Watch the video before you read the post; that way the post will make a lot more sense and there
won't be any spoilers.
"Missing Halloween" is a short animation I found on YouTube. It is about a young boy who goes out trick-or-treating with a young girl. As the story progresses, we learn that nobody but the boy can see the girl, and this makes him confused. When he returns home, he is given the diagnosis of an imaginary friend. This seems innocent enough, but at one point the boy follows the girl past a fence labeled "danger", where we see a multitude of animal traps scattered about a forest. The boy, trying to keep up with his 'friend', missteps and the screen goes white. It then cuts to a scene where the boy finds the girl sitting beneath a tree in a clearing, and sits down beside her. When the animation resumes, a police squadron is looking for the boy and they come across him. What's creepy is he is found sitting next to a decaying corpse- the corpse of the girl he 'befriended', who had gone missing.
This animation is both charming and disturbing. When it begins, the audience is drawn into the simplistic, adorable character designs and black-and-white coloration, as well as the warm, inviting feel of the animation style. It feels almost like watching a memory or silent film. Speaking of silent, the entire film, up until the ending, is silent, with only the calming, hypnotic background music filling the silence. The ending, though, has speaking, albeit very little and not entirely comprehensible. It also has sound effects but lacks the soundtrack used earlier. In my opinion, this was done intentionally. As the entire story except the ending is seen through the point of view of an imaginative, energy, and lonely young boy, the beginning is done so we feel like we are watching a memory or a story that perhaps the boy himself came up with. It feels very much nostalgic and hazy, as if it were meant to be up to various interpretations. The ending, on the other hand, plays out as we would see it in real life; with sound effects, speech, and without background music. It is told from the point of view of adults. By portraying the ending in such a manner, they contrast the difference between the two and label the beginning as a fantasy and the ending as the unwanted reality.
My personal interpretation of the animation is that the girl is dead and that the boy is dying. Since nobody can see the girl, she must be a ghost, but the boy can still see and interact with her, so he isn't entirely human (or he has some unseen ability to interact with the dead). Plus, throughout the animation, he has a mobile devil tail, but only in the present Halloween, so his current state is only recent. Devils are usually interpreted as a symbol or beacon of death, so the boy is dying. But because he is still seen by everybody else, and still shows up on film, he is not dead yet. The girl is shown to be dead; her corpse is rotting and only the boy can see her ghost.
I believe that the girl is lonely and wants a friend, so she tries to lead the boy into the traps in hopes he dies- the same way she died. The candy wrappers that are shared between the two always read 'you found me' for the girl, which means that she was waiting a while for a friend, and her corpse shows this as well- it has begun to decompose and has maggots and flies. The boy, who is oblivious to the fact she is dead, is also lonely, so a friend, even if nobody else can see them, is very appreciated. In the end, when he catches up with the girl and sits down beside her beneath the tree, his candy wrapper reads 'I found you' and hers, like always, reads 'you found me'. Even though these actions ultimately killed him, the boy found a friend in the girl and the girl found a friend in the boy.
Overall, this is a very well-done and thought-provoking animated gem, and despite its bittersweet ending, you will fall in love with it.
"Dumb Ways to Die" is an Australian PSA (Public Safety Announcement) for train safety that was popular a couple years ago after the animation was made and it went viral on various forms of social media. It gained massive popularity due to its uniqueness; no one had and probably ever will again see a PSA of this nature.
This video was so popular it spawned an app version, where you have to try and successfully do things that the characters in the video died from. It is addictive and entertaining, albeit simplistic, and was downloaded by millions. There were even spoofs of "Dumb Ways to Die" made (most of them inappropriate) as well as followups by the original company, most of them themed around holidays. It even has an online store!
Why did this video grow as popular as it did? I believe it was due to its 'cute' portrayal of death and catchy song. All of the characters are strangely adorable and the ways they die are just so, shall I say, dumb, that it is almost laughable. It is so happy and upbeat for a song about dying, and that is charming and disturbing. It is something that you feel guilty about liking so much. You feel that you should hate it, but you can't.
The fact that it is animated also helps achieve its horrific charming quality. When something is animated, society generally tends to think of it as meant for children and less serious than something live action. While I would usually disagree with that, it is true in this case. Because the video is basically an adorable animated song, we can't help but love it, even if it is about death.
This post will contain spoilers for Over the Garden Wall. Over the Garden Wall is a Cartoon Network miniseries about two brothers, Wirt and Gregory, who are lost in a forest known as The Unknown and are trying to get back home. It is short; with only ten chapters- each chapter timing in at eleven minutes long. This is a dark and eerie show that keeps you guessing, has plot twists that truly surprise the audience, mature underlying themes, and metaphorical aspects. It is a work of art. The show also has a strange narrative that starts off in the middle of the story then works forwards and backwards as we simultaneously learn the ending and the beginning of the story, the motivations behind characters, and how the strange world that Over the Garden Wall sets up for us operates. Similarly, it has an ending that ends once it tells the story; leaving some material and unanswered questions up to the audience's interpretation and debate. It leaves the audience wanting more. While that is annoying, it is interesting and helps to fully immerse the audience in the universe. My interpretation is a metaphorical one. The Unknown I believe represents a transitional state between life and death, where the individual's actions determine whether or not they return to life or go to Heaven or Hell (death). The closest thing to describe this would be Bardo, which can be learned about here. It could also be a form of Purgatory or Limbo. There is a plethora of evidence to support this interpretation. For starters, there are the final two episodes, which show the start (episode 9) and the ending (episode 10) of the story. The story starts on Halloween night, and at one point, Wirt and Greg end up jumping over the garden wall (hence the title) in the cemetery to avoid getting caught by a policeman, who was really just playing a joke on them. Over the wall, Greg and Wirt are arguing when they see an approaching light and hear a whistle. Realizing they are on a train track, they narrowly escape the train and tumble down the surrounding hill into a lake. It is heavily implied that they drown; this scene ends with them sinking deeper and blacking out. In the next scene, the brothers awaken in the Unknown. Then, in the last episode, the story is resumed and we see Wirt awaken in the water and pull Greg out of the lake, then both of them collapse. Later, they awaken in a hospital. This underlying story implies that everything took place while Greg and Wirt were unconscious or in a coma. But, the frog's belly glows when Greg shakes him, just like it did in episode 7 "The Ringing of the Bell", due to him eating the bell. This means that everything that happened in the Unknown was real; that it wasn't just a coma or a hallucination. Meanwhile, the theory that they are stuck between Life and Death works with this. Also, when Greg and Wirt are in the Unknown, they are lost; which is another way of saying they need to find the correct way, which would be Life. The Beast would represent Death or the Devil. His goal throughout the series is to draw children in to turn them into edelwood trees, which he needs to fuel the Dark Lantern, which contains his soul. He sings the song "Come Wayward Songs" (video) to help draw them in. These are the lyrics:
Come wayward Souls, Who wander through the darkness, There is a light for the lost and the meek. Sorrow and fear, Are easily forgotten, When you submit to the soil of the earth. This song supports that the Beast is the Devil or Death. The line "When you submit to the soil of the earth" is a reference to dying, and since it is in the context that doing so will bring salvation and relief, the Beast is literally attempting to make them die, and not just die, go to Hell. If the Beast is Hell, then the Unknown would be Heaven after the Beast is defeated. When the Beast dies in the series, it seems as if instantly the characters that Greg and Wirt meet in the Unknown are relieved of their problems and are at peace (seen in the ending, which is the video). The Woodsman, who was under the belief that the Dark Lantern contains his daughter's soul, no longer has to keep the lantern burning and is reunited with his daughter. Beatrice, who was responsible for turning her entire family and herself into bluebirds, is turned back into a human along with her family, and is shown to be infinitely happier. Before the Beast is defeated, they are living in a state of unrest and after he is defeated, their worries are gone and they are living happily without a worry. This is similar to the classic interpretation of Heaven and Hell, where in Hell Souls are unhappy and seem to be awaiting something, and in Heaven, are happy and care-free. Another important thing to note is that when Greg and Wirt are there, it is autumn, and when they leave, it is winter. Autumn is seen as a season of unrest and change, a sort of in-between stage, meanwhile winter is peaceful, serene, and often happy. Winter represents Heaven, and Fall is the stage in between Life and Death. Finally, while this may be really exact, at one point in episode 9, Wirt and Beatrice have a conversation. Beatrice says to Wirt "You'll be no good to your brother dead". Wirt then replies and says "I was never any good to him alive, either". By using the word was, which is past tense, Wirt directly states that he is not living. But, Beatrice states he isn't dead. If Wirt can't be living, and isn't dead, what is he? He is in between the two, where depending on his actions he either dies or goes back to the living. Plus, the creators originally planned to have the Unknown be named 'the In-Between'. In conclusion, Wirt and Greg are in between Life and Death, and since they choose to not submit to the Beast, are sent back to the world of the living, and the characters in the Unknown are transported to Heaven since the Beast, which is Hell, perishes.
An easter egg is a reference to another work, a hidden message, or an inside joke that appears in a movie or show. They can also occur in video games, and Google has been known to incorporate them as well (try searching 'zerg rush' on Google). While these can occur in live action, they are much more numerous and well-known for their occurrences in animation.
One of the most famous studios for easter eggs is Pixar. In every single one of their movies, they leave hints, allusions, objects, and references to their other movies or to a gag that appears throughout all or most of their movies. There are so many of them in Pixar's movies that a fan formulated a theory where all the Pixar movies take place on the same timeline, and that they are all intertwined together through the same overlapping plot. They use these easter eggs as evidence to support this theory.
The scene that is perhaps the easiest to see these easter eggs in is in the movie Monsters, Inc., near the end when Sulley is saying goodbye to Boo. In Boo's room, we can see multiple easter eggs in the toys that she owns. Take a look at the video around 1:15-1:20. She owns three toys that may look familiar; a certain clown fish, a cowgirl doll, and a ball (more on that later). It's Nemo from Finding Nemo and Jessie from the Toy Story franchise! Monsters, Inc. came out in 2001, while Finding Nemo was released in 2003. Nemo was seen two years before Finding Nemo! This reveals a couple things about Pixar; one, their movies take a long time to make, and two, they like to put references to future movies in their movies.
Another instance of a Pixar movie foreshadowing a future movie is in Finding Nemo. In the scene when Darla is getting her dentist appointment, a young boy can be seen outside in the waiting area, reading a comic book. That comic book, while it is hard to see, is of Mr, Incredible, the protagonist of The Incredibles. As mentioned earlier, Finding Nemo came out in 2003. The Incredibles came out a year later in 2004. There are other easter eggs in Finding Nemo, especially in the dentist's office. We can see Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story franchise in the toy box when Nemo is first put in the tank.
Inside Out, Pixar's newest released film, is no exception. Their short films aren't either. When Riley and her family are driving to San Fransisco, you can see the birds from the short film "For the Birds" perched on the phone line (these can also be seen during the "Life is a Highway" scene in Pixar's Cars). On the way there, the family stops at a dinosaur sculpture, which could possibly be a reference to Pixar's upcoming film, The Good Dinosaur. When the family first arrives at their new home they find a rat. Look closely at the rat- it looks an awfully lot like Remy, the protagonist of Ratatouille. When Riley goes to school, we can see a girl that is wearing a skull shirt that looks a lot like Sid's from the Toy Story franchise. Inside Riley's head, check her memory orbs- they contain a lot of references. One of them includes a playground that looks very similar to the one at Sunnyside Daycare in Toy Story 3. Also, one of my personal favorite easter eggs, one of the orbs contains clips from the "Married Life" scene in Up. Another one of my favorites, check the games in Imagination Land- one of them has a picture of a clown fish that says 'Find Me'- a reference to Finding Nemo.
Secret numbers, pizza trucks, and yellow balls?
Every avid Pixar fan knows of three things that appear in almost every single Pixar movie: A113, the Pizza Planet truck, and the Luxo ball.
The Pizza Planet truck is an actual part of the Toy Story franchise, but it appears in every single other Pixar movie except for The Incredibles.
In A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc. it appears alongside another easter egg. In both movies, there are mobile trailer homes, and this trailer is the same in both movies. Parked beside both of these trailers is the Pizza Planet truck.
In Finding Nemo it drives by as Gill is explaining his escape plan. It's quick and easy to miss.
In the Cars franchise, it appears in anthropomorphic form, like the rest of the cars. In the first movie, it appears at the Los Angeles International Speedway, where the final race takes place. In the sequel, it is spotted at the Radiator Springs Grand Prix.
It is particularly hard to notice in Ratatouille, where it briefly makes an appearance on the bridge in the scooter chase scene.
It appears three times in Up, two of the three when Carl is traveling to Paradise Falls and the last when he and Russell are eating ice cream at the end of the movie.
Eve scans under its hood in WALL-E when she is searching for life at beginning of the movie.
The creators of Inside Out have stated it makes an appearance three times, though it is very hard to see. I have yet to find it.
In Monsters University it is parked by the Jaws Theta Chi fraternity house during the party.
The trailer and truck in A Bug's Life
My personal favorite, in Brave it appears as a wood carving in the witch's cottage. (Sulley also appears as a carving there as well!)
The trailer and truck in Monsters, Inc.
The iconic toy Luxo ball first appeared in the short film "Luxo Jr.", and since then has made appearances in many of Pixar's movies and short films It is considered to be one of the symbols of Pixar, and has even been Incorporated into their logo. I mentioned early that it appears in Monsters, Inc. as one of Boo's toys, but it also appears in Andy's (the owner of the toys) room in the Toy Story movies. It also makes appearances in Up, Finding Nemo, and other full-length movies, as well as the short films "Jack Jack Attacks" and "Red's Dream".
The Luxo ball
Room A113 at Calarts
My all-time favorite easter egg is actually a number, A113, which appears in nearly every Pixar movie, and even some Disney movies and live action movies. This message is an inside joke of sorts among Pixar employees, and represents a room at the California Institute of the Arts, or Calarts, which is a college that was founded by Disney that nearly all, if not all, of Pixar's animators attended.
In the Toy Story franchise, it is Andy's mom's license plate number.
It is written on the side of a box in the city in A Bug's Life.
I have yet to find it in Monsters, Inc.
In The Incredibles it is the holding cell of Mr. Incredible. While not directly stated together, he is shown to be on level A1, cell 13. You can see this when Helen infiltrates the base to find Mr. Incredible.
It's the model number of the diver's camera in Finding Nemo. You can see this when Nemo is kidnapped by the divers.
The train that Lightning McQueen outruns in Cars has A113 written on the side. This is seen when McQueen gets lost at night, just before he first arrives at Radiator Springs.
In Ratatouille, one of the rats has a yellow tag on his ear that reads A113.
It is very easily seen in WALL-E; it is the alert code that Earth is too contaminated to return to, and is portrayed on Auto. This is also the first instance to date that the code has plot significance.
It is the number of the courtroom that Carl has his court summons to after he injures the construction worker in the beginning of Up.
A113 is the number of the lecture hall in Monsters University where Mike and Sulley have their first class.
In Cars 2, it is on Mater's license plate.
It is written in Roman numerals above the witch's door inside the cottage in Brave.
In Inside Out, when Riley is running away and just about to board the bus towards the end of the movie, A113 can be seen in graffiti on the side of a building.
There are many more easter eggs in the Pixar movies that I didn't talk about; see if you can spot them all! (A hint; there are a lot in the Toy Story franchise). While these don't serve any significance in the movies' plots (except for A113 in WALL-E), they are fun to search for. Animators are creative people, and they like to show that in their movies, and one of the ways they do this is through easter eggs.
People love carving various characters into their jack-o-lanterns. I know this is a little late for this Halloween, but I will be teaching you how to carve the beloved Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
For this design, you should pick a pumpkin that is wider and shorter with smooth skin. Beyond that, there isn't any specific pumpkin that you need.
Step 2: Getting supplies/preparing the pumpkin
pumpkin carving kit
For this carving, you will need a serrated knife or pumpkin carving knife, a smooth, non-serrated knife, a black marker, a pumpkin scraper (this can be found in pumpkin carving kits), an ice cream scooper, and a good couple hours of patience.
Prepare this pumpkin just like you would any other carving pumpkin; by gutting the pumpkin and scraping it clean. Use a scraper and ice cream scoop to do this, removing the large inner clumps first then scraping the sides of the inside of the pumpkin with a scraper. Wipe off the pumpkin to get any seeds and innards off and clear your slate.
At this point, you will need the stencil I have pictured. Use an exact-o knife to cut out the black parts on the stencil. DON'T CUT THE GREY. If you cut the grey, the entire tail will fall apart. I recommend putting the paper on a cutting board to avoid damaging the surface of whatever you are placing the stencil on top of.
Once you have the stencil prepared, place it on the pumpkin and color in the stuff that was cut out with the black marker. You are now ready to carve.
Step 4: Carving
The easiest part to start carving is the tail. When you cut out the black marked chunks, be sure to cut them fully and smoothly, using a serrated knife or pumpkin carving knife to do so. Work your way down the tail, carving out each and every black chunk. Once the tail is done, start the face; I started with the ears and eyes since they are easier. When carving them, use smaller cuts and make sure to get all the way through the pumpkin, or they won't be seen. After that, carve the mouth, using even smaller, shorter cuts, one for each line. It is extremely crucial to make sure the cut goes all the way through and is clean, otherwise the mouth, which is arguably the most important part of the Cheshire Cat, will be invisible.
Step 5: Finishing the tail*
*This step is more complicated and can be skipped if needed.
The finished tail
After all of the black patches are cut out, switch to the smooth-bladed, non-serrated knife. At this point you will be removing small patches of the pumpkin's skin and not actually carving into it. I highly recommend testing it out on the other side of the pumpkin. Turn the pumpkin around so the design is away from you. Hold the knife so it is lying flat against the pumpkin on its side, angled slightly upwards. Then, pull the knife towards you. BE CAREFUL. If you pull too hard, you could cut through the pumpkin or hurt yourself. Once you are able to successfully able to remove the skin, turn the pumpkin back around so the design is facing you.
You are now going to remove the skin on the grey colored patches in the tail, in between the black, cut-out patches. Using the same technique as before, carefully scrap off the skin using the smooth knife in those patches. It was easier for me to start on the edges of the carved parts; it provides a nice, easy starting point. When you are done, there should be an alternating pattern of lightly-colored and cut out patches forming the tail.
Step 6: Finishing the pumpkin
My pumpkin
At this point, you should test the pumpkin to make sure the carving is complete. To do so, turn off the lights and shine a flashlight from the middle. If you have done the carving correctly, all of the cuts should appear clean and, if you scrapped the skin off the tail, the tail should be lighter colored then the rest of the pumpkin. If any part of the carving appears dirty or ragged, use the non-serrated knife to smooth out the insides of the cut.
Once you are satisfied, remove the flashlight and place the candle inside, like you would with a normal jack-o-lantern. Turn off the lights, and admire your Cheshire Cat pumpkin!
In honor of Halloween, I will be writing about stop motion and claymation, since they are the most-used formats of Halloween-themed animated movies. These two terms refer to animation techniques that are nearly interchangeable. Stop motion is created by a figure that is manipulated across many images, giving it the illusion of movement, and since the figures are usually made of clay, the two terms are interchangeable for a lot of animated movies.
Gumby
It's hard to talk about claymation without mentioning Gumby or Wallace and Gromit, two of the earliest and most well-known ambassadors of the genre. Gumby is an animation-based franchise consisting of a popular, long-running t.v. show and a toy line, and due to its nostalgia, reception, and successful merchandising has secured its place in popular culture. Modern films and t.v. shows have also alluded to it, keeping it firm in our minds.
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit, a film franchise,has become synonymous with British culture and claymation due to its critical success. One of the movies in the franchise,Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, has won multiple awards and become fairly well known from its reception and association with Dreamworks.
This ties into Halloween because of two directors; Tim Burton and Henry Selick. These two directors/producers have become well-known for their use of stop motion animation and claymation to create horror-themed animated movies. These movies are usually critically and publicly well-received, and have become well-known and staples of both the animation technique and Halloween. One of these movies, Coraline, is about a little girl named Coraline who discovers a secret door to an alternate version of reality where everybody is nice to her and has black button eyes. It is the Other Mother (video), who is her alternate mother, that is in charge and is trying to keep her locked there. This movie is a very creepy movie, but at the same time it is compelling and interesting. The animation style helps achieve this. Stop motion animation is choppier and allows for more grotesque images, both of which can make characters look psychotic and terrifying. When the Other Mother's true form is revealed, it is terrifying and nightmare-inducing, and that is partially due to how it is animated. Her movements are individual and non-flowing, so she looks monstrous in the way she moves. That is caused by stop-motion animation.
A fairly new movie, Frankenweenie is a interesting movie about a young boy who brings his dog back to life (video) in the same fashion as Frankenstein. The interesting thing about this movie is that it is completely black and white, despite being made in 2012. This was a bold and unique decision, especially considering it is animated, but I think that it just adds to the effect of the movie. Thanks to the black and white claymation, we get a both cute and disturbing movie that shows both the pros and cons of bringing something back to life. The Nightmare Before Christmas is easily the best-known and most well-received movie in this genre, and for good reason. It is the perfect combination of sweet, scary, and funny. Jack Skellington is a main character we root for and can relate to, yet are still scared by. By using stopmotion for a Christmas and Halloween musical mash up, we get both a light-hearted and terrifying movie. The animation is also adapted to fit different parts of the movie. When Jack is in Christmastown (video), the colors are bright and cheery and the characters are rounded and cute. On the other hand, in Halloweentown (video), the characters are gruesome, mishappen, and ugly. The fact that this style of animation can suite both of these vastly different worlds within the same movie and make them seem like they can coexist is amazing and a grand achievement. It wouldn't have the same effect in other mediums. To conclude, stopmotion and claymation, while not the cleanest or most beautiful animation, are the right mixture of charming and terrifying to create perfect animated Halloween movies.
I know I have already blogged before about Gravity Falls, but the newest episode, episode 18 of season two, called "Weirdmageddon Part I" is an episode that deserves to be blogged about. Thus, the rest of this post will be my reaction and review to this episode, and obviously, spoilers for normal people who don't fangirl over a cartoon...
As soon as the episode began we knew we were in for something different, as the first thing on screen was Bill Cipher, laughing manically with the rift behind him overlooking the fire-painted town. We then get one heck of an opening scene, with Bill showing his true form and an unconscious Mabel getting trapped in a bubble with her shooting star. Bill then assumes control over the dimension and unleashes his hench-demons, who have some very original and slightly terrifying designs, as well as total madness and weirdness, in the form of weird bubbles that alter reality and even scarier monsters, as well as distorting and mutilating people. The show even pokes fun at capitalism. Inanimate objects become animate. The once small grow to stories high, and people are taken captive. And this is all before the theme song. All in all, it is a brightly colored, psychedelic, nightmarish apocalyptic scene that suits its name of 'weirdmageddon' (weird + Armageddon) well. The theme song itself is altered, with Bill and his henchmen taking the place of the Pines family and everything being adapted to fit the apocalypse theme. The music is also distorted, helping to create the sense of delusion and madness of the entire episode. Personally, I like this altered theme. It was fun to see the creators even go so far as to manipulate the show's opening. It is very uncommon to see, and it is something that helps prove how unique and fun Gravity Falls is. Plus, for an episode that has no artistic laws and was purposely made to be as weird and unorthodox as possible, it really fits. The video used is the alternate theme and can be found on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWvdqkl2UH4 The rest of this episode is just a freight train of weirdness and shocking, awesome moments to the very end. Dipper is strained to the very edge of what he do, after Ford and Mabel are taken by Bill and the journals are destroyed. These moments left the audience on the edge of their seats and rooting for him. Fortunately, Dipper meets up with Wendy and Toby who team up with him. Wendy is the character that has the most awesome moments in this episode. She frees Dipper, helps him free Mabel, and inspires him to do so in the first place in a very touching and emotional theme. Dipper explains what had happened between him and Mabel and Wendy knocks some sense and fight into him. She has the most empowering quote in the entire episode, and is the entire reason Dipper keeps fighting. Wendy also demonstrates how awesome, she was when she escapes from Gideon's men and drives away in the truck. Finally, Gideon has a 180-degree turn of character when he switches sides. It shows he actually cares about Mabel and has a sense of morality. An aspect of Gravity Falls that I really like because it excels at it is in character development. This show can take a hated character and in one episode turn them into a sympathetic, likable character. This was seen with Robbie in "The Love God", Pacifica in "Northwest Mansion Mystery", and now, in "Weirdmageddon Part I", Gideon. In a scene that is only a couple minutes long, Dipper convinces Gideon to fight for Mabel and be her hero, which causes Gideon to fight Bill's minions and help out Dipper. All in all, this is a very different and strange episode, albeit a good episode, that stretches the animators' and artists' capabilities and imaginations. Bill is just as awesome as ever, but a couple of the lead characters, namely Dipper, Wendy, and Gideon, get notable moments that further develop their characters.
