Stopping Evil Stone Cold
"Huh?" you ask. Let me explain...
If you haven't glanced at my Links section yet, which is still fairly new to the Temple as I've only recently learned how to modify the HTML settings for my template, you may notice something peculiar about the third link. It sort of sticks out from the others, which are all about real-life stuff like Furman, BCM, my favorite artists and my all-time favorite cable channel (I hear you snickering out there. But when a tornado threatens your community, you'll be thankful to have the Weather Channel and its severe weather alerts to warn you. Mark my words). Yes, I've devoted my third link to what can now be considered an age-old fascination of mine: Disney's Gargoyles.
Now I don't normally consider myself a cartoon person, unless you count shows like Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited, which I hesitate to place in the same category sometimes. But when I was a kid, I enjoyed tuning in to all sorts of fun, enjoyable cartoons. I can remember sitting on the floor laughing out loud at Bonkers, thrilling to the non-stop adventure of Aladdin, and soaking in classics like Doug, Looney Tunes, and Mighty Mouse. Thinking back, I enjoyed cartoons like these purely because they entertained me. All they had to do was make me laugh and throw lots of wild 'n crazy, high-octane action at me. Hey, I'm a guy. What do you expect?
Then in 1994...
One thousand years ago,
Superstition and the sword ruled.
It was a time of darkness.
It was a world of fear.
It was the age...of Gargoyles
Created by Greg Wiseman, it was heralded as a cartoon with a far more serious bent. Dark, moody atmosphere. Continuity. Characters that grew and changed over time. Consistently high-quality animation. Such things were all but underheard of for cartoons at that time. So Gargoyles broke the mold in more ways than one for television.
The basic backstory is this: gargoyles once lived among humans a thousand years ago. Stone by day, they would break out of their shells at night. They possessed superhuman strength, eyes that glowed when angered, and their wings helped them glide on currents of wind. And all gargoyles are driven by one desire, one mantra: protection.
Back in 994 A.D. a clan of gargoyles lived among a race of people in Wyvern, Scotland. Led by their powerful but noble leader Goliath (Gargoyles did not have names, but Goliath's name was given to him by the humans. He reminded the captain of the guard of the Philistine Goliath who fought David), they aided the humans in driving off invasions by the Vikings. The two races held a mutual relationship of trust and protection but not quite friendship. Humans protected the gargoyles in stone sleep during the day, and the gargoyles protected the humans at night.
But one tragic night of betrayal changed things forever. The captain of the guard set the Vikings up to launch an assault against castle Wyvern in broad daylight, negating the aid of the gargoyles. In one fateful siege, the castle was overtaken, and Hakon, leader of the Vikings, smashed the gargoyle statues to rubble. Only Goliath, three adolescent gargoyles, his mentor, and a gargoyle beast were left out of the entire clan. And in a dreadful act of misunderstanding, the castle's royal sorcerer, the Magus, cast a spell over the remaining gargoyles that kept them frozen in stone "until the castle rises above the clouds." And so they slumbered for a thousand years.
Fast forward to 1994. Muli-billionaire industrialist David Xanatos purchases the ancient Castle Wyvern and has it placed, stone for stone, gargoyle for gargoyle, atop his skyscraper. Having been fascinated by the legend of the gargoyles and desiring to see if the Magus' words held true, he saw to it that the castle stood above the clouds. And indeed the Magus was right. The terms of the spell fulfilled, the gargoyle clan awoke from stone, only to find themselves in a century where no one remembers them and nothing save for the castle remains of their past life. To better integrate themselves, each member of the clan selected a name, with Goliath keeping his given name. We had Brooklyn, a red-skinned gargoyle with a pronounced beak and a love for adventure and wise cracks. We had Broadway, a large, portly gargoyle with a penchant for detective stories and a knack for cooking and eating. We had Lexington, an olive-colored web-winged gargoyle with a childlike innocence and technologically gifted. We had Hudson, Goliath's mentor and former leader of the clan, who took a prompt liking to television. We had Bronx, the gargoyle beast. Rounding out the good guys was Elisa Maza, a human and friend to the clan.
Thus, we have the premise for Gargoyles. So what made this show special to me?
1. Believable characters. Each gargoyle was different, each had his flaws and insecurities that made them fun to watch and rounded them out. Goliath was regarded as the leader, but he wasn't perfect. He could be stubborn and rash sometimes in his decisions. Lexington learned the hard way that you have to be careful who you trust. Brooklyn was quick to try out the marvels of the 20th century, but his impetuous nature got him into scrapes in society's inner circles. Broadway's fascination with guns was curbed when he accidently shot Elisa, and nearly killed her. These were full-blooded characters, not caricatures. They had their shining moments, and plenty of not-so-shining moments. They grew and changed as time went on. They learned from their mistakes, and we watched them learn. I like to root for good guys that have visible chinks in their armor.
2. Complex storytelling. Forget mindless filler. Every single episode of Gargoyles mattered and reflected back to an ongoing thread in the show. Stories began and kept on going. An episode could spin three or four plot threads at a time without feeling rushed. The rich, intricate continuity between episodes became a hallmark of the series. It felt like you were watching something more than a mere cartoon. The creators went for the throat on gripping storylines. In the five-part "Awakening" premiere, the clan is betrayed not once but twice when they discover that Xanatos has been using them along with Demona, Goliath's former love. "Deadly Force" is still what I consider to be the best handling of the issue of gun control I've seen on television. Several episodes are laced with influences from Shakespeare, keeping with the Scottish theme (one of the Gargoyles' enemies is actually named Macbeth). But the stories could also approach the audience on a softer, more introspective level, such as when Hudson and Broadway are inspired to learn how to read by a blind man named Jeffrey Robbins. Nicely balanced storytelling.
3. Breathtaking animation. Before the time of CGI in cartoons, Gargoyles enhanced its world with some of the best animation I've ever seen. The animators of Walt-Disney Japan without a doubt did the best work. Objects had mass and depth, the detail work was incredible, and characters moved with a fluid grace while still keeping their solid appearance. You want an example? Watch episodes like "The Edge" (The Gargoyles fight Xanatos' exoframe and the Steel Clan) and "Shadows of the Past" (Goliath faces ghosts from his past) and see how great the animation is. Other studios that did commendable work included Koko Animation, Dong Yang, Animal-Ya, Sunwoo, Seoul Movie Company, and Toon City. But WD-Japan definitely set the bar for high-quality animation.
4. Element of surprise. Gargoyles constantly took me off guard with the twists and swerves that came up in the stories that set them apart from the traditional cartoons. After the premiere, Xanatos is sent to prison, and the Gargoyles have their castle again...only to be forced out three episodes later when Xanatos completes his term. Macbeth and Demona have hints of a shared history that is revealed in season 2, and suddenly you start to see why she holds malice toward all humanity. The creators weren't afraid to change the format of the entire series with the Avalon World Tour arc that took Goliath, Elisa, Angela and Bronx around the globe for 22 episodes! It's this ability to throw curveballs that I never saw coming that made Gargoyles so captivating to watch unfold.
5. Villain variety. Heroes are only as good as their villains, and this show made quite a statement upon that fact. Xanatos is far more than a corporate bad guy with exoframe armor. He actually has genuine goals and desires, and he's forced to re-think a lot of his ways when he gets married and has a child. Demona is easy to pass off as nothing more than an angry Gargoyle who hates humans and blasts anything that gets in her way...until you watch "City of Stone" and really see how she came to be the way she is. The Gargoyles also took the Batman route by tangling with the NYC underworld, fighting mobsters like Tony Dracon and even the fabled Illuminati Society, of which Xanatos was a part-time member. We saw other Gargoyle amalgamations like Coldstone, reborn out of a mix of science and sorcery, and Thailog, a clone of Goliath who could be more cunning and manipulative than Xanatos. At times, the villains were so fun and interesting to watch that it made me forget the title of the show.
All these things made Gargoyles a joy to watch. Even though the show had a regrettable ending (it was placed on ABC in 1996 and renamed "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles," but it lost most of the original staff, and it went downhill from there), I still have lots of fond memories and stuff that I took from it. To me, Gargoyles proves that cartoons can do more than entertain for the sake of entertainment. They can engage their audience, make people think, do swerves in the storytelling, and provide an experience worthy of live-action drama. It's a cartoon that kids will have no trouble enjoying, but adults can get something out of it also. That's a sign of real staying power.
Stone by day, warriors by night
We were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect
Frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years.
Now here in Manhattan,
The spell is broken ... and we live again!
We are defenders of the night.
We are Gargoyles!
Song of the Day: Chris Tomlin - "The Wonderful Cross"
Verse of the Day: "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." - James 3:18
If you haven't glanced at my Links section yet, which is still fairly new to the Temple as I've only recently learned how to modify the HTML settings for my template, you may notice something peculiar about the third link. It sort of sticks out from the others, which are all about real-life stuff like Furman, BCM, my favorite artists and my all-time favorite cable channel (I hear you snickering out there. But when a tornado threatens your community, you'll be thankful to have the Weather Channel and its severe weather alerts to warn you. Mark my words). Yes, I've devoted my third link to what can now be considered an age-old fascination of mine: Disney's Gargoyles.
Now I don't normally consider myself a cartoon person, unless you count shows like Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited, which I hesitate to place in the same category sometimes. But when I was a kid, I enjoyed tuning in to all sorts of fun, enjoyable cartoons. I can remember sitting on the floor laughing out loud at Bonkers, thrilling to the non-stop adventure of Aladdin, and soaking in classics like Doug, Looney Tunes, and Mighty Mouse. Thinking back, I enjoyed cartoons like these purely because they entertained me. All they had to do was make me laugh and throw lots of wild 'n crazy, high-octane action at me. Hey, I'm a guy. What do you expect?
Then in 1994...
One thousand years ago,
Superstition and the sword ruled.
It was a time of darkness.
It was a world of fear.
It was the age...of Gargoyles
Created by Greg Wiseman, it was heralded as a cartoon with a far more serious bent. Dark, moody atmosphere. Continuity. Characters that grew and changed over time. Consistently high-quality animation. Such things were all but underheard of for cartoons at that time. So Gargoyles broke the mold in more ways than one for television.
The basic backstory is this: gargoyles once lived among humans a thousand years ago. Stone by day, they would break out of their shells at night. They possessed superhuman strength, eyes that glowed when angered, and their wings helped them glide on currents of wind. And all gargoyles are driven by one desire, one mantra: protection.
Back in 994 A.D. a clan of gargoyles lived among a race of people in Wyvern, Scotland. Led by their powerful but noble leader Goliath (Gargoyles did not have names, but Goliath's name was given to him by the humans. He reminded the captain of the guard of the Philistine Goliath who fought David), they aided the humans in driving off invasions by the Vikings. The two races held a mutual relationship of trust and protection but not quite friendship. Humans protected the gargoyles in stone sleep during the day, and the gargoyles protected the humans at night.
But one tragic night of betrayal changed things forever. The captain of the guard set the Vikings up to launch an assault against castle Wyvern in broad daylight, negating the aid of the gargoyles. In one fateful siege, the castle was overtaken, and Hakon, leader of the Vikings, smashed the gargoyle statues to rubble. Only Goliath, three adolescent gargoyles, his mentor, and a gargoyle beast were left out of the entire clan. And in a dreadful act of misunderstanding, the castle's royal sorcerer, the Magus, cast a spell over the remaining gargoyles that kept them frozen in stone "until the castle rises above the clouds." And so they slumbered for a thousand years.
Fast forward to 1994. Muli-billionaire industrialist David Xanatos purchases the ancient Castle Wyvern and has it placed, stone for stone, gargoyle for gargoyle, atop his skyscraper. Having been fascinated by the legend of the gargoyles and desiring to see if the Magus' words held true, he saw to it that the castle stood above the clouds. And indeed the Magus was right. The terms of the spell fulfilled, the gargoyle clan awoke from stone, only to find themselves in a century where no one remembers them and nothing save for the castle remains of their past life. To better integrate themselves, each member of the clan selected a name, with Goliath keeping his given name. We had Brooklyn, a red-skinned gargoyle with a pronounced beak and a love for adventure and wise cracks. We had Broadway, a large, portly gargoyle with a penchant for detective stories and a knack for cooking and eating. We had Lexington, an olive-colored web-winged gargoyle with a childlike innocence and technologically gifted. We had Hudson, Goliath's mentor and former leader of the clan, who took a prompt liking to television. We had Bronx, the gargoyle beast. Rounding out the good guys was Elisa Maza, a human and friend to the clan.
Thus, we have the premise for Gargoyles. So what made this show special to me?
1. Believable characters. Each gargoyle was different, each had his flaws and insecurities that made them fun to watch and rounded them out. Goliath was regarded as the leader, but he wasn't perfect. He could be stubborn and rash sometimes in his decisions. Lexington learned the hard way that you have to be careful who you trust. Brooklyn was quick to try out the marvels of the 20th century, but his impetuous nature got him into scrapes in society's inner circles. Broadway's fascination with guns was curbed when he accidently shot Elisa, and nearly killed her. These were full-blooded characters, not caricatures. They had their shining moments, and plenty of not-so-shining moments. They grew and changed as time went on. They learned from their mistakes, and we watched them learn. I like to root for good guys that have visible chinks in their armor.
2. Complex storytelling. Forget mindless filler. Every single episode of Gargoyles mattered and reflected back to an ongoing thread in the show. Stories began and kept on going. An episode could spin three or four plot threads at a time without feeling rushed. The rich, intricate continuity between episodes became a hallmark of the series. It felt like you were watching something more than a mere cartoon. The creators went for the throat on gripping storylines. In the five-part "Awakening" premiere, the clan is betrayed not once but twice when they discover that Xanatos has been using them along with Demona, Goliath's former love. "Deadly Force" is still what I consider to be the best handling of the issue of gun control I've seen on television. Several episodes are laced with influences from Shakespeare, keeping with the Scottish theme (one of the Gargoyles' enemies is actually named Macbeth). But the stories could also approach the audience on a softer, more introspective level, such as when Hudson and Broadway are inspired to learn how to read by a blind man named Jeffrey Robbins. Nicely balanced storytelling.
3. Breathtaking animation. Before the time of CGI in cartoons, Gargoyles enhanced its world with some of the best animation I've ever seen. The animators of Walt-Disney Japan without a doubt did the best work. Objects had mass and depth, the detail work was incredible, and characters moved with a fluid grace while still keeping their solid appearance. You want an example? Watch episodes like "The Edge" (The Gargoyles fight Xanatos' exoframe and the Steel Clan) and "Shadows of the Past" (Goliath faces ghosts from his past) and see how great the animation is. Other studios that did commendable work included Koko Animation, Dong Yang, Animal-Ya, Sunwoo, Seoul Movie Company, and Toon City. But WD-Japan definitely set the bar for high-quality animation.
4. Element of surprise. Gargoyles constantly took me off guard with the twists and swerves that came up in the stories that set them apart from the traditional cartoons. After the premiere, Xanatos is sent to prison, and the Gargoyles have their castle again...only to be forced out three episodes later when Xanatos completes his term. Macbeth and Demona have hints of a shared history that is revealed in season 2, and suddenly you start to see why she holds malice toward all humanity. The creators weren't afraid to change the format of the entire series with the Avalon World Tour arc that took Goliath, Elisa, Angela and Bronx around the globe for 22 episodes! It's this ability to throw curveballs that I never saw coming that made Gargoyles so captivating to watch unfold.
5. Villain variety. Heroes are only as good as their villains, and this show made quite a statement upon that fact. Xanatos is far more than a corporate bad guy with exoframe armor. He actually has genuine goals and desires, and he's forced to re-think a lot of his ways when he gets married and has a child. Demona is easy to pass off as nothing more than an angry Gargoyle who hates humans and blasts anything that gets in her way...until you watch "City of Stone" and really see how she came to be the way she is. The Gargoyles also took the Batman route by tangling with the NYC underworld, fighting mobsters like Tony Dracon and even the fabled Illuminati Society, of which Xanatos was a part-time member. We saw other Gargoyle amalgamations like Coldstone, reborn out of a mix of science and sorcery, and Thailog, a clone of Goliath who could be more cunning and manipulative than Xanatos. At times, the villains were so fun and interesting to watch that it made me forget the title of the show.
All these things made Gargoyles a joy to watch. Even though the show had a regrettable ending (it was placed on ABC in 1996 and renamed "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles," but it lost most of the original staff, and it went downhill from there), I still have lots of fond memories and stuff that I took from it. To me, Gargoyles proves that cartoons can do more than entertain for the sake of entertainment. They can engage their audience, make people think, do swerves in the storytelling, and provide an experience worthy of live-action drama. It's a cartoon that kids will have no trouble enjoying, but adults can get something out of it also. That's a sign of real staying power.
Stone by day, warriors by night
We were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect
Frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years.
Now here in Manhattan,
The spell is broken ... and we live again!
We are defenders of the night.
We are Gargoyles!
Song of the Day: Chris Tomlin - "The Wonderful Cross"
Verse of the Day: "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." - James 3:18
posted by david @ 10:25 PM
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