pearwaldorf | (no subject)

"Critical Role - Mighty Nein Intro" (Watch on YouTube)

For various reasons I haven't been caught up on Critical Role, so I hadn't actually seen the new intro until now? It makes me smile so much. Obviously this is made by the same people who did the D&D Beyond theme (all hail the Areopagitas, who HAND-ANIMATED THE M9 INTRO) and I really really love the Saturday morning cartoon feel of both of them. (Ahahaha I just realized they deliberately made the animation style simpler for the D&D Beyond video and in 4:3. Nice touch guys.)

As a piece of marketing/branding the M9 intro is fucking brilliant. I was trying to figure out what it reminded me of, and then I realized this is basically an incredibly involved piece of commissioned fanart, made in collaboration with the cast. So it feels very organic and... close to the brand in a way that I think bigger outfits try to emulate and fail at. (I feel like that's what they're trying to go for in this Zayn video--look! He's a global superstar but he still hangs out with his friends in Bradford where he grew up! But it's all just a little too well-lit and nobody's too unconventionally attractive, y'know?)