In a TTAZZ he once mentioned that Johann’s fear of his creative endeavors never reaching the world and being forgotten is his own personal fear about the creativity he put into TAZ never making an impact and that he felt emotionally invested in Johann for that reason. TAZ is his bards song, and it’s affected us all. It’s a wonderful kind of magic.
Me, just starting to listen to taz: I don't get why everyone loves Johann so much, he's not even that important. Me, after story and song: MY SON!! THAT'S MY SON!!
I absolutely ADORE that Griffin took one of the tried and true "jokes" of D&D (horny useless Bards) and flipped it on its' head, and made a Bard one of the biggest heroes in the story.
He also took a class of magic commonly associated with truly evil characters (necromancy), and made one of the most powerful users a soft-spoken man literally known as the lover
@@noelleobrien7525 Yeah I love how he made liches into a different thing than they normally are, and showed how it's up to the person how they use that power instead of just being inherently evil (juxtaposed Edward and Lydia from Wonderland with Lup and Barry)
I got to this episode the same week my neurologist told me that I was running out of treatment options and wasn't sure what else to do for me. He referred me to another specialist and said good luck, he hoped the other specialist would have new ideas. "You're going to have to fight, and you're going to win" is the single most important sentence I've ever heard.
When I listened to this part of the stream, and Griffin reveals, "You see, there's magic in a bard's song..." I just lost it. What a fucking beautiful way to send Johann out. I've watched this animatic a few times now and just sob every time
There's just something about the way he says it, too. His voice ever so slightly wavers. It's like, he's also about to tear up at this. This was a labor of the heart for him. The way he says it just shows how much dedication, love, and care went into this story, and it all finally managed to reach the final point that it had been culminating up to.
The quote that starts with "See, there's magic in a bard's song...." killed me in the episode..... I've always said that "music is magic" and it feels like this whole podcast is a love song to the best of humanity...
In D&D, Bards can grant inspiration to their companions, giving them real in-game bonuses. Griffin is essentially saying that Johann gave the entire multiverse Bardic Inspiration in one instant. Bastard used a freakin' game mechanic to make me weep like a child.
In the episode of TTAZZ following the last episode, Griffin revealed to us that the spooky deep voice that we hear at the beginning of each episode was Junior and that really hit me, I always thought it was some funny intro, like the twilight zone, but to know there was a reason behind it? It really really got me
Cyan Lotus Nah, the narrator is deep and extravagant and kinda rumbly and Johann is more like that one depressed college kid who’s obviously an adult but still just a little squeaky.
@@jayce1850 Griffin said that it was the story, as it was broadcast to everyone in the universe. The song was broadcast by Fisher, the story by Junior.
The thing that amazed me most about the final battle was the *scale* of it all, the feeling of literally everything that had ever happened in the show building to here and now and all of the people and pieces rising up together. You absolutely *nailed* that feeling here.
I'm caught up in the fact that he just. Explained one of the base functions of a bard within a party, Bardic Inspiration, and made it one of the crowning jewels of a major fight. This series is spectacular.
A few years ago a bunch of the blogs I follow started posting Adventure Zone art and I was confused ("Is it one story? Is it six stories? Part of it takes place in a game show??"). I watched a few animatics, not really caring about spoilers. But after this one...I still had no idea what was going on, but this is the one that convinced me I had to find out. I finally finished the Balance arc yesterday and wanted to swing over here again to say excellent work (that character design! those shot compositions!) and thank you : )
literally same boat, got all spoiled and ready, didn’t think it was gonna hit as hard bc i thought i knew what was coming.. BOY HOWDY was i wrong... dam
Y’all are my people, I started hearing MBMBaM and I watched some animatics about it, people in the comments talked about TAZ references in the video and I started getting TAZ animatics recommended, the first thing I knew about TAZ was about Lup and the umbrella and I decided I might as well check it out. I heard some episodes, laughed in many and then it became the highlight of my day to hear TAZ, really didn’t expect it to hit as hard as it did.
The first time I heard about the podcast was from a sound on TikTok. I heard the sound clip of them offering root beer to Istus and thought “well now I gotta figure out what the hell this is.” That was a month ago, in October. I’m onto Graduation now but Balance holds a special place in my heart. I’m getting the comics this Christmas
I loved the whole thing and it made me cry (again) but some things that really stood out to me: 1: how expressive Lup is without even having a proper face? Amazing and I love it 2: the young woman's hand emerging from the crowd to snag her spear 3: Everyone on the Star Blaster smiling except for Magnus, who starts crying!!! Because his promise to Johann has been more than fulfilled and no one could ever forget him!!!! Beautiful and made me cry harder 4: I can feel the power and emotion and strength in that pull of Johann's bow as he says "you're gonna win!" It's perfect Conclusion: I just watched this 5 times in a row and am sending a link to all my TAZ friends thank you for this masterpiece
YES TO POINT THREE!! I wondered if that would click with anyone but YES, I thought "Magnus is fired up for a fight but also...it's Johann's music, which Magnus promised no one would forget??" good on yer and thank you so much for all your other wonderful comments!! ^O^
Same here. They’re done running, hiding, hoping (in vain) that this time they’ll have outrun their problem. They’re facing it head on, determined to finally deal with their issue properly. And considering that the Hunger is basically the embodiment of depressive nihilism, it’s no wonder it’s so inspiring.
If you are like me, when Johann says "and you're going to win" you broke down, then this is the animation for you. This ART is perfect. You've done an amazing job!
i know this is old but it made me go listen to the adventure zone. and when i finally got through it all and i got to this scene, i remembered this animatic. and i paused the podcast and i listened to this video and and experienced lups speech and all through this animatic and i was so touched and filled with the indescribable feeling of awe and raw emotion fiction can put you through when it really sweeps you up into its arms and runs away with you. this is the first thing thats moved me after 2 years of feeling completely numb to the world around me. thank you for this. thank you, thank you, thank you
Im a pretty stone faced guy when it comes to most things, but this god damn story means so damn much to me that this animation litterally made me cry. Congratulations for making me weep with joy.
When johann said "... and you're gonna win" I cried because the emotions in his voice and the expressive visuals really hit me- like the scene in Wonder Woman when she crosses no mans land. The raw feeling of awe is overwhelming and it's thanks to your beautiful images
Lup calmly walking around and drawing the line gave me goosebumps. I can't believe the creator of one of the most amazing animatics, TIME, made another absolutely beautiful animation. I don't remember having tears in my eyes at this scene but with your visuals I was flat out bawling!!! I'm studying for my exams and I feel fucking PUMPED up right now!! thank you so much for this!!!
“And high above, we see the Starblaster, streaking through the sky...” I don’t know why, but that is the bit that makes me start to cry. The music swelling, the introduction of the Tres Horny Boys, getting ready to fight for their lives. Oh man this series has my heart! And you animated it so perfectly!!
I still cannot listen to this scene without crying. I've decided my first tattoo is going to be the voidfish with a scroll across it's tentacles with Johann's quote. there are so many beautiful and amazing quotes in this series (especially from stolen century onward) but that one always stuck with me. maybe I'll even add tres horny boys' axe, umbra staff and extreme teen bible floating around it eventually.
oh wow, my heart clenched when I saw Magnus' cry at hearing Fishers song. And I got chills at Johanns encouragement. Lups fanged grin was super cool!! This is so very well done!!!
“You’re going to win, we know that much” works so well on a meta level because, like almost all stories, the heroes triumph in the end. Of course there’s gonna be victory on some level, no matter how bad the dice rolls could have been in the final fight. Griffin probably didn’t even have an extensive script for if they did lose. It’s the story of how the heroes get there and the satisfaction of absolutely everybody’s happy ending that makes The Adventure Zone worthwhile. Also, Kravitz’ shot was my favorite!
as unbelievable as i once thought this to be, i think i just found objectively the best adventure zone animatic ever made. there is literally not a single fault here. every single character design is damn near perfect, the camera angles add to it perfectly, and the scene with johann and his violin touched me personally to my core because he's my favorite character who doesn't get enough focus in my opinion. seriously? well done.
I started listening to TAZ back in 2019 at a pretty low point mentally, and stopped when I started “recovering” without being willing to face my trauma. I picked it up twice more in 2021, at two of my lowest points. I started listening to Stolen Century at the lowest I’ve ever been, and this. This episode, this sequence? Was the first time I’d felt true, genuine hope and excitement since then. Other moments- like Merle’s “Choose Joy” monologue- came close, but this climax gave me strength and courage the likes of which I don’t think I’d ever experienced before. The pure, unadulterated triumph of this ending gave me serotonin to last for weeks. I played *Voidfish (Plural)* nonstop in my head for days because it gave me mental fortitude the likes of which I’d never had before. This is so much more than an emotional podcast episode to me; it’s a symbol of redemption and recovery, of returning what’s lost, of hope and determination, of triumph and endurance. You captured that emotion perfectly, and I’m sobbing again. What a fantastic animatic.
I can’t. I just straight up can’t deal-this is legitimately one of my favourite scenes in the whole damn podcast. Like, it might seem weird, cos I know a lot of the popular tattoos are like, the Umbrastaff, or ‘you’re going to be amazing’ or stuff like that but I want Lup’s “Hear that babe? We’re legends.” Because this scene is just so amazing and inspiring and the music is perfect and you did such an amazing job capturing *all* of it but especially that line. Lup’s grin and grabbing Barry’s hand for just a moment before stepping forward. I can’t.
"... but be not afraid." Good one, Griffin. Letting us know exactly what the Void Fish are. And in turth, it's the only interpretation of them that I buy.
Christ, I had goosebumps the whole damn time. Seeing everyone, hearing the narrators monologue, Johann's song, everything about this, it's just... godammit it's too good.
This is the first time I've ever seen Merle drawn with actually manly definition! So many artists draw him as a cute marshmallow man but for once, he is a proud buff dwarf!
this might sound weird but I have to brace myself to watch this every time because I get goosebumps and smile like an idiot. Its so good its almost unbearable to watch. idk if that would make sense to anyone but me lol
Literally everytime I hear the voidfish at the end, I keep expecting him to say: "We are just going to have to find out together...in the Adventure Zone."
Gods, this STILL gives me chills. The sound design is so amazing, and then pair it with the beautiful visuals? Lup's feral grin on "We're legends," Lucretia's eyes lighting up with power, everyone's faces filled with determination, Kravitz's everything? It's all amazing.
I gotta give a shoutout to your Merle. Most renditions of him that I've seen have been pretty cutesy, and while I do love those flower-beard versions I'm really impressed with the more jaded look you gave him here (2:50). The dude has seen things.
Chills. Freaking shivers and tears every single time. Easily one of the most powerful sequences in fantasy animated absolutely beautifully. Outstanding job. I’m still shaking.
This scene already had me in tears the first time I heard it, but seeing it like this, with Johann's silhouette and everything had me straight up bawling
My friends sent this to me once I got to the final episode (which I am currently in the middle of listening to) saying that I am now able to watch THE taz animatic of all time. I understand why. This is beautiful. Oh my goodness.
This is some of the most stunning art I have ***ever*** seen. it felt like a hit in the chest. and god hearing the voiceover with the voidfish i was like "shit was that the voidfish the whole time?????" so so so so so good thank you for making this
I started crying again ... For me, THIS is the most powerful moment in the entire balance arc!! "Johann's" words where the ones I needed to hear most. "You're going to have to fight, and you're gonna win" is sooo, sooooo powerful and important and you managed to make this scene even more amazing! Thank you
I have no idea what this is but it's come up on my reccomended... I am honestly floored and this has awed the heck outta me. I think I've just found a peice of media to be a fan of oh god
I love this so much. The way we see all of the characters, not just the seven, but Wren and Sloan and Lucas and Angus, and all of the dynamic camera angles, it’s just so fucking good.
When you posted this, I thought I would just watch through to see your work. About halfway through, right about when Lup says "we're legends!" I had a guttural feeling that I was missing something. So, long story short, because of your animation I listened to TAZ, one of the greatest decisions of my life I might say. Thank you so much.
hope you know i have watched this like once a month minimum for the last 6 years. i think of this animatic in the moonlight and it always makes me want to pick up animating and improving my own art again when i feel like im in a major slump
The Adventure Zone is simply the best podcast ever. That's all. Start at the beginning... it's hilarious from the get-go, and then, slowly but surely, you see more and more heart in the story-telling. The creators themselves don't even realize the story's potential for a little while. And then, 69 short episodes later, you're laughing and crying along with the epic conclusion. Please... listen!
This just shows me some of the things I love about D&D. You can face impossible foes with even more impossible allies, and use the most ridiculous things, like freaking cars and robot folk with smiley faces apparently, to fight off living shadows that threaten to cover the world, and it works. In DnD, you can do anything, it's not just the Dungeon Master who has control of the story, so do you, you can change certain parts of it, and the Dungeon Master will find a way to make it into an impossible story of amazing heroes, no matter how much you end up changing
I have tears. TAZ is so good at story telling and bring things alive and making listeners cry and feel happy. Thanks for this. Animatics to these are so beautiful
I haven't made it quite this far in TAZ (I'm at the beginning of The Crystal Kingdom arc). But I'll let you know this made me CRY MY EYES OUT. I don't know why, but I just felt so many things at once. The Adventure Zone has become a huge part of my life, and with this animation, I fell in love with it more. *THANK YOU*
I love all of the animatics. But I REALLY love the style of this one. Every character just looks amazing. Kravitz and Merle actually blew me away. And the silhouette of Johann fiddling was perfect. Bravo to the creator!
I thought I could handle it I thought because I heard it once already I thought I was prepared I was WRONG SO WRONG EVERYTHING IS AMAZING YOURE AMAZING TEARS ARE EVERYWHERE
Listening to it a second time for my wife, definitely still crying, and we're just on 11th Hour. I might die in the last chapter again. I'll melt into a puddle.
Hey toast, from the bottom of my heart I just want to thank you. Youve done so much for literally every fandom community that you join, and your work is always so inspiring and influential every time. Youre like a bard of the visual arts. You motivate so many of us to share our work and join communities like this (and like the stream!). You connect us all. Thank you.
This is absolutely the most stunning piece of work I've seen for taz in a long time. I don't know if the split-second glitch right at the end of the video where the voidfish flashes purple and blue, and you can see a little bit of the marching hunger in the background is intentional but holy shit did it give me an intense shiver! This was phenomenal, I sobbed my EYES out.
Story and Song is one of my biggest comfort pieces. I've probably listened to those three episodes more than any other podcast i can think of and even with that, this scene never ever fails to make me cry. This .... this is a fucking masterpiece. You've enhanced something that was already a work of art and for that i am both impressed and thankful. I've watched it and many of your videos before and I never tied them together, realizing that some of my favorite animatics are from you.... so thank you for making amazing things.
This was freaking DOPE. I love how you used the music at the end to incorporate some amazing visuals, from the starblaster moving through the hunger, to all of our favorite NPCs fighting, to Johann taking his final bow. This is wonderful!
It amazes me to this day how well TAZ caught lightning in a bottle with their first adventure. It also crushes me how hard they've struggled to recapture that energy. I desperately desire to see them in the fantasy setting again.
Thank you for this! This is one of my favorite scenes too:) the emotional whirlpool is almost too much to contain and this animatic is so wonderfully done! I love the little flip of of lup's coat tails as she tells barry they're legends! Its a little touch but so satisfying
This is beyond beautiful,i love how the imagery fit so well with the story.especially those battle shots. You've done justice to such a powerful and emotional moment in TAZ. Bravo.
I don't have a goofy-ass grin from watching this scene! YOU have a goofy-ass grin from watching this scene! Good job, is what I'm saying. Not sure what was up with that bit at 3:59, though...
I just returned to watching TAZ after not finishing Balance a couple of years ago... and it was scenes like this that made me remember why I loved this podcast so much. Amazingly drawn, thank you
This was breathtaking. I don't have much else to say, besides that it made me cry a lot. One of my favorite scenes, animated beautifully by one of my favorite content creators, with so many nice details (that a lot of other commenters have already pointed out, I'm trying not to be redundant here but I am AMAZED)
I’ve never seen TAZ and I know literally nothing about it, but when Johan said “You’re going to have to fight, and you’re going to win.”… it almost made me cry like a bitch. Something about the way he said it and the fact that it was supposed to be “Exactly what you need to hear. Exactly when you need to hear it.” I don’t know it was just beautiful.
God this is amazing! I haven't even watched the adventure zone, but tears sprung to my eyes, chills ran through my body and I cannot stop grinning like an idiot! I'll definitely be sure to watch it now, thank you for inspiring me!
I saw this animation when I first started listening to TAZ and back then I was so confused as to where this happened, I genuinely thought it was in more recent campaigns because of how silly the podcast started and seeing how it evolved into this beautiful story gives me chills. Fantastic animatic, brings tears to my eyes.
This???? This is gorgeous. Everyone looks amazing, the animation is fluid and the camera movement gives so much energy and emotion and don’t get me started on Lup!!! You give her so much life I just!!!!! AHHHHHH this is amazing
My god, this is it! This is the animatic that introduced me to TAZ and watching again after finishing Balance just gives me whiplash by how amazing this truly is. I went from confused and intrigued to in awe and wonder!
Oh my God I can't even begin to articulate how amazing that was! Every detail was so well done (I can't get over how you drew Barry's magic that just really got me) The sequence to all the characters fighting. UGHHH. Good job!!!!
I'm not an emotional person, but this scene. It fucking destroys me. Griffin as a DM is just absolutely unbelievable. I can say with absolute certainty that the story he has crafted sits above anything that I've ever experienced. The passion in his voice as he goes through his speech is so very powerful. The fact that he just picked up music theory on a whim and composed such incredible scores is unbelievable. This scene is a masterpiece. I maintain chills for a constant 10 minutes afterwards. Wonderful work brothers McElroy. Griffin is an individual with a terrifying amount of skill and he knows how to use it.
![No Healing in Wonderland [TAZ Medley]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MpHkH4ayBYc/mqdefault.jpg)
This gives me chills, beautifully done
Thanks a bunch, I'm glad you enjoyed it!! :D
Yeah, I got chills at
"We're legends."
Beautiful
Sameeeeeee
I swear, every time I hear this song I get goose bumps. Great job on the animation
griffin's VOICE when he says "there's magic in a bard's song" oh my god. I finished Balance like a week ago and im still recovering
Ugh same here
i have maybe half an hour left of the last part, i refUSE TO FINISH IT
I FINISHED TODAY AND IT RUINED ME
Me right now. I just finished it this week.
hello yes i still have not finished it i refuse
the raw passion in the way griffin says "see, there's magic in a bard's song" is something i dont know if ive ever heard before and its beautiful
In a TTAZZ he once mentioned that Johann’s fear of his creative endeavors never reaching the world and being forgotten is his own personal fear about the creativity he put into TAZ never making an impact and that he felt emotionally invested in Johann for that reason. TAZ is his bards song, and it’s affected us all. It’s a wonderful kind of magic.
Lizzie Adinoff I couldn’t have said it better
Griffin *is* a bard. And it's perfect.
I CAN'T GET OVER LUPS EXPRESSION WHEN SHE SAYS " we're legends" ITS SO GOOD
I got flipping chills when she said that
I got natsu vibes
I find myself immitating her when I'm alone in my room lol
SAMEEEEEE
I GOT LITERAL CHILLS
SHES SO COOL,, I LITERALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH HER OVER THE DURATION OF THE STOLEN CENTURY,,
Me, just starting to listen to taz: I don't get why everyone loves Johann so much, he's not even that important.
Me, after story and song: MY SON!! THAT'S MY SON!!
That's my beautiful magic boy!
I wasn’t too attached to him but after hearing him in Story and Song I was sobbing
I absolutely ADORE that Griffin took one of the tried and true "jokes" of D&D (horny useless Bards) and flipped it on its' head, and made a Bard one of the biggest heroes in the story.
There's also a similar trope: glue of the group horny bards
He also took a class of magic commonly associated with truly evil characters (necromancy), and made one of the most powerful users a soft-spoken man literally known as the lover
bards are the mvps
@@noelleobrien7525 Yeah I love how he made liches into a different thing than they normally are, and showed how it's up to the person how they use that power instead of just being inherently evil (juxtaposed Edward and Lydia from Wonderland with Lup and Barry)
@@squishmac Counterpoint for Edward and Lydia, Barry's relic is also messing with their brains.
I got to this episode the same week my neurologist told me that I was running out of treatment options and wasn't sure what else to do for me. He referred me to another specialist and said good luck, he hoped the other specialist would have new ideas.
"You're going to have to fight, and you're going to win" is the single most important sentence I've ever heard.
Hey I know its been a while since you've posted this but I hope your doing better
I hope your winning
Update?
Thank you so much for your concern and your support. For real, it means a lot ❤️
This made me tear up. This is why I want “You’re going to have to fight, and you’re going to win.” tattooed
When I listened to this part of the stream, and Griffin reveals, "You see, there's magic in a bard's song..." I just lost it. What a fucking beautiful way to send Johann out. I've watched this animatic a few times now and just sob every time
There's just something about the way he says it, too. His voice ever so slightly wavers. It's like, he's also about to tear up at this. This was a labor of the heart for him. The way he says it just shows how much dedication, love, and care went into this story, and it all finally managed to reach the final point that it had been culminating up to.
The quote that starts with "See, there's magic in a bard's song...." killed me in the episode..... I've always said that "music is magic" and it feels like this whole podcast is a love song to the best of humanity...
@@jodymarkgraf7625 'a love song to the best of humanity'. That is the best description I've ever seen or heard for anything ever holy shit
@@codysmith3853 Awww! That made my whole day! 💖
In D&D, Bards can grant inspiration to their companions, giving them real in-game bonuses. Griffin is essentially saying that Johann gave the entire multiverse Bardic Inspiration in one instant. Bastard used a freakin' game mechanic to make me weep like a child.
In the episode of TTAZZ following the last episode, Griffin revealed to us that the spooky deep voice that we hear at the beginning of each episode was Junior and that really hit me, I always thought it was some funny intro, like the twilight zone, but to know there was a reason behind it? It really really got me
Wait that was Junior? I thought it was Fisher themself.
Jayce I thought that was Johann?
Cyan Lotus Nah, the narrator is deep and extravagant and kinda rumbly and Johann is more like that one depressed college kid who’s obviously an adult but still just a little squeaky.
@@jayce1850 Griffin said that it was the story, as it was broadcast to everyone in the universe. The song was broadcast by Fisher, the story by Junior.
that means Junior canonically called Griffin a nerd
The thing that amazed me most about the final battle was the *scale* of it all, the feeling of literally everything that had ever happened in the show building to here and now and all of the people and pieces rising up together. You absolutely *nailed* that feeling here.
I'm caught up in the fact that he just. Explained one of the base functions of a bard within a party, Bardic Inspiration, and made it one of the crowning jewels of a major fight. This series is spectacular.
"There's magic in a bards song..." Instant sobbing.
A few years ago a bunch of the blogs I follow started posting Adventure Zone art and I was confused ("Is it one story? Is it six stories? Part of it takes place in a game show??"). I watched a few animatics, not really caring about spoilers. But after this one...I still had no idea what was going on, but this is the one that convinced me I had to find out. I finally finished the Balance arc yesterday and wanted to swing over here again to say excellent work (that character design! those shot compositions!) and thank you : )
literally same boat, got all spoiled and ready, didn’t think it was gonna hit as hard bc i thought i knew what was coming.. BOY HOWDY was i wrong... dam
Y’all are my people, I started hearing MBMBaM and I watched some animatics about it, people in the comments talked about TAZ references in the video and I started getting TAZ animatics recommended, the first thing I knew about TAZ was about Lup and the umbrella and I decided I might as well check it out. I heard some episodes, laughed in many and then it became the highlight of my day to hear TAZ, really didn’t expect it to hit as hard as it did.
The first time I heard about the podcast was from a sound on TikTok. I heard the sound clip of them offering root beer to Istus and thought “well now I gotta figure out what the hell this is.” That was a month ago, in October. I’m onto Graduation now but Balance holds a special place in my heart. I’m getting the comics this Christmas
Back again. Rewatching for the finale anniversary with tears in my eyes. Thanks again : )
I was totally able to keep it together until Johann's final bow. AND THEN, WATERWORKS.
Avengers: Endgame: We have one of the greatest final battles ever made
Griffin McElroy: Hold my beer
Marvel could never compare to the sheer emotion contained in the balance finale
Hold my Amiibo***
Did we watch the same Endgame? Complete disappointment
I loved the whole thing and it made me cry (again) but some things that really stood out to me:
1: how expressive Lup is without even having a proper face? Amazing and I love it
2: the young woman's hand emerging from the crowd to snag her spear
3: Everyone on the Star Blaster smiling except for Magnus, who starts crying!!! Because his promise to Johann has been more than fulfilled and no one could ever forget him!!!! Beautiful and made me cry harder
4: I can feel the power and emotion and strength in that pull of Johann's bow as he says "you're gonna win!" It's perfect
Conclusion: I just watched this 5 times in a row and am sending a link to all my TAZ friends thank you for this masterpiece
YES TO POINT THREE!! I wondered if that would click with anyone but YES, I thought "Magnus is fired up for a fight but also...it's Johann's music, which Magnus promised no one would forget??" good on yer and thank you so much for all your other wonderful comments!! ^O^
1:46 DO YOU HEAR THE POWER IN GRIFFIN'S VOICE HOO BOY THIS WHOLE THING GIVES ME CHILLS
As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the definitive TAZ animatics.
That part where he says “the star ship for the first time, flying into, not away from the storm” it makes me tear up
Same here. They’re done running, hiding, hoping (in vain) that this time they’ll have outrun their problem. They’re facing it head on, determined to finally deal with their issue properly. And considering that the Hunger is basically the embodiment of depressive nihilism, it’s no wonder it’s so inspiring.
If you are like me, when Johann says "and you're going to win" you broke down, then this is the animation for you. This ART is perfect. You've done an amazing job!
Cried like a baby
For me it starts seconds sooner. The second he says "see, there's magic in a bard's song," im gone.
Cant stop Rewatching, cant stop crying
i know this is old but it made me go listen to the adventure zone. and when i finally got through it all and i got to this scene, i remembered this animatic. and i paused the podcast and i listened to this video and and experienced lups speech and all through this animatic and i was so touched and filled with the indescribable feeling of awe and raw emotion fiction can put you through when it really sweeps you up into its arms and runs away with you. this is the first thing thats moved me after 2 years of feeling completely numb to the world around me. thank you for this. thank you, thank you, thank you
The silhouette of Johann at the end made me SOB. Oh my gosh this is so beautifully done, it looks like the storyboards for a movie.
As soon as lup says "we're legends" I'm fucking crying all over again, and then Johan jfc I can't. this is beautiful thank you so much
Im a pretty stone faced guy when it comes to most things, but this god damn story means so damn much to me that this animation litterally made me cry.
Congratulations for making me weep with joy.
When johann said "... and you're gonna win" I cried because the emotions in his voice and the expressive visuals really hit me- like the scene in Wonder Woman when she crosses no mans land. The raw feeling of awe is overwhelming and it's thanks to your beautiful images
I can't get over how you drew her face at "we're legends" I keep rewatching that part ughughugh it's so goood
Lup calmly walking around and drawing the line gave me goosebumps. I can't believe the creator of one of the most amazing animatics, TIME, made another absolutely beautiful animation. I don't remember having tears in my eyes at this scene but with your visuals I was flat out bawling!!! I'm studying for my exams and I feel fucking PUMPED up right now!! thank you so much for this!!!
“And high above, we see the Starblaster, streaking through the sky...” I don’t know why, but that is the bit that makes me start to cry. The music swelling, the introduction of the Tres Horny Boys, getting ready to fight for their lives. Oh man this series has my heart! And you animated it so perfectly!!
I still cannot listen to this scene without crying. I've decided my first tattoo is going to be the voidfish with a scroll across it's tentacles with Johann's quote. there are so many beautiful and amazing quotes in this series (especially from stolen century onward) but that one always stuck with me. maybe I'll even add tres horny boys' axe, umbra staff and extreme teen bible floating around it eventually.
Somehow I feel like making Lup's face mostly unseen except eyes and teeth makes this even better.
I just really like this Lup design.
oh wow, my heart clenched when I saw Magnus' cry at hearing Fishers song. And I got chills at Johanns encouragement. Lups fanged grin was super cool!! This is so very well done!!!
“You’re going to win, we know that much” works so well on a meta level because, like almost all stories, the heroes triumph in the end. Of course there’s gonna be victory on some level, no matter how bad the dice rolls could have been in the final fight. Griffin probably didn’t even have an extensive script for if they did lose. It’s the story of how the heroes get there and the satisfaction of absolutely everybody’s happy ending that makes The Adventure Zone worthwhile.
Also, Kravitz’ shot was my favorite!
as unbelievable as i once thought this to be, i think i just found objectively the best adventure zone animatic ever made. there is literally not a single fault here. every single character design is damn near perfect, the camera angles add to it perfectly, and the scene with johann and his violin touched me personally to my core because he's my favorite character who doesn't get enough focus in my opinion. seriously? well done.
I started listening to TAZ back in 2019 at a pretty low point mentally, and stopped when I started “recovering” without being willing to face my trauma. I picked it up twice more in 2021, at two of my lowest points. I started listening to Stolen Century at the lowest I’ve ever been, and this. This episode, this sequence? Was the first time I’d felt true, genuine hope and excitement since then. Other moments- like Merle’s “Choose Joy” monologue- came close, but this climax gave me strength and courage the likes of which I don’t think I’d ever experienced before. The pure, unadulterated triumph of this ending gave me serotonin to last for weeks. I played *Voidfish (Plural)* nonstop in my head for days because it gave me mental fortitude the likes of which I’d never had before. This is so much more than an emotional podcast episode to me; it’s a symbol of redemption and recovery, of returning what’s lost, of hope and determination, of triumph and endurance.
You captured that emotion perfectly, and I’m sobbing again. What a fantastic animatic.
I can’t. I just straight up can’t deal-this is legitimately one of my favourite scenes in the whole damn podcast. Like, it might seem weird, cos I know a lot of the popular tattoos are like, the Umbrastaff, or ‘you’re going to be amazing’ or stuff like that but I want Lup’s “Hear that babe? We’re legends.” Because this scene is just so amazing and inspiring and the music is perfect and you did such an amazing job capturing *all* of it but especially that line. Lup’s grin and grabbing Barry’s hand for just a moment before stepping forward. I can’t.
"... but be not afraid."
Good one, Griffin. Letting us know exactly what the Void Fish are. And in turth, it's the only interpretation of them that I buy.
Christ, I had goosebumps the whole damn time. Seeing everyone, hearing the narrators monologue, Johann's song, everything about this, it's just... godammit it's too good.
This is the first time I've ever seen Merle drawn with actually manly definition! So many artists draw him as a cute marshmallow man but for once, he is a proud buff dwarf!
This is honestly so incredible. You very much did this scene justice, and that's not a low bar
Oh my god that tear in Magnus' eye in that scene is such a perfect little detail.
this might sound weird but I have to brace myself to watch this every time because I get goosebumps and smile like an idiot. Its so good its almost unbearable to watch. idk if that would make sense to anyone but me lol
hey, that's how I felt making it, I totally get it! glad I'm not alone, haha! thank you!!
That's how I feel watching this too. Do me a favor as well, and look up "Hey Brother" TAZ as well if you're in the mood for another gut punch
Literally everytime I hear the voidfish at the end, I keep expecting him to say: "We are just going to have to find out together...in the Adventure Zone."
That wouldve been sooo good
fucking Johann raising his violin right when the soft violin came in is... phenomenal
Gods, this STILL gives me chills. The sound design is so amazing, and then pair it with the beautiful visuals? Lup's feral grin on "We're legends," Lucretia's eyes lighting up with power, everyone's faces filled with determination, Kravitz's everything? It's all amazing.
I gotta give a shoutout to your Merle. Most renditions of him that I've seen have been pretty cutesy, and while I do love those flower-beard versions I'm really impressed with the more jaded look you gave him here (2:50). The dude has seen things.
Extemporized Life - He looks like Odin and I LOVE IT!
Chills. Freaking shivers and tears every single time. Easily one of the most powerful sequences in fantasy animated absolutely beautifully. Outstanding job. I’m still shaking.
This scene already had me in tears the first time I heard it, but seeing it like this, with Johann's silhouette and everything had me straight up bawling
5 years later, and I still get goosebumps hearing/watching this!!!
I literally just finished TAZ and this is so good????? I still haven’t stopped crying from the finale episodes
M O O D
My friends sent this to me once I got to the final episode (which I am currently in the middle of listening to) saying that I am now able to watch THE taz animatic of all time. I understand why. This is beautiful. Oh my goodness.
This is some of the most stunning art I have ***ever*** seen. it felt like a hit in the chest. and god hearing the voiceover with the voidfish i was like "shit was that the voidfish the whole time?????" so so so so so good thank you for making this
Apparently its junior
I started crying again ... For me, THIS is the most powerful moment in the entire balance arc!! "Johann's" words where the ones I needed to hear most. "You're going to have to fight, and you're gonna win" is sooo, sooooo powerful and important and you managed to make this scene even more amazing! Thank you
I have no idea what this is but it's come up on my reccomended... I am honestly floored and this has awed the heck outta me. I think I've just found a peice of media to be a fan of oh god
Nia NIA HOLY SHIT DID YOU LISTEN??? DID YOU LISTEN AND LAUGH AND CRY????? DID YOU GET THE FANTASY COSTCO JINGLE STUCK IN YOUR HEAD?????????
WELL DID YOU CRY LIKE THE REST OF US?? TELL US TELL US TELL US
I love this so much. The way we see all of the characters, not just the seven, but Wren and Sloan and Lucas and Angus, and all of the dynamic camera angles, it’s just so fucking good.
When you posted this, I thought I would just watch through to see your work. About halfway through, right about when Lup says "we're legends!" I had a guttural feeling that I was missing something. So, long story short, because of your animation I listened to TAZ, one of the greatest decisions of my life I might say. Thank you so much.
This animatic still gives me ABSOLUTE CHILLS
THE CAMERA WORK IN THIS IS SO GOOD
hope you know i have watched this like once a month minimum for the last 6 years. i think of this animatic in the moonlight and it always makes me want to pick up animating and improving my own art again when i feel like im in a major slump
I have no clue what TAZ is but this is so amazing and I feel powerful after l watching this
The Adventure Zone is simply the best podcast ever. That's all. Start at the beginning... it's hilarious from the get-go, and then, slowly but surely, you see more and more heart in the story-telling. The creators themselves don't even realize the story's potential for a little while. And then, 69 short episodes later, you're laughing and crying along with the epic conclusion. Please... listen!
That. That's the magic in a bard's song
TAZ starts as the story of three dumbasses, ends as the story about a family.
Did you finish it?
TAZ is the story of four idiots who play D&D so hard they cry.
*I WANT TO SEE MY LITTLE BOIS*
EmptyFeet: *HERE THEY COME*
*I WANT TO SEE MY LITTLE BOIS*
Watching this just gives it much more of a _punch_ if that makes sense??
aaahhh yesss The Goal!! :DDD
This just shows me some of the things I love about D&D. You can face impossible foes with even more impossible allies, and use the most ridiculous things, like freaking cars and robot folk with smiley faces apparently, to fight off living shadows that threaten to cover the world, and it works. In DnD, you can do anything, it's not just the Dungeon Master who has control of the story, so do you, you can change certain parts of it, and the Dungeon Master will find a way to make it into an impossible story of amazing heroes, no matter how much you end up changing
I have tears. TAZ is so good at story telling and bring things alive and making listeners cry and feel happy. Thanks for this. Animatics to these are so beautiful
It's been literal years and I still cry every time the "you're going to have to fight" hits.
My whole body is shaking this is so cool the visuals just enhance the already flawless audio
even after 5 years this still gives me goosebumps every time i hear this
I haven't made it quite this far in TAZ (I'm at the beginning of The Crystal Kingdom arc). But I'll let you know this made me CRY MY EYES OUT. I don't know why, but I just felt so many things at once. The Adventure Zone has become a huge part of my life, and with this animation, I fell in love with it more. *THANK YOU*
I love all of the animatics. But I REALLY love the style of this one. Every character just looks amazing. Kravitz and Merle actually blew me away. And the silhouette of Johann fiddling was perfect. Bravo to the creator!
I thought I could handle it I thought because I heard it once already I thought I was prepared I was WRONG SO WRONG EVERYTHING IS AMAZING YOURE AMAZING TEARS ARE EVERYWHERE
Listening to it a second time for my wife, definitely still crying, and we're just on 11th Hour. I might die in the last chapter again. I'll melt into a puddle.
It's been years and I still get chills every time I watch this animatic
Hey toast, from the bottom of my heart I just want to thank you. Youve done so much for literally every fandom community that you join, and your work is always so inspiring and influential every time. Youre like a bard of the visual arts. You motivate so many of us to share our work and join communities like this (and like the stream!). You connect us all. Thank you.
zoe, you are always so kind and positive and wonderful to have at streams!! and this is really humbling and touching, thanks so much!!
listener you me him
Still visiting these animatics and original songs made for this campaign. Will always love and never forget
This is absolutely the most stunning piece of work I've seen for taz in a long time. I don't know if the split-second glitch right at the end of the video where the voidfish flashes purple and blue, and you can see a little bit of the marching hunger in the background is intentional but holy shit did it give me an intense shiver! This was phenomenal, I sobbed my EYES out.
DUDE YEAH IM STILL IN TEARS! THIS IS SO CAPTIVATING!!!
Story and Song is one of my biggest comfort pieces. I've probably listened to those three episodes more than any other podcast i can think of and even with that, this scene never ever fails to make me cry.
This .... this is a fucking masterpiece.
You've enhanced something that was already a work of art and for that i am both impressed and thankful.
I've watched it and many of your videos before and I never tied them together, realizing that some of my favorite animatics are from you.... so thank you for making amazing things.
This was freaking DOPE. I love how you used the music at the end to incorporate some amazing visuals, from the starblaster moving through the hunger, to all of our favorite NPCs fighting, to Johann taking his final bow. This is wonderful!
So true, the Johann scenes just tore me up. Amazingly done!
thanks so much!! those quick violin descants have always been the starblaster to me! wish I could've got more NPCs in though. @v@
listener me him you
It amazes me to this day how well TAZ caught lightning in a bottle with their first adventure.
It also crushes me how hard they've struggled to recapture that energy. I desperately desire to see them in the fantasy setting again.
this is beautiful, i love your design for Lup
every once in a while i remember this animatic exists and i have to go watch it 5 times in a row and then lay down on the floor for several hours
I forgot how much this part made me cry, and your art amplified it by 100x thanks
i always come back here when i need a good cry but can’t get the tears to come out. it has never failed me
Thank you for this! This is one of my favorite scenes too:) the emotional whirlpool is almost too much to contain and this animatic is so wonderfully done! I love the little flip of of lup's coat tails as she tells barry they're legends! Its a little touch but so satisfying
i keep coming back to this, the drawings are phenomenal, seriously
This is amazing! The camera angles are really dynamic, and the movement through Johann' song was phenomenal!
5 years later and this is still one of my favorite TAZ: Balance animatics!
This is beyond beautiful,i love how the imagery fit so well with the story.especially those battle shots. You've done justice to such a powerful and emotional moment in TAZ. Bravo.
I've watched this at least a dozen times over the past few years. I nearly cry every time.
I don't have a goofy-ass grin from watching this scene! YOU have a goofy-ass grin from watching this scene!
Good job, is what I'm saying. Not sure what was up with that bit at 3:59, though...
OH man i thought you were joking, but it looks like **KKKRRRrrRRRrrrrRSSSSHHHHHHH**
i managed to pause it on it just looks like something got messed uo thank god it was at the end not halfway through
HELL YEAH I DO!!
Damnit, Fisher! You did it again?!
I just returned to watching TAZ after not finishing Balance a couple of years ago... and it was scenes like this that made me remember why I loved this podcast so much. Amazingly drawn, thank you
I'm genuinely sobbing. I didn't think anything could make this scene better, but your art did. Thank you so much for this masterpiece
This Lich lup design is so GOOD im having all of the emotions
This was breathtaking. I don't have much else to say, besides that it made me cry a lot. One of my favorite scenes, animated beautifully by one of my favorite content creators, with so many nice details (that a lot of other commenters have already pointed out, I'm trying not to be redundant here but I am AMAZED)
I’ve never seen TAZ and I know literally nothing about it, but when Johan said “You’re going to have to fight, and you’re going to win.”… it almost made me cry like a bitch.
Something about the way he said it and the fact that it was supposed to be “Exactly what you need to hear. Exactly when you need to hear it.”
I don’t know it was just beautiful.
God this is amazing! I haven't even watched the adventure zone, but tears sprung to my eyes, chills ran through my body and I cannot stop grinning like an idiot! I'll definitely be sure to watch it now, thank you for inspiring me!
I saw this animation when I first started listening to TAZ and back then I was so confused as to where this happened, I genuinely thought it was in more recent campaigns because of how silly the podcast started and seeing how it evolved into this beautiful story gives me chills. Fantastic animatic, brings tears to my eyes.
This???? This is gorgeous. Everyone looks amazing, the animation is fluid and the camera movement gives so much energy and emotion and don’t get me started on Lup!!! You give her so much life I just!!!!! AHHHHHH this is amazing
My god, this is it! This is the animatic that introduced me to TAZ and watching again after finishing Balance just gives me whiplash by how amazing this truly is. I went from confused and intrigued to in awe and wonder!
Can I just say this is my favorite part of taz and you freaking nailed it
aaah mine too, thank you! that's high praise!!
God I love the idea of the voice from before each episode being fucking JUNIOR, SHARING THIS STORY TO OUR WORLD.
Oh my God I can't even begin to articulate how amazing that was! Every detail was so well done (I can't get over how you drew Barry's magic that just really got me) The sequence to all the characters fighting. UGHHH. Good job!!!!
I'm not an emotional person, but this scene. It fucking destroys me. Griffin as a DM is just absolutely unbelievable. I can say with absolute certainty that the story he has crafted sits above anything that I've ever experienced. The passion in his voice as he goes through his speech is so very powerful. The fact that he just picked up music theory on a whim and composed such incredible scores is unbelievable. This scene is a masterpiece. I maintain chills for a constant 10 minutes afterwards. Wonderful work brothers McElroy. Griffin is an individual with a terrifying amount of skill and he knows how to use it.