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Author Topic: Season 16  (Read 13034 times)

Snowth Woogle

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #135 on: April 25, 2013, 11:36:10 am »
I believe what I said was at times, pretty much most of the characters look off-model at times, not just Arthur himself. Like someone else previously pointed out, so far, Francine and Muffy seem to be the biggest victims of this; I'm not entirely sure just how, exactly and specifically, they're animating the show (again, I've animated in Flash before, so I know there's different ways of going about it), but I know most of the time, Flash can "auto fix" what it perceives to be mistakes, so I wonder if them trying to draw Francine and Muffy's faces the way they traditionally were were seen as errors in Flash that kept being fixed.

I really can't name any specific moments right now without looking at some of the episodes again, but as I recall, Arthur and D.W. both have had moments where they look just slightly off model, but again, Francine and Muffy stick out the most.
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LovingBeagles

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #136 on: April 25, 2013, 06:31:06 pm »
I believe what I said was at times, pretty much most of the characters look off-model at times, not just Arthur himself. Like someone else previously pointed out, so far, Francine and Muffy seem to be the biggest victims of this; I'm not entirely sure just how, exactly and specifically, they're animating the show (again, I've animated in Flash before, so I know there's different ways of going about it), but I know most of the time, Flash can "auto fix" what it perceives to be mistakes, so I wonder if them trying to draw Francine and Muffy's faces the way they traditionally were were seen as errors in Flash that kept being fixed.

I really can't name any specific moments right now without looking at some of the episodes again, but as I recall, Arthur and D.W. both have had moments where they look just slightly off model, but again, Francine and Muffy stick out the most.

I didn't really notice it much for Muffy, but for some reason, as I said earlier on this topic, Francine's nose, when she is seen from the side, looks a little big and round. As for Arthur, I think it's like either his glasses/eyes are too big, or the spacing of his mouth, nose, head, ears (basically all of his facial features) are a bit off.

BTW, earlier I remember you said that D.W. looked like she had "sharp edges" in certain scenes. What do you mean by that?

Snowth Woogle

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #137 on: April 25, 2013, 11:15:31 pm »
By that, I mean round and curved out lines aren't perfectly round, or perfectly curved.

Kind of like the shift in art evolution on Billy and Mandy, compare the older Mandy, with the newer Mandy:


Kind of like that, there are times where the curved areas of D.W.'s outline aren't perfectly curved, and have some edges to them.
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LovingBeagles

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #138 on: April 27, 2013, 04:31:23 am »
By that, I mean round and curved out lines aren't perfectly round, or perfectly curved.

Kind of like the shift in art evolution on Billy and Mandy, compare the older Mandy, with the newer Mandy:

Kind of like that, there are times where the curved areas of D.W.'s outline aren't perfectly curved, and have some edges to them.

OK, I see. Thanks.

Here's a link to a clip of what I believe is "The Best Day Ever". Any thoughts?

http://www.videodetective.com/tv/arthur-season-16/98655

EDIT: For some reason, Arthur's voice sounds weird to me. A little less vocal and loud than the Drew Adkins voice we've come to know so far, but not much like his previous voices (Cameron Ansell, Dallas Jokic).
« Last Edit: April 27, 2013, 04:33:31 am by LovingBeagles »

Snowth Woogle

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #139 on: April 27, 2013, 11:57:24 am »
I don't see quite so many flaws in this one: the animation seems to have improved a little, but there's still an incredible amount of stiffness and robotic-like tendancies to it, and some of it does look somewhat lazy (like Buster's covers remaining in the exact same shape as he slips out of bed, just shifting position), but other than that, I didn't see too awful many mistakes.

I will admit though, just watch that particular clip, this episode almost seems like a build up for a final episode; I KNOW there's already a Season 17 in the works, but still, the characters lying around, thinking back on their best days, and them all agreeing that Arthur was always a part of their best days ever and everything, almost makes it seem like this is a farewell episode. Then again, "April 9th" almost had that kind of vibe to me for some reason, lol.
I stretch like a snake, and I shimmy and shake, and I bounce like a ball, and I say something cute when you give me a squeeze!

Snowth Woogle

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #140 on: April 29, 2013, 04:39:57 pm »
Okay, after getting to see "All About D.W.; Blockheads" again today, here are just a few specifics I can point out, just through my eyes.

- At times, Arthur's glasses seem to shift position, particular when he's facing the camera directly, they almost look too high on his face. I've also noticed his faces seems to be a little longer as well (similar to Marc Brown's earlier illustrations).
- D.W.'s eyes seem to change size, depending on how she appears in a scene, if it's a full-body shot or at a distance, her eyes appear about normal, but in close ups and tighter shots, her eyes seem a lot bigger on her face.
- Mrs. Read's ears are HUGE.

That's about the only specifics I can name at this time, just to answer anyone's questions. It's animation after all, animated characters don't always look 100% the same over the years. It's an adjustment we have to get used to.
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MCCJ

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #141 on: April 29, 2013, 06:05:53 pm »
Okay, after getting to see "All About D.W.; Blockheads" again today, here are just a few specifics I can point out, just through my eyes.

- At times, Arthur's glasses seem to shift position, particular when he's facing the camera directly, they almost look too high on his face. I've also noticed his faces seems to be a little longer as well (similar to Marc Brown's earlier illustrations).
- D.W.'s eyes seem to change size, depending on how she appears in a scene, if it's a full-body shot or at a distance, her eyes appear about normal, but in close ups and tighter shots, her eyes seem a lot bigger on her face.
- Mrs. Read's ears are HUGE.

That's about the only specifics I can name at this time, just to answer anyone's questions. It's animation after all, animated characters don't always look 100% the same over the years. It's an adjustment we have to get used to.

Possibly one of best statements I've heard when it comes to that subject. ;)

LovingBeagles

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #142 on: April 29, 2013, 07:23:57 pm »
Here are my thoughts about the episodes:

I don't have much to say for "All About D.W."...I think it was mentioned at least twice (maybe just once, I don't know) that the idea was a little cliche. And I have to say, I agree, it's just that, correct me if I'm wrong, but we haven't seen it in a school play context...at least, not with D.W. I mean, there are probably plenty of episodes dealing with D.W.'s jealousy and self-centeredness.

The poor quality of the animation really showed...like in the first episode; when Amanda found out she got the Tree #1 part, she jumped for joy...she looked almost like a ragdoll when she did so; I think I actually cringed that second.

In addition to that, I can see what you're saying, Snowth, about D.W.'s eyes changing shape. I think a lot of it also has to do with the thick outlining of the characters in this season. I mean, in that one scene where D.W. and Emily were trying to resist wanting to pet the koala, their eyes almost seemed like mini targets. As for Mrs. Read, her ears did seem a little bigger, I don't know about huge. I know CJ's probably going to say once again to be patient since the animation will probably get better (after all, it is 9 Story's first time)  (no hard feelings, CJ), but, the earlier episodes just stand out to me as being stiff, two-dimensional and thick-lined.

I can also see what you're saying about Emily acting a little like D.W. in character and mindset, Snowth. I guess it's because she's so proud of her work as well, that she just wants to keep adding to it with D.W., and that she is just as reluctant to tear it down as D.W. because of that sense of accomplishment.

We had a topic called "Unrealism in Arthur?", and the koala, I believe was mentioned. It did seem kinda random to me that some zookeeper or something would just come in and show the kids a koala (no cages, towels, or anything like that) in a preschool class. Then again, koalas aren't really active, outspoken, or dangerous animals at all, but I was wondering why that man just came with a koala and nothing else except his outfit and some gloves.

When D.W. (I think, or was it Emily?) dropped that one block at the end, I found it really unrealistic that the whole thing would collapse in almost a domino rally-like fashion...normally I would expect just a wall or two to come down...but the WHOLE THING?!

And how did they get those blocks to make that once arch? It was multicolored, so I assume that it was made of different blocks...that were somehow suspended magically in the air.

One thing that I have noticed that I wanted to address is that it seems like the crew wants to make extra/BG characters talk as little as possible. In instances where I expected the other preschoolers to talk, they don't. This was especially true of Amanda, who's only spoken about once in the two episodes.

I wonder why they decided to put two preschoolers episodes back to back.

Random Question: Would you prefer a robot butler like Arthur had, as opposed to a human one (strange that he didn't even open his eyes, a bit like Bailey sometimes)? I mean, it doesn't need paychecks or vacations, but if it breaks down, you'd better know how to fix it, or you're going to have to spend some money sending it to the repair shop. Not to mention the cost of oiling it, replacing batteries, and whatnot.

MCCJ

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #143 on: April 29, 2013, 09:11:39 pm »
While we are at it. I was right about Molly.


LovingBeagles

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #144 on: April 29, 2013, 09:26:32 pm »
I thought the TC's gave up bullying ages ago...

Anyways, this episode, while it sends a noble message, seems kinda overused today. I think it's the overabundance of anti-bullying episodes in various TV shows, not just Arthur/PBS Kids and all that. It seems that, either bullying's become that much of a problem, or TV shows are kind of exaggerating its presence.

Crossover Dreamer

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #145 on: April 29, 2013, 09:56:43 pm »
I just looked at my DVR recording schedule, and it says that "The Last Tough Customer" and "Brain's Chess Mess" premiers Monday, May 6th.

Here are the summaries according to the DVR:

"Molly sets a bad example by bullying. Brain starts a chess club at school."

And for "Baseball Blues"/"Brain's Biggest Blunder":

"George can't wait to play baseball. Brain is teamed with Buster and Binky for the Arithmattack competition." The second summary sounds extremely similar to the beginning of "It's a No-Brainer." The main difference is that they're teamed up.
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Snowth Woogle

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #146 on: April 29, 2013, 10:22:20 pm »
I thought the TC's gave up bullying ages ago...

Anyways, this episode, while it sends a noble message, seems kinda overused today. I think it's the overabundance of anti-bullying episodes in various TV shows, not just Arthur/PBS Kids and all that. It seems that, either bullying's become that much of a problem, or TV shows are kind of exaggerating its presence.
It's become a tool, that's what it is.

Bullying has been a problem through all generations of kids, the problem is bullying was always something that was never approached very seriously, because it's an unfortunate part of childhood and kids being kids. It wasn't until recent years that some bullied kids took their own lives that started opening people's eyes and making them realize that bullying is a lot more serious than they thought. Since then, everybody's jumped on the anti-bullying bandwagon, but again, it seems like it's come to a point in time where it's become a tool more than anything.
I stretch like a snake, and I shimmy and shake, and I bounce like a ball, and I say something cute when you give me a squeeze!

MCCJ

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #147 on: April 30, 2013, 12:50:07 am »
I thought the TC's gave up bullying ages ago...

Anyways, this episode, while it sends a noble message, seems kinda overused today. I think it's the overabundance of anti-bullying episodes in various TV shows, not just Arthur/PBS Kids and all that. It seems that, either bullying's become that much of a problem, or TV shows are kind of exaggerating its presence.
It's become a tool, that's what it is.

Bullying has been a problem through all generations of kids, the problem is bullying was always something that was never approached very seriously, because it's an unfortunate part of childhood and kids being kids. It wasn't until recent years that some bullied kids took their own lives that started opening people's eyes and making them realize that bullying is a lot more serious than they thought. Since then, everybody's jumped on the anti-bullying bandwagon, but again, it seems like it's come to a point in time where it's become a tool more than anything.

It's being used heavily these days. A lot more then six or even seven years ago. I agree it is being used as a tool.

MCCJ

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #148 on: April 30, 2013, 12:55:08 am »
The remaining Season 16 episodes I've seen on YouTube have been pretty good.

"The Last Tough Customer": I **** up laughing at the Muffy Crosswire Tough Customers scene. Was that supposed to be the Bruce Dinsmore/Michael Yarmush duet? Otherwise, I really liked how they touched on Molly's backstory.
"Sue Ellen Vegges Out": I'm just glad there's finally a Sue Ellen episode after all these seasons. Hey, maybe Sue Ellen could be the one to call out Francine and Muffy's hypocrisy!!!
"Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story": Finally, Fern and George are getting the shipping treatment.
"Brain's Chess Mess": More Fern/George. Buster and Binky are so going to be "those bros" at parties when they grow up.

Seems like this season the Tough Customers are more defined. Binky is the leader and the "glue," Rattles is the philosophical/intellectual one, Molly is the street-smart/take-no-mess one, and Slink is the comic relief. I'd watch a Tough Customers spinoff if there was one.

As for the Season 17 synopses MC CJ posted...about time Alberto was in more episodes!!! And I can already tell how the Arthur/Buster roommates episode will play out: Arthur will like things tidy and organized, Buster will be more messy and disorganized, and they'll be arguing like a married couple over house order. The "Ladonna Compson" episode...this is just from personal experience, but when an episode of any show has a title like that (i.e. character names), I take it to mean the episode will be one of the deepest.

And Snowth's right about "The Best Day Ever" feeling like build-up to a series finale. In fact - this has been on my mind for a while - I think Season 18 could be the final season. But that's just me.

All good points you made. The Ladonna Compson/Adventures In Budylon episodes will be interesting to see. As for whether Season 18 could be the final anything is possible. Whatever happens I'm going to be there to see it. It all depends on how the budget is down the road and if the ratings are still high enough to warrant the show to continue on.

Crossover Dreamer

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Re: Season 16
« Reply #149 on: April 30, 2013, 09:32:00 pm »
GrebeGirl's prediction about the episode where Arthur and Buster are roommates is interesting because Arthur is known for being a messy. Prunella was a cleanie according to "Fern's Slumber Party" but a messy for "Prunella the Packrat."
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