Breakfast Topic: Warcraft the Animated Series
by Matthew Rossi 
Dec 29th 2009 at 8:00AM
No, I haven't actually heard of one happening. That doesn't mean I don't think one could be very cool, especially after seeing this video of all the voices Chris Metzen has done for the various Blizzard franchises over the years. The idea that one man is the voice behind Thrall, Varian, Ragnaros, and other luminaries got me to thinking that maybe a film isn't the right way to go with the franchise. Now, of course I know about as much about making movies and managing beloved franchises as I do about installing thermonuclear reactors in submarines, but I'm not going to let that stop me from speculating about how awesome a Warcraft animated movie or series could be. (I also admit I've been watching a lot of DC Animated Movies lately, and the tenuous Blizzard - Wildstorm - DC connection has me all aflutter.)
If done right, a Warcraft cartoon has a lot of potential. I think quite a few fans of animation could point at various styles that would work for the franchise... I would personally stay away from the overtly computer animation of a Clone Wars (unless we could somehow get Pixar to do it. I mean, while I'm dreaming) and would try to go with something more like the actual game, with deliberately exaggerated and unrealistic lines. But I'll leave it up to you: who should star? Who would you choose to do their voices? What art style, what kind of direction would you take it? The sky's the limit for the Warcraft animated series, because as far as we know it's not going to happen.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Breakfast Topics, Comics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Drag Dec 29th 2009 8:13AM
Y'know, his voice acting isn't spectacular. Not trolling, just giving straight up opinion.
graadle Dec 29th 2009 8:24AM
I liked his battlecruiser voice.
Alanid Dec 29th 2009 1:24PM
I never knew he did the battlecruiser, marine and ghost, however you can hear that he does a lot of WoW voices like Thrall, Ragnaros, Varian, Hakkar I think too.
kabshiel Dec 29th 2009 4:53PM
His voice acting is fine. It's just that they have him do so much of it, that eventually everything starts to sound the same.
graadle Dec 29th 2009 8:19AM
Genndy Tartakovsky would be pretty good choice to make a warcraft cartoon I mean he has made some great action cartoons in the past like Samurai Jack and Clone Wars (Not the terrible CG one but the animated one that played before Revenge of the Sith came out.) Also I agree about staying away from CG because theres no middle ground its either good and it never is for TV or terrible.
Alanid Dec 29th 2009 1:26PM
Ah yes the original Clone Wars series... I actually liked those. Can't say the same for the new animated stuff, while bearable it was... tiring? Can't think of the right word, but it was far from ok.
FifthDream Dec 29th 2009 8:20AM
I haven't seen "Avatar", but making a WoW movie in the same fashion would be cool.
Lornicide Dec 29th 2009 9:33AM
I think a friend of mine did the best review (IMO) of Avatar:
"The special effects/graphics are awesome, but the plot is just like Pocahontas."
FifthDream Dec 29th 2009 9:38AM
Haha.
I hear it's a good tech demo, but not a great movie.
cnauman Dec 29th 2009 10:13AM
I totally agree
Hansbo Dec 29th 2009 10:32AM
The only reason people complain about the plot is because tjej compqre it to the visuals. It's not à BAD plot, just that we've seen it before. Not bad entertainment. The visuals, however. Holy mother of god.
PodPeople Dec 29th 2009 11:58AM
Fifth,
I had the same thought when I saw Avatar. If they did the warcraft movie with those kind of graphics, it'd be awesome.
It's true, Avatar was awesome visuals, but the plot and character development were pretty lacking. it's pretty clear where all that hundreds of millions of $$ went to. Lornicide and Hansbo are right, the plot's been done before, many times; Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves. It's kinda sad, since Cameron is usually better at having compelling stories in his obscenely pricey movies.
Ves Dec 29th 2009 8:28AM
Do it in Hypermarionation, and don't have any kind of ongoing story. Just pick random things from Warcraft's history that look fun. One week the War of the Spiders, the next, the Tauren's hunt of Malorne, after that, a random Dwarf going on an archaelogical expedition, and so on.
Volaro Dec 29th 2009 9:30AM
I think this would probably be the best way of doing it. Don't pick favorites between the factions, just one shot stories.
JaM3z Dec 29th 2009 8:33AM
While i think a WoW series would be awesome i still want to see the "promised" WoW movie, and ill be seriously pissed if the WoW movie is not done in the same style as Avatar i dont care if the budgest runs into the billions that movie was awesome and the animation was spectaular.
jrizutko Dec 29th 2009 11:59AM
If they could get James Cameron instead of Sam Raimi, you might be onto something. Sam Raimi's specialty is cheesy tongue in cheek production values, not cutting edge awesome.
Babaganoush Dec 29th 2009 8:40AM
Well, if we're really gonna go all out here, than Production IG and/or Madhouse taking care of the animation, Warren Ellis writing, with Ron Perlman, Mark Hammill, Cree Summer, Wendy Lee, Steve Blum, Phil Lamaar, Nathan FIllion, Felicia Day, Mila Kunis, Seth Mcfarlane, Dana Snyder, Billy West and John Di Maggio doing the voices.
And it'll cost a gazillion dollars.
Cadychan Dec 29th 2009 10:39AM
That's actually a very good idea. Production IG and Madhouse are both studios I would very much like to see doing something like this, although having worked in animation for the last year and a half, I'd be curious to see how much money would get poured into this thing...! ^_^;;
If - and IF - there was ever a Warcraft animated series, I could seriously die happy. I would have THE BIGGEST fangirl squeal-out ever. >_>;
jasonfelliott Dec 29th 2009 11:38AM
I doubt Ellis would touch be even vaguely interested. He's more Cyber/scifi and I can't recall him writing anything remotely sword & sorcery/fantasy. Good casting though.
And say what you will about cg Clone Wars, but the story format would work well. Some standalone one-shots, and frequent three-part mini-movies.
And high budget Avataresque (Cameron, not anime) visuals would be amazing. Couldn't stop thinking about Night Elves while watching the film. Off topic a bit, but I don't want to see a Warcraft film unless it looks THAT good.
Steve Dec 29th 2009 2:14PM
RE: Warren Ellis not writing anything remotely fantasy
Cept that "untitled arthurian project" that he's mentioned a few times.
Or his Apparat line of comics.