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Post by Celebes on Feb 11, 2021 13:15:00 GMT -5
Hi all!
If you haven't heard, Netflix is slated to be producing a new Redwall series! (www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/redwall-animated-feature-series-questing-to-netflix/). Thought it might be nice to have a spot beyond the shoutbox to have a bit of a light discussion about it. What are some of the things you guys would hope they do? Or hope that they don't do?
From the article, the company has the film rights to the entire series. That's sounds like a BIG DEAL, considering the last animated series only covered three books. I'm wondering how they will handle that, do you think they'll do a book a season a la the old format? Or maybe compress a couple together per season that work that way, like Marial and Bellmaker. I hope that whatever they do, they cover as many books as they can in a chronological fashion, I think that would be the easiest to follow and provide for some little continuity callbacks. I hope that they stray away from the main family of heroes, Martin, Mathias, and Mattimeo, otherwise it'll fit a bit too much like a chosen family Star Wars sequel bash to me .
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Crystal M. V. Rosepaw
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Main: Crystal Rosepaw
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Post by Crystal M. V. Rosepaw on Feb 14, 2021 22:53:30 GMT -5
Like I said previously, I think I'm mostly wondering how the animation is going to work out. I know hand drawn animation is incredibly expensive and time consuming (especially for a product that they don't know how well its going to go), but I think that it would be the best animation style for Redwall. Computer generated animation could work well, if they really take their time with the modeling. Claymation? I know it's an artwork, I know it takes a lot of work, but... If its claymation, I will take it as a personal affront. *shuddering* Personally I think the best storyline to start out with might be Mossflower; Redwall is an obvious focal point in the series, and that book sort of shows how Redwall came to be what it becomes in later books. I really want Mattimeo to be a focused storyline, since its my favorite book, but... Mattimeo is also, if you really think about it, one of the darker storylines (a villain who wasn't originally one but driven to that point by misfortune, child slavery, disfigurement, etc.). Some of my other favorites in the series might make good later seasons, if we keep with the idea of each season being a book. Taggerung is a fan favorite, but it probably wouldn't be best as the starting book to tackle, since its a bit outside the norm. Same with Pearls of Lutra (both of them being for the setting largely being distant from Redwall proper) or Outcast of Redwall (you have to set up the whole 'vermin are always bad' trope before you can subvert it). Also curious to see, if it goes in that manner, which books get the axe for being too hard to depict in a child friendly manner. Martin the Warrior had some pretty grim themes, as well as the aforementioned Mattimeo, that, while being fine for young readers when written, might have their own challenges as a visual media. Heck, one of the looming issues in Martin's titled book was literal torture sooo... Don't want to pull an old Watership Down and scare kids! Though I'm also open to the idea of it using the Mossflower setting to tell a new story, with new characters. I know the game did that (and unfortunately didn't do very well, but games are a bit more difficult, what with being an interactive media), but when you have such a rich setting, you can do a whole lot with it. That's effectively what we do here! Edit: Now I'm wondering if the team working on it has ever been around fansites like DAB. Hello, Netflix series writers!!
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Post by Celebes on Feb 15, 2021 21:00:05 GMT -5
I agree, I do like the idea of starting with Mossflower. The fact that it's my favorite of the lot helps of course, but it does lay the foundation for the Abbey itself. But the case could always be made for starting with the original book that started it all, then have Mossflower as some sort of extended flashback. But would you then want Martin the Warrior first to prequel that? And then would you have Legend of Luke or Mattimeo. Oh dear...
That's actually my biggest concern, how much they would end up changing the stories. I fully admit I didn't see WSD as a child so I can't speak to that particular blend of trauma, but I saw some other gritty cartoons at a young age. I...don't think I am any worse off for it, but you can be the judge I don't think that showing an appropriate amount of violence is a bad idea. In fact, I think sanitizing it would be a detriment to the story. Violence has its place, without it the villains would seem like every frogbreath Dastardly bad guy variety who are hard for everyone else to watch that isn't a kid, who probably won't go back and watch it when they grow up. Gabhool the Wild would just be a shoplifter of specifically golden colored instruments, Tsarmina an angry summer camp leader who's campsite had been rained out, and Slagar a leader of a band of traveling circus performers if they couldn't resort to a good whiff violence every know and then to remind who's the boss! (Okay maybe not that bad). And I do hope that they don't try to use the books to push any sort of agenda, and just let the stories speak for themselves.
I could see how that could be cool, but I also feel like there is so little media beyond the books themselves dealing with Redwall that just putting all the stories into a proper adaption for the first time wouldn't be a bad idea. Yeah, I'd definitely be on board for some "New Adventures of Mossflower" kind of thing after they have the main series adapted, but I have a feeling it'd be kind of a waste of a purchase if they didn't use the IP they acquired to adapt at least some of the well known characters.
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Post by Legolas Greenleaf on Feb 16, 2021 12:31:31 GMT -5
The article I read said they are starting with Redwall and then doing Martin the Warrior, which is an interesting choice. And I assume you have all seen the concept art, but I'm obsessed. Attachments:
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Post by Celebes on Feb 16, 2021 21:20:18 GMT -5
Ooh, very nice art there! It's hard to tell if that's the exact look of what the series is going to be, but here's hoping! A positive note for me is it looks like the mousey there is well proportioned, which I appreciate. I'm not too big a fan of chibi. I'm glad to hear Martin the Warrior is in the line up, hopefully they keep with the chronology from there and do Mossflower!
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