If I had to choose three elements of media that I consider my pillars to keep going as an animator and storyteller, I would go for:
Tom and Jerry: The movie (1992):
Tom and Jerry end up without a place to live after getting their home demolished (their owners were moving, but the protagonists were distracted with their persecution), but then they find Robyn, a little orphan girl who runs away from her evil aunt. The iconic duo now have to help her while keeping a secret away from the greedy guardian.
I have re-watched that movie a couple of years ago (maybe more time, my memory is so vague in exact dates) once I have realized it was on Netflix. My opinion? was not as great as I thought. It was entertaining, but it was almost forgettable.
Image from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105616/?ref_=tt_mv_close, Image 1
And then, why did I come up with this one?
I liked watching Tom and Jerry (specially the 1940's to 1960's cartoons) because of their genuine humour and premise. I always loved how each episode's idea was executed and how each character had a specific purpose that.
The movie of course had some characters that taking them out would change little to none specially because they lacked a solid purpose, the plot was progressing a little bit unnatural, and the humour could not surpass the success of the classic era (it was not a good idea to give Tom and Jerry a voice, but at least they don't speak so often).
Image from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105616/?ref_=tt_mv_close, Image 51
But even with its flaws, I keep an odd appreciation to it for one single reason: it was for me an introduction to storytelling. Of course, I would not redo the mistakes or copy the flawed and generic plot; what I refer is that thanks to watching that feature film one Saturday when I was like 5 years old, I understood that a story always has a goal to complete and also their obstacles that make a narrative interesting, also, it made me understand the basics about the different archetypes existing.
Pac-Man World (1999):
Pac-Man's family were preparing a birthday for the yellow, round dot eater when they receive unwanted visits, the ghosts themselves, who would then kidnap them by the villain Toc-man. Pac-Man would have no option than go to ghost Island to rescue his friends and defeat the mechanic antagonist.
This game was almost a risky move from Namco, given that they would adapt one of the most iconic videogame characters in history to the standards of the fifth generation.
Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man_World
I liked it because it was intuitive in the controls, the artstyle, level design, and the soundtrack were effective and engaging, and of course, preserved the basic elements that molded the charisma and personality of the arcade classic.
Image from https://psxdatacenter.com/games/P/P/SCES-00934.html, Image 6
What made it so important to me is how all of the elements merge together to bring a charming experience. It resonated inside me, and made me understand how the mood in the scene can change the pace and the feeling. Also, it was a big inspiration for me to develop stories and worlds of great magnitude.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997):
Four years after the events of Rondo of Blood, Richter Belmont would mysteriously disappear after Dracula was again defeated by famous Vampire Killer bloodline. Alucard, son of Dracula, would reawaken from his slumber with the mission to his father's castle, which rose up one more time.
Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania:_Symphony_of_the_Night
I would play this game for the first time in 2019, I thought I would never touch one of the best instalments in one of the franchises I was invested into by the gameplay, difficulty and the monster's designs. But here we are...
The gameplay and the RPG elements were two elements that forged the game to the right path and resonated well with the audience, bringing something innovative and impactful, preserving the roots of the classic saga as the previous title.
Image from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260785/, Image 4
One of the many things I loved about this game was the soundtrack, which brought a sense of epicity that accomplishes the purpose to cross the horrific and massive surroundings of Dracula's Castle, as every game of the franchise did, but with various steps forward.
I consider this title an important part of my development as an artist because, even though I knew about the elements in science fiction, mythology and fantasy genres thanks to other titles such as Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, Halo and Super Metroid, Symphony of the Night became the turning point in my creative approach.
From that game, I gained appreciation for the unreal which reinforced my courage to discover more titles and music as well to take as reference to create new concepts for any kind of media and also to understand the complexity of storytelling. One main reason of it was because it brought a welcoming ambience that brought back many memories in places that gave me chills because I have felt them out of the world I am used to.
References for each production's prologue:
- Internet Archive (1999, added online 2018), "Pac-Man World Game Manual", Page 5-6, Sept 26th 2024, https://archive.org/details/pac-man_world_english/page/n1/mode/1up
- Internet Movie Database (1992), "Tom and Jerry: The movie", Sept 26th 2024, https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0105616/?ref_=ttpl_ov
- Castlevania Crypt, "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Game Manual", Page 7-8, Sept 26th 2024, https://www.castlevaniacrypt.com/sotn-manual-ps/