Lisa Hanawalt: Being Human by Being Animal

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  • čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
  • For as long as there have been stories about people, there have been stories about animal headed people. But, most recently, Lisa Hanawalt's characters have carved a new space in the public consciousness for animal people - from her work as production designer on the Netflix series BoJack Horseman, and as the creator of Tuca and Bertie as well as independent comics - and I think it's these characters, more than any others, that are most able to both distance us and bring us closer to being human.
    A further reading list, plus a lot of my own writing that was cut out of the final video, is available for $2 patrons: / whatssograce
    _____________________________
    ► Patreon: / whatssograce
    ► Twitter: / whatssograce
    ► Tumblr: / whatssogreataboutthat

Komentáře • 165

  • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
    @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 4 lety +104

    If you want to know what any of the footage used in this video is from, use the subtitle option 'Footage Titles' in settings. :D

    • @arthurkassabian2528
      @arthurkassabian2528 Před 4 lety +3

      I love your anthropo-spectrum time line!!! Someone should make a similar one for The Uncanny Valley.

    • @nicanornunez9787
      @nicanornunez9787 Před 4 lety

      Your video essay is all over the place, tone it down, keep it down, you express yourself too much.

  • @Calpsotoma
    @Calpsotoma Před 3 lety +18

    Bojack's dad was a workhorse and his mom was a show pony.
    Horses are associated with both working class labor and wealthy excess. It seems appropriate for an actor.

  • @samwallaceart288
    @samwallaceart288 Před 4 lety +110

    I almost didn’t watch this video because I’ve heard everything there is to hear about BoJack Horseman.
    And then I realized this video is something better: It’s a thinly-veiled excuse to fangirl over everything Lisa Hanawalt. I IDENTIFY.

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 4 lety +16

      Ah, the veil is so thin :D
      I wanted to make the title/thumbnail more obviously about her work as a whole but couldn't work out how to fit it all in.

    • @samwallaceart288
      @samwallaceart288 Před 4 lety

      What's So Great About That? - Yeah nah; BoJack still has the best traction, marketing-wise, so fair enough. I still like Tuca and Bertie better.

    • @samwallaceart288
      @samwallaceart288 Před 4 lety +1

      What's So Great About That? - aw you changed it, hell yeah. Fight the power. Tear shit up.

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 4 lety +1

      @@samwallaceart288 Yep, much happier with the new thumbnail :D

  • @NicoleHam
    @NicoleHam Před 4 lety +276

    Hey there, I wanted to say that I am incredibly honored to hear my (rant) tweet read aloud at the @ the 7:00 mark, and touched that what I said resinated with so many people. No lie, I was so heated when the show got cancelled and its great to see so many people in the comments in sync with that.
    Awesome video and series and I’ll definitely subscribe!! Best to ya’

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 4 lety +34

      Thank you so much! ❤
      Tuca and Bertie's cancellation was such a loss to adult animation. :(

    • @nancya7289
      @nancya7289 Před 4 lety +3

      So happy to read (about) your tweet. I also tweeted up a storm (for me) about Netflix's decision to cancel. Especially in light of ordering 3 more years of Big Mouth in a year that they made more than 9 billion dollars. I even asked NIck Kroll to intercede for Lisa H -- which is wildly expressive and demanding compared to my usual.

    • @guilhermeteodosio40
      @guilhermeteodosio40 Před 4 lety +3

      I loved your show! keep working on art and creating stories and never give up gurl!♡

  • @MedlifeCrisis
    @MedlifeCrisis Před 4 lety +134

    Did you know that Lisa Hanawalt going into animation is a case of nominative determinism? Having been named after Hanna Barbera and Walt Disney.

  • @Jvdg3m3nt
    @Jvdg3m3nt Před 4 lety +100

    Tuca and Bertie was a masterpiece. Really upset it didn't get another season.

  • @arthurkassabian2528
    @arthurkassabian2528 Před 4 lety +71

    This is such a unique and creative view of both Bojack Horseman and Tuca and Bertie. It would never occur to me to have an analysis of the anthropomorphism in these series.
    I have always thought that by portraying characters as animals, and in such an abstract manner these series are able to express complex and often dark emotions without them being overwhelmingly dower or pretentiously gritty.
    The fantastical element helps us concentrate on the themes and characters without compelling us to feel constantly numb and depressed to the -what would be if expressed literally in live action- absolutely horrific situations or abuse and terrible circumstances portrayed.

  • @pavarottiaardvark3431
    @pavarottiaardvark3431 Před 4 lety +103

    Shoutout to CATS for being so utterly bizarre yet pointless that it doesn't even manage to fit into this video about anthropomorphic animals.

  • @sauwurabh
    @sauwurabh Před 4 lety +91

    Is that the horse from horsin' around?

    • @AdonileSlushie
      @AdonileSlushie Před 3 lety +6

      Why yes it is, why yes it is...

    • @sauwurabh
      @sauwurabh Před 3 lety +6

      @@AdonileSlushie thanks for the reply. I totally forgot about this amazing video.

  • @amdonut8091
    @amdonut8091 Před 4 lety +30

    This channel is so underrated , I can't believe it. Every video is like being gentle fed massive amounts of information and philosophy, I feel full and satisfied but in a peaceful way.

  • @serenity6831
    @serenity6831 Před 3 lety +6

    I once saw a little chipmunk in such a confused frenzy it was running in circles, just frantically traveling the same corner, even as I left. And I wept. To this day I don't know if I wept more for the animal, or the frenzied, anxious depressed runner in me who finds herself circling an endless array of decisions and regrets and hopes and fears, never forward... BH made me want to try moving forward, despite myself, or maybe because of myself? This video was beautifully done, thank you so much for this ❤️

  • @fauxrowsdower7610
    @fauxrowsdower7610 Před 4 lety +61

    I love your discussion about Tuca and Bertie, that show really impacted me in a way I have a hard time describing and your perspective really clarified some things for me!!

  • @gleep23
    @gleep23 Před 4 lety +3

    Hey. Thank you so much for showing me why Tuca and Bertie is worth investing my time in. I felt it abrasive, and never went past a few episodes. Now,. thanks to you, I am going to explore it again, and think about it in a different way. You've given me a gift, new perspective. Thanks.

  • @mushroomlena
    @mushroomlena Před rokem +5

    Love this video and the work of Lisa Hanawalt! It’s a really interesting topic and will definitely change the way I rewatch these shows. Tragically Tuca and Bertie is on the cancellation chopping block YET AGAIN, but I hope it’ll get another chance to tell its story. It’s a show that’s really expresses the inner world of womanhood unlike any other.

  • @Resuarus
    @Resuarus Před 4 lety +8

    I've somehow managed to not watch either of these shows yet, and still this video was sooooo good! Made me want to binge both immediately.

  • @evBeef
    @evBeef Před 4 lety +3

    I've not wtached much Bojack, but Tuca & Bertie made me so happy. I couldn't believe I found myself crying over these cartoon birds. I hope she gets another show somewhere down the line as wacky and heartfelt, it really means a lot to me

  • @VARIOUShorses
    @VARIOUShorses Před 4 lety +27

    While it's definitely possible that the associations we have with horses weren't deliberately thought up alongside the character of Bojack Horseman I feel it's almost certain they were deliberately leaned into throughout the series.
    There are plenty of shows that might not hold as much depth as someone might chose to read into, but I don't think Bojack is one of them.
    Maybe Mr Peanutbutter started as a series of dog jokes, but he definitely became more than that. Princess Carolyn on the other hand was definitely a character that was very much supposed to be associated with the traits we assign to cats - always land on their feet, nine lives etc. from the very beginning. Whether they started with the intention of doing so at the inception of the series or not, Bojack is one of those properties where I think almost every element is ultimately deliberate, and I love the show for it. Great video as always :)

  • @QuestingRefuge
    @QuestingRefuge Před 4 lety +12

    This is so interesting hearing expressed. I feel like this is also true for any animation for me. There's this additional ability to express and just enough separation to allow a fuller exploration of some things.
    Thanks for another great essay!

  • @orin1617
    @orin1617 Před 4 lety +4

    Seen so many videos on yt about Bojack horseman and I just can't get enough of them

  • @chickennuggetpaw
    @chickennuggetpaw Před 3 lety +4

    One reason I kind of came up with on my own for why it makes sense that BoJack is a horse, is because horses are an animal that a lot of people love, but (in my opinion, at least) are kind of gross. It makes sense that BoJack, who played a beloved sitcom character, but in reality is damaged, is a horse. I know some people will disagree because not everyone finds horses gross, but I do-

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 3 lety +3

      That's a really interesting point! Based on what animals people usually find cute, horses are... not that haha.

  • @ofirbun
    @ofirbun Před 4 lety +7

    Finally someone acknowledges the masterpiece that is "Help i'm a fish!"

  • @shayshayshayshayshayshayshay

    Best Bojack video ive seen so far, can’t get enough of the show or content about it

  • @TheGoblinoid
    @TheGoblinoid Před 4 lety +3

    I wish there were more video analysis like this by the time Tuca and Bertie was on the air. That show could have been monumental.

  • @canonogic
    @canonogic Před 4 lety +3

    Bojack is the very reason why I've loved animation my whole life. That ability to juxtopse deep and dark themes is unmatchable

  • @nancya7289
    @nancya7289 Před 4 lety +5

    The night I heard that the library was going to be closed for the pandemic, I borrowed 2 graphic novels, one of which was Coyote Doggirl. Thanks to you I will start again from the beginning.
    Your video slays me. So so so so so so insightful. Periodically I stopped, repeated a sentence, gave myself a beat to absorb your interpretation. I am sure I'll be watching this many more times to appreciate the scope and nuance of your critique.
    Regards from your newest, quite devoted, subscriber.

  • @buickboy92
    @buickboy92 Před 4 lety +5

    Bojack Horseman is definitely in my top favorite shows of all time, and I can't express how wonderful it is to know you did a video on such a profound series.
    P.S. I think a recent T.V. Show you would be interested in is Lodge 49. It's chock full of questions about our self worth and importance in the world, and one that I think you might dig.

  • @StarLightNow
    @StarLightNow Před 4 lety +16

    BoJack will forever be one of my favourite shows... It is a shame it is animated because a lot of people are just not going to watch it despite it saying so much about being human. People would rather sit and watch the 200000th season of Kim Kardashian pretend crying because that is real life yo. Also, Tuca and Bertie ended far too soon. It was beautifully drawn and the characters, just like BoJack, were more human than anything else I have seen recently.

  • @jogeller5731
    @jogeller5731 Před 4 lety +7

    I just rewatched this video and the anthropo-spectrum joke caught me unawares and now I'm crying with laughter remembering Help I'm A Fish because I hadn't met anyone outside of myself that has actually seen that movie and it straight up feels like a fever dream. I can't believe you've seen it. What is this movie.

  • @ruaoneill9050
    @ruaoneill9050 Před 4 lety +5

    I love your brain so much

  • @Warbek
    @Warbek Před rokem +2

    I'm so glad they brought back tuca and bertie after it got cancelled.

  • @AngryPeopleStudios
    @AngryPeopleStudios Před 4 lety +6

    A reference to Help! I'm a Fish closely followed by an shot from The Burden by Niki Lindroth von Bahr... Now that's how you get the respect from an Scandinavian animator.
    Also, amazing video as always. Thank you for covering Bojack Horsenman

  • @pastelchemicals1331
    @pastelchemicals1331 Před 3 lety +1

    This is a fantastic video essay!! I loved bojack horseman, so finding out about Lisa hanawalt’s other work was a treat. Excellent points and video in general!!

  • @ahahaha
    @ahahaha Před 3 lety +2

    This might be the best video I’ve seen in my life

  • @leventetakacs1641
    @leventetakacs1641 Před 4 lety +3

    That fish that turns into a human at the end of "Help! I'm a fish":DDD
    Might just be the single worst memory from my childhood

  • @Pingwn
    @Pingwn Před 4 lety +3

    Thank you for another mindful video

  • @nicolaperin4369
    @nicolaperin4369 Před 4 lety +7

    You did an amazing work, really. This is one of the most complete, detailed, intimate reflection on these works that I consider masterpieces, thank you

  • @offbeatkiki
    @offbeatkiki Před 4 lety +14

    My favorite show of all time, and by far one of the most heartbreaking.

    • @FlintSparkedStudios
      @FlintSparkedStudios Před 4 lety +3

      I just finished it. I would wait a few days between episodes so I could think about it for awhile. By the end I felt a mixture of sorrow, hope and satisfaction. Great show.

  • @rawkrXbabee
    @rawkrXbabee Před 3 lety +1

    This is sooo good! Love her animation style. She seems like the coolest person

  • @whyaminotsleepyet8377
    @whyaminotsleepyet8377 Před 4 lety +7

    Your thoughts and videos are always so well thought out and funny and an absolute delight to listen to! Thanks for making such nice videos!!

  • @scoob6505
    @scoob6505 Před 4 lety +7

    The moment I saw this on my feed I thought "Let's freakin' go!!" So excited to see you cover Bojack!

  • @marcusw.4286
    @marcusw.4286 Před 4 lety +1

    im just rewatching all of your videos while drawing because your voice is so soothing

  • @Romandy13
    @Romandy13 Před 4 lety +5

    I've been binging Bojack Horseman all week (took a short break on a few episodes because some of them really cut deep for me) and I am just about to start season 6. Will gladly watch this video as soon as I finish the show today.

  • @raytsh
    @raytsh Před 4 lety +1

    Finally finished Bojack Horseman today, what a great show!

  • @Lumberjack_king
    @Lumberjack_king Před 2 lety

    0:04 exactly some of our earliest art/stories isn't of people but animals or animal human hybrids

  • @ghostmagus9694
    @ghostmagus9694 Před 4 lety +4

    now this. this is good

  • @theonlyfish1913
    @theonlyfish1913 Před 4 lety +4

    This.... This is beautiful.
    Thank you 💕

  • @williammurphy319
    @williammurphy319 Před 4 lety +1

    I absolutely love your video essays

  • @asterooyd
    @asterooyd Před 3 lety +1

    i really liked this video!! thank u for making it :D

  • @JeremyPickett
    @JeremyPickett Před 3 lety +1

    l was listeningtoTom Nichols, and when I heard you had videos about Bojack I inmediat/y subscribed. Excellent work my friend.

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 3 lety +1

      Thank you! :D

    • @JeremyPickett
      @JeremyPickett Před 3 lety +1

      @@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat TL:DR Thanks, Great Channel!
      I apologize for all the heinous spelling and grammar. I didn't have a keyboard so I was using writing->text letter, which failed spectacular. You video led me to ... my brain fails, the artist behind bojack ... so i checked out one of her talks. she explained she wasn't a digital artist and she would just create watercolors of her characters. And it floooored me. I went into bojack cold, not realizing at the time this was the most insiring tragedy ever written, and the Hook was the vague water color aesthetic. frankly I didn't know of anyone else that took the approach like i did. i mean, it was logical, but i'd never heard anyone *say* it.
      I really liked the way you approached the show. I am biased though, breakdown seems to aim straight for Free Churro, but the clincher in my opinion was View from Halfway Down. Yet another thing I didn't know anyone else experienced and it had a *name*. every character is just too good, and it effing shows it was driven by a woman with surrealist, literal, litoral sense of humor. and in that aspect it gives me, just another dude, hope. cause if someone else found creative satisfaction drawing cartoon chickens (i also draw cartoon chickens :D), it can work for all us creatives.
      and on that note i'll stop buggin' ya. i have a few more Ent sketches that aren't finishing themselves. cheers!

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 3 lety +1

      @@JeremyPickett Haha, good luck with the chickens! :D

  • @altayyuceturan335
    @altayyuceturan335 Před 4 lety +1

    I hope Lisa gets to see this video. Great work as usual

  • @ArthCinema
    @ArthCinema Před 4 lety +4

    Yasss! I was waiting for it xD

  • @sweetpeabee4983
    @sweetpeabee4983 Před 4 lety +2

    omg "why the long face"?! and he's a depressed horse!! Gah, see, that's the kind of insight I love so much in your videos. 💖

  • @mal9369
    @mal9369 Před 3 lety

    This was a really great video. I think part of the reason we use animals to represent ourselves is that we see so much of ourselves in them, in a large part because we arent so different from them. We like to think because of our brains, and technology, and society that we are no longer animals, but we still have thoughts and instincts that we cant help but feel, like fear and desire. We are still animals, and using them as a symbol for us let's us see past our own biases, to an extent

  • @anemicfiend
    @anemicfiend Před 4 lety +1

    I really feel like I learned something from this amazing video. Great work

  • @pavarottiaardvark3431
    @pavarottiaardvark3431 Před 4 lety +1

    Look youtube, you can't show me a video from one of my favourite channels about one of my favourite shows and NOT expect me to click on it.

  • @UnauthorisedService
    @UnauthorisedService Před 4 lety +2

    .. You talk so well ! Great subject ..thank you

  • @Insanabiliter_In_Linea
    @Insanabiliter_In_Linea Před 11 měsíci

    Bojack's a pretty good show, had a bit of an impact on me, I'd probably watch it again.

  • @csours
    @csours Před 4 lety

    Tuca and Bertie is soo good

  • @swalllowtail
    @swalllowtail Před 4 lety +1

    What an amazing video! Good job dude!

  • @sizdimitri
    @sizdimitri Před 3 měsíci

    Amazing analysis!

  • @jsmarch9022
    @jsmarch9022 Před 4 lety

    Oh god, my subconscious had taken years to surgically remove that scene of the fish turning human from my memory, but now it's all flooding back in

  • @valmakesvids3952
    @valmakesvids3952 Před 4 lety +1

    There are so many things I can say about your incredible introspection but I’m going to say that fish-human at the end of Help! I’m a Fish REALLY fucked me up

  • @jamshaidbaloch2349
    @jamshaidbaloch2349 Před 5 měsíci +1

    This video is perfect

  • @luisbaiz2373
    @luisbaiz2373 Před 4 lety

    Ok thank you for have this channnel

  • @Johnlindsey289
    @Johnlindsey289 Před 3 lety +1

    When you said some animal folk can be creepy in live action! The 1987 to 1990 Beauty and the Beast series, Star Trek movies and Doctor Who has well done live action animal people done right with make up effects and are believable unlike Cats movie and so on.

  • @dragonslayer101
    @dragonslayer101 Před 3 lety

    No matter how anxiety inducing Lisa's style is, her characters will always be human to me.

  • @Johnlindsey289
    @Johnlindsey289 Před 3 lety

    Very interesting, she is talented

  • @astcastle
    @astcastle Před 4 lety +6

    Hey Algorithm, I like this video and also WSGAT!

  • @mgmcdb7606
    @mgmcdb7606 Před 4 lety +1

    That was great. Thanks.

  • @yousuf1131
    @yousuf1131 Před 4 lety +1

    Excellent video! This was amazing, hopefully by now you must know that season 2 is actually coming and is gonna be on adult swim, are u excited for the show to be saved and for it to finally be coming back?

  • @PandaEff
    @PandaEff Před 4 lety +4

    Can someone tell me what the clip at 2:07 is from?

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 4 lety +6

      It's from Wicked City. Just realised I missed it in the credits D:

    • @PandaEff
      @PandaEff Před 4 lety +1

      @@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat thanks!

  • @edabakb
    @edabakb Před 4 lety

    Beautiful.

  • @henrikibsen6258
    @henrikibsen6258 Před 4 lety +1

    GREAT video. But just let me sit in a dark room for ten minutes and think about how simplicity can be non-reductive.

  • @171QA
    @171QA Před 4 lety

    Very thoughtful.

  • @annieburns3119
    @annieburns3119 Před 2 lety

    Good video!!

  • @thisboyjason
    @thisboyjason Před rokem

    Very good video

  • @stevenbrown1225
    @stevenbrown1225 Před 3 lety

    Be interested in your thoughts on Goodnight Pun Pun.

  • @Marlin123
    @Marlin123 Před 11 měsíci

    Didin't relate to the last bit, but that doesn't matter because isn't the point of art less what we put into it and more what we get out of it?

  • @Yensid951927
    @Yensid951927 Před 4 lety +2

    While I still don't feel like watching BoJack, I have the sudden urge to watch Tuca and Bertie.

  • @ghostlightning
    @ghostlightning Před 3 lety

    No Aggretsuko? Other Sanrio titles?

  • @camelopardalis84
    @camelopardalis84 Před 4 lety

    0:31 This looks like it could be from the first ever animated sex film.

  • @poeticalgore6500
    @poeticalgore6500 Před 4 lety

    watch Nekopara and Beastars and get ready to have your mind blown.

  • @meditalisoo7
    @meditalisoo7 Před 4 lety

    Where's the clip from 2:07 from?

  • @rauldjvp3053
    @rauldjvp3053 Před 4 lety

    Good video.

  • @camelopardalis84
    @camelopardalis84 Před 4 lety

    "Absurdism, anarchy and chaos" - Spoken like one of those many people who don't know what anarchism is.

    • @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat
      @WhatsSoGreatAboutThat  Před 4 lety +1

      I think what the mask became a symbol for is that very misrepresentation of anarchy. Anarchy in the popular consciousness sense, not true anarchism as a political movement.
      But basically I just wanted a third word...

    • @camelopardalis84
      @camelopardalis84 Před 4 lety

      @@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat I appreciate your reply. I felt a bit bad about writing my comment because I knew there was a chance that you had a more realistic understanding of anarchism. But I also knoew that that chance was a fairly slim one and given how I'd phrased my comment I decided neither to delete it nor to edit it. After all, I had only said that you'd *spoken like* one of those many people who don't know what anarchism is. And not acted (phrased my comment) as if it were absolutely clear to me that you didn't know what anarchism is. Sadly, I see people who generally either know what they're talking about (even when they talk about rather complex issues) or openly admit whenever they don't say things like "... but that would be flat out communism" in a way that makes it clear that they mistake communism for stalinism.
      I generally don't expect people to be able to succinctly define words like marxism or laisser-faire capitalism or liberalism (see, I also wanted to use a third word!) but I get annoyed / become disheartened when I see people with a (fairly) far reach use such terms incorrectly because it further contributes to the widespread misunderstanding of these terms.
      The last thing I'd like to say is that you could have phrased the "anarchism" thing differently but that I have my ideas as to why it could be that you didn't and understand those reasons.

  • @kimelmi1532
    @kimelmi1532 Před 2 lety

    Normand Rompré

  • @andyspoering6332
    @andyspoering6332 Před 4 lety

    What is that anime at 2:07? It looks wild

  • @OriginalJohnnyCage
    @OriginalJohnnyCage Před 3 lety +1

    We are all secretly furries lol

  • @sobeso
    @sobeso Před 4 lety

    Nice video, and yes it's creepy but mascots are creepier...

  • @torabisurandomT
    @torabisurandomT Před 4 lety +1

    : D ! < 3

  • @hiddenuser8755
    @hiddenuser8755 Před 3 lety +1

    *Laughing in furry*

  • @emmarose3421
    @emmarose3421 Před 4 lety

    bro please watch beastars

  • @rainworldfan7757
    @rainworldfan7757 Před 4 lety +1

    so, furries

  • @therupoe
    @therupoe Před 4 lety +1

    I found Bojack pretentious and, as someone who struggles with depressions, I couldn't enjoy a show that seemed to soak in it. I didn't like the main character either.