animation

Avatar: The Last Airbender (live-action)

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

I watched the Nickelodeon television channel religiously when I was growing up but eventually outgrew it and moved on to other things as I transitioned into adulthood and started college. As such, I was in the dark about the network’s new programming throughout the first decade after the turn of the millennium, but I eventually heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender as one of their more contemporary cartoons a few years after it premiered on the channel and concluded after three seasons. It wouldn’t be until well into the following decade that I watched the animated series proper. 

My first exposure to the Nickelodeon franchise was its first live-action adaptation, The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, previously affiliated with many a supernatural film with surprise twists. I thought it was a decent film, albeit certainly not perfect, even though critics and audiences widely deemed it a cinematic turkey, not solely the fault of Shyamalan, who genuinely liked the cartoon series and wanted to make several films out of the first season, before executive meddling watered down the final product and crammed everything into a single two-hour movie.

Like Disney had been doing the previous decades with their animated film classics, Netflix announced a live-action streaming series adaptation, in the producers’ words, “reimagining.” However, the first season largely follows that of the original series to the letter, albeit with some expansion, focusing on the background before the titular last airbender, Avatar Aang, awakens after a century of frozen slumber. Afterward, he joins others as he attempts to master the four elements while waging war against the adversarial Fire Nation, whose exiled Prince Zuko is especially interested in apprehending Aang.

While I enjoyed the original Nickelodeon cartoon and its respective sequel series, I had a fun time watching the live-action reimagining, which retains the aesthetics of the original and has fitting cast choices, none mercifully nepotistic like in the 2010 film, and stands well on its own. The backstory and mythos are intricate, and there’s plenty of action to keep one from boredom. It’s easily preferable to the live-action adaptation from the last decade, does the animated series justice, and is worth a watch. I will continue to watch it as future seasons are released.

Art Dump, 3/11/2024

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen



It took several days to do this since I was distracted by other things, but here’s my tribute piece to the late Akira Toriyama, modeled after Empyrea the eagle from Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. I used the old Imperial Japanese Army flag since the sun is in the center rather than the Navy flag, where it isn’t.

Also, I’m super-addicted to AI art, so here’s what I’ve generated in the past few days:

https://sta.sh/21ta6ygb5gnn?edit=1

Here’s an example of anthro otters in Toriyama’s style:

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Written by Union Civil War General Lewis “Lew” Wallace, the first fictional work of literature blessed by a Roman Catholic Pope (Leo XIII), and the inspiration for numerous live-action and animated film adaptations, Ben-Hur opens with the Three Magi: Gaspar the Greek, Melchior the Hindu, and Balthasar the Egyptian, visiting the newborn Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Twenty-one years later, the Roman Messala and the titular Jewish protagonist, Judah Ben-Hur, have a rivalry, with the latter being sent to galley slavery for life after a tile from a home whence he witnesses a procession nearly kills the new procurator of Judea, Valerius Gratus.

A few years later, Ben-Hur labors as a galley slave aboard a ship commanded by Quintus Arrius, who is fascinated by the young Jew and thus adopts him as his son. In Antioch, Judah sees Messala again and yearns to rival him in a forthcoming chariot race while hearing of a Messiah speaking of a greater kingdom, not of the Earth. The race transpires, but the results are contested, with northern barbarians dispatched to kill the Jew when he finds himself in an empty palace following the games. However, a maneuver involving his falsified demise allows him to escape.

Afterward, Pontius Pilate succeeds Valerius Gratus as governor of Judea, and Ben-Hur seeks his mother and sister, who went missing after the incident that led him into slavery in the first place. He eventually meets the prophesized King of the Jews, witnessing His miracles and returning to his former palace. Throughout the book, Judah befriends Balthasar’s daughter Iras, who talks of an escaped galley slave Jew who murdered others when they reunite. Messala’s fate receives its resolution, Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus, and the Messiah is crucified, having refused the throne of His ancestor David.

While I had read this around a decade ago, it didn’t very well stick with me, but I remembered some elements. However, I enjoyed Ben-Hur more with my recent reread. The historical and geographical tidbits indicate that Wallace did his research, with the names of the Wise Men and their respective countries of origin adding nice touches. I could well relate to the themes, within and without my Christian faith, and while there were many portions I somewhat skimmed, I could still follow the central plot well. Granted, much of the dialogue is awkward, such as “Unclean, unclean!” regarding lepers, but Ben-Hur is a must-read for any Christian book enthusiast.

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Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

Aimed at younger audiences, this animated addition to the Star Wars franchise occurs during the High Republic era, centuries before the Skywalker Saga films, focusing on fledgling Jedi younglings and beginning with six shorts that twenty-five half-hour episodes, divided into two stories each, follow. Throughout the series, the younglings repeatedly encounter a young pilot who goes by the alias Taborr Val Dorn. I highly enjoyed this series, my first exposure to any of the series content occurring in the High Republic era, and the Jedi youngling Nubs is undoubtedly one of the cutest characters in the franchise.

Home on the Range

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

This 2004 entry to Disney’s animated film canon occurs in the Old West, with wanted cattle rustler Alameda Slim, who can lure along bovines with his hypnotic yodeling, purloining those of Dixon Ranch. The remaining cow, Maggie, is sold to a farm called Patch of Heaven. A local sheriff, Sam, informs its owner, Pearl, that she must pay back a bank in three days, or her farm will go to auction. The cows ultimately decide to pursue Slim for the reward money to save their farm, aided by their fellow farm animals and others.

I’ll admit that given the horrid titular opening theme song, Home on the Range didn’t leave a positive first impression on me. Furthermore, I don’t care for most music that features yodeling of any kind; however, a few like that during the ending credits are pleasant. The voice performances are decent, like Roseanne Barr as bovine protagonist Maggie, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Buck the horse, and Randy Quaid (aside from his singing) as Alameda Slim. Unfortunately, the writing frequently sounds awkward, and some plot beats, like Slim’s yodeling, didn’t sit well with me. Overall, this film ranks below average in my view of Disney’s animated films.

Hercules (1997)

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

Disney’s original animated interpretation of the classic myth of Hercules opens with the songstress Muses narrating the film’s backstory in a musical style combining elements from the soul and gospel genres (and the studio back then was still mindful of DEI, even if in a different fashion), leading to the present where the gods Zeus and Hera have their titular son in Ancient Greece. Mythologically, the film fuses elements from Greek and Roman mythos, with Herc’s equivalent in the former being Heracles, but admittedly, that moniker doesn’t roll off the tongue, and deviations from the original myths abound.

While most of the gods of Mount Olympus celebrate Hercules’ birth, Zeus’ brother Hades, brilliantly portrayed by James Woods and the high point of the film, plots to overthrow the heavenly deities to rule himself. Thus, he sends his minions to kidnap the infant Herc and off him after having him ingest a potion that strips his immortality, although humans interrupt them and make them flee, leaving him with a drop of his godliness. Raised by mortals, Hercules faces estrangement for his excessive strength and discovers his destiny to rejoin the gods through heroism, with the satyr Philoctetes (or just Phil), just as memorable as Hades due to Danny DeVito’s performance, taking him on as his apprentice.

After proving his heroism in Thebes and boosting his popularity to being merchandized, Herc eventually confronts Hades and the Titans he seeks to revive while fighting for his eventual love interest, Megara (or Meg). In conclusion, this is probably one of my higher-regarded films in the Disney animated canon since I can easily relate to its themes of alienation and ostracization due to character and talent. Likewise, “Go the Distance” is an enjoyable central theme; despite what critics have said, I prefer Roger Bart’s in-movie rendition to Michael Bolton’s during the ending credits. As I mentioned, the film does take liberties with Greco-Roman mythology, but I nonetheless enjoyed it.

Zootopia+

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

Since I reasonably enjoyed Disney’s Zootopia, I naturally watched its spinoff Disney+ series, consisting of six short side stories parallel to the film’s events. The first sees Judy Hopps’ parents try to rescue their youngest daughter among countless children, Molly, as she hitches a ride on the train that takes her older sister to Zootopia. The second sees Fru Fru the shrew participating in a reality television series while dealing with her forthcoming wedding. The third sees Duke Weaselton ponder his life choices through singing, the next one providing backstory to Mr. Big in a further nod to The Godfather. The penultimate episode features Chief Bogo and Clawhauser participating in a talent show, the last on Sam, an otter waitress, as she serves the sloth couple Flash and Priscilla. I enjoyed this mini-series overall, given its addition to the film’s events (and a few scenes from the movie are even featured); I hope the franchise mythos is explored more before the forthcoming sequel in whatever incarnations Disney decides.

Zootopia

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

In a world solely inhabited by anthropomorphic mammals, the country rabbit Judy Hopps accomplishes her dream of becoming the first lapine police officer in the titular urban metropolis but starts on parking duty. On her first day, the vulpine con artists Nick Wilde and Finnick hustle her, after which she abandons her post to pursue a small-time criminal, but the police chief reprimands her. As he does so, an otter wife interrupts and implores a search for her missing husband, one of fourteen lost predators in Zootopia. Judy receives forty-eight hours to solve the case, blackmailing Nick into assisting her in finding Mr. Otterton and solving the mystery of the other missing predators.

Ultimately, this is an enjoyable film, given its strictly nonhuman cast, with backstory interweaved into the narrative, along with a few good twists and commentary on the alleged black-and-white nature of specific beasts and an exemplification of Paulo Freire’s warning of oppressed populations possibly becoming oppressors themselves. However, a few unresolved plot points abound, like what the carnivores eat and the unexplored role of religion in Zootopia, since characters repeatedly mention God. Some scenes like that at the sloth-run Department of Mammal Vehicles also feel like padding. Regardless, I don’t regret rewatching this and will gladly watch Zootopia+ and the forthcoming theatrical sequel.

Angel Hare

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

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I was randomly surfing the internet when I discovered this web series about the titular fictional Christian educational cartoon starring the lapine Angel Gabby, who interacts with an earthly badger, Friend Francis, teaching important lessons to younger viewers. The main viewer is Jonah, to whom Gabby directly talks, with some dark twists occurring as the series goes on, with the show itself marketed as part of the analog horror genre. Even so, I didn’t find it all that scary, yet the animal characters are cute. Some of the longer segments on YouTube show off the music featured in the series, most being old doo-wop songs. Ultimately, it’s not an excellent show, but an endearing one.

The Rescuers Down Under

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

Disney’s first theatrically-released animated film sequel opens with an Australian boy named Cody befriending Marahute, a rare golden eagle, after which he falls into a trap set by poacher Percival C. McLeach (George C. Scott’s final voice performance before he died in 1999), who holds him captive. An alert is sent to the Rescue Aid Society in New York City’s United Nations building, with agents Bernard and Bianca (Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor reprising their respective roles) on the case, the former’s marriage proposal interrupted as it is frequently throughout the film. Upon reaching the Land Down Under, the mice receive the help of the urbane hopping mouse Jake, unshy about doting on Bianca, to save Cody and Marahute.

Unlike the original film, the sequel doesn’t feature any noticeable musical numbers; however, the soundtrack fits the Australian setting, employing regular use of the digeridoo, and the voice performances are mostly solid. The animation is also colorful and fluid, rife with beautiful illumination effects and an early use of computer animation. The movie does have a few issues, like an apparent floating timeline that many contemporary animated shows like The Simpsons employ, given the brief view of computer technology. Regardless, I enjoyed it more than the original film, chiefly due to the setting, Jake, and that it has aged far better.