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November 25, 2004 8:24 AM   Subscribe

(How) To Kill a Mockingbird, probably the best book report turned into a flash animation ever. [link via Monkeyfilter]
posted by drezdn (35 comments total)
 
Okay, I don't remember the burning shark being in there.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 8:36 AM on November 25, 2004


Okay, I don't remember the burning shark being in there.

Really? That was my favorite part of the book.
posted by magodesky at 8:38 AM on November 25, 2004


It's time for an escalator to Mars!
posted by ba at 8:46 AM on November 25, 2004


Best thing I ever saw....... Today.
posted by crusiera at 9:05 AM on November 25, 2004


My favourite part of the book was when everyone in the courthouse stood up, one by one, and said "No, I am Atticus!"
posted by filmgoerjuan at 9:06 AM on November 25, 2004


There was a lens flare! Then motion blur!

Awesome.
posted by Robot Johnny at 9:24 AM on November 25, 2004


This is Epic.

Best Book Report Ever.
posted by TTIKTDA at 9:30 AM on November 25, 2004


Robots, pirates and ninjas. How did Harper Lee win the Pulitzer if she forgot the monkeys?
posted by SPrintF at 9:57 AM on November 25, 2004


"probably the best book report turned into a flash animation ever"

Yep.
posted by pabanks46 at 10:02 AM on November 25, 2004


Gold! This has totally made my day.
posted by jeffmik at 10:14 AM on November 25, 2004


Who made this thing, Mad Dog Tim Johnson?
posted by euphorb at 10:16 AM on November 25, 2004


Very nice. I love the CCL license at the bottom as well. That just makes it extra-spicy.
posted by purephase at 10:20 AM on November 25, 2004


More pirates and ninjas, please.
posted by Dukebloo at 10:31 AM on November 25, 2004


snooze. Don't record flash soundtracks when you've got a cold.

I gave up at "the mysterious slave woman told them of the one copy, etc etc". Was there a punchline?
posted by bonaldi at 10:38 AM on November 25, 2004


Too awesome for words... The bears and presidents were good touches.
posted by mervin_shnegwood at 10:42 AM on November 25, 2004


Very very nice.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 10:43 AM on November 25, 2004


Obviously a fake report.

I mean...pirates and ninjas working together?!

PLEASE!
posted by grum@work at 10:46 AM on November 25, 2004


Was there a punchline?

nope. it sucked, mostly because it droned on for too long and the voices were horrendous.
posted by t r a c y at 10:47 AM on November 25, 2004


in order to be epic it must be long.

this is epic.
posted by tsarfan at 11:44 AM on November 25, 2004


I gotta agree with t r a c y on this one. Yeah, it sucked harder than a blonde in a four hour porn film. Hell, I hate that book. Like many people my age, I'm 28. And like many people my age I was forced to read that... thing in high school. After I finished the last sentence I remember quite clearly thinking "Gawd I need a drink." That's what I thought about half way through the animation. By the end, I was praying for crack cocaine.

As an aside, I royally pissed off the teacher when I brought up the fact that Harper Lee hasn't written one single book since Mockingbird. And while, yes, it won the Pulitzer; it should be noted that a similar occurance in the music industry is termed a "one hit wonder." Wow, you'd think that Lee was her best friend and that they slept together every Tuesday.

The only work of fiction I ever read that was more boring than Mockingbird was Great Expectations.
posted by GreatWesternDragon at 11:51 AM on November 25, 2004


This was the only book from high school that I BSed my way around reading, and then never actually read once I was OUT of high school. Madame Bovary...Wuthering Heights....but never To Kill A Mockingbird.

And now, I don't have to! But damn, what a fool I have been all of these years!

...wanders away, wondering what these guys would make of Emma Bovary....
posted by gnomeloaf at 11:58 AM on November 25, 2004


No punchline, but nonstop imagination, and I sure was laughin'. It'd get an A+ from me. Even just for the throwaway jokes like "Boo Radley hatched from an egg", and the use of "The Final Countdown" riff for the outer space battle.
posted by Wolfdog at 12:07 PM on November 25, 2004


I, too, thought the animation sucked. Had it been a tenth of the length it might have been funny.

GreatWesternDragon: I brought up the fact that Harper Lee hasn't written one single book since Mockingbird.

And? I don't understand your point. Some would argue that when you write a book as great as Mockingbird you don't need to write another. Certainly, there are authors who've written dozens more and combined those books do not add up to the one Lee wrote. To me, that's irrevelant, but what I find interesting is how people who do not write books (or make music, if talking about your one hit wonder analogy) do lots of things only once in their lives and it's fine, but for artists, "Nope. Not good enough." I'd rather have a number of those "one hit wonders" than the entire catalog of Britney and those of her ilk. Quantity ain't everything. Lee, apparently, had one story to tell. Many people are very glad she decided to tell it instead of telling herself, "I better not. I don't have another to tell after that and some people might be disappointed."

I obviously can't speak for the teacher you think you pissed off but I doubt she was mad that you "showed her" with your insights. I bet she was baffled at your ignorance (and I'm commenting on your declaration, not your dislike of the book). Should you create anything in your life that affects a fraction of the people Mockingbird has I think you'd be able to consider it a life not wasted.
posted by dobbs at 12:10 PM on November 25, 2004


This was priceless. "The Final Countdown" track made it even more perfect.
posted by fossil_human at 12:35 PM on November 25, 2004


Actually, dobbs, it wasn't hard to "show" this teacher with insight. I got into a ten minute argument with her about Pearl Harbor, 1941. Why? Because she started talking about all the aircraft carriers lost at Pearl. She wasn't exactly the brightest star in the faculty.

This was also the same teacher who claimed I should never have anything to do with books. Did I mention I'm a librarian?

No offense, but I really hated it, and still do hate it, when people tell me I should like a book or "get something out of it." I got nothing out of Mockingbird. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. What we refer to as classics can be very boring, even more so when an uncaring teacher shoves it down your throat.
posted by GreatWesternDragon at 12:53 PM on November 25, 2004


GreatWesternDragon said: Like many people my age, I'm 28.

While I, at 30, am surrounded by people my age who are also 28.
posted by socratic at 1:44 PM on November 25, 2004


ohno. ohno no no no. I got to the part with the space battle and killing the moon from orbit and my browser froze. Damn You Dial-Up!!! how does it end? HOW DOES IT ENNNNNNNND !!!!
posted by exlotuseater at 2:03 PM on November 25, 2004


that was surprisingly boring, imo.
posted by jpoulos at 2:53 PM on November 25, 2004


Where do I buy the soundtrack?
posted by chime at 4:27 PM on November 25, 2004


I hear that Tim Burton's got the rights for the feature film version....

Any thoughts on who should be cast?
posted by drinkmaildave at 8:43 PM on November 25, 2004


Keanu as Boo Radley.
posted by mexican at 8:52 PM on November 25, 2004


Get the hell on with it! Jeez, it's still going.
posted by Prince Nez at 9:02 PM on November 25, 2004


Yeah, it was long and amateurish, but I'm with Wolfdog- you gotta admire the relentless imagination driving it, and the willingness to keep pushing.

To those who didn't stay till the end- there is a conclusion (of sorts) that I won't spoil (and probably couldn't explain if I tried), but you're missing the point. It's told exactly the way someone that age tells a story- stuff happens, more stuff happens, some other stuff happens, and then it ends.
posted by mkultra at 10:03 PM on November 25, 2004


I don't think I've seen a flash animation made in the past two years that looked so grainy. And the ninja/pirate/robot trichotomy meme had its day, but now desperately needs to be put out of its misery. I kinda wanted to like this one, and I almost managed it.
posted by squidlarkin at 10:19 PM on November 25, 2004


Feh. Bring back the hymanagachi... hykadorichi...., ah heck, whatever that animation was from four years ago....
posted by darren at 11:23 AM on November 29, 2004


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