At long last, the art of hand-drawn animation has a savior. Who would dare venture into the dying practice and fight against an era in which hand-drawn animation is seemingly fruitless and obsolete? Several Disney veteran animators are the ones causing the entire fuss by making a feature length 2-D hand-drawn animation film. The staff behind this new movie, Hullabaloo, includes the brain, James Lopez (known for the Lion King), and a lot of brawn, with animators like Bruce Smith (Tarzan), Rick Farmiloe (The Little Mermaid), Minky Lee (Frozen), Sandro Cleuzo (Emperor’s New Grove), Sarah Airriess (Wreck-It-Ralph), and Samantha Youssef (Lilo and Stitch 2).
Out of their bold crusade against the demise of 2-D animation, Hullabaloo has been born. It tells the story of Veronica Darling, an intelligent young scientist on a quest to find her kidnapped father, Jonathan Darling. On her journey, she ventures into the abandoned amusement park, where her father used to test his steam-powered inventions. There she meets Jules, a fellow scientist, who agrees to help Veronica find her father. The duo quickly encounters an influential and wealthy group of villains that are intent on using Veronica’s father’s inventions for evil. Determined to find her father and to uphold the family creed that technology is meant for good and not evil, Veronica becomes “Hullabaloo.” Hullabaloo, our protagonists’s alter-ego, is a goggled do-gooder who uses her wits and science to stop the malicious plans involving her father’s inventions.
This film is daring not only because of its art form, but also because it is set in the Victorian era with a sci-fi twist, a genre more commonly known as steampunk. The story of Hullabaloo is aimed at young girls in hopes of encouraging them to explore science and adventure.
What film company today would dare make such a film, you may ask? The answer is not a single one. Hullabaloo has been completely sponsored by fans. The initial goal for the film was to raise $80,000, but the film exceeded all that and raised $470,726 — a whopping $390,726 more than they asked for.
Films like Hullabaloo are precious gems in the movie industry today. Most movies being made presently are based off of pre-existing copyrights. This means that movies based off of books or comics — or movies that are sequels or remakes — have a much higher probability of being picked by a film company than a movie with an original screenplay. Companies do this because it guarantees an audience and, therefore, “guarantees” money.
Hullabaloo defies all of what companies look for in a film. The creators knew the film had no chance of being supported by a large film company, but they did not let that deter them. They still went against the formulaic and corporate ways that have rapidly been taking over the modern film industry, which have made the movie industry less about the movies and more about the industry. The task force on this film has decided to go against all odds and make a relatively poignant and artful film.
As the audience, we have the capability to change the way the film industry is run. By supporting films like Hullaballoo, we can show the world that we, as consumers, want something different and that movies starring women and original plots can make money. We can change what is in the movie theaters by supporting movies like Hullabaloo. The audience has the capability to help the film industry get out of the corporate clutches and culture rut it has sunken so far into. All we need to do is show our support.
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To learn even more about Hullabaloo, check out their indiegogo account by clicking here.