Hellboy Animated [msgboarder] Reviews

[SpydaWeb]

Ahem. So, I just sat down to watch Sword of Storms tonight...

First off. Doug Jones has officially impressed me. I went in thinking Ron Perlman would be the usual standout voice actor on this, and he was, but Doug just owns the floor every time he speaks. Of all the characters in this. Doug (and Gilpin as Kate) stood out as really bringing their respective characters to life. Selma, not so much. Actually, I almost wish Sherman's voice was recast. That's how much I liked Selma's performance in this.

The other standouts in this show were the music by Drake and sound effects. Oh, the sound effects. I watched this on a booming sound system and a good sized plasma and boy was it rocking. Drakes score just elevated every scene, and I like how he wove in his own renditions of the live action music. Amazing effort.

The sound effects were also stellar. I really love the spider scene, as example. Oh, and the Kappa fight sequence rocks in everyway. Back to the Spiders. The queen's laugh in surround sound is just creepy and delicious. It sounds like she has multiple vocal cords. Kind of like that blue alien opera singer in Fifth Element or the similar alien on Galactica. Also, Hellboy's punches really have oomph. The japanese heads sequence is a great example of this.

The writing. Started off real shaky with, I thought some dialog scenes that didn't work. They felt thrown in. Pacing was off. It just felt wrong. This all changes once Hellboy picks up the sword and heads out on his adventure. It seems like the writing team was feeling more comfortable in their world. I really enjoyed the story by it's conclusion. Lots of great action. Kappa scene was super. Oh, and I love that the comics relationships were brought back into this. Abe/Liz, Kate/Hellboy. Good going Tad.

So, I loved this for the most part. Which brings me to my only real problem with this movie; besides Selma...the animation quality.

I was real excited when I first read that Madhouse was involved with this. They've done some of the best animation work - Memories, Gunslinger Girl, Animatrix, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, the list goes on. I thought the Comicon footage was great, and that sequence looks even better in person, but Sword of Storms doesn't hold up that same quality overall. Animations from moment to moment feel uneven, Hellboy especially feels off many a time. For some reason the other characters look pretty good though.

Anyway, those were my gripes. I still loved the show overall and I certainly forgive much of my problems in hopes that it was just the learning curve. Hopefully the second movie will fix some of these little problems. Maybe not Selma, but I can wish.

So, I'm dying to read what everyone else thinks of the show. I think I'll go and play through the credits to hear Drakes score again.

Bravo Tad. Can't wait for the next installment.

[THE REAL kirk]

What?!

How did you manage to see this already, Spyda? Have you somehow managed to bend space and time to your will and send this post from the future? Is there a wormhole involved or some less scientific explanation that has to do with dark, arcane arts? Have you made some deal most foul with your very soul as payment? Dear Lord, man, how is such a thing possible?! Could it be your sole birthday wish has come to fruition?

Well, whatever the secret talents you posess, thanks for starting this thread that I am sure will soon be swelling with reviews and opinions by those of lesser abilities. I didn't read your recap yet as I am shying away from any possible spoilers (though I doubt you tossed any into the mix). But I shall once I've seen it.

[SpydaWeb]

No wormhole tech needed. Just mutual friends in high places.

[Lilitu]

Thanks for the anticipation Spyda! Hope that also the other ones can say theirs opinions concern to the film, because when they will transmit it, here(Rome) will be 3:30 a.m.! And then I cannot see it up to February. Then I care to know the opinions of everybody even if I suppose that they won't miss!Regards

[Sparky]

Is this gonna be the official review thread?

W00T! My TIVO's all set to record:

http://www.phobe.com/crap/hba_tivo.jpg

[kingzilla]

Just finished watching it and I thought it was great ! I agree it did start off a little shakey but it fell together real quick and kicked ass ! Cant wait till its available on DVD as well as the next installment. Nice work Tad and crew you guys nailed it !

Keith Hillson

[longbowhunter]

Loved it! It was the perfect mix of comic Hellboy and movie Hellboy. I really didnt expect it to be as creepy as it was...definitely put me in the Halloween spirit. And I was also impressed by Doug Jones...I REALLY liked DHP as Abes voice in the movie and was doubtful I would enjoy hearing it "recast"(even if Doug was the original choice for Abe) but he did a damn fine job. Its just a shame I'll have to wait till Feb. to see it again...it would be nice if CN would replay it a few times before now and then...I'd love to have it playing on Halloween night while I'm on Door Duty.

[Elegance Liberty]

Father Liberty and I enjoyed it. =]

And yes, Dougie is PERFECT as Abe. Seriously, he just... IS.

Mmmmh, this made me realize how much I've missed Hellboy in the last 2 years.

[Jon D.]

Ah man... I was nervious to hear Doug all day and man... he rocks!!! dude sounds perfect for Abe, it was such a great movie! great work guys!

i'm still geeking out about it! yee!

[gdeo]

Tad...Congratulations!!! This movie was FUN! I enjoyed every minute of it.Cannot wait to watch it again on my DVR,to catch the stuff I missed when I had to blink...The animation was great.The Music and sound effects were great.The story flowed .The performances were great.It was fun to hear Ron say the "Awww Crap!!" Doug was perfect.Selma and Peri did a great job too! Now I want it to be February..ARRRRGHH! Congrats again!!!Thanks for all the hard work.

[Angilas-Man]

Hmmmmm.... a few problems (and this is very suprising to me, I'm like the most positive person in message boarding). First off; the animation is definetely shakey. In close ups the charcter's faces should have more detail, and should show more emotion. The character designs are fine for the heroes, but for most other charcters they're far to simplified and cutesy in the Disney style. Oversimplification is the main complaint here.

Secondly; the writing. It could afford to be a bit more adult. The story seemed a bit simple with no flare of it's own. Kind of generic, with nothing grown up about it other then Hellboy's cursing (which I found very funny). With all the characters wandering around going through various action scenes in the middle of the film there doesn't seem to be any focus or driving point. Although I read on the blog that they were running short and had to add some stuff so that may very well be the cause there.

I'm defientely not one for mindless violence, (or cursing for that matter but Ron Pearlman says explitives beautifully) but the Hellboy universe requires it a bit more then this movie provides. There were moments where I thought the threat would seem much more dramatic if you saw people suffering; a few people falling into the crevaces created by the dragons, the possesed professor nailing that guy with the dumpster... things like that. Otherwise the end of the world doesn't seem like such a big deal. A bit more blood would be appropriate too. Hellboy doesn't end a fight without a little blood running down his face. I think the tone should be a bit more horror movie like (except with the heroes winning of corse), that little touch of sadness and melancholy makes the Hellboy comics click.

Also, the direction needs a bit of work. It seems a bit too televsion and not cinematic enough. It's a movie you know; it's an event!

Also, the acting on the non-main characters are kinda shakey too. I can't see why people are knocking Selma Blair. She did fine. Ron Pearlman and Doug Jones were absolutely fantastic (why the heck did GTD dubb Doug in the first movie?), and Gilpin did well too. She's perfect for Kate, hope to hear her more in another movie.

I suppose my favorite parts were the Kappa scene and the ending when the story found it's way and Hellboy beat the two antagonists (which reminded me of the fight with the Werewolf from the comics). There were a few great lines too. Especially with HB's curt comments.

...and the music was absoluetely fantastic! Seriously, the music was sooo cinematic sounding, and the incoportaion of HB's theme from the movie was a nice touch. The music and the main voice cast definetely need to be commended.

So yeah, just some constructive criticism, but it's just the first movie and I DID ENJOY IT (I'm not some sort of ball of negatiavism). I'm really looking forward to Blood and Iron because it's story is supposed to be kinda-sorta similar to Wake the Devil, and I think that miniseries had a very strong story and would work well cinematically (even if it's just the story itself with different charcters).


PS- This is a complete fan request with no basis on actually quality: Lobster Johnson... that's all that needs to be said.
:)

[Wolf Augustine]

Well, I didn't like it. Very little of the Mignola atmosphere. Wish the ASOH folks had helmed this one too. I was hoping for something a bit more stylized like Samurai Jack. Seemed too long, padded and meandering. The constant switching between storylines didn't work very well. Just when something got interesting with Hellboy we switch to Abe & Liz and vice versa.
The Del Toro movie skimped on the eerieness that makes Hellboy, well, Hellboy. Other than a few brief moments in the Japanese Heads sequence, this cartoon isn't eerie or atmospheric at all. It isn't terrible, but it isn't remarkable in any way at all -- and it should be. Given TV's vast audience, for many poor souls this will be their first exposure to our Big Red hero. What a shame really.

[Angilas-Man]

I liked how smart I felt when I knew a lot of the Japanese folklore stuff. Then I thought about how I shouldn't compliment myself and that I only knew about Kappa, Long Neck, and the umbrella by watching one of the old "Yokai Monsters" movies from the 60s.

[Lady Hellgirl]

Great job Tad!!!!

I loved it and I can't wait to get the DVD when it comes out! I really liked Hellboy's, Abe's, and Liz's one-liners. They rocked, totally fit, and were humorous.

Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into creating Hellboy Animated for us!

[Sparky]

Congrats Tad and team on a job well done! Unfortunately Cartoon Network had some time delay and TIVO didn't catch the opening credits, so I guess I'll never know who really directed it. :rolleyes:

I'll write up a more detailed review tomorrow (I took notes), but all in all, that was a lot of fun! Favorite part: Kate Corrigan (and Peri Gilpin). She needs her own show...Professor Corrigan's "Introduction To Monsters 101" or something.

[Effect]

Sword of Storms was a really good movie. Wish I had taped it but forgot and only remember half way through. Ugh, at least there is the dvd. Can't wait to see it again :).

[Juno Reactor]

I'll start with the bad.

The animation was sort of stilted at moments. Hellboy walking through the forest en route to the spider woman... the camera panning around Liz as she fired up to fight the dragon... the motion wasn't smooth enough, as though there weren't enough frames drawn. These "jittery" moments happened about five times in all. They were short, though, and the ensuing action sequences, which were beautifully animated, made up for them. It's just that the moments of spotty animation sort of stick in the back of your mind and sully the experience. However, I'm very nitpicky, so for the vast majority of viewers, all they'll remember are rest of the film, which was superb (more on that in a bit).

Another problem came with the long expositional sequences that told the legend, the part where the professor was reading the scroll. First, the stylized look seemed sort of cheap. I know it was supposed to have that woodcut look, but to the less discerning viewer, it might appear a bit choppy (no pun intended). Also, it just seemed rather long-winded. Rather than spelling out the entire legend all at once, perhaps it would've been better to give the audience bits and pieces of it, and leave the rest to the imagination. You know, tell the legend through their actions, rather than their words... or something to that effect.

The ending seemed a bit generic, too. I can't quite my finger on why until I get a chance to watch it again (I taped it).

Now for the good.

Well, everything else was fantastic, really: the witty dialogue (THANK YOU for not compromising Hellboy's sailor mouth); the suspenseful, legitimately spooky moments; the atmospheric lighting and weather effects (the use of fog and rain was especially excellent, elevating the overall feel of the movie to something expensive and cinematic, something with real texture and density); the dark night sequences; the lush colors and expressive characters; the fast-paced and beautifully choreographed fight scenes (Kappa!); the dramatic musical score... all top-notch.

I was amazed by Doug Jone's performance, and I'm not some fan kissing his ass, either. I like him better than David Hyde Pierce. Selma Blair sounded great too, not at all bad as some have suggested. On the contrary I found her very warm and endearing. The chemistry between Liz and Abe was very funny and natural, with just a hint (a very strong, welcome hint) of romance. Hellboy himself had my younger brother and I in stitches. "Yeah, like that's so much information to absorb," hahaha.

The Heads sequence was AMAZING. Their searchlight eyes, the way Hellboy lights up in the dark and says "Boo" before blasting their brains out, the way their flesh dissolves into green streams of light as the sun comes up... Gorgeous. The scene with the yokai (the sandals, umbrella, tea kettle... I know their proper names but can't be bothered to look 'em up), that scene was funny and had an inspired, magical feeling to it. And the rokurokubi were included (the long neck women)!

I could go on and on, but it's late and I'm tired. The bottom line is that they nailed the Hellboy feeling, and yet it was something utterly original and unique at the same time. The Japanese setting, aside from being fresh and interesting to us Westerners tired of vampires and what-not, should pack a lot of appeal for today's pop culture; people who dig Cartoon Network for its anime should love what they find in Sword of Storms. Many new Hellboy fans may have been made tonight. They definitely need to rerun the movie.

Well, that's all for now. I only scratched the tip of the iceberg with what I like. I can't wait to dive into this movie again.

EDIT: On further reflection, I just wanted to add that the Kappa fight will go down in Hellboy history as one of the all-time great fights. That includes the comics and live action films as well. That whole sequence was just so damn cool in so many ways.

[greyghost]

Tad, I really think you and everyone involved should be proud with the work you created. I really loved the film. So much more than I really thought I would.(probably because of the disapointing Avenger movies Marvel has put out). I just had really low expectations, and instead it turned out that I was just so blown away. I really have no complaints at the moment. (I may still have to let it soak in) I am just so happy with how everything turned out....the voice acting and animation, were great. I taped it and plan to show it to some friends both young and old, and I will definetelly purchase the DVD on the first day. I can't wait for more of the Hellboy world to be translated in the animated style.
If you can't tell I'm beaming.
Thank You.

[THE REAL kirk]

It was all I had hoped for.

And more!

It had me laughing out loud many times and is one of the things I love about Hellboy. He is so down to earth about everything. Some great bits added in there (especially the BPRD guys in the hazard suits with their crazy devices!). There were moments in the animation that I just loved and the use of color was incredible (thanks to Tad's blog of information I could finally see what he was going for). The "heads" sequence is my favorite - it was PERFECT! The music, great. Sound effects, great. I like the opening and the nod to the movie. The voices...well, Ron was in his element. He is Hellboy. And Doug...damn! He was incredible. DHP's voice in the movie always bothered me because I found it distracting to the character. I really wish they had used Doug's voice in the movie. Having finally heard him voice Abe I really don't know what Guillermo was thinking.

Now...the nitpicks. And please understand that I enjoyed the movie immensely and will be buying the DVD on day one.
The sound mix seemed a little off at times where the music would over power the voices. The pacing of the story, as pointed out previously, seemed jumbled and eratic. Hellboy's journey with the sword seemed random and the cuts seemed to harsh between the different arcs. I also agree that the dialogue at the beginning, the scene we saw from the SDCC, was forced. And, afraid I agree on the point of Liz, Selma didn't seem to work the best for me. She got better as it went on but still the weakest performance to me. Also the "reading" of the scroll was a little off as I found it hard to follow at first. But I have to ask, was that scene miscut? He was reading the scroll, then lightning came and blew off his glasses. He put them on and his eye got all crazy looking, like he was possessed. Then suddenly he was reading the scroll again and then collapses into the other guy's arms when he enters the office. Wouldn't the storm/possession scene happen after he was completely done reading the scroll and then almost pass out? Maybe I need to watch it again.

But, while that may seem like a bunch of criticism I thoroughly loved the movie and think everyone involved did one hell of a great job. Thank God for Tivo so I can watch the movie over and over until the DVD comes out. And then I can watch that over and over. And, of course, there is the next movie!

Thank you, Tad, for a wonderful gift!

[Myron L]

Without really having time to read all the other posts, because I'm off to work, I want to say that I am thoroughly and pleasantly surprised in the product I watched. True to Hellboy, yet of its own form ...it was great. I will not sit here and critique animation, which is not my specialty, but I loved the flow of story, the hint of something with Abe and Liz and , for the record, Selma portrayed Liz just as I envision her, a bit monotone and dour, but only due to the seething mess that lies beneath emotionally...AWESOME JOB, TAD AND MIKE !!!!!

Even my four year old sat up with me for about half of it before giving in to the yawns...he loves HB as much as I do !

Thanks, guys !

[SpydaWeb]

...I can't see why people are knocking Selma Blair. She did fine.

You know. Selma was great in the live action movie, but mainly because Liz there was not the Liz Sherman in the comicbooks.

On the other hand, with the animation, I think it's important to cast the right voice that imbodies the character on screen. Selma's voice was very wrong for this particular version of Liz.

It's always nice to hear consistency between the live action movie and the animation, but in this case it probably would have been more appropriate to adjust the look of the onscreen character design to better match the voice.

I'm usually against recasting midstream, but I honestly wouldn't lose sleep if Selma was exorcised from her voice duties on this.

[Neil Hill]

*Quick Disclamer*- Please know that I have no axe to grind here. In the interest of honesty and positive feedback, I am attempting to be as straight forward (without being mean) as I can.

Okay, so like most everyone else I stayed up past my bedtime on a Saturday night to make sure I caught Hellboy: Sword of Storms. I started off with the anticipation that the footage I saw in San Diego was going to carry throughout the movie, and make for an overall enjoyable experience. Unfortunately that didn't quite happen.

First the positive.

I enjoyed some of the sequences when taken on their own. The Heads sequence for instance was smile enducing, and literally made me sit up and take notice. The dialogue is almost spot on word-for-word from the comic, so that was nice to see. I'll admit some of the dialogue when taken outside the context of the comic seemed overly stitled and somewhat rough, but I'm trying to keep this positive, so I'll stray back on course.

The use of color in various sequences, such as when Hellboy is wandering through the forest about to meet the spider woman- beautiful stuff! Much more full of life and thoughtful intent than what you'll find in most animated films of this kind (such as the recent Avengers films). In other words, that impressed me quite a bit. Great job Tad and team!

Unfortunately this is where the positive ends, as I found much more not to like about this film.

Now the negative:

The plot seemed to drag, and drag, and drag in places. I was pumped and enjoying myself through the beginning sequence where HB is pounding the stuffing out of that bat, but as soon as the major part of the exposition involving the history of the sword, etc. is revealed, I found my attention drifting. It just all seemed unnecessarily complicated. In fact, many of that exposition could have been excised from the plot and or edited heavily and I don't think the movie would have been any worse for wear.

Also, the movie seemed like a chopped up bunch of little sequences that were forced together without much regard for cohesion. In the comic Mike keeps the plots tight and only reveals as much as is necessary to get his point across from series to series. However, this movie seemed like a heavy handed attempt to bring together a series of half-hour episodes and make a movie out of those.

Selma Blair's voice work was awful. Every time she spoke I just wanted to grab pillows and stuff them in my ears. I am truly sorry for having to say this, but it's my true opinion. Selma in the movie I can take if not embrace, but in the animated cartoon her lack of voiceover experience shown quite brightly. It just lacked punch, pizazz, or anything else of consequence.

The adult use of language such as "screw you", "hell" (when taken on its own and not part of Hellboy's name), "damn", and other such words that, in the context of the comic are fine, but in the context of an animated feature on Cartoon Network just didn't work for me. Granted, the movie was on at 9:30 PM here on the West Coast, but my oldest daughter was watching the first part of the film with me and even she made a comment when Hellboy said "screw you". Her words were, "I don't think this movie should be on a kids channel". I kind of agreed with her. Again, if this movie had been playing on HBO, Showtime, or some channel where you expect more mature content that late at night I could have understood, but nearly every commercial break included ads for sugary cereal and tons and tons of toys, so it's obvious what their demographic is intended to be.

The animation quality for the most part was just above what you might see on an afternoon cartoon series, and I don't mean that in a good way. Sometimes the style guides for different characters worked for me (as with Hellboy) and many times it didn't. The overly muscular Abe with some kind of chin wiskers for one just made me wince. Although I did smile when the new BPRD HQ from the comic showed up, I didn't when most of the character designs started to remind me of Disney's Atlantis. I guess since Disney's Atlantis and HB: SOS both attempt to use Mike's style (in places) it makes complete sense that there would be a similar design asthetic, however, that sense of design seemed much more scizophrenic in SOS for some reason.

Lastly, overall this film bored me I'm afraid (I actually fell asleep during much of the film, if that says anything). I had high hopes, or I wouldn't have stayed up and specifically set time aside to watch this feature. It goes without saying that I'm a huge Hellboy and Mike Mignola fan, but I think from now on I'm going to avoid future animated features if they're anything like this one.

[elhuevosupremo]

I also loved alot of the scenes and design elements. Loved abe/liz and HB/kate relationships, STICK WITH THAT! The only problems I felt were the animation being choppy at times, the lack of atmosphere in most areas, and the pacing.
I always feel its difficult to separate the idea of HB from Mignola's atmosphere. It doesn't seem to work without it.

Tad: Overall, I was thrilled to see this film and enjoyed it for the most part. I'm excited to watch the next one and have faith I will enjoy it as well. Thank you for your hard work putting it together and keeping us abreast on all the process.

PS- I love the look of the characters, especially ABE!

[Angilas-Man]

You know. Selma was great in the live action movie, but mainly because Liz there was not the Liz Sherman in the comicbooks.

On the other hand, with the animation, I think it's important to cast the right voice that imbodies the character on screen. Selma's voice was very wrong for this particular version of Liz.



What I meant was that I found several other voices much poorer than Selma, and I wondered why people weren't complaining about them.

[Maija]

Stygian: Maybe you don't watch it much but Cartoon Network is not exclusively a "Kid's Channel". They have a block of programming called "Adult Swim". Futurama is on at 10, with Bender saying "Kiss my shiny metal ass, meatsack!"

[Neil Hill]

Stygian: Maybe you don't watch it much but Cartoon Network is not exclusively a "Kid's Channel". They have a block of programming called "Adult Swim". Futurama is on at 10, with Bender saying "Kiss my shiny metal ass, meatsack!"

Okay, you've got me there Maija. I'll admit that I don't watch much programming on this channel, so when I heard what I heard I automatically put my parent hat on. Thank you.

[Sparky]

It’s like being in a cartoon! – Russell, B.P.R.D. agent

This is coming from a Hellboy fan who is also a fan of cartoons (dreaded kids' cartoons, even). I’m not a Hellboy purist and I understand that animation often has some weird bits due to budget and time limitations, so I ain’t gonna fuss about that stuff. I thought it looked great.

I missed the opening credits! Waah.

The first thing I noticed was the sound – wonderful, much more textured than most animated shows. The music, also great. So glad it wasn’t the usual generic-rock stuff. The voice acting was spot on…except for (/jumps on bandwagon) Selma Blair. Her voice is just too young, disaffected, and, frankly, whiny for Liz. At one point I yelled “I WANT TO KICK HER IN THE HEAD”. Yeah, you don’t want to watch movies at our house, there’s a lot of yelling. I did like her updated look, though – she looked tough and sassy. Kate Corrigan and Peri Gilpin: perfect. Sassy. LOVE HER. Doug Jones was awesome. And sassy. Okay, I just like the word “sassy”.

“You just made the newbie face” – Abe

Loved seeing the BPRD HQ, the Heads’ halogen high-beams, HB’s teeny tiny feets, Abe’s nictitating membranes, the cucumbers, the giant skeleton, the bloody koto. And the little "Beauty And The Beast" dig with the teapot. The psychic BPRD guy was great – I loved how his random predictions sounded ridiculous but...OH NO SPOILERS

There was a point I thought it was gonna get mushy and they were about to push the big red FANFIC: DEPLOY button, and I was all prepared to shriek “NOOOOO!” but they pulled it back and made it funny. Nice! The humor throughout was at just the right level.

I also was wondering about two points where the editing seemed strange: as Kirk said, the jump when the professor is reading the scroll, and is zapped by lightning…and then we see him not possessed and reading the scroll again. And, early on when Hellboy goes to knock off the bat statue’s head, we see the head, then – nothing – and then the head flying across the room. Was something missing there?

“There’s no upside to cutting the undead some slack.” -Hellboy

Plotwise, there did seem to be a LOT stuffed into 90 minutes, and with the jumping around from place to place I totally missed a major plot point, which I am too embarrassed to admit. We were discussing the movie later and Lars said “When so and so was doing this…” and I was like “WHAT?” and he was like “You didn’t realize that?” and I was like “Nooo, I didn’t get that at all.” Huh. I would have liked to see the Japanese-scroll-style animation at the beginning brought back later in the film, especially at the end, to tie everything together.

Abe and Liz’s monster battle went on a bit too long, and the part about the dragons busting out around the world felt like it could have been left out, although I did get to yell “BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN!” when the baby carriage was rolling away. Of course I also yelled "WOULDN'T IT BE FUNNY IF THE KITSUNE AND THE PROFESSOR WERE EATING SPAGHETTI IN THE ALLEY BEHIND THE RESTAURANT LIKE LADY AND THE TRAMP?" during that scene so, yeah, you really don't want to watch movies at our house.

But it was really enjoyable! And sassy. And they really need to market this to the young anime-fan crowd, I think they’d love it too.

[Hellmistress]

Doug Jones was awesome. And sassy. Okay, I just like the word “sassy”.

“You just made the newbie face” – Abe



Yep. Doug Jones = sassy. And awesome. Dang, I need to see this! :D

HM

[Mist the Soul-Gatherer]

Congratulations Tad, "Cheeks", and all the artists, writers, animators, actors, composers and everyone "behind the scenes" for putting together such a delightfully entertaining movie. I found it a wonderful blend of Hellboy comics in the early days with exciting, new elements. It seems like the animated universe is set in a simpler, more innocent time, when everyone is younger in attitude, there is a lot of friendship and commraderie, and getting the job done is fun.

The humor is more of a return to the early Hellboy comics as well. I enjoyed the multiple storylines-especially opening up in the midst of another adventure- and thought it not only added drama, but allowed us to learn more about the main characters, their abilities and relationships with each other, than in a linear plot line. Very quickly, each character is given key elements that identify their personallity that remain throughout the movie. If you've never seen or read "Hellboy" before, you "get it."

I liked the look of the animation and the characters. It's fun, refreshing, and distinctively defines each character without overpowering the storyline. Someone mentioned it looked like Disney-I agree it has that feeling to it, and I liked it for that reason. I don't think you need more emotional reactions from the characters-they are in keeping with the style of the animation and their personality.

Blending echos of the Hellboy universe-the dragons for example-with new folklore gives us something familiar we can recognize as "Hellboy" while taking us on new adventures created so that viewers of all ages can watch and enjoy. If you saw the commercials run during the show, you know the key audience this movie is supposed to target. Yet everyone from seven to one hundred and seven will find it enjoyable at their level of comprehension.

The business with the two halves of the broken sword was a great plot turn that was a brilliant and highly satisfying conclusion. Well done, Tad. I can't wait for the next one!!
H

[shonokin]

Because of a previous engagement and the fact that I have DirectTV (which gives us Eastern time programming instead of Pacific time, where I'm at, so everything comes on three hours early) I only caught the last 10 minutes.

So I won't comment on anything.

My question is, will CN show Sword of Storms again? I've checked all the listings I could find and it's a no show. I'm very surprized about this since cable networks like SCIFI and CN tend to show new, exclusive shows several times during a week.

Guess I'll have to wait for the DVD.

[Catlin]

I loved it. I thought each character was fantastic, but I thought Kate was far and away fantastic. I loved her little troll comment to Hellboy. Then again, Kate is my favorite character after Hellboy because of how alike I think we are, so maybe I'm biased ;)

It was quite a fun ride, the the different subplots and all the different mythos thrown in. I cheered when I saw the part with the Heads, I love those little freaks.

Cannot wait for the DVD, I taped it off CN to watch until I have it in hand ;)

Thanks Tad and everyone who put this toegther!

[Celtic_Fiddler]

Missed half of it, dang it! :( But what I saw delivered. Good job, Tad!

Andrea

[Elegance Liberty]

Yep. Doug Jones = sassy. And awesome. Dang, I need to see this! :D

HM

I honestly thought he did a fantastic-near-perfect job. Of course I'm biased, but even if Abe wasn't my favorite character (in some bizzaro/Earth-2 world), I'd still have thought Dougie did a good job overall.


Okay, you've got me there Maija. I'll admit that I don't watch much programming on this channel, so when I heard what I heard I automatically put my parent hat on. Thank you.

Hey, I'll admit I was a little 'woah!' when he said "Screw you" and "Think again, dumbass!", but since my little brother wasn't there (he's autistic and has a tendency to parrot things he thinks is funny... which unfortunatley sometimes entails bad language), I didn't really think too much about it. I mean, it's not like they dropped the f-word 15 times in a row or something like that. Plus it was rather amusing, really.

My dad, on the other hand, thought it was hillarious.

I'm just hoping that if/when CN ever reairs this, they won't edit those things out.

[Poe Ghostal]

What happened to John Hurt? Or was he never going to be in this one...?

[Elegance Liberty]

What happened to John Hurt? Or was he never going to be in this one...?
I think he's in the second one.

[Otto66]

Count me with the folks who'll be seeing it on DVD come FEB '07.
CN ain't one of the channels they show at Truck Stops and
the recorders at home are assigned to "Lost", "Bones" and
"Studio 60".

[Ken O]

I finally saw it last night since I was up in Detroit this weekend.

I loved it and I can't wait till the DVD is out so I can buy it.

[sallah]

I absolutely loved it...the Heads sequence was easily the highlight of the movie, but I think the whole thing was fun and a better translation of the comic than the movie was...

Selma Blair was kinda 'eh' though. It really seemed like she didn't want to do this and didn't put much into it...

Sallah

[Jeff Cope]

Well, I enjoyed it. Perhaps not as much as I thought I would, but with all the anticipation, following Tad's development journal, etc...maybe I built it up too much in my mind?

There did seem to be some pacing issues...which were not at all helped by Cartoon Network's editing for commercials. I'm anxious to see how it flows on DVD when it's viewed without commercial breaks. They seemed quite arbitrary at times and disrupted the flow. But, if the exposure on CN helps these films be more successful that's certainly a price I'm willing to pay!

One thing (of two) I really disliked...(just to get it out of the way upfront)...is the sequence where Sakai reads the scroll at the beginning. I know it was serving to bring the viewers up to speed on the legend at the heart of the story, but it just seemed like too much exposition all at once. That whole sequence really dragged for me.

Animation was good. I liked most of the character designs, 'though some did stray pretty far towards the cartoony (especially some of the BPRD staff).

The other thing I disliked was Russell the BPRD psychic. I just found his character annoying. He seemed to be there for comedic relief, but I didn't find him funny.

Hellboy himself provided all the comedy relief this film needed with his typical dry remarks delivered perfectly by Perlman.

Thank you for making HB's first words, "Oh crap". That was great.

So, again, enjoyed it alot, but it did have some flaws (imho). But, I'll definitely be buying the DVD (and the digest graphic novels, and the Bust Ups, and the action figures) and am looking forward to Blood and Iron!

My thanks to everyone involved.

Jeff

[Poe Ghostal]

My favorite exchange (I'm paraphrasing from memory):

Ghostly Fox: "The sword was made to kill demons. That's all you need to know for now."

Hellboy: "Well sure, that's so much to absorb."

I've got to wonder if that line was a suggestion by Perlman. If not, kudos to the screenwriter ;)

[Catlin]

My favorite exchange (I'm paraphrasing from memory):

Ghostly Fox: "The sword was made to kill demons. That's all you need to know for now."

Hellboy: "Well sure, that's so much to absorb."

I've got to wonder if that line was a suggestion by Perlman. If not, kudos to the screenwriter ;)

But what about the fox's reply?

"Don't cut yourself." Loved that!

I rewatched it, so I could fastforward through the commercials, and I think Russell is growing on me. Poor man and his evil umbrellas.

BTW: did CN cut anything out?

[SpydaWeb]

BTW: did CN cut anything out?
I think they might have shaved some seconds off at the end, but nothing else sticks out as having been cut. The dialog is intact, all the scenes are intact.

[ultramandingo]

http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9395&archive=&match=&page=0

[SpydaWeb]

http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9395&archive=&match=&page=0

Those guys are a little confused, but at least they enjoyed the film.

[parrish]

I liked it. The "Heads" sequence was my favorite part (like a couple of other people have said).

[Perry Holley]

Quick question... My wife and I screwed up a bit with our VCR, and it started taping the movie during the opening credits. Was there anything we missed that was shown before the credits began?

[kid cthulhu]

Wish I could have seen this. Had to work 'til 9:30 and then had a prior dj commitment at a Halloween party.

I guess I thought CN would play it a few more times, but it looks like I'll be waiting 'til February...:(

[ultramandingo]

Wish I could have seen this. Had to work 'til 9:30 and then had a prior dj commitment at a Halloween party.

I guess I thought CN would play it a few more times, but it looks like I'll be waiting 'til February...:(

same here ( cus im lame ) , guess ill wait till deeveedee

[Lilitu]

Hope that there are DvDs for everybody!

[Elegance Liberty]

Does anyone know when Canada will be airing this? If at all?

Just curious.

[Snikt!]

Loved the Heads part in it. Tad did you draw yourself in the cartoon?

[Tad]

No, but I do several voices.

[SpydaWeb]

No, but I do several voices.

Which voices? Who does the narration at the beginning of the film?

[Tad]

Pshaw! What? No one is going to guess? I did two big parts (guess) although one is processed and many zombies and the professor being depossessed.

Selma did the crying baby in the baby carriage.

[Otto66]

Here is a site that people who say 'Pshaw may like.:)
http://www.retrothing.com/

[Mikolaj]

As allways I'm late so I'll cut to chase [sorry if I repeat some stuff some people allredy said- I'm writing it down just as I'v finished watchig it]. So for the impresions: I liked it I liked it a lot. There were some problems with the animation at times and I'v spotted some mistakes like Liz having glowes and suddenly holding the scroll barehanded at the beggining of the movie and the lack of nose on HB [or maybye it was just to dark] during his first shot of the stay in the head's house room. Also I realy didn't like the intro, just seems the voice who introduced HB and BPRD seemed... Not suitable.
Now for the HOW AWSOME! part! First of all-> I enjoyed the musical score more than I though I would! Moreover I like the re-interpretation of the HB theme much more than the original, also the truck which was played during some point of the dragon fight was more than catchy. As to the story: great work, Tad! I'v found myself not knowing what would happen[which a tremendous thing as most of the stuff that gets done nowadays bases on ready shemes] most of the time. And the motive with HB journey in the land of Japanies folklore was incredibly climatic. What left me a bit suprized is how easily and smoothly you'v introduced Kate, where she's from and what she does- usually when these thing appear i get "ok, here we go again" but this time it was more of "ohh! this is fun! ... wait a sec! that wasn't just for the fun sakes- it was here background! cool!". Some of the camera angles were preaty nifty too and most of the action scenes were more than nice to look at [I'd liked the karpa fight the most- seemed really clear[I'm a slow pacer] with lots of fun and various stuff happeninig]. I'll be definitly geting this thing on DVD when I'll have a chance not only for the sake of it be'n a part of HB merchandise but the fact that's it a really solid and amazingly fun to watch piece of hard work! Great job, Tad!

Edit:
Read some of the stuff other ppl wrote here and dicided that It was unjust to not mention how much fantastic work was done by Selma, Ron, Doug and others! [personally I liked the "oh, just get it" from all the HB smart-talk] Once again great work, guys!

[Snikt!]

No, but I do several voices.


Hm okay. The only reason I ask this is because I thought I saw a pic of you once from a con and that psycic guy that was there in Japan kinda looked like you.

Did you do the one of the Asain guys voices? And who did Kates voice? Sounded like that broad from Frazier, Ross.

[Tad]

Okay. Not Russell. I'm many of the zombies along with Doug, Phil Lamarr and the entire sound crew.

I'm also the voice at the start (sorry Khan). John Hurt will do the intro on the movies that he's a part of.

I'm also the Kappa, heavily processed and when the Professor becomes depossessed, I'm his wail as he shakes and exudes energy.

Yes, Kate was played by "Roz," Peri Gilpin. We'll definitely be playing her more although she just has a short part in Blood and Iron.

[Mikolaj]

Never ment to offend you, Tad. I liked the Carpas voice and found it totally suitable and very creapy. It's just something one might call be'n used to the guys who sound as if smoked for 40 years voicing trailers that made me feel strange watching the intro. It wasn't bad at any rate, I just expected something a bit diffrent. All to all: you have a much to healthy voice ;) and I'm sorry if I offended you in any way.

[Agent Helix]

I missed this last weekend. Woe! Woe unto me!

[Ken O]

I'm also the Kappa,

Tad, I love you just for putting a Kappa in the movie...even more so for voicing him. I promise if I ever get out to SDCC I won't try to pour the water out of your head.

[Agent Helix]

I promise if I ever get out to SDCC I won't try to pour the water out of your head.


Huh. I thought it was vodka in there.

[Catlin]

Okay. Not Russell. I'm many of the zombies along with Doug, Phil Lamarr and the entire sound crew.

I'm also the voice at the start (sorry Khan). John Hurt will do the intro on the movies that he's a part of.

I'm also the Kappa, heavily processed and when the Professor becomes depossessed, I'm his wail as he shakes and exudes energy.


Hey, I liked the voice at the start, although I missed like the first 15 or 20 seconds (stupid VCR). I thought that might have been you, but I shook my head and said "nah." Whoops!

[Maija]

Huh. I thought it was vodka in there.Diet Coke, actually.

You've come for my brains, haven't you. :p

[Agent Helix]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaybe.

[Tad]

Maija knows me sooooo well.:)

[Snikt!]

Here's a question for ya, apologies if this is crossing the line.

When I first heard of the Cartoon I was a little iffy. Then I heard Sean Gallaway was going to be the artist for it. Or the artist they were going to base the art off of. I like his style for some reason. But, why isnt 'Cheeks' involved in the comic? I mean, look at his thunder cats. LOOK AT THEM

http://myspace-660.vo.llnwd.net/00717/06/63/717683660_l.jpg

[Tad]

Dark Horse chose the artists then Mike approved them. Sean is closely connected to Teen Titans and I think they wanted a different look. The artists work from the final models as opposed to Sean's concept sketches.

But Sean's work is beautiful and he'll be working on the next movie when it happens. Blood and Iron has a more unified look to the incidental characters because Sean found his groove by the second one.

[Jeff Cope]

Tad,

How long do you expect it to be until it's known whether or not you can move forward on movies 3, 4, etc.

How were the ratings for SoS on CN last week?

I would imagine you'd need to wait (at least) for sales figures on the SoS DVD as well.

Well, fingers are crossed. I'd love to see Hellboy animated keep going for years to come!

Jeff

[Tad]

I'm approved to script on #3 but I figure they'll wait until sales figures to greenlight production. Meanwhile, I'll have to take on another job and figure out how to do two things at once if I'm so lucky to have #3 offered to me.

[Angilas-Man]

But Sean's work is beautiful and he'll be working on the next movie when it happens. Blood and Iron has a more unified look to the incidental characters because Sean found his groove by the second one.

That's realy nice to hear. I also loved you latest blog entry. The Liz v. Dragon subplot was the weakest link in the movie IMO (Oh, and thanks for the little tidbits about HB2 and the Abe Sapien mini!).

Is Cheeks still doing the cover art for the DVDs?

PS- Nice vocal work on that kappa!

[Tad]

Cheeks was never going to do the DVD covers. For about 10 minutes or so, Mike was going to do them. The new DVD cover is on GoToHellboy.com (http://www.gotohellboy.com). With newly turn offable thunder!

[hellboyone]

LOVE the new cover! The stark sideview of animated Hellboy is reminiscent of the Hellboy movie teaser poster (on purpose?). It would make a great poster itself!

February can't get here fast enough. (I missed the one-time broadcast. :( )

[Maija]

I'm afraid I can't see any control to make the thunder stop. :confused:

[Ivar_L]

I'm afraid I can't see any control to make the thunder stop. :confused:Look at the bottom right corner...
:)

[Maija]

Thanks, Ivar.

What the hell is up with the designers' urge to friggin' hide everything? Gah!! :mad:

[Angilas-Man]

Nice cover. Love the homage to Mike's teaser poster for the HB movie.

[Lilitu]

Tad has already said that theme of the teaser of the Animated movie is taken by Static x, but if is possible I want to know what song is. I have many cd of Static x but I don't recognize the song.

[Tad]

I was wrong about Static X. Someone described the music to me as their type and I thought they were saying it was Static X.

The music was by Sybreed (http://www.sybreed.com/index2.htm) and was from their first album.

[Lilitu]

Thank you Tad!

[Petersen]

Downloading/Watching pirate/bootleg versions of Sword of Storms WILL kill the chances of future movies.

[parrish]

Downloading/Watching pirate/bootleg versions of Sword of Storms WILL kill the chances of future movies.

Yes, it will. I think anyone who posts on this board can wait a few months for it to come out on DVD.

[Catlin]

Downloading/Watching pirate/bootleg versions of Sword of Storms WILL kill the chances of future movies.

*nods* Come on people, that's why God invented VCRS/DVRS and TiVO and all those other things we can program way ahead of time because we always forget ;) I set all three in my house just in case! I always get a Best Buy giftcard for Christmas from my neighbor (who is a manager there) so I know what I'll be saving it for.