Happy 20th Anniversary, Animator vs Animation.
[I had to cut it into parts bc Tumblr just would NOT upload it no matter what I did]
This piece took two full weeks of nonstop work to complete. I'm very proud of how it turned out, I think it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever made.
This is my genuine gratefulness for everything Alan and his team have done, all vomited onto one canvas. I am beyond grateful that Alan made AvA in the first place, and that he's shared it with us for all these years. I think that's amazing and absolutely astounding, especially whenever I think about how much time and effort goes into literally every single frame of these animations. AvA is a testament to so many people's hard work, passion and love, and it's so wild to think of how it all started with something Alan made for fun.
I know this likely wasn't the path he expected his life to take, but I hope he's proud of it all. I hope he knows just how much we love and appreciate what he's created, even if we as a fanbase might be a bit ornery at times.
I have massive respect for Alan as an artist and an animator, and that's why I wanted to honor the series' anniversary with such a large heartfelt gesture. Animator Vs Animation is truly something special and precious. This is an amazing legacy to have made.
This piece was originally going to be longer, because I was going to use the individual video thumbnails instead of the condensed season ones, but that got far too large and far too cluttered very quickly. I still think it would've fit the mean of the piece better, showing a more comprehensive flow of literally all of Alan the teams work over the past twenty years, but I don't think it would've looked as nice.
I hope you all enjoy it. And I know the chances of Alan himself seeing this are slim, but on the offchance he does, I hope the love I have for his trouble-making little sticks shines through this just as much as his own passion has always shines through his animations.
Here's some alternative versions:
Fun Fact: The hand is actually Alan's literal hand. I took a screenshot of the start of AvA4, and painted it to the best of my ability. It was a struggle for a bit, and I considered just using a pic of my own hand, but I really didn't want to; I wanted it to be very specifically Alan's hand. It didn't feel like it captured the meaning I was going for if it wasn't. I eventualy got it, and I think it turned out really well, even if I don't think I got how weirdly bony his hands are quite right lmao.
Also Yellow got scammed. Originally, his hand was just sorta hovering there, like it was being held over the keyboard, but that looked weird so I gave him a special anniversary corndog. It's special in that you can feel how much your wallet is hurting with every bite.
