Last year I linked to a trailer for a Santaman cartoon I heard about via the late “Comic Coverage” blog. Then it was taken down. Well, it’s been replaced with something even more awesome! A PILOT! So in the Showcase tonight, Santaman: Patron Saint of Justice in “Scrooge Rising”!
This no-budget cartoon, produced by Comberry Studios, is just filled with awesome, but I do have one complaint to get out of the way. (Well, two. A “pod racer” sled? Really? That was one of George Lucas’s less that stellar–pun intended–ideas.) Recall if you will that the legend of Santa Claus began with one St. Nicholas, a Christian who lived his beliefs and even went to jail for them. While other influences have effected the Santa Claus we see today, seeing him in Shangra-La is kind of odd. However, it’s a minor personal issue, and since The Life and Times of Santa Claus (the cel-animated version with Robbie Benson) is one of my favorite Christmas productions, this hardly detracts from the overall product. I just like to find at least one negative thing to keep my critic street cred. 🙂
If you had the chance to see the original trailer, the character models are just as good, as is the animation. However, we now get a good story behind it. And what I love most is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. From the “Christmas poem”, to Santa Man riding a dumb waiter, to the upside down Christmas tree on the medallion, there’s some fun in the otherwise serious adventure. It’s just great.
The creators are hoping to get a full-fledged series out of this, or at least a feature. Personally, I’d buy a direct to DVD movie or series of this if I had to. Maybe they can consider a web comic? They already have the right artist.
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