Storyboard:

The first star character from Ub Iwerks’ own studio faces numerous challenges in the country and the city, as he makes his way through the Depression years.

The Sweatbox Review:

My initial exposure to Flip the Frog came in late 1993, via my first purchase from the Whole Toon Catalog. (That would be mail order, kids.) I was enjoying my time living away from home after university, and was starting to enthusiastically indulge my love of animation in any way that I could. Somehow, I had discovered the wonderful, stupendous, revelatory Whole Toon Catalog, stuffed full of an amazing array of books and videos about cartoons. It was through the WTC that I found Leonard Maltin’s landmark book Of Mice And Men, which I devoured; that book had a short but illuminating chapter on the Ub Iwerks studio. The Catalog also introduced me to Bosko Video, who made VHS tapes of vintage animated cartoons. From the Catalog, I purchased Bosko’s tapes of the Fleischer Superman cartoons, as well as Van Beuren’s The Little King, Tom and Jerry (what, a couple of humans?!?), and Cubby Bear – man, what discoveries these all were! And, at the beginning of those tapes played an advertisement for more Bosko tapes, featuring a cartoon “star” that I had never heard of, a piano-playing amphibian named Flip the Frog! I was intrigued. I didn’t actually order the Flip tapes done by Bosko (sorry!), as I instead chose to go with the Cartoons That Time Forgot series of tapes (later upgraded to laserdisc and DVD); one volume of that series was entitled, Down And Out With Flip The Frog. Back then, any rare cartoons were thrilling to see, and I greatly enjoyed meeting that little froggy and seeing what he was all about. Years later, it is with great satisfaction that I now own a high-definition set of the complete Flip series, thanks to Thunderbean – that little operation based out of Michigan and run by cartoon mensch Steve Stanchfield.

But who is Flip the Frog? Forgive me if you’ve heard this before, but… in some ways, it all started with a mouse…

Mickey Mouse became an immediate sensation in 1928 with the release of Steamboat Willie. Producer Walt Disney was given much of the applause, but right from the beginning, another man was credited on the title card, in letters just as big as those in Walt’s name. That card read, “A Walt Disney Comic by Ub Iwerks.” Ub was a colleague of Walt’s from Kansas City, and he was Disney’s main animator on the early Mickey Mouse cartoons, as well as the Silly Symphonies series. Ub stayed with Disney’s California company for six years, beginning in 1924, and was therefore witness to all the highs and lows of Walt’s first few years in Hollywood. Ub was amazingly fast, doing hundreds of drawings per day. Legend has it that he animated Mickey Mouse’s first produced cartoon, Plane Crazy, all by himself in just two weeks. Other animators considered him a genius, not just for his speed, but also for his innate sense of movement and perspective. He was obviously a highly valued member of the Disney staff.

However, Walt and Ub did have disagreements, and that may have led to Ub accepting a 1930 offer from Walt’s own distributor, Pat Powers, to finance a studio to be run by Ub. Iwerks was the same age as Walt; amazingly, considering what they had each accomplished already, they were only 28 years old in 1930. At that tender age, following somewhat in Walt’s mighty footsteps, Ub put together a studio, hiring artists who answered a newspaper ad. He designed a new character, Flip the Frog. The initial design was indeed frog-like, with gangly limbs and webbed toes, and a head that melted into his chest. Iwerks made a pilot film called Fiddlesticks, using a double separation negative method called Harriscolor, a 1929 invention of one J.B. Harris, Jr. That color format never evolved past the experimental stage, so it is fascinating to see that first Flip cartoon now, and understand that this was a rare use of an early color system. (Notably, the first Disney color short was Flowers And Trees, which was made – with great publicity – two years later.)

Fiddlesticks and the next few shorts were initially distributed by Powers’ own company, Celebrity Productions. Fiddlesticks showed off exacting synchronization of sound and picture, using the system that Ub had largely developed himself while working with Disney. Fiddlesticks did not have much of a story, though, simply showing Flip among other denizens of the outdoors, dancing and frolicking about in a woodland environment. He does a jig to the tune of Sailor’s Hornpipe, which would soon also appear in numerous Popeye cartoons. Flip plays piano as well, accompanied on violin by a mouse that undoubtedly reminds one of Mickey, though in a skirt rather than shorts. (The skirt is red, too, though Mickey was still appearing in monochrome in his own cartoons at that time.)

The next few Flip shorts were also done in color, according to this set’s liner notes, but Fiddlesticks is the only one to survive in color. The next short was Flying Fists, a boxing cartoon. Then, in Little Orphan Willie, in which Flip adopts a baby mouse, Flip began his metamorphosis, gaining gloves, shorts, and shoes – familiar attire for certain cartoon characters of the day. After that came Puddle Pranks, where Carl Stalling gave Flip a theme song that accompanied each of his cartoons from then on. It was during production of this cartoon that a deal was being worked out with MGM, so Puddle Pranks exists with title cards for both Celebrity Productions, Inc. and MGM. Both versions appear on the disc. Ironically, MGM never released Puddle Pranks, and that cartoon had to wait for Powers to release the Celebrity version once the MGM deal was over.

Thus, it was after a few shorts were produced that Powers was able to sell the package to MGM, becoming that revered studio’s first supplier of animated films. The security offered by the MGM contract also meant new hires for the studio. That included another Kansas City colleague, aforementioned music director Carl Stalling; Stalling was hired away from Disney, this being a few years before his long stint at the Leon Schlesinger studio. The studio’s other composer was Scott Bradley, who later did superlative work directly for MGM’s cartoon unit. New artists at Iwerks’ included Grim Natwick, Rudy Zamora, Irv Spece, and Shamus Culhane. Even Chuck Jones had a small role at the studio. The first new Flip cartoon under the MGM deal was The Village Barber, which gained Flip by far his biggest exposure yet. Fortunately, it is a cartoon with strong gags, as Flip moves from the woods to a city setting, where he manages a barber shop.

At this point, Flip is finally really up and running. His next cartoons have him as a detective investigating a murder, taking on various positions at a restaurant, working as a blacksmith, and then as a dentist, before wooing his feline girlfriend in Ragtime Romeo. The cartoons still basically follow the “music & gags” model, like many cartoons of the day, but they do contain many technical flourishes (e.g. an animated sidewalk moving in perspective, lighting tricks, etc.) to support the bare narratives.

MGM encouraged Powers to ask Iwerks to make Flip more anthropomorphic, to add to his relatability. Thus, Flip eventually got a rounded head and more human proportions. His new look evolved over time, but is largely seen by the time of The New Car. Flip is more visually appealing by this point, though he remained in search of a distinguishable personality. The cartoons were still largely devoid of speaking, with occasional exceptions. When Flip did speak, he originally spoke with a falsetto reminiscent of Mickey Mouse. When he sang, however, such as in the cartoon openings, his voice was somewhat deeper. He sometimes lost the falsetto in the stories, but his voice remained inconsistent and nondescript. In the absence of a memorable voice like Donald Duck or Goofy, Flip’s personality was stifled. It’s perplexing, given all the other attention paid to sound in these cartoons. Still, the shorts had their good points. Stormy Seas followed, with lovely effects animation, and a wonderful Neptune animated by Grim Natwick.

However, the cartoons continued to squander good story ideas by failing to give us a character to root for. As Flip breaks into a film studio, fails as a plumber, hunts in Africa (beware some racist caricatures in this one!), encounters Spooks, and works as a firefighter and a milkman, we do get entertained by the increasingly polished visuals, well-realized gags, and zippy music; but the cartoons just don’t quite ascend to the next step of excellence relative to what audiences were seeing from Disney and Fleischer, and soon would see from Warner Bros. and Universal.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed every minute of watching these cartoons, and things got even better when moving on to the second disc. Here, the cartoons grow up, perhaps reflecting more the personalities and concerns of the crew that had moved to the studio from New York. The cartoons get a slightly harder edge, gain social consciousness, and become more reflective of Depression-era society. What A Life, for example, sees Flip and his young friend scrimping for change and struggling to get fed. However, audiences didn’t have to worry about the cartoons staying too serious, as evidenced by the cute dog vs. dogcatcher story in the following cartoon, Puppy Love. This cartoon also comes in an alternate European version, with changed music and dialog, which is also included on the disc.

Flip was picking up a bit of a recurring cast by this point. His girlfriend had evolved from a fellow frog to a dog (and soon a human), and his stories had gained a horse, a dog, a little boy, and an “old maid” character. This broadened things out, though unfortunately the issue of lacking personalities remained, aside from someone being happy or cranky or in love.

After a couple of cartoons where Flip was portrayed as being younger, he grew up enough to be hired as The Office Boy, a short that also featured a curvy secretary who had trouble keeping her clothes intact, making this (and the next one) the raciest of the Flips. There are more Natwick-animated lovely ladies in Room Runners, which sees Flip trying to get out of his hotel bill. The pre-Code nature of these cartoons is in further evidence in Circus; what could have been a pretty standard cartoon gets some spice with a sequence in which the old maid gets, um, felt by both Flip and a pickpocket, not all of which is unpleasing to her. A few seconds of this sequence were originally cut from prints, but that footage was found and is restored here – in slightly lesser quality from the rest of the cartoon. A football cartoon follows, then the rather amorous old maid returns for the fun western spoof The Pony Express.

Flip reverts to boyhood in The Music Lesson, then becomes a babysitter in Nurse Maid, before we get to one of his more well-known and unique cartoons: Funny Face. Here, Flip sees a plastic surgeon to help him look more human, and therefore attract the affections of a girl. The disc contains two versions of this cartoon, with different versions of the girl. One version is designed to have greater similarity to Betty Boop, whom Natwick worked on in the Fleischer cartoons. Next up is the Arabian adventure Coo-Coo The Magician, complete with harem girls. It is in this cartoon that the new Flip design is finally incorporated in the opening of the short, with Flip singing at the piano.

The last few cartoons see Flip once again working in a kitchen, inventing a robot to cut his grass, becoming a bullfighter in a truly looney bullring, returning to being a cop (with more racial imagery abounding in A Chinaman’s Chance), and trying his luck as a pioneer, only to face warring native Americans in Pale Face (naturally, some may also find those depictions somewhat unfortunate, to say the least). In terms of all those racial caricatures, let us keep in mind that they were common in cartoons back then; that does not excuse them, but it does put them in context with the times. Warnings about this appear at the back of the booklet and at the beginning of the discs.

Racial caricatures aside, Flip was picking up steam… just in time for his cartoon series to get cancelled! But there was one more short to go, and it is certainly my favorite: The Soda Squirt. When I first saw that Flip ad at the beginning of those Bokso Video tapes, that ad heavily featured The Soda Squirt and its music. I love The Soda Squirt, though, for more than sentimental reasons. The short also features several wonderful celebrity caricatures, including the Marx Brothers and Mae West, all attending his drug store soda shop. The short has some great synchronized movement, set to the best music score of the series. Flip would be done after this cartoon, but he went out with a bang. Given that trajectory, it is a shame that it was decided that Flip had had his chance already.

Despite all the talent at the Iwerks studio, Flip never really took off. A respectable 38 shorts were produced, and there was certainly a fine promotional push for them, but neither MGM or theatre crowds were excited about them. The conventional line is that the Flip cartoons had nothing new to offer. He was simply an “everyfrog”, doing everyday things (more or less), in a not particularly clever or amusing way. And even when the cartoons had moments of brilliant animation or effects, and even occasionally a more gripping or entertaining storyline, the characterization fell short. However, the Flip shorts do certainly have a charm to them, even if that is now enhanced by the “retro” appreciation of all that rubber-hosed, bouncy, black and white animation. As one views this two-disc set, it can be seen that, as the series progressed, the shorts became better realized and more polished. Boring farmyard or nature-based antics gave way to more urban adventures, and other genres were explored. The storytelling got stronger, and the gags funnier. Yet, they never fully competed with Disney or Fleischer. Over at the Schlesinger studio, they were just warming up, as they introduced Porky Pig in 1936, and went on to develop an amazing cast of characters, each with well-defined personalities and voices. The Iwerks studio never got there. Ub was a genius in many ways, but he didn’t have the same storytelling spark, or the same knack for shaping characters into commercial hits, as his friend Walt.

Flip only lasted a few years before giving way to Willie Whopper in 1933. Willie was a chubby kid who told tall tales, opening up the storytelling to be more fanciful. (Thunderbean has produced a restored collection of those shorts, as well, released a few years ago.) Willie lasted about a year with MGM. Ub also did a Cinecolor series called Comicolor Cartoons, which were distributed by Powers himself, as MGM had no involvement. The Comicolors were the most striking cartoons to come out of the Iwerks shop yet, but they continued to use bland characters and largely humdrum storytelling. By 1936, the studio ran out of steam and closed.

After the studio shut down, both Iwerks and Stalling went to work for Leon Schlesinger. While Stalling stayed on for a legendary career scoring Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, Iwerks had only a brief stint doing a couple of Porky Pig cartoons for Schlesinger. Iwerks then went to Columbia Pictures’ Screen Gems to direct Color Rhapsody shorts, before returning to Disney in 1940. This time, however, he focused his genius on the technical side, creating special visual effects and doing some remarkable inventing. His work in combining live action and animation, pioneering Xerography, and as an early theme park Imagineer made him an extraordinarily valuable Disney employee once again. His career there lasted decades, and was legendary.

Thunderbean, in association with Blackhawk Films and Film Preservation Associates (owned by the late David Shepard, who passed away during the production of this set), has done fans and animation history a great service. This set was in the works for several years, facing numerous challenges – including the global pandemic, which shut down film archives for a while. Nevertheless, the best possible elements were eventually gathered to produce this set, and the cartoons were painstakingly restored. This complete set of Flip the Frog cartoons is a supreme achievement for Thunderbean, and is – more importantly – a fitting tribute to the talents and genius of Ub Iwerks.

Is This Thing Loaded?

The cartoons appear on two discs, and each disc is loaded with superb bonus content.

Disc One
When these discs were being produced, there was a long wait at the end for a mysterious final piece. Fans were assured online that this piece would be essential, and later it was hinted that it had something to do with the Iwerks family. After several months of waiting, that piece turned out to be a Leslie Iwerks Introduction (2:21), a most welcome appreciation by the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks. Ms. Iwerks, a filmmaker herself, discusses the legacy of Ub, and sets the stage for our historical and creative appreciation of these films.

The Audio Commentary Tracks number twelve on disc one, and six on Disc Two, by such experts as David Gerstein, Devon Baxter, Thad Komorowski, J.B. Kaufman. Mark Kausler, Leonard Maltin, Jerry Beck, Thunderbean head man Steve Stanchfield, and others.

The Fire Fire Reconstructed Storyboard Reel (7:02) offers a rare and fascinating glimpse at the development of that short.

The Behind the Scenes Gallery includes character studies, model sheets, story outlines, animation drawings, copyright synopses, and more. Each set of images has clear, written descriptions of what the viewer is seeing. It’s a stellar presentation.

Theatrical Leaders (2:12) is a unique look at pre-title cards from the original 35mm films.

Flip The Frog Annual is a presentation of the original UK hardback book, which had numerous stories of Flip and friends. After describing the origins of the book, the disc allows the reader to select from one of fifteen stories to read. That’s right – Thunderbean didn’t just give us an image of the book’s cover and call it a day; they actually scanned dozens of pages of stories for us to read.

The Frog Songbook brings us numerous original recordings of songs that were later used in the Flip cartoons. Titles include “The Bulldog On The Bank”, “Bull Frog Blues”, “By Heck”, and several more. These recordings date back to the 1910s and 1920s, so their inclusion here is most interesting.

Flip la Grenouille, Le Cine-Concert shows a performance by a musical group that played live music to accompany Flip the Frog films as they toured France in 2016 and beyond. The full cartoon Spooks (8:37) is presented with their accompaniment, along with excerpts from Techno-Cracked (2:53) (this time showing the musicians as well as the cartoon), and a teaser is also presented.

Disc Two
A Publicity and Merchandise Gallery features dozens (or was it hundreds?) of images, including newspaper clippings, exhibitor reviews, trade paper ads, licensed toys and videos, and more. Finally, I got to see the Bosko Video VHS covers!

Foreign Titles (3:43) shows samples of titles used in French, German, and Dutch releases; and Reissue Titles (5:41) shows those from the Pat Powers/Celebrity Productions versions.

The Flip the Frog Coloring Book introduces the book, then provides 58 images from the 32-page edition.

The World of Flip the Frog is a comic book produced by a young David Gerstein in 1986 (years before he worked on official Disney comics), done with the permission of the Iwerks family. Contained in this feature are a comic story, a 30-second animation based on flipbook art by Gerstein (nice job, little Davey!), and excerpts from a live film screening (9:16), introduced by today’s David Gerstein.

Case Study:

The Blu-ray case holds a disc on either side. This set comes with a booklet with extensive liner notes written by animation historian and author J.B. Kaufman, valuably commenting on each cartoon. There are further writings there from Gerstein and Stanchfield, as well as notes on the music in the cartoons by Chris Buchman. My package also had a note inside, offering a replacement disc, due to an issue regarding accessing a couple of the commentary tracks on Disc 2 on some players, though they should be reachable regardless through the Audio button when selecting an individual cartoon. A surprise little thank you card from Flip completes the package.

Ink And Paint:

Years in the making, and worth the wait! The shorts here look the best they have in decades, thanks to meticulous work from the Thunderbean crew. These shorts were never lost, as they appeared on home video all the way back to the Super 8 days of home film collecting. However, they didn’t look then like they look now on Blu-ray. Now, the shorts don’t exactly look like new, of course; some allowance must be given for the age of these films. Taken from original negatives and 35 mm fine grains, these shorts are, after all, over 90 years old. Plus, there are a few seconds here and there where obviously inferior materials had to be used to fill in the gaps. Still, the films are remarkably clean now, with good detail and a stable picture. There is some variation in density, some vertical lines occasionally running through the image, and almost subliminal flicker at times if you look for it. But that is all minor. Those that preordered will have the best opportunity to judge, as preorders also received discs containing the raw scans, but suffice to say that the immense amount of digital restoration has these films looking almost impossibly better.

Note that the actual Blu-ray picture contains the entire frame image from the films, complete with rounded edges. I have cropped my images here.

Scratch Tracks:

The mono sound is very good as well. There is no significant distortion or hiss, allowing no auditory distractions when viewing the films. Note that Soda Squirt has a music and effects track option, as well as an option to play only the music

Final Cut:

This just may forever loom large as Thunderbean’s largest and greatest project. Years in the making (my preorder was dated July 15, 2016!), we now have all 38 Flip the Frog films from the 1930s, encompassing the entire filmography of Ub Iwerks’ own creation, digitally restored using the best available elements, most of which were original negatives. It won’t get better than this for Flip the Frog. He has never been treated so well, and Thunderbean’s assemblage of copious extras makes the set even better. This year is proving to be a great one for vintage animation fans, and certainly for Thunderbean.

Storyboard:

The third volume of George Pal’s uniquely amazing stop motion shorts features over 20 Puppetoon delights, plus several European cel animated films.

The Sweatbox Review:

Ten years after the much-welcomed Blu-ray release of The Puppetoon Movie, and three years after the release of the similarly positively reviewed The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 disc, producer Arnold Leibovit is back to present another collection of George Pal’s wonderful stop motion puppet films. Leibovit has worked with Paramount Studios and various archives in the USA and Europe to gather another twenty-one Puppetoons, plus seven hand-drawn animated works. Pal, of course, was the fantasy film maestro who was later responsible for bringing such classic films as The War Of The Worlds and The Time Machine to the silver screen, but he got his start producing both hand-drawn and puppet animation. His Puppetoons, released in the USA through Paramount Studios in the 1940s, are among cinema’s most unique and well-loved treasures. We live in a privileged time, when so many of these shorts have now been restored in high definition and are available on Blu-ray.

The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3 is not a true movie per se, but rather a collection of shorts, complete with opening and closing titles/credits. This is important to note, since the titles for these films are wonderfully crafted themselves. The disc’s main menu invites the viewer to select from three lists of random films, labelled Puppetoon Films A, B, and C. Each set runs over an hour, and has a selection of Puppetoon films from the USA and earlier ones from Europe, as well as some Pal-produced hand-drawn shorts. There is not much rhyme or reason behind the groupings, particularly given that not all the films are even Puppetoons; but it does offer a pleasingly diverse viewing experience. Personally, I would have stuck with just the Puppetoons in chronological order, and kept the hand-drawn ones to the bonus features; but as each film is individually selectable, the viewer can watch them in whatever order he or she wishes. Each of the three shorts listings also has a Play All function.

A few of the shorts will be recognized from the first Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray’s bonus features. In fact, Together In The Weather was part of the original Puppetoon Movie proper, but now it is fully restored and has its titles/credits. All of the other films that were in High Definition in the bonus section of the first Blu-ray are also now further restored to a higher standard, including the two Dr. Seuss shorts (The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins and And To That That I Saw It On Mulberry Street), The Sky Princess, Rhapsody In Wood, Date With Duke, Jasper And The Beanstalk, and Rhythm In The Ranks.

Incidentally, of the twelve additional cartoons that appeared in only standard definition on The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray (as well as the previous DVD), only Aladdin And The Magic Lamp gets an HD upgrade for Volume 3. (Note that The Ship Of The Ether was on Volume 2.) And in case you’re wondering if all the Puppetoons are now on disc, the answer is “no”. A few of the European shorts understandably remain no-shows, and Jasper has a few of his shorts unfortunately missing as well, partially due to potential controversy. Pal, a European, was not entirely familiar with American “negro” stereotypes, but some of the Jasper films nonetheless harken to what may be considered racist imagery and notions. For this reason, we’ll likely never see Jasper And The Watermelons and its like on Blu-ray.

Details about the Puppetoons and their creator have been mentioned in previous reviews. Suffice to say that these films are absolutely precious, utilizing hundreds of puppet figures to simulate dancing and running, and even squashing and stretching. Special effects, careful lighting, terrific music, and technical wizardry combine to make these films breathtakingly special.

Puppetoons A
The first cartoon listed is Western Daze (1940), which was – appropriately enough – the first to be released by Paramount. American audiences get introduced to Jim Dandy, a happy-go-lucky fellow who falls in love with a rancher’s daughter but gets framed by horse thieves. Another filmmaking legend, Ray Harryhausen, worked on this short, and voice legend Mel Blanc also pitches in.

The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe (1940) is a hand-drawn short that got released that same year in Europe, serving as an advertisement for Rinso soap powder. It may be an ad, but it’s a charming cartoon in its own right. Here, that poor old woman is threatened with eviction when she doesn’t agree to marry her froggy landlord.

The Ballet Of Red Radio Valves (1938) is another hand-drawn short, this time advertising for Philips.

The spirit of the Austrian people brings to life a statue of Johann Strauss, as he uses his musical skills to lead the invading Screwball Army into the river, in Bravo Mr. Strauss (1943).

Hotlip Jasper (1945) sees the Puppetoons regular find himself a trumpet, only to be fancifully brought to Hollywood to star in his own Paramount film, directed by his acquaintance The Scarecrow. Trumpet master Raphael Mendez provides the solo for Flight Of The Bumblebee.

Though Together In The Weather (1946) was also part of the first Puppetoon Movie, its new restoration is quite welcome here. While as folksy and charming as a Puppetoon ever was, it is also a surprisingly racy effort, portraying a perturbed Judy’s efforts to seduce clueless Punchy into becoming her beloved. Punchy’s reactions are reminiscent of the Wolf’s in Tex Avery’s “Wolf and Red” cartoons.

A Fairy Tale About A Melancholic King (1934) is a four-minute Gasparcolor short which was made in France. The story serves as a commercial for margarine.

Jasper’s Music Lesson (1943) is transformed into a lively boogie woogie show-stopper.

Seven Puppetoons were nominated for Oscars, and the first was Rhythm In The Ranks (1941), which sees toy soldier Jan disciplined for dereliction of duty after being distracted by an lovely ice skater, before redeeming himself fighting the Screwball Army.

The next Oscar nominated Puppetoon was also the stronger of the two Dr. Suess shorts, the quite delightful The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins (1943). Poor Bart can’t doff his hat to the king, because another keeps appearing in its place. The king is initially unimpressed by the apparent disrespect, but eventually a satisfactory resolution is reached.

Puppetoons B
The Truck That Flew (1943) may be the weakest cartoon on the set, but it has its moments. This short, based on a book, introduces the dreamer kid Rusty, who has a love of vehicles. Rusty would return in better cartoons over the next couple of years, as seen on the Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 disc.

The Queen Was In The Parlour (1939) is another cel animated ad for Rinso.

Charlie’s World Cruise (1936), also hand-drawn, is a Philips radio ad.

Duke Ellington performs his Perfume Suite in Date With Duke (1947).

The previous set had some wonderful shorts promoting Horlick’s malted milk drink. By now, you should know not to discount the shorts that are ads, as they can be just as innovative and entertaining as the others. On Parade (1936) is the first of the Horlick’s ads, showing how fatigued soldiers can benefit from the famed drink.

The Tool Box (1970) was commissioned by ABC television, two decades after Pal had made his last Puppetoon. It aired on Curiosity Shop, a children’s show intended to compete with PBS’s Sesame Street, though it was short-lived. Chuck Jones served as producer for its 17 episodes.

Jasper And The Beanstalk (1945) naturally derives from the famous fairy tale, and it follows the regular story beats; but here, voice artist Peggy Lee is transformed into the sexiest harp ever captured on film. This one was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Friend In Need (1940) is a three minute hand-drawn short used to help raise money for needy children, commissioned by the Dutch Cinema Association.

My Man Jasper (1945) sees Scarecrow and BlackBird being held accountable for their years of scamming Jasper.

Puppetoons C
The Sky Princess (1941), as mentioned, was another short that was in HD on the first Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray, but I was very happy to find out it was undergoing a fuller restoration, since I find it one of the most beautiful of the Puppetoons, replete with crystalline imagery, a castle in the clouds, and other fairy tale wonder, set to the music of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty Ballet.

The Good Bear And The Bad Bear (1940) is another fun hand-drawn Rinso ad.

Jasper’s Boobytraps (1945) returns to the battle of wits between Jasper and Scarecrow.

Rhapsody In Wood (1947) tells the origin of famed musician Woody Herman’s clarinet, as told by Woody Herman!

World’s Greatest Show (1935) is an extremely rare hand-drawn Philips advertisement.

Jasper’s Derby (1946) sees Jasper encouraging a race horse to win the Kentucky Derby, using his violin.

Aladdin And The Magic Lamp (1939) is a Puppetoon ad for Philips, utilizing the famed tale of a boy and the wishes he can make with his lamp.

And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (1944), is of course the other Dr. Seuss Puppetoon, and this one was also nominated for an Oscar. While not quite as fun as The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins, it is nevertheless full of the whimsy of Seuss, exploring a lad’s ever-more hyperbolic and fanciful description of what he saw on his way home.

Jasper is left behind by Scarecrow, who is attending a jitterbug dance competition in Shoe Shine Jasper (1947). Not to worry, though, as Jasper is granted magic shoes that propel the story into another wonderful musical fantasia.

Is This Thing Loaded?

Sweet Pacific (1947) (1:05) is a Puppetoon ad for Mounds candy bars.

In a Previously Unreleased George Pal Interview (1970) (16:07), Pal discusses his life and inspirations, and looks back on his career. The video is quite good, though its audio has a slight echo to it. It’s great to hear from Pal in his own words, but the most interesting aspect is the film projects he speaks about planning to make, which never materialized, such as a Pal version of Logan’s Run. Logan’s Run was eventually realized by others in 1976 (the year after Pal closed out his career with the disappointing – but still pretty fun if you are in a campy mood – Doc Savage, Man Of Bronze).

The Fantasy Film Worlds Of George Pal (1985) Expanded Interviews (49:07) include those with Ray Harryhausen (over 13 minutes), Ray Bradbury, Gene Roddenberry, Roy E. Disney (eight minutes), Joe Dante, Russ Tamblyn, Wah Chang, and Duke Goldstone.

Another extended interview gets its own listing, as a former Puppetoon head animator and puppet builder discusses the techniques for making of the films in Bob Baker Talks Puppetoons (15:39). Baker was an accomplished puppeteer, who enjoyed a large career in entertainment after working for George Pal.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll note that my name appears in the booklet, as well as the Special Thanks section of the Full Production and Donor Credits (8:16).

Case Study:

The front cover once again features an image of Judy, for the third consecutive volume. While I can appreciate a sense of uniformity, it would have been a nice idea to showcase other Puppetoon characters to better suggest the diversity of the films. Jasper was really the biggest Puppetoon star, but I suppose one can understand being shy about promoting the release using a character who is a racialized caricature, though Jasper is arguably not terribly offensive (I realize and respect that opinions will certainly vary in that regard). The Blu-ray case follows the lead of the menus, oddly listing all films as “Puppetoons”, even the hand-drawn ones. A glance near the bottom of the back cover shows numerous logos, showing how many entities were involved in bringing the films to disc, including Paramount, the British Film institute, ASIFA, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and others.

Notably, the case also holds an attractive 20-page booklet with extensive liner notes about the films and their restoration sources, accompanied by many images.

Ink And Paint:

The source for these films were all either 35mm Technicolor Successive Exposure Negatives, or Imbibition Nitrate Prints. The result is another stunning presentation, full of color and wonder. The Paramount films undoubtedly look the best, offering crisp, vivid imagery, making most of the shorts look brand new – and if a few of the films look less good, it’s only by a half-notch. Seriously, the Puppetoons look almost unbelievably good. The amount of care that went into transferring and restoring these films is admirable.

The European films look quite good as well, but generally cannot match the sharpness of the Hollywood shorts. Gasparcolor in particular will simply not look as great as the Technicolor elements seen on the Hollywood films (notably in the color department), but the same care has been taken in making them look as good as they possibly can.

All of the films look clean, being remarkably devoid of dust or other artefacts. Placing these films on a dual-layer disc has certainly allowed them proper room, and the mastering has them looking totally authentic to the film sources.

Scratch Tracks:

The mono tracks sound generally quite nice. The European films sound just a little more tinny or echo-ey in spots, but their rareness makes it hard to quibble. Meanwhile, the Paramount films sound immaculate, giving a proper presentation for these musical masterpieces.

There are no other language options. Subtitles are offered from the menu, but those are only available for three of the short subjects, though I am not sure which ones.

Final Cut:

I enjoyed this selection of Puppetoons and other shorts immensely. Watching these films makes one remember what one loved about animation in the first place. The skill, creativity, and sense of artistry is inspiring, and they are just plain fun to see. The list price may seem high to some, compared to big studio releases, but there are a whopping twenty-eight short subjects on this dual-layered disc. This was an independent production that relied somewhat on donors to make it happen, and one must keep in mind that proper restorations do not come cheap. The discs that have resulted from these projects are the main source of revenue for these restorations, and as such I’m happy to pay a bit of a premium. After all, one won’t find them on Netflix next week; they are only available on Blu-ray.

Placed next to the previous two volumes of Puppetoons, disc producer Leibovit has now provided fans with a trifecta of awesomeness. Animation fans should welcome this third collection, which is a gift to classic cartoon lovers, and to admirers of George Pal. He couldn’t have asked for a better tribute.

Just last month, I noticed Google was celebrating their 25th anniversary, meaning they were just five years old when we started this site in 2003! Wikipedia was just two years old at that time. Facebook wouldn’t launch until the year after us, YouTube was two years later, and Twitter wouldn’t come on to the scene until our third anniversary.

Now, we’re obviously not on the level of those sites when it comes to readership! But being in the same breath as them when it comes to longevity is amazing to me.

As I like to say every anniversary, we started this site for one reason: we enjoy sharing our love of animation with fellow fans. But let’s be honest. The real reason we’re still here after all these years is because of you, our readers. So thank you all for giving us this opportunity!

To celebrate our 20th, we have a few fun features for you, with a new one going up each day.

• Best Animated Year Poll: On our 10th anniversary we asked you to pick the best year for animation during our existence to date. Now it’s time to vote again, this time for the top annual slate of movies during our second decade.
• Twenty Questions: Get to know more about the AV staff as we each answer twenty questions ranging from our site resume to our favorite movies.

A downside to being able to celebrate another milestone like this one is that we’ve kinda said all we can when it comes to the AV backstory. However, we were able to find another dusty bit of long lost content under some old boxes of studio cease and desist letters and moldy Norm Of The North promotional plush.

• Animated News Weekly Archive: From the first week of our launch in October of 2003 and intermittently over the next six years or so, we had an email newsletter. Sure these messages may not be too useful anymore. But they’re actually kind of fun as a sort of virtual time capsule. So travel back 20 years with us to see how we covered the top stories of the day!

And be sure to take a look back at our previous anniversary features for even more AV history.

• Animated Views: A Retrospective: The people that started it all and bring you Animated Views tell the site’s story in their own words.
• Animated News Logo Archive: Just a week after launching in 2003, we started a tradition that would become a trademark — changing our logo for holidays and film openings. Come take a look back at the over 70 logos that have held the top spot on this site.
• A Pictorial History of Animated Views: Let’s dig through the Animated Views archives! We’ll show you how things used to be and give you a peak behind the scenes at some things never meant for public consumption!
• Animated Movies Database Archive: Take a trip back in time to 2003 and the site that we descended from! Olivier Mouroux’s Animated Movies held a treasure trove of information about past, current, and upcoming films. Now you can explore the database he compiled during its existence, as it last appeared online.
• Animated Views Timeline: Looking back over the years, there were a lot of people, events, and stories that brought us to where we are today. Take a scroll through time with us as we recall some of the milestones and highlights in the website’s history and revisit key posts and images from our past.

I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that we’ve been doing this this long! My son had just turned one month old when AV launched in 2003. Last month he moved to another state on his own and into his first apartment! I’ve watched this place grow up right alongside my children. And while I’m proud to see my kids leave the nest to start their own lives, I’m happy knowing that Animated Views isn’t going anywhere.

And that’s thanks to you. We sincerely appreciate you for continuing to make us part of your web browsing routine. There’s no way we could have made it to twenty years without you!

You see, with roughly a month before the convention, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. With the screen writers pulling out, that would cause issues with trying to set up panels to promote various film and television programs with many not willing to go out of solidarity. And just as the programming schedule went live two weeks ahead of the convention, the Screen Actors Guild went on strike. That, for sure, was going to disrupt all sorts of plans as the Hollywood presence that dominated Comic Con the last couple decades had diminished immensely.

Programs were getting altered or getting cancelled outright. Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. pulled out, The Walking Dead presentation would be without actors or writers, My Adventures with Superman and Twisted Metal became simply screenings. With these kinds of changes, could Comic Con be the pop culture juggernaut it had been for so long? Well, given some of the things I was interested in, it still managed to thrive as strongly as ever. Fan presence was still huge and some programs got a chance to a shine without Hollywood in the way.

To say The Owl House became a pop culture phenomenon since its premiere on January 10, 2020 would be an understatement. The Disney fantasy about a teen venturing into the Demon Realm and fulfill her dreams of being a witch had become the equivalent of a revolution. It would build a global fanbase that grew and strengthened even after the finale aired on April 8, 2023. So any presence of The Owl House would see its legion of fans flock in overwhelming numbers in support. And there’s no greater stage for such a gathering than Comic Con.

The fans were willing to sit through the presentation that occurred beforehand, in this case World Wrestling Entertainment, to ensure their spot in The Owl House panel. I didn’t get into the WWE panel, but I managed to get a fairly good spot before the room completely filled up minutes later. Serving as moderator would be production associate Rebecca Bozza, aka Rebecca Rose, and she was joined by cast members Avi Roque (Raine), Cissy Jones (Lilith), and Sarah-Nicole Robles (Luz) as they looked back in celebration on the Peabody Award winning series.

Attendees hung onto every word that was spoken, listening in as the panel told stories about making the series and what it was like looking back on the results. Jones brought up the more than one year gap between when she auditioned to when she officially got cast. Robles noted that, while she got to see the full episode scripts, she was still surprised with how scenes came out. Roque stated that the show “came at a time when my voice had settled” and were truly able to be themselves as a performer. There happened to be a lot that fans were discovering.

Having sat through numerous panels for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, there was little question that the atmosphere would be similar for The Owl House. Perhaps what made The Owl House presentation an absolute joy in comparison to the previous two would be how the fandom relished every second that the panel spoke and absorbed all that was discussed and revealed. It was definitely celebratory in nature and it was a delight to be in the middle of it. Nothing was wasted and everything was pure fun.

The legacy of Fleischer Studios, headed by Max and Dave Fleischer, would be that of a pioneering enterprise that challenged Walt Disney in the 1930s. The library of cartoons starring Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor, and Superman made it a viable animation house. Financial difficulties and the brothers falling out led the studio to be lost within legal rights conundrums for decades. Now, Max’s granddaughter Jane was leading an effort to restore the cartoons and Comic Con was the latest stop to bring attention to the ongoing project.

Joining Jane would be her partners Rocking Pins CEO Mauricio Alvarado and historian Ray Pointer, author of The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer. In a way, the three let the animation do the talking for them, showing off clips from a documentary Pointer had done, restoration comparisons, and screening in full the restored Betty Boop in Snow-White and The Cobweb Hotel. It should go without saying that the restoration work on the cartoons was nothing short of heroic and really made these some of the best looking animation I’ve seen even against today’s offerings.

It was brought up that the day prior to the panel was what would have been Max’s 140th birthday and the week before was the 90th anniversary of the original Popeye the Sailor cartoon. Alvarado noted that they had restored around 10-20 cartoons, about 50 were in progress, and another 160-200 still in the works. Prior to answering my question about the recent Warner Bros. blu-ray of the Superman cartoons, Pointer and Jane brought up a sad story regarding what some of Jane’s relatives had done to some of the original studio materials.

The panel was a lovely presentation, made all the more enjoyable knowing that there were so many of us that nearly filled the room in adoration. We liked it so much that we quickly followed Pointer out of the room so we could buy what copies of his book he had on hand. I was among the first to get a copy and have it signed by all three. The attendees even went about continuing discussions with them expressing their admiration for the work being done. A fantastic panel for animation fans and a wonderful way to rediscover some excellent cartoons.

On September 14, 1990, Warner Bros. and the legendary Steven Spielberg presented Tiny Toon Adventures. Following the numerous, wacky escapades of young cartoon characters inspired by the classic Looney Tunes, Tiny Toons was a tremendous success and would be at the forefront of reinvigorating Warner Bros. animation at the dawn of a new century. The show would find itself overshadowed in time by later titles it had helped usher. But now, Warner Bros. is giving the over 30-year-old classic series a reboot with Tiny Toons Looniversity.

No doubt there were plans for the Tiny Toons Looniversity presentation aside from a screening. I recall catching it under the “Updated” tag quite early in the lead up to the convention, going as far as to merely note that it would provide a sneak preview screening as well as trailers for other programs related to Looney Tunes. In the end, they ended up having Sam Armour, production manager at Cartoon Network and adult swim, do a very brief introduction to what would be the screening of two episodes months in advance of the show’s fall debut.

Dan’s Review: Tiny Toon Adventures is one of my all-time favorite shows. I tried to keep my excitement regarding Looniversity in check, given how a few recent reboots went. In the end, I rather enjoyed the two episodes screened. Moreover, I was surprised with how each episode managed to maintain some semblance of coherence with multiple plots going on in chaotic fashion before all were tied up in a satisfactory climax. The episodes were hilarious, nicely made, and the positive reaction was promising enough that this series just might work out.

When Robert Kirkman got his first major shot in creating a comic book for Image Comics, he and artist Cory Walker created a superhero title called Invincible. First published on January 22, 2003, it was after Kirkman’s popularity boomed with The Walking Dead and Marvel Zombies did Invincible start to garner interest. It was enough that an animated series was developed and began streaming on Amazon Prime on March 25, 2021. The first season was a major success, helping boost the streamer’s profile. Viewers were salivating for the second season.

I didn’t think I’d be getting in given I was arriving shortly after the start time, the program was very popular, and it was the second of a double-panel with a 20th anniversary celebration of the comic. Nevertheless, I got in right as they screened the trailer for the second season, with fans excited for the massive roster of guest stars that included Sterling K. Brown, Daveed Diggs, Tatiana Maslany, Chloe Bennet, and Peter Cullen. They later screened a scene from one of the upcoming episodes and a scene from the Atom Eve special that premiered that same day.

The panel was originally set to include cast members. While the strikes technically did not affect animated shows, the actors did not participate out of solidarity and Kirkman encouraged support for the strikes. Otherwise, he kept quiet about details of the second season and what from the comic would be adapted to avoid spoilers. Instead, he engaged in a rappaport with the moderator, Collider editor in chief Steve Weintraub, as they merely hinted at what could be happening as the show progressed. It was fun to hear, actually.

This was probably the first panel I attended that was affected by the strikes to a greater degree with the cast not participating. Nevertheless, it was kind of nice to sit through as Kirkman and Weintraub got to play around with their discussions so that it didn’t come off as filler and kept the fans in anticipation for the second season without revealing all that many details. Not even the sudden ringing of the fire alarm going off for a second dampened the fun. Given what could be done under the circumstances, I thought it turned out pretty well.

When Sharknado premiered on the Syfy Channel on July 11, 2013, it was initially seen as just another low budget B-movie flick in the channel’s library. But the silliness of the premise of mixing tornadoes and man-eating sharks suddenly caused it to blow up in popularity. It became a cult phenomenon no one saw coming, as it spawned five sequels, spin-offs, a video game, and a whole lot of meme and parody material utilized. So what better place to look back and celebrate the wonder of one of the finest “so bad it’s good” movies than at Comic Con.

Several minutes before the panel started, the fire alarm in the convention center went off again along with a PA message for everyone to evacuate. This turned out to be a false alarm, but it delayed the panel 15 minutes. When the panel finally got going, director Anthony C. Ferrante performed the theme song with local band Manual Scan. Joining Ferrante for the panel proper would be producers David Rimawi and David Latt, writer Thunder Levin, and star Ian Ziering (Fin) with Yahoo Entertainment senior correspondent Kevin Polowy serving as moderator.

Ferrante talked about how they had to make due with what they had given it was a typical made-for-TV movie. Ziering added that he was told doing the film would kill his career, but he needed to do it so he and his family could qualify for SAG’s health insurance. Latt detailed the live Tweeting process helped the film’s popularity boom. For special effects, a nifty breakdown of a shark eating scene was shown. Ziering noted from the second film onward he got to make special effect suggestions for shots and how cool it was when they were utilized.

The Sharknado panel was plagued by technical issues that seemed to happen every ten minutes, from the wrong footage playing to no sound happening. Yet it sort of made it that much more charming of a presentation to attend. Everyone was just as taken aback that the film managed to develop a successful legacy to be able to have an anniversary celebration and there were some neat interactions, like when Ferrante and Ziering had differing accounts over how the cast found out what the title was. It turned out to be quite a fun experience overall.

From May to August 2000, Sand Land by Akira Toriyama was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump Magazine. A short story made merely for Toriyama’s own enjoyment, it was praised for its unique artwork and characters with some calling it superior to his legendary creation Dragon Ball. Over 20 years later, Bandai Namco began franchising the manga about a sheriff and a couple demons searching for water within the endless desert riding a tank. Chief among these projects was an animated feature and it was decided to hold its world premiere at Comic Con.

World premiere screenings were nothing new for Comic Con. The world premiere of Sand Land, though, was seen as a big deal. It was a major anime title premiering on American soil weeks ahead of its debut in Japan and Japanese media were on hand to cover the event. The screening was being done in the third largest room at the convention center and excited fans filled it up instantly. They even showed the trailer for the accompanying video game ten minutes before the actual start time and filled the rest of the time playing some of the film’s soundtrack.

The pre-screening panel consisted of director Toshihisa Yokoshima, Toriyama’s editor in charge Akio Iyoku, and actress Nanoka Hara, serving as the event’s “special reporter”. Yokoshima commented about fulfilling his childhood fantasy of bringing to life Toriyama’s work, Iyoku noted the uniqueness of the film and how it worked in adapting the manga, and Hara showed off the sweet swag all attendees received. Moderating was an executive named Mike, conducting the panel like a press conference and translating what was being said for the audience.

Dan’s Review: I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, even with the small research I did beforehand. I found myself being absorbed into an incredible world that was populated with delightful characters. The mixture of hand-drawn and computer generated imagery allowed for the animation to be smooth and richly defined. The story was nicely told, a hilarious romp with cool action sequences and some genuinely touching moments. The reaction was extremely high throughout with everyone agreeing that they had watched an excellent film.

The popularity of Dungeons & Dragons was growing by the early 1980s. To take advantage, original publisher TSR, Inc. partnered with Marvel Productions to develop a Saturday morning cartoon for CBS. First broadcast on September 17, 1983, it would be one of the most daring and beloved programs at the time in telling the tale of six teens on a seemingly never-ending journey to escape The Realm and return home. Now, in the midst of a renaissance for the role-playing game, a celebration of the show’s 40th anniversary would be held.

A lot happened before the presentation started. Katie Leigh (voice of Sheila) was cosplaying for the first time ever and took part in photo ops. The panel also decorated the table with toys, books, and the game’s Starter Set. TJ Shevlin (Uppder Deck product development coordinator) served as moderator that featured Leigh, Mark Evanier (series developer), Luke Gygax (son of game co-creator Gary Gygax), Frank Todaro (voice actor on The Cuphead Show), and David M. Booher (writer of the Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures comic book).

This turned into a fun panel with all sorts of interesting stories and comments about the show. Evanier had a lot to say about the behind-the-scenes process. Leigh noted her awe at being part of what was subtly an ensemble cast when she was relatively new. Gygax got to tell interesting tidbits he remembered growing up around his dad. Todaro and Shevlin provided a fan’s perspective on how much more mature the show was. Booher explained ideas he hoped to explore in the comic that he had thought about since watching when he was a kid.

In a way, there was a calm, quiet atmosphere hanging in the air in that everyone in the packed room paid attention and allowed themselves to be absorbed into the discussions that were taking place. There was absolute affection for the show, be it in presentation, the memories shared by the panel, and certainly from some of the fan interactions. This was definitely a presentation in which the nostalgia factor played a great part in which made this a thoroughly enjoyable program, even before it properly started. This was truly a panel for the fans from start to finish.

If there was one animated series that could never seem to ride off into the sunset, it would be Matt Groening’s Futurama. The science fiction comedy of a time-displaced slacker that started broadcasting on March 28, 1999 went from being cancelled by Fox in 2003 to having direct-to-video features released in 2008 and 2009 to a revival on Comedy Central from 2010 to 2013. Now, ten years after it last aired, Futurama was coming back again courtesy this time of Hulu. And there frankly was no better place to celebrate the show’s latest return than at Comic Con.

I made it just in time, not only for the start of the presentation, but also for the screening of “The Impossible Stream”, the first episode of the revival. Attendees got a chance to see it days ahead of its Hulu debut, which was more than enough reason for fans to completely fill Ballroom 20. The episode was very warmly received, with many seemingly falling out of their seats they were laughing so hard from the all-too relevant humor coming at them hard and fast. It sure did prove that the show was still a quality program even after a ten year hiatus.

The screening was followed by a panel with producers Lee Supercinski and Claudia Katz, directors Peter Avanzino, Crystal Chesney Thompson, and Edmund Fong, and storyboard artists Ira Sherak and Andrew Han. They talked about how they were forward to the plethora of new hot topics to tackle, such as cancel culture and the pandemic, and noted side characters they were interested in revisiting. A fan question regarding possible crossovers with other Groening shows received an answer from Katz of “right now, we’re trying to focus on our show.”

Futurama remained a favorite of mine for quality content that had managed to hold up over the course of time. Its presence at Comic Con showed that its return was gladly welcomed with open arms. The episode screening was top notch and the panel provided just enough hints of the fun that was in store for audiences to discover. But what really made this an enjoyable experience was the positive atmosphere that was maintained throughout. Attendees were excited and they were not disappointed in the slightest. A promising start for the returning show.

For over a decade, Seth MacFarlane’s prime time animated ventures have had a major presence at Comic Con. So much so that they would be staples in Ballroom 20 on Day Three, often packing the second largest room in the convention center with fans eager to check out what both American Dad! and Family Guy had to offer. While this year was no different, it wasn’t going to be a typical presentation. This would be due to MacFarlane himself and some of the other executives temporarily exiting their creative roles on both shows in support of the strikes.

To fill the space, both shows would screen episodes ahead of their respective fall broadcasts as well as a small American Dad! panel with some of the directors sandwiched in-between. For American Dad!, they screened “Frantastic Voyage”, which would serve to bring the season back from hiatus, while for Family Guy they screened “Supermarket Pete”, which would air later in the show’s season. Both episode screenings were followed by five-minute trailers that showed off what audiences can expect as the shows progressed through their respective seasons.

Serving on the panel for American Dad! were directors Brent Woods, Jennifer Graves, and Ron Hughart and production manager Aldrin Cornejo. Woods was the moderator and at one point showed off the model sheets of all four of them as background characters on the show. Graves teased an intriguing episode that would supposedly include “a visual position” they clearly could not show and were figuring ways to make it work. There was also talk about which alter ego of Roger’s everyone liked and how they helped better develop the character over time.

To be honest, I didn’t sit through the entirety of either screenings. I missed a middle chunk of American Dad! while I nearly missed out Family Guy completely. Which was just as well as I wasn’t too keen on Family Guy and the okay reception seemed to confirm that. American Dad! looked like fun and I would consider checking out the full episode later. The panel was a nice opportunity for the directors to talk about what was in store for American Dad! and were able to leave us interested. Not bad for what they could make do with under the circumstances.

Since 1977, the San Diego-based Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation had become a renowned and invaluable institution. It was the premiere touring exhibition and promotion of animation as art and not just a medium or genre. Prominent figures within the industry such as Nick Park, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Mike Judge, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Craig McCracken, and many others got their start through their early shorts being showcased at the festival. And one of the more prominent stops for the festival had been an annual presence at Comic Con.

An “all ages” showcase was added for this year in addition to the regular presentation of the Sick and Twisted Festival with surviving co-founder Craig “Spike” Decker doing a very brief introduction. The selections for this hour-long sample exhibition were two No Neck Joe shorts by McCracken, Grandma’s Hero by Corentin Monnier and Ben Ozeri, The Bookworm by Richard Wiley, Cavallette (Grasshoppers) by Bruno Bozzetto, Life Smartphone by Chenglin Xie, Captain Awesome by Ercan Bozdogan, Key Lime Pie by Trevor Jimenez, and The Missing Scarf by Eoin Duffy.

Dan’s Review: Admittedly, I can only take strange and bizarre animation in small doses. This sample of Spike and Mike had tempted me to try sitting through the full experience once at some point, but it also reiterated why I prefer small doses. That these were the best selections for an “all ages” showcase had me concerned about how totally out-there the proper exhibition would be. That’s not to say the shorts were bad. I rather liked what I saw, showing off some great animation in different forms and a couple having some interesting narratives.

Since first broadcasting on Geek and Sundry in 2015, Critical Role had become a pop culture phenomenon the likes of which no one had ever thought possible. The weekly broadcast of a group of well known animation voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons had reached a level of popularity that rivaled the other film and television programs that had a presence at Comic Con. Spawning comic books, novels, and an animated series, Critical Role had truly taken the world by storm and it was only growing with each progressive year.

2023 saw a great representation of how Critical Role was getting bigger and bigger. This year, they had not one, but two panels. The first would be their proper presentation in Ballroom 20, this time around called the Fireside Chat and Cast Q&A. The second would take place an hour afterward in another room, this one being Making Candela Obscura. It spoke volumes to the dedication of the fandom as they were able to fill Ballroom 20 for the first panel and many immediately made their way over to the other room and packed that to capacity as well.

For the Fireside Chat [right], all eight members of the core cast were present: Matthew Mercer, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe, Marisha Ray, and Travis Willingham. Moderating was Robbie Daymond, who in recent years had become a part of the family in having played in numerous games and doing the audiobook readings of the novels. Much of the discussion was based around events that had happened to date in the current 3rd campaign, although they did their best to not spoil too much of the more recent occurrences.

Of course, the real fun was when it opened to fan interactions. This included a suggestion for Willingham to delve deeper into figuring which positions the Critical Role characters would play in football, an appreciation for Riegel’s sponsorship ads, and further interest in the way Mercer runs games. Fan interactions like these were a big part of why the Critical Role panels over the years would always be a highlight for me. The sheer joy everyone had was infectious and a real treat. So imagine getting to have a second panel to go to and experience shortly afterward.

Candela Obscura [right] was the recently launched monthly program utilizing a new game system the group created. Serving as moderator was Ivan Van Norman, who was head of the Darrington Press division. The panel consisted of Jaffe, Ray, Daymond, Bailey, Mercer, and Johnson along with voice actress Anjali Bhimani. Jaffe and Ray spoke about crafting the game around Jaffe’s interest in cosmic horror that wasn’t in the vein of H.P. Lovecraft. Mercer, Daymond, Bailey, Johnson, and Bhimani explained trying to play a new system and their approach to role-playing.

There wasn’t much with regards to fan interaction, outside of Bhimani recording the audience to singing “Happy Birthday” to her brother at the end. Yet it was still a delightful presentation as it explored the process of creating a new gaming system almost from scratch and refining it while broadcasting games. It was actually a nice counter-balance to the first panel, which was light in tone and presentation whereas the second was dark in atmosphere. These panels together further illustrated what a wonderful brand Critical Role had become.

Introduced in 2021, The Hellfire Gala was a state dinner event within the X-Men comic books. Modeled after the real-life Met Gala, it was a fancy soiree in which the mutant nation of Krakoa opened it gates to non-mutants to celebrate mutant culture and served as the platform to unveil a new X-Men team. The concept was well received and it turned into an annual occurrence within the comics. Disney decided to take it further this year by hosting a real-life Hellfire Gala during Comic Con. Needless to say, curious costumed fans wanted in on this unique event.

The Hellfire Gala took place offsite, specifically at the PARQ Nightclub a way’s north of the convention center. While one didn’t need to have a Comic Con badge, they needed a ticket and they were sold only to D23 members. It managed to sell out weeks ahead of the event. As the concept was that it would be a fancy soiree, many definitely dressed up, whether it was in just standard formal wear or in elegantly designed cosplay. Most of the costumes were definitely X-Men related, but there were other types from within the Marvel universe and beyond about.

PARQ Nightclub was far bigger than expected, allowing for three distinct areas. The Green Lagoon acted as the entry area in which folks could gather and have some drinks. The Hellfire Ballroom was where the main discotheque dance floor was found. And Lair X housed some of the activities that could be done like playing the old-school X-Men arcade machines and checking out various photo op displays. All attendees received tickets at the entrance, one for a free drink and one to pick up a gift bag that included pins, X-Men books, and other goodies.

I would say that the Hellfire Gala was a very impressive set-up. It was quite a sight to behold, allowing for moments in which I was just standing around to take it all in. But it was just so crowded! So much so that it made the atmosphere extremely warm, and this was in the middle of summer. Furthermore, I really couldn’t try out any of the photo op displays because the lines were just so packed. I didn’t regret going to the event and it was fun enough just to be in the middle of it all. But I probably wouldn’t do another one given how crowded it was.

On Day One, I had been standing for several hours straight and my feet were hurting for some relief. So much so that I decided to sit in on the panel that was ahead of Fleischer Cartoons. This would be What’s New in Independent Comics [right]. A few independent comic book creators came to discuss where things were going for them and how the strove to stay afloat against the ever shifting landscape of how the industry ran. A very interesting panel to listen to and offered a unique look at the challenges faced being a comic book creator these days.

A number of entertainment-based panels would indeed be greatly affected by the strikes. Among them was TV Guide Magazine’s Fan Favorites 2023. This panel would normally spotlight actors that popular at the moment and explore their career paths up to that point. That would clearly not be the case this year. So they instead brought in notable online columnists to discuss the concept of fandom and what it means to be one. It could’ve been something uniquely interesting, but it couldn’t escape it’s ultimate fate of being filler between programs.

Scheduled ahead of Critical Role was Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. However, the strikes caused that to get cancelled and its spot was empty for several days. At literally the last minute, they added The Sights and Sounds of Lumpia, The Deep Fried Universe, and Beyond [right], celebrating an expanding crowdfunded Filipino-American film franchise. Having been at Comic Con for years promoting their brand, getting into Ballroom 20 was a big deal for them and they took advantage with a thoroughly entertaining panel that was energetic and fun.

With the two Critical Role panels taking place in separate rooms, the vast majority of fans made an immediate rush to get to the next room and sit in on whatever was happening ahead of Candela Obscura. This would be Developing TV/Film for Streamers, one of the few active programs not necessary affected by the strikes as it discussed the Tubi series Underdeveloped. It was a fairly big panel that included actor/producer Thomas Ian Nicholas and star Tom Arnold, whose presence was definitely welcomed due to the hilarious Hollywood stories he told.

There wasn’t much of interest on the last day, with a couple panels that could have been worth checking out getting cancelled as a result of the strike. It’s also my big shopping day as I made a final go at picking up things. Nevertheless, I found myself sitting in on the room that was use for drawing lessons throughout the weekend. The first program I sat through was Figure Drawing for Comics, Storyboards, and Illustration [right]. Less actual life drawing lessons and more about its utilization in graphic illustrations, it was still a nice program.

Following that was Draw Me Like One of Your Disney Girls. It was presented by a group who would get hired by Disney and other studios to serve as life drawing models on occasion. There were three on hand, dressed as Disney characters such as Ariel and Esmeralda. They each took turns to pose for five minutes, allowing any one in the room who wanted to draw to do so, while talking about what they did and providing some interesting tidbits. It was a nice little program as their anecdotes were fascinating and it was fun to draw along with everyone else.

You couldn’t have any convention, be it Comic Con or any other major social gathering, and not see hundreds of folks roaming about in Cosplay. Be it in the halls of the convention center or out on the streets of downtown San Diego, fans from all walks of life dressed up as characters from across every possible corner of the pop culture spectrum. And one couldn’t help but to stop and admire the work that went into creating such wonderful and unique costumes being worn. Some would say that the cosplay was the highlight of the convention.

There was a great deal of cosplay that I got to see this year. Interestingly, I noticed that there were a lot of groups in costumes, not just individuals or pairs. At one point, there just happened to be a dozen people dressed as various Batman characters of different eras gathered in one spot just because. But I’m of the opinion that the fandom with the most cosplayers was The Owl House [above right]. There were just so many costumes from the Disney series out and about, they were not confined to just the panel or to the many the group autograph signings.

Another one in which there were a lot of costumes was for Critical Role [right]. Further proving that it was growing, I found all sorts of fans dressed up as characters from all three campaigns to date and they were located in various places throughout the convention, not just in the panels. Probably one of my favorite groups, though, were some fine fellows who dressed up as various characters from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. They got stopped often as fans wanted pictures of or with them seemingly every ten seconds they were a delightful set.

A popular solo costume was of Peter B. Parker with a baby Mayday from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. There was quite a number of them seen throughout the convention center and I even caught one getting interviewed for FX Movie Channel. One of the funniest costumes was taking Kratos from the God of War video games and making him a Mormon elder in the vein of The Book of Mormon. I could not stop smiling upon seeing that. Another favorite were two little girls, one dressed as Powder and the other dressed as Jinx from Arcane. It was adorable.

The autograph signing for the cast and crew of the Spider-Man 2 video game [right] would undoubtedly be one of the biggest. But for some reason, the Marvel booth didn’t do a lottery drawing first thing in the morning on Day One like they usually did. So hundreds of fans crowded the booth 90 minutes before the signing. They sealed off those lucky enough to be crushed against the right spot as getting in and I was among them. It almost killed me, but it was ultimately a great moment as I got to meet the folks behind the game series I greatly admired.

Being a wrestling fan, I would consider meeting wrestlers who appeared at the convention when I could. One name that caught my attention was El Hijo del Vikingo. One of the most spectacular wrestlers ever, I really wanted to meet him and had a chance at the Headlocked Comics booth on Day One. Also there were delightful comedy wrestler Danhausen and powerhouse brute Brody King, though I’ve met King before. Vikingo was great to meet, allowing me to hold his championship belt for our photo and even photo-bombing my picture with Danhausen.

I’ve met Robbie Daymond [right] years before when he did a Sailor Moon group signing at the Viz Media booth. I wanted to meet him again as he had since voiced Spider-Man and became part of the Critical Role family. The latter being the cause for his lines in the Autograph Area in the Sails Pavilion to be very long, with the wait time being an hour. He seemed to remember me from the Sailor Moon signing and geeked out when I showed him the panel in Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows revealing Peter and Mary Jane’s daughter being a Critical Role fan.

Having a table next to Daymond on Day Two was Zeno Robinson. Robinson was part of an emerging generation of voice actors who had quickly garnered popularity. Among his best known work include voicing Keigo “Hawks” Takami in My Hero Academia, Goh in the Pokémon franchise, and Genya Shinazugawa in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He recently experienced a boost in fan interest voicing Hunter in The Owl House. As a result, Robinson would have hefty lines himself, though in sporadic periods. He was a cool guy to meet and was fun to hang out with.

Because of commitments to other programs, Robinson couldn’t participate in any of the group signings for The Owl House panelists [right]. And what massive lines these had, to the point that they went outside the convention center with the wait time going over four hours. It’s a testament to the incredible fandom of The Owl House. In the middle of Day Two, Robles, Jones, and Roque were joined by Elizabeth Grullon, who voiced Camila, adding more excitement to the affair. All four were a pleasure to meet and offered a great experience to everyone.

I let Jones know I was going to see her at another signing, this time with Ashly Burch. This was a must for me as I was a fan of the Life is Strange video game where Burch voiced deuteragonist Chloe Price and Jones voiced her mother Joyce. The signing was in conjunction with a panel they did called AI in Entertainment – The Performers’ Perspective. Burch was touched by my fandom, and while she didn’t have anything in particular to sign, they liked my suggestion of her signing Jones’ Joyce promo to play up Chloe being a rebel and invading her mom’s space.

Funko had a few booths this year, a couple under the 7 Bucks A Pop brand served as stations for autograph sessions. On the last day, one of the booths would host Irene Bedard [right], the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas. She was scheduled to spend the entire day there, but her flight got delayed and was a couple hours late. While she did have some Pocahontas promos available, I had her sign an art piece I did 20 years ago. That it was 20-years-old led her to give a great comment about the enduring legacy of the character. A delightful woman to meet, really.

In comic book related signings, I paid a visit to Jody Houser at her table in Artists’ Alley on the last day to chat with and she sign a copy of a Critical Role comic book I had forgotten I had put aside specifically for her years back. Afterward, I swung over to Adam Hughes‘ booth during the last time period in which he would do sketches. I was always game to add sketches to my artists’ sketchbook and getting something from a respected illustrator like Hughes was too good of an opportunity to pass up. It was a joy to watch him illustrate Mary Jane Watson for me.

Our Twitter post with video showing the lengthy line for The Owl House group autograph signing garnered enough attention that it was retweeted by Rebecca Rose and Cissy Jones as they expressed their thanks and appreciation to fans who waited to meet them.

To everyone who waited in line the past two days, THANK YOU! Some of you waited OVER FOUR HOURS to come by the table. This video doesn’t even show that the line had to be redirected outside the con at one point. You guys are the best and the cast loved meeting you all! https://t.co/9XWokUI8UD

— Rebecca Rose (@HeyRebeccaRose) July 22, 2023

I am floored by you all! Thank you thank you for being here, and for your patience so that we got to speak with everyone 🫶 https://t.co/OBLJnHqt3v

— Cissy Jones (@cissyspeaks) July 23, 2023

Hundreds of attendees lining to get into the Exhibit Hall on Day One.

There may be something behind Dan…

The LEGO “Brickbuster” was among the popular booths this year.

This is why Dan liked taking the shuttle buses to Comic Con.

“Oh the misery, Everybody wants to be my enemy.” (Jinx and Powder, Arcane)

It took fans a minute to realize The Owl House panelists had arrived ahead of time before the cheering started.

Fans were so impressed with this King (The Owl House) costume they wanted a picture with them.

“I was alive, but then I was dead, and now I’m alive again. I’m originally from Whitestone and this is Pâté, my pet rat.” (Lauda, Critical Role)

“Eat my atom bomb, eternal dork!” (Jubilee, X-Men)

Fans coloring a Critical Role comic book panel at the Dark Horse Comics booth.

“Today’s forecast: 100% chance of pain!” (Shego, Kim Possible

So many different Batman characters from different eras gathered in one spot just outside the Exhibit Hall.

Scanlan and Vex’ahlia appearing to have started to get up there in age (Critical Role).

“I’m a Mawg. Half-man, half-dag. I’m my own best friend.” (Barf, Spaceballs)

Dan getting trapped in a sea of humanity trying to get into the Spider-Man 2 signing at the Marvel Booth.

There would only be 250 lucky fans who would get into the Spider-Man 2 signing at the Marvel booth.

“Okay, I’m off to the Forgetful Forest to find a bee for Agent Boole. This is a serious mission, no matter how adorable it sounds.” (Raz, Psychonauts)

El Hijo del Vikingo photobombing Dan’s picture with Danhausen.

Fans purchased The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer directly from Ray Pointer that he would sign immediately after the Fleischer Cartoons panel.

“Let me guess, my dad used to beat up your dad?” (Spider-Girl)

“You’re hot, cupcake.” (Vi, Arcane)

There were so many costumes of The Owl House this year that it seemed like you’d run into at least one every few minutes.

“I made a vow to the people of Naboo when I became queen. I will not back down.” (Padmé Amidala, Star Wars)

“If you claim to be a man, stand your ground and fight like one!” (Red Sonja)

There was no greater obstacle for these Monty Python and the Holy Grail cosplayers than to be stopped every ten seconds for pictures.

A very impressive set of Hawkgirl, Hawkwoman, and Hawkman costumes.

These Tekken fighters were ready to go another round.

The “front” of the line for one of The Owl House autograph signings was already packed more than an hour before the scheduled start time.

“Here we are! Born to be Kings, we’re the Princes of the Universe!” (Freddie Mercury)

The Owl House cast were game to sign just about anything fans offered, including the headpiece to a King costume.

“I’m a journeyman actor. This was just a moment in time that happened to be global… Six movies later, I’m very proud to be part of a project that entertains so many people. Kids have pictures of Fin Shepard [on their lunchboxes] — it’s cool!” (Ian Ziering, Sharknado)

“Special Reporter” Nanoka Hara showed off the sweet swag all attendees of the Sand Land world premiere would receive.

“Here I am, ungodly beast – Fearless Astrid Hofferson! Come and get me, if you dare!” (Astrid Hofferson, How to Train Your Dragon)

Katie Leigh (Sheila) dressed up in costume for the first time and joined fellow Dungeons & Dragons cosplayers for a unique photo op.

Seriously, you couldn’t go more than ten feet without running into The Owl House cosplayers.

Robbie Daymond (Critical Role, Spider-Man, Sailor Moon)’s autograph signings were very popular and had long lines the entire weekend.

Brent Woods showed off the character model of fellow American Dad! director Jennifer Graves as a background character.

Cissy Jones (The Owl House) being interviewed to further discuss a performer’s perspective on AI in entertainment.

Dan with Life is Strange daughter and mother duo Ashly Burch (Chloe Price) and Cissy Jones (Joyce Price).

“Now, as you die, rest assured it will not be the end, for you will forever suffer.” (Sofina, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)

Even with Imogen around, there could only be chaos and trouble wherever Fearne went (Critical Role).

Sam Riegel video recording for the Critical Role Tik-Tok the fan reaction of his introduction.

Tom Arnold brought the house down telling a hilarious story about Steven Seagal during the Developing TV/Film for Streamers panel.

Matthew Mercer offered his name tag for Ashley Johnson to use temporarily during the Critical Role: Making Candela Obscura panel.

Thor and Scarlet Witch enjoying a drink in The Green Lagoon at The Hellfire Gala.

The dance floor was alive and rocking in The Hellfire Ballroom at The Hellfire Gala.

Just one of many photo op displays for fans to utilize in Lair X at The Hellfire Gala.

The trolleys that ran all over San Diego were wrapped up in promotion of programs like Futurama throughout the weekend.

Part of the Nickelodeon booth was made to look like the Good Burger restaurant.

“I’ve discovered something. Charm is exhausting.” (Mara Jade Skywalker, Star Wars)

The Sand Land booth offered fans numerous photo ops and a chance to play a demo of the video game.

Even on the last day, the Exhibit Hall was packed to the gills with attendees.

“Sisters, right? You can’t live with them, can’t stuff them back in the old babymaker.” (Jinx, Arcane)

Irene Bedard (Pocahontas) received a surprise visit from Bill Farmer (Goofy) during her autograph signing at one of the 7 Bucks A Pop booths.

Peter B. Parker (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) being interviewed for FX Movie Channel while keeping Mayday comfy.

Aerith and Tifa having a girls’ day out on the Exhibit Floor (Final Fantasy VII).

Kratos as the God of War/Book of Mormon crossover we never thought we wanted, but would gladly receive.

Mark Buckingham (Fables) dropping by for a chat with Adam Hughes (Fairest) amongst comic book artists at the latter’s booth.

Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters going out on a date, it would seem (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law).

The Spider-Man 2 post signed by Bryan Intihar (Insomniac Games creative director), Jon Paquette (narrative director), Jacinda Chew (senior art director), Ryan Smith (game director), Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker), Nadji Jeter (Miles Morales), Tony Todd (Venom), Laura Bailey (Mary Jane Watson), and Bill Rosemann (Marvel Games creative director).

Comic Con exclusive The Owl House lithograph pre-signed by Dana Terrace (creator) and signed by Sarah-Nicole Robles (Luz), Cissy Jones (Lilith), Avi Roque (Raine), and Elizabeth Grullon (Camila).

The swag attendees of the Sand Land world premiere received.

The gift bag of goodies attendees of The Hellfire Gala received.

If the above rant felt either petty or random, I have a good reason for it: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem looks great! While at first glance the animation might seem overly similar to the Spider-Verse flicks, Ninja Turtles is far less polished and more rough around the edges, making it appear hand-crafted. In fact, the Turtles themselves feel like they were made out of clay. Fire seems like it was drawn onto the screen using crayons, explosions look like pencil scribbles, and New York City is large, enticing, and messy. Seriously, you could take stills from this and easily mistake them for concept art. It’s good stuff.

And the stylization doesn’t end there, as Mutant Mayhem fully embraces its sketchbook design to the point where nothing looks “realistic” for want of a better term. If someone gets an electric shock, their bones will appear as they get zapped like they’re a Looney Tunes character. If there’s an extended gag involving vomit, it’s handled in such a cartoony manner that it will make you howl with laughter instead of wanting to throw up yourself. This is a movie that skillfully manages to be gritty without ever coming across as edgy just for the sake of being so, embracing the gross-out nature of the franchise while not being off-putting about it.

But enough about the animation. I suppose there is also a story, although it’s basic enough that I didn’t even feel I needed to open this review with a plot summary. If you’re familiar with the Turtles, you’ll have a good idea of what you’re getting here, and despite the “Mayhem” of the title, everything is fairly straight-forward, with villain Superfly’s “destroy all humans” scheme being almost identical to those of Magneto in multiple X-Men outings. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, of course, but it does keep things from getting quite as bonkers as you might expect from a Ninja Turtles movie (at least until the climatic battle, when the film throws everything at the screen at once and sees what sticks).

Speaking of Superfly, however, Ice Cube is absolutely the MVP of a stacked voice cast. He’s clearly having a blast, making the bad guy (bad fly?) hilarious, charismatic, and dangerous (he even gets to swear a little, which might make a few parents in the audience flinch). Superfly doesn’t actually appear until around the mid-way point, but when he does, he gives everything a jolt of energy, initially viewing the Turtles as allies and claiming he wants exactly what they want: acceptance from society. I suppose there’s some form of social commentary to be found in how the human characters are designed–they look more “mutated” than the actual mutants–but rest assured, Ninja Turtles doesn’t come anywhere close to being heavy-handed, and while there are gentle themes of prejudice here, they never in any way feel like a lecture.

Contrasting the borderline grotesque appearance of most of the humans is April, the only “regular” person to be found who is, it must be said, more grounded that previous incarnations of the heroine. Fortunately, she is also very appealing and likable, working as a good companion for the Turtles and balancing their genuine goofiness with a more rational look at the world. Even better, the film allows her to be funny (she’s responsible for the aforementioned vomit gag, so take that however you will), making her feel right at home in this universe.

Which brings us to the title characters. As much press surrounding this has noted, the Turtles are all voiced by actual teenagers this time around, resulting in performances that feel remarkably organic and spontaneous. The only “downside” to this–if we can even call it that–is that this makes their personalities sort of meld into each other sometimes. The distinctive characteristics are there for those familiar with the bunch, but newcomers may have a hard time telling their Raph from their Mikey.

That said, it seems really unfair that the teenage stars don’t have their names included in the main end credits, with the more famous cast members getting billing before them (even if this does lead to a funny reference to Halloween 6 of all things). Mutant Mayhem has a lot of talent behind the microphone, and they do a good job with what they’re given, but many audience members are going to miss what are essentially glorified cameos from John Cena, Rose Byrne, and several others. Apart from Ice Cube, only Jackie Chan really has a major role as Splinter, providing the beloved martial arts master with more social awkwardness and anxiety than we are used to seeing from him. Chan is terrific, his voice warm and world weary, even if the casting may feel slightly too on the rat nose.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a fun-filled if not familiar ride, with inventive action, good humor, an awesome soundtrack, and endearing characters. In other words, all of the ingredients of a typical successful animated movie. What sets it apart is its bold animation, which is brilliant, and makes this a bodacious trip worth seeking out on the big screen…especially if it’s one that doesn’t make the film look too dark!

Set in Element City, where Fire-, Water-, Earth- and Air-residents live together, Elemental introduces Ember – a tough, quick-witted, and fiery young woman – whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.

Don was tasked with extracting whatever was in director Peter Sohn’s imagination to create the world of this unlikely love story. Element City, like a lot of large cities, is made up of districts. Firetown, which was the last to be established, is home to Ember, her family and many Fire characters. The rest of the city has dedicated districts for Water, Air and Earth—though since those elements have been there for generations, the areas are more diversified. Since the city itself was founded by Water elements, a canal system serves as the central mode of transportation — aptly called the Wetro—though each element has introduced their own methods of moving about the city over the years. Contrary to a melting pot, the city is no homogenous world. The Pixar artists wanted to celebrate all these different cultures and characters living and working together instead.

Here’s how they did it…

Animated Views: How did you get acquainted with the daring concept of Elemental?

Don Shank: I ended up having almost like two beginnings on the movie. The first one was six years ago, when the director was just developing the movie – it was even before Luca. He brought me in just to do a few weeks of work to help himself and a couple of other people understand what some of the neighborhoods might look like. I’ve known Peter Sohn for 20 years, and we’re really good friends. Artistically, we’re really connected. I think we have the same sense of humor and thinking about how to transform the universe. So, there’s really an immediate connection between us, but that first assignment was almost easier because I didn’t feel the pressure of solving anything.

When you’re designing something, you’re really trying to hit a bullseye, to figure out what truth needs to be for an idea, and do something that perfectly supports the story. At the very beginning, you’re just having fun and it doesn’t matter if you’re wrong. And ironically, more often you’re right, because you’re not overly worrying about everything. You’re just tapping into feelings and ideas. Pete is such a great artist himself and a great designer. He had trouble getting help from the art department, so he had been working alone. When I walked into the room where he was gonna pitch me his ideas, I saw he had filled it with drawings. So, I just said ‘What do you need me for? You’ve done so much’. Frankly, he could have probably done everything himself. But he needed my help. It was a little bit daunting because when someone shows you something good, your brain immediately thinks of that new idea as, ‘That’s it! You just showed me what that is.” So, it was a little bit difficult for me to get into this and find the freedom to bring just something new.

So, that was the first time. And the second time, that was when I came on as the Production Designer. It took me a minute to get there because I knew what the movie was about and what we’re gonna try to solve, and I knew what the technical challenges ahead of us were gonna be. If you would have it hand-drawn, it would have been easier, you could get away with a lot more; but to do it in CG, I wasn’t sure, because the solution didn’t exist yet so you’re against the unknown. And then I had seen a screening of it, to present what was going to happen. This was an earlier version, but similar things were happening. First, I thought, whoever had to do that movie, I felt sorry for them because of everything they would have to try to achieve. But underneath it all, I knew it was a movie I felt connected with, and as far as the subject matter, this is everything I’m about. So, I just thought that was gonna be scary and super difficult with so many unknowns, but I would have to do it. I was afraid, but in a way that’s kind of what drove me into it as well.

I had enjoyed working on a bunch of movies at Pixar, and I was never really afraid they could achieve it because what we were trying to do was sort of within the wheelhouse. It was just a question of how do we push the richness or the look or the caricature even higher, what new ideas could we get in there. But for this movie, it was just, ‘Can we just make a fire or a water character in a way that they can do what we need them to do, and be as expressive as we need? Can we then stage cinematographic compositions that aren’t impossible? Can a fireperson be in the foreground?’ All these challenges.

And then it was also a question of trying to make everything fit together. We tried to put the characters we had on top of more traditional looking sets that weren’t caricatured, and it was shocking how bad it looked because they didn’t belong together. And that was scary, too! The less realistic you go, the easier things can be, but the director wanted his cake and eating it twice! He didn’t want to give up – he wanted all the richness of the old Pixar movies, but stylized. That demanded a lot of concepts in order to keep the richness of everything. In the end, you don’t feel the characters don’t belong. It’s a huge success because that was a lot of work to create this character that glows and doesn’t really cast shadows, and this water character who is also really noisy. They really fit the world. You’re not aware how unrealistic it is just to make it feel like they all belong together. It seems normal, because we’re giving all the bells and whistles of any typical Pixar movie.

AV: How did you envision Element City?

SH: We had a fairly middle-size art team so I didn’t have a lot of resources or people who could do the type of translation where you’re translating something into an Elemental version. And we didn’t want to do it like, say, Cars, where we took a singular object like a cone and turned it into a hotel. There were so many other subtle differences that we didn’t want to do, and we tried so many different things that felt too thematic like a theme park or a mall. So, it took us a while to build up certain philosophies to work with, but then resource-wise, Fire Town got most of our time because most of the film would take place there.

These are the type of things I just love. I grew up watching things like The Flintstones with, say, that vacuum cleaner for cave people. I’ve seen that little bit of wit and humor and sort of silliness. So, take, for example, Fern, who is in his office and is blown up by Ember. His desk looks like it was made out of a slab of wood, and then when I went to the phone, I was kind of channeling my Flintstones philosophy and made the handle like a branch of any piece of wood. The director loved that angle and that was something we’ve always wanted to add, but it wasn’t always as easy for every element. We do this on a Pixar movie where you have maybe an alien race or another culture, and you want every little detail to be harmonious and speak to its history and its culture. But we had to do that four times over on this movie. If you had a trash can, you had to do it for fire, water, earth, and air. If you’re working on water for instance, it’s not even as easy as fire for some reason because you don’t want to have just waterfalls for everything.

So, what else can we do that makes the water flow or shimmer or just thematic things related to water? In the end, air was the most difficult one for us because you have fans, you have some air filters but there wasn’t as many things to get inspired from as, say, fire, where you have cooking objects, heating objects, fire places and things that burn, so many things you can utilize and recombine. And also fire and water, you can put elements on, dress the buildings themselves with things that really help communicate on their own. But air is invisible essentially. So, you have to use objects and effects that show the flow. You show it through papers or flapping flags. This wasn’t just architectural elements.

And then, just to put the cherry on top, what we wanted to do from the beginning was, if you’re an immigrant coming, say, to New York back in the day, any kind of living accommodation works for any human. Human is human, no matter what your culture is. If you have a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom, it works for any human. But early ideas for elements were, well, this fire apartment is funny but it would kill a water person or vice-versa. So, the sets art director created a bunch of drawings for apartments that looked like any element could live there, like a bit of a patchwork, and it seemed to relate to Pete, the director. So, all the elements were living next to each other.

However, in the story, there wasn’t really an opportunity for that kind of concept to be in the forefront. Because what was needed for the shot was, if we’re in Firetown, we have to say Firetown visually. Or in Water District. But in the city, we have everyone living together. So, you have to be able to tell an audience very quickly the elemental sort of idea, otherwise we would have generic buildings. So, we had to go back to, well, that building would be water and this building would be earth without feeling they’re all separate. We scrambled them all together. At nighttime, it became a little easier for us. We did it a little bit in the daytime, but in nighttime we could put different color lights in the buildings so that when you saw a building, you saw the rainbow, you saw the mix of colors because each element sort of has a color code to it. It was a little bit of working backwards, a bit of a concession that we had to communicate to the audience. We didn’t want to say that elements were separate; we wanted to say that Element City was a place where elements could live together. That was the very challenge of creating that place.

AV: Did you draw any inspiration from actual architects like, say, Gaudi?

SH: We had very few direct references like the Chrysler Building or San Francisco. Here, we had rather elemental references. But there were a few occasions and yes, Gaudi was one that we went to almost immediately because one thing that we learned early on was that, any time we did something that was a straight edge or a rectilinear, it felt human, like a boxy building with rectangular windows. So, we were looking for something that was not ‘normal human’, but also not alien. Gaudi, with these flowing forms, was an immediate connection. However, there was one more reason we went to Gaudi: there was an early inspiration that was paper sculpture. This was very early on and we were searching how the whole movie would look. We were very ‘out of the box’, ‘blue sky,’ and we loved this inspiration of paper sculptures because the focus was on the form and the way the light and shadow would work across it. And you could do interesting things with color. Ember is a light source, so that was particularly interesting. The more you added textures and other features and elements, the more it became realistic. So, we were looking at paper sculptures. And eventually, we found a balance where paper sculpture still was influential but there wasn’t a full part of it.

Gaudi had done a series of chimneys and stuff on rooftops of the buildings that had that kind of sandstone color and those really beautiful shapes and interlocking sort of forms, flowing kind of curvy surfaces with sharp crease edges that could sort of show the shift between light and shadow. Those bits of Gaudi, connected with paper sculpture, sort of felt like they were cousins, and we associated them in what we were trying to do. If you have the Art Of book, you can actually see the work of one of the artists of the sets team, Krista Goll, who early on was given the assignment to look at paper sculptures that had been collected and see what we could take from them in terms of a modeling philosophy. So, she did a bunch of buildings she designed, based on the inspirations and directions she got. I didn’t personally sit down with her and give her a lot of direction, it was just stuff we had around and she found this stuff on her own and did this whole series of buildings, and they’re just fantastic. That was kept with the modeling philosophy as it really brought something new in the shaping of our models.

AV: Such rich environments, so full of details and textures, and at the same time, the characters and the animation are still clear and easy to read. How did you achieve that?

SH: It was a lot of effort to bring the simplicity of being able to focus on what you’re supposed to see back into it because, as a designer and artist, you are aware that you need to have a focal point, you need to have a contrast with an area of detail and noise, and make sure you drive the attention of the viewer to what’s important to look at. This movie was a challenge because the director is a story person as well as a great artist and each building has to tell us an idea, it has to tell us it’s water, or humor, or a joke, or a gag. What you’re trying to do is to communicate the concept and that requires a certain amount of noise and information.

And then, three of our elements have a flow to it – you know, water flowing down, fire flowing up, and air flowing all around. So, you think about just one building and it’s gonna be very busy and at the same time, you have to populate the whole city. At some point, the director wanted the buildings to be generic buildings so that we’re not overwhelmed with noise everywhere, as there would be so much movement on top of that. But it was very difficult for us to be generic. We needed to communicate to the audience. It was just like having a stage where every actor is a mega-star and wants to get the attention. It was difficult to sort of pinpoint on where you’re supposed to look.

Ultimately, I gave in to the needs of making something feel elemental and just putting all the detail in there that was being asked for, hoping that we would resolve it other ways, which we did. So, a lot of our other looks development was: How do we reduce the noise and detail and information without making it seem foggy or smoky or blurry? So, we had some technology that we could dial in that would keep sharper edges on bigger shapes but remove certain finer details and we ultimately used that more for, like, depth, so that we can reduce information as you look down the street, for example.

But one of the other philosophies we had from the very earliest times, because the director wanted something stylized and graphic, but he also wanted every richness of shading or reflection or refraction – everything. So, I found this idea of blast radius or spotlight – this is where you’re gonna look and this is an area where we can put all our richness and detail and focus on it, and as we move away from that, we can mute contrast, mute detail, and information. We had some bolder ideas to address that, but in the end, we used a few technologies and ideas we had to reduce contrast and colors, so that where you were supposed to be looking would be clear and that the noise elsewhere could be reduced.

The lighting team was really the final spot where all those ideas were folded together. It was about getting these philosophies across to the director of photography (DP). Once he was onboard, he helped develop a lot of these ideas, too. So, he was really sort of the co-inventor of that stuff. It was really so important because, in the past, the art team could invent certain ideas, but later if you had a lighting DP who had a different philosophy on how things should be in order to look good; they would just do as they wanted. So, from the earliest times, that was important to be in sync with the lighting DP and be after the same look and feel.

You know, a lot of the lighting team at Pixar have always been tasked with a little bit more realism than the way we needed it on this movie. The way the rendering engine works is based on light physics. It looks bad if light is doing some things that aren’t physically motivated or justified. So, a lot of them have that way of thinking for a good reason. So, they came on this movie and they were, like, ‘What’s motivating this light shape?’ – and I was, like… ‘Nothing’. You know, I grew up watching Bugs Bunny cartoons that had all these funky shadows. So, it took them a minute but then they would get behind that idea. It was an amazing thing to see. Part of the look for the world was the shaping and the architecture and communicating an elemental style that felt like it belongs with the characters, but the other side was lighting and other effects and looks, techniques working all together. So, going into the lighting reveals was a magical time because you would just see how they would take all the elements and stitch them together to achieve this amazing and beautiful look in the end.

AV: Of course, Elemental is a love story. But not only. The film has so many messages to share, on difference, on immigrants, on family… What is your personal connection to the movie?

SH: Pretty much anything I do, I always try to find a personal connection. Early on, it was obvious that the main subject would be an immigrant story. My family weren’t immigrants, so I wasn’t directly connected to it, although I could emotionally sympathize with the characters.

But it was when I understood that one of the other themes of the movie was parents’ sacrifices for their children to allow them to have the type of life that is right for them, and that they want, that it really resonated for me. As a child, as soon as I could draw, I was connected to animation – Warner Bros, Disney, and all these things that just spoke to me so deeply. Animation and cartoons, that’s my life or bust. My father in particular was concerned that this was not a way you could make a living. But my family never discouraged me and always supported me. My father actually built me an animation desk like the one presented in Preston Blair’s book on animation. So, the film is kind of a ‘thank you’ to parents, which I feel connected to most strongly. My father passed away in the making of this movie so he didn’t really get a chance to see it, but that was where there was a lot of emotional meaning for me in making this movie, and I hope that comes through.

With our thanks to Don Shank and Chris Wiggum at Pixar.

Directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, Nimona is an epic tale about finding friendship in the most surprising situations and accepting yourself and others for who they are, based on the National Book Award-nominated and New York Times best-selling graphic novel by ND Stevenson.

We were fortunate to be invited by Netflix to a special presentation of the film with its creators, among whom was Production Designer Aidan Sugano, who already worked with the Nimona directors on Spies In Disguise (2019). He kindly explained to us how every visual choice was done in service of the story and the way it explodes archetypal norms.

Presentation interviewer: How did Nimona start for you?

Aidan Sugano: For us, the first step was really to dive into that amazing graphic novel and find its spirit. That spirit for us spoke most through its theme. Every visual choice on this movie has been done to reinforce that theme. It’s about perception and acceptance and expectation. And we specifically chose a look that allowed us to play with the conventions of 2D fantasy animation in order to hold up a mirror to that medieval thinking that exists in our world so that we could shatter it and destroy it and remake it into something that was completely and utterly itself.

PI: Absolutely. Nevertheless, did you have any specific references in the matter of art direction?

AS: Our visuals are all about juxtaposition and contrast. It’s classic princess fairy tale versus futuristic dystopia. It’s truth versus expectation, light versus dark. And first, in order to find these conventions, we needed to look for the artists that defined the golden age of hand-drawn fantasy animation. And two artists emerged. It was Eyvind Earle who gave us Sleeping Beauty; and Charley Harper, who was behind a lot of the kinda classic Golden Book illustration look that defined that era.

PI: You managed a very successful synthesis of 2D and 3D.

AS: We took their tenets from that 2D world, and had to then translate them into this big, cinematic 3D universe – one that obviously had to perform and emote. And the biggest expression of these, and reflection of our theme, was how we handled and maintained the simplicity. Because for our theme, we really wanted to avoid designing caricatures. We wanted a clear expression of the kind of core spirit of every single thing in the film.

So, we stripped away anything that was unnecessary. Curves became simple. Straight lines became straighter. And all the planes were designed with lighting in mind to make sure that even when they moved and emoted, they would be appealing and maintain that kind of visual simplicity. It drove our approach to distance. In order to maintain that visual metaphor, we really wanted to make sure that the closer you got to something, the more that you saw and you understood of that thing.

And the reverse of that is, as you moved away, it became the icon of the thing, and the expectation of what that thing is. We also organized our materials with a purposeful hierarchy so that the details disappeared or unified to maintain this very simple look and replaced the geometric detail that we’re taking out. For example, it made us think how we could do something like design a very specific wood pattern with the fewest possible elements. Or how you could simplify metal and glass. So, it felt like itself, but didn’t get overly complex. It drove our approach to lighting. We simplified all of our lights down to their most fundamental expression. And then we really wanted to make sure that we could bring back the kind of nuance and complexity using things like light leak and bokeh and lens flares and all those classic camera effects to add that depth back into the scene.

PI: How did you apply that philosophy to character design?

AS: We wanted to retain as much from ND’s amazing graphic novel as we possibly could, you know, as fans, and then filter it through the lens of our style. So, we played off the perceptions of the kinda classic hero and villain tropes, and then constructed a very simple shape language out of it. So, Ballister became the shield. His language is super-solid and grounded. He’s, you know, he’s very stalwart and no-nonsense in his character. And so we wanted to go after a very rectangular and kind of firmly anchored to a square grid as much as possible. Because through his journey with Nimona, you know, her influence then visually changes his, and so we wanted to reflect that in his design.

Nimona is the flame. She’s freedom. She’s all about change and spontaneity and focusing on those kind of free, chaotic shapes, and a huge emphasis in movement and rhythm. She embraces the kind of charmingly imperfect, and we wanted to really make sure that that movement was there through all of her forms. Because her shapeshifts are actually designed to kind of go after the specific emotional release of each expression.

Goldenloin, on the other hand, is the sword. He’s supposed to be the classic hero, that white knight, the golden savior, the one that has the privilege and expectation of an entire kingdom on his shoulders. And so his language is very structured. And we want this, and very much convey the fact, that he’s a triangle balanced on that precarious point between strength and power.

Meanwhile, the director is the arch. And her language is all about verticality. It’s architectural. It’s rigid. And for her specifically, we wanted to go after a very clean and contemporary execution of the iconic medieval ability. Because she is supposed to be this benign representation of the Institute’s ideals.

These characters were all representations of the two opposing ideologies in the film. So, we structured everything off that shape language. And that was instilled in the costume design, and in the form of color through our lighting, where based on the level of influence that ideology had in that shot, those colors were more or less prevalent. So, salmon pink, which represented Nimona and acceptance and freedom and change, could take over an entire scene. And gold and white and blue, kind of the classic hero colors, represented the opposite: non-acceptance, social rules, and that Institute mentality.

PI: It also shows in the overall design of the kingdom, people, and places alike.

AS: We had an opportunity to reinforce this theme through our background characters. Society is a perfect way of putting people in the classes to define them, which speaks to our theme. So, we leveraged off things like medieval sumptuary laws and social rules to create this very visually distinct social class in our kingdom that could be felt. ND gave us the most amazing playground to play with. Selfishly, as an artist, this is the project and the world that you dream to get handed, because you just want to design everything in there. And it’s also a beautiful visual metaphor for the theme and the real world. It’s both advanced and backwards. Technology has progressed. Culture has stagnated.

At the same time, you really want to make sure that you’re designing a real place. So, we designed a place that could continue on without our characters, that is a genuinely nice place to live for some, but also is a world that’s mired in bias and tradition and classism. And hanging over everything is that kind of ever-present fear that was very important for us to convey through the story. You know, that fear and culture of where monsters are a constant threat and the knights who kill them are glorious. Gloreth is our savior and the Institute is our protector.

The limitations of this society also allowed us to play with how we evolved this medieval feature, which was such a fun task. Because it’s this cloistered place, we designed the world to reflect those medieval city rules and structure. And we also needed to make it feel like it had grown organically during these thousands of years. Space was super-limited, and so, we know we could have fun having things overhang the streets and feel dense and claustrophobic. Or because we have flying cars, you know, cut tunnels through skyscrapers and buildings. And to show time, which is very important in this concept in this film, we wanted to make sure that there are multiple styles of art and architecture and sculpture and even graffiti that could live together in this balance of new, old, modern, and classic, so that everything felt like it was built on, or as a reaction to what came before it. So, we made, you know, skyscrapers out of glass and half-timber, and kept revival architecture, like, super-strong.

PI: In such a graphic environment, light seems an essential part of the expression.

AS: By far the biggest visual metaphor in our film was our use of light and shadow. We meticulously designed both our lighting and cinematography to reinforce the emotional and psychological purpose of the shot. So, the way it interacts with our characters, its intensity, the amounts, the quality, all of that was used to control and illustrate what was being said about the character’s relationship with acceptance at that specific moment. And each kind of had a dichotomy of function. So, for example, light represented acceptance. It could embrace a character. It could surround a character. It could hug a character. But it could also expose. Because when you’re in the light, that’s also when you’re at your most visible and most vulnerable. We used it to divide our characters and keep them separated. And we also used it to give them a moment of connection and bring them together. We could also, at the same time, use it to keep our characters just on the threshold of acceptance and use it to reinforce that vulnerability, and that fear and hesitation of them sharing themselves.

Shadow, on the other hand, represented the opposite. It was non-acceptance. It was concealment. And we used it to drive our characters into hiding and force them to suppress their true selves to the point where we could even use it literally to keep them imprisoned by it. So even if the door is opened to Ballister’s cell, he is still trapped within that visual metaphor.

At the same time, you know, we also want to make sure that it felt like there was safety sometimes in this concealment. So, we could use it to wrap our characters in a moment of connection. And like in ND’s amazing graphic novel, this idea culminates in the third act when Nimona literally becomes a visual representation of this concept. In her moment of deepest pain and isolation, when she feels like there is no hope, she becomes an actual creature of shadow. She becomes a creature whose very essence consumes light… Until she’s finally seen and she becomes the opposite. She becomes light. She becomes acceptance. And she becomes a literal sun that turns night into day.

With our thanks to Olivier Mouroux, Lamarco McClendon and the whole Nimona team at Netflix.