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So that's where Matt Danner's been hiding!
Back in the early days of the 20th century, before Flash was recognized as yet another way to drive down costs on kids TV animation (...before we could even convince a single studio to invest in a Flash TV production), there was promise in the air that Flash would drive the popularity of grown-up animated internet content to the point where anyone could have their own show on the web, and actually eek a living out of it... maybe even see it developed into a real TV show!
Damn having a realistic business model, this was the future of entertainment!
One of our favorite pieces, and the seeming proof that we were well on our way to seeing that dream come true, was PussyCow, directed by Matt Danner (a former Spumco guy, and it shows). For almost a year, we kept hitting the site where the PussyCow SWF was posted, just to get a taste of the subversive, oddly transgenderal, nun-bashing short.
Then one day, it vanished. It was nowhere to be found on the web. Gone. We had hoped that this was a good sign, that Danner had struck a deal with some well-paid TV exec with a vision for a future similar to what we had wet-dreamt of, and the stupid money to back it up. Maybe this was all part of the content moratorium that would precede its grand release.
Alas, this does not appear to be the case. It simply disappeared.
Well, God Bless YouTube!
After seeing Matt listed as Director of a new Drinky Crow episode I was forced to make that fateful search again... this time with positive results! Again I will say it, and let all you copyright obsessed Viacom & Fox lawyers hear me say it loud & clear: God Bless YouTube!
Drinky does not seem to be Matt's cup of milk. He did a capable job, he's a pro storyteller and you can see that... but it just doesn't stand up to the likes of PussyCow, or even some o fthe kid's contant that Matt's been producing (like Coconut Fred or Foster's Home). You can view a typical Drinky show (not a Danner episode) by clicking on the highly marketable toy image below.
Not a terrible piece of entertainment. I never read the Maakies Comic that the show is based on, but I would venture to guess that it was probably not captured aptly on TV... and while the translation to 3D looks intriguing, Drinky Crow was clearly meant to shine in 2D. I can only guess they did it for budgetary & scheduling reasons, as 3D animation tools feature asset management that ever more and more superior to Flash.
Damn Macromedia. They're shooting themselves in the foot by resting on their web laurels. We've been waiting to see shows like PussyCow become a reality (and wishing for all of those other Flash shows with their teeny tiny budgets to yield higher profits for us blue collar studio yokels thanks to more controlled asset management costs), and instead 3D keeps getting cutsies to the front of the line while we stand out in the rain waiting to get a peek at the pretty girls inside. I have half a mind to go learn how to use one of the 50 or so versions of Toon Boom and drop Flash altogether.
I'll say it again so all of the software developers at Adobe can hear me loud and clear: Damn Macromedia!
Stay Tooned
T
5 comments:
Toon Boom Animate is the one for you, ask Aaron Simpson about it !
I have read the Maakies comic strip before, and you are right, the Drinky Crow Show doesn't capture its humor at all. To be fair, I only saw the pilot, but the comedic timing was awful. I also see no reason to make the characters and environment look plastic with that 3D cel-shaded, videogame-like animation, when 2D would have worked just fine, and probably better. It's a shame; those characters did deserve to be animated, but not like that.
Anyway, the Pussycow short was hilarious. What is it about udders that never stops being funny? I loved the part with the little girl with a milk beard. Probably the best animation in that short was the lip-synching. Great mouth poses. I guess that's a Spumco trait right there.
Hello Mr. Flinch! Matt Danner here!
Aaron sent me this link today, and I just wanted to thank you for the VERY kind words! And comment on Drinky Crow.
I'll agree, at first it was a tough transition for me. I liked the pilot, but wasn't a big fan. I saw something special about though and was very happy to jump on board to try something different. I directed every episode for the first season and the powers that be really let me try some new things.
Watch it! Give it a shot! I think you'll find that the show evolves with each episode, and now that we're wrapping up on the last few I gotta say I'm REALLY proud of this one. I know it's not completely 2D, but it's a 2d/3d experiment that involves Flash a lot more than you'd think! ;)
Look out for "God of Monkeys."
And by the way Tony Millionaire and Eric Kaplan are a treat!!!
Matt! I am honored, sir. If I were any kind of bona-fide blogger, I would have asked you for a comment before posting. I don't know what the hell I'm doing... thrilled to have you reading though.
I will go get a season pass for Drinky right now!
T
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