si (4D, Valued) Lindbergh’s love of aviation and flying stemmed from the physical experience it gave him. When describing his first experience jumping out of a parachute, he said, “It was a love of the air and sky and flying, the lure of adventure, the appreciation of beauty.” He was captivated by natural beauty, and cherished the sensations and experiences his pursuits gave him. He loved being alone out in the wilderness, which he often says gave him an unparalleled freedom. He said, “In the wilderness I sense the miracle of life...” He also noted that “The human future depends on our ability to combine the knowledge of science with the wisdom of the wilderness.” Lindbergh was very aware of the environment around him, the harmony within it, and how it made him feel. “Man must feel the earth to know himself and recognize his values...” He desired to preserve the natural beauty of the world. He had a deep love of nature, believing that modern cities were against the nature of man. “Real freedom lies in wilderness, not civilization”, he said. To Lindbergh, it was important to become united with the earth, to melt into it, and to fully experience the natural beauty it had to offer. He became a conservationist and promoter of environmental causes, once mentioning that he preferred birds to airplanes. Toward the end of his life, he planned his funeral and desired to have as natural a burial as possible.

Creative function: Te (3D, Valued) Lindbergh had natural skills as a mechanic. He went to school to study mechanical engineering and originally intended to pursue it as a career, but as can often happen with SLIs, he did not finish and dropped out to pursue flight school instead. However, he was always interested in engineering and performed all the mechanical work on his planes himself. Later on, in 1935, he helped to develop the world’s first “artificial heart”, a heart perfusion pump (valued Te-Ne). He was impressed by the high quality engineering that he saw in Germany (Te-Si-Ne) and their more advanced development of technology. While assisting with altitude tests at the Mayo Clinic, the new information he came up with at the end of his trials there was used by Henry Ford to modify the oxygen equipment of his airplanes and helped them become safer. He also taught young pilots how to best conserve plane fuel and resources so that they could fly for longer periods of time.

Role function: Ni (2D, Unvalued) Lindbergh was grounded in the world around him and was not very imaginative, but he was capable of occasionally turning his attention to the flow of time and long-term implications, and this seemed to be something he desired to do. This can be seen most easily in his writings. According to Model A, the role function is “seen as somewhat of an importance to the individual, but definitely not emphasized.” Model A also notes that “the role function is triggered situationally, when individuals are met with situations that oppose their base aspect of reality.” Lindbergh preferred experiencing things and was never a natural writer. This may be why use of Ni can be seen most easily in Lindbergh’s writings. He wrote that, “Life is a culmination of the past, an awareness of the present, an indication of a future beyond knowledge...” And also said, “I hope my journals relating to World War II will help clarify issues of the past and thereby contribute to understanding the issues and conditions of the present and future.” He made some effort (especially after being encouraged by his wife) to document what he did, to serve as a reminder of the past for future generations, though this was not his primary motivation in life.

Vulnerable function: Fe (1D, Unvalued) It is well-known that Lindbergh hated large crowds and the attention that fame brought him. He was known to make extreme efforts to avoid people and recognition, such as disguising himself when going out in public. When a large crowd gathered to celebrate his landing, he would make efforts to avoid them. He didn’t like all the attention and disliked attempts to bring him into wider society. He rejected offers to be in movies and commercials. Instead, he strived to live a secluded, private life away from the public eye. Even while working on the development of the heart perfusion pump, he desired to be anonymous and keep his work quiet. He seemed to receive no joy out of the prevailing emotional atmosphere. Instead, he would seek to escape such atmospheres, and saw the attention of the public as “oppressive”, remarking that he “had enough publicity for 15 lives.” His avoidance of larger society and desire to do everything on his own in a self-sufficient way helped earn him the nickname ‘The Lone Eagle’. 

Suggestive function: Ne (1D, Valued) Lindbergh spent his whole life unconsciously seeking adventure. As a boy he spent a lot of his free time reading, especially adventure stories. The desire to have new experiences, to see new places, was one of the main motivators behind his aviation pursuits. He quit traditional school to pursue flight school, which he thought could lead him to greater adventure. He loved flying to new places and seeing new things. He also had a respect and love of science, discovery, and innovation. He helped the Aero Medical Unit for Research in Aviation Medicine at the Mayo Clinic. When describing the atomic age of war, Lindbergh expresses his sadness over the potential destruction of nature that the atomic bomb can produce. He says, “I worshipped science. I was awed by its knowledge...Now...I have seen the science I worshipped, and the aircraft I loved destroying the civilization I expected them to serve, and which I thought as permanent as the earth itself.” Here we can again see not only his valuing of Te and Ne, through his love of science and knowledge, but also his preference for Si over Se. He disliked the powerful force of the atomic bomb disrupting the harmony of civilization. He was open to new ideas and encouraged their growth and development. He became very interested in space travel and saw space as the new frontier. He supported the rocketry research of Goddard and Guggenheim and secured funding for their projects. Lindbergh also seemed to have an admiration for people with a wide variety of talents and abilities, and desired to develop his own abilities. For example, he admired his wife’s ability to write and speak different languages. She encouraged him to develop his own writing abilities, and this is something he appreciated and responded well to.    Mobilizing function: Fi (2D, Valued) The mobilizing function tends to manifest as something we appreciate and that has a strong influence over our actions (School of Associative Socionics, 2020). This can be seen throughout Lindbergh’s life. He stated that, “Power without moral force to guide it invariably ends in the destruction of the people who wield it. Power...must be backed by morality...” During his time as a civilian observer in the Pacific, he wrote about the cruelty and inhumane treatment of the Japanese that he witnessed, and the view among some of the soldiers that the enemy troops were merely “animals”. He said, “I am shocked at the attitude of our American troops. They have no respect for death, the courage of an enemy soldier, or many of the ordinary decencies of life.” He criticized the dehumanization of enemy troops and said he was concerned by the “lack of respect for even the admirable characteristics of our enemy.” He believed in the dignity of the human person, noting that “No person with a sense of the dignity of mankind can condone the persecution of the Jewish race in Germany.” Lindbergh was also known to be a private person who did not talk much of his feelings, and did not like it when others tried to get him to. According to Stratiyevskaya, “SLI dislikes it very much when intimate things are talked about directly - this is almost like a sacrilege to him.” His wife Anne notes that “he himself never felt the need to explain his feelings about where he stood and about past statements.” He disliked any attempts by others to analyze his soul. According to Grigory Reinin, SLIs “try to protect their emotional sphere from the intruding outsiders in every possible way.” He rejected books that were written about him and wanted the only information about him to be written by himself. He regularly kept a diary, but his Te style prevailed over personal Fi sentiments. Much of his diary writings were objective facts rather than personal emotional experiences. Interestingly, he also had a tendency to record the exact number of words on each page and wrote that number at the top, as a statistic. 

Ignoring function: Se (3D, Unvalued) Lindbergh was outspoken against war and preferred not to fight, though he understood it as sometimes necessary and showed respect for enemy troops (valued Fi also present). He said, “If I must fight, I'll fight; but I prefer not to spit at my enemy beforehand.” He understood the value of war and combat, but he did not like it to be used unless absolutely necessary. He did not think the US had a right to interfere in the affairs of other countries. He was publicly outspoken against the pro-war policies of President Franklin Roosevelt and it is known that the two of them did not think favorably of each other. He spoke of the misuse of power as being the greatest threat to mankind, and in 1945 said, “History is full of its misuse. There is no better example than Nazi Germany.” He preferred to appreciate and experience nature for what it was, rather than use force to try to conquer and shape it into something else. His wife Anne also noted that “he never wanted to be regarded as a hero or leader, and he never had political ambitions.” She noted that his speeches and statements were given out of his sincere belief of what was the best thing to do for the country and the world. Demonstrative function: Ti (4D, Unvalued) According to Grigory Reinin, for the SLI “knowing the world is its practical mastering.” We can see this with Lindbergh, who was more interested in experiencing life as it was, rather than trying to fit everything into a logical system. According to Wikisocion, SLIs “tend to feel that life is difficult to categorize and should simply be experienced for what it is.” However, this function is a strong, fundamental part of SLIs and could be seen playing a role in his love of science and his mechanical understanding of planes and gadgets. Though Ti is a strong function that is always working in the background, SLIs use it only situationally, to apply it to things they are interested in. Lindbergh had a strong understanding of how things fit together into a cohesive whole, but he chose not to focus on that and preferred experiencing things.

[dweemeister]

Marona’s Fantastic Tale (2019, France)

Before delving into the thick of this review, I have a few personal biases to reveal. First, I am not a “dog person”, let alone a “pet person”. I understand why people adore dogs, but I have long been uncomfortable around them – small, energetic ones especially. In addition, I tend to view the subgenre of animal movies (dogs, cats, horses, etc.) as littered with saccharine, but nevertheless watchable, dreck. Reading back those last few sentences, you may conclude that I am describing a heartless monster that should not be trusted with living things. So be it.

Anca Damian’s Marona’s Fantastic Tale, also known by its original French title L'extraordinaire Voyage de Marona, avoids the common traps of this subgenre. It, too, happens to be an animated film. Damian, a Romanian-French filmmaker, has previously only directed two animated features, both documentaries: Crulic – The Path to Beyond (2011, Romania/Poland) and The Magic Mountain (2015, Romania/Poland/France). She is, foremost, a dramatist concerned with humanist ideas and values. Damian and screenwriter Anghel Damian (her son) treat the title character – also called three other names – as maturely as any human character in this film, where other filmmakers in this subgenre might only do so superficially, to elicit obligatory “awws”. Marona’s Fantastic Tale artfully depicts the perspective of its canine star through the chapters of her life. These life chapters are laden with ambiguous resolutions and important conversations and decisions withheld from the viewer – moments where love, responsibility, and survival intertwine or clash.

The film begins with the female dog’s death. She (voiced by Lizzie Brocheré) has been hit by a car, and narrates the rest of the film, framed as a recollection of her most potent memories. Her first given name is “Nine”, as she is the last of nine puppies between a mixed-breed dog and a purebred Dogo Argentino. Nine is shortly adopted and immediately abandoned. As a stray, she is adopted by a struggling acrobat named Manole, and given the name “Ana”. Happy though their initial time together may be, Ana recognizes she is an impediment to his financial situation, and runs away. Slumbering at a construction site, she is grateful for the warmth of architect Istvan, who always brings her food. Istvan, who calls her “Sara”, eventually brings her home to his manipulative wife who abhors Sara. Lastly, our protagonist will be adopted by a little girl named Solange, who names her “Marona” (from the French word marron, meaning brown; I will refer to the protagonist by her final name for the remainder of this review). Solange’s overworked single mother and irascible grandfather oppose the impromptu adoption for differing reasons, but eventually accept the new addition to their household.

I may not know much French, but Lizzie Brocheré (The Magic Mountain, 2017′s Rings) is a wonderful narrator. At least half of the film’s lines come from Marona narrating her unfolding life. In her voice, Brocheré captures numerous emotions: joy, regret, indignity, confusion, yearning. Marona, whose understanding of the world is similar to that of a young child, is devoid of enmity – even when faced with humans showing little concern or dismissive of her well-being. The film keeps Marona’s narration to a certain register, leaving the greatest narrative subjectivity to the film’s visuals and not Marona herself. Marona’s narration reveals how she interprets the world around her:

[Dogs] want things to stay exactly as they are... Humans always want what they don't have. They call it dreaming. I call it not knowing how to be happy.

Marona’s Fantastic Tale employs various animation styles in ways that may not feel sensible at first. Humans do not look like humans. They come in all colors of skin (blue, green, incomplete black crayon upon white construction paper etc.) and impossible figures (Manole, the acrobat drawn in yellow and red stripes, has stretchable, tubular limbs that any real-life acrobat would envy; other characters appear anything but humanoid). The most conventionally “human”-drawn characters in Damian’s film are those closest to Marona during her life – namely Istvan, Solange, and Solange’s mother. Marona, and the viewer, find comfort in these familiarly-shaped humans. Istvan’s predominant blue skin is a cool color, contrasting against his wife’s vaguely ostrich-like yellow-and-black appearance – attributes shared by her gossiping and materialistic lady friends, all of whom may need to see the doctor for possible jaundice. Like any animation director, Damian uses the character animation in this film to code viewers’ perceptions on a character. But the abstraction of Marona’s Fantastic Tale means she and her animators can further exaggerate characters’ physical aspects and experiment with color. The film’s backgrounds are a mesmerizing interplay of hand-drawn and CGI animation. Depending on where the camera is approaching, the apparently 2D backgrounds might unfold into layers of CGI, and vice versa.

These effects are bewildering. They appear as one might imagine a small dog might understand humanity’s vastness of appearance and personality, as well as the sprawling natural and man-made world they occupy.

Even more abstract through Marona’s eyes are the concepts of memory and time. On occasion, Damian has Marona reminisce about her past – an abstract flashback within a larger flashback. That past is filled with heartache – of being separated from her litter, her multiple abandonments. But in the confusion of understanding human motivation, Marona’s unconditional love for her mother and siblings and those who have taken care of her shines through. Hers is a melancholic loyalty, abiding despite abandonment. Time’s passage in the film is linear but inconsistent, leaving the viewer to make inferences for themselves. As a being with a short life, Marona has little time to find the most fulfilling, profound moments of her life in things that a human might deem mundane (in an occasionally funny piece of narration, she says, “A good sense of smell is worth a thousand words.”)

Every human in Marona’s Fantastic Tale is beset with character flaws and, with the exception of Manole, difficult familial lives. Their flaws may manifest themselves towards Marona, other humans, or both. Marona observes human frustration, jealousy, and pettiness and can always sense the unspoken tension that precedes a fateful action. Here, the film plays out not only as a simple flashback, but as a sort of dying wish. Marona, who we know is dying or is en route to what happens after death, appeals to the viewers without so much directly addressing them. It is an appeal for understanding: to realize our personal faults and to exemplify the consideration and goodwill that makes living worthwhile. 

Some Western viewers might be irked that Marona dies in the film and that her death does overhang the proceedings. (They may be too accustomed to the excessively manipulative and stereotypical death fake-out so common in dog movies. Picture, if you will: a dog is shown to be in peril, the human characters hang their hands down acknowledging the likelihood of a dog’s death, but there is sudden uplift when, against all odds, the dog protagonist comes over the hill or rounds the corner and leaps into the arms of his caretakers.) But Anca and Anghel Damian have taken care to ensure that Marona’s death is handled as non-sensationally and abstractly as the rest of the film. Morbid it is not. That is no easy feat for any filmmaker, whether working in a live-action or animated format.

Marona’s Fantastic Tale does assume some life experience and contains presumed moments of cruelty, so I would hesitate to show the film to very young children. But the film should play well to slightly older children and, of course, open-minded adults. Marona’s Fantastic Tale is a film concerned about how time claims all, how dogs and humans might leave behind an example of love that sustains even in our darkest moments. That it does so convincingly through Marona drives this film’s beauty.

My rating: 8.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[painted-starlight]

The Art of the Background Cast, How they can Make or Break an Animated Film

Warning: This is a Long Post, it’s anti-Frozen, has swearing, also I’m not very nice <3333

And no, I’m not insinuating that 3d films can’t make good background characters that contribute to good world building. There are some that do background characters excellently and some traditional animated films that do it poorly. 

I’m just saying that in terms of background characters, Frozen sunk like a hot potato and I’m going to roast it.

Alright, let’s go!  

Preface

I got a response for my Disney Princess post from someone who said that all background characters in Disney films are “window dressing” and that it was ridiculous for me to criticize Frozen for having lifeless background characters. 

Let me just say, that this is complete bullshit. 

Background characters can make or break an animated film. And although they might have a few lines here or there and their screen time is brief, they are vital to animated movies, regardless of whether or not it’s traditional or 3d.

Let’s take a look at an example of a good background/supporting cast. 

Beauty and the Beast

Traditionally animated films had to create unique and colorful background/supporting characters that were hand drawn. The challenges between an animated film that is 3d and 2d are different, but they have the same goal. 

Build your world. Make the conflicts seem reasonable. Have them make sense considering the society that your characters exist in. Have them be memorable. 

Background/Supporting characters in animation are essential to worldbuilding. They not only provide the everyday social structure of the setting, but they also provide an important visual cue for audiences. 

Let’s take Beauty and the Beast. The townspeople provide a pivital element to the story because just by looking at them and the way they interact with Belle, you get so much information about how she is viewed, what is valued in their society, and visually it sets up the main conflict. 

Visually, their colors contrast with Belle’s. She is in cold blue, while they have a mixture of reds, warm greens, and for the bimbettes, pastel colors that are still in the reds, yellows, and green. 

The town itself is full of warm reds, signifying that Belle is out of place with her color scheme. She not only stands out, but she is an outcast. 

What the Background Characters Actions Convey

They all represent what Belle doesn’t want in her life, though she has become accustomed to it in her own way. This is a typical morning, and nothing is new. 

We are shown that the town is obsessed with physical beauty and they are judgmental. Not only that, but even they can’t abide by their own standards as they try to attain beauty on the outside, not the inside.

A man and woman talk behind Belle’s back. The woman is bald, and she accidentally removes her wig. The man informs the woman, and thus the audience, that Belle is “strange.”

A married man flirts with a young woman. He visibly ogles her in front of his wife. Men in this town treat women as objects, so Gaston’s later behavior isn’t out of place. 

A woman is left to tend to all of her numerous children and is incredibly distressed. A foreshadowing of Belle and Gaston’s conflict. If she were to lose, this would be Belle’s future. 

These exchanges are vital to the development of the plot. They show the main conflict, the world which rewards people like Gaston and hinders Belle. Though I feel that her main motivation is very vague, the visuals and scene direction in regards to the main conflict are well done. 

Bad Example of Supporting/Background Cast:

Frozen

I know, I know. I hate T*angled and it’s background cast is also shit, but I’ve already covered that in a previous post. And besides, Frozen is has just...a terrible background /supporting cast. They’re awful, just...awful. They just exist to be there.

Now, the challenge with 3d animated films is that they exist in a three dimensional space. They require more character models to fill out scenes, and reusing them and making small changes to them for variation is a very common practice. This happens in traditional animation too, though on a smaller scale in tv animation (where they will reuse character designs and make small adjustments to them for the sake of filling out crowds). 

But with feature length animated films, these background characters still have an important obligation to the audience, and their existence is identical to their traditional animated counterparts. To worldbuild. 

So you’d think that this would be a great opportunity to show what the characters value, the main conflict, and other information that is required for the audience to gain a better understanding of the world. 

Unfortunately, not in Frozen’s case. Their background characters just exist to be...there. 

The citizens of Arendelle have few lines, and they are all of praise for the queen and princess to be. They are shown to be ultimately supportive of their royalty. 

The citizens and palace servants go about their day. There is no juicy gossip, no discontent. The servants in the palace just glide right by Anna and don’t even lightly chastise her for making a fool of herself and wrecking shit. She ignores them and they ignore her ultimately because they are interchangable. 

It would’ve been very interesting to see their reaction to the secrecy of Elsa’s powers. To have to clean up her wrecked room, to have to keep quiet about her, but we don’t really see that. They don’t have human reactions to stimulus. 

They don’t feel like real people, they are idealized citizens, and idealized servants who just do whatever they’re told. So they have a life destroying, crop killing, wildlife obliterating winter and they act like it’s just an average Tuesday. 

Ok.

I was really surprised that the Duke of Weasleton was the only one freaking out in this situation. He just straight up calls her a witch in front of everyone and no one vocally REACTS with anything. AT ALL. They just stand around look a tad shocked. 

Like, how many times a day does someone in this town get called a witch? And royalty at that? Come on, the citizens have to have SOMETHING to say about it. But they’re eerily calm.

They didn’t know how long this shit would last and who knows how much food they would have left.

One of the first lines was about the queens coronation. With a child bemoaning attending while another citizen praises the beauty of princess Anna.

This is more of a setup to a joke, and feels like they were concentrating on the setup rather than delivering information to the audience. 

It is apparent that the expectations of the citizens adds to the conflict of the story by showing the amount of pressure Elsa is under, but this has no meaningful weight/payoff since we don’t really get their reactions to her ice powers other than, “Oh shit! Better keep my baby outta the way.”

No one other than Weasleton calls her a witch. No one lights up pitchforks, no one in the palace has to explain what has happened and why Elsa was hidden. These characters ultimately feel passive to their situation.

No one feels betrayed that Elsa is hiding a secret ice power. They have a winter caused by her powers, but no one seems to really...care? i mean, they argue over a log...I guess??

I would talk about Oaken, but he doesn’t seem to really add anything to the worldbuilding. Like everyone else, he just seems to be there to deliver a joke, and show how Kristoff is mean/intimidating. He’s also where Anna gets her new clothes.

It’s fine if that’s his purpose, but combined with a weak supporting/background character cast, he feels a little unnecessary and more of an excuse to get Anna and Kristoff together on their journey. 

[thefloatingstone]

teirrart replied to your photoset: Starting in 1941, Mickey Mouse was given a...

anything involving mickey’s design always hooks me in. like his name was gonna be Mortimer Mouse but Disney’s wife told him it was a dumb name lmao

This is actually true.

Also fun fact, “Mickey” is short of Michel, pronounced “Mee-schale” not Micheal as one would think.

Also also, this isn’t the only time Mickey went through a redesign that’s been largely forgotten.

in the 1950s when UPA was the new hotness on the animation block, changing animation forever by introducing a flat, minimalist animation style inspired more by graphic design than looking realistic, Disney made quite a few changes to ride the coat-tales of this new aesthetic (ironic seeing as a lot of UPA animators were Ex-Disney employees who felt Disney’s animation style of trying to be as realistic as possible was stifling their creativity)

One such application went into the movie “Sleeping Beauty”. Despite characters moving and looking quite realistically, a lot more abstract shapes were used in their designs (like Aurora’s hair) and the backgrounds, inspired by medieval tapestries, having a much more geometric look to them, while still trying to appear realistic (the backgrounds were a major reason for the movie’s inability to make profit but that’s a story for another time)

Another much more obvious UPA influence could be seen on Disney shorts, especially the likes of “Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom” which I don’t even need to elaborate on if you see what the short looks like

As well as “Donald in Mathmagic Land”

Anyway. My point is, in the 1950s, with television exploding onto the scene and with a demand of animation but a restriction on production costs, the UPA art style became EXTREMELY popular for television, but it did not go to cartoon shows first (as there was no such thing just yet) but instead, the first real applications of television animation went to shows that were basically just filmed story-boards, or TV commercials for products.

Disney actually had their own commercial production division in the 50s, and, with all the information I’ve just given you, you can probably guess that I am leading up to the point that Mickey Mouse was given a redesign during this period, SPECIFICALLY for use in TV commercials. Designed by Tom Oreb, considered to be the founding father of the UPA graphic style in the first place

You can see this designed used in the 1955 commercials for American Motors.

However, this redesign was EXTREMELY short lived.

According to the book “Cartoon Modern” by Amid Amidi, and I QUOTE:

“There was a little kid that used to write to Walt telling him to stay away from modern art because it's Communistic. So when the commercial came on, he got a letter from this kid, a little malcontent sitting somewhere, and he wrote, "I'm disappointed Walt. I never thought you'd succumb. What happened to you?" and Walt went crazy. He stormed down there and outlawed using any of the Disney characters in the commercials...spelling the end of the unit.”

Basically some Far Right teenaged asshole who in modern times would probably be making posts on twitter about chemicals in the water turning the frogs gay tweeted at Walt "lol u commie” and Walt lost his shit and set his own house on fire and Modern Art Design Mickey was killed.

Incidentally, although this little fuckhead was being the kind of little fuckhead we’re all too familiar with, I believe his stupidity came from the fact that communist propaganda in the 1920s looked like this;

However, as we have seen, this level of jingoism did not stop Disney from doing it again anyway, althoughthis time in 2013

Anyway I just wanted to ramble about Mickey Mouse’s character design for a little.

Personally I’ve always preferred the 1980s design for him, but that may just be nostlagia as I grew up with it, but also because during this time (much like now) Mickey had multiple designs, one being the more “Disney” fleshed out version, and one being the “vintage” version which had come back into popularity. Or more accurately, Disney’s new CEO Michael Eisner (who was behind literally ALL of the 2D Disney Renaissance movies) was pushing to save the then failing Disney Company and more than likely a massive marketing and merchandising campaign felt using both designs would be the best course of action.

[thehappyspaceman]

Assorted Thoughts on The Dragon Prince Season Two

Hey, guys. Spaceman here, and… *sigh* …fine.

Since I reviewed season one of Netflix’s The Dragon Prince last week, I suppose I should talk about season two, which premiered last Friday. But I thought I already told you guys, The Dragon Prince… just doesn’t do much do much for me. Don’t get me wrong; season one wasn’t bad or anything, but it just kind of felt standard and a bit meh, so it was hard to get too excited for the second season, and I’m not going in expecting much—

HOLY SH—okay, wow, um… so, The Dragon Prince season two is actually kind of awesome, so… just… completely disregard everything I said in that last paragraph, because jeezus, I was wrong as hell. Seriously, this season is legit! Nearly every problem I had with season one is rectified in season two, all while still remaining subversive to my expectations. Let’s get into it!

The Animation

Okay, the first big, kind of obvious thing I have to talk about is the animation. That was one of the most criticized aspects of season one, the CGI, semi-2D look that just felt choppy in a lot of places, and I was super critical of it myself. Well, I have to hand it to Wonderstorm, because they really pull through on season two. It looks much smoother and more professional and doesn’t pull me out of the moment as it did in season one. Series creator Aaron Ehasz said in interviews that the animation would be more smoothed out, and I’m glad to hear that those words weren’t just hollow. It seems that the crew behind this show are willing to listen to criticism.

The Characters

I already talked about the main characters in my review of season one, so I don’t feel the need to talk much about them, since I don’t want to go into major spoiler territory just yet. With maybe one exception: Ezran. I criticized his character as feeling flat in season one, but he actually improves quite a great deal in season two. It’s nice seeing him form a bond with the baby dragon, Azymondias, and how it takes a toll on Bait, his animal companion from season one, who feels neglected. Also, his reaction when he discovers that his father had died seems… very believable. With little time dedicated to it and few words spoken, he goes through the entire spectrum of emotions upon discovering this: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and then acceptance. His acceptance ties in with a very important decision he makes in the last episode of the series, though I’ll get to that in the spoiler section.

Among the characters from season one I neglected to talk about are Ellis and her pet wolf, Ava. They only appear for the first three episodes of season two, but I liked them well enough and they do help out our main characters a great deal. I also like Lujanne, the Guardian of the Moon Nexus. It’s nice to see other elf characters, since we have yet to actually arrive in Xadia, and she’s funny in the kooky kind of way; it’s pretty clear that spending years alone protecting the Moon Nexus has made her go a bit off the deep end.

Some of the more notable characters include Gren, who always seems to maintain a cheerful attitude even when things are going wrong—I remember him saying, “Why see myself as chained down, when I can see my self as chained up?” which was a pretty funny moment—and Captain Villads, the blind narcoleptic pirate who Rayla and the princes hitch a ride with.

Hey, I just realized, I’ve been talking about the characters in The Dragon Prince and somehow neglected to mention the dragon prince himself! Azymondias, nicknamed Zym, is the hatchling from the dragon egg last season and he is adorable. Even Claudia seems to think so!

But okay, time for a full review of the plot. It goes without saying that there will be spoilers, so unless you have seen the new season, read at your own risk.

Spoiler Discussion

I was a little shocked, first off, that this show only takes place a day or so after the first season’s finale. I figured there would be a time skip or something, but no. That said, the story in season two is executed amazingly. First off, the big question from last season was how Ezran and Callum would react when finding out that the elves offed King Harrow. Well, surprisingly, neither one went with the reaction I was expecting. I was afraid that we would go through the clichéd path of “Oh no, what if Callum and Ezran got angry at Rayla because of what the other elves did?” which we all knew would end with them forgiving her, of course. But no, they avoided that trope altogether. Callum’s big struggle was how he was going to tell Ezran the truth without breaking him. Similarly, Ezran’s first thought was whether Callum knew, which was followed by him going on a long walk by himself and talking to Claudia about it. This is when he makes the decision to leave Ezran, Callum, and Zym—yes, leave the Dragon Prince whom he has developed a connection with—and return to Katolis to take over the throne for his late father. This is a major twist and something that nobody was expecting, but I honestly quite enjoy how it was handled.

It was great seeing all the new locations and characters. Possibly the most interesting one was Duren, led by its young ruler, Queen Aanya. This girl delivers some serious verbal blows to Viren and it’s just amazing to see. But also, finding out about her kingdom was really damn cool. We learn about her parents, the Queens of Duren—you heard right—and how Katolis assisted them in a quest to bring food for both kingdoms when they were starving during the winter.

I’m glad to see more LGBT+ characters in animated shows, and while a lot of people criticized it for the Queens’ death, it doesn’t seem too bad to me. They’re treated like heroes, and we knew of their fate beforehand, so it’s not like it was playing their deaths for shock value—hell, they died in the same battle that took the life of Queen Sarai, Callum and Ezran’s mother. Besides, the creators promised before that there would be more LGBT+ characters as the series progresses… and hey, they promised that season two would have better animation, which it did, so I don’t see any reason not to trust them.

Viren was also a nice touch. Like the first season, he comes off as an antagonist but still has his human moments, where he doesn’t seem like he was simply manipulating people for his own benefit. One of the best moments in the show is when Viren tells Aanya the story of her parents’ heroism; this is contrasted with a scene of Callum reading a letter from Harrow telling about his mother. In many of the flashbacks, we see Viren helping Katolis and standing by Harrow’s side, and it shows that he and Harrow truly were friends before Viren’s love of dark magic took over. It’s also revealed later that Viren had a wife, the mother of Soren and Claudia, but she left him. That was another interesting tidbit. You don’t often see divorce in a fantasy environment.

Speaking of baddies, let’s talk about Aaravos, the elf in the mirror. Now, I was immediately impressed with this character for his cool design, mysterious ways, and booming voice, and it seems that a lot of the Internet shares my enthusiasm! Maybe a little too much, in fact… Yes, Tumblr in particular has taken a… ahem… liking to this character, and I’ll be honest, I don’t get it. He’s cool, sure, but come on, guys. Don’t you think you’re letting your love of this fictional character go too far?

Oh, Amaya, you can crush my head between your thighs any day… what were we talking about again?

Yes, we do actually find out some stuff about Sarai here! She and Harrow had a really beautiful relationship. For one thing, it seemed like while she was alive, they ruled together, not that Harrow was the ruler and Sarai just sat around. She was a friend and top consultant to him as much as she was his wife, one half of his whole. I distinctly remember a scene where she basically tells him off, that an idea he and Viren had was a bad one, and both verbally and physically kicks his ass in the process. That was really telling of their relationship and made it all the more heart-wrenching when it shows how she died.

Another major part of this season is Callum’s quest for magic. In season one, he was using sky magic with the primal stone, but he destroyed it in an act of selflessness to hatch Zym. Here, he has once again found himself lost without any clear role in the group: he had noted before that he wasn’t a capable swordfighter and that when he was doing magic, it felt like his true calling more than anything else. He tries multiple times to connect to the primal source, even though he wasn’t born with it. However, possibly the biggest shocker was this moment:

…Oh my god. Callum, what are you doing? Callum, no! Don’t use dark magic! That’s not the way! Oh god, he’s using dark magic. We’re all screwed.

Nearly as much of a shocker moment as this is when, during a battle, Soren gets flung and lands in such a way that we hear a cracking sound. You may not think too much of this, until it becomes increasingly clear that he’s not getting back up again. However, the saddest part is when he reveals that he is actually relieved that he was injured, because it means that he wouldn’t have to go through with Viren’s order for him to kill the young princes.

This scene, man. This damn scene was hard to watch. It really shows the humanity that every character has, exposed as they go through the story and have to be put through so much.

And then… well, no more beating around the bush. Callum and Rayla: It’s gonna happen. Like, as usual, I won’t know for certain until/unless it does actually happen, but it’s looking more and more like it. But so far, it’s been handled really well. Rayla is first angry at Callum for using dark magic in the earlier scene, but it took a physical toll on him and he becomes very ill from it. While she first tries to hide it, over the scene it looks more and more like he won’t make it and she becomes seriously concerned for him and shows that she really does care about him. It looks as though she’s about to say something to him—a confession, maybe?—right before he recovers. To be honest, the way they’re building it up, it could either turn out to be a romance or a great friendship, but it feels very natural and I’m all for it either way. And if it is the former, I’m glad they aren’t pulling the typical romance clichés in cartoons, like having Callum crush heavily on Rayla (hell, he was crushing on Claudia up until she betrayed him this season) or having Rayla act in the tsundere, “I don’t like you, idiot” kind of way. But yeah, I’d love to see where this goes.

(Don’t worry about Callum, by the way. He’s not in danger, he’s just going through a really trippy fever dream that allows him access to sky magic.)

Other Stuff

As much as I’ve talked about everything else, the humor in this season is also really on-point, much more so than the last season! I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of points. That said, some of the more reference-based humor… doesn’t exactly hold up. Like, there’s a scene where Rayla pulls an extended Sailor Moon gag, and another where Callum literally says, “One does not simply walk into Xadia,” and… this Simple Minds reference:

Because in a medieval fantasy environment, everybody has seen The Breakfast Club, right? Perhaps the only one I can get behind is this credits gag with Aaravos imitating the Gatsby pose:

Which seems much more fitting there than in the show itself, since the credits are just filled with little gags like that.

As for questions about season three, most of my questions in my last post have been answered, but it did open up a few new questions. Who is Aaravos and what is his motivation? I’m assuming he’s an antagonist, but he could easily subvert our expectations. Will returning Zym back to the dragon queen really bring an end to the war? We’re only two seasons in out of a presumed six or seven, and I figured it would take a lot longer to get to Xadia than it did, but they’re already there, so it’s going to have to be stretched out a lot further, I figure. Finally, there’s a fan theory going around that King Harrow swapped bodies with Pip, Harrow’s bird. Is there any truth to that? We saw Pip escape in this season, so it could have been, but I don’t know.

Conclusion

Season two of The Dragon Prince was an improvement on season one in every way. The show really came into its own with this season, much more so than with the first one. I loved the characters, the animation, the worldbuilding, the soundtrack, and unlike the first season, which just left me feeling meh, this one actually makes me want to see a lot more, and… yeah, I’m a fan now. Congratulations, show. As Leonardo DiCaprio put it, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.

Once again, I implore you: don’t screw it up. But this time, I trust that you won’t.

~Spaceman

[dellinah]

Uh so someone mentioned my awakening I mean Robin Hood

Disney's Robin Hood actually started out as an adaptation of this old tale called 'Reynard (Renart) the fox', which was meant to be a movie about this anthro fox called Reynard (duh) but somewhere along the way they dropped that idea and adapted Robin Hood instead, only keeping the anthro designs from the original concept years later. Apparently they thought Reynard was too much of a bad example to be a hero and used Robin Hood instead. And I mean, I don't disagree, but then again hardly any disney movies' inspirations were good to begin with (anyone remember how sleeping beauty had rape in it...? Rapunzel's prince had his eyes plucked out? Hamlet freaking dies?) So like. Not that good of an excuse imo. They could change it they were just LAZY

The tale of Reynard is actually a bunch of old french stories about a fox that bullshits his way out of confusion to save his ass, basically. And it was popular enough in France that his name now is the word for Fox (Renart) as opposed to the actual word for fox that was used before (which I assume was rusé but I learned french with my mom who isn't a native speaker so don't quote me on that)

Anyway. Apparently Reynard's uncle was a wolf (which is also the main antagonist of the tales and probably the inspiration for the wolf in Robin Hood), so... I mean I guess Foxes are closer to Wolves than Lions, so maybe there was a hybrid there somewhere along the way, but I'm just saying, different species being relatives goes a long way back. So marriage ties? Adoption? Anything goes. So while Marian being a lion is a great AU idea, the concept of her being a vixen isn't THAT unlikely, or even something Disney pulled out of their butt. Their source material had different species being relatives back in the 1400's

Also Reynard has an affair with his uncle's wife so you get small male fox with big woman wolf. Just look at the scale of those irl and you'll see how big the difference is. Not a lion, buy close enough?

(And she's also his aunt so sweet home alabama. But I choose to ignore that part bc its gross)

Now I am personally very fond of Disney's Robin Hood and not bc it awoke things in me but I am more of the opinion that if it aint broke don't fix it, yknow? Especially with how great the animation is in the original one and how Robin's voice is way hotter than it had any right to be and I'm ever so grateful it inspired Zootopia. But I like it as it is. I like it a lot. Love me a disney movie where they almost hang someone

So as much I like I like Odin's sugestion of a Zootopia-like remake, I would much prefer for Disney to FINALLY get that Reynard movie out of their system, if they must do anything Robin Hood-related. Just give me SOMETHING NEW. And finally give this centuries-old tale a good, modern twist (we don't talk about the 2005 movie. I grew up with that one and I don't talk about it). Sure, they'll have to change and adapt a bunch of stuff if they ever do that, but isnt that what Disney always did anyway?

Just make Reynard a cunning fox with a good heart. Maybe start him out as a villain and have a redemption arc. They CAN make that happen regardless of how unfriendly the original material is. And then give him a wolf lover instead and you have what yall wanted Marian to be.

And maybe do things right, for once, and make that in 2D like it's meant to. Ofc that's never going to happen. But yknow...

A dream is a wish your heart makes...

Also anyone gonna talk about how Prince John doesnt have a mane and that happens with castrated male lions so that means its cannon he has lost his balls? No? Ok

Patience, my dear. Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder. — Or forgetful. Robin Hood (1973) dir. Wolfgang Reitherman

[odilekuronuma]

Castlevania Netflix Season 1 review

                                       Wallpaper found on Reddit.

Better late than never I suppose.

Let me just preface this by saying that I’m a HUGE Castlevania fan, I’ve played most of the games, even the old school ones. And this blog is originally dedicated to Castlevania, and its artist Ayami Kojima. In fact my username is a direct reference to her and her pen name, as well as “Santa lilio Sangre” which is the title of her artbook, that I highly recommand checking out .

Also this review will contain spoilers so be warned.I don’t think I can talk about the story and the characterization without mentioning spoilers, so read at your own risk.

With that out of the way, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that I’d have an interest in this series. Actually this came out of nowhere, there was talk of an adaptation years ago, but it came to nothing. And with the whole Konami debacle, all hope of seeing anything Castlevania related vanished....until Netflix came in.

The story is based on Castlevania III Dracula’s curse, which I’ll have you know is one of my favourite games in the franchise.It’s also partly inspired by Symphony of the night, which is by far my favorite game of all times.  I gotta say that I’m really impressed about how the showrunners expanded on the lore of the game and the franchise as a whole. There’s a clear effort made into fleshing out the characters, and expanding on the lore and the story. The games were never really heavy on the story, but here we get to know more about the context  of those times, and how the Church for example played a huge role, not just in regulating the religious life of the believers.

The  story follows Trevor Belmont, of the clan Belmont, whose main occupation is hunting vampires and all kinds of otherwordly creatures, on his quest to defeat Dracula.  One year prior to the current timeline, Dracula is legitimately pissed off at humanity for having burned his wife on a stake after wrongly accusing her of being a witch.

I gotta say I love how the showrunners fleshed the relationship between Dracula and Lisa. It’s short but it’s to the point.It’s better than any crappy Vampire romance we’ve seen in the past 10 years. It starts with Lisa from Lupu village showing up at Drac’s castle, to learn science. She wants to be a doctor to help her fellow humans. She’s portrayed as being quite witty, and in fact most of the main cast are portrayed as such (not counting the priests since they’re dumb as fuck).

She manages to convince Dracula to teach her science, and here there’s somewhat of a deviation from the usual lore. While in the games it’s not unusual to encounter objects that are futuristic, or even the Creature which by all means is the result of science, Dracula’s powers are deeply rooted in magic, or even alchemy. A recurrent area in Dracula’s castle or “Castlevania” is the Alchemy Laboratory. Either way in exchange of him teaching her all there is to know about science, she in turn will teach him how to enjoy life as a human, since so far it appears that Dracula has never walked or travelled as a man. He originally starts by hating humanity and not having much faith in them, and this beautiful woman comes along and changes his views entirely.

Years later while Dracula is away, travelling as a human which shows that he followed Lisa, aka his wife’s advice, the Church does a really dick move by burning her at the stake....Yeah that’s bound to backfire horribly. Lisa on the stake begs Dracula not to be mad at humans, but all the harm has been done. After he learns of her demise, he transforms into a fiery pillar and goes to face the Archbishop and all the assholes responsible of her death. He gives the people of Targoviste a year to make peace with their God. And then he’ll unleash hell on humans.

I gotta say Dracula’s wrath is justified, you decided to piss off the guy who didn’t like humans to begin with, and took away from him the thing that made him become a better person. So there’s bound to be some retribution. However as Alucard, his son from Lisa points out, he should direct his wrath on those who are directly responsible for her death, and not all of humanity and people who are innocent. But Dracula won’t have any of that, so he attacks his son to prevent him from meddling with his plan to raise an undead army in a year.

So that’s pretty much the context of the story, and what lead to the current events, where Trevor our reluctant hero is currently embarked in. I gotta say the characterization is top notch, and it doesn’t end with Dracula.Our hero’s motivations and journey are also fleshed out, because as it turns out Trevor doesn’t initially want to do anything with it. He’s first shown to be a drunk mess, despite the fact that he comes from a noble house, the Belmonts. But that is due to once again the interference of the Church, who after relying on the Belmonts for years to protect them from monsters and creatures like Dracula, decided to excommunicate them on ground they dabbled in magic pretty much...Which is as dumb as pissing off Dracula. So with his house in ruins, Trevor pretty much sunk into alcoholism, which is a pretty interesting take on his character. He’s all around very different from his character in Curse of Darkness, who is overall very serious.

Instead here Trevor is portrayed as being sarcastic and witty, and there’s a good amount of comedy involving him, mainly due to the fact that he’s a drunk and out of practice. So his initial motivations aren’t anything grand, and overall he just doesn’t want to get involved with the Dracula drama. He just wants some booze and something to eat. But soon he starts to care, after his encounter with the speakers.

After making it to a town that is plagued by raids of  Dracula’s minions he meets the Speakers, a band of nomadic story tellers who pass their wisdom orally. Because he’s a Belmont, he had previous knowledge of such a group, and unfortunately for them, the Church (again) plans to pin down the onslaught by Dracula’s forces on them, because they happen to use magic...sigh. The Church are even bigger villains than Dracula himself, they fucked over pretty much everyone. Trevor bides them to leave town, but they can’t, not until they retrieve the body of one of theirs, the grand daughter of their leader in the catacombs. As to why she ventured in the catacombs, it is to find the “Sleeping warrior” who is according to a prophecy, the one who will defeat Dracula.

So Trevor ventures in the catacombs to find her, and he saves Sypha from the Cyclops, yay. While she’s grateful, she doesn’t think too highly of Trevor, and who could blame her, since at this point he won’t do anything about this situation. But with Sypha’s and the speakers help, who won’t abandon the city despite the fact that the mob lead by the Church is after them, he comes to realize that it is his duty as a Belmont to stop Dracula. 

After that they both end up in the catacombs again after trying to run from the mob and confronting Dracula’s minions in one of the best action scenes of the season. While they keep falling in the catacombs they end up encountering the “Sleeping warrior” who turns out to be a vampire, and none other than Alucard, Dracula’s son. Of course Trevor and him would come to fight since for the former it is likely Alucard is Dracula and is a vampire and thus can’t be trusted, and for the latter it is more of a test to see if Trevor is worthy.Trevor manages to kick Alucard’s sweet ass on more than one occasion thanks to his consecrated whip and weapon of choice, the Vampire Killer which is very effective against vampires. But Alucard manages to come on top thanks to his superior swordsmanship . In the end both of them stop fighting after Trevor managed to stab Alucard a few times, and Sypha threatens to burn Alucard’s precious little head if he tries to bite Trevor.

Either way they all agree to stop fighting, and Alucard announces that the other 2 passed the test, that is supposed to show if they’re worthy to be his companions and aid him in killing his own father Dracula....

So through 4 episodes, the length of the first season,  we get Trevor’s character arc, who starts as a reluctant hero but slowly comes around to realize that it is his mission to protect humans from people like Dracula. And characters like Sypha played a big role in it.Alucard comes along to gather all of them and aid them in defeating his own father. So in terms of characterization I have no complaint whatsoever, the showrunners really did flesh them out well. 

Another reason for me to like Trevor as a character is the fact that he’s voiced by Richard Armitage, who is a great actor (if you haven’t watched the Crucible go watch it now) and has an amazing voice...and I have a crush on him, but what’s new? I have a crush on 90% of Hollywood actors XD. In fact the original english dub (so weird to say that) has an amazing cast, even though I find it a bit odd that characters from Wallachia would have a British accent....But that’s how things are, and Sypha and the speakers have a Spanish accent, which I guess means they’re from Spain (Sypha Belnades) and are the equivalent of Romani people. Yeah I guess that makes sense.

So the story is very well written, they managed to also portray the characters in a realistic light. The voice acting is also great. But what about the actual animation? I’ll let you judge by yourself.

It is surprisingly good. In fact it’s better than fucking Berserk 2016/17. That one barely qualifies as animation. To me this series is a homage to 2D and during the very important scenes, mainly action scenes, it literally has some of the best animation I’ve seen in a while. The art style is also rather manga-ish and to me a bit reminiscent of Ayami Kojima’s style which is very feminine and graceful.

The action is top notch, and the Trevor vs Alucard fight really lived to the hype. It wasn’t as one sided as I thought it would be, since Alucard is supposed to be overpowered, and while he is portrayed as such with him being able to teleport thanks to the hidden ability of the Alucard sword, he still has the basic weakness of vampires to the Vampire Killer. Dracula is also overpowered since he’s able to appear in fire pretty much everywhere at will.And the action scenes are carried by the quality animation and choregraphy.

My only complaint is that the music is forgettable, it has none of the classic feel of the video game franchise. It uses a lot of synth tunes, which makes it really generic. The endings do feature a song that somewhat feels gothic, with all the choir singing, but it’s nowhere close to the quality of the music from the games. I personally pictured the music to be like the score from Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. It could be a mix of classic instruments and more synthetic sounds, but alas none of that here. So that’s my main gripe with it, and it is somewhat important since CV is known mainly for its music.

So overall really impressed with this series and I totally recommand watching it. . It’s short, only 4 episodes though which I guess is made on purpose.Perhaps Netflix wanted to test the waters first and see how this series does. But fear not my Crestfallen children, a second season has been greenlit that should come out in 2018 and it will feature double the amount of episodes. And I’m more than willing to wait till 2018 as long as they can keep the same quality of storytelling and animation. And maybe they can also improve on the music while they’re at it.Also I’d be interested in seeing them doing a third season, and maybe also feature the events of Curse of darkness, even though the characters are less memorable and iconic compared to the CV III trio (since Grant isn’t here apparently). And maybe even beyond.

I just don’t want it to end. XD