The Lackadaisical Agent Spellbound - Renegade Animation #100
In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru discuss Agent Elvis, Daniel Spellbound Part 2, and the pilot for Lackadaisy!
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, and this is another episode that I’m proud to share with you all! Something I want to do more often is shine a spotlight on what’s happening in the blossoming indie animation scene, hence the inclusion of Lackadaisy as our header image for this week. Tune into the podcast to hear our thoughts on that pilot, plus more TV catch-up with some of Netflix’s offerings.
Agent Elvis
There are two main reasons why a show like Agent Elvis might appeal to you. One of them is the gorgeous art style courtesy of the great Robert Valley, best known for his Academy Award nominated short film Pear Cider and Cigarettes and his two contributions to the Netflix anthology series Love, Death & Robots (“Zima Blue” and “Ice”). The other is the stellar voice cast, led by Matthew McConaughey in the titular role. Unfortunately, I thought the story took a few episodes too long to gain momentum, and too often it felt like the writing relied on the crutches of your standard adult animated sitcom. But when the focus was on the action, they made it worth it just enough for me to give this a soft recommendation.
“Agent Elvis is a rather rocky rockabilly time that is fun to watch, but if you are tired of the typical adult animated comedy elements, then you might not enjoy this one. If you are looking for something other than Archer with a similar premise and style of execution though, then you will probably want to check this show out! It’s now available on Netflix, and while it has its rough edges, I hope people support it due to how terrible Netflix’s renewal system works on what gets renewed or canceled. It doesn’t help that the algorithm is the worst thing ever, forcing users of Netflix to curate their own playlists and so on. If you are wanting a rocking and a rolling good time, then get inside your bright pink Cadillac and have yourself an explosive good time.“ -The Animation Guru
Daniel Spellbound Part 2
No, I am not calling this “Season 2,” under the assumption that Daniel Spellbound had the same production order as a lot of Netflix’s most recent animated series. That being said, these 10 episodes have shown a significant improvement in terms of the story, each character’s respective arcs, and the continuing development of this world. By no means is this the best Netflix series that we’ve covered so far, but it’s one that I genuinely want to see continue, or at least get the chance to end on its own terms.
“Daniel Spellbound Part 2 improves upon part 1 in every way possible with a more compelling story of what one is willing to sacrifice to reach their goal. SOme of the animation could still be improved upon in the magic area, but that's a minor criticism for a batch of really good episodes.” -The Animation Guru
Lackadaisy
As I mentioned above, Cameron and I want to put as much focus on indie animation as we can, and Lackadaisy is exactly the kind of project I want to see more of in the future! Based on the webcomic of the same name by Tracy Butler, and directed by Fable Siegel, this Prohibition period piece was a cool throwback to classic traditionally animated films from Disney and Don Bluth, among other pulpy influences. These characters each have their own quirks, the world they inhabit feels lived in, and the music was incredible. I implore you to check this out, if you haven’t already done so!
“Lackadaisy is yet another feather in the cap of the growing indie animation scene that shows what a group of passionate and creative individuals can do when they work together to craft something truly unique in the animation scene.“ -The Animation Guru
That’ll do it for this episode! Thank you all for joining us, and stay tuned for something extra special next time!
