An Essay on the Tick's Mustache

Sometimes we like to have the YSA over and also sometimes we try to expound their minds to accepting the more intelectual things in life. That's why 1 Sunday afternoon a week ago we showed them an episode of the Tick; more specifically the Mustache episode.
"Upper lip, slick and hip. oh Yeah!"

A few of the gathered 10 YSA were being skeptical about watching a cartoon; which is understandable since we lured them to our flat under the pretense that we were going to watch Educational TV, which, according to the FOODEST, includes only MacGyver, A-Team, Magnum PI and Sledge Hammer. But, after what i thought was 22mins of pure bliss, I noticed some faces weren't wearing as big of smiles as mine, so i asked one of the more frowning faces, Jessie B, what she thought of the episode.
She wasn't sure. She needed more time to "properly process her thoughts." I asked her to write a 500 word essay on her thought and feelings of The Tick, Justice, Mustaches and the moral of the episode.

she did! and here it is Tick fans, for you. Oh, please enjoy the annotated bibliography at the end of her essay...and yes, she cited the Ticklopedia.
_________________________________________________________________
Morales, Muscles and Mustaches

Review of “The Tick” That Mustache Feeling

If you ever wanted to know the dangers of being big, blue and spontaneously endowed with facial hair charisma, this is the superhero episode for you. From “The Tick” cartoon series directed by Hank Tucker (Max Steel, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears), Episode 27, That Mustache Feeling, highlights a number of morals on the over-rated nature and hardship of maintaining a mustache – that “chick-magnet” charm (Legg, 2002). As the protagonist quickly finds out, things easily gained are just as easily lost, and it is more important to be true to one’s heart than to seek mad revenge.

Following along similar lines as some of Tucker’s previous storyboard projects (Valiant (2005), Stuart Little 2 (2002)), That Mustache Feeling began season three with an emphasis on the age-old truth: appearance is not everything. Although it is tempting to boast of such characteristics as the “new sensation springing up from [the] upper lip”, vanity in appearance brings its own rewards – and not always what you might expect. As The Tick realises, not long after awaking to find himself in possession of a fully-formed Hispanic mustache, although it at first might seem to give him a rugged, self-assured, adult-look there is more to the game than meets the eye. After strutting his newly acquired facial hair – to its own theme song – the ‘chick’ charm back-fires until his brain is touched and The Tick is led to confess “I never knew what guys with mustaches went through.” The experience suggests one should appreciate the gaiety of good grooming without boasting, and regardless of whether it includes a hard-earned mustache or not.

Another lesson learned the hard way is that of ‘Easy come, easy go.’ Having acquired his proudly professed mustache overnight, it is not surprising that the Tick lost it just as quickly. You gain nothing from nothing, or as The Tick puts it: “You know Arthur, I may have lost my mustache, but I’ve gained a - hehe I haven’t gained a thing.” That is, where the effort is not put in to obtain a prize, the prize can not be obtained (or maintained in this case).

A last point scripted in by writers Ben Edlund and Christopher McCulloch, and highlighted as an undertone throughout the episode, is that of being true to your heart. Without breaking into song and dance as in post-projects involving Tucker’s animation assistance (Enchanted (2007)), Episode 27 highlights the happy ending that comes to those who follow true love with diligence. Dot and Dinosaur Neil allude to the first presence of this notion with their suddenly sprung engagement party. The party works out fine with the help of Arthur and excluding the intrusion of Project Shave in the middle (but seeing as how Dinosaur Neil is a super-villain anyway, some interruption can be expected). A second love-interest exists with Jim Rage and his feelings for associate Project Shave member, Crystal “liberal arts, remarkable at demolitions, and red hot with a blow dryer.” However, in his obsessive desire to destroy the mustache, his story ends despairingly. The ultimate example though, is, of course, the American Mustache. Despite being hunted for 20 years, it never gives up, and is rewarded in the end by finally being united with the Russian Beard – and what a handsome pair they make.

In all, That Mustache Feeling stands to exemplify the last comment made by Arthur: “That’s ok … I like you better without it.” That is to say, true friends appreciate you for you, and Mustaches don’t make you “cool”, it is your choices make you cool! It officially makes it up into the ranks of spoof-hero history. Just behind The Incredibles but ahead of Bananaman (1983 TV Series), I give it three stars for optimism (and bees)!

Bibliography:

IMDb.com, Inc (1990) Hank Tucker – Filmography, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0875879/#producer, Accessed on: April 14, 2009.

IMDb.com, Inc (1990) “The Tick” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0723374/ Accessed on: April 14, 2009.

Legg, M. (2002) Cartoons, http://www.thetick.ws/cartoons.html, Accessed on: April 14, 2009.

Legg, M. (2002) That Mustache Feeling, http://www.thetick.ws/car27.html Accessed on: April 14, 2009.

Ticklopedia (n.d.) The Tick Encyclopedia http://home.jps.net/~lsnyder/indexy.html?/~lsnyder/ticklopedia.html

This Week in Animation - Butts that Bond

CG artists in this industry of film submit demo reels instead of a resume when they apply for a new job. A demo reel consists of shots or sequences from previous films that that particular artist worked on. I always thought that it was so boring that the production people such as myself had to pass on a dopey ol' resume when artists get to make sweet DVDs with clips of movies on them.

When the position opened up here and Tom asked me to submit my resume, he did the favor of passing along extreme depends as a link to his recommendation...

....yadda yadda blah blah blah ... 2 months later

...i'm here in New Zealand and talking to Dave the Anim Supervisor on our way to dailies. He mentions Extreme Depends and how funny that was that i wore a nappy and ran around campus. He thinks that americans are usually full of themselves, so they loved it that i could make fun of myself. He then proceeded to tell me about a video he made in college wherein he showed a slow motion blue dart to end his film. The whole class roared and the professor gagged. We bonded over farts and butts the whole way over to Manuka st.

The next day i thanked Gerald the frenchman for "kicking butt" and then had to explain to him what kicking butt meant. It's actually sorta tough to explain in simple english that when you kick butt, its a positive thing.

Just makes me happy that a little thing like a butt can make such big strides toward bonding 2 people of different backgrounds together.

Yeh Boi - Sweet as 1st Month

"Yeh boi" is an affirming statement, much like an American "word" or "holla." That is about the extent to which i have the accent down here. but i am assimilating rather well in other areas.

It got really cold here 1 night last. I wasn't really expecting it and was probably too accustomed to sleeping with only a light blanket in the LA weather. I woke up 3 times during the night to put on socks, then again for a sweater and one last desperate hope for warmth I got my bath towel to provide and brought it into bed. (this is a dramatization below).

the next day i went out at lunch and bought a thick Duvet at "Bed Bath and Beyond Bro" so i survive the cold nights of the wellington wind.

My desk at work is a standing desk. I love it b/c i love tall things, 2 people at work can stand under it and because 3 other people have mentioned that it feels like talking to their powerful principal in grade school. Since this picture i have had to add red tape on the corners for caution. and yes, those are my ninja shoes, though someone this week called them Gollum shoes, which made me happier.

I bought a subaru (soo-bar-roo) legacy for not very much money. New cars are pricier here than in the US, but used cars are cheap as. Named him Shadowfax. Yup, after the great steed of the wise wizard. The boat they used for King King is about 20m to the left.


Magnum ice cream bars are wonderful. I used to treat myself to them on my mission whenever we had a baptism. I only had one bar those 2 years, but this week was $5 week at Pak n' Save (thats like $2.50 week in the US at Ralph's) and Barnacle and i bought enough to fill up our entire freezer.


I love trees. This tree is in the botanical gardens in wellington. they call it the trippy tree because you can smoke the wacky weed in there and just trip out and relax. This is YSA alyssa or Grumpy Old Man, which she is called depends mostly on her mood:And of course i had to climb the tallest tree Telperion in the gardens. If you click on the picture and zoom in, you might be able to see me in the top branches. Otherwise, jasmine is midway up in the turqiose top(shirt) -


Parks here are sweet and kinda crazy. These toys would totally not fly in the US. steep and fast ziplines comparable to the Raynor's and octupus tee-ter-tot-ters that launch you 7ft in the air?! Heaven for me, death for kids.

Oh yeah, barnacle and I went to weta cave to pay homage to the greatest villian of all time - Gollum. Oh, i did find a drainpipe underneath a park pathway that generates quite a boom. My friends tell me the people's reactions are awesome as they walk overhead and hear Gollum calling for his precious.

I am YSA rep adn we had our first activity : Road Rules. My favorite part was watching couples paddle out on a inflatable raft to get their next clue also using the sausages as nunchucks at the BBQ afterward. Pictured below is Adam C, ninja master and YSA super-rep.