A Charming Batman Walks On, Girl - Renegade Animation #8
Greetings, animation junkies, and welcome to a Kung Fu-fighting episode of the Renegade Animation show, formerly called Tooned Up! Neoplasmic here with the notes, while the Animation Guru and The Captain take us through the show itself! We have all the news you could possibly round up, plus a martial arts and ’70s funk-infused Batman animated movie, a modern classic of an anime film, and a fairy tale parody to review, so let’s get to it!
First up, some sad news as legendary Disney character animator and pioneer in the industry, Dale Baer, has died. He passed away on January 15th at the age of 70. Baer was known primarily for his work on The Emperor’s New Groove, an underrated Disney film if there ever has been such a thing. Born on June 15, 1950, Baer had over 40 years of experience in the animation field and 27 years in commercial work. We at RPC wish Baer’s family well during this time, and may his soul rest in peace. Thank you for all that you’ve shared with us throughout the years and decades, Mr. Baer.
Next, we have a bunch of announcements from such streamers as Netflix and Nickelodeon, including but not limited to: Arlo the Alligator Boy, a new Shaun the Sheep short called A Winter’s Tale by Aardman, Back to the Outback, featuring Australian animals who escape a zoo, and Maya and the Three, a new film by Jorge Gutierrez, creator of El Tigre and director of The Book of Life, all feature on Netflix’s schedule, along with the newly acquired Wish Dragon (produced by Jackie Chan) and Sony Pictures Animation’s long-awaited film formerly called Connected and now renamed The Mitchells vs. The Machines, which was bizarrely picked up right after the Captain predicted it on the show! Nice call, Mike!
They are the hunters of trolls.
In addition, Netflix will also stream Robin Robin, another stop-motion short film/holiday musical from Aardman, Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans is also on its way from the streaming giant, with a stacked cast featuring Alfred Molina, Tatiana Maslany, and Steven Yeun, among many other talented folks. The film is set to premiere in Q1 of 2021 and is produced by Guillermo Del Toro with Dreamworks Animation.
Meanwhile, the house that The Secret World of Alex Mack built (where my fellow ‘90s children at?) has some films up its sleeve. The Loud House, featuring the vocal talents of David Tennant, is centered around a boy named Lincoln Loud, the only son (and middle child) in a home full of eleven (!) children and the chaos surrounding him. Oof. Eleven kids? Thanks for the nightmare fuel. Additionally, we have Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, a franchise which has seemingly been hung out to dry by Nickelodeon’s management. To be honest, I can’t say I’m a fan of the series’ aesthetic or the character designs, which take after the Michael Bay abominations in the two films he produced. Still, more TMNT is always good, so best of luck to them. Finally, the Rugrats reboot is back in the news, as a new image has been released and most of the original cast has signed on to the movie.
In Asian animation news, a new Chinese production of the Monkey King legend has been revealed, as Journey to the West: Reincarnation of the Demon King saw a new trailer released just a couple of days ago. The animation looks spectacular, though the story seems like a retread of familiar territory. Nice to see Chinese animation taking off, though. There’s a ton of talent around the globe, and they should be able to share their gifts with the world.
In anime news, a new series featuring mecha in space combined with over the top action and drama is on its way with the arrival of Edens Zero. A trailer was released, which you can watch above. Also on the way is a new film from Flat Studio called Rakka-sei, which translates to “Life of Falling.” According to Anime News Network, “The story follows Kaede, a high school boy in Tokyo, who is plagued by mysterious dreams. In the dream world where monsters squirm, he meets his other self. As this spiritual world erodes, Kaede deals with the secret of his emotions.” I’m feeling sort of “meh” about it, but we shall see how it all turns out.
In our final news item, the Long Gone Gulch pilot (which was funded by Kickstarter) premiered on Youtube recently and was free to watch for anyone who was curious. The series features the myths, urban legends, and folklore creatures we’ve been conditioned to want to eliminate since childhood, as they try to survive in the titular gulch and hide from humans, who are the real monsters, of course.
Now, on to the reviews, which begins with Charming, another Netflix fairy tale parody. Take it away, Cap!
“Charming is a Canadian-American animated musical comedy film from Vanguard Animation and Cinesite Studios, written and directed by Ross Venokur. It features an all-star cast, led by Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama, and a soundtrack executive produced by Lovato. The film puts a unique twist on Prince Charming, who turns out to be the same prince who came to the rescue of Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. A young Prince Philipe was cursed by Nemeny Neverwish, a former lover of the king. In order to break the curse, the Prince must face the Gauntlet and find his true love on his 21st birthday. Much like how I felt about Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, my feelings on this film are complicated. On the one hand, I’m an easy lay for animated musicals, and I genuinely believe that the main through line of this film is more compelling than Red Shoes. The dialogue can get a little clunky at times, but when certain jokes hit, they hit hard. The biggest problem I have with this lies in the execution. Objectively, this is Vanguard Animation at their best, but even their best barely rises above the “mediocre” threshold. As for the musical element, this would barely pass muster at Walt Disney Animation. Individual songs are pretty good, and the opening number “Trophy Boy,” written by Patrick Stump and performed by Avril Lavigne, Ashley Tisdale and G.E.M. is a low key bop. It just all feels undercooked, and while I admit it’s unfair to compare an independent animation studio to Disney, I can’t help it when a film is literally set in a Fairytale world. Charming is a film I can’t recommend unless you either have a Netflix account, or you’re an animation completist like myself.”
Well, better luck next time, Prince Charming.
Cue that funky ‘70s guitar, cuz we got us a Batman: Soul of the Dragon review incoming!
“Batman: Soul of the Dragon is the 40th entry in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line, directed by Sam Liu, written by Jeremy Adams, and executive produced by Bruce Timm and Sam Register. The film is an original story set in the 1970’s, in which Bruce Wayne, Richard Dragon, Lady Shiva and Bronze Tiger team up to stop Kobra from opening the Gate and unleashing the serpent god Naga onto the world. I’m not gonna mince words, this movie is awesome, and a phenomenal tribute to the late comic book writer Dennis O’Neil, who created several of the main characters. If you’re a DC fan who has either experienced Batman fatigue, or has simply been disappointed with some of the recently released direct to video films, you’ll find this quite refreshing. Understanding that we’re still working with Warner animation’s limited DTV budget, this might be one of the best projects that Sam Liu has directed. The animation looks stunning, the fight choreography is effectively swift and brutal, and the score composed by Joachim Horsley is the cherry on top that adds perfectly the emulation of classic 70’s martial arts films. While I wish the film could have spent a little more time establishing the characters in the flashback sequences, this was otherwise incredibly well paced for a mere 85 minutes. David Giuntoli was an okay Bruce Wayne, but the rest of the voice cast was awesome, my favorite being Michael Jai White reprising his role as Broze Tiger from Arrow. Most, if not all of my favorite DC animated films have been the ones with an original story, and Batman: Soul of the Dragon is certainly no exception!”
Alright, so being the big comics fan that I am, I have a few thoughts on this one. First, it’s less a Batman movie and more of a ‘70s Kung Fu/martial arts flick, which is probably apparent by now. The homages to Denny O’Neil and an appearance by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle’s King Snake were definitely worth seeing, though they failed to establish the fact that KS is blind, which is why he wears the blindfold. Minimize distractions and that sort of thing. Its a decent film with some sloppy animation and clunky storytelling at times. I thought both David Giuntoli and Jamie Chung were woefully miscast here, and I’m not completely wild about the main plot, but it wasn’t bad.
Finally, here’s Mike with his thoughts on The Night is Short, Walk On Girl:
“Our story follows a young black haired girl, who embarks on an insanely long night of partying where she interacts with an increasingly eccentric cast of characters. As I find myself apparently traversing backwards through Masaaki Yuasa’s filmography, one thing that’s become abundantly clear is how much he understands both animation as a storytelling medium and the human condition. This film in particular might just be his masterpiece, pushing all sorts of boundaries while still somehow giving life to one of the most relatable male love interests. It’s hard to put into words why this movie works so well, you just need to experience it for yourself. One thing I can say, without delving too deep into spoilers, is that some of the recurring themes throughout the film are living life to the fullest, recognizing and appreciating the connections we have to the people around us. On the surface, the visual presentation may seem like sensory overload, and the dialogue (especially the English dub) has this chaotic energy to it like that of the Safdie Brothers or Noah Baumbach, and yet it all comes together quite beautifully. Although this was released in 2017 in Japan, I’m including it on my 2021 list because we finally have an official English language release that’s available now on HBO Max! So if you’ve never seen Night is Short, Walk on Girl, there’s no better time like the present!”
An intriguing film that eschews plot for a more experiential focus. Seems like a must-watch to me!
And that is all she wrote for another edition of Renegade Animation! Thank you so much for all the support and please take care of each other and be safe! ‘Til next time!
- Neoplasmic
Previously on Renegade Animation, Captain Kaye, The Animation Guru, Haley, and Teresa dove head first into the Spring anime season and took in the good, the bad, and the bizarre. And now… Squid Game: The Anime.