1990s style for those who remember The X-Men The animated series was perhaps even more important than its substance. While the stories of the classic show still hold up nearly three decades later, the reason the show remains so beloved is clearly two reasons: the sound of the theme song, and distinctive animation style; An overall aesthetic that suggests what you’re looking at was ripped from the pages of the original Marvel Comics and brought to life.
But, in 27 years The X-Men It aired its final episode on network TV, has undergone many changes in the world of animation, and has had several different on-screen versions. x men, Even though it’s easier said than done. X-Men ’97 It’s just a continuation of the old show, complete with the exact same animation style, that magic was easier said than done.
Before the new series debuts on Disney+, upside down Caught with of X-Men 97 Supervising producer and head director Jack Castorina explores how the show goes back to the ’90s, visually, but also spiritually, pushing the mutants forward.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
As a director, what was the most difficult thing about making it look like a continuation of the old show?
With the first episode, we had to get it right. We also had to figure out — what are the sandbox parameters? Luckily, [showrunner] Beau de Mayo made much of it work from the start.
So, I had a premise, we just needed to figure out what he looked like visually. For me, it came down to the phrase, “fresh but familiar.” It has to feel like the show we remember, it has to hit like the show we remember, but it also has to be relevant to what’s happening now. You look out the window, and a lot of co-workers, and animation circles are expanding the scope of what the animated medium can do in both TV and feature, plus it’s just a medium for storytelling, not A medium for children.
Wait, is the show still hand-drawn?
Yes! First and foremost, this is still a 2D hand-drawn show. Although in this day and age we tend to take advantage of CG for layouts, or overly complex vehicles or ships. But you still have to go in and draw it all by hand because if you don’t, it doesn’t feel like it should look. I have to give a shout out to my overseas vendor, Studio Mir. They made it across the finish line and worked with our animation team to really explore the fundamental questions: What is love? What is not? Where can we pull from the old tools of the trade and hone what we’ve learned over the past 30 years?
But the ’90s were about more than just one thing, right? What else is there to recreate that 90s feel?
Yes, it was a challenge, because we wanted it to still feel like it was a show that came out 30 years ago. For me, it came down to seeing what was happening between ’96 and ’98; What was being done in anime, what were the elements of cinema at the time, and what television looked like. Three-camera setups looked different in 90s TV, and shots were often reused. I wanted to find common denominators in all these elements of that time, because you see something from that era, and you automatically know it’s from that era. But, we still had to make it relevant and make sure it resonates for today. Most of it we just sat in a room on a big couch in front of a big TV for hours looking for this stuff.
The character designs are incredible, but there are some new things. Can you speak to this process?
I have to give a shout out to Amelia Vidal, our main character designer. His team has done a phenomenal job on this show, and I couldn’t be more proud and happy with the work they do as far as what came before. We’re always designing together with the animation team, and what you see there is taking these characters into a new and, frankly, digital age where we can see everything.
Every episode ends with a really great cliffhanger. As a director, how do you create tension to bring those twists down to earth?
Well, the twists were in Beau de Mayo’s script from day one, so give it a shout. So, from the scripts, we know where to embellish, and where to guide. Sometimes we cut away whenever we cut to a certain character to indicate the shoe dropping at the end. Or sometimes, we cut wide, and we give the illusion of something, and then, we cut close. A lot of it comes down to the intention of what the story is, and who the cameo might be. Of course, there’s also a long-term discussion about each cameo, and those revelations are about moving the narrative forward. Everything matters!
X-Men ’97 Is Streams March 20 on Disney+.
Credit : www.inverse.com
