FireNationPhoenix

I joined this website when I was still in high school, and that was over a decade ago. I'm almost 30 now and as you all have noticed, I'm not as active on deviant art. One of the biggest reasons is just, I'm growing up. The format style is also a huge reason, eclipse isn't user friendly and I don't want to put all the time and effort into dealing with it, I grew up on HTML and Flashplayer. Then there's the issue with AI, I am strictly against the usage of AI and am a firm believer in keeping jobs and art human. DA has played a hand in the AI problem and I just can't condone that. I don't come here much because at this point, my values don't align with the website and on top of that, I'm older and I have to adult. Yes I'll still pop in every so often but not like I used to, not until I see change. If you do want to see more of me you can follow my other socials. I promise I'll still post once in a while, but I am more active on other websites at the moment. So before I take off, I will be coming back soon to post a long awaited story, I finally did it, I met Alfred Molina. Until then, happy holidays!

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Long time no visit. I've been busy with work and life but I thought I'd drop by. How's y'all?

Strange World Review

After the not so successful release of Encanto (sorry, it bombed at the box office, just because it found popularity on the internet doesn't mean its initial release was a success...you know...like IRON GIANT!) People weren't really sure what would come next from the mouse house. The next movie in Disney's lineup is not a musical nor is it a world building epic where it's message is shoved down your throat, it's Strange World, a story based on the sci fi comics of yore and in many ways, much like Treasure Planet (it's a compliment). Like that other movie, Strange World received poor marketing, is mostly an alternative look at humanity in a sci fi environment, and deals with themes of parental abandonment and identity. There's a reason though for the poor marketing, as not even a short film played before it, and that's homophobia. Bob Chapek was recently outed but his influence on this movie is pretty heavy. A known homophobic conservative, Chapek was forced to allow the dreaded "gay content" to flourish after a series of protests by LGBT employees and their allies, with animation head Jennifer Lee marching with them. Chapek relented and allowed LGBT themes to be more present in Disney films, but this came at a cost. Chapek and people who supported him poorly marketed pro LGBT media as retaliation for the change and Strange World fell victim to homophobic anti marketing. To retaliate against Chapek, fans pushed for people to go see this movie theatrically rather than waiting for a Disney+ release, show Disney that diversity is indeed the future of animation. I can say, the campaign to support the film is indeed working, my theater was full and people of all ages came to watch. I don't know how well the movie will ultimately do theatrically but I'm hoping this campaign can raise it up high and get LGBT characters where they should be, in our media. It's the first Disney movie to be recorded, animated and screened entirely...at Disney's office building in 3 years (wow, y'all thought we'd be mole people forever?) But how well does the movie actually hold up? Will this journey into the center of the "Earth" be worth revisiting or will it be as bland as chapek's personality? Let's take a look, this is Strange World.

Based on pop comics of the 20th century, Strange World tells the story of the Clades, a family of explorers trying to make it over the mountains to see what lies beyond, except Searcher, who wants to stay put in his town and be a simple farmer. After he discovers a plant that can give them the power of the seeds in the palms of their hands, Searcher's father abandons him to continue on his quest, devastating him. 25 years later, Searcher marries, has a son, is now farming this energy plant for the whole city. He's happy where he is, until the plant seems to be dying and he, his son, and his crew venture to find out why the plant is dying and how to save their land, discovering an underground world of strange creatures beneath the surface...and a familiar face. This movie is unconventional and it's story reminded me a lot of Undertale, with some Avatar and Buck Rogers thrown in there. That's a high compliment though. It takes this genre of pacifism and does it's own thing with it. What really works is that the themes are not shoved down your throat aggressively like Raya or Zootopia, they're symbiotic to the story and it's characters in a fluid way that allows the message to come across to its audience in the most effective way possible. There's no agenda, this story just...is. There are moments where it goes a bit fast and that got a bit distracting, but for the most part, the story is a very strong pacifism over colonialism piece that does its job even better than Frozen 2. The grandfather and the father represent colonialism. They want to destroy the creatures, harvest the resources and keep humanity going at the expense of other animals, and Ethan represents a pacifist of way to explore. He wants to live symbiotically with the creatures without hurting them. I'm not going to spoil the ending but it's a twist that will leave you moved. There really is no villain in this other than human conquest and it's really neat to see these likable characters discover why conquest isn't the best route. This movie does not take place on earth, it's set on a super earth and in a way, that allows the writers to get away with having LGBT characters without always having to do the homophobic parent plot. The place these people live on can be imagined to be a lot more queer friendly than our own world is and in a way, represent what we should aspire to be. What I mean by that is the setting is a super earth in a distant solar system, it's not the planet where the religions and belief systems we are familiar with evolved. The separate civilization has its own structure, beliefs, cultures and religions (or maybe even lack there of). For all we know, these humans probably evolved into a civilization that embraced queerness from the get go. It's a riveting look at our own potential, how far we could come. If this movie had been set on the Earth, then the portrayal of LGBT characterization and the world surrounding that identity would have to realistically reflect reality, and that means Disney would have to do an on the nose look at homophobia which many LGBT activists are sick of seeing in film. Setting the story on a different planet allows the characters to react to queerness in a different light than those in our world would, it's a fictional society that can be as queer friendly as the writers want., allowing Ethan's queerness to be one part of his identity that he can view as a positive not something that consumes his entire character through stereotypes and common LGBT film tropes. Ethan being gay isn't thrown in there for brownie points, his love for his boyfriend is an integral part to the story that has never before been done in an animated Disney brand film. It's not a once and done thing, it's not handled the Raya/Zootopia way, he's gay and it just is, and it's still an effectively prominent part of the story that breaks ground in all the right ways. In a way, that's what life is, things just are and and we need to embrace what is instead of despise it. Him being gay is not his whole character, he's complex, he's impulsive, he's loyal, he's conflicted, he's adventurous, he's a pacifist, he loves his friends...he's just Ethan, and that's what makes him a likable and realistic Disney lead. He's written like a realistic LGBT teenager but in a world that welcomes his queerness rather than wants to crush it, there's no stereotypes or slander, again, it's not his entire character, it's one part of it and he just...is. In today's world, LGBT people can't just be, their queerness becomes their identity because that's all homophobic people see, they have to be loud to make changes and it shouldn't have to be that way, and Strange World's alternative civilization shows us what we could be and how safe LGBT people could feel if the world let them just be. Disney took a topic that's mostly forbidden in family media and handled it with care but also provides us with a look at what could be, there is hope. Searcher is a likable introverted farmer who has a side that's a bit Chris Columbus like his father, and he learns over time that exploring doesn't mean conquest over nature/indigenous beings . The more he sees the symbiotic ways of the strange world, the more he changes his outlook on exploration, his own xenophobia and his relationship with both his father and son. Jaeger Clade is a bit full of himself and he's quick to conquer other beings he deems threatening, but he's human, he's likable and he does change too. The side characters are hilarious, they're reminiscent of the colorful cast of Atlantis (2001) and Treasure Planet (2002) but they also add plenty of heart to the mix. Even the dog is not a conventional dog, he's got 3 legs, and it's not the dogs whole identity, he just, is, and that's because the world they live in isn't quite as ableist as ours, again, good job Disney for providing the kids in the audience a message of welcome and inclusivity. The animation is phenomenal. The surface world with its blues and greens contrasts the strange world of reds and purples very nicely. The creatures have appealing designs and all serve a function . The colors, the movements, the angles, the lighting, this is a very experimental movie and the animation really captures the scale and the awe of the world these people inhabit. There's a moment where the Clades play a roll playing game similar to Undertale and it's a simple moment but there's so much realistic humanity in that one scene. Heck, the world they live in is not overtly explained even when things get revealed and it's so much more effective than Raya because again, it doesn't need vast explaining, the world they inhabit just is. The music is bombastic and grand much like action flicks of the 80's, and it really adds to the atmosphere. Strange World is a strange film with unconventional storytelling, characters, animation and worldbuilding that breaks ground while fluidly telling a story that makes us think about what it means to be human. With realistic characters, a unique world, and important themes, Strange World is a place I'm happy to visit in the future. I highly recommend it so strap on your gear, put on your helmet and trek into the unknown for yourself.

Hey guys whew, I finally saw the movie that I've been excited for over a year to see and it was well worth the wait. If you can, go see this movie before it goes to streaming and support it because we need more movies like this in the Disney lineup. Happy holidays and I'll see you next month for Puss N Boots the Last Wish.

A Final Note:

I'm very strongly in support of movie theaters, I have been since the beginning, they're great places to showcase media and share important topics with the people around us. Movies are great conversation starters with friends, family and your little ones. Strange World is the first animated movie to date to feature prominent and positive LGBT content throughout the runtime in a theatrical film (Mitchell's VS Machines does NOT count, that was a virtual release). This is huge because in releasing this movie theatrically, families can have the conversation about queerness and inclusion with their children in a PUBLIC space, and in turn, this can be a catalyst for change and growth. In keeping LGBT characters at home on your computer, studios are keeping the conversation about queer representation at home, leaving kids to believe that queerness belongs in private, not in public. Jennifer Lee has done the unthinkable for Disney, she brought the queer inclusion conversation into the public space through this film and the way it was handled was better than I could have asked for. After decades of "well that's not a topic for kids to know about because it's "sexual"" and 3 years of "Well streaming is better, let's just watch movies instantly at home forever", Disney's head of animation has finally pushed this much needed topic into the theater, and thus, into the public. Unfortunately, Bob Chapek severely crippled advertising and marketing for Strange World, setting it up to fail at the box office as a result of his own homophobia (and distaste for animation in general). You can turn that around however, I encourage you to go see Strange World theatrically, tell your friends, tell your family, take your kids, take a friends kids, there is hope for queer representation in animated media, this is the future of movies and the change is long overdue. There is no "gay agenda", Ethan's not telling the audience "be GAAAAAAAAY", showcasing the existence of other people different from yourself is NOT an agenda, it's just inclusion, and it's the right thing to do. Counter the homophobia, go support the movie, not just for the queer inclusion, but for it's story, it's characters, it's themes, the hardworking crew who put it together...don't wait for streaming if you can feasibly go to a theater. Get out and support the film as intended.

Story: 7/10

Characters: 8/10

Animation: 10/10

Music: 8/10

Score: 8.5/10

#StrangeWorld #Disney #Film #Animation #Movies #Review #MovieReview #Opinion

My Father's Dragon Review

I'm making my return to Deviantart with a review of a movie I've been looking forward to since I first heard Netflix was releasing it. My Fathers Dragon is based on a book of the same name and when I heard Cartoon Saloon, the people behind The Secret of Kells, would be adapting one of my favorite childhood reads into a 2D movie I was hyped. I sat down to see the movie and it didn't disappoint. Let's take a look at the story. Elmer is a young boy having trouble adjusting to life in a city with mean landlords, rainy days and living frugally to get by. After an intense fight with his mother, a talking cat leads him to a pier and tells him of an island which holds a dragon that can get him the money his family needs to start a small business. Elmer sets off to find the dragon, only to find out this is a rescue mission on an island full of wild animals, and it's sinking into the ocean. After a botched rescue Elmer befriends the dragon named Boris and learns that every 100 years a dragon is tasked to save the island and earn his fire. The problem, Boris is scared of everything under the sun and Elmer thinks he has all the answers, so the two must learn to balance these out and work together to find the perfect solution that will keep the island afloat for the next 100 years. This is an old fashioned tale that doesn't do anything groundbreaking but then again, it doesn't have to. The story and its characters are very timeless and although there's a fart joke or two that are distracting, the rest of the movie is very true to the spirit of the book. There's a running theme in not everything is as it seems and you really see that throughout. The characters and the world they live in are all very imaginative. There are no good or evil characters in this, everyone, from the leads, to the monkeys to the mice and gators, all act very human. They're flawed, they make mistakes but they learn from them and they find ways outside of the box to solve problems. No one is good or bad, they just...are. Elmer is a know it all who can be selfish but he also is an abstract thinker and a problem solver. Boris is scared and kind of a dim whit but hes warm hearted and loyal. You see characters like this throughout and they feel very human. The animation is fantastic. It looks like something out of a picture book and this is exactly how I pictured these characters as a kid. There's a simplicity to it that adds a nostalgic charm and man, the artwork really leaps off the page here. The score is that timeless fairytale fare that really adds to the atmosphere environment these characters inhabit. Although it's a simple adventure movie, it's a really likable adventure movie. It doesn't do anything different but it really doesn't have to. It's a fun, nostalgic flick that little ones and adults can all enjoy and that's enough for me to recommend it. Hop on a whale to Wild Island and discover the meaning behind teamwork and friendship for yourself.

Hey guys I took a while because I've been dealing with long covid so I haven't felt up to doing movie reviews for a while but here I am. I plan on doing Strange World next week when it opens and I'm very excited for it. Have a good weekend and I'll see you all for my next review.

Story: 7/10

Animation: 10/0

Characters: 8/10

Score: 7/10

Rating: 8/10

#Movies #Animation #Netflix #MyFathersDragon #MovieReview #FilmReview #Opinion #Animation #Netflix #MyFathersDragon #MovieReview #FilmReview #OPinion

After 3 months, I finally have a working computer and am feeling well enough to post again. I've had that laptop for 10 years, it's amazing it's lasted this long. I promise I'll be more active again. I guess I'll just go enjoy the new technology then.