#would he still say critter in 2025

[deerspherestudios]

Hi! I first wanted to say how much I love the way you've written this visual novel so far. There are a lot of worldbuilding aspects that are subtle enough that they don't feel like they're talking down to the audience, while also being clear enough that it's hard to miss them (ex: color coding the difference between 'I' and 'you' when the mc is being influenced, the way the spores slowly affect the mc's reaction to it the longer they breathe it in feels very natural, etc). Sometimes in vns it feels like it's spelled out in a fashion that's a little too on-the-nose in my opinion, but I love the way you write! Also! I just wanted to stop by and let you know that for whatever reason my brain has decided Mychael has an American southern accent? Maybe it's the kind of working he uses (I think it might have been his usage of the word 'critters' that did it) or the outdoorsy livin' off the land vibe, but it was immediate and now he's just a lil southern gentleman that lives in my head absolutely rent-free and not to be dramatic but I would die for him

Aaa thank you so much!! I don't know why I've always liked writing things indirectly, maybe it's the part of me that's passionate about "show, don't tell" in storytelling. I try my best to convey that.

Also omg, I completely forgot I made him say 'critters' in Day 1,,, I really need to clean up the dialogues in the past Days as the game grows since Mychael's character continues to flesh out further haha! I think him having a little accent is cute!

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Big-ass Netflix animation news drop yesterday, ahead of Annecy and the release of ULTRAMAN RISING... Netflix is on a lot of shit-lists for a variety of things, including their careless race towards making more animated features but expecting them to be cranked out like it's a factory process or something... But I will say, the feature line-up they revealed yesterday sounds like banger-central. Too bad most of them likely won't see a physical media release, though.

WALLACE & GROMIT feature #2, VENGEANCE MOST FOWL... Coming later this year, featuring Feathers McGraw from THE WRONG TROUSERS... The hype is real.

The last half of 2024 will also be when Netflix debuts Skydance Animation's SPELLBOUND, that long-gestating fantasy picture from SHREK director Vicky Jenson with new Alan Menken-Glen Slater songs... I guess LUCK nuked whatever partnership Skydance, John Lasseter's current studio, had with Apple, although their new show WONDLA is debuting on that platform.

Skydance looks to follow up SPELLBOUND with TANGLED director Nathan Greno's POOKOO, another fantasy tale with otherworldy critters. Only a matter of time when we find out RAY GUNN, Brad Bird's retrofuturistic sci-fi noir whose development history dates aaaaall the way back to the mid-'90s, comes out.

Also curiously, prior to these announcements, Disney Animation director Don Hall (WINNIE THE POOH, BIG HERO 6, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, and STRANGE WORLD) has joined the ranks at Skydance. Another director who worked under Lasseter at either WDAS or Pixar, now working for him again. I'm guessing he didn't particularly enjoy directing his last two features at WDAS under Jennifer Lee's stewardship, thus - much like Nathan Greno and Rich Moore - went back to his old pervy boss. Skydance Animation undeniably has a lot of top talent there, and directors of past animation blockbusters, but it really just sucks that it's run by Lasseter. And apparently he's running it just like he did with Pixar and WDAS, just as toxic. He micromanages projects once more and buckles directors under his mandates, like Alessandro Carloni, who was supposed to direct LUCK... But these guys are his favorites, so I presume they'll do fine over there.

Next year sees the release of IN YOUR DREAMS, from directors Alex Woo and Erik Benson. Two total opposite brothers who go to dreamland and try to convince the Sandman to save their parents' failing marriage, sounds promising. We already knew about THE TWITS, and also THE IMAGINARY, which debuts in a few weeks. Three imaginary friends movies in one year, coincidentally the year FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS turns 20... I refuse to process that. I was so big on FOSTER'S back in the day, when I was 12 years old. Speaking of TV cartoons and adaptations of those, THE PLANKTON MOVIE is also on the boards for 2025, continuing the Netflix SpongeBob movie series running alongside the theatrical ones.

I'm also very happy to see that Sony Animation's wild-sounding K-POP: DEMON HUNTERS, from directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, is underway and will be debuting sometime next year. Sony Animation also revealed a new HOTEL, I mean... MOTEL TRANSYLVANIA series, and are still at work on the GHOSTBUSTERS animated series as well. Since this was all for Netflix-only projects, not a peep on the GHOSTBUSTERS animated movie that's also on the rails. I wish DEMON HUNTERS was heading to theaters, though, that's such a bonkers-looking film that would work great like that. Much like their MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES, but that got re-routed because of COVID, so I get that.

Curiously, no word on THE SHRINKING OF TREEHORN, a book adaptation from director Ron Howard. First thought to be a 2023 release, Netflix picked up the picture in 2022 and didn't set a date... Maybe it's gone the way of EMBER and other canned Netflix animated movies? Or a new date will be inked eventually? If it's aiming for 2026, then that'll explain the absence.

I'll keep my eyes on these as they get closer, but my top picks are VENGEANCE MOST FOWL and K-POP: DEMON HUNTERS.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

This is my post for tonight's movie presentation at the D23 Expo, which I'll edit/update as the news comes out, and after I formulate thoughts and whatnot... I have already seen some of the stuff for ELIO and ZOOTOPIA 2 revealed earlier today and yesterday, and will integrate my thoughts into this.

10:23PM EST (Approx): Looks like MOANA 2 will be the focus of their first announcement tonight. A real 180 from the 2022 D23, where they saved all the animation stuff for the last half hour and breeeezed through it.

10:30 PM EST: Trailer drop. Promises epic adventure, more pig, a very natural kind of villain, and worldbuilding/expansion of this South Pacific setting. I dig, I dig. Looks very movie-caliber to me. If it was never said that this began life as a D+ show, I don't think most would see a difference.

10:35 EST: The Rock is involved with another Disney movie, a live-action called MONSTER JAM. About... Monster trucks. Documentary or picture that isn't a remake? No release date given.

10:37 EST: 'Kay, we're jumping right into the AVATAR movies now. From water to monster trucks to water... I guess we'll be jumping around a bit tonight.

10:42 EST: AVATAR 3 is AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Not THE SEED BEARER, as previously rumored. Hitting all the elements.

10:44 EST: Alright, Pixar time, what's a-cookin'?

10:46 EST: Kicking off with DREAM PRODUCTIONS, the INSIDE OUT Disney+ series that had been previously talked about in interviews. TBD 2025. Takes place between the two movies, so a little bridging of the gap.

10:48 EST: FINALLY! A WIN OR LOSE release date! December 6th!

10:50 EST: Trailer for WIN OR LOSE. Looks like a lot of fun, love the different animation styles for each players' perspectives.

TOY STORY 5 is being directed by Andrew Stanton after all. Concept art shows Woody, Buzz, and the gang all together, in Bonnie's room. She's playing with a tablet. Apparently the story about toys dealing with... Electronics. Smartphones and computers and tablets... Is this a midquel?

A bunch of malfunctioning Buzzes... 50 of them... Is the antagonist. Kinda dipping into the unmade Circle 7 TOY STORY 3 well for ideas, is we?

10:54 EST: Pixar original 2026 is called HOPPERS, starring Bobby Moynihan as a beaver. Not a movie about a clone army of the A BUG'S LIFE villain. Logo gives secret agent/spy vibes. Critter comedy meets action?

It's about a girl who switches brains with a beaver, while her town's mayor (voiced by Jon Hamm) threatens to destroy the beaver home... Love this. Wacky-sounding and perfectly Pixar.

10:58 EST: Zoe Saldanha is starring in ELIO, as the titular kid's aunt. The story doesn't sound much different from what the mid-2023 teaser promised...

The little girl is HOPPERS is putting her brain in a ROBOT beaver, correction. This stuff comes at you so fast. No director named, but I'm thinking it's Daniel Chong?

11:01 EST: INCREDIBLES 3... Whoaaaaaa.

HOPPERS is Daniel Chong's Pixar movie. Makes sense... Bears, now beavers...

Per INCREDIBLES 3... "Brad Bird is developing it right now." Directing? Writing? Producing?

Pixar presentation OVER. INCREDIBLES 3, I guess, will bow in 2027 or 2028.

11:05 PM EST: ZOOTOPIA 2 time. Ke Huy Quan voices a snake named Gary in the film. Reptiles, sea creatures, and more are now in the city.

11:09 PM EST: FROZEN III, 2027. Not 2026. FROZEN IV confirmed. Disney's "Four Seasons" quadrilogy, it seems.

Jennifer Lee says an original comes from WDAS in 2026... Doesn't say what... yet?

11:12 PM EST: Not announced at D23. Adrian Molina was removed as director from ELIO, it was taken over by Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian... More on this shocking development later.

11:15 PM EST: They're onto stage stuff now, musicals, etc. No word on the WDAS original slated for 2026. Surprised, but also not surprised. The furthest Pixars tend to get announced before the furthest WDAS movie... Still very shocked about ELIO, though. First director removal of Pete Docter's era... He said in an interview that Molina is still at Pixar and had been moved to a "priority project"... ELIO must've really hit a wall, or something's afoot...

Stay tooned...