Joel is that person you meet in art school that helps you realize that what's holding you back isn't talent will or even opportunity. It's that you unknowingly believe in a cultural framework that makes you think ever creative undertaking needs money, professional equipment, actors, etc. Joel just makes his vision come to life. And you can too.
i was one of the lucky bunch who watched this a few nights ago when Joel showed his friends here in LA. when the movie first started, I was like "oh cool a stop motion opening scene! i guess it will go back to live action soon..." and then stop motion literally never stopped and kept going for the next 2.5 hours. i couldn't believe it. what a creative feat. congrats Joel!
I was one of the lucky bunch that invaded Joel's dreams to implant the seed of this idea into his subconscious here on Earth and I am very cool and part of the exclusive club of exclusive people
This film is a world record in being good and also a world record in longest run time for a stop-motion! All-timer right here. Thanks for letting me be a part of this Joel, Mikey, and Eric! ❤
I don't know how this sounds coming from a stranger, but I am so proud of you for making this! The characters, the voice acting, the compositions, the insane attention to detail, all of it perfect! I can't imagine how much work this took to pull off. Stunning! So impressive! You've lit a huge fire of inspiration for me to start making my own things again. Thanks, Joel.
So after watching this I have come to the conclusion that we should take this movie and put it on a spaceprobe and blast it as far into space as we can so that when aliens find it they will know all that ever needed to be known about humanity.
Short form content has ruined my brain. I saw the hour count on this and thought, "mmm, maybe not". Something made me stick it through, though, and it was worth every second. Thank you for this!
I've only watched 10 minutes of this so far and I'm just flabbergasted that this exists. I pirate literally everything but you deserve every bit of support so fuck it take $20
You done good, mits. Yall done real good. I’ll heap all sorts of praise on Joel, but it’s also clear just how great a collaboration this was. Joel sculpted this movie, but yall’s fingerprints are pressed into the clay. You give the movie texture. Edit: I should say that Eric and Joel sculpted it together. I didn’t realize the extent of the collaboration.
Yesterday, I would have said it was impossible to do a 2.5 hour stop motion musical in less than 6 months, and to accomplish 6 months, I'd have assumed you'd need a team of experts with decades of experience and a bunch of unpaid interns. I'm baffled at how anyone could do something of this quality this quickly with a team this small. It's an amazing accomplishment.
What the hell Joel, this might just be one of my favourite things I’ve ever watched, I’ve waited anxiously for this movie to come out and you’ve exceeded my expectations and I’m sat here baffled with a tear on my face. That ending was just perfect.
I think this is your greatest work Joel. I don't think there's anyone else on earth who could have pulled this off, not even counting the time constraints. I can't believe how quickly my brain adapted to the low framerate and simple dolls, by the end I'd established emotional resonance with almost every single character. Completely worth the wait.
The Wellness Check People: "Uh, it looks... y'all not gonna believe this... he died... in some kind of... elaborate, miniature Oppenheimer... suicide set?... Frank, help me out here..."
This has to take place in a universe where toys being alive is fairly normal. No way you have a dude who can miraculously make toys walk and put on his shoes while still needing to do a shitty job he hates.
@@zero132132 Well my theory would be that they only come to life when he brings them home in a briefcase. Sort of Frosty the Snowman rules. Except they gain internal organs... And it seems he basically lets the town operate how it wants to and more or less just uses them as a quick therapy session before bed and has them help him get up in the morning. Which lets be real if you had to work a 9-5 and found out you could make toys come to life magically, but you had to also feed them, I mean... What else can you do?
@@zero132132 I don't agree at all. Geniuses live pitiful or unaspirational lives all the time. You know, the second Einstein who spent their whole life working in a sweat shop because they were never given the opportunities Einstein was
"By then her death meant more than her life ever could." Such a powerful line, I mean it whole-heartedly when I say your work puts most major studios to shame. They can put millions of dollars into a project, but it takes a mind like yours to make it worthwhile.
Oh man, this gets dark. I saw on Joel Talks About Movies that we'd understand why this one took a bit longer and I totally do now. That was incredible, and I think it's your best movie yet. Both the story and the medium were great. Awesome job!
this absolutely exceeded all expectations i could have had. i was thinking of maybe watching the first five minutes and going to bed, and ended up sitting through the whole thing, thoroughly glued to the screen. i couldn't stop smiling for the first hour. i had way too strong of a reaction to the death of a toy clown character who had 0 lines. the resolution to the mayor and patrice's plot made my heart melt. this is an amazing feat, congrats to you and everyone involved!!
for some reason I was pretty sure I was going to feel existential dread watching this, but I didn't know it was going to be this intense. i'm not the same person after this film, congrats to everyone involved. i can only hope i make something this great in my lifetime.
I swear, I said to myself "This is getting DARK" every twenty minutes or so throughout the entire film. After the first few cracks showed in the veneer, the pace of escalation never let up, and it kept drawing me in-over, and over, and over again. Bravo, Joel!
This movie, as all independent films, is a loud testament to how much you can get away with in film. But more than any other of Joel's it goes whole hog in ignoring the perceived production barriers (which in animation are enormous). It's unabashedly imperfect but that doesn't take away from the final piece. After a few minutes as a viewer you just think "hey, I get it", settle into the world of talking toys, and accept what is to come. The strings, glue, putty and the janky movement fades to the backdrop of the characters, their relationships and world building, and even when you do notice them, it becomes a reminder of the craft and care put in. The coolest example in the movie were the clocks that don't tick at the rate of the movie setting, but show the passing of actual real-world time - the time it took to animate the figures. In traditional production this would be seen as a distraction, a continuity error. They simply wouldn't place clock in the shot, or would have to "tick it" manually, which then adds work to maintain the continuity, to keep track of which frames the second hand has to tick, etc. But here, in scenes where precise passing of time doesn't really matter, it's one more glimpse behind the curtain, which may give some viewers appreciation for the effort and love pressed into the film. And for film makers that this movie may inspire, the clocks show how quickly one could animate a shot, which is neat too. By now, we should all know (and intuitively we do) that movies don't have to be perfect - they never are. There are countless examples of polished (Hollywood and other) turds, and of the opposites too - the budget gems, where priorities are placed on what matters most. Animation as a whole medium, by design, reduces the frame rate and very successfully gets away with tricking our brain into seeing compelling motion. Maybe it's out of fear, out of wanting to hide behind the polished edges, but it's easy to forget just how much you can get away with and to not aim for some external standard of perfection. I love this as a piece of art, and because of what it stands for. Now, I want to see more of fully improvised independent animation projects that dispense with the desire for perceived perfection and instead actually get made. I do think that this is an equation with mutually exclusive outcomes: polished & expensive, imperfect & made, or perfect (in your head) & abandoned. Something has to give. * * * This is animation, so unsurprisingly, the edit is where the magic happens. Hello My Beautiful Creatures shows just how much weight post-production can carry. But to me the sound design of this film is _the_ secret sauce. It's made things feel tactile and alive. And for the film maker it certainly helps save time on set, gives another dimension for expression, and expands the toolbox for crafting an immersive setting. It helps to sell it to the viewer, is a very clever use of resources and the right kind of polish. Finally, it's impressive to see a shift towards scoring a movie, considering previously Joel has erred on a more minimal side. A big step outside of comfort zone, which might go unnoticed considering the whole 12 movies/year is in itself a leap.
It’s a beautiful and special thing when somebody gives meaningful thought to your work. Thank you for watching and thank you for taking the time to share these lovely words. You hit the nail on the head. I wish you the best on your creative journey my friend, imperfections and all!
As an avid Lego builder- I adore the world you created. reminds me alot about my own city, and all stories I created through years! Thanks for existing! And the Voice acting was TOP NOTCH
Timestamping the songs for anyone else who wants to revisit them: 17:21 Not Meant For This World 27:00 I Love My Wife 1:02:36 I Can Show You More 1:16:39 My Wife, Our Dog 2:19:40 So This is It
This is exactly the kind of movie I always would have loved to have exist but didn't think would get made. You've made a dream come true today, Joel. I love movies!
Falling Freddy really captures the perspective of a generation buried in the mire of choices none of them made or would have ever agreed to given the notion their opinions mattered.
This was a little hard to start, but holy shit does this pay off. So glad i kept watching. Brilliant screenplay, excellent songs and music and voice acting. Fascinating. And hilarious. When that second song kicked off I cracked up
Such a fantastic piece of art. You may be one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers. Fantastic all around. The score, the performances (especially Trent), the sound design, even the visuals which I'm sure presented the biggest challenge. The low frame rate was never easy for me to watch personally, but you guys still managed unprecedented visual work for the medium with camera work that is often completely unbelievable. Even after Anyone Else But Me shattered my expectations for Joel's narratives I am still blown away by the scale presented in this 2.5 hour epic. Not just because of the medium, the budget, the time, or any other "restrictions", this narrative is mindblowing on it's own in any medium with any budget and an infinite amount of time.
i really appreciate what you and Bernhagen did with this movie- its just such a wholly unique concept, presented with such a disarming charm to it with stop motion using bargain bin plastic toys, but the characters take themselves so utterly seriously that as a viewer, its so easy to get honestly wrapped up in the story i tell you, when that nudie's head came tumbling out of the elevator?? and it bled ???? jaw dropped, such a dramatic turn in the genre we had been watching till that point
My mouth was agape for the last hour omg... Easily my favorite movie you've put out, and I love all your movies. Ben Ball was absolutely outstanding as The Dad. And the music?! 11/10
This is what I love: to take a concept and to run SO FAR with it. Absolutely beyond my expectations! My jaw must have been hanging open for the last hour. I can't give this enough praise. Just amazing.
Eric deserves so much more love over on his channel his videos are so good. Ive been laughing for days OUT LOUD without control its incredible. Been a hard year for me, stuff like this helps
I have NEVER heard of something like this being done before, and in such a short time. I’m speechless and amazed, and I probably won’t ever be able to articulate how impressive it is. This is the kind of work that lights fires under people who need to get to artin’. Major congrats Joel, and I hope you get good sleep!
I watched this over a week and for some reason the thing that stands out to me the most is the imperfect and the perfect moments. I took the shot of blue and pink house when the guy is singing to his wife as my PC background because it's so gorgeous and beautiful. At other times in the movie something stood out to me as very imperfect, such as the confusion of going from what I thought would be a romantic story to a violent one (which may not have been helped by me watching this in 20 minute segments). But now that I'm thinking about, if there's anything to really represent our lives, I feel like the odd contrast of the perfect and imperfect moments is a great one. It's like the word "bittersweet," that somehow conveys two opposites together in one. The beautiful lightened shots contrasted by the violence of some model being torn in two. To me at least, the movie felt like those flashbulb moments in our lives, and how piecing them together can be so confusing. And at the end all I can really think about is "is this life?" It feels weird to watch a movie and not be entirely satisfied. But it's not because I watched a movie that was bad and didn't enjoy it, I just feel a bit lost, which is also how I feel about life right now. And from the ending, I feel like if there was anything to be conveyed, it is just seeing our lives inside these models. So I suppose how I feel about the movie is almost a mirror into how I currently feel about my life. I'm trying to get into a graduate program as I enter my senior year in college, and I feel like I got to watch this at the right time. I don't feel like I really got any answers from this movie, I just got the feeling of what weird lives we have. The violence was so gruesome and yet also seemed utterly unserious. Just a lot of contrasts standing out to me. This movie has really given me an appetite to watch more movies. I find myself more and more dissatisfied with typical TH-cam videos, and appreciating art more and more. And you have quite a catalog for me to enjoy. I want to save "Pretend That You Love Me" to watch with my future girlfriend, which may be a bad idea as I don't entirely know what it's about haha. But thank you for making this. I really think it's going to be good for me to lean more into creative consumption than simply fast-paced entertainment.
Thank you for the lovely and thoughtful comment, I love your thoughts on the movie. I definitely feel that push and pull with life, the good and the bad coexisting paints just about everything for me these days. I’m glad you want to explore movies more, I feel the same way. It’s often quick and easy to fill life with digestible content, but when I do commit to something more meaningful I’m always grateful I did. Hope you watch some good ones! Pretend That You Love Me is an interesting one to watch with a partner, I’ve had some people say it was a valuable watch with that context and others prefer watching it alone! I wish you well through your senior year of college!
Joel, I say this with the best more nicest intentions and respect, but WHAT WERE YOU THINKING making a Scorsese-length stop motion film in a MONTH??? The fact you even began this project speaks to your mad genius. You might be more unhinged than professor psychotic for this one. Serious respect for carrying out this idea!
This is magical Joel. I don't think I've ever seen DOF and focus racks utilized to this extent in stop animation before. I'm too sleepy to watch the whole thing now, but the first 20 minutes already feel like a nostalgic christmas special that's somehow always existed, something we all watch each year because it reminds us of the pure joy of being children. Getting me pumped up to go filming with a couple of actors next weekend with just me and my wife as crew, and shoot my first "real" scenes. The actors all seem realiy nice and excited to do it, even though it's a no/micro-budget production. In one's head, in this world, it can sometimes feels like everyone just does things for fame, notoriety, money, or personal gain, but filmmaking does feel like one of those things where, if you can find the right people to work with, all of that kinda just melts away and you are left with the pure joy of experience and colloborative effort. I don't know if I'd be trying to do it without you showing us the way and what you can accomplish with very little, so long as you have creativity, are willing to work hard, and are generally nice to people, and try to stay positive. Thanks Joel.
Adam! Thanks so much for the beautiful comment, I hope your shoot goes so well! I think filmmaking is often pushed to impure places by egos and moneymen, but more than ever it doesn’t have to be that. Let the passion shine and everyone will have a great time!
I watched this with a good friend of mine in 4k on a huge tv with surround sound and this is one of the most memorable and fun movies i have ever seen, thank you so much for the work you guys have done and im glad i was able to watch this art on a setup it deserves.
If it weren't in front of me I would say it was impossible. Thank you Joel. For proving this can be done and doing it with such quality. The many insane months were worth it.
Dawg I got too high, I thought this whole movie was stop-motion. No but for real. HOLY. MOLY. That was incredible. I was so gripped the entire time. Just awe-inspiring ways to make the audience completely fumble their jaw.
Spotify is a giant pain when you're not paying for premium, but I finally managed to add 'I Love My Wife' and 'My Wife, My Dog," to my favorites. All of the music is incredible, but the Roy Orbison levels in those just sent me through the roof. Add in the Jimmy Stewart Dad and what might've been Don Knots as the Mayor, the body horror, the philosophical allegories at play, the humor, the characters, the _NUDITY_ , mountains and mountains of sheer, full frontal and rear nudity on display, so much nud- I love this movie. I love this movie so much, man. I'm upset there's no physical release, because this is something I want on my shelf.
@@Joel-Haver The songs, thankfully, are also available on Amazon. I was able to buy the album there. I really hope you can one day put your films on made-to-order physical release, Joel. You're a legitimate inspiration, and your films and shorts are awesome.
finished watching the whole thing and WOW is this a feat. I’m so so grateful that I could be part of this masterpiece in some tiny way. This was truly such an incredible feat and such a well told story. I’m SO impressed wowowow
I'm blown away by how good this ended up being. Like this has no business being as good as it is, yet you've delivered a fantastic film. Congratulations on completing such a large project and sticking the landing at the same time, Bravo!!!!
It's unfortunate that because this is on TH-cam, so many people will see the two hour run time and pass right by such an incredible film. But I'm also glad it's on TH-cam, otherwise I never would have seen this masterpeice.
I've never been this captivated by a stop motion movie. You guys are incredible! The story, the camera work, the lighting, the gore, need I say more? *standing ovation*
Great work, dude. I don't know who has the rights, but if you posted individual songs, I'd love to share the "I think my wife wants to have sex with the dog" song with my wife. She'd get a kick out of it, but I don't think I could convince her to watch the whole thing.
My mind is completely blown. This is so fun, fascinating, beautiful, dark, light all at once. The style and music are incredible, the plot itself so intricately paints the descent of civility into chaos with an apathetic God, and I felt like I got to know each unique character in the town so well. I am so happy this art exists. Thank you Joel and friends for putting in an insaneo amount of work for this unbelievable film. Wow
Forgot to mention - it was also hilarious and had me laughing out loud, huge smile on my face at all the creative animation, choreography, and physical humour!
Thank you for your kind words, I’m so glad that the movie could connect with you in so many ways. Thanks for giving it your time, wish you the best Julia!
Fulfilling his promise on creating longer videos with more content. You’re shaking things up and not sticking to the norm. I love it. Thank you Joel ❤️
Hey Joel! I've seen your videos floating around the internet for a while now, but it was your appearance on Smiling Friends that prompted me into looking for your channel. I started by watching all of your animations, but stopped at the 1 million sub special vid when you implored to check out your other videos. So I decided to watch your most recent video, which happened to be this. Easily the best decision I've made all week. This was by far the best movie I've seen all year, and I mean that with all of my heart. The amount of work this have taken alone is jaw-dropping to think about, but beyond that, the story was one of the best I have seen in a movie in years. I enjoyed this so much and I'm so glad that I chose to watch this. I eagerly look forward to whatever else you have planned!
Aww thanks so much for taking the dive into my work, that truly means the world. Not many people would take a chance on a two hour movie so thank you for that! I wish you the best!
on one hand the glue at their feet would appear to be undesirable, like a camera man accidentally being caught in the shot, but here it actually just serves to remind me how much work stop-motion requires.
As someone that has been doing stop-motion almost all his life: Absolutely amazing work! And sooo much love and respect for the story you chose to tell, and the way you animated it as well! 🥹😍 I had to almost cry a few times watching this, burst out laughing, and already I am having a lot of fun watching this (only mid-way through, and had to comment already). You're an amazing Filmmaker and a big inspiration as a person, Joel; Thank you for everything you do❤️👏🏻🥹
Yeah. Its got drama, societal commentary, some gnosticism which everyone seems to be into these days, who doesnt love nukes being involved? and a decent helping of comedy. What's not to love?
I knew this project would involve some ambition, but this is really above and beyond. The creativity on display here is fantastic, it’s like if Adult Swim made Toy Story.
I cannot explain how much I love this film. Especially given the context of how it came about, and the insane amount of effort you went through to get it done. The most beautiful imperfect film. Hilarious, tragic, charming and touching. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the musical number in a stop motion film made in two months, let alone multiple songs in it. Bravo Joel. You nailed it.
True. and im fairly into AI as a tool, I think its neat. But this is something AI simply will never be able to do. Not in the same way. A picture is worth a thousand words, a prompt has about 20. This is a thousand pictures.
@@BiggerR10 The film is animated in 6fps. 6*60*142 = 51 5120. There are over 50 thousand individual pictures taken by a human to create this film. In each of those pictures there are many, many choices made by humans which are influenced by each individual's own experience. A.I asks the algorithm what's best. If you think those are equivalent then I feel bad for you.
AI literally could never write this script. When ChatGPT was new I tried it out to see if it could write something like a book or TV episode for me and it simply isn't capable of generating something creative like this
Joel is that person you meet in art school that helps you realize that what's holding you back isn't talent will or even opportunity. It's that you unknowingly believe in a cultural framework that makes you think ever creative undertaking needs money, professional equipment, actors, etc. Joel just makes his vision come to life. And you can too.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@Joel-Haver coyote hit it spot on- you're so inspiring thaq for everything
Damn, well said
Precisely. This man is a genious
This man being Joel. Not the commenter
YOU MADE A 140 MINUTE STOP ANIMATION IN 2.5 MONTHS?!? THAT IS UTTERLY UTTERLY INSANEO STYLE
i was one of the lucky bunch who watched this a few nights ago when Joel showed his friends here in LA. when the movie first started, I was like "oh cool a stop motion opening scene! i guess it will go back to live action soon..."
and then stop motion literally never stopped and kept going for the next 2.5 hours. i couldn't believe it. what a creative feat. congrats Joel!
.
i was just gonna say this must have took a lot of work then read ur comment holy fk didnt know it was this long
i thought the same thing watching it tonight, so cool
This is AMAZING! I loved every minute of it! Couldn't stop watching, completely hijacked my whole morning!
I was one of the lucky bunch that invaded Joel's dreams to implant the seed of this idea into his subconscious here on Earth and I am very cool and part of the exclusive club of exclusive people
10/10, heres the admission for allowing me to watch such a masterpiece.
Aw, thanks so much for the support!!
@@Joel-Haveris it just you that writes or do you have friends that give input?
@@airborneranger6231 they are improvised
The fact that this is just free on youtube like this
Joel in the Value Village toy isle: "Yes... Yes this will do very nicely"
Its mostly shit from Eric's house actually xD
Hahaha! Exactly
This film is a world record in being good and also a world record in longest run time for a stop-motion! All-timer right here. Thanks for letting me be a part of this Joel, Mikey, and Eric! ❤
Holy crap you're right
.
This is amazing. And we need to push it on the general public.
Twas an honor to be in this ?
I'm pretty sure the world record is the three-month long stop motion film created by Ingo Cutbirth
I don't know how this sounds coming from a stranger, but I am so proud of you for making this! The characters, the voice acting, the compositions, the insane attention to detail, all of it perfect! I can't imagine how much work this took to pull off. Stunning! So impressive! You've lit a huge fire of inspiration for me to start making my own things again. Thanks, Joel.
It means a lot coming from a stranger! Thank you for your kind words and your support! ❤️
so good joel u r a true artist!!
Thank you Chad, love you my man!
Can i be in a video frfr I have a limited-time lifespan and humor that melts...?@@Joel-Haver
Amen
I mean this without a single hint of irony… peak cinema.
🎥 ❤️
So after watching this I have come to the conclusion that we should take this movie and put it on a spaceprobe and blast it as far into space as we can so that when aliens find it they will know all that ever needed to be known about humanity.
Love this comment, thanks for watching❤️
I snorted so loudly after reading this. "Good morning God"
Short form content has ruined my brain. I saw the hour count on this and thought, "mmm, maybe not". Something made me stick it through, though, and it was worth every second. Thank you for this!
I’m glad you gave it a chance! Thanks so much for watching❤️
We need more people like you, the unsung heroes who will save long form art
I've only watched 10 minutes of this so far and I'm just flabbergasted that this exists. I pirate literally everything but you deserve every bit of support so fuck it take $20
Great job Joel, can’t wait to do more with you!
You crushed it Chris!! Can’t wait to collaborate again :)
This is absolutely incredible. What a collaboration!
I was so happy to see you in the credits!!
Love you Chris, you MADE Fishtank brother!!!!
Thought I heard your voice!
Appreciate this masterpiece- happy to support you 🎉
Aw thanks so much!! Thanks for giving the movie your time❤️
An HONOR to work with Joel
You did so great Mitsy, you're the best!
Mitsy owns
You done good, mits. Yall done real good. I’ll heap all sorts of praise on Joel, but it’s also clear just how great a collaboration this was.
Joel sculpted this movie, but yall’s fingerprints are pressed into the clay. You give the movie texture. Edit: I should say that Eric and Joel sculpted it together. I didn’t realize the extent of the collaboration.
This film was so incredibly impressive. I’m so proud to have been able to be apart of it! Great work, Joel!
You were amazing Molly! Lucky to have ya in it!❤️
What understatements! Great work everybody!
I immediately understand why this movie took longer to come out. I am seated and glued to my screen for the next 2 and a half hours.
I'd give him a pass to only make 11 full length films this year
@@whoisisaacit’s even better the second time, that should count as two films.
@NoonDragoon Hot glued to your screen?
A song about a husband lamenting about a relationship between his wife and their dog is the funniest thing i have ever seen
2 AND A HALF HOUR STOP MOTION FILM, ARE YOU KIDDING?????? I cannot believe this only took you two and a half months, you MADMAN
2 hours and 20 mins or so
@@OptimusGPrime bruh
It's Joel's atonement for his easy rotoscope animations
Yesterday, I would have said it was impossible to do a 2.5 hour stop motion musical in less than 6 months, and to accomplish 6 months, I'd have assumed you'd need a team of experts with decades of experience and a bunch of unpaid interns.
I'm baffled at how anyone could do something of this quality this quickly with a team this small. It's an amazing accomplishment.
@@zero132132 it is insane. surely he atleast had unpaid intens
What the hell Joel, this might just be one of my favourite things I’ve ever watched, I’ve waited anxiously for this movie to come out and you’ve exceeded my expectations and I’m sat here baffled with a tear on my face. That ending was just perfect.
Joel this was an amazing movie and I’m so glad I got to voice act in it! I’m going to name my next dog Baxter now
LOVE YOU, SO PROUD, TALENTED GUY!
You crushed it Brittney!! Love you!!!!!
I think this is your greatest work Joel. I don't think there's anyone else on earth who could have pulled this off, not even counting the time constraints. I can't believe how quickly my brain adapted to the low framerate and simple dolls, by the end I'd established emotional resonance with almost every single character. Completely worth the wait.
Thanks!
The Wellness Check People: "Uh, it looks... y'all not gonna believe this... he died... in some kind of... elaborate, miniature Oppenheimer... suicide set?... Frank, help me out here..."
This has to take place in a universe where toys being alive is fairly normal. No way you have a dude who can miraculously make toys walk and put on his shoes while still needing to do a shitty job he hates.
@@zero132132 Tell yourself whatever you need to.
@@zero132132 Well my theory would be that they only come to life when he brings them home in a briefcase. Sort of Frosty the Snowman rules. Except they gain internal organs...
And it seems he basically lets the town operate how it wants to and more or less just uses them as a quick therapy session before bed and has them help him get up in the morning.
Which lets be real if you had to work a 9-5 and found out you could make toys come to life magically, but you had to also feed them, I mean... What else can you do?
@@zero132132 I don't agree at all. Geniuses live pitiful or unaspirational lives all the time. You know, the second Einstein who spent their whole life working in a sweat shop because they were never given the opportunities Einstein was
@@zero132132or he is just severely mentally ill and it's an unreliable narrator
“I’m starting to think my wife, wants to have with our dog” HAS ME ROLLING IN LAUGHTER LOL
Fuckin Carl. Look what he started.
Yeah, that was definitely peak
"By then her death meant more than her life ever could." Such a powerful line, I mean it whole-heartedly when I say your work puts most major studios to shame. They can put millions of dollars into a project, but it takes a mind like yours to make it worthwhile.
That line left me speechless! Fantastic
Usually when people say something is a powerful line, they are agreeing with the line. You don't agree with that guy, right?
@@maxoakland9404 nah man i'm just complimenting the writing
@@jakoboo17 OK that's good. Sometimes it's hard to tell
Oh man, this gets dark. I saw on Joel Talks About Movies that we'd understand why this one took a bit longer and I totally do now. That was incredible, and I think it's your best movie yet. Both the story and the medium were great. Awesome job!
Not gonna lie, this has to go down as one of the greatest videos on youtube.
WOOOOOO
TRENT!!!!!!!!
You did great Trent, sorry one of your characters got brutally torn in half by a bunch of dogs and horses and a zebra I think. That’s showbiz, baby.
"I need you to do a dance for me" LOL
Thanks so much for the support!
That's how a villain was born.
HELL YEAAAHH!!! It’s always sooo much fun to work with you! You’re so talented Joel!!!!
You’re amazing as always Italia!!!
Such an achievement! Congrats to you two!
Thank you so much, you’re the best!
this absolutely exceeded all expectations i could have had. i was thinking of maybe watching the first five minutes and going to bed, and ended up sitting through the whole thing, thoroughly glued to the screen. i couldn't stop smiling for the first hour. i had way too strong of a reaction to the death of a toy clown character who had 0 lines. the resolution to the mayor and patrice's plot made my heart melt.
this is an amazing feat, congrats to you and everyone involved!!
for some reason I was pretty sure I was going to feel existential dread watching this, but I didn't know it was going to be this intense. i'm not the same person after this film, congrats to everyone involved. i can only hope i make something this great in my lifetime.
So grateful to have been a part of this ❤️
You’re amazing in this Ben, you oughta be proud❤️
@@Joel-Haver thanks buddy ❤️✨ thanks for having me
I swear, I said to myself "This is getting DARK" every twenty minutes or so throughout the entire film. After the first few cracks showed in the veneer, the pace of escalation never let up, and it kept drawing me in-over, and over, and over again. Bravo, Joel!
Joel’s ability to expand into new mediums never ceases to amaze me
He's actually currently training in psychic mediumship.
This movie, as all independent films, is a loud testament to how much you can get away with in film. But more than any other of Joel's it goes whole hog in ignoring the perceived production barriers (which in animation are enormous). It's unabashedly imperfect but that doesn't take away from the final piece. After a few minutes as a viewer you just think "hey, I get it", settle into the world of talking toys, and accept what is to come.
The strings, glue, putty and the janky movement fades to the backdrop of the characters, their relationships and world building, and even when you do notice them, it becomes a reminder of the craft and care put in.
The coolest example in the movie were the clocks that don't tick at the rate of the movie setting, but show the passing of actual real-world time - the time it took to animate the figures. In traditional production this would be seen as a distraction, a continuity error. They simply wouldn't place clock in the shot, or would have to "tick it" manually, which then adds work to maintain the continuity, to keep track of which frames the second hand has to tick, etc. But here, in scenes where precise passing of time doesn't really matter, it's one more glimpse behind the curtain, which may give some viewers appreciation for the effort and love pressed into the film. And for film makers that this movie may inspire, the clocks show how quickly one could animate a shot, which is neat too.
By now, we should all know (and intuitively we do) that movies don't have to be perfect - they never are. There are countless examples of polished (Hollywood and other) turds, and of the opposites too - the budget gems, where priorities are placed on what matters most. Animation as a whole medium, by design, reduces the frame rate and very successfully gets away with tricking our brain into seeing compelling motion. Maybe it's out of fear, out of wanting to hide behind the polished edges, but it's easy to forget just how much you can get away with and to not aim for some external standard of perfection.
I love this as a piece of art, and because of what it stands for. Now, I want to see more of fully improvised independent animation projects that dispense with the desire for perceived perfection and instead actually get made. I do think that this is an equation with mutually exclusive outcomes: polished & expensive, imperfect & made, or perfect (in your head) & abandoned. Something has to give.
* * *
This is animation, so unsurprisingly, the edit is where the magic happens. Hello My Beautiful Creatures shows just how much weight post-production can carry. But to me the sound design of this film is _the_ secret sauce. It's made things feel tactile and alive. And for the film maker it certainly helps save time on set, gives another dimension for expression, and expands the toolbox for crafting an immersive setting. It helps to sell it to the viewer, is a very clever use of resources and the right kind of polish.
Finally, it's impressive to see a shift towards scoring a movie, considering previously Joel has erred on a more minimal side. A big step outside of comfort zone, which might go unnoticed considering the whole 12 movies/year is in itself a leap.
It’s a beautiful and special thing when somebody gives meaningful thought to your work. Thank you for watching and thank you for taking the time to share these lovely words. You hit the nail on the head. I wish you the best on your creative journey my friend, imperfections and all!
my thoughts exactly
@@Joel-Haver stunning work. stunning words
Ummm, what he said. Thanks for articulating what was sort of in my head, I do appreciate it.
@@OMNIDON2000 same
Honored to be a part of this amazing project ❤️ Love you Joel!
You were perfect Paulina!!!! Love you too❤️
As an avid Lego builder- I adore the world you created. reminds me alot about my own city, and all stories I created through years! Thanks for existing!
And the Voice acting was TOP NOTCH
Timestamping the songs for anyone else who wants to revisit them:
17:21 Not Meant For This World
27:00 I Love My Wife
1:02:36 I Can Show You More
1:16:39 My Wife, Our Dog
2:19:40 So This is It
I love my wife goes so hard
@@sagtoolesag I come back to listen to it all the time
This is exactly the kind of movie I always would have loved to have exist but didn't think would get made. You've made a dream come true today, Joel. I love movies!
I was waiting for the dark turn the whole time! Loved it! 🎉Thanks!
Watching this all the way through told me two things, that you might be going insane, and that my attention span isn't fried.
Can you get through a good book? Or even a bad one? Especially a bad one.
My attention span is probably at least half fried then lol
the low frame makes it look faster
Thanks!
Thank you!!!
Is there a more direct way to pay you?
That’s it, I’m shutting the windows and doors, this is my night going forward and I am so ready for it!
This movie is amazing!!! I can't believe how good it is! 🎉🎉
Joel just casually dropping an entire feature length stop motion movie into our notifications
Idk man we’ve been waiting for this! Also… worth it!!
Almost casually. Lol
The absolute mad man!!!!
Yes I Just Realized This 30 Mins In, Was Like How Long Is This Short, 2 Hours And 20 mins, Amazing!!!
Raise your hand if you only realized it was as long as it is after reading this comment.✋
Falling Freddy really captures the perspective of a generation buried in the mire of choices none of them made or would have ever agreed to given the notion their opinions mattered.
Help. Help me. I'm falling. Help.😅
Don’t define yourself by your fears, my brother.
🎵Falling Freddie Mac
Mac Mac
Dolls smoking (rack
(rack (rack🎶
He’s also hilarious in this
if falling freddy didnt want to be falling he would simply pick himself back up
This was a little hard to start, but holy shit does this pay off. So glad i kept watching. Brilliant screenplay, excellent songs and music and voice acting. Fascinating. And hilarious. When that second song kicked off I cracked up
INR!
It’s crazy that this is actually the 17th longest animated movie ever made.
we’re rly not talking enough abt ‘a spa-TOO-la for me and YOU-la!’ 6:30
RIGHT? What a line
Such a fantastic piece of art. You may be one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers.
Fantastic all around. The score, the performances (especially Trent), the sound design, even the visuals which I'm sure presented the biggest challenge. The low frame rate was never easy for me to watch personally, but you guys still managed unprecedented visual work for the medium with camera work that is often completely unbelievable. Even after Anyone Else But Me shattered my expectations for Joel's narratives I am still blown away by the scale presented in this 2.5 hour epic. Not just because of the medium, the budget, the time, or any other "restrictions", this narrative is mindblowing on it's own in any medium with any budget and an infinite amount of time.
This is amazing the little girl’s song was so beautiful. You don’t need much just your creativity, imagination and love to make something beautiful
It really was. That's when I decided to watch the whole thing
i really appreciate what you and Bernhagen did with this movie- its just such a wholly unique concept, presented with such a disarming charm to it with stop motion using bargain bin plastic toys, but the characters take themselves so utterly seriously that as a viewer, its so easy to get honestly wrapped up in the story
i tell you, when that nudie's head came tumbling out of the elevator?? and it bled ???? jaw dropped, such a dramatic turn in the genre we had been watching till that point
hahaha same there were so many jaw dropping moments for me. and just like smiling,
My mouth was agape for the last hour omg... Easily my favorite movie you've put out, and I love all your movies. Ben Ball was absolutely outstanding as The Dad. And the music?! 11/10
Thank you so much, Ben did such a wonderful job couldn’t have asked for a better voice actor. And the music!!!!!!!❤️
This is what I love: to take a concept and to run SO FAR with it. Absolutely beyond my expectations! My jaw must have been hanging open for the last hour. I can't give this enough praise. Just amazing.
There’s so much subtext and meaning behind every moment. To think this wasn’t scripted is crazy. Amazing work Joel, Eric and MyKey!
i'll never understand how you improv wizards work your way through the unscripted stuff
My flabber is utterly gasted
My bam has never been quite so boozled
Eric deserves so much more love over on his channel his videos are so good. Ive been laughing for days OUT LOUD without control its incredible. Been a hard year for me, stuff like this helps
I have NEVER heard of something like this being done before, and in such a short time. I’m speechless and amazed, and I probably won’t ever be able to articulate how impressive it is. This is the kind of work that lights fires under people who need to get to artin’.
Major congrats Joel, and I hope you get good sleep!
I hope that it can light many fires and start some artin’ everywhere! We can do it! Thanks for watching❤️
I’ve been so hyped to watch this ever since we recorded and I saw the insane madness of your Premiere timeline.
Holy hell this was so good. I intended to watch it in 30 minute increments over the week, ended up finishing it in one night. Bravo!
I watched this over a week and for some reason the thing that stands out to me the most is the imperfect and the perfect moments. I took the shot of blue and pink house when the guy is singing to his wife as my PC background because it's so gorgeous and beautiful. At other times in the movie something stood out to me as very imperfect, such as the confusion of going from what I thought would be a romantic story to a violent one (which may not have been helped by me watching this in 20 minute segments).
But now that I'm thinking about, if there's anything to really represent our lives, I feel like the odd contrast of the perfect and imperfect moments is a great one. It's like the word "bittersweet," that somehow conveys two opposites together in one. The beautiful lightened shots contrasted by the violence of some model being torn in two. To me at least, the movie felt like those flashbulb moments in our lives, and how piecing them together can be so confusing. And at the end all I can really think about is "is this life?" It feels weird to watch a movie and not be entirely satisfied. But it's not because I watched a movie that was bad and didn't enjoy it, I just feel a bit lost, which is also how I feel about life right now. And from the ending, I feel like if there was anything to be conveyed, it is just seeing our lives inside these models. So I suppose how I feel about the movie is almost a mirror into how I currently feel about my life.
I'm trying to get into a graduate program as I enter my senior year in college, and I feel like I got to watch this at the right time. I don't feel like I really got any answers from this movie, I just got the feeling of what weird lives we have. The violence was so gruesome and yet also seemed utterly unserious. Just a lot of contrasts standing out to me.
This movie has really given me an appetite to watch more movies. I find myself more and more dissatisfied with typical TH-cam videos, and appreciating art more and more. And you have quite a catalog for me to enjoy. I want to save "Pretend That You Love Me" to watch with my future girlfriend, which may be a bad idea as I don't entirely know what it's about haha.
But thank you for making this. I really think it's going to be good for me to lean more into creative consumption than simply fast-paced entertainment.
Thank you for the lovely and thoughtful comment, I love your thoughts on the movie. I definitely feel that push and pull with life, the good and the bad coexisting paints just about everything for me these days.
I’m glad you want to explore movies more, I feel the same way. It’s often quick and easy to fill life with digestible content, but when I do commit to something more meaningful I’m always grateful I did. Hope you watch some good ones! Pretend That You Love Me is an interesting one to watch with a partner, I’ve had some people say it was a valuable watch with that context and others prefer watching it alone!
I wish you well through your senior year of college!
Joel, I say this with the best more nicest intentions and respect, but WHAT WERE YOU THINKING making a Scorsese-length stop motion film in a MONTH??? The fact you even began this project speaks to your mad genius. You might be more unhinged than professor psychotic for this one. Serious respect for carrying out this idea!
Someone needs to be a good samaritan and get joel to a lunatic hospital whether he likes or not. Get well soon Joel!
More unhinged than Francis Ford Coppola. But just as original.
This is magical Joel. I don't think I've ever seen DOF and focus racks utilized to this extent in stop animation before. I'm too sleepy to watch the whole thing now, but the first 20 minutes already feel like a nostalgic christmas special that's somehow always existed, something we all watch each year because it reminds us of the pure joy of being children.
Getting me pumped up to go filming with a couple of actors next weekend with just me and my wife as crew, and shoot my first "real" scenes. The actors all seem realiy nice and excited to do it, even though it's a no/micro-budget production. In one's head, in this world, it can sometimes feels like everyone just does things for fame, notoriety, money, or personal gain, but filmmaking does feel like one of those things where, if you can find the right people to work with, all of that kinda just melts away and you are left with the pure joy of experience and colloborative effort. I don't know if I'd be trying to do it without you showing us the way and what you can accomplish with very little, so long as you have creativity, are willing to work hard, and are generally nice to people, and try to stay positive. Thanks Joel.
Adam! Thanks so much for the beautiful comment, I hope your shoot goes so well! I think filmmaking is often pushed to impure places by egos and moneymen, but more than ever it doesn’t have to be that. Let the passion shine and everyone will have a great time!
How many man hours did this take to make? Haha, really impressive stuff, Joel!
I estimate I put in around 800 hours at least, Eric and MyKey weren’t far off from that either! It was a huge three man operation!
@@Joel-Haverwow, well, it paid off. I enjoyed this one.
I watched this with a good friend of mine in 4k on a huge tv with surround sound and this is one of the most memorable and fun movies i have ever seen, thank you so much for the work you guys have done and im glad i was able to watch this art on a setup it deserves.
I genuinely enjoyed this film. It had me laughing, shocked, and tearing up throughout it. This was beautiful. Thank you for making this 🤙🏾💙
Thank you for putting to words my exacts sentiments 🙏 ❤
If it weren't in front of me I would say it was impossible. Thank you Joel. For proving this can be done and doing it with such quality. The many insane months were worth it.
Dawg I got too high, I thought this whole movie was stop-motion.
No but for real. HOLY. MOLY. That was incredible. I was so gripped the entire time. Just awe-inspiring ways to make the audience completely fumble their jaw.
I can't stop thinking about this. Every step of the way felt both familiar and suddenly surprising. This IS the movie.
Thank you!! So happy you enjoyed it, and thanks so much for the support that helped bring it to life❤️
Spotify is a giant pain when you're not paying for premium, but I finally managed to add 'I Love My Wife' and 'My Wife, My Dog," to my favorites. All of the music is incredible, but the Roy Orbison levels in those just sent me through the roof. Add in the Jimmy Stewart Dad and what might've been Don Knots as the Mayor, the body horror, the philosophical allegories at play, the humor, the characters, the _NUDITY_ , mountains and mountains of sheer, full frontal and rear nudity on display, so much nud-
I love this movie. I love this movie so much, man. I'm upset there's no physical release, because this is something I want on my shelf.
Aww happy you sought out the songs, MyKey did such an incredible job singing as Carl. Thanks for watching my friend!
@@Joel-Haver The songs, thankfully, are also available on Amazon. I was able to buy the album there. I really hope you can one day put your films on made-to-order physical release, Joel. You're a legitimate inspiration, and your films and shorts are awesome.
Ok, the dolls eating Dominos was mildly terrifying.
Doll, me knows.
finished watching the whole thing and WOW is this a feat. I’m so so grateful that I could be part of this masterpiece in some tiny way. This was truly such an incredible feat and such a well told story. I’m SO impressed wowowow
Sophie! Your singing is so beautiful and that final song wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you for being involved!!
Wow! The amount of work that must have gone into this, true deserves some praise! 👏
I'm blown away by how good this ended up being. Like this has no business being as good as it is, yet you've delivered a fantastic film. Congratulations on completing such a large project and sticking the landing at the same time, Bravo!!!!
oh my goodness
This is the real Barbenheimer
Lol I didn't put that together but it literally is Toys + Nuclear Bomb
Should be top Comment
I can’t believe you got the guy from its a wonderful life to voice a character. What a big get!
fallin freddy is relatable as fuck, hang in there bud
He in fact, did not hang in there :(
@@BradToon havent finished watchingggg, no spoilers
@@croozerdog my bad g
@@BradToon saw it, that fucked me up
@@croozerdog ikr, turned really dark, I love it!
It's unfortunate that because this is on TH-cam, so many people will see the two hour run time and pass right by such an incredible film. But I'm also glad it's on TH-cam, otherwise I never would have seen this masterpeice.
I almost didn't watch this because of the run time. But I saw Joel Haver and started to watch, and well, you know. I watched the whole thing.
You were awesome in Smiling Friends. Your creativity is such an inspiration to me ❤️
Ah the rare using "you're" in place of "your"
complete with the comma.
I have to assume it was an intentional funny.
God damn incredible.
Congrats Joel!! So glad all that time and effort paid off. This is a masterpiece!
I've never been this captivated by a stop motion movie. You guys are incredible! The story, the camera work, the lighting, the gore, need I say more? *standing ovation*
HALLELUJAH!!
MyKey your music brought this movie to life, it was an honor working with you on this, I love you
@@Joel-Haver Love you brother!! It’s been an honor to go absolutely insano with you and Eric 💚
Great work, dude. I don't know who has the rights, but if you posted individual songs, I'd love to share the "I think my wife wants to have sex with the dog" song with my wife. She'd get a kick out of it, but I don't think I could convince her to watch the whole thing.
My mind is completely blown. This is so fun, fascinating, beautiful, dark, light all at once. The style and music are incredible, the plot itself so intricately paints the descent of civility into chaos with an apathetic God, and I felt like I got to know each unique character in the town so well. I am so happy this art exists. Thank you Joel and friends for putting in an insaneo amount of work for this unbelievable film. Wow
Forgot to mention - it was also hilarious and had me laughing out loud, huge smile on my face at all the creative animation, choreography, and physical humour!
Thank you for your kind words, I’m so glad that the movie could connect with you in so many ways. Thanks for giving it your time, wish you the best Julia!
Fulfilling his promise on creating longer videos with more content. You’re shaking things up and not sticking to the norm. I love it. Thank you Joel ❤️
Hey Joel! I've seen your videos floating around the internet for a while now, but it was your appearance on Smiling Friends that prompted me into looking for your channel. I started by watching all of your animations, but stopped at the 1 million sub special vid when you implored to check out your other videos. So I decided to watch your most recent video, which happened to be this. Easily the best decision I've made all week. This was by far the best movie I've seen all year, and I mean that with all of my heart. The amount of work this have taken alone is jaw-dropping to think about, but beyond that, the story was one of the best I have seen in a movie in years. I enjoyed this so much and I'm so glad that I chose to watch this. I eagerly look forward to whatever else you have planned!
Aww thanks so much for taking the dive into my work, that truly means the world. Not many people would take a chance on a two hour movie so thank you for that! I wish you the best!
Holy Joel 😱
Holy Yeh 🎉
@@Joel-HaverI knew this thing was gonna have a crazy ending (it’s you, after all), but that was wilder than I expected. Good job!
This is precisely what I was not expecting, and oh my god, it was amazing.
on one hand the glue at their feet would appear to be undesirable, like a camera man accidentally being caught in the shot, but here it actually just serves to remind me how much work stop-motion requires.
I like looking at it this way. I kept seeing the clay and glue as an imperfection, but it sort of gives you a window into how this is made
this and for me the glue has a sort of disarming effect of like, okay let's settle into this. It's real it's raw.
So amazing, thank you joel and eric for pushing your bounds creatively! 😎😎😎
As someone that has been doing stop-motion almost all his life:
Absolutely amazing work! And sooo much love and respect for the story you chose to tell, and the way you animated it as well! 🥹😍
I had to almost cry a few times watching this, burst out laughing, and already I am having a lot of fun watching this (only mid-way through, and had to comment already).
You're an amazing Filmmaker and a big inspiration as a person, Joel;
Thank you for everything you do❤️👏🏻🥹
I'm genuinely blown away, what an incredible story you have told and with so much style!
This was a wild ride.
Betrayal, murder, greed, jealousy… and at least three musical numbers that I can recall.
I’m blown away. 🤯
Love, Power, Control . . .
Yeah. Its got drama, societal commentary, some gnosticism which everyone seems to be into these days, who doesnt love nukes being involved? and a decent helping of comedy.
What's not to love?
@@Yipper64gnostic analysis performed
@@Yipper64 Is gnosticism popular? Haven't heard of that
@@soniccucumber6639 Its kind of hidden but yeah. Its sort of a religion that specifically counter to Christianity.
I knew this project would involve some ambition, but this is really above and beyond. The creativity on display here is fantastic, it’s like if Adult Swim made Toy Story.
I cannot explain how much I love this film. Especially given the context of how it came about, and the insane amount of effort you went through to get it done. The most beautiful imperfect film. Hilarious, tragic, charming and touching. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the musical number in a stop motion film made in two months, let alone multiple songs in it. Bravo Joel. You nailed it.
Proof that AI can never replace human art. This is seriously something special Joel and Eric
True. and im fairly into AI as a tool, I think its neat.
But this is something AI simply will never be able to do. Not in the same way.
A picture is worth a thousand words, a prompt has about 20. This is a thousand pictures.
Why not?
@@BiggerR10 The film is animated in 6fps. 6*60*142 = 51 5120. There are over 50 thousand individual pictures taken by a human to create this film. In each of those pictures there are many, many choices made by humans which are influenced by each individual's own experience.
A.I asks the algorithm what's best.
If you think those are equivalent then I feel bad for you.
No art can replace any other and I don't think anyone has ever seriously suggested that. It's always just more to the pile.
AI literally could never write this script. When ChatGPT was new I tried it out to see if it could write something like a book or TV episode for me and it simply isn't capable of generating something creative like this