New WW2 series that just debuted today on Netflix. Based on the biography of the same name by Alex Kershaw, it follows members of the 45th "Thunderbirds" Infantry Division as they fight through Italy, France, and Germany in 1943-45.

I've been looking forward to this since the trailer first dropped.

It's "animated", but not in the traditional sense. Instead, it uses a old style technique called rotoscoping, which has been in use for around 100 years. Basically tracing and coloring over top of live action footage. It's just done digitally now, instead of the old tedious method of artists drawing over individual frames manually.

If you've seen the old animated "Lord of the Rings" film by Ralph Bakshi, or the original "Tron" movie, or the more recent Keanu Reeves film "A Scanner Darkly", those all utilized rotoscoping. ("A Scanner Darkly" in particular is fairly close to the style of full digital rotoscoping used in "The Liberator".)

Other films have used it to a lesser degree, like a lot of the original Disney animated films and Looney Tunes shorts when trying to animate complex human movements such as dancing, though those aren't as explicitly recognizable as rotoscoping as other examples, since they're so heavily animated that you can no longer distinguish the underlying live action footage.

quote:

The Liberator

Will have to check it out...




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...Q&ab_channel=Netflix

Rogue...Just finished the first episode...fantastic and well done!!!...
Thank you for heads up ...

Ran across this on YouTube...about the real life of the man...LT Felix Sparks




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/bBQ89TwL9Ho

Adding to my list, as soon as I finish S1 of Warrior

I'll check it out. Thanks

This was outstanding! Tks for the heads up!

I just finished it up...this was one of the best things I have ever watched...again a big thank you to Rogue for bringing it to the Forum’s attention...especially on this sacred day

I tried, but sorry...just can't get past the hokey comic book effect.

What's the point of that anyway? They had to hire the actors, film the action and then dick around "animating" it.

Just tell me the damn story and quit fucking around with the artsy-fartsy "effects".

Well, you're missing out. It's one of the better WW2 series I've seen. Not quite Band of Brothers, but still excellent and very impressive.

Apart from the obvious artistic side of the choice to do it with this style of digital rotoscoped animation, I suspect that this allowed the series to be made for a significantly lower budget than otherwise.

Rather than having to stage full blown real-world sets, with real weapons and pyrotechnics, and have photorealistic CGI added over top of that for tanks and buildings that are being blown up or whatnot, they could instead utilize this style of computer-generated animation, using live action footage shot against a green screen as a foundation, with animated backgrounds added, and then utilizing less-involved CGI effects that didn't have to be photorealistic to Ultra HD levels.

I'd much rather watch something like this than the various shoestring budget WW2 B-movies from the US and overseas that try to use fully live action with distractingly cheap and cheesy CGI effects inserted ridiculously.

Watched episode one. Outstanding! I was able to get beyond the animation rather quickly. I did not get the sense that I was watching a cartoon. It's just a great story. Looking forward to finishing it up.

I don’t quite understand the comic book effect (although JSK’s explanation sounds legit), but it’s a good show

I'm in the "good story, wish it wasn't rotoscoped" crowd.

I kept expecting to see Morten Harket make a cameo.

Should be interesting when they get to Dachau.

quote:

Originally posted by heydrich:
Should be interesting when they get to Dachau.

I ... have a strong reaction to portrayals of the Holocaust. They do a good job covering this, as well as the...anger resulting. I cannot imagine.

Well done show.

Can’t wait to watch it.
BBH that was a really good video re Felix Sparks. Thanks.

Saw the first two episodes and liked it. The animated presentation is unnecessary and a little distracting from the story I think, but it is a very good story. I'll definitely watch the rest of it.

Watched it in one sitting.

Very powerful story. It is certainly diminished by the cartoon effect that is totally out of place. I almost bailed on it because of the stupid effect... glad I stuck it out.

Seen two episodes and really enjoying it. Well done and great story.

Finished episode one. The "animation" at times seems overdone, and at others, not so much.

None the less, I like it. Thanks for the heads up, Rogue.

I got the book a few years ago when I was flying back from Fairbanks. It was pretty good, except for the post-war part when Sparks went on an anti-gun crusade because his petty criminal druggy son (or grandson) got shot and killed.

I have no interest in an animated history version, but I'll see if I can dig the book out for a forum karma.