I am still fuming over yesterday and it will take some time before I'll can talk more about THAT movie. Today, however, is one with positivity.
First off, the Australian Federal Election is finally over (and hopefully all those forsaken UAP ads). We finally got rid of the arrogant and sef-absorbed morons, with an increase in Green votes just makes it all the sweeter.
I've also been working on a few Blood Bowl teams. I have found that doing one or two models here and there helps keep me going, even if its slow. Main ones I am working are an Underworld team and a Necromatic Horrors team. The latter is my attempt at a simple Halloween theme on to go with the festive theme Space Wolves. Speaking of which, finally settled on a colour scheme for the Thunderwolves, but will alter their riders with a Snowman look.
Finally, found a video about an app that lets you take photos of objects and turn them into 3D objects in 3D software. This could be a rather useful tool. I prefer to work with props, but given the space I have means that I have rather limited options. Something like this could provide a solutions to a few of the problems I've encountered.
You all knew this was coming, so here it is. I saw the Rescue Rangers movie and wish I hadn't. Good lord was it horrific and cringy to sit through. I know what some will say, that it's just a movie and nothing to get offended about and they might be right. However, today I will give myself permission to get offended over this shit, because I'm passionate about it.
So let's start with the positives: Seeing Ugly Sonic made me want to go back and watch the far more superior Sonic movies, which I don't think that was what they were going for.
Now let's move on to the negatives. The story is terrible. It may have worked if the characters they had based them on were one's off a series and only that series in question, but we are talking about Chip and Dale, who have been around for some time, including after the Rescue Rangers show ended. The movie makes it out that were best of friends and that they only worked together on that show for Disney and nothing else for them before or after. That Rescue Rangers is what made them famous before breaking up as a result of Dale. The rules for this so-called universe seem to clash somewhat if you were to compare this to the other Disney afternoon shows, let alone other Disney franchises that they supposedly recognised. The fact that other non-Disney franchises were thrown into this movie, along with a Rodger Rabbit scene, tries to give that same feel as the world in the movie Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, but can't seem to figure out what parts are considered cannon in this world and what isn't. Even as the story progressed I just couldn't enjoy it. You could easily take out the Rescue Rangers and replace them with say, Bonkers D. Bobcat and it would have worked just as well, if not better.
I'll skip the whole Gadget x Zipper part. Seems like the whole reason they put it in was to piss off the Rescue Ranger fanbase in the hopes that their fury would entice more subscribers to Disney+. I'll also skip the Peter Pan thing because knowing the truth behind what happen to Bobby Driscroll made these scenes very uncomfortable. Once again, Disney has some serious issues, because some of this stuff is not OK.
The animation was mixed. Some parts were good, but a lot of the 2D stuff seemed off. Some characters had shading while other characters with the exact style of character designs didn't, which was very off putting. Some of the interaction between animation and 'live-action' also seemed a little out of place, which should have had someone go over it a few times to better incorporate it. Human actors did a decent enough job, which only makes me wish this had been a Bonkers movie instead of a Rescue Rangers one.
Music was...Honestly, I can't recall any of it or if it was any good, but I refuse to watch it again just to write this part.
Overall, I came in with low expectations and some how it was worse then even I thought it could be, so kudos to Disney for surpassing that. Honestly, this movie never felt like Rescue Rangers, nor did it even treat the RR fans with any sort of respect. This should have been a Bonkers movie as that had a lot more in common with this universe then any other of the Disney shows (yes, even the Might Ducks cartoon would work better as a live-action CGI action movie on a human only world instead of this one). I have to wonder who's idea this was, because it was a missed opportunity for one show while screwing over the other. As a Rescue Rangers fan, this felt like an assassination on the characters and franchise, but as a movie it is over bloated with character cameos and very little actual substance beyond that. I knew I would hate this movie, just didn't expect it to piss me off as much as it did.
I must apologise to Space Jam: A New Legacy. That movie was an advert for their HBO subscription service and while that was bad and I had serious issues with it, I never felt truly offended by it. But this movie, I have to ask: How is it that out of all the re-boots, re-imaginings and sequels done by Disney over the last 10 to 20 years, Duck Tales has been the only one that understood it's characters and premise in telling its stories while still treating its audience with respect?
I just don't think Disney has it anymore. Thank goodness with animation movies this year with Sonic 2 and The Bad Guys that there are still good animation movie scene that actually give a shit about what they produce.
So recently there has been more talk on the upcoming Rescue Rangers movie that has done little to improve my opinion of it.
The first is that we are now seeing various scenes from the first trailer, but now with much better animation. From what has been said, it appears that the trailer may have been using unfinished animations and that they were still working on the movie at the time. If that is true, then I feel sorry for the animation team, as there is no doubt that it would have given a negative impression of their skills. It also once again calls into question the competence of those in charge of all this.
Speaking of which, we also now know that the 'ugly Sonic' from the original Sonic Movie design will also be in it and will have at least some dialogue given they have someone to voice him. Here's the thing though, those in charge heard the complaints and changed it for the better, creating a movie that was more successful then they thought it could be. Disney on the other hand, never listens to fans and the community and does whatever they like, even if it's a disaster. They may have put him in as a joke, but it only reminds me of a more successful movie that is becoming a great cinematic universe.
There is an ever growing belief that this movie will be a train wreak, but an entertaining one. Sometimes one needs to see a shit show to help them better appreciate the work of others.
So this week I was diagnosed with Autism. Specifically ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Level 2. I'm don't fully understand the more intricant details of what it all means, but am trying to understand all this new information.
Actually, I have no idea what to make of this. I'm still very confused by it all and it has been a rather rough week (ok, a rough few weeks given what's been going on here in Brisbane), so maybe I'll do an another update once I've talked to a few of my supports.
Seriously, I have literally no idea what to do now.
So perhaps yesterday had me a little frustrated and depressed, so instead I wanted to just point out something positive that yesterdays rant had granted me. I briefly mentioned the Sonic 2 movie, but more so, I want to throw a shout out to two such people from it: Ben Schwartz and Lee Majdoub. I've been following them on Twitter and am always smiling when these two are tweeting. It seems both have embraced both their characters and their community and I wish more actors would do so.
Ben is always promoting the Sonic stuff regularly and is always grateful for the communities support. Lee on the other hand, has embraced his character of Agent Stone and is always rooting for the Doctor in all things. Because of this, Agent Stone has really been embraced by the community as one of the Doctor's more popular side kicks and has his own fanbase as a result. Seriously, Lee has really made a name for himself amongst the fandom and I just love it.
This is where we see some of the best aspects of the Sonic fandom, who appreciate what these actors have done for the franchise and how they have supported the fandom in return. The positivity that surrounds all this has made it a place where the fandom can not only escape the negative aspects of being a fandom, but can also spread the positivity beyond it. I have absolute respect for these actors and wish them nothing but the best for them in the future.
I hope that we see more actors embrace this kind of thing in the future. Now if we could just get the corporate powers at the top to start connecting with fans, then we might see more positivity in a lot more media projects.
Oh boy, this is going to be rough for me. Well, no sense delaying any further, let me talk about this.
So my obvious starting with the voices. When they first announced that they were working on Rescue Rangers, I kinda knew that the original cast would most likely not return. It was a running trend of bringing back nostalgic franchises, but replacing those classic voices with star actors. Only two things ultimately were different from this: Animaniacs and Duck Tales. With Animaniacs, they brought back the original cast, it was just the cutting of most of the original character and some rather poor writing that went against it, while Duck Tales had a new cast, but while the show changed many of the characters somewhat, the writing for the most part was so good, it worked well and at least the actors for characters like Donald and Scrooge tried to sound like how they would sound. With Rescue Rangers, not only did they not bring back the cast, but the main characters of Chip and Dale don't even sound like them, even going so far as to not add the Chipmunk voice effect they have always been known for.
Then there is the animation. This one is the major reason most have attacked this trailer, with them pointing out that it's rather stupid to make a joke about changing from 2D to 3D when the so called 2D animation is apparently 2D made in a 3D program, which still looks bad and doesn't blend in well. It's worse as they bring in Roger Rabbit, a character who's own movie was traditional 2D animation done so amazingly well when they placed it in live action, something they took great love and care to do. This...this is just so frustrating. As if that wasn't enough, the gag about the animation transition is from a 3D Dale, who actually looks rather amazing for such a transition. This leads me to wonder if they couldn't do good 2D, then why not just go all 3D as they seem to be rather good at it. I personally think it works rather well and like it more then the 3D transition for Bugs & Co in that recent Space Jam movie.
Then there is the story that I tried to make of in the trailer. From the way I interpreted it, the Rescue Rangers was a show that got popular but once it ended the cast fell into obscurity? What? I mean, that's how I saw it given the way they interacted with other characters and now they are trying to get the gang back together to what? Solve Crimes? Had a hard time trying to find something more to the story. Heck, this story would have worked better as a Bonkers movie, which would make sense in a cartoon cross live action movie. And why was Gadget not shown much in the trailer, or heck, where is Foxglove who is a fan favourite character (even the comic Boom! studios knew that enough to bring her back and actually give her a part). What is the story and why does it feel like it was wasted on the wrong franchise?
Hang on, if the gang split apart, then why are Chip and Dale in this situation. If we take everything we know about this, they still work for Disney doing shows and both are in simplistic 3D designs. See what I mean, none of this is making any sense.
I know, I know, don't judge it until you watch it, but from what I've seen so far, I more invested in the Sonic 2 movie and even the Blue's Clues one as both appear to at least treated with respect to the source material. As a massive Rescue Rangers fan (seriously, I payed nearly $180 in postage just to get the 8 issues of the Boom! studios comic when they came out, have comics and how to draw art books and even one of those limited run display pieces with Chip and Dale holding Gadget up while she holds a key and that cost a bit to get in too), this feels like a massive let down. You can't make a joke about remakes when what you give isn't the same as what the fans had wanted as it just feels like a remake regardless. This is why the Sonic one worked, cause they listened to the fans and it made big that they started on a sequel and they just announced a third movie. This feels like that Tom and Jerry disaster and the fact it's going straight to Disney+ has people saying that going onto Disney+ is the new straight to DVD and boy does it feel like one of those unwanted DVD sequels.
Yeah, I'm frustrated, but Hollywood and Disney have given me no reason to trust them with beloved franchises that people want to see.
Seriously, they should have done this as a Bonkers movie. Would have worked better then what I'm seeing here.
So having seen a number of people talking about this trailer, I find that perhaps I was too easy on it. Certainly the fact that it's been what, 34 years since Who framed Roger Rabbit came out? And this was the best Disney could do is rather insulting for animation fans. On top of it, it is rather ignorant and stupid to make fun of other animation types from movies when your own is a complete mess. That one shot of the animated Cats from the CATS movie and trying to say your better then that when you can't even get your 2D right is just hypocritical. The more I think about it, the more I see the flaws.
Yes, those 3D Alvin and the Chipmunk movies did look better and at least stayed faithful to the source material, even though they had those celebrity voices, they still modified them to sound like the Chipmunks. What the hell was Disney's excuse? Chip and Dale have always sounded similar with their voices, so why did all of the sudden did that change? Do they plan on just giving up on Donald Duck and give him and average voice? That's part of their character, it's what defines them.
I have serious concerns about this movie and it reeks of incompetence.
So after some time going over units, points, designs and time frames, I have set a final list for this 1,000pt festive themed list. So I'll put up the list followed by some of the reasons behind it.
Vanguard Detachment
HQ:
- Logan Grimnir on Stormrider
- Wolf Guard Battle Leader on Thumderwolf
- Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield, Relic: The Pelt of Balewolf
Elites:
- Venerable Dreadnaught 1
- Heavy Flamer, Ferisian Great Axe & Blizzard Shield
- Venerable Dreadnaught 2
- Twin-linked Lascannon & Missile Launcher
- Murderfang
Fast:
- Ferisian Wolves (7)
- Cyber-wolf Leader
- Thunderwolf Cavalry (3)
- 2x Lightning Claw & Storm Shield
- Pack Leader with Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield
So yeah, it's a 1,000pt list with only 3 CP remaining, but honestly I just felt I could get more done by limiting the model numbers down.
Now what am I actually doing with these models?
Well, first off the most obvious one is using the Logan Grimnir as Santa. The two wolves will be replaced with Stags from the Wild Riders/Sisters of the Thorn kit, which I'll need two boxes of, given that there are nine Reindeer seen as the usual Santa theme, with Rudolf being the more famous one (thus he will represent the Cyber-wolf). Yes, the wolves will also be the Stag models for this theme. As for what to do with the Stormrider, I'm still trying to come up with a single design to stick to.
All three Dreadnaughts will be painted and added on to be a mixture of Chocolate/Gingerbread theme. A big shout out to Pondmaiden on Twitter who is working on her own Chaos Gingerbread stuff and whom made my job so much more easier by telling her fans the paints and decorative products she used. The Gingerbread Dreadnaught was something I've been trying to figure out as I had no idea what paints to use or how to make the decorations, but by sheer luck a tweet of hers was recommended as it was thanks to it and her that I now have an excellent idea as to what to do.
The Wolf riding Marines was my alternative to the Snowmen Wulfen. So many designs and I wasn't happy with any of them, but didn't want to stick to just adding plain Marines to the list. Given I'm using the Space Wolves for this themed army, Wolf riders was a given alternative. My only problem is I know nothing really about them or what options to give them, so I went on a massive internet search to see how people armed them. Four options were given: Astartes Chainsword & Lightning Claw for riders and Powerfist & Thunder Hammer for leaders. The Thunder Hammer option was my preferred choice as it seemed more thematic and given all the games I've seen lately with Death Guard in them probably also swayed me. The basic rider options were a bit harder. A 5pt difference grants an additional -1AP and lets you re-roll wounds, but on the other hand, given the state of Games Workshop, they might be an obsolete option within a year or two. I'll stick with the LC option for the moment.
That said, the paint scheme for the Wolves and Marines is sort of hitting a bit of a snag. I wanted the wolves to be more a light grey/ white colour, but trying to get the marines to not blend in too much proves to be difficult, as every Christmas colour theme I go with always ends in white. I was thinking a sort of ghostly green colour with blue rims on the shoulder pads, but I'm still not sure. I don't want too many colours clogging everything up. Perhaps I'll make some Christmas lights and string them around the Marines to add colour if they too end up being too white. Need to do a few test colours and see what works.
I'm liking these options and look forward to getting them done. I already have at least half these units so far and can start working on them soon. The ranged Dreadnaught is an old Dreadnaught of mine so I'm using it as a starting point to get the paint scheme correct so that the other Dreads can obviously look better. Once I get the first one done, I'll start the updates on the project (so it will hopefully motivate me to finish them).
Edit: Decided to add a Heavy Flamer to the Venerable Dread as I had points left over and forgot about Vehicle shooting rules.
