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Netflix's The Dragon Prince

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Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#251: Oct 1st 2018 at 3:50:13 PM

I'm not entirely surprised Netflix might be taking it's sweet time to renew. From a business standpoint, the criticism towards the animation can raise questions that Netflix, as the people who banked the show, might want answered.

Questions like "How was this choppiness not caught during production?" Especially when it's a pretty damn universal feedback. Netflix views for the series might also not be helped by the previews looking choppy too, and that's what the kids look at to decide if they watch the show. The Choppyness could also cause a higher abandonment of the show (As it's fatiguing on the eyes).

All of this would give Netflix pause and probably make them want to have a serious talk about how it happened, and who thought it was a good creative idea to let it happen.

Heck, if they DO have more episodes in the pipe, Netflix might purposefully delay so they can be re-animated. Netflix could be wary of a season 2 with the same animation problems.

Edited by Ghilz on Oct 1st 2018 at 6:53:46 AM

TheGunheart Some nights I rule the world (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Some nights I rule the world
#252: Oct 1st 2018 at 4:02:14 PM

I imagine they may thought of it as no worse than the choppiness in Polygon Pictures' works, of which Netflix hosts several and bills them as originals.

The problem is, Polygon's tend to be heavy on spectacle with lots of camera movement and other tricks to make the action feel more dynamic, and The Dragon Prince is not an action show. It's also...frankly really hard too make it look good in trailers because the action scenes themselves aren't really big "trailer moments", the dialogue sounds like a Cliché Storm without context, and the jokes come off as awkward without advance knowledge that a lot of the humor comes from the characters Adorkable awkwardness.

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#253: Oct 1st 2018 at 4:40:37 PM

Not to mention what little I can gather...the show doesn’t seem THAT popular. Without a massive upfront guarantee like the ones Dreamworks got I can honestly see a second season being a tough sell. Especially with all the money Netflix is investing in animation.

If this doesn’t work, they move on to the next thing. Fast and the Furious, Saint Seiya, etc, there isn’t a shortage either way.

Or it does get announced Friday and we’re worried over nothing. Hopefully the latter.

Edited by Beatman1 on Oct 1st 2018 at 7:47:43 AM

Chariot King of Anime Since: Jul, 2014
King of Anime
#254: Oct 1st 2018 at 7:09:08 PM

I hope it gets a new season. Sure where things go from here isn't as obvious as season one's plot of bringing the egg back to where it belongs but that just makes it more interesting.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#255: Oct 1st 2018 at 11:19:24 PM

It lacks buzz...but then, unlike for example Disenchanted, The Dragon Prince got positive feedback across the board outside of the animation issue. It would be foolish to give up on it just yet, since it could be a sleeper hit, and animation, well, this can be fixed, since it is not about the designs, but the movements.

Discar Since: Jun, 2009
#256: Oct 1st 2018 at 11:46:39 PM

I am worried though, since while the solution is very straightforward ("spend more money"), it's the exact thing that studios hate to do. If there was a problem with the character designs or backgrounds or whatever they could yell at the artists for doing something wrong, but there's really no way to solve this besides throwing more money at it.

Writing a post-post apocalypse LitRPG on RR. Also fanfic stuff.
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#257: Oct 2nd 2018 at 12:55:20 AM

[up] Do one episode less and it is paid for. In the end, Netflix watchers don't really care how much content they get at once as long as they get something new they like regularly

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#258: Oct 2nd 2018 at 5:51:31 AM

[up]x3 - Buzz towards Disenchantment turned positive in the second half of the season (with critics revising their grades upwards once the main story arc kicked in), not to mention their order was for 26 episodes. It was just split in half to build hype on the cliffhanger and maximize audience retention. The Dragon Prince...not so much. It has the one season, it also ended on a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t really do anything to go “this next part is needed NOW!”

I’m sorry if I sound like I’m ragging too hard on the show, since there’s nothing wrong with it outside the animation, a technical issue, but I can honestly see where Netflix is coming from if they go “Sorry, this didn’t move the bean counters as much as we would like. Bringing it up to an acceptable quality given the technology would cost too much. On to the next thing.”

Edited by Beatman1 on Oct 2nd 2018 at 8:57:10 AM

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#259: Oct 2nd 2018 at 6:43:51 AM

[up] I can see them making the decision, but I think that it would be a mistake. They spend so much money on so much stuff nobody likes, that money is better spend in a TV show which, as far as I can tell, does has its fanbase which might grow down the line.

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#260: Oct 2nd 2018 at 9:33:00 AM

[up]Well the good thing, IIRC, is that being a distribution platform makes sure it’s not an either/or equation. It’s on the individual show to see if it can bring in an audience and justifies the purchase price.

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#261: Oct 4th 2018 at 9:58:02 PM

I really liked the Dragon Prince! I honestly didn't notice anything weird at all with the animation.

Regarding the three-legged wolf thing - you'd be surprised. There's a veterinary saying, dogs have 3 legs and 1 spare. They do great with 3 legs. Probably wouldn't win a race but they get around fine.

Admittedly, Ava is bigger than a dog, and I don't know how one would go carrying a passenger for long distances, but it's probably fudgeable.

Be not afraid...
TheGunheart Some nights I rule the world (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Some nights I rule the world
#262: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:46:34 AM

Climbing a cliff while carrying two passengers was maybe the one thing that felt like it should've been really hard. I wish the animation had been better in that regard; would've made some cool foreshadowing if Ava were animated to never put weight on her front right leg; as it stands it feels less like an illusion in the sense of "there was never a fourth leg" and more like just "it wasn't healed, it's just a fully functional magic prosthetic", and I don't think that was the intention.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#263: Oct 5th 2018 at 2:20:35 AM

[up] Frankly, I am not sure if she did or not. In any case, though, I assumed that it was part of the illusion.

GamerSlyRatchet Since: Jan, 2011 Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
#264: Oct 5th 2018 at 11:25:47 AM

I can't say I'm surprised by this, but season two confirmed, coming in 2019.

Latest blog update (November 5th, 2022).
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#266: Oct 5th 2018 at 11:49:00 AM

[up][up]Now all they need to do is fix the animation.

The panel at NYCC was turning people away it got so full. I can only imagine how it’s gonna look next year.

GamerSlyRatchet Since: Jan, 2011 Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
#267: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:20:56 PM

If they do change the animation, I wouldn't expect it to be in the upcoming season. Production is probably too far ahead to change that. Maybe in a season or two after.

Latest blog update (November 5th, 2022).
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#268: Oct 5th 2018 at 2:26:38 PM

[up]Well it won’t be the type of animation. They’re on record as being very proud of the system being used.

The frame rate is another matter.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#269: Oct 6th 2018 at 1:41:02 AM

I take what I can get. I can life with the animation as long as the story will be as good as it seems to be.

eagleoftheninth Shop all day, greed is free from a dreamed portrait, imperfect Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Shop all day, greed is free
#270: Oct 6th 2018 at 3:42:15 AM

umm i'm sorry what

One day, we will read his name in the news and cheer.
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#271: Oct 6th 2018 at 11:23:58 AM

That's the official accounts for you.

Gault Laugh and grow dank! from beyond the kingdom Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Laugh and grow dank!
#272: Oct 6th 2018 at 2:40:53 PM

As much as the problems with the animation bother me, I'm glad that this show got picked up for a second season.

yey
InkDagger Since: Jul, 2014
#273: Oct 6th 2018 at 3:15:06 PM

I'm glad it got picked up. I just hope they address the problem. I don't know if they can get Season 3 if the aniamtion is turning viewers off by a significant margin.

eagleoftheninth Shop all day, greed is free from a dreamed portrait, imperfect Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Shop all day, greed is free
#274: Oct 6th 2018 at 4:03:52 PM

Either that, or they tie the whole art style into it, like how Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse makes liberal use of comic book graphic effects to accentuate the beats alongside its jittery animation.

One day, we will read his name in the news and cheer.
Emperordaein Grant us eyes from Australia Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Hugging my pillow
Grant us eyes
#275: Oct 6th 2018 at 6:19:53 PM

[up]I think the style The Dragon Prince is going for doesn't mesh with the style that Enter The Spider-Verse is going for.

A corpse should be left well enough alone...

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