ANIMAL FIRM UPDATE

Hey guys I thought i'd update you on my 'Animal Firm' project.

I've got a story I like coming together. This was infact my problem previously. I really liked the story, but I couldn't IMAGINE the art style to go along with it. But, I remembered back to watching CoonSkin, had a look at it again. The way it handles serious subject matter pretty much showed me the way.

Sometimes I find that with animation. Through the years of marginalisation & trivialisation, the Disney mould and what not.. sometimes it's HARD to actually envision something you yourself are creating.

I've cited alot of influences on this project. Im a little dismissive at that fact because it would be nice to be totally original, but alas this is meant to be a draft for a television series, not something from the depths of my own heart & brain. So t'is fine and actually quite rewarding piecing together the influences.

Here they are:

• CoonSkin (the level of seriousness in the subject matter and how it works in the animation)
• Mean streets (the companionship of the lads)
• Libertines (as above, see especially 'What became of the likely lads?' Vid) (plus for there preaching of 'Albion', the English sentiment)
• Taxi Driver (Presedential assasination story)
• Inbetweeners (Early influence now lost a little... this would only be for the grouping of the lads.. that is all)
• This is England (see Libertines) (plus the easily inplanted racist ideals)
• American History X ('easily inplanted racist ideals') (plus the character of Sock n' Cheese is somewhat a pastiche of the older neo nazi guy in AHX)
• Socrates (Sock n cheese..)

The story basically revolves around a group of lads who are out to make a splash in there seaside town. They see the Prime Minister coming to town as this splash; there way to make an impact, there way to make a name for themselves.

So they set out to assassinate him, under the philisophical guidance of the old master Sock n'Cheese, a malevolent incarnation of Socrates.

The lads all have there own seperate reasons for doing so, some purely for pride, another to feed his son - they are spurred on by the financial backing of local underground business woman Lola.


So anywho that sums it up. I've gone into the story more than I perhaps should, but I dont care - im happy to because otherwise I wouldnt of liked the idea and my interest would of slipped.

Thats all for now folks.
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