I’ve mentioned before that I want to create a Fantasia-style animated movie based on Holst’s The Planets. I had a whole storyline worked out. What I lack is the artistic skills to bring that idea to life.
That’s why I’m bringing up Austin McConnell. Several years ago he made a video lamenting the fact that he’d not watched a large number of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. He intended to but just hadn’t gotten around to it. He said he was getting tired of the formulaic nature of the MCU, and like many creative types, he figured he could make one of his own, with the type of stories he wanted to see.
So, he decided to create his own Superhero Cinematic Universe. Then he took an odd approach. He delved into the Public Domain (works that are available for anyone to use and are no longer under copyright) to find the stars of his SCU. There are tons of superhero characters that are in the public domain that were published in the 1930s to 1960s. Back then, publishers were eager to make a buck on the new comics craze, so they took a ‘throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks’ approach. They’d create characters and if they didn’t resonate with an audience (i.e., make sales) they’d drop the character and try something else. Many publishers went bankrupt, they didn’t renew copyright on their works, and it all went into the public domain.
In the original video McConnell stated that he’d probably never actually make the movies, but he laid out his reasoning for why he chose each character to be in his SCU, and what part they’d play in the overall scheme of things. But at the very end of the video he gets this kind of far off look in his eye that just maybe ….
Cut to four years later. In that time McConnell dabbled with his SCU and sometimes mentioned it on his YouTube channel. Behind the scenes, though, he was busy learning how to use Blender, a tool for making 2D and 3D graphics and animation. I’ve looked at Blender several times, all with the goal of making my version of The Planets, but it is complex and there is definitely a learning curve. Kudos to Mr. McConnell for taking the time to wrap his brain around it. He also ran a crowdfunding campaign to help raise funds to give him the time he needed to work on the film.
Ultimately, his work paid off. He created Atlas: The Animated Movie and released it on YouTube for free. The basic story is milquetoast report Jim Randall falls for the editor’s assistant, Linda. He takes her out one evening, and as they reach her home (in a Bad Part of Town), they see her brother Andy being roughed up by some goons (Andy as fallen in with The Wrong Crowd). Linda tries to stop it, and wants Jim to do something. Jim refuses to get involved and gets beat up anyway. Linda loses all respect or him. Atlas, the Greek Titan, sees this and is distraught over how many have become so weak. He takes Jim under his wing, shows him how to improve himself, and Jim gets strong. Thus he is reborn as the superhero Atlas: Man of Might!
It’s a decent effort, given the source material. And as the opening to McConell’s SCU it doesn’t do a bad job. It’s fun, and goofy, and likeable. You don’t expect much from a character that the publishers didn’t intend to run as more than a backup feature in their main character’s comic books. But McConnell fleshes this out into a decent story, hitting all the right beats.
Anyway, I find this inspiring. I gives me hope that I might be able to make my version of The Planets. I guess it is time to take another stab at learning Blender. I’ve got an idea for a 2D animated short to use as a learning project. Who knows? Four years from now I may be releasing my own animated masterpiece. We’ll see.
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