disneytva · 10 days ago
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The Simpsons Sets “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” Release Date At New York Comic-Con 2024
Announced at New York Comic-Con, The Simpsons Christmas special “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” will stream exclusively December 17th on Disney+ Worldwide.
It was also revealed that this new special will celebrate the show’s 35th anniversary. The show is known for its special guests, and the holiday episodes will include Darren Brown, Pentatonix, and Patti LaBelle.  Darren will apparently hypnotize Homer Simpson to try to boost his holiday spirits, but this goes a bit wrong and results in Homer thinking he’s a certain “sparkly elf.”
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On the subject of Dinosaur Documentaries...
So Life On Our Planet dropped a few days ago, another installment of this seeming boom of these kind of shows since Prehistoric Planet last year, and it got me thinking about this whole little niche genre.
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The very first "Paleodoc" was released in 1922, made by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to educate museum goers on how the fossils they saw were collected and prepared. This began the format I like to call the "Talking Heads" Paleodoc which is mainly in the form of interviews or narration over actual footage of Paleontologists at work with the occasional "Live" Dinosaur for visual aid. These are by far the most common form of dinosaur documentary you'll find, even today, mainly because they're cheap to produce and fit in the general style of most science documentaries.
For many decades throughout the 20th century, Paleodocs were pretty rare. They would pop up time to time, and with the sudden influx of attention they got after Jurassic Park, we got some really good ones. Yet they were all the same Talking Head types. What really changed the game was the good ol Magnum Opus of the field: Walking With Dinosaurs.
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WWD pioneered the second type of Paleodoc I believe to exist, which are the "In Their World" Paleodocs. These are different in the fact they focus almost entirely on the live visual aids, with the human presence being limited to narration or brief pauses for context. They're meant to simulate the modern nature documentary, like Planet Earth, that focus more on showcasing animal behavior with state of the art filming techniques than being a source of in-depth science.
The success of WWD cannot be overstated, and I have to say I do find the In Their World format a lot more engaging and easier to connect with. They portray the wonder of prehistory spectacularly, letting audiences get emotionally connected in the animal characters the story creates, even if this has lead to criticisms of anthropomorphism. These programs also almost always use real footage of modern day earth for their prehistoric creatures to roam on, which I'm sure is very sad for the people who want to see their favorite dead plants on screen.
The Walking With... series would expand into sequels and spin-offs and Nigel Marven, and other companies like Discovery would jump on the bandwagon and release their own takes on the concept, but by the mid 2010s the format had basically died out. We'd get one or In Their World style doc every few years until we just didn't get anything. Outside of the occasional TV special that reused When Dinosaurs Roamed America footage, it was empty.
It took until Disney's Live Action remake of The Lion King of all things for that pendulum to start swinging again. Seeing those expressionless CGI cats got Jon Favreau thinking about how he could use this technology and the talented people behind it to make something really cool, and we got Prehistoric Planet.
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And, in a repeat of Walking With Dinosaurs, we're seeing more of these In Their World type shows. The original guys behind WWD are even making a comeback with their own series, Surviving Earth. Plus even more little hints and rumors of massive incoming projects from overexcited paleontologists trying not to break their embargo.
It looks like the 2020s will be another resurgence in these types of spectacle Paleodocs, and while a good ol Talking Head will always be there, I can't help but get excited for these animated spectacles and all the weird and wonderful ways they flash those visual aids across our TV screens.
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normal-thoughts-official · 6 months ago
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You are getting me intrigued about Bladeweave, and i want to know your thoughts on:
A) Do they get a pet together? (The correct answer is yes)
B) Do you imagine them like, in a specific Bladeweave universe, or like canon-ish one, but like after the Hell Trip?
C) Do you think Tara and Wyll team up to make sure Gale doesn't forget to take care of himself and then Tara teams up with Gale to do the same to Wyll?
D) What do you think Wyll's father thinks of Gale?
Also feels weirdly nostalgic to be on your asks
omg hiiiii beloved. first of all finish the damn game 🔫 second of all damn i missed your asks 💕
in order:
A) they get a frankly ridiculous amount of pets but neither of them will admit it because they're the "they're not my pets, i just feed them" kind of mfs. i mean, that's canon on gale's end but we all know wyll is just as bad if not worse with the whole "hm actually animals are fully fledged individuals who belong to no one but themselves and only a tyrant would wish to conquer them and reduce them to something to be owned and,"- bullshit.
(also, honestly? after being called a pet and a pup by mizora for so long, the last thing he wants is to be reminded of her. and considering how in wyll origins he says his biggest fear is to become the devil he was made to look as, i think it'd be highly triggering for him to say anything at all that sounded like it could've come from her mouth, even in a completely different context. so, no, he'll never have "pets", he'll have loyal animal friends whom he feeds and takes care of and who live with him and always come back to him but they're not pets how dare you)
gale is more of a cat/tressym person, and of course tara is gale's friend first and foremost and wyll and her mostly bond over their love for gale. wyll however has no discrimination when it comes to species and i mean none. he'll show up at the tower or wherever else they live all like "hey gale so hear me out" and it's just as likely that he'll have a cat, a dog, a pigeon, a horse, or a crocodile in tow. gale just sighs and goes magic up whatever sort of specialized environment their new tennant will need because he knew what he was getting into when he married Literal Disney Princess, got-speak-with-animals-as-a-cantrip-out-of-a-devil-deal Wyll Ravengard. those are mostly wyll's friends (not pets, the dekarios-ravengard household is completely pet free, ignore the first 10 levels of the tower) but they also get along well with gale too. he makes them tea when they to to their area upstairs for a chat or whatever
B) usually the canon universe, yes. i mean it's fully possible to have a canon run without ever even meeting karlach so it's not like i'd need a fully fledged AU if I didn't wanna include the going to hell part (plus other ending possibilities im not spoiling you about). but also i feel like gale is the kind of stupidly self sacrificial mf who would go to hell with wyll and karlach if that's what it takes, both to be with his love and because karlach does deserve to live and be safe. and he knows that he can help try to look into arcane solutions for her heart. and if anyone understands having a ticking time bomb in their chest and needing support to grow back hope that you'll be able to live without it being a risk, and deserve to, it's him. wyll's saved him from his own time bomb; he would never deny karlach the same sort of redemption, especially when she got in that situation through no fault of her own
so, yes, i can imagine him joining them, even if not 24/7, and trying to help with her heart before they come back. and then we can have bladeweave and karlachzel (? what's their ship name called man) or Fucking Whatever lol. i mean part of the appeal of wyllach to me is that i feel like it makes 0 difference whether it's platonic or romantic, so i can see a platonic helping each other in hell before we can go back to our respective baes sort of situation
C) duh. tara and wyll have a whole routine they've executed to perfection for when gale is having a bad depression day, or a bad back/joint pain day, or an orb flare-up day, or whichever other flavor of disabling situation gale faces (semi-)regularly. tara is both relieved to have someone else to take care of him (both so she gets room to take care of herself as well and just from knowing that no matter what, someone else has gale's back) and pleased to see that, at least as far as depression days go, gale has been having those less and less. not because true love cures all or whatever but because now gale has a significant support network with all the tadfools, plus with the orb stabilized he doesn't have to fear going out, seeing his family, and making friends anymore. nothing is perfect or cured but slowly and steadily he's been building the kind of support net that allows him to breathe and keep himself alive more easily, you know
as for wyll's own disability days, tara is kind of slow to trust and even slower to show said trust. naturally she would always be there to support them both when wyll needed, if anything because it mattered to gale. but it was mostly supporting gale while he supported wyll at the beginning, because she was still wary of anyone who could potentially break her wizard's heart and make him even more fragile
also, he kind of waltzed into her house and then started bringing dogs. yuck.
but wyll is nothing if not explicitly and selflessly loving of gale and completely polite and respectful of tara's boundaries, which means he earns her love faster than any other humanoid ever has. so at first she was kind of tsundere about it - trying to hide her concern when wyll was having PTSD episodes by being kind of focused on gale, being a bit snarky (although never in a mean way), that kind of thing. over time though she fully gave up on pretending and became very involved in helping him. nothing like having a tressym purr to help pull you out of a flashback, or having someone to pet during a depression day, etc.
she is also one of the few people who always keeps in mind that wyll is not, in fact, fully sighted. whenever they go somewhere new or something changes in the layout of the tower she always helps him figure out clues to make up for his lack of depth perception while he's getting used to the state of things. gale also has a tendency to clutter and leave his stuff everywhere when he's particularly invested in a subject so she always makes sure to point out to wyll if there's anything in his path. especially when they're in waterdeep, she always takes the lead when they're walking through crowds, helping make the way so wyll won't bump into anybody by accident. with gale she's more of a supportive friend/housemate but with wyll she goes full on service animal without him ever asking. neither of them ever say anything about it but when she starts doing it wyll knows that he is, officially, part of the family. and most of all, loved
(and they take care of her too, of course. with food and pets and help when she's in pain or sad too. gale is aware that he put quite a heavy load on her when she was literally the only thing keeping him alive after the orb, and wyll is endlessly thankful to her for making sure he was cared for during that time. so they make sure she has all the resting and support she needs, and she is, quite frankly, the most spoiled tressym in the sword coast. wyll also went to ridiculous lengths to make sure everything in their tower was accessible for a non-opposable-thumbs-haver, especially the wizardy stuff because tara is, as gale said, a fine wizard on her own right)
also, sometimes she kneads the bases of wyll's horns when they hurt or feel particularly heavy, physically or emotionally, and it's really cute
D) difficult one. i kinda struggle to imagine ulder having a good relationship with any of wyll's partners, considering he... like... didn't even have a healthy relationship with wyll lol. so he'd probably be distant and kind of strained, but as far as partner choices go, i feel like gale is some of the best he could be hoping for among the tadfools. he is smart and can be charming, and he thrives with older people tbh. ulder wouldn't be a fan of the fact that he's the wizard-living-in-a-tower stereotype and has never really gotten his hands in the mud, so to speak, but gale is respectful, polite, interesting to talk to, intelligent, compassionate, and honorable and ethical to boot, which i think ulder would see as more important. also, he obviously loves wyll, and there's not much more ulder can ask of a partner, especially after he himself failed to provide wyll the love he needed for so long
so i believe he'd like him, although they'd never really be close. the real question though is what gale would think of ulder, because while i think he would be nothing if not polite to him, especially since he knows how much he means to wyll, i also think gale would be playing 5d chess to subtly insult his parenting skills at every opportunity. he is way too nice to be explicit about it but the way he keeps going for the softest, most subtle and hidden of stings, can be more devastating than calling him a bitch. ulder will suddenly realize that two weeks ago gale implied that he was a dumbass, and given that he only noticed that afterwards, he feels like he was probably right. it keeps him up at night sometimes, trying to figure out if gale lightly insulted him or was genuinely just commenting on the weather. the fact that it drives him mad only makes it all the more satisfying to gale. wyll has no clue this is happening at all
this got long and far too detailed but I won't apologize cuz what did you expect really. anyway i love they
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mask131 · 1 year ago
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While I am on the topic of Netflix's Monkey King, I have two thoughts about the character of The Dragon King.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Thought 1: I was a bit dubious of making the Dragon King the main antagonist of the story, since in the original novel, Ao Guang isn't actually an antagonist, but rather a reluctant ally to Sun Wukong. This Dragon King does work as this strange mix of a watery Hades (Disney) and a male Ursula, but I was wondering about the choices behind it (don't get me wrong, I love water and sea-themed villains, I am just curious as of the adapting process). But having watched the movie now, I realize that this is actually another homage to Chinese culture - just not to the Journey to the West per se.
Netflix's Dragon King is ACTUALLY based on the character of the Dragon King from the animated movie "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King". You know, the late 70s Chinese animated movie? This movie was one of the big reasons people believe that, in "The Investiture of the Gods" novel, Ao Guang was a vicious being of chaos - when in fact he was not. It was in this movie that the Dragon King was depicted as a destructive antagonist all about causing storms and water-based disasters, and it also from there that the whole "The Dragon King eats children" comes from (the same "eat children" joke that the Netflix movie uses). Plus, the color palette or the new Dragon King and Nezha's Dragon King are also very similar, so the homage is pretty clear.
Thought 2: I am dumb sometimes - it took me a long time to understand why the Dragon King's final kaiju-like form looked like a bloated Godzilla. At first I thought they were just making a fat Godzilla joke or recreating the "giant Ursula" feel from the Little Mermaid final. Then I noticed that each time he was hit by the Monkey King, water flew out of his body, but I thought it was just some cool special effect. It was only when his body started twisting itself that I finally understood the joke: that the Dragon King had turned itself into a giant water balloon.
Which actually fills one of the eventual plot-holes there could have been. Indeed, it is shown that in this universe only the Immortals can become giants (Monkey King only gains the ability to grow in size when becoming fully Immortal), and yet the Dragon King is clearly not one of the Immortals given the way he talks about them. So how could he grow giant? Well here's the answer: he "cheated", he rather gorged himself with sea water like a giant sponge. It is basically the fable of "The Frog that wanted to grow as big as a Bull". Plus, of course, there is the obvious metaphor and image of the Dragon King growing as big and bloated as his own ego. Which in turns serves as a "mirror" for the Monkey King, because while he grows even bigger than the Dragon King, it is also the moment where Monkey snaps and becomes a madman (well, a mad monkey), his ego having grown even bigger than the one of the Dragon King.
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miralyk · 8 months ago
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love the drawings you've been making for desmond and alex, what's ghosts in the machine? first i see them crawling out of your screen and now everyone's angels devils or monsters, i don't know if i'm missing something!
ah man, think it's time to try to summarize everything and apologize LMAO;; ty for asking though, i should've made things less confusing! this will be a Pretty lengthy post for irl context/backstory and "actual au" info so be ready if you want to read everything!
(for starters, the title's just a pun on the philosophical phrase "ghost in the machine" interpreted Literally and taking inspiration from clay in ac revelations, since he Was a ghost in a machine and jokingly called "my guardian angel" by des, haha)
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the short version: basically, "ghosts in the machine" is what i've called the au(?) where i just doodle silly "artist talking to her art muse(s)" stuff like these kinds of comics instead w me,, the ""art muse"" is whatever i'm hyperfixated on (currently desmond, the assassin brotherhood as a whole, and alex/prototype lmao):
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the Full LONG version: when replaying prototype and ac awhile back, i also posted fanart on LOFTER (china’s local version of tumblr) and made a mainlander mutual/friend who drew fanart too, like her oc w the assassins in an animal shapeshifter 刺客信条乙女向 (assassin’s creed otome) au! as i’m vietnamese-american and she’s chinese, we use translators and send pictures/doodles to talk about the games and our days, and when i was replaying prototype, she started ac2 too and sent me this as commentary:
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from there, whenever we’d text or send pics/art, it became a running joke of sorts to also include our ""game companions"" like that fanfiction thing of “author’s note where the author and fictional characters comment on the situation and/or talk to each other”, and my doodles also became us or our computers being accompanied by them LMAO;; that’s pretty much the origin and setting of the particular doodles; just the daily shenanigans and art struggles of an artist (me and her) talking to their art muses (characters from special interests) haunting them and their computers
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as for the "supernatural" aspects, at some point desmond and alex got drawn an as angel and devil because i’ve had ridiculous “protected by a guardian angel” luck lately like surviving a car crash unharmed, they’re my favorites and associated with me, the motifs match the duo, etc, it's not really that deep and/or for a "Lore Reason";;
likewise, the brotherhood got drawn as ghosts to emphasize the “we/our computers are haunted by them” joke more, along with how my friend and i are both asian and used to like ghosts and ancestral worship casually being a part of our lives already LMAO (ig in the context of the au then, they’re basically desmond’s ancestral spirits disney-mulan-style that freeload off of his vietnamese protectee (me) for both spiritual veneration or "worship" like staying relevant in this modern age via fanart)
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for example, i'm also considering drawing like altair, ezio, connor, and edward as the vietnamese four holy beasts just to play around, things like that! there's no special lore reason aside from just personal thoughts and "oh that'd be fun to draw", they just thematically fit well being four prominent “legends” and being desmond's ancestors, etc,, haha
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at the end of the day, "ghosts in the machine" are just silly shenanigans of me drawing what's on my mind, from who/what i'm hyperfixated on (aka impromptu art muses for me), any thoughts/frustrations i have w daily life or drawing stuff,, and "hm this sounds cool, i could draw this design or Cool Thing" stuff. it's not really an au persay (plus i still really cringe and feel self-consciously wary about the embarrassing self-insert aspect of all this, help lmao), it’s just,, just silly personal scribblings that are kind of sharing an inside joke to everyone now, but i'm happy to know people still humor these silly drawings and are curious if there's more to it, thank you!
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coolchevistianofficialsite · 7 months ago
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What are your thoughts on Disney TVA's upcoming lineup (Primos, Zombies The Re-Animated Series, StuGo, Cookies & Milk, Rhona Who Lives By The River, Sam Witch, Dog & Frog, SuperStar, The Witchverse, InterCats, Fantasy Sports, Neon Galaxy, La Familia Avenunes, Journey and the Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin reboots by Seth Rogen?
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1- Primos
Mira mijo para mí toda la polémica estuvo bien pendeja, ya que todo el crew del show fue puesto en el mismo saco de boxeo por las declaraciones de Myrna Velasco, como persona que conoce a Natasha Kline desde su trabajo en Big City Greens te puedo asegurar por Dieguito Maradona que no es un demonio como otras personas en el internet la están poniendo.
El show NO es sobre la cultura mexicana es sobre la cultura chicana en Los Angeles y como persona que se vio el piloto filtrado antes de que un chistosito lo subiera para crear bardo te digo que es lo mas harmless y inocentón del mundo, los que se están quejando son gente que solo lo hace para crear ragebait y farmear vistas.
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2- Zombies The Re-Animated Series
Not really my thing since the movies where "eh" for me but those days i was sick, so i recall the songs, happy for Aliki and the team tho, probably will watch it when i rewatch the films.
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3- StuGo
Really interested for this one specially since this one is slated to be Disney TVA's 100th Series, so im curious if Disney will have some kind of event planned besides that, the synopsis is interesting also this show had multiple people of Jellystone! and the crew from the axed CN movie Driftwood on board, so i think it will be interesting as the show saved this people from being jobless.
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Just realized that is called "STUGO" beacuse they are STUdents stuck three months on a wild tropical island, so they need to "GO".
Heh. It's like a pun or something. Heheh.
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4 - Cookies & Milk
Apparently this is the second project from the Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur EPs, i wonder how will they handle a down to earth slice of life series, imagine if they hire Flying Bark again becoming their first slice of life project with the Rise/LEGO/MGADD animation lol
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5- Rhona Who Lives By The River
I like how the concept art has a Cartoon Saloon vibe and wondering how will translate to stop-motion which is interesting, i like Karen Gillian for her role as Nebula on GOTG trilogy, what i wonder is how Disney will handle the show with the Elfman scandal, will they quietly drop it without any mention of Elfman like MAX did with Fired on Mars EP or finding a new composer for Season 2.
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6- The Witchverse
I played the VR short recently and OMG is so cute and adorable, the world they created has a big potential for multiple storylines, hoping S1 is more focused on Magda, Sasha (Yeah they have to change her name) and her mother, their relationship was so adorable, hope Daisy Ridley returns for the full series.
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7- InterCats
Apparently this will be Disney's first workplace comedy series for YA audiences and it sounds cute, apparently is co-created by one of the Nimona screenwritters Pamela Ribon, so that's a plus.
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8- Fantasy Sports
Super looking forward to this one, i loved the original novels and hoping Disney makes justice to Sam Bosma's world and characters, i can see Wiz and Mug becoming perfect additions to crosspromotion events at ESPN.
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9- SuperStar
BTW just like to mention that i named it SuperStar as a placeholder title, the show dosn't have a name as of yet, based on the cast call we can see that Alejandra is latina so maybe it's a mixture between MGADD and Hannah Montana, wonder which person created the show.
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10.- Journey
Since we don't know it's creator is very hard to tell what to expect BUT the synopsis is interesting kinda a awnser to LEGEND OF VOX MACHIMA but more family friendly, im wonder if this is the project created by Amy Hudkins, Ian Mutchler and Jonathon Wallach since they like Dungeons and Dragons, Legend Of Zelda and Magic The Gathering.
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11- La Familia Avenúñez
It's a spin-off of The Proud Family Louder And Prouder with a latino cast pues suena chido la vdd, esperemos que cuando se anuncie no ocurra lo mismo que Primos.
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12 - Dog And Frog, Neon Galaxy, Sam Witch
They don't have creator or synopsis as of yet besides a title revealed via a trademark, so it's hard to give overall thoughts
13- Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin Reboots
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After TMNT Mutant Mayhem, The Boys, The Boys Diabolical and Invincible im confident that Rogen's team will do Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin justice and wishing good luck to the crew behind them.
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Looooong post incoming...
THE INCREDIBLES and INCREDIBLES 2 have been on my mind, lately.
Writer-director Brad Bird’s 2004 superhero movie, done up at Pixar in the days they weren’t owned by The Walt Disney Company, was like a formative film for me. Like STAR WARS was for many kids growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, THE INCREDIBLES was probably that for 12-year-old me, among a couple other movies. (That same year, I was also blown away by SPIDER-MAN 2 and… Umm… I, ROBOT?)
And I’m one of the few weirdos that really, really dug the contested sequel. Well, contested by people online. It did get good critical reception and got an Oscar nom, made a truck ton at the box office, but it’s one of those weird “big” movies that came out, made tons and tons of money, but I hear few talk about it to this day. I feel some other recent Pixar sequels fit that bill as well, like FINDING DORY and TOY STORY 4. These absolutely massive movies that people raced to see, because they love the originals and the characters in them so much, but then seemingly… Forgot about? I think it has a lot to do with just how much stuff comes out now, that it kinda all gets lost in the shuffle. They don’t stick the way TOY STORY 3 did back in 2010, before we got so inundated with lots and lots of stuff oozing out of every pore: TV, streaming, other movies, podcasts, more streaming, etc. etc. Plus, there's that special sauce with the originals that tends to make them hit different than the sequels, no matter how good the sequels may be...
But no matter, I loved INCREDIBLES 2 and still do, even if I think it falls a little bit short of the original. That was a hard act to follow, after all. I did go over some of the few things about the sequel that I thought could’ve been expanded a bit, a few months back… And I’m thinking about them again.
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I think the main point of contention with INCREDIBLES 2 was the Screenslaver, and the whole twist being that he was a fictional character, a face that was created by a disgruntled telecommunications company exec who wanted to keep superheroes illegal.
I get it, in a way. Screenslaver looks cool, and that one action sequence with him in the strobe light cage with Elastigirl? I fuckin’ LOVE it. Such a dynamic, well-done action sequence. I guess it made people wish that both Bob and Helen, and the kids and Frozone and maybe those weirdo superheroes like Screech and Reflux, took this guy on. A slender, creepy mask-wearing mind control villain… It's what you expect in a superhero movie, the heroes fighting a rather weird bad guy!
And yet, in a way, I feel like Screenslaver being a mere face. A distraction. Makes INCREDIBLES 2 every bit as subversive as the original. Especially since INCREDIBLES 2 came out in 2018, which was literally a superhero/comic book movie-heavy year. Maybe the heaviest? You had AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, DEADPOOL 2, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES, VENOM, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (!), am I missing anything? That year was S-T-A-C-K-E-D.
By contrast, in 2004, THE INCREDIBLES debuted opposite of SPIDER-MAN 2 and HELLBOY… And also BLADE: TRINITY, THE PUNISHER, and CATWOMAN… Much different times. Especially when it was greenlit by Pixar in the year 2000… What was happening in superhero movies that year? X-MEN had come out, and that was after a fairly successful BLADE movie… And years after BATMAN & ROBIN was lambasted and put the Batman movie format to rest for a good while. (Now it’s inescapable. Every few years, a new actor portrays Batman in live-action.)
THE INCREDIBLES stood out in 2004, I feel, not just because of the freedom animation allowed for the superhero concept (which put it above many of the live-action spectacles being made at the time), but also because it rung closer to a ‘60s spy movie than a typical beat-em-up extravaganza. It’s clearly set in a midcentury modern world, a stylized retro futuristic early ‘60s that is informed by the presence of superpowered beings. Or “Supers”, as this franchise has always called them. While there isn’t a wealth of material explaining how world events played out, it’s all implied and hinted at in both films.
By the mid-1960s, American animation had kinda been pigeonholed as an outlet for cheap, reliable kids’ entertainment on Saturday mornings. The closest thing to an American “spy” movie in the animated medium back then was, of all things, a FLINTSTONES movie: 1966’s THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE. THE INCREDIBLES almost feels like a lost animated movie made for a slightly older audience circa 1965, but dusted off decades later and done in CGI. That’s a Brad Bird staple. Born in 1957, he loves midcentury modern retrofutures, and just that setting in general. THE IRON GIANT is set in the late 1950s, he had a cancelled take on Will Eisner’s THE SPIRIT that was set around the time it was introduced, his long-gestating RAY GUNN has been described as a 1930s sci-fi noir retrofuture, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE is of course a ‘60s spy show and a series of feature films (Brad’s feels the most ‘60s out of the movies), TOMORROWLAND… Need I say more? Even RATATOUILLE, which doesn’t involve super heroics or gadgets or futuristic technology… It’s literally a movie about cooking! Even that movie has a retro vibe to it. It’s set in the then-present, but it’s timeless in its look and feel.
Anyways, THE INCREDIBLES plays as much James Bond as it does, say, Batman. You have the whole Nomanisan Island lair, close-quarters fights with armed men, Michael Giacchino’s score, it’s a just-right mix. The first INCREDIBLES has a rather conventional bad guy in Syndrome. An evil guy in an eye-catching suit, with all these various man-made powers, as opposed to other Supers’ natural-born powers. INCREDIBLES 2’s villain is merely an average woman, roughly in her 30s? 40s? She has no powers, she’s just a master manipulator, almost a filmmaker in that regard. I mean she’s an artist and a designer, that’s made perfectly clear the minute you see her, so it makes sense that she could pull off this elaborate show. Mysterio in SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME - which was released a year after INCREDIBLES 2 - needed drones and such to do that. That the Screenslaver is merely a brainwashed pizza delivery guy is part of her brilliance.
So, that’s what makes INCREDIBLES 2 stick out from the other superhero movies circa 2018. A year where the majority of the villains were clear-cut, like a big purple alien guy who wipes out half the universe… and here’s INCREDIBLES 2 with a very crafty woman who essentially puts on a big show. And that in the second half, it’s her and her use of mind control technology that are the big obstacle for the Supers. Not a creature or a conventional superhero bad guy. I think it works, honestly. Like, what’s a different kind of challenge? What if all the good guys got brainwashed, leaving a few… Namely the KIDS, to fend for themselves? That’s a very cool idea, honestly. But again, I get why detractors wanted the shadowy mind control guy instead. Part of me would love to see that version of INCREDIBLES 2, too, if it ever existed. According to interviews w/ the filmmakers, Screenslaver was a late addition to the plot. INCREDIBLES 2 was supposed to come out in summer 2019, but Disney had pushed it up a year, which apparently affected a lot of the decision-making. For some, it shows.
Maybe if INCREDIBLES 2 came out in 2008 instead of 2018, and had the same exact villain twist… In a world where other Disney Animation and Pixar movies with twist villains didn’t yet exist (i.e. Hans, Callaghan, Bellwether, Ernesto), it’d be received differently? I do not know. But that’s why it all works for me. I can tune out the succession of “twist villain” movies, and take INCREDIBLES 2 on its own merits.
In my previous piece on INCREDIBLES 2, I did kind of find fault with its rather rushed third act and how the film doesn’t really bite into the meatier political aspect it kind of teases. The whole idea of a society being dependent on superheroes, rather than getting up and helping pitch in to make the world a better place. (Not dissimilar to TOMORROWLAND’s message.) It’s really all just there to serve Evelyn’s character, which I’m totally fine with… It works in that context. But on the other hand, I feel like this could’ve gone further and explored the whole idea of superheroes being - to quote Jenny Nicholson in her review of JOKER - a “band-aid solution” to crime. And it being a PG-rated mass-market Disney release is no reason to keep me from speculating about this version of INCREDIBLES 2.
I get that Brad Bird probably just wanted to keep it simple and streamlined, and that the “who needs Supers anyways” idea is just a device for Evelyn, not there to make a larger statement. I do believe all art is political, even these movies, but how far the creators want to go with the politics is another story. Ultimately, Evelyn’s methods of getting her way are wrong, but she has points… What if a better society could be created that didn’t depend on superpowered beings having to clobber criminals or threats to save the day?
Clearly the world of THE INCREDIBLES needs superheroes, though, because you have things like mole men with massive drill-mobiles cutting through cities like they’re nothing. But I feel that in a world where we are hyperaware of the system’s flaws and how it’s mostly a failure by design and pretty much creates crime (I’m getting political here, heads up), INCREDIBLES 2 could’ve possibly said something about that. Instead of having superheroes, a stand in for the police when the police themselves or the military can’t handle the threat, what’s causing all the crime in New Urbem and Municiberg in the first place? What systemic inequalities are happening? How progressive is this world because of the presence of superheroes/cool tech? Why are there are robberies? What’s the poverty rate? Etc. etc.
And you may be thinking, this is just an animated family movie, it doesn’t have to be that deep… But I disagree. Plenty of family films, and good stories in general, don’t shy away from this kind of stuff. Art is not made in a vacuum. A lot of actual real-life kids LIVE these sorts of things, too.
But even PG-13 Marvel movies, probably because they’re released by Disney - and Disney tries to play moderate when it comes to political stuff (though they are still too far left for dinguses who yell “WOKE” at everything), don’t really go that far either.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR chips at whether there should be government regulation of superheroes or not, until it settles for being a story about two friends turning against each other over a family death… and then a few MCU movies later, none of that matters - the superheroes are ultimately needed to stop the big purple guy in space… THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER asks why, in a post-Blip world, a universe where half of all the living beings just ceased to be… Why are there still such inequalities on Earth, after Thanos’ snap and subsequent revival of everyone who was unalived? It’s all the catalyst for the Flagsmashers, and leader Karli herself. She was so nuanced as an antagonist, and you also had this ersatz Captain America guy who straight up murdered a person in cold blood. I was loving where it was all going, until a few episodes in, they just made Karli a straight-up murderer. All that nuance is flattened, and the final episode is just another big fight scene. Outside of Sam Wilson’s speech at the end, what really changed on MCU’s Earth? What did this Disney+ series have to say, really? Other than bringing up those very real problems we face in the U.S. and around the world?
I think INCREDIBLES 2 is just more interested in being about its characters first, which, again. Is fine. I don’t think less of the movie because of that. The first INCREDIBLES was about the family dynamic first and foremost, too, and not the spectacle. I don’t require Brad Bird to share all of his political views with me. I appreciate that the movie even posits the question to begin with, it’s ultimately why I’ve been thinking about it! Maybe Bird sees that world as simpler because it’s one where superheroes have been around since at least the turn of the 20th century, and things are different because of that.
This is probably why some people get a very Ayn Randian reading out of THE INCREDIBLES, when I think Bird’s conceit was merely “the villain is someone who uses technology to be a pretend-superhero”. It’s all there to inform Syndrome’s character, not necessarily to declare to the audience that people without powers CAN’T be superheroes. Syndrome kills several Supers so he can enact his plan and make everyone into Supers, because he’s big mad at Mr. Incredible, and that’s why he fails. He could’ve just grown up to make super technology to make other people super, not kill a bunch of them. Heck, if he had turned out better, he could’ve singlehandedly ended the outlawing of Supers… And not natural-born Supers… Imagine THAT movie…
The original movie, I feel, just doesn’t necessarily make a case for whether people born without superpowers can be Super. This dichotomy is just there to make the villain what he is, and hint at what he could’ve been instead of a villain. Sure, the Parr family and Frozone saving the day at the end upholds this apparent status quo, but I don’t think Bird was thinking about it like that. He had denied the Ayn Rand comparisons as far back as the release of the first movie.
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The likelier reading of this film, and some of Bird’s other films such as RATATOUILLE and TOMORROWLAND, is informed by Bird’s career trajectory. He was mentored by Milt Kahl, of all people! One of the greatest animators, one of Walt’s Nine Old Men… He was mentored by him as a teenager! But most of Bird’s career, as noted by Mark Mayerson, was a long series of denied opportunities. His aforementioned SPIRIT movie didn’t take off in the ‘80s because who during that period - a time when SECRET OF NIMH came and went, and when features like TWICE UPON A TIME couldn’t get an audience - wanted to sink money into an animated action movie of that caliber? RAY GUNN didn’t go through in the 1990s at Turner Animation, and Warner Bros. dumped THE IRON GIANT in the late summer of 1999 with an ineffective marketing campaign that caused it to flop at the box office.
Because IRON GIANT did so badly, Bird took his toys and left Warner Bros. He headed to Pixar with his superhero movie concept, and he got in despite those who didn’t quite want him around. John Lasseter was not fond of an outsider coming in with this very different pitch for a movie. Up until that point, Pixar was literally what I like to call “Team TOY STORY”. John Lasseter, TOY STORY’s director, also directed A BUG’S LIFE and TOY STORY 2. Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton, where instrumental in TOY STORY 1 & 2, directed MONSTERS, INC. and FINDING NEMO respectively. Lee Unkrich, an editor on TOY STORY, co-directed on TOY STORY 2, MONSTERS, INC. and FINDING NEMO. Lasseter fired Jorgen Klubien off of his CARS, which was in the works at the time, and took it over. Tight-knit building. Bird was an outsider, and Lasseter wasn’t thrilled about that. But luckily, Steve Jobs staved him off and also kept Michael Eisner’s doubts about THE INCREDIBLES at bay. Bird got to make his rather outre superhero movie at Pixar in spite of Lasseter, Eisner, etc…. And it was a big hit and an Oscar winner. Lasseter was singing a different tune after that.
Future directors didn’t have Jobs’ protection, though, which meant that Lasseter could fire them more easily… And he did… Brenda Chapman, Bob Peterson, etc.
So then after THE INCREDIBLES, Brad Bird really wanted to get a live-action adaptation of the novel 1906 off the ground, but that didn’t go anywhere. He took over RATATOUILLE at Pixar, made a big hit out of that, and then tried to pursue other endeavors. His MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie (GHOST PROTOCOL in 2011) did very well, but then after that, he made TOMORROWLAND and it bombed… And then took on an INCREDIBLES sequel. He is just now starting to get his cooler ideas off the ground, as his RAY GUNN is finally in production at Lasseter’s Skydance Animation. Funny how that works, right? The guy is over 60 years old and is just getting started.
If anything, his movies are more about that. He’s a guy with really cool, game-changing ideas for animated movies in an industry that isn’t interested in that… So… The INCREDIBLES movies being about superheroes who want to help people but not being allowed to by the system, RATATOUILLE being about an animal that doesn’t belong in a kitchen wanting to cook for people, GHOST PROTOCOL being about spies still trying to do the right thing and save the world after their unit has been shut down by the system, TOMORROWLAND being about people not subverting the system by pitching in to make the world a better place and also being barred from the utopia - by, again, the system - where they can make that happen… Yeah, it’s very clear that Bird’s movies are just him venting about his own hangups via fantastical concepts, not trying to espouse some sort of Ayn Randian ideology. How the hell do you get “if you’re naturally talented, you should hoard those gifts from the rest of society” out of THAT?
I think that’s what it is, and that’s what informs the world of THE INCREDIBLES. It’s simply an Earth where superheroes exist, and the system makes them illegal instead of finding other ways to correct accidents that have happened whenever they are around. Just outright ban them from doing what they do, instead. I mean, governments in real life ban all kinds of people for various reasons, strip away their rights, dehumanize them, criminalize them, etc… Sometimes mere circumstances, such as poverty, are viewed as personal failure and inherently criminal. There’s a level of relatability with superheroes for some people because of that. The late Kevin Conroy, for example, used his role as Batman in the 1992 animated series an outlet for his struggles as a gay man. X-Men stories, and the early 2000s X-MEN movies, are either interpreted as that or ARE largely about that.
But even then, Bird’s world still posits some interesting questions that it doesn’t fully answer. It’s busier focusing on the characters. This is more an observation, as I’m not trying to dock the original or the second movie any points… I just wonder why, in the sequel, the world the movies are set in was so quick to legalize Supers after everything that has happened. All it took was saving a boat and that was it? Not the defeat of Syndrome’s final Omnidroid? Not the other good deeds before that? I feel like that portion in the final third of the movie was strangely very rushed.
The thing is, before I wrap this up (phew), we only have two canonical movies in this series, and a handful of comedic/gag-based shorts. The world of the INCREDIBLES is wide and ripe for exploring, I’d argue, but Brad Bird’s not getting any younger and he should pursue the projects he really wants to make. Again, RAY GUNN, his Western, his horror movie, his musical, etc. Pixar honored him by not having someone else throw together a second INCREDIBLES sometime in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Like, Disney could’ve forced Pixar to make one without him anyways, but no. They waited. And if there’s a third one to be made, or a prequel set during the “Golden Age”, they’ll likely wait for him to be available and willing to do it. Or if he gives it his blessing and leaves it to another director… Like Pixar did with TOY STORY 4 and INSIDE OUT 2, and almost did with FINDING DORY. I wonder if he was gonna do the same with INCREDIBLES 2, had TOMORROWLAND done great and he went straight for a sequel to that.
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I’d like to see more of that universe, but it needn’t be forced out of the filmmakers at Pixar. Maybe the little we know of it is what kind of stokes our imaginations when it comes to this series? Look at something like STAR WARS now… There’s a ton of movies and shows and expanded universe stuff, which arguably dilutes the magic of its universe... THE INCREDIBLES isn’t that big wide despite the original movie almost being 20 years old. THE INCREDIBLES doesn’t need to be that huge, but I would like to see a little bit more of that world. Maybe another movie - be it INCREDIBLES 3 or a prequel called SUPERS or something - or a Disney+ series, but not the behemoth something like STAR WARS or the MCU have become.
I feel it’s worth playing around in a little bit more. I’m also biased, because I love the movies, particularly the first one.
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the-gateway-to-madness · 1 year ago
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Post-trailer Wish thoughts
… people are saying this style doesn't look at all original for Disney, that they're hopping on the stylization bandwagon badly. But when I first saw the style, that's not what I saw at all. Instead, my immediate first thought was "This world is supposed to be the root of all Disney magic or wishes or something, so they're trying to combine their beloved 2d animation style and their newer CGI style". I don't think it's SUPPOSED to look original. I think it's supposed to look like a sum total of all of Disney.
Plus, people have been gunning for more compelling Disney villains than twist villains. We're seeing a dynamic where the hero starts out charmed by and aligned with the villain, but regardless, he's still the villain all along. And he thinks he's the hero. It's like a slightly more flavorful, developed classic Disney villain. Maybe my standards are super low, but I for one have hopes that this movie will bring out at least the quality of Encanto and the unexpected solidness of Elemental. I don't know if I'll let myself expect better than other recent Disney releases, but I really want this to be a surprisingly beautiful movie with maybe some of that old Disney wit and cleverness. Maybe. I hope.
And hey, at least Alan Tudyk's finally getting a voice role! I'm a Firefly fan and a die-hard lover of Big Hero 6 so he holds a special place in my heart.
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rosejigglypuff76 · 2 months ago
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Hi @rosejigglypuff76. Just came here to ask you... Since Mochi Bunny became immortal, how could this really happen? And also what inspires you to make this Cookie OC?
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Actually stated the reason how Mochi Bunny became immortal, and I also decided to elaborate it from his perspective on this Special Wattpad Chapter 🎀
Mochi Bunny becoming immortal was because he was struck by a magical surge of lightning during a vicious thunderstorm. All of his family members (House Mochi) crumbled after being struck, but since Mochi Bunny was struck by a magical rendition of lightning from the same storm he ended up becoming immortal. 🐰
More specifically his body is physically frozen in time, and thus he can never physically grow up thus making him immortal. Despite that, Mochi Bunny is really close to his family and didn't know what to do after seeing them all perish. He was 14-years old when this happened. 🌟
Stardust eventually finds Mochi Bunny and took him in, seeing the little guy as someone who's just like him in terms of what they have to go through in their lives. 🌙
Mochi Bunny at first didn't want to open up, because he's afraid to lose more cookies that he grew attached to. But as time went on, he started to regain the hope he lost and stays strong for his adoptive father and friends just as much as he's strong for his biological albeit late family. 🎀
The reason why I made Mochi Bunny was mainly because I wanted to make my own Cookie Run OC that's fully original. Since most of my Cookie Run OCs prior were just cookie versions of other characters I like, with me also mentioning who they're based on 🐰
Additionally bunny rabbits are my favorite animals, with pink being my favorite color too! Mochi Bunny's design is inspired by Roy from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, with his personality being inspired by Peter Pan but more specifically in the Disney Original Sequel called Return to Neverland. 🗡️
I decided to make Mochi Bunny Cookie a Super Epic Cookie with the Ambush Class! At the time it was just Clotted Cream, Oyster, and Sherbet as the Super Epic Cookies 🎖️
This made me believe that there will be one Super Epic for each Class in the game, so I made Mochi Bunny an Ambush Class Cookie. I made him Super Epic because I didn't want to make him too powerful, and most Super Epics both before and after creating him have a tragic backstory or story in general 🗡️
Made Mochi Bunny asexual as well because I personally see myself as asexual (or maybe even aroace), plus I didn't have an asexual OC until now. 🖤🤍💜
The moment when Stardust came out as the Ambush Class Super Epic Cookie, that was when I decided to have Stardust and Mochi Bunny have a wholesome Adoptive Father-Son Family Bonding 🌟🐰
I also made my own Wiki Page for Mochi Bunny Cookie in the Cookie Run Kingdom OCs Wiki Fandom, alongside a Google Doc File about him 🎀
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crystal-lillies · 1 year ago
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A Rambling First Thoughts Review + Critique of "Peter Pan and Wendy" (Disney+ 2023 movie) Spoilers ahead.
Okay for being called "Peter Pan and Wendy" I think aside from prequel iterations, this movie had the least bit of connection and bonding between Peter and Wendy that I've ever seen.
Wow okay, not even sure where to begin on the rest of my thoughts but certainly that was the first one. I didn't feel much connection between Peter and Wendy at all, and the story had very little justification for the emotional moments between them it tried to eke out, which is actually very difficult to achieve since the original source material has it baked in that all the adaptations, even the ones that twist the formula, have been able to adapt and grow off of.
Oof and I gotta say the movie rushed the beginning to really crawl through Neverland. I was shocked at how fast it was that they were already going, and it didn't really seem like an urgent event. Just like, oh yeah Peter's just gonna show up at your window and take you to Neverland one day kthxbai. Rather than it being a motivated decision for Wendy to say "I'm growing up tomorrow" (leaving the nursery, going away, etc.) but I don't want to, so I'm going to go and never grow up.
Also sidebar, Wendy my love, being an ass to your brothers is not endearing to your plight and is definitely new for this adaptation which was a Very odd take. And it could be argued by the end...or even the middle...she realizes her responsibility to take care of them and look after them in Neverland but that's a weak sauce character arc for someone who HAS one built in that's just as valid.
A really odd take for them NOT to double cast Jude Law as Mr. Darling and Hook. I actually would have liked to see his take on Mr. Darling. But RIP Mr. Darling had barely a personality at all or anything to do here.
And RIP Nurse Nana. Now you are just a dog with nothing to do, and no reason to be put out in the dog house.
And then Neverland, oh my dear place of literal dreams, what they did to you! Now, I am somewhat a fan of the Home Under the Ground being a castle ruin in this version, that's actually something close to how I've seen Neverland at least once. But it felt very empty, both the Home and the island. It was too...empty. And even though every iteration we know only the pirates, Lost Boys, Peter, the Indians, the fairies, and the mermaids live in and around the island, plus animals, all the other versions haven't felt so barren. Is it because Neverland became one large same-y landmass rather than a place that has mountains and lagoons and tropical forests and literally anything children dream of? Maybe that's part of it. But it's hard to place precisely. It doesn't feel lived in. The castle ruins didn't have beds or a table for meals. It had a neat rope swing and a fireplace yes, but it still just looked visually and felt empty, when a badass castle hideout could be so cool!
And regarding Hook and Peter having a history, having a tragic background. First, I'm not opposed to the friends to enemies take. Saw it done pretty well in the prequel special Neverland, though it was from a Fagin+Snape-like mentor to an orphan Peter who looked up to him, rather than two kids and one who grew up. But again, it may have worked with a different story. I don't think it was the right choice here, or at least it was not properly executed. The voice in my head kept saying, if Hook was a lost boy and Peter's friend and he KNEW where Peter's hideout was all along, then WHY hasn't he tried killing him before? The whole sticking point in the source and other adaptations was that he had NO IDEA where Peter's hideout was, otherwise he would kill him there!
Tiger Lily being a badass is never bad in my book, but once again, her service in the story feels unearned. I don't feel the bond between her and Peter, honestly. She had more of a connection with Wendy (and it caught me off guard how I immediately thought, "okay I would ship that" after their conversation en route to the hideout.) And then her tribe is just sort of there. Without much connection to the island, or to Peter. Tiger Lily calls him "Little Brother," but taking the movie as it is without reference of any other Peter Pan media, it doesn't feel earned from what we are given up to that point. It just feels like Tiger Lily being Peter's deus ex Machina, which really historically has been Tinkerbell, and that made sense given Tink and Peter's shared history and friendship. (Something that's also sadly toned back in this movie as well)
"Peter Pan and Wendy" is not even a poor live action adaptation of a Disney animated movie, it's just... a strange and lackluster adaptation of Peter Pan, which had been done successfully as a Disney animated movie. And I think that feels a bit more disappointing.
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disneytva · 1 year ago
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On the epic series finale, Mickey takes a stroll down memory lane by watching old home movies, but when he accidentally unleashes hundreds of “Steamboat Willie” Mickeys from the film reel, he and the gang must stop them from wreaking havoc on the town with their old cartoon antics.
The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Silly streaming TOMORROW on Disney+
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fandom-anthropology · 2 years ago
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Fandom Dissection: The Owl House
Warning: This post will contain spoilers for The Owl House
The Basics:
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The Owl House is a Disney Channel cartoon that began airing in 2020, and just recently finished.
The story follows Luz Noceda, a human girl obsessed with magic who discovers a portal to The Demon Realm. There she meets Eda The Owl Lady, a wild witch as well as someone hiding from The Emperor’s Coven. She also meets King, the adorable self proclaimed “King of Demons”. Luz decides to stay in The Demon Realm so she can learn magic.
The show became immensely popular for various reasons. These include the characters, writing, animation, music, world-building and LGBT representation. However, these things do not solely build a fandom. So let’s apply my Six Elements to this show.
1. Recognizable Art style/Aesthetic:
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The Owl House has a very recognizable aesthetic, very much playing into the fantasy genre while also having it’s own spin. It is more monstrous and macabre then your average fantasy school story but that’s part of the charm. And despite that, the imagery and backgrounds are surprisingly gorgeous.
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In regards to character designs, many of the residents of The Demon Realm look like normal humans, save for the pointy ears. However some characters like Boscha inexplicably have more monstrous features. This makes the options for oc designs pretty expansive.
2. Faction System:
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The Owl House has its own Faction System, that being The Covens. These nine forms of magic are a major element of the shows world building. The nine types of magic are: Abomination, Bard, Beast Keeping, Construction, Healing, Illusion, Oracle, Plant and Potions. Despite the coven system being criticized in the show, I often see fans associate themselves with one or multiple of the nine types of magic. The system is very much built to use as a jumping off point for a self insert or sona. This system also is interesting from a world building perspective.
3. World Building:
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Speaking of world building, The Owl House has quite a bit of interesting world building. The Boiling Isles is a world that many people are fascinated with. The world is fascinating and filled with mysteries. The rules are set up and correlate with the story in an interesting way. The world and characters are also fit for many different types of AUs. Wholesome AUs, angsty AUs, or both.
4. Theories and Headcanons:
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Like many modern cartoons, The Owl House had a strong theory following. It set up interesting mysteries about the lore of The Boiling Isles, Hunter’s Origins, Belos’s plan and The Collector as a whole. All of which were heavily speculated on in the fandom. The series is also perfect for headcanons. The characters are so expansive and likable, and due to many plot threads being cut by the shortened series, there’s room for fanon to step in where canon was unable to be fully developed.
5. Shipping:
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Many people jumped on this show as a result of the viral news of Luz being canonically Bi, Amity being canonically a lesbian, and the possibility that they might get together being revealed near the end of Season One. This was when the show really became well known. And as such, Lumity (Luz X Amity) became the most talked about element of the show.
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However there are other ships that heavily impact the fandom. The two big ones being Raeda (Raine X Eda) and Huntlow (Hunter X Willow), sometimes called Winter.
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These three ships make up the bulk of shipping content for The Owl House, however some rarepairs exist like Alador X Darius. 6. Tumblr Sexyman:
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Speaking of Alador and Darius, they are the two who fit the tumblr sexyman mold the best. However there are also similar followings for Raine and Eda.
Conclusion:
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In conclusion, The Owl House is a very special show. It is unlikely we will ever see a show like it again. Despite how much it was screwed over by Disney, the show managed to have a pretty satisfying finale. Plus it made huge steps in representation, with canonical same-gender couples, non-binary characters and even an aroace character. It was dark but funny, sweet but heartwrenching, it was truly something special. It makes sense why it gained such a massive following.
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journalforamerica · 11 months ago
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Encanto
I chose Encanto which is a relatively new movie musical following 15-year-old Mirabel Madrigal and her family in a Colombian village. The Madrigal family possesses unique magical abilities, sometimes they help the village. For example, Mirabel's mother Julieta has the ability to heal people with food. However, Mirabel is not given a gift, instead she has to watch as all her family has special powers, while she just "gets in the way". Additionally, her Abuela doesn't seem to care for Mirabel since learning she won't possess a gift.
At the beginning of the semester, we took a look at Suken and Cartwright's work, "Practices of Looking An Introduction to Visual Culture" which explored how pieces of art, specifically photography can be looked at through various lenses. Additionally the goal was to understand photographic terms like "framing" and "focus". I feel this movie highlights many of those terms, starting with representation (Sturken & Cartwright, 2017). More importantly, the ideas that are represented throughout this two-hour movie like cultural and ethnic identities.
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For starters, there is a direct relationship between how the family is portrayed and the way Colombian families live. It is somewhat commonly known that in many cultures, Colombia included, many homes include multigenerational families. The movie showcases this same idea when Julieta and her sister, Pepa, choose to raise their own families in the same house as their mother, Abuela Alma.
Additionally, their cultural identity can be exhibited by the artwork, the decorations, and the music. Encanto can be described as movie-musical because it incorporates a story with music to express what simple dialogue cannot. It was very important to the writers and music producers that this movie was relevant to Colombian history and the soundtrack even includes two successful and famous Colombian singers. Lin Manuel Miranda wrote eight original songs for this movie and with each one, he was trying to encompass all of Colombia: the traditions, the culture, and the specific music style (DisneyMusicVEVO, 2021a). The ties that this movie has to the authenticity of Colombian culture is one of the many reasons why this Disney movie was a major success.
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Although this show was animated, the term "focus" fits nicely into the style that the movie was filmed in. In many shots, the focus brought to life many of the background characters. For example, Mirabel's older sister Isabela is considered the golden child. She's always perfect and is always living up to the standards that are set for her. In one of the musical numbers, the focus turns to Isabella with Mirabel in the background looking annoyed. Isabela being the focal point explores an unspoken hatred that Mirabel has for her sister, knowing she will never be like her. On the other hand, it indirectly depicts Isabella's unhappiness of being the perfect child. Therefore this use of focal points give the audience the ability to "read between the lines" and see characters from many perspectives.
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Lastly, as I stated earlier, there is a lot of authenticity added to the movie. The behind-the-scenes is even cooler. The movie producers and writers wanted the show to be as authentic as possible that they even traveled to Colombia for a bit of time to understand the culture. Isabela had the gift of flowers, so while reading this book on Encanto I learned that they even researched the different types of Colombian flowers to add to the movie. The architecture that was drawn was inspired by real Colombian architecture. Plus, the idea of "familia" came from the Latinx employees at Walt Disney (Disney, 2021).
This movie shows the essence of what the Disney family hopes to inspire. Culture is very unique and personal. Disney used their knowledge, and acquired new knowledge, to ensure their movie hit home with all types of audience members. If it wasn't directly related to a child's culture, it taught them about the culture and vice versa. I believe this movie is a great representation of this course. Cultural identity is crucial to understand and for a child-friendly brand like Disney to explore culture other than Americanized versions of it, means they're focus is on pursuing change and encouraging diversity. Which is exactly what this class was about.
Citations:
Sturken, M., & Cartwright, L. (2017). Practices of looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. Oxford University Press, USA.
Disney. (2021). Art of Encanto.
The art of Encanto. (n.d.). https://disney-studios-awards.s3.amazonaws.com/encanto/books/flipJSi56TV4ke/index.html
DisneyMusicVEVO. (2021, December 17). Carlos Vives - Colombia, Mi Encanto (From “Encanto”) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOL2KS5BgM0
https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/encanto-at-the-hollywood-bowl/7CUSfUjGHZW3
DisneyMusicVEVO. (2021a, December 2). The music of Encanto [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46eAjHm77_Q
DisneyMusicVEVO. (2022, January 14). Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz - What else can I do? (From “Encanto”) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBeZSuHI4Qc
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pixie-skull · 1 year ago
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Ten Characters * Ten Fandoms * Ten Tags
Before I list the most impactful fandoms in my list, a huge shoutout and thank you too @confettipetticoats for tagging me. =D Please go watch her (Non)-Disney crossovers on Youtube as she both so talented and such an awesome pal of mine. :D So I am ranking from 10 to 0 as why not my list, so why not include zero. >:D I tried to choose fandoms I can say I am still a part of, yet not just like, but either been a fan for a long time or the given product means a lot to me.
10. Universal Studios Monsters: Now this a confusing entry as I am not someone who seen all the monster movies, but the impact and the handful of films I have seen from original to remakes, I am a huge fan of. I mean if it was not for my special interest in Mythology as is, this fandom adds to it. Does not hurt most of the bigger or well known monsters have roots in Victorian gothic literature. Favorite monster is hard, as all of them are fun their own way, but I guess my inner psychologist would choose Wolfman/Werewolf.
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9. The Simpsons: Yes I agree it dragging on but still one of few shows that my full family and I bonded over, next to select shows that some family members all liked (Bones was very close to being on this list, but I never finished it). It along with other animated shows plus movies made me really want to consider voice acting for a future job. As well, I am not sure why Lisa not featured in the gif below. XD Favorite character though is Apu, plus in the video games, The Simpsons: Hit& Run and The Simpsons: Road Rage.
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8. The Addams Family: I only watch the 90's movies and plan watch the original show and animated movies too, but from what I can tell of this fandom, very creepy, spooky, and kooky . XD Sorry too obvious to reference. Favorite characters are tied for the love birds (or bats would that be more in character) Morticia and Gomez. I try to avoid looking up to other people's relationships as everyone is so different, but I can deny these two are what I hope for in a relationship. If not that at least, I adore the just what the two stand for in a couple that is rarely depicted, friends and lovers, who do not settle and hate each other. Sorry but so many relationships especially parents seem to hate each other but stay nice for wanting a family. At a young age this trope I hated.
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7. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Such a great show, from world building, character arches, animation, voice acting, and much more. I rarely find myself wishing if I could voice act in something, but this a show that and overall franchise I would be so happy to be a part of. Plus Aang such a well done character and often I do not relate to a character's personality as much I had with him. If from his trying to best to see in others but grows to be selective of who to open up to, being seen as both so young but an old Soul, awkward but willing to laugh at himself, and wants to hear a different point of view or at least learn more of life are few of other traits I can relate to in him. That being said I also can relate to Iroh for similar but in his own way, traits prior. He the supportive, fun, but heartfelt uncle I hope I can be. Yes I am tied between Aang and Iroh. XD
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6. Owl House: Yes, a newer product on my list, but can anyone blame me? XD I am still so sad it was short as was, but hopefully come back. It had so much to offer, my newest comfort character is Eda and I am so picky of my comfort characters*, but dang this show you can tell had so much thought and carefully planned, and more. Eda the character I like most from the show too. Yes my biggest ship if Eda x Raine :P .
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5. Hellboy: I need to read more these comics, as the movies ugh such a great twist of fantasy, a hero who really wants to do the right thing, but you do not blame him for feeling outcasted by those he protects, and more. Bonus introduced me to my current favorite director, Guillermo del Toro. As well one of my favorite hero quotes of all time. However favorite character goes, Red/H-e-l-lboy.
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4. X-Men: I know the movies' timeline is all over the place, the X-Men Evolution Wolverine seems so hated (even though a guilty pleasure of mine), the first two are the best in the full series along a few standouts, but dang it this movie series was and still holds so much meaning to me. I mean the not so subtle message of being yourself and use what makes you different as a power felt even more powerful as when younger I was diagnosed with ASD in elementary school and only found by high school from being told, but prior I felt like a mutant, like I felt so pity (yes I had former friends who only became pals because pity), teased for things like special interests, and more, but these movies made me felt there was at least somewhat others like me. Lastly, for a kid, I respect the beliefs of the leader of the "good" and "bad" were so complex, as simple narratives on morality felt so demeaning as a kid. I mean as I get older (@little-bloodied-angel and I talked about this recently) I really consider Magneto one of the best 'villains' I have watched and read (I need read more comics in general). Bonus this franchise seems so awesome the earlier films had so many people who are in the LGBTQ Community: Anna Paquin (bi woman), Ian McKellen (gay man), Elliot Page (trans man), Alan Cumming (bi man). To be fair the Mutants being a metaphor for those wanting more civil rights or equal rights is well known. Favorite character goes, of late again Magento again just the appeal he more complex and even though violence if can be avoided please do that.
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3. 90's Sailor Moon: I am aware such a case of nostalgia goggles on tightly, as I have heard the recent new version more closer to the manga. However the 90's one felt so more fleshed out and bonus the titular character herself one of FEW characters I have ever related to as a kid that was not just comedic relief or a side character. XD Yes I related the awkwardness of Thief from The Thief and the Cobbler, Flower from Bambi (if anything as a trans guy it feels so telling I wanted to liked a guy character who just happens to be comfortable being mistaken as a girl XD). Bonus one of my friends who sees me as found family, we bonded over adoring the 90's version. Favorite character the "protector of love and justice" herself.
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2. Disney, mostly the villains fandom: I do adore the heroes/heroines, yet the campy nature of the former hand-drawn villains so great. As well, yes I am not sorry I have a shirt with this design below. >:D In regards which one is my favorite, Maleficent.
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1. The Last Unicorn: The animated feature and the book (to be fair I have the graphic novel) both hold such introduction to Mythology for me and the writing (Peter S. Begeal I hope read more of his work) so similar to J.R.R.Tolkien in ways, that it also helped me love the fantasy genre too. Plus the sequel Two Hearts is not required reading but it does add more too. Favorite character is maybe a surprise Schmendrick. I just appreciate his confidence and overall character arch most of the main cast.
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0. The Lord of the Rings: Besides the 2001-2003 live action movies, the extended cut too, the books, and the animated movies, this franchise I can not explain enough the impact it has had on me since as far I can remember. As well yes, The Hobbit book, films (including animated movie too) are worth their thanks too. Now in regards of The Rings of Power show on Amazon, I am unsure to watch, yet that is if The Hobbit is a C at best, I worry what that show is at best. Favorite character is so hard to say, but if I had to really choose Pippin (fun fact met the actor Billy Boyd at a comicon once) as he most audience surrogate I had related to growing up.
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*= My other comfort characters: Eda and King
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Thief:
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Psyduck
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Cubone
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Flower:
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I am curious of what: @little-bloodied-angel @impossiblepeggy @airasora @geebs96 @0chaotic-queer0 @thenamelessdoll @jujubee-edits @theevilsquirrelqueen @animagix101and @wardisahi would say are themes in my choices. Plus, your ten fandoms and ten characters you peeps like. Also was unsure mythology counted as a fandom, as if it does that definitely my biggest favorite fandom.
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greenlikethesea · 2 years ago
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Cactus! Chia! Edelweiss!
BLORBINIIIIIIIII! always with the funky fresh and fancy-free options :D
cactus ⇢ something you’re currently learning (about)?
i've been wracking my brain like "what AM i learning about???" until it occurred to me that i've been neck deep in making sure the spanish i include in the jargyle is mexican-dialect accurate, after a lovely commenter pointed out that i used a phrase of Spain Spanish instead of Mexican Spanish, the former of which i learned in school. i'm also learning about what working for disney animation was like in the 1970s and early 1980s (long story short: it was a weird fuckin time for the animation department lmao, but robin hood was also made in 1973, so a win for the tech industry i guess) for backstory about argyle's family life before he moved to lenora that might not even make it into the story. the things i do!!!!! but i'm having so much fun.
chia ⇢ what’s an inside joke you have with someone else?
you and i alone have SO MANY. several of the nicknames you and i call each other are inside jokes that have mutated so much that the original meaning is, while not lost to time, a whisper of a memory, the lacroix of etymological derivation -- for example, glory bee seeming like a regular thing to call a person in my brain, somehow. but, i mean, god forbid women and skrunkly bois do anything. (plus many more that involve our actual real lives and i'm not willing to divulge in that way! sorry y'all!)
edelweiss ⇢ how’d you think of your url/username? what’s it associated with to you?
*cracks knuckles* *delicately lifts framed master's degree off the wall and blows dust off it*
my username is from frank o'hara's poem mayakovsky, a poem which used to be my favorite of all time, and still holds a very special place in my heart. here's a link to the whole thing here, but here's the stanza this line comes from:
3. That’s funny! there’s blood on my chest oh yes, I’ve been carrying bricks what a funny place to rupture! and now it is raining on the ailanthus as I step out onto the window ledge the tracks below me are smoky and glistening with a passion for running I leap into the leaves, green like the sea
this poem means a lot of things for me, but this section in particular is about the folly of single-minded approach, how one can forget to take it all in when focused so acutely on one thing, or person, or objective. the notation of environment without actually experiencing it. the fog of every day living. i just love the rhythm of that phrase too, the scansion, and and how o'hara is right -- the ocean never really has been blue, has it? what else have you been taking as fact without actually examining it?
this fun and lovely ask game!
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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 6 months ago
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Caught up on MONSTERS AT WORK...
*spoilers ahead*
This is an interesting show in that it's a Disney TV Animation production, and Pixar had a *lot* of involvement in it. Rumor had it, years ago, that Pixar halted the show for a brief bit and took a look at it... Hence it missing its projected 2020 release date and ending up debuting a year later, in July 2021. Other Pixar shows made for Disney+ were in-house Pixar productions, like CARS ON THE ROAD and DUG DAYS. MONSTERS AT WORK is the unique exception, much like BUZZ LIGHTYEAR OF STAR COMMAND.
With Pixar seemingly drifting from Disney+, now that streaming isn't this be-all end-all thing that the movie giants aggressively bet on, I wonder if future shows based on their beloved movies will be made still... And by whom? They themselves? Or Disney TV Animation? It was already something of a surprise when MONSTERS AT WORK was announced in late 2017 as a DTVA production, considering how much John Lasseter supposedly despised BLoSC and how in-house Pixar tends to keep things. Also curiously, this show's second season aired on the Disney Channel first and then dropped on Disney+. Once again showing where the tides are going...
(Also, Disney... Pixar... Where the heck is WIN OR LOSE?)
Season one of MONSTERS AT WORK is this sort-of in-between-quel thing, in that it takes place between Waternoose's arrest and the epilogue of everyone on the Laugh Floor in the original MONSTERS, INC. And ends there, with at least one scene recreated verbatim. I must say, that ICON studio really did a fantastic job making a show that looks like the original movie and doesn't look noticeable cheaper. Amazing to think that the original movie released in 2001 cost $115m and was *top of the line* in technical terms, and today this Disney+ show looks almost as movie quality...
This new season follows up directly on MONSTERS, INC.'s ending.
And because we're past the first movie now - which is going to be 23 this year, it was pretty cool to see the sort-of mundane stuff going on in the company and around Monstropolis. Softball games and old abandoned hallways and fun stuff like that, I also like how it integrated all the stuff established in MONSTERS UNIVERSITY. Worthington returning alongside Chet, Claire and a few others, plus Fear Co. finally being shown. Good stuff!
Season two kinda does this thing where it's still trying to be the OFFICE-style workplace comedy that the first season was, but also functioning as a big sequel to MONSTERS, INC. Pixar bypassed doing a sequel to MONSTERS, INC. by giving us a prequel instead, so it was definitely kinda weird seeing this show function - in its second season - as a sequel of sorts. A big conspiracy with Fear Co., Randall Boggs returning, some pretty high stakes too. A near-finale fallout for the two main characters as well. It feels like it's trying to aim for those great beats in both movies, reprising them in that Pixar sequel style, a trick that's quite noticeable from a mile away. Right down to Tylor scaring a kid in the same way Sulley accidentally did to Boo. Still, it was cool to see some worldbuilding there, and the characters just simply existing. Day by day in Monstropolis. I'd love to see more shows like that w/ big animated movie characters, honestly. Even if I wasn't entirely onboard some aspects of this show, it was still cool to spend time in that world again without it having to be a big sequel.
As a kid, watching MONSTERS, INC. on DVD multiple times and burying myself in the second disc's special features, I always wanted to see more of the Monster World. Outside of Monstropolis, outside of MU, etc. What other cities and towns are out there? Or other kinds of monsters for that matter? What's the wilderness like?
I feel like that's a world you can really, really explore. A lot of the early concept art for that movie suggested something even weirder and gnarlier. Like, where are all the monsters like these?
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You kinda get that with "The Shrieker", the legendary monster that roams the archaic underbellies of the factory. I'd like to see more of that kinda stuff, Monster World history and lore, ya know? It's literally a goldmine of stuff to dig into.
But I suppose you can weave a ton of things out of unmade versions of Pixar movies, for sure.
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I was always very curious about that one treatment done up in the late '90s where Boo - called by her real name, Mary - was a little bit older and Sulley was still named Johnson, where the premise is him hiding this kid for the whole runtime and then her getting lost in the city at one point. That had a somewhat eerie, more ominous mood, almost a completely different movie from the workplace comedy we ended up getting.
But it was the stuff like that on the DVD bonus features that stoked my imagination circa late 2002, and... Well... Nothing Monsters came about - in terms of screen media, not theme park stuff - until MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, 11 years and one cancelled Disney Circle 7 sequel later. The Circle 7 sequel that was being developed around 2004-05 had some potential, I think, but I don't know ideas from it can legally be integrated into a future Monster World project. You can kinda sense - as others have pointed out - that young Mike and Sulley getting lost in the human world in MONSTERS UNIVERSITY's 3rd act seems to echo the plot of Circle 7 MONSTERS, INC. 2.
I still wonder if Pixar will greenlight an actual sequel (which would easily make a massive billion, probably completely blow MU's great $730m+ take out of the water), and if it'll treat MONSTERS AT WORK as canon or not. But this second season certainly went big, bringing back characters from both movies and attempting all these big payoffs. I found it to be amusing at best, sometimes good even. I felt the first season locked together better, but this one - despite how I felt about some of the character dynamics - tried all the stuff, so that's cool. And it got me thinking of the Pixar monster movies again, so that's also neat.
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