#Boxtown

[ankle-beez]

Tara Strong got fired from the upcoming indie cartoon "Boxtown" for her disgustingly racist comments about Palestinians and now she's going on multiple different interviews trying to slander the show's crew and calling them antisemites. (Video after the tweet)

If you'd like to support Boxtown and its crew on their future endeavors follow their social medias below:

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

INDIE Animation and other animated works I'm excited to hopefully see in 2023.

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

We live in a time where entertainment (Even that which finances a war criminal) is more important than the lives of civilians…

By the way, Tara Strong is a Zionist and attacked indie animators spreading propaganda that she was fired for being Jewish, not for her racist tweet towards Palestinians…

Let's not forget about the crime of this woman, and the creator of the podcast turned off the comments (Because there was a podcast, we know that Tara Strong was making a victim out of herself, a typical Zionist), because people reacted correctly to what she said

Yes, I had to remind her about her, although the post was supposed to refer to Disney and the Olympics, I have the impression that no one talks about Tara Strong's crime anymore, and she should be remembered for being a bigot, which led to bullying indie creators…

Now that I have your attention:

[odinsblog]

Bandit Mill Animation: This was not a difficult decision

Me: 😊

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

I don’t give a fuck if Tara Strong voiced a bunch of characters in various shows, games, and movies. She’s an awful human being with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Bullying a small company because they don’t wanna be associated with your dog shit world views is pretty low, even for you Tara.

What gets me is that, she’s acting like her getting fired from an indie project is gonna hurt her career. Like she’s some anime voice actor living in Texas who’s only making $300 doing anime dubs.

She’s at that point in her career where she doesn’t even have to audition for stuff, but she’s gotta jump on the “I’m being cancelled for no reason!” bandwagon, because fuck forbid you learn how to deal with the consequences of your actions like an adult, right Tara?

Also, fuck every single one of her colleagues who is standing by her or continuing to stay silent.

It’s funny, you see these actors constantly get on their soapboxes when it comes to social issues and doing the right thing, but the second someone holds them accountable for their actions, they quickly turn around and play the victim.

Fuck Tara Strong, and fuck the entertainment industry.

[boxtown]

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Charlie G. I’m a storyboard artist, director, supervising director and writer. In my time in animation I’ve worked on projects including Jellystone, Big City Greens, Harvey Beaks. 

(Above: Boxtown Promotional Poster by Dylan Forman and Charlie G)

I’d like to officially welcome you to the first unofficial installment of the Official Boxtown Production journal! This is intended to be my official diary as I attempt to create the pilot for Boxtown, an indie film noir buddy comedy pilot starring Alex Hirsch and Tara Strong that’s scheduled to come out around Late 2023 - as well as my own personal journey as an artist.

I wanted to talk a little about my intentions in creating this project. The two main characters, Detective Tim Standing and Bill the Orphan have existed since around 2008 when they were created for a webcomic I was doing in high school.

(Above: Boxtown Artwork by Nicole Rodriguez)

In 2016, I revived the characters as the inspiration for a new project called Boxtown. Instead of superheroes as they originally were intended to be, I turned them into detectives, based on my lifelong secret obsession with wanting to be a detective that first started the moment I saw an episode of Inspector Gadget. 

(Above: Production Turnaround Artwork by Tess Wacker)

I want to create an original internet production that is of very high quality. Obviously, this is a very difficult thing to accomplish. So, this blog will be my attempt to document my difficult experiences while also highlighting the incredible art of the artists that I am so, so lucky to be working with. Boxtown’s team combines seasoned TV animation talent with fresh indie animation talent to create something that is intended to feel new but like a progression of the legacy that has come before.

(Above: Storyboard by Drew Green)

I hope you’ll join me on what has already been a pretty exciting journey! I just want this to be a space where I can document the BTS material and general creation of the project. I also plan to share concept artwork, animation tests, and environment tests here. And our goal is to always credit the artists who created this material properly.

(Above: CG look test by Star’s Art Bar)

-Charlie G. 

[eretzyisrael]

by Amanda Harding

“Just found out on Twitter!” she wrote on Friday. “This is what happens when you help fans get shows made I guess. Fired for being Jewish. Glad I helped you get your kickstarter money. Please lose my email address & pray for my family in Israel and in Gaza. & #prayforpeace.”

The official “Boxtown” account shared the news in a social media post on Thursday.

“Hello all! Just wanted to offer a quick update on Boxtown. We will be recasting the role of Bill (previously played by Tara Strong). We’ll have more info soon on open auditions,” they wrote. “Thanks for y’all’s understanding as we re-orient and figure out the next steps.”

“Boxtown” also shared a longer statement on both Instagram and X.

“This decision was due to a trend among Tara’s recent online activity, including posts that promote controversial messages regarding the peoples of Palestine currently being affected by the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis.”

“We believe that our public platform gives us a duty to be careful when it comes to hateful messages and misinformation online. This extends to our cast and crew. This was not a difficult decision,” the statement said.

“Our hearts are with the Palestinian and Israeli children and families being affected by the ongoing conflict. People should be able to live freely without being threatened by constant abuse and terror. We are hoping for the best,” the post added.

Strong had previously condemned the terror attacks on Israel with several tweets.

[hmvw2015]

Lily Pinkerton, from the upcoming webseries BoxTown.

@boxtown

[theultimatesexypeopleshowdown]

[dontrashroom]

I am disturbed by this. While I support freedom of expression, I will never support any commentary that is rooted in violence or hate. Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve a life free from violence and terror.

[showtoonzfan]

An indie adult animated project I’ve been following for awhile finally announced their crowdfund and cast, ect. Can’t believe they got Alex Hirsch and Tara Strong! Very excited for this and I hope they get enough funds!

[gobosreblogssss]

OKay everyone, do you like Indie Animation, do you want more Alex Hirsch!! BOI do I have the show for you, no pilot is out yet! But it is in production, and Alex Hirsch is voicing one of the two main characters!!

The show is called BoxTown, and it'll be on youtube for free.

[thunder-jolt]

Knowing Tara Strong is no longer doing the voice of Bill the Orphan (and now that Boxtown is doing auditions for Bill the Orphan), I've now been practicing the voice to finally have myself a role in something (ever since "The Love of Three Oranges" as Creonta and "subText" as Grandma Fae).

I have four recordings currently, but I can't reveal 'em yet (as this computer's mic doesn't allow that for some reason), so wish me luck!

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Let's be honest, Tara Strong represents Zionists perfectly, first she wrote a bigoted tweet that got her fired, so she started spreading propaganda that she was fired for being Jewish and led to harassment of the creators of Boxtown, so what if Alex Hirsch and one of the screenwriters are also Jews ? The mention of it would destroy her narratives!

Now that I have your attention:

[starsartbar]

Today we celebrate Juneteenth, the day the news started reaching the 'newly' freed people of texas. The fight is not done yet though. Today we remember their plight and celebrate the joys of the independence they were granted around 900 days after Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. Our country took a step in the right direction, though just as not all people were freed on June 19th 1865, we will never forget because the 13th amendment, the same one that freed millions, was used to legalize slavery as a punishment for a crime. This has been used to this day to perpetuate white supremacy by over-policing and disenfranchising black and brown communities to maintain state oppression in the face of radical change, only a handful of States have in recent years rejected this deeply problematic policy and we demand a ratification to the amendment to remove the language about perpetuating slavery as a punishment for a crime. We cry for liberation, we call for an end to the private prison industrial complex and for the freedom of those still ensnared by it. Power to the people! None of us are free until we are all free!

[jaywhangmakes]

Instead of groaning over Disney's live-action remakes, support independent animations.

(Note: I once posted a now-deleted blog post about the same topic. This is a revision based on my proofreaders' suggestions.)

I have seen a lot of people groaning about Disney’s live-action remakes and lamenting how 2D animation is “dead” in the West, especially in light of Sean Bailey’s announcement of a live action The Lion King saga. Most of these complaints are about Disney prioritizing remakes instead of animated works, or worse, trying to kill off 2D animation. The thing is, the world doesn’t need to rely on the Walt Disney Studios for innovation in hand drawn animation. Even if the animation industry in the western hemisphere is marginalized, there are animators who want to rebuild this industry from the ground up. Before you buy a ticket for the next live action Disney remake, consider backing some of the following crowdfunding campaigns for independent animation projects. Yes, some of these crowdfunding campaigns are for 3D animations as well, but compared to mainstream 3D works, these feel rather personal and humble.

These are the projects that are currently looking for funding as of June 8th, 2023.

BOXTOWN: THE PRODUCTION CROWDFUND

Boxtown is an indie animated noir buddy comedy about a con man detective (played by Alex Hirsch, creator of Gravity Falls and voice of Bill Cipher, Grunkle Stan and Hooty) who teams up with an innocent, true-crime-obsessed orphan with a hidden murderous side (played by Tara Strong, known as the voice of Twilight Sparkle, Timmy Turner, Miss Minutes in Loki, and Ben 10).

Funding due date: July 2nd, 2023, 4PM EST

The first I heard about Boxtown was through TikTok videos where Charlie P. Gavin, the series’s creator, asked voice actors to audition their characters by stitching their submission to the casting call video. The way Bandit Mill Animation’s production team casted this project showed me the importance of transparency and having their supporters and followers participate in their process. This project has brought in animation industry veterans, top voice-acting talents, and up-and-comers to create a new kind of neo-noir comedy animated series. I want to know more about where this project is heading considering how much the creators have put their passion into it.

CHEW GUM: An Animated Musical Series

CHEW GUM is an adult animated musical series created by Shane Curry, based on characters he's been animating for many years. Early incarnations of the characters have garnered over 28,000,000 (twenty-eight million) views on TikTok alone, and this series is the culmination of years of animation development, songwriting and voice acting all rolled into one weird ball of gum.

Funding due date: June 30th, 2023, 4PM EST

Similar to Boxtown, I came across CHEW GUM while searching “independent animation” on TikTok. A day later, I encountered the producer of this series and the main organizer of the crowdfunding campaign at the underground animation screening held in Brooklyn. On the way home, we talked together about the state of independent animation, some advice regarding crowdfunding, and I shared my own works with her. That night, I watched the series and I found them rather adorable. If you’re looking for an easy-to-watch 3D steam that feels pleasant, this series is for you.

Constancy Roa OVA

Constancy Roa is an OVA (Original Video Animation) brought to you by the creative minds at InfinityArk, an up and coming animation company. It does not have a specific genre, instead opting for the more melting pot approach of the 90s to early 2000s OVA anime series. Which means it has action, drama, romance, adult situations, graphic violence, and dark comedy. At its core, it's a war story between Cygens and Humanity. Approximately, five minutes of the hour-long pilot contained scenes with adult content. It is inspired by works like the Bubblegum Crisis OVAs, Project A-ko, and the game series Megaman X. We hope to make a series that will bridge the gap between current anime and "retro" anime of the past. This OVA is about Cygens, which have been unleashed and the world will never be the same. A new melting pot style OVA series that bridges the old and new.

Funding due date: 07/06/2023 8:00 AM EDT

This is a throwback to the late 90s/early 2000s OVA anime, when visuals are grungy and animation reflects as such. The style reminds me of those OVAs that Manga entertainment used to promote on their home videos with KMFDM’s music in the background. In fact, I wanted animated works that tried to replicate the feel of the older media, much like how the movies The Lighthouse or Pearl did. My twitter friend Shakyra Dunn is involved in this as the voice for the character Natasha Gifford. She is very much excited about this project.

Jades Diary Season 2

An animated mini-series following the adventures of Jade Raven.

Funding due date: June 18th, 2023, 3PM EST

Like Chew Gum, I came across Jade's Diary through the TikTok discover page. It is an independent animation crowdfunding campaign that’s still going on and only has a handful of supporters. I haven’t seen the first season of the series. But I loved the animation style so much that I really wanted this campaign to succeed. It was almost like our homegrown Studio Trigger project.

Sunnyside Magic High: Animated Short

Sunnyside Magic High is an indie animated coming-of-age action-adventure pilot set inside the high fantasy world of Cora. It follows four magical royals who attend a prestigious academy where they hone their magic and prepare to one day rule their own kingdoms. An animated short introducing you to four magical, unstable royals and their prestigious academy.

Funding due date: July 22, 2023

I am writing this while New York City is stuck under the Quebec wildfire smoke apocalypse. I need something wholesome to get my own doomer feeling out of my mind while surviving this smoke-filled apocalypse. And this series could uplift my downer mood in recent days (or years). It seems like this targets people who are nostalgic toward the Renaissance period of the Walt Disney Studios where they produce animated musicals with coming-of-age themes. Not only that, the series could fill up the empty space in every Harry Potter’s fans’ heart after they were disappointed by its author’s bigotry.