Saturday, January 31, 2009

skit #44: cartoon frame sequences of narrative conflicts

Man versus Man (though some have scrappily argued: Man versus Self)

6663: The character lights the wick.
6664: The character hurls the bomb.
6665: The bomb does not leave his hand.
6666: The fox lifts a jar that reads 'Superglue'.
6667: The fox holds the jar in the air for the character to read.
6668: The fox holds the jar in the air for the character to read.
6669: The fox grins broadly.
6670: The character grows panicked.
6671: The spark eats more of the fuse.
6672: The spark eats the last of the fuse, turning the bomb into a bowling ball.
6673: The bowling ball detonates.
6674: The frame turns gray with smoke.
6675: The smoke thins.
6676: The smoke thins.
6677: The smoke dissipates.
6678: An anthropomorphic silhouette stands in a fire-charred hallway. Only the eyes are white.
6679: The figure stands in the hallway. A trombone slide begins to play.
6680: The figure stands in the hallway.
6681: The figure stands in the hallway.
6682: The eyes turn black. A pizzicato plucks.
6683: The eyes turn white.
6684: The frame fades.
6685: The frame turns black.
6686: The trombone
flatulates with a wide vibrato at its slump.


Man versus Nature

9957: The blackened silhouette and the hallway return to their repaired and colored states. The silhouette, now a character, does not have a discernible species but may be construed as mammalian. The decor is trite, and frankly, gaudy.
9958: The character's eyes telescope outside of their sockets. A klaxon howls.
9959: The eyes retract.
9960: The eyes telescope.
9961: The eyes retract.
9962: The character views a female
anthropomorphite of the same vaguely mammalian phenotype. Though the lipstick, dress, and cleavage suggest her gender, the possibility of transvestism is never addressed throughout the animation.
9963: The female sashays down the poorly decorated hallway. A saxophone begins growling.
9964: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9965: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9966: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9967: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9968: Though the shameless ogling and copious salivation suggest his gender, the possibility of androgynous lesbianism is never addressed throughout the animation.
9969: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9970: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9971: The character stands behind a trapezoid labeled '1000kg'.
As a two-dimensional object, we can assume the trapezoid's mass is infinitesimal.
9972: The character lifts the large black trapezoid.
9973: The trapezoid begins to lift off the ground.
9974: The trapezoid sharply ascends above his head.
9975: The character shows pride.
9976: The character shows pride.
9977: The character shows less pride.
9978: The character's knees begin to wobble.
9979: The wobbling intensifies.
9980: The trapezoid covers the character.
9981: She moves her hips as she takes a step. A trombone slide begins to play.
9982: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9983: She moves her hips as she takes a step.
9984: The frame turns black.
9984: The trombone
flatulates with a wide vibrato at its slump.


Man versus Self (to a lesser degree, Man versus Technology and Man versus Society)

11404: The character is incapacitated, wrapped in bandages, brooding in a hospital bed.
11405: No one visits the character.
11405: No one wishes the character well.
11405: No one brings the character flowers.
11406: The character lies there, immobilized.
11407: The character lies there, immobilized.
11408: The character lies there, immobilized.
11409: The frame turns black.
11410: The calliope whistles the exeunt music cheerfully.

1 comment:

landisd said...

this skit is a whole lot like an episode of Spy Vs Spy ("by Prohias" (written in Morse code), MAD Magazine, in the '60s, perhaps more recently.)