Line #115 WesternAnimation/WeAreTheStrange


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2	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries have been commented out. Do not uncomment without adding context.
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4	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WeAreTheStrange_6987.jpg]]
5	[[caption-width-right:300: Children Love The Ice Cream!]]
6
7	->''"This isn't your Father's animation"''
8	-->--'''An apt description from one of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPHpFuryhOI trailers]]'''
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10	''We Are The Strange'' is an independent feature-length animated film. It was made by a guy who called himself M dot Strange that premiered in Sundance in 2007 and has since been released on [=DVD=]. It can also be seen for free on [=YouTube=] [[https://youtu.be/2WMm7N1IthE here]]
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12	In the months leading up to Sundance, the movie got considerable attention, due to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qCSahatkbk this trailer]] being featured on Website/YouTube around Halloween of 2006.
13
14	The animation is best described as MediumBlending (although the filmmaker uses the term, ''str8nime''): The environments were computer animated, but most of the characters were stop-motion puppets (though there were at least three exceptions in the main cast).
15
16	One particularly remarkable thing about the film is that M dot Strange wrote, produced, directed, and animated the whole movie by himself. Apparently the only help he had was with the music, some of the art design, and the voice acting.
17
18	The plot: A young resident of Stopmo City named Blue runs away to a nearby forest to get away from an abusive boss/boyfriend. There, she meets a lonely outcast named [=eMMM=]. Having a doll's head in lieu of a real head, [=eMMM=] cannot speak or change his facial expression. His means of communication is limited to body language and random squeaks. Meanwhile, two criminals, Rain and Ori, are back in the city, wandering around and fighting monsters for... some reason. [=eMMM=] convinces Blue to return to the city with him so that they can go buy some ice cream together. Then some more monsters attack for... some reason. It all climaxes in a huge battle between two Giant Mechas over a devastated cityscape.
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20	In other words, this is as far from a conventional story as you're likely to find (hard-to-follow doesn't even ''begin'' to describe it). In fact, now might be a good time to mention that one of the filmmaker's main influences was Creator/DavidLynch.
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22	Fun fact: L33t and [[Literature/AClockworkOrange Nadsat]] were among the many optional subtitles made available on the DVD.
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24	His second movie, ''WesternAnimation/HeartStringMarionette'', was released June 2012.
25	----
26	!!This Work Contains Examples Of
27
28	%% * ActionGirl: [[spoiler:Blue, at the end]]
29	%% * AdventureDuo
30	%% ** Rain and Ori.
31	%% ** [[spoiler:Later on, Blue and [=eMMM=]]]
32	* AlwaysNight: Its always night time, with no sign of daylight.
33	* {{Animesque}}: Blue's design is of a stereotypical anime girl. [[spoiler:At the end of the movie everyone is fighting with giant robots]].
34	%% * AntiHero: Rain.
35	* ApologizesALot: Ori apologizes to Rain for not helping him after Rain defeats a rival/monster(?) and protects him from a trap after said opponent dies. He does it so much that he gets both of them captured/attacked by another monster.
36	* AsideGlance: [[spoiler:[=eMMMbot=] right before punching [=SinisteRRR=].]]
37	* AttentionWhore: The WOOOOO! monster that literally kicks eMMMM off the dance floor and starts making other noises that sound like "YEAH" and " WHAT NOW". It gets eaten by a slime monster afterwards... And comes back.
38	* BadassBoast:
39	--->'''Rain and Ori:''' You will never defeat us.
40	** It should be noted that it sounds '''way''' more badass when Rain says it than when Ori says it.
41	-->[[spoiler:[=eMMMbot=]:]] I am an unbeatable [[spoiler:robot]].
42	* BaldOfEvil: Him is bald and lacks body hair of any kind. All he's got are his eyebrows.
43	%% * BarbieDollAnatomy: Him.
44	%% * BashBrothers: Rain and Ori.
45	%% * BeYourself
46	%% * BigBad: Him.
47	%% * BigDamnHeroes: Rain does this when he saves Blue from the WOOOOO! monster.
48	%% -->'''Rain:''' Yeah -- wooo.
49	* BlackEyesOfEvil: Him. [[spoiler:[=eMMM=] gets these after his DespairEventHorizon, which raises some questions about Him's past.]]
50	%% * BrokenBird: Blue has shades of this underneath the ShrinkingViolet.
51	* CallToAdventure: A trip to an ice cream parlor is as good of an excuse as any.
52	* CallingYourAttacks: Ori calls out the names of his forms as he shape-shifts into them.
53	%% * CastAsAMask: Possibly, considering that [[spoiler:it might actually be [=HIM=] talking whenever the [=SinisteRRR=] arcade game speaks]].
54	%% * CastOfSnowflakes
55	%% * CheshireCatGrin
56	%% * {{Chiptune}}: Much of the sound effects and music are this.
57	%% * TheChosenOne
58	%% * CloudCuckooLander: Ori.
59	* ComputerVirus: Him (maybe); this is implied due to his glitchy movement, his ability to control robots (they never do exactly show where the cockpit is on his robot), and his tone of speech.
60	%% * ConstructedWorld
61	%% * CrapsackWorld: Stopmo City.
62	%% * CreepyChild: [=eMMM=].
63	%% * {{Cult}}
64	%% * CurbStompBattle
65	%% ** Rain in his first fight with the monsters.
66	%% ** [[spoiler:[=eMMMbot=] versus [=SinisteRRR=], round 1]], [[LikeFatherLikeSon which actually makes sense]].
67	%% ** [[spoiler:[=SinisteRRR=]]] whenever he fights anybody other than [[spoiler:[=eMMMbot=]]].
68	%% * CuteMute
69	* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: [[spoiler:He was trying to save you from monsters.]]
70	%% * DarkIsEvil: [=HIM=], [=SinisteRRR=], and the monsters.
71	* DarkIsNotEvil: [=eMMM=], [[spoiler:The Pasteur]], Rain, and [[spoiler:The Cult of the Strange]] are all dark or intensely creepy characters that nonetheless oppose [=HIM=].
72	%% * DeathTrap
73	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:[=eMMM=] crosses over this after he wins his fight against [=SinisteRRR=], but Blue is able to get him to cross back]].
74	%% * DisappearedDad
75	%% * TheDiseaseThatShallNotBeNamed
76	%% * DomesticAbuse: Him.
77	%% * DownerEnding: Subverted.
78	* DramaticThunder:
79	** Leads to a thunderstorm that incinerates a monster that finds Blue and eMMMM in the Ice cream shop they visit with a bolt of lightning.
80	** A second one happens in the finale when [[spoiler: the two mechas meet each other]].
81	* DVDBonusContent: The [=DVD=] contains two additional soundtracks that you can switch to as you're watching. Each one has the option of turning off all other sounds and just hearing the music. In addition, you can also switch to the aptly-named "Nightmare" soundtrack, which basically distorts every single bit of sound in the film and makes it into more of a straight-horror movie.
82	* EarlyBirdCameo: [[spoiler:[=eMMMbot=]]] can be seen in the background during Rain's battle with the guy who's cramping his style.
83	%% * LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:[=eMMM=], Rain is Your Father]].]]
84	* EffeminateMisogynisticGuy: HIM is a literally pink guy who is shown in the intro abusing a literally blue girl, [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain all while claiming that women are "tools" for him to pleasure himself with and "nothing more".]]
85	%% * EldritchAbomination: Many, if not all, of Stopmo's monsters are these. Special props go to the cemetery cyclops monster and the Big Bad.
86	%% * EmpathicWeapon: Ori.
87	%% * EnemyRisingBehind
88	%% * EstablishingCharacterMoment: Ori and Rain pretty much solidify just what kind of people they are during their first fight scene.
89	%% * EtherealChoir
90	%% * EverybodysDeadDave: Subverted.
91	%% * EverythingTryingToKillYou: Actually makes sense, considering the heavy video game influence.
92	%% * EvilGloating: Him and Rain both like doing this.
93	%% * EvilLaugh: Rain, Ori, and [[spoiler:[=eMMMbot=]]].
94	%% * FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:[=SinisteRRR=] and Him.]]
95	%% * FamilyUnfriendlyDeath
96	%% * FanDisservice: The naked female monster. Ugh.
97	%% * FlyingBrick
98	%% * GainaxEnding: It's pretty upbeat, but it's still insane.
99	%% * GhostTown: Stopmo City
100	* HappyDance: eMMMM does this when Blue is playing a video game with a really catchy song.
101	* HeroicBSOD: Blue seemingly gets a lot; one being when eMMMM let's her play his [=GameBoy=]. She remembers aspects of her past as shown by the drawings of her a various ages during said moment.
102	%% * HeroKiller: [=HIM=].
103	* HumongousMecha: The climax has a giant mecha fighting a giant monster. Why is it there? [[RuleOfCool Because it's awesome]].
104	%% * IHaveManyNames: [=HIM=].
105	* IShallTauntYou: Rain and [=HIM=] might do this to their opponents. The film doesn't make it clear whether they're using it as a tactic or whether they're just doing it for the heck of it.
106	%% * InTheHood
107	* JawsFirstPersonPerspective: The movie switches to this when a monster is attacking Rain and Ori.
108	%% * JerkAss: Besides [=HIM=], we have the [=WOOOO!=] Monster.
109	%% * KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:[=HIM=] dies after being punched by the same girl that he had punched at the beginning of the movie.]]
110	%% * KickTheDog
111	%% * LargeHam: [=HIM=], except in his first scene.
112	%% * LaResistance
113	* LawyerFriendlyCameo: The Shadowy Pixelated characters who are seen wandering around are actually famous video game characters from the 80s (including VideoGame/MegaMan and VideoGame/PacMan). In the original release, M dot Strange just used the unaltered versions of the characters, but -- due to legal reasons -- filled them in with black before the commercial release.
114	%% * LeFilmArtistique: Despite having a lot more action sequences than these types of films usually have, it still falls squarely into this category. Think Creator/DavidLynch meets Creator/TimBurton meets [[spoiler:''Anime/DragonballZ'']].
115	%% * LeftForDead: [[spoiler:[=eMMM=].]]
116	%% * LikeFatherLikeSon
117	* LonelyRichKid: One could arguably say [=eMMM=] is this or at least some kind of variation. Sure, he's an orphan, and sure, he lives in the wild, but he also has a ridiculous amount of toys and possessions (like a rich kid would); toys and possessions that he'd gladly give up for a real friend.
118	%% * LovableCoward: Blue.
119	%% * MacGuffin: The things a guy will do just to get some ice cream.
120	%% * MagicSkirt
121	* AMatchMadeInStockholm: The prologue mentions that Rain kidnapped Ori. You really wouldn't know that by how they treat each other in the movie proper.
122	* MeaningfulName: "Blue", a depressed emo and "[=HIM=]", a chauvinistic and abusive boyfriend.
123	%% * MindScrew: The whole dang film.
124	%% * MissingMom
125	%% * {{Mooks}}: The monsters.
126	* TheMostDangerousVideoGame: ''[=SinisteRRR=]'' is an evil arcade game that (possibly) acts as [[spoiler:a watchdog and alarm for the BigBad]] and later [[spoiler:transforms into a HumongousMecha who proceeds to kill off all but 3 of the main cast]].
127	* MostDefinitelyNotAVillain: The monsters are a rare creepy example of this trope. In the empty ice cream shoppe, there are rather odd-looking posters which try to pass both the shoppe and the townspeople off as normal.
128	%% * MrExposition: Rain, Him, and The Pasteur.
129	* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Possibly justified. One interpretation of the film could be that [[spoiler:[=HIM=] knew of Blue's powers all along and abused her for the sole purpose of keeping them from manifesting and being used against him. Once Blue was pushed to her breaking point, all of his efforts to suppress them came undone]].
130	%% * NonHumanSidekick: Ori.
131	%% * NonStandardCharacterDesign
132	* OneWingedAngel: [=SinisteRRR=]. [[spoiler:It goes from being an arcade game to a giant demonic robot.]]
133	%% * OpeningNarration
134	%% * OurMonstersAreDifferent
135	%% * EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: The Pasteur.
136	%% * ParentalAbandonment
137	%% * PerpetualFrowner: Blue.
138	%% * PerpetualSmiler: Him.
139	%% * PlotThreads
140	%% * PreacherMan: The Pasteur.
141	%% * PrimalFear: The movie feeds viewers this by the bucketful.
142	* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: [=eMMMbot=] punches [=SinisteRRR=] across the freaking town in the climax
143	%% * PunctuatedForEmphasis: Rain does this at least once, and [[spoiler:eMMM later does it as well through the eMMMBot's speech. Like father, like son]].
144	* PunnyName: ''Stopmo'' City. Get it? One of the animation styles the film uses is- [[DontExplainTheJoke You know what? Never mind.]]
145	%% * RainOfBlood: An early scene does this and throws in a bit of SurrealHorror too.
146	%% * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech
147	* ReligionOfEvil: [[spoiler:Subverted. The Cult of Strange is very creepy, but they're actually the good guys. Played straight in the sense that WordOfGod refers to them as evil in the commentary, but that doesn't really match up with how they act in the movie proper.]]
148	%% * RuleOfCool: The film's world seems to function entirely on this...
149	%% * RuleOfScary: ...And this.
150	* SceneryPorn: When something terrifying, distracting, or just plain gross isn't happening on-screen, you just might notice how hautingly beautiful some of the locations are.
151	%% * {{ShapeShifting}}: Ori, the Origami man.
152	%% * ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler: "[[BondOneLiner You talk too much]]".]]
153	* ShoutOut: Video games from the 80s are referenced all over the place.
154	** Especially [[spoiler:''VideoGame/{{Sinistar}}'']], which, unlike the other shout outs, actually ties into the plot.
155	** If you listen closely to the background music when Him tells eMMMM [[VideoGame/AlteredBeast1988 "Welcome to your doom"]] a vocal is sung. Some of the bars are similar to the Doc Gerbil chase scene music from ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog''.
156	** The controls for the giant robot are clearly inspired by ''VideoGame/WarioWare''. WordOfGod even admits this.
157	%% * ShrinkingViolet: Blue.
158	%% * ShyBlueHairedGirl: Blue.
159	%% * SoleSurvivor: Subverted.
160	* SoundOnlyDeath: The cat who [[spoiler:is used to lure Rain into a trap]].
161	%% * TheStoic: The Pasteur.
162	* StrawCritic: The cat who "hates everything" in the intro to the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jlD7EVSJFw free online release]].
163	---> '''[[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Oancitizen]]''': "I love having my opinions reduced to a single lolcat".
164	* SurrealHorror: The Forest of Still Life. Toys and strange machines are scattered haphazardly all around, and then, we're introduced to a rather unnerving stopmotion CreepyChild with a doll's head.
165	%% * SurvivalHorror: A non-game example, obviously.
166	* TakeThatCritics: One of the trailers made fun of people who didn't enjoy the movie.
167	%% * ThirdLineSomeWaiting
168	* TooDumbToLive: Ori at some points and debateably Blue when she enters the "House Of Horror". considering whats happened in Stopmo so far, that would be the last place anyone would visit.
169	* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:Blue. She starts out as a justifiably-mopey emo, but turns into a robot-killing ActionGirl by the end of the movie]].
170	%% * TheUnintelligible: [=eMMM=].
171	%% * UnstoppableRage: Rain, once the BigBad tells him that [[spoiler:[=eMMM=] is dead]].
172	%% * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Cult of the Strange.
173	%% * WhosLaughingNow
174	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Ori is deathly afraid of cemeteries and leaves rain to face the Cemetery cyclops monster by himself.
175	%% * WolverineClaws: Rain.
176	* JustForFun/XMeetsY:[[invoked]] Has been described by the filmmaker as ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' meets ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' on his Website/YouTube channel.
177	%% * YouAreNotAlone
178	%% * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness

Context WesternAnimation / WeAreTheStrange