*blows the dust off this tag* It's been a while, hasn't it? The last Text Review Roundup I posted was for the FiM finale back in October 2019. I wasn't sure at that point whether I'd ever compile another one, but the trailer for A New Generation has provoked a number of text-based reactions. Not a huge number, but at least enough for a Roundup. I do have to chop them for TRR, and Mike's in particular (being by far the longest and most detailed piece) suffers more than most in that regard, but I'll do my best to summarise them here.
DrakeyC – positive ("A lot of the jokes landed, the characters were engaging and likeable, and the animation is fun. It was a little off in places [...] but then so was G4 at first [...] doing its own separate thing [to G4]")
Jade Dawn – positive ("I'm actually really warming up to the animation, the characters seem pretty charming and the jokes land pretty well...yeah, I'm cautiously optimistic about this. And Izzy is adorable.")
Louder Yay – broadly positive ("The animation looks absolutely fine [...] characters seem okay [...] I'm still on the fence [about the G4 link. The film looks like being] an entertaining diversion with moderately cute characters and a lot of colour.")
Mike Cartoon Pony – mixed ("Izzy seems to be a character that works; everything in the [first part of the film] looks passably entertaining; having a prologue with Sunny as a child is obvious but brilliant [...] aspects of the visuals do work, and are impressive, especially for what I'm sure is not a budget above $20 million [but t]he stench of being hip and relatable to little kids is hard to waft off [and] were it not for the brand name, this film wouldn't hold anyone's attention for long")
My Little Scribbler – mildly positive ("Right away, the characters and animation looks really good [...] movie looks fun [but] I do have some concerns about how this show will fit into MLP:FiM [...] I assume all [my] questions will be answered in the movie, but if it doesn't, I might be disappointed.")
Pop Goes the Darke Raven – mixed ("To be fair this has the potential to be a rather good series. It has potential to be the start of a great thing. As long as we stick an asterisk to it [...] this is simply Modern Human World with ponies [...] The hyper real animation style of the movie is… A bit concerning. Apparently Equestria wasn't the only one that lost its magic.")
Present Perfect – broadly positive ("there's definitely going to be a lot of the standard Hollywood sass and smarm in place of character traits [but] The trailer made me laugh a number of times, and, well, mostly it just comes down to Izzy. She's clearly best pony. [...] I'm still a little bit put off by the Filly Funtasia character designs, but [I'm now] used to them.")
Rescue Sunstreak – positive ("I had the worst gut feeling it was going to be unwatchable, and I went from that, to excited to see what G5 brings us.")
Mike's in particular (being by far the longest and most detailed piece) suffers more than most in that regard
ReplyDeleteWell, it was a good thing I had that wrap-up summary paragraph, then! Allowed you to pick pretty much all your quotes from there.
Didn't expect to see this feature come back! Maybe after the movie came out, but not now, anyway. A Nice surprise this morning!
Whenever I write a longer piece, aspects of them usually age poorly within days - I won't deny I've gone back periodically since Thursday and made edits to that blog. As my first (and last) public post on the film before it comes out, just wanted to get across a lot of things, you know?
I suppose the one thing I will state here, for it is not clear above, is that, ultimately, more than "aspects" of the visuals work. Most of it works! All the parts that don't - generic art direction and visual imagination at times, the general facial design off-ness, and… everything with Zipp… - are design choices. So everyone who directly made the visuals onscreen - modellers, riggers, animators, effect artists, and so on - they delivered, and big time. Go Boulder Media, and go Irish Animation! Enough that I'm starting to wonder if, indeed, this film's budget was above $20 million (either way, plenty of tax credits there) - this film looks very nearly as good as Smurfs: The Lost Village from a few years back. We're unlikely to ever know the budget, alas.
It's just that the questionable visual design choices are not easy to ignore. Regardless of that, it is a real shame that, outside of the MLP fandom, this film's visual achievements won't get the recognition they deserve (not because of streaming compression, though that won't help). Hopefully those working within the industry, especially in Ireland - producing out first CG film here is a pretty big deal round all the local studios here!
But, real talent on display here. That bean can scene, you could use that to teach animation students in college. Wouldn't be surprised if that does happen somewhere!
Another thing: the trailer was, conceptually, well structured in terms of how much plot was revealed, introducing the characters one by one, all that. Once you get past modern trailer tics (all those title cards!). The editing itself was clearly rushed - far too many cases of lines being spliced around and lip sync being off due to lines being attached to different shots of the characters speaking. I'm wondering if, standing to gain no more money after selling the film to Netflix, Hasbro's trailer composition was a technical rush job.
Looking through these reviews and more besides, it's interesting that there's broad agreement on quite a few things. Most people feel Izzy is the best in almost every objectively measurable area; everyone like the visuals things I said were positive, while the other things are called out marginally here and there by others. Zipp is a point of contention for quite a few, even if most can't articulate why. And the G4 connection has raised alarms for almost everyone, whether it be because they want more connected dots, or are glad it's mostly standalone but wished the small ties weren't present at all. Most reviews even carry the same broad opinion and ranking of the characters, even if just inferred: Izzy ----> Sunny ----> Hitch/Pipp --------> Zipp!
I've already gotten a little more used to a few things since the trailer came out, as one does. And getting a fresh slate (mild G4 connection excepted), is something that's so good - even when FiM worked well the last few years, it was drowning in continuity baggage. Nothing to do now but wait until September 24th!
Oh boy! :D And they're all generally positive!
ReplyDeleteI think Drakey makes the best point, that G4 was kind of shaky when it first came out, something I actually reminded myself while writing my own post. Rarity and Applejack didn't quite sound like themselves for a few episodes, remember that? XD
Let's just say I'm massively more pessimistic than the consensus. From the uncanny valley design via the retroactively horrible G4 connection to the implied storyline that does not inspire confidence, I'm struggling to think of any aspect of this G5 that suggests I'd enjoy watching it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're going to be out on you own in that view. I do think -- slightly against my original expectations -- that you're going to be in the minority. Though of course the proof of the pony will be in the eating, if you'll excuse the butchered and somewhat concerning language there!
DeleteAs it happens, I agree on both counts. People generally seem more excited about it than me.
DeleteI'd like to be proven wrong in my prediction that I won't like it, but that's the way it's trending so far. Either way, I'll be keeping an eye on other people's reviews to get an idea for whether it'll be worth me taking the plunge or not.
EAT PONY
DeletePROVE PONY EXIST
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EAT PONY.
Delete>
Logan, as I understand it, you can practice on a blueberry muffin.
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