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Screen Squinty’s “Steven Universe: A Queer Television Show Analysis”.

*Note: Major Spoilers in this article! and it wont have any references to 2016 Summer of Steven as I haven’t seen them yet.

In recent years we have seen an emergence of children shows that have challenged the mainstream traditionalist standards. But none of them ever quite fully embrace their own powers of dissent quite so much as one particular animated family series that came out in 2013. Created by Rebeca Sugar (the first solo woman creator at Cartoon Network), the fantasy/sci-fi show known as  Steven Universe (2013-present).

Steven Universe is a vital artifact of queer discussion, and by studying various episodes of how queerness is worked in the series; I will prove its importance as a queer failure to be mainstream.

But before we get into discussing the episodes what do I mean by “failure”?

According to gender and queer theorist Dr. Jack Halberstam, the term “Failure” is an anti-nationalist discourse in dissent in the era of the superpower. If you take to his/hers definition, to be “Queer” is to regularly and willingly choose to fail within the terms of normalization (or mainstream) that society has set-up (Halberstram, J. p.27-52 & Halberstram, J, IPAK Centar Interview, 2014).

When considering the show’s ways of failing to be mainstream, an important factor in regards to one of the target audiences, in this case children, and how its relationship as a children’s show or family show, to is important in highlighting its unique queerness.

All Children are Queer?

 

In the works of Dr. Kathryn Bond Stockton, she theorizes that all children are essentially queer. 

Not born destined to be straight, that heteronormativity is in fact an illusion that is instilled in children through various forms of conditioning (Stockton, K. Reynolds Lecture, 2010).

This is a radical theory that fails to adhere to the mainstream contention that one is born with their orientation, and defies the set belief in the liner progression of the heteronormative straight child into the ideal of marriage (one woman and one man) and procreation, forcing children to in fact not develop linearly at all, but develop sideways under the reeling in conditioning of various authority and media (Stockton, K. Reynolds Lecture, 2010).

Stockton’s theory also fails the dominant mainstream desire of silence in regards to the queerness of children, or challenging the figure of “The Child”, which is a dominantly believed in being this state of divine purity bolstered by a pillar of innocence and weakness, or as Stockton puts the figure:

“..A creature of gradual growth managed away and bolstered by laws that ideally protect it from its own participation its pleasure and its pain.”– Quote, Stockton, K (Stockton, K. Reynolds Lecture, 2010).

 

 This child figure idealism echoes into our media consumption, particularly in anything directed towards children. Animation especially is still not taken seriously as a medium whether adult oriented or youth despite some of the magnificent strides made, simply because it is thought to dominantly remain within the realm of “immature” due to the medium being originally directed towards youth (Rosewarne, L. p.1-16).

Granted that is a belief that has been seeing a decline in the recent decades, there are entire fan communities that are proud to declare their appreciation for particular animated shows (the most infamous being the Bronys), but there is not only still a certain level of prejudice lingering around animation due to its target audience origins, even accepted varieties aside, some modes of animation, particularly family oriented animation, are segregated as immature (Bronys, who are predominantly considered to be adult men, are quite commonly mocked for liking a show geared towards a “little girl” audience).

As such there is an underlining preoccupation of protecting our “impressionable youth” from subjects deemed “to mature”, there is a dominant belief that children are too immature to be exposed to things so shocking *roles eyes* as gender identity, sexuality, and non-hetero intimacy, etc.

Sexuality discussed as part of children is one of the bigger taboos in children’s television as a result, yet because of the sentiments of the medium of animation, the veil of its seeming lack of ability to be taken to seriously makes it the optimum ground for a lot of rebellious content, which Steven Universe takes an entertaining delight in doing (Rosewarne, L. p.1-16 & Halberstram, J. p.27-52 & Halberstram, J, IPAK Centar Interview, 2014.)

Steven Universe Queer Episodes: A Sampling.

 

We will now explore various samplings of episodes and overarching content within the show that expresses the various ways in which Steven Universe is a gloriously queer television artifact.

Gender fluid/Transgender/Nonbinary individuals have found a long history of difficulty gaining a competent visible foothold in children’s television.

There have been some strides over the years within other programing such as Orange is The New Black, The Fosters, Transparent, etc., but in children’s programming, it is only just beginning to find its footing, but is still primarily willingly ignored by producers because of the earlier explained protection of the child figure (Rosewarne, L. p.1-16, & Stockton, K. Reynolds Lecture, 2010).

Only in the past decade or two has programming for children shed the strict gender polarization and shows began appearing that broke down some of the strict gender categories, though often not quite as upfront and certainly not with a main character.

For example, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic introduced the concept of transgender and/or gender fluid as existing within the canon of the show, and a minor character (Big Macintosh)as being possibly gender fluid through the episodes “Brotherhooves Social” and “Do Princesses Dream of Electric Sheep?” where Big Macintosh homages Sailor Moon’s transformation.

MLP:FiM, “Big Macintosh, Do Princesses Dream of Electric Sheep?“. 2015, Hasbro.

Steven Universe unlike other shows however takes it a step forward by breaking down the heteronormative gender and sex categories in their episodes even further, and isn’t afraid of utilizing main characters while doing it.

For example in the episode “Tiger Millionaire” (Season 1, Ep. 9, 2014) Steven discovers that Amethyst, one of the other main characters, sneaks out at night to go to an underground wrestling arena. When she is in the ring she transforms herself into the heavily muscled Purple Puma and is addressed as male.

Steven Universe, “Purple Puma,” 2014, Cartoon Network.

In this setting she revels in her hyper aggressive masculine identity, glorying in being free to express this side of herself “in the ring nobody can tell me what to do and if they try I hit them in the face with a chair” (Amethyst, 02.49). Later in the episode when the other two Gems storm the arena expressing their displeasure with Amethyst and Steven’s actions (he’d joined up with Amethyst at this point as a wrestler) and intervenes with his fighting family to explain the purple puma’s stage backstory:

“…He was the wildest cat in the jungle, so wild the other cats couldn’t take it so she, I mean he, went to look for somewhere he fit in, somewhere with other people who were also misunderstood…that’s why we are all here, to be wild and body slam each other and wear cool costumes and make up nicknames, and…uh…so can’t we just have this? Can’t we just wrestle?”– (Steven, 09.30).

 

While the episode can be seen as a commentary on pro-wrestling, this episode also can be  read as a very solid allegorical lesson in acceptance of being one’s self in the multiple ways people present themselves, and accepting that outlet of expression.

The show meanwhile also acknowledges the binary gender tropes common to popular fields of animation.

Anime in particular is referenced due to the show in part being inspired by the medium, and often pays homage to its roots in many episodes, and anime is certainly rife with these tropes.

One of the most visible subversion of gender norms from television content is the common anime trope of “the magical girl” or “mahou shoujo.” This is a character trope usually considered female and for female audiences, one of the most popular being Sailor Moon, Tokyo MewMew, Pretear, and Cardcaptor Sakura (1998-2000) just to name a few.

“Magical girls” are usually small cute figures or cute voluptuous figures, having a magical transformations before a battle with a lot of melodramatic gestures and speeches sometimes involved, and flowers or feminine colors such as pink is very present (tvtropes.org, Magical Girls).

In the episode “An Indirect Kiss” (Season 1, Ep. 24, 2014) Steven’s status as being based on the magical girl trope is emphasized when he tries to access his mother’s healing magical tears (healing powers and tears long in animation also firmly categorized as feminine).

Trying to do so Steven moves in the melodramatic gestures and stances of a transforming magical girl, with profuse roses and pinkness (pinkness and roses very much a dominant theme and symbol of his power carried over from his mother Rose and prominent throughout the series) (Season 1, Ep. 24, 2014).

Steven Universe, “Steven Universe, An Indirect Kiss.” 2014, Cartoon Network.

Steven Universe itself also takes a lot of inspiration from Revolutionary Girl Utena, a show about a girl who decides she wants to become a Prince, an anime that is considered very queer leaning for its time. Steven Universe references this root in the show through various scenes such as Steven pulling out his mother’s sword from Lion’s head in a similar manner that Utena pulls out a sword from Anthy’s chest, and Pearl’s swordsmanship is a copy of a fight scene of Utena’s.

Clip shot from Do You Know Anime “Pearl and Utena fight scene comparison.” 2015, doyouknowanime.net/Cartoon Network.

In “Giant Woman” (Season 1, ep. 12, 2014) the viewers are introduced to the concept of fusion for the first time, which is the ability for two or more gems to merge their bodies and minds (provided they are compatible) into a new being.

Periodically throughout the episode Steven expresses his desire to see the fusion (whom is called Opal) and sings a song (04.02) about that desire. At first it comes across as almost autoerotic in his fixation, but then the last line of the song reveals his true desire.

“…But if it were me, I’d really wanna be a giant woman,
a giant woman!
All I wanna do, is see you turn into a giant woman…”- (Steven, 04.45).

 

In “Alone Together” Steven and Connie manage to fuse and create Stevonie, a gender neutral or genderqueer individual who was only prominent in one episode and briefly there in another.

They are never referred to as “he” or “she”, usually referred to as “They,” and are often considered attractive by both males and females alike, though Stevonie seems to be somewhat unaware of the later.

Steven throughout the show is commonly presented with female gender trope signifiers such as his powers being primarily defensive, forming in a manner associated with magical girl powers, has been commonly mistaken for his mother by other Gems, and has even said that he may be his mother.

There are also the mixing of mainstream gender codes within the show: Lion, whom as a male lion is considered a masculine symbol (often associated with Kings) is combined with the color pink and a vaguely heart shaped head design which are female gender codes, and Steven’s healing powers (feminine) combined with spitting as a mode of use (masculine), just to give a bit of an example.
The queering of gender isn’t the only aspect explored by the show.

An Erotic Universe?

 

Steven Universe is surprisingly rife with erotic content that acknowledges its queer characters and youth characters as physically intimate beings in a largely non-sexual way and delights in going out of its way in its failure to keep things “behind closed doors” so to speak.

As mentioned earlier, the concept of fusion was first introduced in “Giant Woman” but the intimate connotations were first fully realized in “Coach Steven” (Season 1, ep.20, 2014).

In this episode Garnet and Amethyst decide to fuse to create Sugilite (another giant woman). The dance that follows in Sugilite’s creation is unmistakably erotic, a lot of pelvic movements and provocative gestures, and ending with Garnet in a decidedly hard-to-interpret-as-anything-else pose with her legs spread wide, and Amethyst leaping head first between her thighs at the moment of the merge (01.36-02.07).

The erotic nature of this is also signified through Pearl who bears a keenly embarrassed look on her face, as she tries to block Steven’s view, who is quite excited by the display (01.36-02.07).

With this implication of the more intimate nature of fusion firmly signified in the viewers thanks to this episode, when “Alone Together” mentioned earlier comes along, viewers are introduced to the uncommon sight of two child characters engaged in their own form of intimacy when Steven and his friend Connie merge together into Stevonie.

They are encouraged to be the experience that Stevonie is by Garnet; despite Pearl’s objections to the inappropriateness of it.

In an article by the editor of “Polygon” Carli Velocci comments on how the Stevonnie character can be perceived as a positive metaphor for consent, in an entirely non-sexual context (Velocci,C. 2015). Indeed, the notion of consent in fusion is brought up by Garnet herself in the show as well more then once.

This in turn puts a form of intimacy in a seeming non-sexual act, or perhaps introducing an intimacy that is not traditionally defined as mainstream sex, perhaps queering the definition of “sexual act” itself.

Later on in the episode “Jail Break” (Season 1, ep. 52, 2015) it is revealed that Garnet herself is in fact a fusion, the personification of the romantic relationship of two female presenting characters Ruby and Sapphire, who are in a romantic relationship and are often depicted as a couple since their first appearance arguing, flirting, and physically acting as a couple on the show.

Soon after the revelation that Garnet is a fusion, stipulated on the show as  the personification of their relationship, is sung by her as she battles Jasper in a lyrical flip-off to traditionalist narrow mind-sets which are later expanded upon in other episodes as a trait of many off world Gems (05.16-07.35).

There are other incidences and allusions to eroticism in the show, as well as other significant queer relationships such as Pearl and Rose, a relationship that echos the old style chivalrous love depicted between medieval knights and a royal, and of course the relationship between Sadie and Lars, one of the few straight relationships depicted on the show whose intimacy status is in no doubt.

Steven and the Family.

 

It should also be significant to note that Steven Universe also features as a visible queer family dynamic, often on contrast with the mainstream Nuclear family dynamic, and does discuss this from the point of view of both Steven as a child from the former who doesn’t understand how having 3 mother figures and one not at home father is any different in the definition of family then having one mother and father.

This was done in “Fusion Cuisine” (Season 1, Episode 32) quite well when Connie’s parents want to meet Steven’s parents, whom they had been led to believe were a nuclear family.

The episode did well at portraying Steven’s point of view on the matter, showing his confusion with the “Nuclear Family” dynamic as a norm in contrast to his own norm, highlighting that their is no real norm in regard to family from one aspect to the next highlighted well by Steven’s confrontation with Connie over the issue, and Connie’s parents reaction to the truth of Steven’s family situation.

Basically, as long as a child was reared with proper discipline and boundaries in the eyes of Connie’s parents,they saw no problem with who was enforcing it.

Conclusion

 

So in conclusion Steven Universe is a glorious failure to be mainstream that subverts, declares, and challenges viewers in dominant ideals about children, queer representations in television, and intimacy, while also providing a fiction which speaks to the queerness of all children in general with a strong emphasis on embracing and communicating ones identity and uniqueness.

This is an important show in the continuing steps forward in children’s programming.



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Bibliography

*Note: this is somewhat incomplete as more stuff was added to later, and are entirely common knowledge anyway.

Halberstam, Judith. Queer Art of Failure. Durham, NC, USA: Duke University Press, 2011.
Accessed December 9, 2015. ProQuest ebrary.
—“Chapter One Animating Revolt and Revolting Animation,” p.27-52.
Rosewarne, Lauren. American Taboo: The Forbidden Words, Unspoken Rules, and Secret Morality of Popular Culture. Praeger, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2013. Kindle EBook.
—“ The Gay Chapter : Homosexuality in Animation,” p.1-16.
“Magical Girl.” Tvtropes.org. Last modified November 29, 2015.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicalGirl.

Dr. Kathryn Stockton. “The Strangeness of Sexuality: What is Queer Theory? Are Children Queer?” 2010 Reynolds Lecture at the University of Utah, published November 25, 2014. Online Video. Retrieved at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NklYXR4mY5I&list=PLbP1qZTHfPXoHJ6gnyGb1NzvMIbRa5r9z&index=12

Prof. Jack Halberstram, “Interview with Prof. Jack Halberstram”, 2014 Summer School for Sexualities, Culture, and Politics, Research Centre for Cultures, Politics and Identities (IPAK) Faculty of Media and Communications (FMK), Singidunum University, September 05, 2014. Online Video. Retrieved at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKDEil7m1j8
Rebeca Sugar, et al.

Steven Universe. United States: Cartoon Network, 2013-present.
Velocci, Carli (2015-07-14). “What a children’s show can teach us about sex and healthy relationships”. Polygon.

Laser Toy - Simon's Cat

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How Scream Should Have Ended

Screen Squinty's Top 5 DC Animation AMV's

Here is my top 5 list of favorite fanmade amv’s using DC Animation Content from either the feature films, shorts, or TV shows found on youtube (in no particular order).

I also apologize ahead of time as some of the titles couldn't be found using blogspot's connection to youtube, so I included links.
 

1. "DC Comics Heroes AMV” – By Poture Bhabesh.

This creator did an excellent job utilizing content from the DC Showcase Cinema Animation shorts, with a decent balance of appearances Between Green Arrow, Catwomen, Specter, Shazam, and Jonah Hex.

There was some excellent uses of timing, particularly in the beginning, and the choice of “War of Change” by Thousand Foot Crunch works well with many of the personalities displayed, particularly Specter, Jonah Hex and Catwomen.

2. “DC AMV”- By Parasitic Music Videos.

To view, go here

This had a good focus on the more violent aspects that was inherent in both the feature animated films and the television shows, which was highlighted well by the choice of “Painkiller” by Three Days Grace.

The variety of focus was also a visual treat guessing game, particularly for those who have enjoyed both the movie and television franchises over the decades.

 3."tribute Joker Smooth Criminal Micheal Jackson, L’indiscret Joker amv”-by Tonnerdark.

While the color changing can come across as unnecessary, there is just something about the idea of the Joker singing “Are you ok Annie?” over and over again, something i can seriously see him do. The creator also used the more comical beaver toothed Joker from The Batman series, which was a good choice to accent the comedy of the amv.

 4."Harley Quinn-Hit and Run AMV”- by Nemesis of Cupid.

 To View, go here2.

This was a tightly put together AMV tribute to the Suicide Squad animated version of Harley Quinn with the use of LOLO’s “Hit and Run” to round out the fun of the character, something that we will all get to enjoy (Hopefully) with the release of Suicide Squad, the feature film version of Assault on Arkham.

5. “Justice League Flashpoint AMV”- by PinkKttsyan340.

 To view, go here3.

What makes this AMV good is not so much any particular theme or character given emphasis, but more along the lines of taking the finest qualities of the source material, Justice League Flash Point, and highlights some of the best visuals, brutality, and tragedy that was part of the film.

“Forsaken” By Within Temptation has a music style that very adequately highlights the style of the animated feature and it was utilized well here with some good editing.

List posted at my main site.

Well that’s all for now folk, if you enjoyed this top list check out my others here.

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Screen Squinty's "Finding Dory" Reivew.

Film: Finding Dory.
Directed by: Andrew Stanton.
Released: 2016.
Running Time: 103 minutes.

There is nothing like the sight of colorful sparkly fish with great voice overs to experience the majesty of the ocean and your local Signorney Weaver narrated Fish hospital/park.

Finding Dory is the much anticipated sequel to Finding Nemo (2003) that had been in the works for the past 13 years. Unsurprising as the first installment  was such a hit that it’s a surprise that Hollywood isn’t already on its fourth installment instead of its second.  In this installment, it concentrates on the popular character, Dory, in a collection of present moment and flash backs telling an origin story/present adventure story of Dory’s search for her family.

The film is that a lot of the old crew that made Finding Nemo such a success returned to the making of the film. Andrew Stanton, who directed the first film returned as director (paired up with relative feature film newcomer co-director Angus Macleane), and many of the voice actors returned, such as Albert Brooks the famous writer and comedian reprising his role as Marlen, and of course the queen of talk shows  herself Ellen DeGeneres as Dory.

Having Stanton manning the helm of its development has kept this film on an even keel where many films that have tread the choppy waters of long term development waters to break apart (The Good Dinosaur for Example), this film has made it into the dock with a solidly made film in which you can easily believe that it has earned the $287 million worldwide gross since it premiered June 8^th.

The animation had the same high quality as the first film, with some really beautiful breathtaking imagery that shows the animation teams love of the watery kingdom. Though there was less variety of colorful settings like the first film, it did utilize what was presented in the best possible way, making an ordinary public Aquarium comically (and sometimes dangerously)  fantastical .

Pixar “Dory” from Finding Dory, 2016. Promotional Image.

The character designs with child Dory being the precious little fish bit adorkable without quite falling into Pwecious territory fortunately, and the designs of the other inhabitants of the exhibits was enjoyably done. The strongest design testicles down though would have to be Hank, the cranky red octopus,  with the excellent voice talent of Ed O’Niell, whose design has the smart decision of using his eyes as the dominant feature of body language communication.

Some of the strongest animations recognize the importance of the expression of the eyes.
in computer animation, though there has certainly been improvements over the years, a big flaw was the phenomenon known as “dead eyes” (The Polar Express is an excellent example of this), which accents the artificiality of the world being portrayed and generally comes across as a little unsettling. This is in part because the eyes are a common body language facet of communication among humans almost to a subconscious level.

A creative team that recognizes this important facet of human relation and communication, make it the most prominent feature of a character (particularly in a computer animation) tend to be the most successful in character design, as it helps foster greater empathy with a character, as well as puts a stamp of a high quality animation for the production company, which Pixar has in spades and is not afraid to show.

It doesn’t hurt that Hank, out side of his design, was a likable character as well, and his dynamic with Dory was easily the strongest feature of the film with dialogue that felt natural, entertaining, and engaging all at once, and definitely is one of the strongest factors in carrying the film, and a character who i can see getting his own movie if there is a third installment.

Pixar, Hank and Dory from “finding Dory, 2016, promotional Image.

The story itself outside of the characters and animation, does holdup well. The present day and flash back transitions were clever in revealing not only Dory’s origins, but also in her psyche, as well as a plot of character development and resolution.

Granted it didn’t have the grand feel of the first film, but that’s as it should be. The first film was a heroic journey film, this one was a personal revelation story at a very internal and personal level on part of Dory, which the story does.It doesn’t need the grand oceanic delights and dangers to be what it is, with the first film about finding someone, and the second about finding one’s self.

If there were any weak points in the film, perhaps Nemo’s character didn’t feel particularly essential to the film. In fact his presence highlighted why you shouldn’t bring children into potentially dangerous or unknown situations. It weakens Marlen’s parental characterization, particularly after the first film going through the trouble of developing him in that quarter. Still, the focus was on Dory, so the draw backs are minor annoyances at best.

This film swims to the top and over he expectations going into this film, with its great animation, characters, and story it is a high recommendation for your summer viewing.

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Screen Squinty, Taking it to the Next Level!

Well Folks, Here I go!

Your lovable enigmatic bat in the hat reviewer has decided to take that next step in this journey of online reviewing and writing by going to the next level!

My Goals!

• Update my creaky old computer equipment for better, faster, reviews and content!

• Review even more material and at actual events!

• Start an actual video series where I discuss not only reviews and reactions to popular media, but also relevant topics and current events…even, dare I say it?…something educational? GASP!

I will be offering fun rewards along with my eternal gratitude!

So please consider supporting me on Patreon! or spread the word by sharing with your friends, family and contacts.

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#Orlando Shooting

The recent news about the #Orlando shooting, has been deeply saddening. I would like to say that I was surprised by a hate crime of such extreme fervor in this day and age, but I wasn’t as surprised as I wished I was. After Canada’s transgender clinic was burned in a hate crime, and the North Carolina discrimination not to mention so many other hate crimes and anti-LGBT politics and sentiments out there…it is just so frustrating, sad, and a little frightening, no matter what country, no matter what province, state, or end of the globe.

My thoughts are with my fellow LGBTAQ’s I hope that this tragedy will shine a light on the serious issue our civil rights.

Screen Squinty’s “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” Review.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Movie scenes and Promotional imagery. Property of Warner Bros.

Film: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
Directed by: Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm.
Released: 1993.
Running Time: 76 min.

I am sure everyone and their monkey’s uncle has perhaps had their ear  bent over the years about the first DC Animated film based off of the Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) over the years. A story about a young Bruce Wayne on the crossroads and early days of becoming Batman told in flashbacks while his present self is on the run from a frame up and facing down a mysterious antagonist that takes that one step to far approach.

So what makes this worth chatter in certain fan communities?

First, for the 90’s, a film based off of an animated television series without being just a well edited amalgamation of episodes or one long episode was rare to find, especially within shows geared towards the younger set, let alone one that was destined to have a theatrical release, instead of just going straight to video.

While the film failed in the box office, mostly due in part to the short amount of time the team was given by Warner Bros. to both make and sell people to the release (and one of those prime examples of why we all still tolerate trailers and promos now a days despite the complaints), though it did receive high praise from many critics, and has since gained cult following status.

This is everything you could want in an animated neo-noir film, directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm who carried the success and classy darker over tones of the series into the film, as well as reaching out to a variety of Batman comics, but also made it something more than its source material.

It treats itself like a serious feature film and not just an off shoot of a television show.
The amazing and clever cinematic score by Shirley Walker, one of the few female women score writers during the period in Hollywood and the original composer for the animated series and set the tone for the musical score for the DC Animated series universe franchise, greets viewers in the opening credits with a score that had an epic feel akin to listening to the scores of Superman (1978) and Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

It wasn’t just epic in feel and tone, but also contained some of the playful edge of its roots by its construction of the lyrics in an amusing inside joke that very few people caught at the time involving the choir who were not singing Latin or some other grand language, but instead, with all seriousness, they were singing the names of orchestrates Lolita Ritmanis, Michael McCuistion and Peter Tomashek (and some others) backwards.

The voice acting meanwhile of of Kevin Conroy (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Mark Hamill (Joker), and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr (Alfred Pennyworth). already excellent actors from the series, went all out (reprising their roles from The Animated Series), in particular Mark Hamill working his pre-Joker and present Joker figure.

The next positive was the story.

Loosely based off of events from Batman Year One and Batman Year Two graphic novels as well as the television series, showed a good balance of its various source materials, while being mainly its own thing. As a cinematic article in and of itself, accentuating its neo-noir lines, it stands on its own without needing to lean on its inspiration and sources to hard, but respecting the classic Batman Detective character, as well as the genre conventions of neo-noir, fitting as there were some moments in the flashbacks that were inspired/reminiscent of famous noir classic Citizen Kane (1941).

So we can agree this film has many advantages going for it, but does it have any drawbacks?
Two criticisms have come to light over the years, so lets address them:

The first Criticism is that the plot is to slow, almost plodding, with not enough action to keep audiences engaged throughout the film.

It’s a valid criticism, the pacing of the plot is slower then many are likely accustomed to, particularly child audiences, and in comparison to later films, its pace is a little staid. The fact of the matter though is that noirs are often not normally fast paced predominantly.

Its all about setting the atmosphere, building the intrigue, or at least good noir films do this, and this is a noir film make no mistake about that, and this film does a good job in establishing its intrigue and mood with just the right amount of action scenes- and when they happened, they were really good, relevant to the story, and memorable- to satisfy. Though perhaps those who respond to higher action to story ratios might not be as in to this film.

The Second criticism would be the lead romantic role, Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany), was not a very well developed character.

Andrea Beaumont, Played by Dana Delany. Screen shot, property of WB.

In this I would have to agree more with critics. For most of her appearance, Andrea didn’t receive much development as a character herself for a large part of the movie, but despite this she did fulfill her role for the story, and the resolution of her character in the climax of the film does somewhat save her character. You do believe the chemistry between her and Bruce as well, which was vital component as part of Bruce’s struggle in his early years as a vigilantly in making his ultimate choice for the path he takes as Batman.

Its worth noting that her character does appear in a cameo or two within the DC Franchise, particularly in the series finale of Batman Beyond (1999-2001).

Unfortunately, Andrea did reflect a trend with how women were treated rather stereotypically that was part and parcel in the Batman Animated series for the most part until more interesting characters like Harley Quinn came along. Andrea did break the mold to an extent as well, in a way that went beyond the love interest or the sexualized villianess. she is an interesting mix of breaking the mold and sustaining it at the same time.

This perhaps reflects the dated nature of the film perhaps, but when one takes into account the amazingly story, great acting, a brilliant antagonist, the noir atmosphere, and  the homage to source material with an original twist here and there, plus the spectacular climatic ending, it somewhat saves it from completely falling into the dated container, perhaps why it has retained its cult status and one of the top favorite DC Animated Film list for may fans of the franchise.

This is certainly one of my top favorites from the DC Animated Franchise, a highly recommended watch for not only Batman fans or DC Animations fans, but also for those who just want to watch a great feature film.

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Screen Squinty's Announcment: Apoligies, DC Animation Reviews, and DC Animation Trailers/Clips.

Hello all!

Back from the brink of another health induced hiatus.

I apologize to all my regular readers, and I know this seems to be recurring theme, I apologize, my health has its ups and downs sometimes.
 
Anyhoo, with the awesome r-rated ‪The Killing Joke‬ based off of  one of my favorite graphic novels from the DC-verse, coming out and with some of my favorite voice actors including Mark Hamill, I decided in homage to the DC Animated franchise by reviewing as many ‪‎DC‬ Animated movies, shorts, and fanmade animated content as possible until its current stated release date in July interspersed throughout my other content.

Just for the hell of it, here is a list of all the DC Animated films in chronological order by release date starting from the 1990's, and a trailer or clip for each one.

1. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). 

2. Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998).

3. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000).

4. Batman: The Mystery of the Batwoman (2003).

5. The Batman vs. Dracula (2005).

6. Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006).

7. Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006).

 

8. Superman Doomsday (2007).

9. Justice League: The New Frontier (2008).

10. Batman: Gotham Knight (2008).

11. Wonder Woman (2009).

12. Green Lantern: First Flight (2009).

13. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009).

14. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010).

15. Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010).

16. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010).

17. All Star Superman (2011).

18. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011).

19. Batman: Year One (2011).

20. Justice League: Doom (2012).

21. Superman vs. The Elite (2012).

22. The Dark Knight Returns-Part 1 (2012).

23. The Dark Knight Returns-Part 2 (2013).

24. Superman: Unbound (2013).

25. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013).

26. JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014).

27. Justice League: War (2014).

28. Son of Batman (2014).

29. Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014).

30. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015).

31. Batman vs. Robin (2015).

32. Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (2015).

33. Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015).

34. Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem (2015).

35. Batman: Bad Blood (2016).

36. Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016).

37. The Killing Joke (2016, coming out this July).

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Screen Squinty's Top 5 Online Animation of Week 10

Its the tenth week of the top 5 online list, sorry it took so long folks, school and horrible, horrible germs are a buzzkill on my posting schedule.

What makes it to the list is animations that are posted online that fall within the Monday to Monday week before the next list is to be posted. It can be anything, trailers, clips, shorts, online reviews, etc. as long as it has a predominance of animation. It must also be searchable by Blogger's "Insert Video: search YouTube" feature. 

This list will not just be comprised because of the quality of the animation alone, but can also be chosen for premise, concept, or just plain entertainment value.

I take suggestions, just leave them in the comment section.

"The Transplant, Cyanide & Happiness Shorts" - By ExplosmEntertainment.

"Street Cock Fighter - RYU vs KEN [ SF5 Parody ]"- By CartoonHooligans.

 (click here)

   

"Animation Explores the Beautiful Circles of Our World"- National Geographic.

  

"Alive Overwatch Animated Short Film"- by Blizzard Entertainment

 "The Empire of Corpses"-Official Trailer

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Admirable Animation #47: Homer Badman [The Simpsons]

Screen Squinty's "Mune: Guardian of the Moon" Review.

(Mune: Guardien of the Moon promotional image, Paramount Pictures, 2014.)

Film: Mune: Guardian of the Moon.
Directed by: Alexandre Heboyan and Benoît Philippon.
Released: 2014.
Running Time: 86 min.

This is a French computer animated fantasy film about a mythical world ruled by the delicate balance that exists between the Sun and Moon which are each watched over and manned by a Sun and Moon Guardian.

During the choice of a new guardian for both celestial bodies, a creature named Mune (Michaël Grégorio and Joshua J. Ballard) is unexpectedly chosen as guardian of the Moon. Untrained and highly naive, his mistakes lead to the theft of the Sun, which leaves both Mune and the guardian of the Sun, Sohone (Omar Sy and Trevor Devall), to get it back and are accompanied by the living candle wax girl Glim (Izïa Higelin and Nicole Provost).

One of the strongest features of the feature is the strong blend of inventive use of mythology archetypes combined with heroes journey poetics we are all familiar with in a very Terry Gilliam influenced construction in the overarching living myths of this place, which is appropriate considering that the writer for the film Benoît Philippon, was inspired by Gilliam's films which also utilizes a similar use of living mythological worlds with a unique fantastical production style, such as Monty Python’s Holy Grail (1975) and Time Bandits (1981).

Altogether it gives it a very unique yet classic structure, and works as a dominant theme within the film brilliantly well, almost like reading something from an ancient mythology storybook.

The creative use of animation is another point in its favor as the animators utilized the filmatic computer animated paint brush to bring this to life in a visually creative and stunning way, in particular the character designs, done by the renowned Nicolas Marlet (Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon), and the creation of the Sun and Moon temples were a particular favorite. 

 

(Mune: Guardien of the Moon "Moon Temple", Paramount Pictures, 2014.) 

Mune in particular was adorable, yet his character design didn’t completely overwhelm his identity, his motions were very much akin to his more wild nature, and a nice nod to some classical Greek mythology yet still remaining his own creature.  

  (Mune: Guardien of the Moon "Mune", Paramount Pictures, 2014.) 

The only real drawback lies in the character Glim, whose construction is visually pleasing and basic concept as a character who either freezes in complete darkness or melts in the sun provides some interesting possibilities. Unfortunately this is hindered by being rather uninteresting in personality at best, and insulting at worst with her constant dependence on the two protagonists throughout most of the film, and forced as a romantic lead that was completely unneeded at all. not exactly the best female protagonist to introduce to children, and beyond outdated for the adult viewers.

She wasn't completely horrible throughout the entirety of the film, certainly her actions with the sun in the climax of the film was her strongest moments, at least working with her basic concept to its fullest somewhat,; though it’s effectiveness as a memorably dramatic scene that could have saved her character somewhat is undercut by a floating bit of deux ex machina.

The story would have been stronger if it had just been purely Mune and Sohone, leaving more chance to develop their relationship as guardians and as friends, particularly with the added element of Sohone being groomed for the position from the beginning, and Mune a complete novice, chosen over Sohone's groomed counterpart. This would provide an excellent spring board to develop some prime character interaction, but it was not fully realized.

They are supposed to be a vital symbol of harmony and balance between the Night and the Day, according to the film's cannon, and was also not given enough emphasis or development to work within present plot. The fact that the two didn’t really do this adventure wholly together, and Sohone himself was just as useless for a prime chunk of the film, only really redeeming himself as a character in the end climax, all took away from what would have been a spectacular story instead of an attractive mythology format.

(Mune: Guardien of the Moon "Mune and Sohone", Paramount Pictures, 2014.) 

Overall, despite its flaws this is a creative bit of classical storytelling using a unique style and original world building within the medium of animation done in a professional and visually pleasing style that is easily accessible to a wide variety of ages and audiences (it does have its modest fanart out there), though the weak use of characters, and the lack of really good development between Mune and Sohone, and Glim’s step backwards for female characters undercuts the enjoy-ability.

This is definitely  a recommendation for the younger set perhaps who might not be as turned off by the weak character elements as anyone older than 10 might be, and worth a gander at least for the spectacular animation and mythology format.

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