Post by Duke Pikachu on Dec 14, 2019 15:56:20 GMT -5
Finally got some time for myself, I've been wanting to talk about the animations. We're about in the middle of the Advent Calendar so not a bad moment in time to look back:
Day 1: Stocking Surprise
Day 2: Dreaming of a Fyora Christmas
Day 3: One Omelette Per Day
Day 4: Seeking Entertainment
Day 5: Something To Do With Wonderland?
Day 6: Bank Manager Loopy Holiday
Day 7: Morguss Being Morguss
Day 8: Bruno's Christmas Baking
Day 9: A Simple Gift
Day 10: A Nightly Underwater Boat Tour
Day 11: Bet Those Gifts Are All Scarfs
Day 12: The MAGAX & Nox Show: Brutes Only, No Awakened Allowed
Day 13: Abominable Fun
Day 14: Donny's Never Done
PHEW! And caught up. Was thinking of maybe making a thread on the Neoboards today but this took a bit of time to do, maybe tomorrow.
Day 1: Stocking Surprise
ANIMATION: Cute. Think the Baby Draik's scream is a bit adult sounding BUT I'm going to assume that's on purpose for humorous exaggeration (helps the scream actually sounds like Tom whenever he gets hurt in the Tom & Jerry cartoons). But I'm confused about the ending, that's not what Plushie Cybunny look like so was that a Cybunny Plushie that has come to life? Heck, even if the kids saw that I think they would still scream and run out of the room. That said I guess it's not a bad surprise twist, it having been a Petpet or small Neopet would have been predictable, maybe I would feel a bit less uncertain if they went with maybe a scarier looking toy like just using MSPP.
GIFTS: Then again if they did that they'd probably have to do something a bit different for the garland (and oddly the only other stocking garland is from the NC Mall, as far as I can tell this is the first NP stocking garland (that's not art of a background)); or just removed the plushie inside the stocking. The holiday bedroom foreground is a nice Christmas Tree scene foreground if you don't want to use a Christmas Tree scene background. It is limited by the bed being visible so it would have to be a bedroom but if there was a fancy room-based background you like to think would be your Neopet's room this is a nice way to give it a Christmas feeling.
GRADE:
GIFTS: Then again if they did that they'd probably have to do something a bit different for the garland (and oddly the only other stocking garland is from the NC Mall, as far as I can tell this is the first NP stocking garland (that's not art of a background)); or just removed the plushie inside the stocking. The holiday bedroom foreground is a nice Christmas Tree scene foreground if you don't want to use a Christmas Tree scene background. It is limited by the bed being visible so it would have to be a bedroom but if there was a fancy room-based background you like to think would be your Neopet's room this is a nice way to give it a Christmas feeling.
GRADE:
Day 2: Dreaming of a Fyora Christmas
ANIMATION: It was fine when it began. Fyora hears a knock on the door of a country cottage I guess she's vacationing in. When she opens the door she looks down, it fades to her drinking a cup of a hot drink, pans over to the window looking out on a snowy forest... and then suddenly we see a Baby Skeith being woken up. Huh? Did we skip into another day's animation? Is it implied the Baby Skeith was for some reason dreaming of Fyora having a quiet holiday time? Why? Heck, they could have just ended it with the panning to the window and it would I guess be fine (though I would then be complaining what did Fyora see outside). Or, after Fyora looks down, the next scene fade could be on a tea set (implying that's what she found outside) and then have it pan over to Fyora observing the winter scenery while drinking a cup of hot tea. OR, considering what one of the prizes are, have it Fyora who wakes up in her palace, maybe surrounded by paperwork, giving a "well that was a nice dream" sigh.
GIFTS: Books are always nice, though for a dream journal it looks pretty dull (and why is there too? If one is for good dreams and one is for nightmare they could have colored them differently). And the tea set foreground is also nice for both indoors and outdoors.
GRADE: Nice items, but don't get the animation.
GIFTS: Books are always nice, though for a dream journal it looks pretty dull (and why is there too? If one is for good dreams and one is for nightmare they could have colored them differently). And the tea set foreground is also nice for both indoors and outdoors.
GRADE: Nice items, but don't get the animation.
Day 3: One Omelette Per Day
ANIMATION: Nice setup but didn't deliver on two fronts. Well, first off, why is the Giant Omelette so small? Second, I thought the joke at first was going to be the Baby Grarrls are using the Giant Omelette as a trampoline. But no, they're just eating it which is fine as then Sabre-X appeared. So this is where the punchline is, right? Nope, the kids just get scared and run away. Heck, maybe they could have used this to address the "Giant Omelette's" size by Sabre-X pointing out to the kids that they're not eating the Giant Omelette but a trampoline that looks like the Giant Omelette.
GIFTS: The Tyrannian Hut background is nice looking for a Tyrannian-theme custom but there's a problem: it doesn't have sky or floor! Unless you're able to layer it over another background it just looks like those huts exist in a void. Book is nice, though makes me curious what it means the Giant Omelette has dark secrets, hmm...
GRADE:
GIFTS: The Tyrannian Hut background is nice looking for a Tyrannian-theme custom but there's a problem: it doesn't have sky or floor! Unless you're able to layer it over another background it just looks like those huts exist in a void. Book is nice, though makes me curious what it means the Giant Omelette has dark secrets, hmm...
GRADE:
Day 4: Seeking Entertainment
ANIMATION: ... I'm mixed between whether complaining about there being a mobile phone or letting it slide because it is The Seekers and I guess if anyone would have technology like that it would be them (I type this as the Neopian in question is Katie who built herself a giant fighting robot which follows her, but it's more steampunk looking and this phone is more Virtupets technology). Otherwise alright animation, though seems rather absent-minded for Gyro to just leave a vial of a clearly caustic concoction to boil without anyone watching it. Luckily it wasn't dangerous and they could keep watching the video just covered in goo. Young people and their mobile phones these days, ha ha ha.
GIFTS: Wow they're really front packing this year with the wearables and books. The beaker bench foreground is kind of bland but I guess works for a scientist custom. Say it with me, the book is nice, maybe somewhere in it it'll tell us how to make a mobile phone.
GRADE: I want to like it but that mobile phone element is bothering me.
GIFTS: Wow they're really front packing this year with the wearables and books. The beaker bench foreground is kind of bland but I guess works for a scientist custom. Say it with me, the book is nice, maybe somewhere in it it'll tell us how to make a mobile phone.
GRADE: I want to like it but that mobile phone element is bothering me.
Day 5: Something To Do With Wonderland?
ANIMATION: What is this, I don't even... So, a Baby Bori goes to sleep, dreams of a gentlemen Bruce with a pocket watch falling into a hole, a face of an Angelpuss covers the screen and laughs, and then next morning the Baby Bori wakes up. WHAT? Like, I'm seeing the Alice In Wonderland themes (it being a dream, the character with the pocket watch going down a hole, a metaphysical laughing cat), but I don't get how they're connecting here. I guess it's randomness for randomness sake?
GIFTS: Two higher foreground wearables which both reference Alice in Wonderland. Alright.
GRADE: Animation needed some more revisions. I get Wonderland isn't supposed to make complete sense, but at the same time there was also some grounding which Wonderland then flips on its head or twists your expectation.
GIFTS: Two higher foreground wearables which both reference Alice in Wonderland. Alright.
GRADE: Animation needed some more revisions. I get Wonderland isn't supposed to make complete sense, but at the same time there was also some grounding which Wonderland then flips on its head or twists your expectation.
Day 6: Bank Manager Loopy Holiday
ANIMATION: At the time of typing this the animation is broken but I do vaguely remember what happened... because it confused and made me feel uncomfortable. Starts with the Bank Manager busy with work, some Neopets knock on the door trying to get him to take some time off (why they care we don't know), Bank Manager is obviously reluctant... which is when the Yurble I believe shoots a magic purple ray at the Bank Manager making him act I guess whimsical? Yeah... what? I could have seen this turning into something heartwarming, like after the Bank Manager says know he goes back inside, his "friends" talk with each other getting an idea and leaving, and later when the Bank Manager is leaving for home at night he gets outside to find his friends have gathered other Neopians (including other Neopia Central characters) who are singing carols and give him gifts which lightens his mood. But, nah, know a workaholic friend you want to take it easy for the holidays? Just brainwash them to act like they've lost all control of their motor skills! Great message there, JS.
GIFTS: Book nice but looks bland, they could cut the book to be in the shape of the Bank Manager in his iconic sitting position to give it some visual appeal. But the "best" gift here is the dancing toy so the Bank Manager can forever remember the time during the holidays his free will was taken from him. Also first toy for this year's Advent Calendar and non-wearable or book.
GRADE: Also if I was a Yurble I'd be offended they're implying I can shoot hypno beams making everyone around me not cautious I may casually mind control them.
GIFTS: Book nice but looks bland, they could cut the book to be in the shape of the Bank Manager in his iconic sitting position to give it some visual appeal. But the "best" gift here is the dancing toy so the Bank Manager can forever remember the time during the holidays his free will was taken from him. Also first toy for this year's Advent Calendar and non-wearable or book.
GRADE: Also if I was a Yurble I'd be offended they're implying I can shoot hypno beams making everyone around me not cautious I may casually mind control them.
Day 7: Morguss Being Morguss
ANIMATION: Well this was a bland one. Morguss is brewing something, pours in a vial, the brew calms down, and she laughs. End.
GIFTS: The cauldron is nice and has its uses, but let's talk about that bobblehead. It's horrible. One, it's head is not bobbing. Two, it's badly drawn. Three, it's the same exact pose of the better looking Morguss Plushie and since I can't find another image of Morguss in that pose, that means whoever did this just did a bad trace job and then didn't even bother animating the head bobbing. The level of laziness is just astounding here.
GRADE:
GIFTS: The cauldron is nice and has its uses, but let's talk about that bobblehead. It's horrible. One, it's head is not bobbing. Two, it's badly drawn. Three, it's the same exact pose of the better looking Morguss Plushie and since I can't find another image of Morguss in that pose, that means whoever did this just did a bad trace job and then didn't even bother animating the head bobbing. The level of laziness is just astounding here.
GRADE:
Day 8: Bruno's Christmas Baking
ANIMATION: It was alright until the end where it just suddenly ends. It feels incomplete, like they wanted Sophie to walk out of the mirror and uses her magic to fix Bruno's cake which they then have a family celebration together but ran out of time. So now it's just Bruno messing up making a cake and Sophie appears to him in a mirror... and that's it!
GIFTS: First food item this year is burnt cake, yum. And first day where we don't get a book nor wearable as the other gift is a Sophie toy which looks perfectly fine (curious whether it was better traces or they just took a bigger stock image of Sophie and shrunk it down, I kind of see jaggies which would hint to them shrinking an image down).
GRADE: Not good, not bad, just meh.
GIFTS: First food item this year is burnt cake, yum. And first day where we don't get a book nor wearable as the other gift is a Sophie toy which looks perfectly fine (curious whether it was better traces or they just took a bigger stock image of Sophie and shrunk it down, I kind of see jaggies which would hint to them shrinking an image down).
GRADE: Not good, not bad, just meh.
Day 9: A Simple Gift
ANIMATION: Okay, it's bad enough the Baby Aisha's eyes are open (how do they not know, except in a few rare cases, Aisha mainly keep their eyes closes?), but do they have to make it look so freaky? Aside from that it's a cute little story (though confused about the implication they spent a few hours just sitting down on the street curb; if you wanted the scene to happen at night then just make this take place at night).
GIFTS: Window shopping background is a nice background if you need an "on the street" custom. For the other wearable, it's a unique foreground which I would be curious how you could fine use for it (though does it take the entire bottom row of the foreground? If so that's kind of disappointing and probably could have worked out a way to make it a trinket). Though was it needed to mention the hand was from a Bori (not like you could tell as non-story Bori have claw hands not human hands)?
GRADE: Would have gotten a simple smiley face but those Aisha eyes will haunt my nightmares.
GIFTS: Window shopping background is a nice background if you need an "on the street" custom. For the other wearable, it's a unique foreground which I would be curious how you could fine use for it (though does it take the entire bottom row of the foreground? If so that's kind of disappointing and probably could have worked out a way to make it a trinket). Though was it needed to mention the hand was from a Bori (not like you could tell as non-story Bori have claw hands not human hands)?
GRADE: Would have gotten a simple smiley face but those Aisha eyes will haunt my nightmares.
Day 10: A Nightly Underwater Boat Tour
ANIMATION: Great, this one is also broken and I don't quite remember it well, though I remember being confused about it. A Baby Blumaroo is put to sleep, wakes up, looks out the window, and then goes outside to go onto a Kiko Lake boat tour which goes underwater... and that's where it ends. Is this another dream-based animation? That's like the 3rd one now.
GIFTS: Background is nice, we already had an underwater Kiko Lake NP background but another never hurts and they look different. And the toy is cute.
GRADE:
GIFTS: Background is nice, we already had an underwater Kiko Lake NP background but another never hurts and they look different. And the toy is cute.
GRADE:
Day 11: Bet Those Gifts Are All Scarfs
ANIMATION: Oh, wow, a Snow Wars animation, that's a surprise! And not only that, they've put The Scarf in the spotlight (though looking at the other Snow Wars character he's probably the only one I'd say has a decent design that fits with what Neopets is today; think these characters needed to have been updated a while ago). And it's a cute animation, glad to see The Scarf isn't such a sore winner, even if his way of giving presents is a bit unorthodox... and painful.
GIFTS: Never thought I'd see a plushie based on The Scarf, but I'm not complaining! It looks pretty good too, I wouldn't mind seeing more minor Neopian characters getting this kind of attention. And, as expected, the background is nice if you want a "snow fight" custom.
GRADE:
GIFTS: Never thought I'd see a plushie based on The Scarf, but I'm not complaining! It looks pretty good too, I wouldn't mind seeing more minor Neopian characters getting this kind of attention. And, as expected, the background is nice if you want a "snow fight" custom.
GRADE:
Day 12: The MAGAX & Nox Show: Brutes Only, No Awakened Allowed
ANIMATION:
*Scene opens on a tent in the middle of the woods, we peak inside to see MAGAX talking with an old friend: Commander Flint, leader of the Brute Squad*
MAGAX: Boy, Flint, when was the last time we had drinks together and swapped stories like this?
Flint: Don't remember myself, but definitely before the Obelisk. Though instead of I coming to you, you could come to us. You're a member of the Brute Squad, you're always welcomed and probably can show those young greenhorns how to swing an axe.
MAGAX: Flint, I loved to, but I can't. It's Nox. After becoming a ghost he had become so clingy to me. The Awakened invited him to join them now that he's a ghost but he seems reluctant. Nox was never good at making a commitment.
Flint: If there's anything I learned about dealing with them supernatural folk is that YOU have to put your foot down. It's your life, not there's, especially since they no longer alive, but since you are still alive you should get to live it like you want it.
Nox *Whooshes in*: MAGAX, I'm here!
Flint: Here, let me show you. NOX! YOU ROTTEN AWAKENED COLLABORATOR! You've been messing with MAGAX long enough and now I'm setting my foot down... RIGHT ON YOUR FACE WITH MY SILVER BOOTS!
Nox: NOOOOO! I'm not working with The Awakened I swear!
*Commander Flint chases after Nox*
MAGAX: ... I'm sure those two will work things out. I'm not about to go sprinting after a spirit! *audience laughter*
Anyway, I like this one. I completely forgot MAGAX was part of the Brute Squad and Nox was an honorary member of the Awakened. Wish it was drawn a bit better, Commander Flint has seen better days, but it was a full story or at least I could make it out into one.
GIFTS: JS sure are giving out a lot of foregrounds. The candles are nice, sure someone can come up with custom ideas for it. And, yeah, let's not mixed words here that's a wine glass full of blood. Were MAGAX and Flint drinking that? Also JS knows that Nox isn't a vampire, right?
GRADE: Would have given it a big smile face but the artwork and lackluster prizes brought it down, but is still a smile!
*Scene opens on a tent in the middle of the woods, we peak inside to see MAGAX talking with an old friend: Commander Flint, leader of the Brute Squad*
MAGAX: Boy, Flint, when was the last time we had drinks together and swapped stories like this?
Flint: Don't remember myself, but definitely before the Obelisk. Though instead of I coming to you, you could come to us. You're a member of the Brute Squad, you're always welcomed and probably can show those young greenhorns how to swing an axe.
MAGAX: Flint, I loved to, but I can't. It's Nox. After becoming a ghost he had become so clingy to me. The Awakened invited him to join them now that he's a ghost but he seems reluctant. Nox was never good at making a commitment.
Flint: If there's anything I learned about dealing with them supernatural folk is that YOU have to put your foot down. It's your life, not there's, especially since they no longer alive, but since you are still alive you should get to live it like you want it.
Nox *Whooshes in*: MAGAX, I'm here!
Flint: Here, let me show you. NOX! YOU ROTTEN AWAKENED COLLABORATOR! You've been messing with MAGAX long enough and now I'm setting my foot down... RIGHT ON YOUR FACE WITH MY SILVER BOOTS!
Nox: NOOOOO! I'm not working with The Awakened I swear!
*Commander Flint chases after Nox*
MAGAX: ... I'm sure those two will work things out. I'm not about to go sprinting after a spirit! *audience laughter*
Anyway, I like this one. I completely forgot MAGAX was part of the Brute Squad and Nox was an honorary member of the Awakened. Wish it was drawn a bit better, Commander Flint has seen better days, but it was a full story or at least I could make it out into one.
GIFTS: JS sure are giving out a lot of foregrounds. The candles are nice, sure someone can come up with custom ideas for it. And, yeah, let's not mixed words here that's a wine glass full of blood. Were MAGAX and Flint drinking that? Also JS knows that Nox isn't a vampire, right?
GRADE: Would have given it a big smile face but the artwork and lackluster prizes brought it down, but is still a smile!
Day 13: Abominable Fun
ANIMATION: ... Why are the Abominable Bori and the Snow Beasts dressed in skiing uniforms? They're supposed to be hulking beasts. This just looks wrong. Infact think the punchline would have been better if they just had them look as they usually do. We'd have the Abominable Bori (a hulking white Bori beast) sitting down looking bored, sees two Snowbeasts throwing snowballs at each other, gets an angry look... and then suddenly pulls out a snowboard, sprays snow on them, and they all laugh and have a snowball fight. The idea could work, but they botched the presentation by putting their heads on human bodies when they never showed any of these characters like that before.
GIFTS: Snowboard is a nice trinket. And here we have bobbleheads that are doing what they're supposed to do (they also aren't the only animated item this year either).
GRADE:
GIFTS: Snowboard is a nice trinket. And here we have bobbleheads that are doing what they're supposed to do (they also aren't the only animated item this year either).
GRADE:
Day 14: Donny's Never Done
ANIMATION: Ugh, they brought back the creepy wide-eye Aisha. Story is simple. Donny is done with his work for the day, another kid comes in with a broken toy, Donny says he's closed, kid cries, Donny relents and fixes the toy. Poor Donny, wants to take a break but since his main customers are kids he can't or else the kids bring out the waterworks.
GIFTS: I like the background (anyone else notice them constantly including that Team Tyrannia poster everywhere? Infact why does Donny have one, shouldn't that poster be Team Terror Mountain? Or how about a toy-related poster). The garland I don't like as much.
GRADE:
GIFTS: I like the background (anyone else notice them constantly including that Team Tyrannia poster everywhere? Infact why does Donny have one, shouldn't that poster be Team Terror Mountain? Or how about a toy-related poster). The garland I don't like as much.
GRADE:
PHEW! And caught up. Was thinking of maybe making a thread on the Neoboards today but this took a bit of time to do, maybe tomorrow.