Toonstone

I caught this animated film on Amazon Prime recently. Its banner logo intrigued me because I had never heard of it, it had an art style that didn't fit into any existing molds, and was a Western. To give you an idea of what it's like, think A Million Ways to Die in the West, only not as raunchy: Both movies star a character who is out of place in the Wild West. The gimmick here is that the main character, a singer, sort of falls into being the town sheriff due to some fortunate coincidences, but he's very much not the sheriff type.

I'll admit: The first 20 minutes were kind of a slog. Part of why I felt this way was because the movie is extremely dry in its humor. I don't mind dry humor, but at times the dialogue was a little TOO casual and subdued. But the movie grew on me and by the end, I'm glad I didn't give up on it; I adapted to its easygoing pace and unique feel. There were only a handful of laugh-out-loud jokes, such as one at the end where he tells off a woman who initially dismissed him but warmed up to him, but there were many instances where I was smiling or chuckling. The Matthew McConaughey-esque horse provides many of such moments.

The animation also takes some getting used to, since it's basically digital puppetry. The lower half of the arms rotate independently of the upper half, resulting in some awkward poses and unnatural movements. It's not The Life and Times of Tim bad, but you've definitely seen better and you can tell they were working with a low budget. Apparently the same team did Battlefield Friends, a show I've never seen, but looking at stills, it seems to have the same animation style.

If you're looking for a unique animated film, Toonstone fits the bill. Besides being one of the few animated Westerns (I think Rango is one of the only other ones, not counting certain anime that mix the western genre with sci-fi and space), it has a unique humor style that grows on you and it subverts certain cliches you would expect from the genre.

As western send-ups go, this one's a real sleeper I found by pure luck. It's silly but slyly hilarious. Not offering the equivalent of Blazing Saddles' beans-scene belly (and other organs) laughs, but more like an Evil Roy Slade or Support Your Local Sheriff goof on all the Oater tropes, from the tenderfoot who learns to be a sheriff, to the array of town characters, to Native American connection with the elements, to the gal who falls for the hero, to Sam Elliott's iconic voice and mustache, etc.

Even if some of the jokes and references miss the mark, anyone who's seen Fistful of Dollars will go nuts over one bit in the middle, You'll know what I mean when you get there, pardner.

If rain come for that dance, rain be disappointed. An insanely run, free, fuel ride. It combines old style westerns, with random silly comedy. It's beautifully animated and well written. Character development is on point with short but fully fleshed out villains. I could eat an apple with or without Wild Harry Johnson anytime of year with this instant classic.

A funny film filled with some of the best voice acting and animation around a need to watch film

Great animation group. I dont know how much of the work they actually do themselves. But after watch all of there other series on YouTube I can tell these people know more then a lot of the multi million dollar projects out there. Support the Creators by buying a Wonder Broom. Solve all your sweeping needs with the Wonder Broom. It has double the bristle count.