The Mysterious Mr. Enter / Jonathan Rozanski's "Growing Around" - IndieGoGo Campaign Failed, John going off the deep end, "Turning Red" is ignorant about 9/11 (later retracted)

[LiquidKid]

I just don't understand. If you're working on your own projects, why talk about it here? It doesn't take much to be better than a lolcow, especially someone as minor as Enter. So please, go to reddit and talk about your work. I just want laugh about Enter's project and his crazy escapades online.

Since we were talking about his misunderstanding of a concept vs. a story, I found a Deviantart post from three years ago called Arguing for the concept of GA

It's still a garbage filibuster, but it does repeat some points he's said about why he insists GA can work. These tidbits caught my eye:

-Lord of the Flies is apparently a deconstruction of a novel with a much more optimistic tone called The Coral Island, and he still wanted to explore this genre despite there being mostly negative examples in it like Children of the Corn or Rule of Rose.

-He lists off a bunch of children's novels and Spongebob as a defense that children think differently than adults. Claiming adults have a hard time to suspending their disbelief, so he thinks his idea could still work for kids. I think he legitimately believes that because children watch cartoons and read fantasy books, they have a different way of thinking than adults (which is not true). Adults watch fantasy television shows that are not cartoons, and read fantasy books too, so I'm not sure where this idea about "suspension of disbelief works better with children" is coming from. I think he just can't accept that his idea is bad and no one wants this fantasy to exist.

Children suspend their disbelief with fantasy not because they think it's possible, but because it's fun. Their brains still have ways of detecting bullshit or when someone is trying is convince them of something stupid. So if your fantasy sounds like hell, kids aren't going to want to buy into it.



Why would an adult willingly giving up their freedom and rights just because they want to listen to their kids? They weren't always in a child-run society, right? So this answer doesn't make sense.

Give this a read if you want to understand how to deflect criticism and questions.

Not only has it been proven in several market studies that roughly 48% of all cartoon viewers are adults, and only about 60% of that is adults with kids, you can’t use television choice as the reason for adults thinking different. Plus, adults fucking make the cartoons!

as for why people keep coming here to talk about their projects, I think it’s because they believe we would value their input as an animator/writer/whatever. They don’t stop and think about how exceptional of a concept that is. Like, bringing up your background is only necessary if you have some grand point that’s not easy to illustrate without something to validate. And making your own non-produced cartoon will never be good validation.

 

[MysticMisty]

I'll accept their input if it comes from an actual industry animator or, hell, a show creator that got their start as an animator. And mainly if they can tell us why GA will never happen in a way we haven't realized yet. But since this is a community no one wants to openly associate with and I think we've already got every aspect of why it'll fail nailed down, this won't happen ever.

 

[Icarus B. Nezzer]

And making your own non-produced cartoon will never be good validation.

"Non-produced" is the key word here. An author can write whatever the hell they want and not have to worry about details like the costs or efficiency of fully visualizing the story. When that same writer is tasked with producing a cartoon, however, that degree of creative freedom is doomed to go over-budget. I might not be a cartoonist, but I've made enough short films to understand the burn of having to simplify your script because there are things you just can't afford to film. Enter never considers the budget when he writes "Growing Around," when he continually makes the show more and more convoluted, requiring more detailed backgrounds and more elaborate character designs and more CG special effects, never stopping to think "Are any of these small details worth the insane amount of time and money it would take to make them?" I doubt that even the $350K he asked for would sustain his aspirations at this point. Someone more familiar with animation should probably do a breakdown of how much his pilot would actually cost, because I'm sure there's a ton of pointless shit he could trim down to save a few thousand.

 

[coach_mclurk]

"Non-produced" is the key word here. An author can write whatever the hell they want and not have to worry about details like the costs or efficiency of fully visualizing the story. When that same writer is tasked with producing a cartoon, however, that degree of creative freedom is doomed to go over-budget. I might not be a cartoonist, but I've made enough short films to understand the burn of having to simplify your script because there are things you just can't afford to film. Enter never considers the budget when he writes "Growing Around," when he continually makes the show more and more convoluted, requiring more detailed backgrounds and more elaborate character designs and more CG special effects, never stopping to think "Are any of these small details worth the insane amount of time and money it would take to make them?" I doubt that even the $350K he asked for would sustain his aspirations at this point. Someone more familiar with animation should probably do a breakdown of how much his pilot would actually cost, because I'm sure there's a ton of pointless shit he could trim down to save a few thousand.

Don't forget about the episode he wants that's entirely first person, requiring whole backgrounds to continuously be animated.

 

[Sussy Baka Desu?]

Not only has it been proven in several market studies that roughly 48% of all cartoon viewers are adults, and only about 60% of that is adults with kids, you can’t use television choice as the reason for adults thinking different. Plus, adults fucking make the cartoons!

I think that is what Enter won't ever understand. Adults make the cartoons and books that children love. So it's safe to assume when it comes to the suspension of disbelief, adults and children will be on the same level if it's good and consistent with what it's doing. And if I'm being honest, I don't care about GA making sense, it's just not a fun concept to get behind.

And making your own non-produced cartoon will never be good validation.

I agree. For posterity, all the people trying to make their own cartoon, just talk about it here or watch this. A simple Google search will lead you to the right places to discuss such aspirations.

I'll accept their input if it comes from an actual industry animator or, hell, a show creator that got their start as an animator. And mainly if they can tell us why GA will never happen in a way we haven't realized yet. But since this is a community no one wants to openly associate with and I think we've already got every aspect of why it'll fail nailed down, this won't happen ever.

I'd like to see someone with a successful creative career discuss what makes GA not viable as a project, but I doubt we'll get any new information. I linked it above, but Enter should really watch Bam Animation's video on how to create an animated TV show. These artists/animators work on many popular companies- Disney, Adultswim, Dreamworks- and they know what they're talking about. They're a bit quirky in how they present information, but they know what they're doing if you look at their portfolio and videos on character design.

 

[LiquidKid]

I think that is what Enter won't ever understand. Adults make the cartoons and books that children love. So it's safe to assume when it comes to the suspension of disbelief, adults and children will be on the same level if it's good and consistent with what it's doing. And if I'm being honest, I don't care about GA making sense, it's just not a fun concept to get behind.



I agree. For posterity, all the people trying to make their own cartoon, just talk about it here or watch this. A simple Google search will lead you to the right places to discuss such aspirations.



I'd like to see someone with a successful creative career discuss what makes GA not viable as a project, but I doubt we'll get any new information. I linked it above, but Enter should really watch Bam Animation's video on how to create an animated TV show. These artists/animators work on many popular companies- Disney, Adultswim, Dreamworks- and they know what they're talking about. They're a bit quirky in how they present information, but they know what they're doing if you look at their portfolio and videos on character design.

Frankly, I would be embarrassed to even ask a professional to waste their time analyzing it. These people don’t get a lot of free time as it is, so using it to look at a stillbirth for what would have to be at least an hour would benefit literally nobody and burn the bridge with that person forever.

 

[Observotron]

I'd like to see someone with a successful creative career discuss what makes GA not viable as a project, but I doubt we'll get any new information. I linked it above, but Enter should really watch Bam Animation's video on how to create an animated TV show. These artists/animators work on many popular companies- Disney, Adultswim, Dreamworks- and they know what they're talking about. They're a bit quirky in how they present information, but they know what they're doing if you look at their portfolio and videos on character design.

It's probably enter himself being a nightmare to work with. He had the platform, following, and (evidently) income to do... anything of value with Growing Around, but anyone who would be a valuable asset or partner most likely wants nothing to do with him. It's been pointed out before, but look at the artists that have worked with him - their Growing Around art is worse than their other stuff. He probably wants things in such a certain and specific way.

 

[WhatsInside]

It's probably enter himself being a nightmare to work with. He had the platform, following, and (evidently) income to do... anything of value wit Growing Around, but anyone who would be a valuable asset or partner most likely wants nothing to do with him. It's been pointed out before, but look at the artists that have worked with him - their Growing Around art is worse than their other stuff. He probably wants things in such a certain and specific way.

This is ultimately why Growing Around will be nothing more than a project in his head. Animations (besides short indie flash stuff) are an incredibly collaborative process. The showrunner has final call, but there's just no way to micromanage the entire project so it would be exactly how Enter wants it.

I'm half convinced Enter doesn't even really want Growing Around to be a real project, because he'd be lost as hell trying to actually manage it.

 

[Bunny Tracks]

I'll accept their input if it comes from an actual industry animator or, hell, a show creator that got their start as an animator. And mainly if they can tell us why GA will never happen in a way we haven't realized yet. But since this is a community no one wants to openly associate with and I think we've already got every aspect of why it'll fail nailed down, this won't happen ever.

I'd go even farther and say that at least in the case of GA, I'd be willing to listen to a person who has studied child psychology, or at the very least, works, or has worked with children before. You know, things that Enter has clearly never done.

 

[Piga Dgrifm]

Once again, being better than Enter at writing is not an accomplishment, it's a very low standard to meet.

 

[coach_mclurk]

I'm half convinced Enter doesn't even really want Growing Around to be a real project, because he'd be lost as hell trying to actually manage it.

I'm pretty sure this is the case. Why is he busy writing season 4 5 and 6 and making COVID videos when he could be working on that graphic novel series? I don't know how he expects GA to go anywhere if he can't produce a tangible product. He can't expect his lousy scripts to carry him forever. Would you pay for a movie and be happy if the director handed you a poorly formatted script and said "I've done all the work I'm able to"? He should be able to afford the artwork for a graphic novel easily, he just has to write it and tell Ava what to draw. But I think he's afraid of the backlash he'll get when it doesn't live up to expectations, so he stalls and works on other things. Enter's current work ethic just makes the indiegogo even more hilarious in hindsight. Like this guy who's too lazy to direct a comic he started 2 years ago was gonna deliver a whole show on a 1 year timescale if only he had all your money.

 

[OmnipotentStupidity]

Don't forget about the episode he wants that's entirely first person, requiring whole backgrounds to continuously be animated.

Watching Enter use his supposed children's show to continue his reeee'ing crusade against Family Guy is the funniest shit in the world.

It isn't even that original of an idea, yet I'm willing to bet 1,000 bucks that he only wants to make that because he thinks he can do the Family Guy short, Point of Stew, better than they could, and probably doesn't even know it's been done elsewhere.

 

[Icarus B. Nezzer]

 

[OmnipotentStupidity]

Oh dear Christ

The crossdressing fetish

IT'S S P R E A D I N G

 

[andr0id psycho sho(ker]

ironic. I was listening to simpsons play on the tv across the room before this came up

 

[BlueCandle]

Ryan is really starting to push more of his influence into the editing this time around. Certainly wasn't expecting it to immediatly open up with his weird OC, or have homestuck music advertised in giant text.

 

[Piga Dgrifm]

Thumbnail has Enter's avatar crossdressing and a little boy being forced to wear a dress. Of course.

And, like the Sabrina review from earlier, this one has random, distracting music blaring in the background for no reason. I guess that's just a feature of his work now. Though, it's not as bad this time as it was in the Sabrina one.

 

[Icarus B. Nezzer]

And here come the comments:

I'm especially fond of that last comment. When Star first announced this review, I pre-emptively watched the episode on my own and immediately understood the satire. Enter's mistake was trying to pick out a straightforward and serious message from a show that stopped taking itself seriously decades ago. He KNOWS everyone on the show is an idiot, most of the show's audience knows that everyone on the show is an idiot, so why does he continue to trust those idiots?

 

[Just_a_Bored_Guy]

Well, that was basically what I expected. Complaining about modern Simpsons trends, complaining about reverse sexism, complaining about glamorizing extremist groups...
I don't even think he's wrong about these things, they're just topics he's already done. It feels kind of pointless.

 

[coach_mclurk]

And here come the comments:
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I'm especially fond of that last comment. When Star first announced this review, I pre-emptively watched the episode on my own and immediately understood the satire. Enter's mistake was trying to pick out a straightforward and serious message from a show that stopped taking itself seriously decades ago. He KNOWS everyone on the show is an idiot, most of the show's audience knows that everyone on the show is an idiot, so why does he continue to trust those idiots?

How long until Enter disables youtube comments?
Also I'm curious, when was the last time Enter admitted to being wrong about a review? I know he changed his mind on some of his very early stuff but him doubling down on his irrational hatred of Rise of TMNT, not acknowledging the Mexican response to his El Tigre video, deleting his twitter to get away from criticism just makes it sound like he thinks he's right all the time by virtue of his popularity as a critic.