animation on Tyler Knows Nothing

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:23:04 -0700

Tubi greenlights Yokoso Scooby-Doo! anime series FTW… I hope: Matt Lillard (Shaggy) and Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo) will be voicing the iconic characters. Everyone gets the #anime treatment, except Scoob 🤣 You don’t mess with the king! #animation #tubi #CartoonNetwork

Mon, 18 May 2026 08:45:19 -0700

MUSH, a MASH-inspired #Filmation cartoon I managed to get three minutes into this before stopping. Insanely bad limited #animation. Constant use verbal tics. An opening that is nigh incomprehensible. Terrible gags. Even the laugh track seems unenthused. How long can you watch? #cartoons #TV

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:43:51 -0700

Netflix Is Staffing Up A ‘GenAI-Native Animation Studio’ Called INKubator:

Just no. Very all-the-NO. NOOO! Support human artists, not slop generators. #StopTheMadness #genAI #aislop

Wed, 13 May 2026 08:03:11 -0700

The greats of #animation. Studio #Ghibli. #Pixar before Disney bought them. #Disney before they sold themselves out. And #Laika. What sets Laika apart is their masterful artistry is practical stop motion. Wildwood comes later this year. I am giddy with anticipation. #movies youtu.be/POneS8h1j…

Fri, 08 May 2026 21:09:37 -0700

Animation is art. Period. Fight me. This thesis short from Zechen Wang from CalArts is an excellent example of what you get when someone cares about their art. #animation #calarts #shorts youtu.be/UpeepFGk-…

Sun, 03 May 2026 12:21:00 -0700

Something’s off about “Animal Farm”:

Angel Studios is run by Latter-Day Saints which is firmly Religious Right and their first big “hit” was the QANON favorite from 2023, “Sound of Freedom”. This “Animal Farm” adaptation bears little resemblance to Orwell’s classic book. #TheMoreYouKnow #movies

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:39:36 -0700

Watched: Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender 🍿 Utterly gorgeous. Packed with action set-pieces from beginning to end. The story is fascinating, but ultimately is both too rushed and leans too heavily on tropes. Ends up making it fan-service eye candy and little more. #movies #animation

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:35:03 -0700

Netflix Sets ‘Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory’ Animated Feature for 2027:

Oh, lord no. Why not just faithfully adapt the book into a series? Because some dipshit thinks they know better, of course. Shades of JJ Abrams much? #netflix #movies #animation

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:12:19 -0700

When Brad Bird directs an animated feature, it’s going to be special. It looks to be the case with Netflix’s Ray Gunn coming this year. Described by Bird as a blend of 40’s noir and Buck Rogers, the early stills from the film look freaking amazing! #movies #animation www.avclub.com/ray-gunn-…

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:55:14 -0700

Watched: GOAT 🍿 SONY #Animation nailed it with the visuals and the game sequences are easy to follow and very dynamic. Where the film falls flat is in story structure. The gags aren’t funny, either, but fortunately there are few. Just a basic sports plot, and that’s about it. #movies #reviews

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:46:29 -0700

Sylvain Chomet’s ‘A Magnificent Life’: Animation More Real Than Reality:

The Triplets of Belleville is one of favorite films. I’m looking forward to this. It premiers on limited screens tomorrow. #animation #movies

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:45:33 -0700

I’m super hyped for this new entry into the burgeoning #animation market. #Dreamworks new film, coming September 2026, is titled #ForgottenIsland, and it looks and #SimpleMinds amazing “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” is clearly pivotal to the story. #movies youtu.be/a8RHqN93q…

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:38:53 -0700

If you are a fan of #anime, then you’re likely familiar with #CowboyBebop and, by extension, one of the single most iconic themes in history, #TANK by The Seatbelts. Well, this is my new favorite version of all time and they are touring the US starting in #NYC in April. #jazz youtu.be/d75ov4HvR…

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 15:32:09 -0700

I won’t lie, I adore #LAIKA Studios to pieces. They share my top spot for best ever studio with #Ghibli. The craft is the heart and soul of both of these greats, and not just in #animation. I am extremely excited for the upcoming #Wildwood movie and love seeing their behind-the-scenes clips. youtu.be/nKV_Nc2bf…

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 08:28:46 -0700

This is a rather fascinating dive into the history of the ‘Itome’ or closed-eye #anime character that includes a brief sketch of the history of anime itself. In an aside, some peeps complain that it’s “AI slop”, but some people don’t want to face reveal, so there’s that. #animation youtu.be/2xrYxlimI…

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 23:08:06 -0700

This looks amazing, and they’ve gotten well past their Kickstarter goal. With a week to go, it’ll be interesting to see if they can get all of the stretch goals met. #SciFi #SCP #animation www.youtube.com/watch

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:13:01 -0700

I feel as if I’ll need to watch this a few times more to fully understand, but I think I get the subtext to a degree. #scifi #animation youtu.be/b62oBb16U…

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 09:43:35 -0700

I really like the idea behind Wheels & Roses, an #indie #animation about roller derby and magic. The pilot is short and a bit rough in places, but it has real promise and I think they just need resources to improve. Give them some love! www.youtube.com/watch

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 13:09:34 -0700

A rather amazing #short #animation from DUST and Guru Studio with an unwieldy title, “Strange Visitors Discover the Secrets of a Long-Dead Space Station”. Well worth the 10 minute run-time. #scifi #youtube

YouTube Video

Hottest Trash for Fall 2025 - Mother's Basement

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 16:16:03 -0700

As I (inexplicably) do every new season, the following is a list of all the shows Geoff recommends in the dumpster fire category. There’s a load of hot, new trash, so it should burn for some time.

Trashpettizers

Let’s Play
Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?
Hands Off: Sawaranaide Kotesashi-kun

Main Menu

A Wild Last Boss Appeared!
My Gift LVL 9999 Unlimited Gacha Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon I’m Out for REVENGE !!!!! †
A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai
Dad is a Hero, Mom is a Spirit, I’m a Reincarnator
May I Ask for One Final Thing? *
The Dark History of the Reincarnated Princess
With You, Our Love Will Make it Through
My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s
The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest
Dusk Beyond the End of the World *
Chitose is in the Ramune Bottle *
My Friend’s Little Sister Has It in for Me!

The Dessert Cart

Ninja vs. Gokudo

† AWARDS: Most Annoyingly Long Title for Anime, The President’s Prize for I’m Watching Not Reading a Book, Here, Mile High Power Fantasy Club - Anime Category, This is Getting Silly Trophy - Animation.

TKN’s trash picks

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:04:54 -0700

Oh my! This looks like an amazing game coming early next year for all platforms, including the OG #Nintendo #Switch. This in-house minidoc explains the basics. #videogames youtu.be/_BoP0f2tR…

The BEST Anime of Fall 2025 - Ones To Watch Master List | Mother's Basement

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 13:12:03 -0700

It’s that time again!? Wow! Got caught off guard and I’m a few days late. Also, tinnitus sucks, and that’s on top of my skeleton slowing falling apart. But hey, there’s animation to appreciate! Watch below and let’s dive in:

Geoff’s Choice

My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s (CR)
May I Ask for One Final Thing? (CR)
Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider (CR)
Yano-Kun’s Ordinary Life (CR)
A Star Brighter Than the Sun (Prime)
This Monster Wants to Eat Me (CR)
Digimon BeatBreak (CR)
Shabake (CR)
Ninja vs. Gokudo (Prime)
Wandance the Animation (Disney+)
With You, Our Love Will Make it Through (CR)
Sanda (Prime)
Dusk Beyond the End of the World (HiDive)

Bargain Bin

A Wild Last Call Boss Appeared! (CR)
Let’s Play (CR)
Pass the Monster Meat, Milady (CR)
SI-VIS: The Sound of Heroes (CR)
The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest (CR)
The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess (CR)
Chitose is in the Ramune Bottle (CR)
The Fated Magical Princess: Who Made Me a Princess (CR)
Plus Sized Misadventures in Love (CR)
Gnosia (CR)
A Mangaka’s Weirdly Wonderful Workplace (CR)
Touring After the Apocalypes (CR)

If it looks like everything is on Crunchyroll and wonder why I bother labeling them, you’re mostly right. Out of the 25 recommendations only four aren’t on CR. I bothered because it didn’t occur to me to consider that CR has sucked up most of it’s competition and what that might portend.

Oh well. Enjoy the list :)

YouTube Video

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 09:58:19 -0700

#SatoshiKon is one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. His medium just happened to be #animation. #PerfectBlue. #TokyoGodfathers. #Paprika. #ParanoiaAgent. And, of course, the topic for this video, #MillenniumActress. Pancreatic cancer took him at age 46. youtu.be/1R1rOH4ws…

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 08:33:27 -0700

If you’ve never heard of “Wakfu” and enjoy animated series, then you might want to watch this #YouTube video about the #French series. If you know #Wakfu, then you’ll be pleased to know a fifth season has been funded. #animation www.youtube.com/watch

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:51:29 -0700

Oh, this is right up my #animation alley. Very funny … and weird … and nigh incomprehensible … and awesome AF. #action #short www.youtube.com/watch

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 19:28:01 -0700

I see a lot going on here and I’m liking it a lot. As one might expect, a lot of references made to those things of the #90s they’re paying homage to with #BulletTime #animation #shorts #SDCC www.youtube.com/watch

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:07:45 -0700

Episode 3 of #MECHWEST is the best yet. Definitely subscribe and share to show your support and help them make more episodes. This kind of indie #animation work takes of lot of dedication. www.youtube.com/watch

Hottest Trash Anime Master List - Spring 2025

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:26:53 -0700

It’s that time again! Every three months, or “cour” as seems to be the preferred terminology, Geoff Thew puts out his guides for Best and Worst #anime of said season. This round is for the freshest trash for Spring 2025. Make sure to watch along… youtu.be/PCNT1xSW3…

Trashpettizers

Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman
The Shiunji Family Children
Can a Boy/Girl Friendship Survive
Classic Star Stars
Please Put Them On, Takamine-san
Yandere Dark Elf: She Chased Me All the Way From Another World

Fantasy & Isekai

The Beginning After the End
The Brilliant Healers New Life in Shadow
Unaware Atelier Master
The Too Perfect Saint Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom †
The Gorilla Gods Go-To Girl

The Hottestest Hot Trash

I’m the Evil Lord of a Galactic Empire

† Longest title award for the Spring 2025 Trashies.

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:13:56 -0700

Two legendary #scifi icons, each with their own legendary maneuver, face off against the other in an epic showdown. Who will prevail? We may never know. The top keeps spinning… #sttng #startrek #animation www.youtube.com/watch

The WORST Anime of ALL TIME - 10th Anniversary: The Complete List

Sat, 24 May 2025 14:04:20 -0700

Part of the payment I must make to Satan to save my soul from eternal damnation is to prepare a detailed listing of all anime that Geoff lists in his Mother’s Basement videos on YouTube. Just kidding. I do it because I love it and want to help peeps retain the font of knowledge that Geoff shares with us in his various videos. Today’s video is a comprehensive breakdown of the ten worst anime of all time. Yes, the worst of the worst or the animated equivalent of emotional torture.

NOTE: This is a list of anime series to AVOID. These shows are NOT like the Hottest Trash which you can watch because sometimes bad == good. So, please don’t watch these, unless you’re a sadist… or a masochist who wishes to inflict emotional pain on unsuspecting victims. Knowing, according to G.I. Joe, is half the battle. Be kind. Spare your mind.

Now for the list. I’m sorry:

Rent-A-Girlfriend or How to make your entire cast unlikeable
The Promised Neverland Season 2 which never happened and makes people really mad
Conception: How to make babies then use them to fight wars
Seven Deadly Sins … “Really, I blow away mountains for breakfast.” - a mountain. Oof.
My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog which is about… um, “animal husbandry” but borderline illegal?
The Happy Science Collection: Religious cults, brainwashing, & propaganda for children!
The Irresponsible Galaxy Tylor. I’ve never been more ashamed, and now consider it misspelled.
Hand Shakers or Motion Sickness: The Animation, now with more sexual perversion!

For the coup de gras Geoff combines the two worst into a Mega Worst, both of which just happen to be Crunchyroll Originals:

2 (and 1). Ex-Arm - All the Don’ts and None of the Do’s of Anime & Visual Storytelling 1 (and 2). Gibiate - Mind control agitprop films for insane people being held at CIA blacksites

Once again I feel the need to remind you of the psychological damage that you can incur from viewings of the above listed media. Please take this list as a warning and keep this guide handy when reviewing new series to add to your watchlist in order to avoid accidental damage to the psyches of you or those you care for.

For additional details, please refer to the original source: www.youtube.com/watch

Fri, 23 May 2025 16:00:56 -0700

I believe Spice Frontier is one of the more unique spins on #SciFi that I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen most of it! Combine the idea of food as a tool for diplomacy with exciting space exploration and you get this! Impressive work from all departments! #animation #pilot #TV youtu.be/SeAqnHywr…

Thu, 22 May 2025 20:47:18 -0700

I love Mobile Police #Patlabor, an #anime #mecha series unlike any other. It’s been around for a very long time and will be returning next year with Patlabor EZY. If you are new to Patlabor, check out STEVEM’s fantastic retrospective. #animation #TV #movies #scifi #mamoruoshii www.youtube.com/watch

Mon, 19 May 2025 07:46:17 -0700

For oldsters: Watch this video to confirm your admiration for these shows. For youths: Watch this video to find new shows that’ll blow your mind. Conclusion: Any list that includes Cowboy Bebop must be accurate. That is all. #scifi #tv #90s youtu.be/uT42ldiYM…

Fri, 16 May 2025 16:02:44 -0700

The Canadian #ProgRock band #Rush has been one of my favorite bands period. I also adore the art of #animation. In 1985 the two came together in an animated short broadcast on Canadian TV that year. Now you can watch it. It’s not great, but the music is. #music #scifi #TV www.youtube.com/watch

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 10:08:31 -0700

Winner of Film of the Year and the People’s Choice award for the 2024 Rookie Awards, “Student Accomplice” is the entry from a team of 30 from Brigham Young University’s School of #Animation. It’s easy to see why :) #TheRookies #BYU #Shorts www.youtube.com/watch

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:41:20 -0700

Wow. How odd. #StarTrek #scifi #STTNW #SpongebobSquarepants #TV #animation www.youtube.com/watch

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:48:39 -0700

I adore the Wachowskis 2008 cinematic masterpiece Speed Racer, but it’s taken almost two decades for most of the world to recognize its brilliance. Patrick (H) Willems latest video explains why. Also, just watch it, for the first time or again. #movies #speedracer #anime www.youtube.com/watch

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:07:06 -0700

If you’ve never seen #Floor796, prepare to be amazed. A single artist, in their free time, has been creating an enormous, tile-based animated #GIF filled with all manner of characters from all manner of media. They’ve just added a new tile today. #animation #art #creatives #ZeroAI floor796.com

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:15:37 -0700

I legit sat and stared at the screen for like ten minutes after watching the pilot. GLITCH, creators of The Amazing Digital Circus, has a new series called The Gaslight District and it’s amazing. You’ve never seen anything like this. #animation #pilot #TV #adultanimation www.youtube.com/watch

The BEST Anime of Spring 2025 - Ones To Watch

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:21:51 -0700

If you’ve gotten your fill of trash, Geoff has also posted his picks for the best new shows of the Spring cour of 2025 on his main channel, Mother’s Basement. This is a list of all the shows he mentions. Print it out and use it as a crib sheet to track what you’re interested in screening whilst you watch the episode. The main list follows, with additional lists for honorable mentions and the bargain bin. Enjoy all of your lost time!

The BEST Anime of Spring 2025 - Ones To Watch / Mother’s Basement

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
To Be Hero X
Anne Shirley
Yaiba: Samurai Legend
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman
Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray
Apocalypse Hotel
Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX (pronounced Gee-Kwaks)
Lazarus

Honorable Mentions

Kowloon Generic Romance
Witch Watch (cut from video)
Once Upon a Witch’s Death
A Ninja and Assassin Under One Roof
Sword of the Demon Hunter
Summer Pockets
Food For the Soul
mono
Zatsutabi: That’s Journey
Please Put Them On, Takamine-san
Moonrise

Bargain Bin

The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl (Gal?)
I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire
Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive
Dinner Table Detective
Muumuu the Extraterrestrial
Maebashi Witches
Teogonia

Hottest Trash Re:Heated Anime Master List - April 2025

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:08:07 -0700

Geoff posted a mashup of the hottest harem trash he’s covered in the lasts four years on his #YouTube channel, Basement Life (well, second channel, I guess). This is a list of all the shows he mentions. Print it out and use it as a crib sheet to track what you’re interested in screening whilst you watch the episode. Be prepared, however, as it’s two and a half hours long!

4 Years of Harem Trash - Hottest Trash Re:Heated / Basement Life

Osananajimi Ga Zettai Ni Makenai Love Comedy †
Seirei Gensouki Spirit Chronicles
Girlfriend, Girlfriend †
Mother of the Goddess' Dormitory
The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter
A Couple of Cuckoos †
The Rising of the Shield Hero: Season 2
Arifureta Shokugyou De Sekaisaikyou 2nd Season
The World’s Greatest Demon King Gets Reincarnated as a Typical Nobody
My Stepmom’s Daughter is My Ex
Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 2
Futoku No Guild
Beast Tamer
Love Flops †
The Eminence in Shadow
World’s End Harem
The Cafe Terrace and It’s Goddesses
Summoned to Another World For a Second Time
My One-Hit Kill Sister †
The Aristocrat’s Otherworldly Adventure: Serving Gods Who Go Too Far
Classroom for Heroes
Liar Liar (Liar Rail)
Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 3
Tenpuru: No One Can Live On Lonliness
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You †
The New Gate
Chillin' In Another World With Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
Konosuba - God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! Season 3 †
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability † ††
Plus-Sized Elf
Pseudo Harem
2.5 Dimensional Seduction †
Café Terrace and it’s Goddesses Season 2
Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feeling In Russian †
The Strongest Magician in The Demon King’s Army is a Human
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! †
No Longer Allowed in Another World †
Tying the Knot With an Amagami Sister †
Let This Grieving Soul Retire
Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four!
The Daily Life of a Middle-Aged Online Shopper in Another World
I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic
Promise of Wizard
Even Given the Worthless Appraiser Class I’m Actually the Strongest
I Left My A-Ranked Party to Help My Former Students Reach The Dungeon Depths
About That Time I Became Able To Eat Unlimited Numbers of Skill Fruits That Kill You
I’m Living with an Otaku NEET Kunoichi
Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You
Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to my Charms
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You (again?) †
I’m Getting Married to a Girl I Hate in my Class †
Grisaia Phantom Trigger †
Beheneko: The Elf Girls Cat is Secretly an S-ranked Monster †

† The shows I find most interesting, funny, well animated, titillating, or any combination of all four. They mostly match up with Geoff’s picks, as well. Fine, find trash, indeed.

†† Winner of the Longest Title in This List Award.

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 12:19:44 -0700

#ScienceSaru has teased a new TV adaptation of #MasamuneShirow’s legendary #GhostInTheShell slated for #2026. A close look at the teaser reveals that Aramaki, Kusanagi, Batou, and the Tachikomas are straight from the original #manga. #GITS #TV www.youtube.com/watch

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 20:08:31 -0700

Just to get a sense of how brilliant #BradBird is when it comes to #animation, check out this ancient pencil test from his post-CalArts days at #Disney. It’s formatted as a trailer for “The Spirit”, an adaptation of Will Eisner’s #comics. Watch. www.youtube.com/watch

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 20:00:11 -0700

#BradBird is back directing #animation with his original script “Ray Gunn” which is already in production. Animation will be handled by #Cinesite and #Skydance Animation Madrid and is a #scifi #noir about the last human detective. #movies www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-f…

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 16:49:35 -0700

I’m not sure the downside indicated is an actual downside. From all indications, the #LiveAction How To Train Your Dragon is fantastic, bucking the trend of such remakes. I just hope the flying scenes evoke the same emotions as the originals. #movies #animation #httyd www.slashfilm.com/1825943/h…

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:49:45 -0700

Good news, everyone! Okay, just #animation lovers, but it’s still great news! Warner Bros. CEO Zaslav vaulted Coyote VS. ACME for tax reasons, but it’s now being released by Ketchup, makers of The Day The Earth Blew Up. It’s official, but we don’t have a date yet. #movies www.slashfilm.com/1823161/c…

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 20:28:00 -0700

#Panasonic has commissioned the creation of an Original Video #Animation, commonly known as an #OVA. It’s not for marketing, per se, but a fairy tale promoting a belief in ourselves to perceive the world more positively. #OsakaKansaiExpo #2025 #LandOfNOMO www.youtube.com/watch

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 21:53:53 -0700

LA is my hometown. The #Capitalism segment of #Hollywood is dwarfed by the creatives who make the media we love. They should be paid and not replaced by #AI. Now watch Mikey’s video about the sign. #film #TV #animation #music www.youtube.com/watch

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 13:56:36 -0700

I love the #Animation work that comes out of #Gobelins, and this has to be one of my new faves! #anime #shortfilm #film #YouTube #art www.youtube.com/watch

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 13:13:45 -0700

I’m cautiously optimistic. #Disney has clearly learned lessons as the #LiveAction Lilo & Stitch trailer hits a lot of recognizable beats from the source, but they’ve also made a lot of changes. I fear too much, but we’ll see. #animation #movies www.youtube.com/watch

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 14:20:05 -0700

If you’ve ever watched Space Ghost Coast to Coast on #CartoonNetwork then you know George Lowe. He voiced Space Ghost and the show was a key element in the development of CN’s late night block, #AdultSwim. He passed away on March 2nd. #animation #TV #RIP www.yahoo.com/entertain…

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 14:06:30 -0700

I can’t agree with @kotaku.com about most on this list. #Disney #liveaction adaptations are mostly wretched & soulless, aside from #2 The Jungle Book and #1 Pete’s Dragon, both from 2016. Lilo & Stitch might get on my list, though. #film kotaku.com/disney-li…

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:04:07 -0700

Just came across an animatic for the pilot of “Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl” and I’m all in for it. The humor and trope flipping is sharp! #Indie #Animation has been growing strong over the past decade, and it’s glorious. @kianamai.bsky.social #YouTube www.youtube.com/watch

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 13:49:24 -0700

Just watched #AdultSwim’s new #AdultAnimation series Common Side Effects created by Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely. It’s a departure from the norm as it is a conspiracy thriller and not a comedy. The #animation is also quite excellent. Watch the pilot here. #TV www.youtube.com/watch

Hottest Trash Anime Master List - Winter 2025

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 20:20:51 -0700

Isekai Slop Buffet

Possibly The Greatest Alchemist of All Time
Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four!
The Daily Life of a Middle-Aged Online Shopper in Another World
Magic Maker: How to Make Magic in Another World
I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic
Promise of Wizard
The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World

I Can’t Believe it’s Not Isekai

Solo Leveling
Farmagia
Even Given the Worthless Appraiser Class, I’m Actually The Strongest
I Left My A-Rank Party To Help My Former Students Reach The Dungeon Depths
Bogus Skill Fruit Master: About That Time I Became Able to Eat Unlimited Numbers of Skill Fruits That Kill You
I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time

Regular Fantasy Garbage

ÜbelBlatt

Horny and Haremy

I’m Living With an Otaku NEET Kunoichi
Baban Baban Ban Vampire
I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons
Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You
Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms
The Hundred Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really Love You
I’m Getting Married to a Girl I Hate in My Class

Main Courses

Grisaia Phantom Trigger
Momentary Lily
Beheneko: The Elf Girl’s Cat is Secretly an S-Rank Monster

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 18:05:26 -0700

Well, it seems that #RoosterTeeth might be back! If you don’t recognize the name of the #animation studio, you might recall the years of #machinima Red Vs. Blue, a video game comedy series that used #Halo instead of traditional processes. #videogames www.polygon.com/news/5193…

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:27:16 -0700

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: If you use #Homebrew on #macOS don’t trust any ads promoting it. There’s a good chance that it’s actually #malware. I use it all the time, but since I block all ads, I’ve never seen this, but be careful! #apple #tech #infosec #scams appleinsider.com/articles/…

Things you can do instead of watching America being peacefully handed over to a criminal - Inauguration Special 2025

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 11:59:15 -0700

Don’t watch the news today since all they’ll be talking about is how great and normal it is to just hand an entire country over to a criminal in the name of a democracy that’s been utterly broken and shreaded. If that leaves you unsure of what to do instead, here are some suggestions:

Listen to some music. I’ve been sharing my album plays, and here’s a list of them that I refresh a few times a week. tavexocor.shop/nothing-m…
Go for a walk
Spend time with friends
Play a game like a board game, video games, or get into table-top role-playing games (TTRPG), or even just a few dozen rounds of poker
Read a book like Isaac Asimov’s Robot series, many of which are murder mysteries. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robo…
Nap in a patch of sunlight or next to a warming fire with your kids and/or pets
Bake something like biscuits or pie or some nice, big potatoes and stuff them with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives, or whatever you like
Help out at your local homeless shelter or donate some old clothes to families in need
If you can afford it, slap a few hundred bucks on a gift card, go to that store, and pay for everyone until it runs out
Stop and smell some roses
Watch a movie or three like The Wild Robot (2024 on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Prime and more)
Write something nice on a pad of paper about nice and/or hopeful for yourself or someone you like
Get out an old computer and install Linux Mint and engage in some joyful technological discovery. linuxmint.com
Go out on a thrift shop crawl in your local area and buy some old things to give them a new home

And if you must watch TV, then allow me to suggest one of the single most joyful and affirming shows ever made;l Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil. You will not regret it. Well, you’ll regret having trouble eating the food Phil eats, unless you live in one of the cities he’s covered.

Feel free to submit your own lists of things to do other than watch the news today. #animation #comics #manga #film #movies #linux #music #retrocomputing #humanrights #civilrights #scifi #tech #videogames #writing

BEST Anime of Winter 2025 - Ones to Watch (Mother's Basement on YouTube)

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:31:39 -0700

The following is the complete list of shows mentioned in Geoff’s latest Best of Anime seasonal videos. Watch the linked YouTube video for details on each anime series –> www.youtube.com/watch

Sakamoto Days (Netflix)
Medalist (Hulu, Disney+)
Ameku MD Doctor Detective (Crunchyroll)
OKITSURA: Fell in Love with an Okinawan Girl, but I Just Wish I Knew What She’s Saying (Crunchyroll)
I Have a Crush at Work (Crunchyroll)
Honey Lemon Soda (Crunchyroll)
The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World (Crunchyroll)
Flower and Asura (HiDive)
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated (HiDive)
Zenshu (Crunchyroll)

The Bargain Bin:

Tasokare Hotel (YouTube, Prime Video)
Sora-Iro Utility (HiDive)
I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time (Crunchyroll)
Welcome to Japan, Miss Elf (Crunchyroll)
Beheneko: The Elf Girl’s Pet Cat is Secretly an S-rank Monster (HiDive)
Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You (Crunchyroll)
Aquarion: Myth of Emotions (Crunchyroll)

#animation #anime #TV #Winter2025

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:49:35 -0700

HA! #CartoonNetwork’s #AdventureTime. I didn’t watch nearly enough, but our daughter loved the series and there were also #comics, but it ended back in 2018. The good news? It’s coming back and will start dropping new issues in April of this year. www.animationmagazine.net/2025/01/o…

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:44:22 -0700

In 2019 Gint Zilbalodis released his film “Away” which he animated and produced by himself. His new film “Flow” just won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, though this time he did have a small team, and beating heavyweights “Inside Out 2” and “The Wild Robot”. #animation #movies www.cartoonbrew.com/awards/go…

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 20:08:25 -0700

I’m quite sad that 2011’s #animated ‘The Adventures of #Tintin’ directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson & Kathleen Kennedy hasn’t gotten a sequel yet. It’s a great #movie and did well at the global box office. Now Tintin and Popeye will soon be entering the public domain. www.polygon.com/news/5022…

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:39:38 -0700

#HomestarRunner has been on #YouTube for years. I’m subscribed to their channel and watch when they put out new content. Nice to see Polygon finally noticing, though. If it’s been a while, you should revisit some old faves. #cartoons #comedy www.polygon.com/yuletide-…

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 09:23:06 -0700

Found this in my #YouTube recommendations this #Christmas morning :) The #Lancia #Delta #Integrale is my all-time favorite rally car and this is some stunning #animation in Unreal Engine 5 #UE5 #shorts #film www.youtube.com/watch

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:26:57 -0700

So, just watched all of Amazon’s Secret Level series and here’s my review: It’s not… great. At least with Love Death & Robots we got original stories. These are glossy, extended ads for #VideoGames or, in the case of Ep. 15, an ad for Sony. Don’t bother. Just rewatch LD&R on Netflix.

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:08:17 -0700

www.youtube.com/watch As reported on #Animation World Network, #Netflix has dropped a teaser for Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight, the third CG #film from Alain Chabat and the first to be localized for English audiences. I read Goscinny & Uderzo books as a child in the 70’s and have loved them ever since. Each successive film has looked better and better, and it’s clear they’re leaning more into the comic roots of the tales of one village of Gauls against the Roman Empire. #movies

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:03:34 -0700

Um… WOW!? Looney Tunes haven’t gotten a lot of love in… decades? Just take in the teaser for Ketchup Entertainment’s new #animation outing, The Day the Earth Blew Up starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. The teaser is utterly hilarious, and it’s traditional 2D animation and hits theaters February 28th, 2025. #cartoons #movies www.youtube.com/watch

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 22:55:34 -0700

www.polygon.com/animation… #animation #movies I’ve recently watched Away for the first time and was blown away. I nearly passed out when I found out it was made by one person. Now director Gints Zilbalodis' new film Flow is in theaters now and people appear to be loving it. If you haven’t seen Away yet, you can watch it now for free on Tubi, with ads of course. But you should buy the Blu-Ray or rent it, as it’s better without interruptions.

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 15:08:04 -0700

www.amazon.com/gp/video/… #animation #videogames Just watched the first eight episodes of Secret Level on Amazon Prime. Like Love, Death, & Robots, it’s gorgeous. Unlike LD&R it is mostly soulless. Only Dungeons & Dragons (Ep. 1) and Armored Core (Ep. 8) feel like a part of their game worlds. New World (Ep. 3) offers a good chuckle. PAC-MAN (Ep. 6) shouldn’t have been made. It’s not a bad waste of a little more than two hours, though.

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 17:59:03 -0700

I’ve watched the vast majority of the fifty nine films on this list of the best anime films of all time according to /Film. How about you? I won’t bother critically analyzing the list. It seems accurate enough. #animation #anime #movies www.slashfilm.com/1202644/t…

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 20:42:05 -0700

Stoner Cats is a hoot! This is clearly not getting anywhere near enough attention, probably because of the shady crypto NFT bullshit perpetrated by the producers. It’s now on YouTube, though, so no NFTs needed! If you love a good laugh and are into stoner humor, you need to watch this! And the cast is stacked to the gills! Jane Fonda! Chris Rock! Seth MacFarlane! And more! Crazy! So many exclamation points. #animation #humor #youtube #420 www.youtube.com/watch

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 23:41:08 -0700

Aw, hell yeah! Just came across this in my recommendations and I’m going to support Stan and the his dream of making Orbital Search & Rescue a thing! Incidentally, I’ve also started watching Pantheon, which he worked on, and it’s fantastic and dark. It’s streaming on Netflix now. He also worked on Venture Bros., which is a blast!

Give OSR a watch and tell me you don’t think it looks cool and I’ll be sad. #animation #scifi #firstresponders #respect #youtube www.youtube.com/watch

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:44:46 -0700

Well, well, well. The first “Special Teaser #Trailer” for Lupin the IIIrd: The Movie penned by mangaka Monkey Punch dropped a couple days ago and it’s stunning. And, if my eyes do not deceive me, all hand-drawn traditional #animation and directed by Takeshi Koike (REDLINE, great film). A fine, fine return to its original form that I look forward to taking in next year. #film #movies #LupinThe3rd #anime #2025 youtu.be/KopjWLIz5…

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 16:54:03 -0700

Despite being cancelled after the second season (apparently the bill for production has been upwards of $250 million and it shows) #Arcane on #Netflix is an absolute, unquestionable masterpiece of #storytelling, #animation, #television, and just plain ol' #artistic excellence, and all from a little know French animation studio called #Fortiche. Even if they got to finish it, you’d never want it to end, but I understand it wraps up rather well anyway.

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 10:52:12 -0700

Check out the pilot for The Art of Murder, a fully #animated #series concept from Choc Chip Studios, on #YouTube. Everything about the #animation is excellent (i.e., charatcter design, backgrounds, key framing, voice actors, soundtrack, etc.). However, pacing is a tad sluggish, there’s a little too much exposition, and I’m not overly keen on the musical numbers. I am impressed and will be following to support the artists. Nice work, peeps! youtu.be/wBaNOjORA…

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 23:03:11 -0700

Wow! I really hate it when a show I’m interested in gets cancelled. I’m actually rather glad that I haven’t watched it yet. I was going to wait until Season 2 was over and then binge the hell out of it, but now I’m considering not even starting! Apparently it was just stupid expensive to make. What a pain in the ass! #netflix #arcane #LeagueOfLegends #RiotGames #videogames #animation www.slashfilm.com/1706812/a…

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 20:09:52 -0700

I started watching Adult Swim’s new 2D animated series, Invincible Fight Girl, and I’m in love. Catch it on Toonami or Max and you’ll see what I mean! If you love #animation, you’ll get it right away. #CartoonNetwork #AdultSwim #Toonami www.awn.com/animation…

Watchmen Chapter I, a review

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 18:48:41 -0700

What can I say about Watchmen that hasn’t already been said… is what I would say if DC hadn’t just released the first part of an animated two part adaptation of what is considered one of the finest comic books of all time. But let’s talk about the comic book first.

Released as a 12-issue limited series in 1986 and rendered into a trade paperback combining all twelve issues in 1987, the creation of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colored by John Higgins, Watchmen was a critical and commercial success and has remained so since its release. It would win a Hugo Award in 1988 and be added to Time Magazine’s 100 All-Time Best Novels list.

For more details regarding the Watchmen comics, please refer to the Wikipedia entry.

Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation was something of a critical success, but in no way a commercial one. On a $150 million dollar budget it only pulled in $187 million at the box office, or in other words a commercial flop. A Director’s Cut would be released later in 2009, but that would only increase the film’s appreciation amongst critics and would not contribute to the studio’s bottom line in any significant way. A decade later, HBO would release Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen TV series which would, like the comics, receive wide critical praise and commercial success and currently has a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However the show would differ significantly from the comics taking place thirty four years after the events in the comic books and focusing on racist violence in modern-day Tulsa, Oklahoma, the location of the tragic Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.

DC’s struggle with feature films

DC is not known for making good live action adaptations of their comic book characters, aside from the Batman movies. I won’t go into details, but I’ll list a few: Steel, Catwoman, Constantine, Superman Returns, Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, Man of Steel, Suicide Squad, Justice League, Shazam!, Black Adam, The Flash, and Blue Beetle are most of their releases in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), and none of them performed well when compared to Marvel’s blockbuster run. There is, however, one medium in which DC has excelled and Marvel has not; animation. Their animated films, generally referred to as the DC Animated Universe, or DCAU, are produced by Warner Bros. Animation studio.

For a complete list of all DCAU animated films released, check the Wikipedia entry.

From 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm to the just released Watchmen Chapter I, DC has floated a literal armada of top-notch animated features. Sure, there have been duds like the unfortunate adaptation of the already unpopular comicbook, Batman: The Killing Joke, the 2nd and 3rd installments of the three part Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths film trilogy, and Superman/Batman: Apocalypse but there have been a lot more highly rated outings like Batman: Under the Red Hood, Justice League: Doom, the sublime Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Parts 1 & 2, and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. There are many, many more out of the near 60 films so don’t feel bad if I’m leaving off one of your favorites. I’ve already listed a lot of films, so let’s just move on to Watchmen Chapter I.

Editor’s Note: While DC has had an enormously successful run of animated features, the medium of animation in America has been relegated to the juvenile markets. There are pockets of successful adult animation, like Family Guy and other animated sit-coms and sci-fi like Scavengers Reign, but on the whole, animation isn’t taken seriously in the US.

The breakdown

Now, normally for a review of an animated film, television show, or short I would not go through the history that lead up to that property’s release, but Watchmen is different. Since it hit comic book shop shelves in 1986 and hasn’t been developed into a continuing franchise of any significance. I suspect a lot of our younger folk born since 2000 may not be as familiar with the comics as with older readers and an overview is helpful to understand the significance of Watchmen in relation to our history. So, let’s take a quick look at the spoiler-free Wikipedia synopsis:

Watchmen is set in an alternate reality that closely mirrors the contemporary world of the 1980s. The primary difference is the presence of superheroes. The point of divergence occurs in the year 1938. Their existence in this version of the United States is shown to have dramatically affected and altered the outcomes of real-world events such as the Vietnam War and the presidency of Richard Nixon. In keeping with the realism of the series, although the costumed crimefighters of Watchmen are commonly called “superheroes”, only one, named Doctor Manhattan, possesses any superhuman abilities. The war in Vietnam ends with an American victory in 1971 and Nixon is still president as of October 1985 upon the repeal of term limits and the Watergate scandal not coming to pass. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan occurs approximately six years later than in real life.

When the story begins, the existence of Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union, which has dramatically increased Cold War tensions. Eventually, by 1977, superheroes grow unpopular among the police and the public, leading them to be outlawed with the passage of the Keene Act. While many of the heroes retired, Doctor Manhattan and another superhero, known as The Comedian, operate as government-sanctioned agents. Another named Rorschach continues to operate outside the law. [SOURCE]

The fundamentals

The film lines up quite neatly with the comics. Chapter I covers the first five books of the twelve book series and the opening scene is almost a shot-for-shot, word-for-word adaptation of the opening pages. In fact, without having had the trade paperback in front of me while watching I could still tell that much of Alan Moore’s gritty dialog and story beats are translated almost directly from the comics to the screen with some streamlining by screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, World War Z, The Amazing Spider-Man). Watchmen is very character-driven, so a lot of time is spent with a focus on said characters. However, it is the comic’s more fleshed out dialog in which we get a larger sense of the world of Watchmen that appears to have been trimmed. A simple truth illustrating the differences between the comic and animation mediums is that what we do get in terms of texture and detail is often lost in the flow of the motion picture as we are unable to linger on panels and soak in the additional context that the comics allow.

Documenting all the little changes would take me a lot more time than I am willing to invest. Suffice it to say that the changes do not, as of yet, necessarily detract from the story and help to frame the necessary pacing for the motion-based medium versus the static page while maintaining the overall story arc of the first five issues.

Character design is, due mostly to the 3D CGI, smoother and slightly less textured than the meticulous art of Dave Gibbons (illustration and lettering) and John Higgins (colorist). The positives, however, are that there are no speech bubbles to obfuscate the visuals, the view is wider than in the comic panels, and we can see the body language of characters in motion. One early illustration of the differences is when Dan Dreiberg (Nite Owl II, voice acted by Matthew Rhys) comes home to find Rorschach (Walter Kovacs, voice acted by Titus Welliver) has broken into his front door and is eating cold beans straight from cans in his kitchen. Rorschach’s iconic pattern shifting mask is pulled up above his nose revealing the lower half of his face. In the comics, he clearly hasn’t shaved in days and has baked bean sauce on his chin where in the film he’s clean-shaven, as shown in the comparison below. This is a nitpick, but it’s indicative of some of the visual sanitization of the adaptation, likely for budget reasons and/or time constraints. For now, however, that remains speculation.

The comics are laid out by Gibbons in a perfect grid of three by three rectangular panels, only deviating to group into larger panels or , less often, divide them even further into smaller ones, but always maintaining the pureness of 90º angles. I find that this helps define the pacing of the comics, like driving with a steady beat to the ultimate climax of the tale. For the film, overall shot composition, set design, and world building are moderately strong, but is somewhat lacking in the ticking urgency in comparison to the source material. The Doomsday Clock plays a major role in the comics. The panel layout helps to subtly sell the slowly encroaching time, and I feel that is lost in this first chapter, though I can honestly say I don’t know how they’d fix that. The strategically placed shots of period newspapers, however, help to sell the stakes. If you can are able to see them in time.

There are many things to like about the animation. Color, lighting, and atmospherics are strong. The colors are vibrant and clean while still delivering that dark, foreboding, dismal feeling of experiencing a time on the edge. While the animation technique used is cel-shading it feels very mature, like many strides have been made in technique since 2004’s Appleseed, so it helps to deliver the appearance of the comics coming out of the pages. The one character that really jumped out at me, however, is Dr. Manhattan, and I think that this is mostly due to the fact that his radiation glow eliminates the need for cel-shading.

Character movement does suffer a bit from 3D figure rigging, but it’s clear they attempted to put a lot of care into trying to make characters look organic and their body language look natural. The end result, however, is that despite that effort, it’s not always successful. As has become common with Western 3D animation the characters are animated on the “twos”, which means they are moved every other frame, a technique from traditional animation due to the extreme cost of animation on the “ones”, or every frame. Unfortunately, there are a number of scenes where movement, such as walking, appears stiff. I am glad, however, that they didn’t go with motion capture.

The Ups

One of my favorite parts of Watchmen Chapter I is the flawless handling of the dismally depressing Tales of the Black Freighter that appears as a comic inside both the comic books and the film.
I also very much like the application of textures throughout which work very well with the lighting and color work.
The application of depth of field is also excellent which makes me suspect that a cinematographer was involved in production.
There are also some truly beautiful shots in the film.

The Downs

I’m not sure I’d call it an animation error, per se, but during Dr. Manhattan’s Mars monologue where he reflects on the accident that changed him, there is a scene where two characters meet and walk away and one of their shoes appears to pass through a rock. It just seems to me that they should have put the rock somewhere else, but it really stood out to me.
The 84 minute run-time does not work in the film’s favor, mostly because there is only one more part to be released. Unless Chapter II is significantly longer, they won’t be able to fully adapt all twelve issues of the comics.
Some of the ugly language from the comics is trimmed from the film. While I don’t like the words used, they aren’t applied gratuitously and have a sharp, cutting point that should have been maintained to illustrate the cultural and sociological undercurrents of division and fear that pervaded the US in the 80’s when the Cold War was intense and AIDS put people on edge.

Conclusions

Out of all of DC’s Warner Bros. Animation’s works Watchmen Chapter I sits near the top as one of the best, and not because it’s their first “R” rated film. It is clear that the production team took the adaptation seriously, though were likely saddled with some constraints as illustrated by the short run-time, that there will only be one more part to complete the adaptation, and that quite a lot of contextual dialog was removed in translation.

What I would really like to see from DC, however, is a real commitment to their animation works teams of writers and animators. I would see that as an increase in budgets for their animated features and to use their writers for their live-action films to increase the script quality well over their current efforts that have plodded onto the big screen.

TKN’s Nothing Score™

This is my first go at a rating system, so bear with me. I’m a nerd. I give Watchmen Chapter 1 three and a half Macs, mostly for story and accuracy and detract points for not going all the way with the animation. Being such an important work from the 1980’s, I believe it deserved a lot more attention and care.

An Open Letter to Blue Sky's Chris Wedge

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 17:48:16 -0700

" “> Hey look! It’s you!! Chris Wedge!!! Nice pic. Great movie.

Dear Chris,

I heard the news. I’m sorry I didn’t write sooner. Things have been a tad crazy of late, what with the pandemic and gun violence and political division and illegal wars and whatnot. I started writing this before the war and Uvalde, but I felt it was important to acknowledge these facts of life and death we are facing before I launch into this escapist fever dream. Anyway…

Disney can be quite the pain in the ass these days, what with all the acquisitions and late-stage Capitalism and all. I recently read the Paste piece, An Oral History of Scrat Tales: The Death and Legacy of Blue Sky Studios, and I feel for you and your peeps. For the record, I don’t think it was a mistake to be hopeful that Disney would act to protect contemporaries of the modern animation industry. You know, because Disney is one of the most prolific animation studios ever.

Such presence gives you the impression that they might commiserate. In retrospect, they did end up protecting a legacy, namely their own … by engaging in predatory catch-and-kill just to shut you down and absorb your valuable intellectual property and talent. But hey! Live and learn, right? We just have to process and integrate the setbacks and and keep pushing forward while keeping a sharp eye on our past, as it informs us of potential futures and how to avoid them. (If that’s what “we” want, that is.)

And there’s nothing Disney can do to erase Blue Sky’s legacy as one of the few smaller studios that could offer the big players a challenge at the box office, to be sure alongside Chris Meledandri’s Illumination. Thirty-five years, thirteen theatrical films, more than $5 billion in revenues, and two Oscar nominations, Blue Sky was no joke. Dude! You yourself won a freaking Oscar for Bunny back in 1998 only to release Ice Age two years later. And I don’t care what anyone says, but 2005’s Robots is a just a masterpiece. One of the truly underrated greats, in the same vein as The Road to El Dorado, The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel’s best role by far), or Disney’s own The Emperor’s New Groove, to name a few.

You, sir, are a force in the world of animation.

But, here we are. It’s 2022 and it has become clear that being a force for anything offers no friction to Disney’s ambitions. If they want to take on or end something, they can simply buy it. It’s like Disney went to the park with its ball, had a great time with everyone else while doing their damnedest to ignore you, and when he took his ball to go home, took your tricycle for good measure. And it’s not like the pandemic has been ‘helpful.’ I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest to learn that aspects of Disney’s decision to close Blue Sky was to let them shunt more cash into their cash strapped amusement park division and fretting over content for their then upcoming Disney+ streaming service.

Looks like someone needs a new tricycle…

So, this is a pitch… of sorts. But it’s not a pitch for me. I’m simply offering the concept. I have no skills aside from stringing some vaguely comprehensible words together in sequence, but I do have an imagination. No, it’s a pitch for you.

Animate books.

Now, I’m not talking about the atrocious adaptations (not ADAPTIONS, people! A-dap-TAY-shuns, for cryin’ out loud) that plague our cinematic past, or even the really good ones, for that matter. Regardless of the quality, or lack thereof, these adaptations necessarily strip out loads of context, interactions and impressions, additional plot lines, and almost everything else to focus on the core story because, you know… two hours.

So, as insane as it sounds, what if you don’t do that. Instead, adapt the book as closely to the written work as possible. Take the dialog wholesale. Design the scenes to appear as described in the pages. In other words, use the book as the script, stage direction and all. Make each page fly out of the book and into a tangible world where the rules make sense because you know the story in static form.

A few more suggestions:

Don’t change anything unless you have to for technical reasons. If the book is worthy to adapt, why would you change anything that wasn’t already constrained by the animation process, and we both know that animation offers no constraints. Period. We can do anything in animation.
Don’t modify the plot, motivation or conflict so “modern” audiences can “relate” to it better. Again, if we love the tale, what benefit comes from modifying a major part of what made it resonate?
Any character description should be taken as canon, everything else is fair game. If the author doesn’t mention any particular aspect or aspects of a character, you can flesh them out how you like, but if something is clearly stated, it needs to be there. Taking a text description into a fully-realized visual world means a lot will need to be filled in. The book, after all, is for the theater of the mind, so some expanded development is almost assuredly required for most any book.
Don’t feel stuck making a film. In fact, DON’T make a film. Make a series, and make it as long as it needs to be to fit everything from the book in. Some books will lend themselves well to adapting a chapter to an episode rather neatly, while others might need more creative solutions. Trust the viewers to watch as little or as much as they prefer, much like reading a book!
Hire the best voice actors for the cast, not just the “best” celebrity stand-ins. Name one time someone told you that the only reason they went to see a film was because actor X, Y, or Z was in the cast and no other reason. The draw is the tale itself, not whatever A-lister is attached to it. Sure, it’s a force multiplier, but this shouldn’t be about massive, unlimited profits, but the artfulness of the work and how it reflects on our human existence or shows us parts of ourselves that might help us better understand us as living, thinking creatures drifting through space and time just hoping the ride is mostly nice along the way. I don’t doubt, however, that money will be made.

If I, as a complete nobody that brings nothing to the fore, were to opine on a first step, I’d say take it slow. I’d shoot for a few test scenes from a book of your choice. If I were to choose, I’d start with Isaac Asimov, preferably Caves of Steel, the first in his Robot series.

The description of Isaac Asimov’s “The Caves of Steel” taken from GoodReads.com — “A millennium into the future two advancements have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together. Like most people left behind on an over-populated Earth, New York City police detective Elijah Baley had little love for either the arrogant Spacers or their robotic companions. But when a prominent Spacer is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Baley is ordered to the Outer Worlds to help track down the killer. The relationship between [Lije] and his Spacer superiors, who distrusted all Earthmen, was strained from the start. Then he learned that they had assigned him a partner: R. Daneel Olivaw. Worst of all was that the “R” stood for robot — and his positronic partner was made in the image and likeness of the murder victim!” The novel is one of Asimov’s many “proofs” that science fiction can be applied to any genre, not just its own, not that Asimov needed to prove anything to anyone :)

Simply put, and apologies for being a tad brutal here, but nobody has given the idea of a 1:1 adaptation through the artistry and flexibility of animation a go before, and it’s not like you’ve got much else going on… I mean you’re exec’ing on some Puyo Puyo movie and some “Popeye” thing. That can hardly be taxing.

I kid… a little.

With the right property, the correct treatment, with solid massaging by a quality team that groks the rules, I think you’d have one killer app on your hands, and significant demand for more. But like I said before getting excited again, take it even slower.

Whip the first few chapters of Caves of Steel into storyboard form. Try blocking out some solutions for inner monologues and other “unfilmables”. Cobble out a few scenes, see how they work around the dialog. How much runtime can you get out of a chapter?

Of course, for a storied legend in your field, this would be a cake walk.

Sincerely,

Tyler Knows Nothing

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania | Film Review

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 18:10:58 -0700

" “>

Despite the growing recognition in the West that animation is not a medium made expressly for children, there is an expansive industry that revolves around productions that aim specifically for that audience. Ahem… Disney? Heard of ‘em? There are a number of outfits that play in that space these days. Warner, Illumination, Pixar, DreamWorks, Universal, and Sony Pictures Animation, in no particular order, are a smattering. Each studio has their own “voice” but Sony’s Hotel Transylvania franchise is a series of films that speaks in its own voice, and that voice is Genndy Tartakovsky.

And yet, Tartakovsky’s participation in the fourth entry in the tetralogy is limited to writing the story, co-penning the script, and acting as an executive producer. Instead, the helm was handed off to co-directors Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska, who are both first timers in the director’s chair (that’s a big chair.) Tartakovsky wasn’t the only one to decline participation in this latest, and reportedly final, installment, either. Most notably, Adam Sandler was replaced by Brian Hull as the voice of Count Dracula and Kevin James’ Frankenstein was replaced by Brad Abrell. Trust me when I say that you won’t miss them. The replacements are almost exact matches, indicating that star power just isn’t necessary to support feature-length animation. All it does it foster bloated production costs.

Sony describes Hotel Transylvania: Transformania as follows:

When Van Helsing’s mysterious invention, the “Monsterfication Ray”, goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster. In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it’s too late, and before they drive each other crazy. With help from Mavis and the hilariously human Drac Pack, the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent. [SOURCE: IMDB.com]

At its core, Hotel Transylvaniais both an homage to classic luminaries of the Golden Age of animated shorts like Wily Coyote, Tom & Jerry, Popeye the Sailorman, and even more contemporary adherents to classic animated hijinks like Roger Rabbit and Ed, Edd, & Eddy (a meta turducken, if you will) and entirely its own thing, something like Rush is to rock music or Ben Folds Five is to alternative.

Nuts & Bolts

As the fourth entry, HT4 is a solid evolution of the defined art style, but it doesn’t stray from the franchises established parameters. This is no Spider-Verse and yet the color palette is rich and bright, lighting and luminance effects are excellent, and the correct application of bokeh and the lens effects bring believable depth to most scenes. It’s clear, that Sony has been working hard to refine their process. That said, some of the textures don’t look great (the rock slide in the opening musical number looks like crap) which is a big oversight on such a high-visibility production.

Character designs, on the other hand, are peak franchise, hewing closely to the immutable nature of classic cartoon character design that said characters are iconic and must remain recognizable. They only change in service of a gag and always return to their pristine base form when the gag is complete. This is the same basic rule that defines all character designs from all cartoon where these icons always wear the same clothes, et al. Imagine Fred Flintstone wearing actual pants or Jessica Rabbit wearing something other than her signature red, sequined dress… oh. Well, not that, but you get the idea. Thanks, Disney Whitewashing Division…

The story telling is solid, if a bit on the basic side, something I’d expect of Illumination’s work. It’s not bad, but it’s also not sophisticated. The comedy revolves almost entirely around the physical gags which, in turn, defines the entire film. In a film that is more a buddy adventure flick, ala the far superior Emperor’s New Groove, then another entry in the HT canon it works to a degree, but not entirely. There’s little to no meta humor that pleases both adults and kids alike, depending on your depth of knowledge. It comes down to the gag, and that gag is always a physical comedy bit. The approach takes away from the core conceit; two people coming to terms with each other by walking in each others shoes.

Unexpected hair loss syndrome…

If anything jumps out at me it’s that the film feels claustrophobic. We start in Drac’s house, then the hotel, the plane, the provincial town, the bus, the jungle, and the cave, then back to the hotel. While the story is about Johnny and Drac and their journey towards acceptance of their differences, and spending time in each others shoes, it pulls back from the more expansive world-building as exemplified in the Tartakovsky-helmed entries. Since each scene needs to serve the setup for the next visual gag, any potential avenues for additional, foundational scope and scale is ditched in favor of setting up for the next gag.

And that’s where it lies; at the intersection of storytelling and spectacle, with the visuals winning over the written by a long shot. It’s not a terrible movie, to be sure, but you won’t derive much but the most deconstructed joy, the kind that makes a little kid roll around in the dirt with the giggles but generally doesn’t survive the transition to higher modes of cognition that come with age.

It should be a hit for years to come as a go-to for quiet toddler mommy hours worldwide.

Anime and video games don't make people psychotic

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 11:41:01 -0700

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Western societal ideals have always been broken when it comes to animated content. First, there is the core element that states when you are no longer a child you leave childish things behind and grow up. Adults aren't supposed to like the same things when they were children. Kids drink juice boxes. Adults drink coffee. Kids watch cartoons. Adults watch TV dramas. It's not okay to retain your childhood because that means you aren't responsible. This infects the entire scope of western animation production because it is a core principle that we perpetuate. If you liked Toy Story when you were a kid, it's only valid to look back on it with nostalgia as an adult or share it with your kids. Watching it alone, however, is deviant. Cartoons, after all, are for kids.

Adult animation is an alien concept to much of Western Society.

Of course, that all ignores the reality that is the human animal. First, and most critical, we are not static samples of a human being. We shift and change and grow, but a lot gets locked in by 30. That's not to say we don't add new likes and dislikes, but the range of categories/genre/ideas we accept are generally solidified. As an example, I'm turning 50 on the 14th. I play video games and watch loads of animated content. I've been doing those things since I was a kid and nobody told me to stop doing that and grow up. Do I play the same games and watch the same things I did when I was 10? Of course not. My tastes in animation have grown to seek out the beauty of traditional animation and more complex storytelling.

Now, watch this...

If you can't tell, Doki Doki Literature Club, or DDLC, is a dating sim style game. This is a common form of game in Japanese society, where 13 is the age you are considered old enough to take on real responsibilities by yourself. This idea pervades Japanese media and storytelling, where young protagonists feature everywhere.

But, I digress...

DDLC is a dating sim where you play as a character and interact with other characters. Yet, DDLC is also not like other dating sims because it subverts that genre by introducing psychological horror. The makers of the game clearly state that this is what they are doing and aren't trying to fool anyone. The concept behind the game is the experience, not a Sixth Sense grade twist. When I started playing it, I was already filled with a sense of dread because I was caught up in looking for signs that my mind was getting screwed with. That's one hell of a trick to play on a gamer, and it's effective.

But it is also not a game for kids, and the definition of kid in Japan is 12 and under, so the makers of the game clearly state that this game is for people 13 years of age and older. Period.

That's because the adults are expected to actually parent their children, teach them right from wrong, teach them real from fantasy, teach them how to learn, and foster their growth as individuals. Not only that, but 13 makes a great delineation for adulthood because that's when puberty happens and we become physiological adults, too. Around 13 is when everything changes, and there's nothing stopping it, so many societies say "why bother" and prepare their kids for the inevitable adulthood that comes whether they like it or not.

We look at it differently. Because of our puritanical roots, we don't like what puberty brings, so we construct arbitrary boundaries for adulthood, like the age of 18. It's no surprise that most developed societies apply age limits to a range of things like driving and smoking and drinking and buying guns, but these are things we use and do, they aren't what adulthood is all about. We don't turn 21 to drink beer legally. We turn 21 because that's going to happen no matter what, and having 15 year olds running around drunk driving and smoking while shooting guns out the window seems like a terrible idea.

But applying that arbitrary delimiter to a biological eventuality is just crazy. It only make sense to plan in advance for said eventuality. Treating puberty as if it can be delayed simply adds several layers of complexity to the process of growing up, and that brings the potential for divergence from a neurologically stable place. This is, I propose, one of the key reasons why so many kids get in trouble for fooling around, getting caught drinking illegally, delve into drug use, and many other things westerners see as the problems they are trying to solve with the aforementioned limits.

You go through puberty at 13, but you can't do anything with it until your 18. That should go well.

But, I digress.... again...

The point I am trying to make is two-fold:

There are lots of reasons for anything and no single thing can ever fix another without causing issues elsewhere.
Video games don't make kids psychotic. Chance does.

You can't blame video games for your kid committing suicide just as the world can't directly blame the parents of the suicidal kid for following through. It is, however, important to note that these two factors are not on the same scale. The video game is a static, external object. The parents, on the other hand, interact with their child daily (I would hope) and their choices go much further in influencing their child's choices and actions, but they didn't murder their child. At the very least, they could be held responsible for not noticing the signs of depression that lead to suicide attempts.

We don't know the recipe of life that leads to suicide in kids, but we do know some of them. Bullying, sexual/physical/verbal/psychological abuse, neglect and abandonment are all serious issues young people face, and how they deal with them depends almost entirely on the foundational development they receive from their parent/parents, friends and family, and other caregivers/educators. If there are too many holes in a kids support net, there is more and more room for bad ideas to pervade.

But even those numerous elements aren't the root/root/root cause. What it really comes down to is the fault of nobody; genetics and environment. Abuse is, without minimizing it, just the operational component. There must also be a structural component upon which the operational crap builds on. It's the same random chance generator that life is that produces kids with Autism or Down's Syndrome or Bipolarity or developmental issues. Psychoses are not, as a rule, created out of whole cloth by a few random interactions. They come from a complex, interwoven, impossibly entangled set of physiological and psychological factors that we just don't understand.

If we all just mimicked what we see in video games, we'd all be dead and the Earth would be a smoking husk. So, clearly, it isn't the fault of video games, and cute stuff isn't specifically marketed to kids, just as vaping juice that tastes like breakfast cereal isn't designed to attract kids. We like the things we like, and some of those things are the same things we liked when we were 9. It's not rocket science. Do you still pick your nose? Did you stop automatically when you turned 18? I do, at least until I found out that I wasn't taking care of my nose properly, and ever since I started using a Neti pot, I don't have to pick any more because I don't produce boogers any more.

Yes, it's gross, but it illustrates my point rather tidily.

So, some of the takeaways:

Animation isn't an art form strictly limited to juvenile fare. It's just a visual storytelling medium.
Video games do not create people. People make people. Therefore, video games do not create psychoses.
Leaving bullying and all forms of abuse uncorrected creates an enormous hole into which people can fall.
A strong support net that educates kids without coddling them is critical to the development of a well-rounded person.
We don't learn by being shielded from everything.
Biology cannot be stopped.
The cause of a behavior is almost never the most obvious thing.
Society can change to make things better, but we must be willing to make those changes, no matter how hard.
I'm a huge nerd.

So, that's that. Thanks for reading.

America's Ghost in the Shell really sucks

Fri, 28 Apr 2017 12:21:40 -0700

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So, I'm watching Ghost in the Shell and the only thing I can think of is, "these gringos don't get Japanese story tells." Not that such a thing stops white people from stealing non-white media and remaking it in their forced, anemic, pasty white image. It's clear that they cribbed mostly from the original film and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (an anime series) to create a franken-movie, not bothering to understand that the film and the series are two different tales which just happen to use many of the same characters. Just to be clear, GITS: SAC is one of the best anime series ever made. It's the only anime series that ever made me weepy over a robot. A ROBOT. GITS, the feature film, is considered one of the best examples of the art of animation, up there with Akira, Wings of Honneamise, and most of Miyazaki-sans works. The new American GITS would be awesome as an episode of the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 series on Netflix.
As for the whitewashing, it's just plain stupid. Everybody is hating on it, and Hollywood isn't listening. Dumb. You idiots are already losing tons of money because people don't want to spend $50 to watch TV in a big room for a few hours. There's TV at home, and it has better stuff playing. Whitewashing is also racist and puerile. We've got enough hate going around without having it shoved in our faces by what's supposed to be entertainment.

If the racism wasn't enough, there's the shitty, moody pacing and the constant, nagging remedial reminders that "Major" isn't really human and that's what the story is supposed to be about. So, GITS 101... What makes a human human? Can a thing be human if it contains the mere consciousness of a being, or is that just a clever copy that only seems alive? Ultimately, it questions the soul and where it resides, if at all. This is a subtlety that American filmmakers just can't seem to grasp.

See, there's this thing in Japanese storytelling, and even I don't fully grok it but I believe I'm well ahead of the curve for Westerners, that focuses on the experiential aspects of a tale. For example, in Mamoru Oshii's 1995 theatrical version, there are extended scenes which feature nothing but Kenji Kawai's haunting vocal track and scenes of New Port City in Japan. Not a single aspect of this sequence adds anything to the story, considered criminal in Western film-making, but adds both a layer of familiarity and presence to the teeming locale and injects a deeply emotional tone through the score.

Japanese storytelling often features the seasons with special attention to Cherry blossoms in Spring, the beach in Summer, festivals and fireworks in Fall, and Christmas in Winter. My intuition tells me that this is derived from the strong sense of tradition in Japan as native Japanese people culturally seek out the beauty and significance of life, the world, nature, and even human works. These are the bits and bobs that get left out or wholly misunderstood when translating Japanese media into American fare.

And that's all I have to say on that.

How Pixar killed traditional animation

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:56:38 -0700

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It's hard not to think of Pixar and, by extension Apple, as amazing American institutions built by the astonishing, guiding hand of the late Steve Jobs. Pixar, after all, has churned out a steady stream of box office smashes, with the occasional stumble. Yet, at the same time, Pixar has become a cancer that has infected the Western World's lauded history of traditional, hand-drawn animation like an invasive species. We are paying a very steep price for Pixar's success today, and for the foreseeable future.

There is no question that Steve Jobs was a visionary and reshaped our expectations of computers and technology. He and friend Wozniak almost single-handedly created the personal computer market in the mid-70's. However, by 1985 he was ousted from his own company because he didn't fit the standard corporate mold. Steve didn't rest, however. He created NeXT Computers and later, Pixar. Pixar had a megahit with Toy Story in 1995 and Jobs sold NeXT to Apple in 1997. In that same year, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as Interim CEO.

While Jobs was reshaping what we understand as personal technology, Pixar was hard at work creating a new kind of animation using 3D rendering technology it had invented. That, however, is where the two diverge. As Apple created an environment where other manufacturers would start to compete with Apple, Pixar was starting to carve out a niche that would eventually become the entire market, forcing all comers to migrate to 3D or fall behind.

It's hard to ignore a studio whose every release rakes in hundreds of millions worldwide, time after time, almost without fail. Even the films considered relative failures by critics made tons of money for Pixar and distributor, Disney. Spielberg, Katz, and Geffen's DreamWorks SKG was the first real studio practically formed to take Pixar head-on, and eventually it zeroed in on a number of critical hits, namely the popular Shrek franchise. Others would start to make their marks, as well, like Sony Animation, Blue Sky, and Universal. Even Disney started making 3D features in-house.

1995 saw the theatrical release of six traditionally animated films and Toy Story, the first feature length 3D animated film. Toy Story went head-to-head with Disney's Pocahontas and A Goofy Movie and Amblin's Balto. By 2012 Pixar pitted the Celtic-themed Brave against seven CG-based and three stop motion films.*

2011's Winnie The Pooh from Disney, was the last significant traditionally animated feature to be released in the US.

2015 saw the release of Nickelodeon's The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water which featured traditional, CG, and live-action sequences, so can't be counted as a traditional film. Feel free to poke around the lists yourself, though it's quite depressing. In fact, Japan is the only major media producer that predominantly uses traditional animation, though it is commonly blended with cost-saving CG backgrounds and other non-character elements. Most Japanese feature-film releases are also traditionally animated, and Japan's most applauded animation director, Hayao Miyazaki, only rarely applies the use of CG animation, and never to anything important.

So, the result has been the almost complete dissolution of Western traditional animation studios. Period. It's not really a matter of the efficiency of output, after all, Japan produces a literal fuckton of animation over four seasons each and every year. It seems like it's come down to mere one-upmanship, and that sucks for animators or anyone who wants to go into animation.

Traditional animation is an art form. It is based purely in art as a creative, visual outlet that springs from human hands and is viewed by human eyes. While 3D animation can, and often is, beautiful, it is far less organic in variance, creative and/or cultural diversity, and frequently devoid of emotional impact. That last bit is critical. Sure, a story can be strong, and when edited together well, with good voice acting, and a compelling soundtrack, a CG film can be emotionally engaging. They simply lack the additional tonal quality of analog.

Like vinyl records.

* NOTE: All films noted or referenced were released primarily in the US market.

Disney, Stop Ruining Animated Classics

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 17:43:22 -0700

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So, I watched Beauty & The Beast (2017) last night. Wow. Just SUPER wow, and not for the reasons you might think. It's a dud. A flop. I hate it. The entire opening musical sequence, so full of life and deeply engaging in the animated feature, is dead, limp, and lifeless. Everything after that is a disjointed, misshapen mutation of the brilliant, reinvigorating, emotional feature-length animated version from 1991.

Disney had a hit in 1977 with The Rescuers, but were having trouble with 1981's The Fox & The Hound, 1985's The Black Cauldron, and 1986's The Great Mouse Detective. They struck gold in 1989 with The Little Mermaid and 1991's Beauty & The Beast would be the first two steps in a long string of successes (barring 1995's Pocahontas, but that's just me). Had they not buggered about with their long history of storytelling, we might not have ended up with a 2017 version.

My recommendation to Disney? Stop it. Do NOT remake one of the most beloved animated films of all time, The Lion King. Stop all plans for other remakes. People don't want Live Action. They want new stories, not rehashed versions of old stories. If they hadn't remade Beauty & The Beast, then they wouldn't have invited discussions of misogyny and rape culture. It would have remained one of Disney's greatest films. Now it's just poop.

Hollywood is having a hard time making ends meet, with fewer people going to theaters to see films. It doesn't help that It costs nearly $50 for a family of four to see one movie and that TV series from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO, and others are far more engaging and far more affordable. It's also not helpful that most movies that come out of Hollywood these days are designed for the Chinese boxoffice. After all, the money goes where the money is, and America, you just ain't it anymore.

The bigger problem, aside from the economy and jobs not being where Washington would like us to think it is (sorta non-sequitur and kinda not), that, and I know you're not expecting this, Pixar ruined everything. In 1995, Pixar dropped a bomb on the animated film industry with Toy Story,and have since made precious few missteps until being acquired by Disney in 2006.

More insidious, however, is that Pixar did for Hollywood what Apple had done for technology, changed the two industries forever. There's no question that Steve Jobs was an amazing person, and he did usher in a wide range of technological advances via Apple, but the same can't be said for animation. The sad truth is that Pixar killed traditional, hand-drawn animation as an American art form.

I don't mean to suggest that 3D animation isn't a form of art. Indeed, it can be beautiful as Pixar, Blue Sky, Dreamworks, and others have shown, but it is not the evolution of animation. We've seen too many times complaints like those about the characters from Frozen looking exactly like the characters from Tangled, probably because they do. Traditional, hand-drawn animation allows for any number of styles.

Mulan features stylized Chinese art forms. Lilo & Stitch featured Chris Sander's unique character design and beautiful watercolor backgrounds instead of the traditional gouache. The Emperor's New Groove featured character designs based on South American art styles. Hercules drew from Roman forms of art and architecture for it's look. It's hard to say where any 3D animated film draws its inspiration from.

So, that's pretty much it. America needs to get back to its roots and stop trying to make shortcuts to everything. We need to stop killing art and demonizing the artistic. Disney needs to get back to creating amazing, hand-drawn animation and soon, or it will become the company whose pillars are Marvel and Star Wars and a bunch of old stuff they used to make. What a legacy, Bob. What a legacy.