Controversy, Cows, and Clones

Greetings and welcome to another episode of Tooned Up, Renegade Pop Culture’s animation podcast! This week, Mike and Cameron are joined by Reuben Baron from CBR as they discuss the latest news in the world of animated films and take an in-depth look at the recent Annecy Film Festival! It’s a packed episode yet again, so buckle up and enjoy!

Time for the time stamps and commentary!

The legendary Carl Reiner (right) with his best friend, Mel Brooks (left).

00:50 - Cam, Mike, and Reuben pay tribute to Kelly Asbury, director of Shrek 2 and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (among others), who passed away after a battle with cancer on June 26th. They also honor the legendary comedian Carl Reiner, who died of natural causes on June 29th. Sad news for the world of comedy and animation. May they rest in peace as their legacy lives on.

Kelly Asbury, director of Smurfs: The Lost Village and Shrek 2, among many others.

08:01 - The team discusses news that cast members of shows like Central Park, and Big Mouth-Kristen Bell and Jenny Slate, respectively-have stepped down from voicing their mixed race characters on the series. Both actresses have stated that their characters should be voiced by Black or mixed race actors, in order to add more authenticity to the roles. The producers of the Simpsons quickly followed suit. There has been some controversy surrounding these announcements, but it is the right thing for the creators behind these shows to do. Authenticity and accountability is important, and more diversity in the characters we see in animation is a good thing.

Characters from the original Clone High.

17:16 - A reboot of the cult classic animated series Clone High is in the works at MTV Studios, with Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Bill Lawrence all set to produce the show, along with Erica Rivinoja, who is the new series’ showrunner. Lord and Miller are the duo behind The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, while Lawrence and Rivinoja both worked on the original show. The premise of the 13-episode MTV series was a bit outlandish, but fun: teenage clones of historical figures like Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and Mahatma Gandhi must deal with the usual trials and tribulations of high school life while simultaneously outwitting a group of government agents who wish to use them for their own ends. On top of that, their evil principal wants to cash in on their fame and start up a theme park called “Cloney Island.” It’s a unique series, and it’ll be interesting to see how they update both the central plot and the characters surrounding it. There’s no release date scheduled yet, and no word if any members of the first show’s cast is returning, but it’s good to see a cult-classic animated comedy being revived for a new generation of viewers. Good luck to Lord, Miller, Lawrence, and Rivinoja!

26:00 - The main event begins! *Cue Michael Buffer intro* Our Captain Kaye and Cam the Animation Guru join forces with the Baron of CBR’s animation department to bring you their thoughts on the Annecy film festival! Overall, the guys thought that this year’s digital version of the festival ended up offering a heaping helping of animated value, especially during the pandemic. Over 15,000 people tuned in to the festival online, which is a good turnout! Included in the film fest were previews of Over the Moon, a new film directed by legendary Disney animator Glen Keane, and a first look at Wolfwalkers, produced by Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind The Secret of Kells. Both films look amazing, with Keane and Pearl Studios opting to go the CG route and dazzling audiences with an upbeat story and some truly stunning lighting and usage of color. The team at Cartoon Saloon, on the other hand, are going with a more traditional hand drawn, 2D look for Wolfwalkers, and I’m loving their aesthetic for the film! The premise seems darker than the usual animated fare, as well, so I’m in.

Two of the main characters from Wolfwalkers.

Also mentioned by Cam was Sony Pictures Animation’s Connected, which looks pretty neat and is headed up yet again by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, along with Gravity Falls’ Phil Rianda. Considering the producers’ pedigree, this film could be a sleeper hit, if not more. The original trailer certainly looked cool to me, despite the somewhat forced humor. But hey, that’s just a subjective gripe. The film is still slated to open in theaters on October 23rd.

The Summit of the Gods is another film that looks intriguing. Realistic animation inspired by anime like Jin-Roh provides the film with a grounded visual look, while the story (centered around an isolated mountain climber) sounds intense. Definitely one to keep an eye on as it nears completion.

37:23 - On the more negative side, Cam brought up the fact that some of the more popular or anticipated films at Annecy were only available in a 10-minute preview format, or simply played a short behind the scenes documentary rather than anything directly from the film itself. Most of the previews would showcase a scene or segment from the narrative of a particular film chosen by the viewer. In the case of the South Korean animated horror film titled Beauty Water, the preview people saw was actually a supercut of the entire film, which spoiled key plot points in the movie. Needless to say, this ruined every plot point in Beauty Water and left Cam feeling rather upset at the whole thing. Perhaps the Annecy organizers could do a better job restricting spoilers in the future.

52:50 - The boyz begin their breakdown of Old Man: The Movie, which features the titular elderly chap as he goes about his day absolutely terrorizing a poor, downtrodden cow. I have never felt so much sorrow for a fake animal in my entire life as I did watching the trailer for this twisted animated film. If there is ever a reboot of MTV’s Celebrity Death Match (but for animated foreign films), I want the cow to pummel the old man from Old Man: The Movie. Oh, yes. Then, and only then, shall our oppressed bovine brethren break free from the shackles of their inhumane bondage! Rise, friend cows, and cast off the chains of your imprisonment! Vanquish the humans! Mooooooo, my friends! MOO ON TO VICTORY!

Ahem. I think these show notes have gone on for long enough. I’m going to take my meds now and drink three bottles of red wine.*

Master animator Glen Keane hard at work on Over the Moon.

...Okay, I’m back.

Seriously, though, Old Man: The Movie is an outrageous farce: failing to milk the cow causes its udders to expand and explode in a pseudo-nuclear explosion, which is…a thing. Boy, would I like to have been a fly on the wall in the pitch meeting for this film.

Finally, I do want to mention Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds, a French fantasy film that reminds me of a video game called GRIS in terms of its art direction. The colors on display and animation style are beautiful, and though it’s not going to be released until 2022, I have no doubt it will be worth the wait.

Poor Spongebob’s next run has been delayed yet again.

One more item of note before I shut my pie hole: we accidentally forgot to mention the news that the next Spongebob Squarepants movie, Sponge on the Run, has been delayed yet again. It will now be released on premium VOD and CBS All Access sometime in 2021. Mike and Cameron will follow up on this news in the next episode of Tooned Up, so stay Tooned-I mean, tuned. Special thanks to our guest host, Reuben! You can find him on Twitter and over at CBR (formerly known as Comic Book Resources). See you on the flip-flop, fellow Renegades!

*To be clear, RPC does not condone drinking three bottles of wine while taking mind-altering medication; we actually recommend five bottles.** Also, Neoplasmic (the writer of these notes) does not take any such meds.

**Just kidding, we don’t recommend drinking wine at all. Vodka, on the other hand…