[Eric Johnson]

I liked the Dreamworks movie “Monsters vs. Aliens”

And not just for the giantess main character. It had nice homages to classic B-movie monsters, some clever humor (and some jokes that fell flat, but you win some, you lose some), and good message to the movie, without being overly saccharine about it.

I just saw the preview video for the upcoming “Monsters vs. Aliens” tv series on Nickelodeon, which I was looking forward to seeing carry forward the concept for the younger generation.

Okay, they made B.O.B. have a lot more focus. Sure, I kinda expected that. Appeal more to kids and all that. The silly, lovably stupid blob of gelatinous mass makes a better kids character than the more adult mad scientist, giant woman, or the getting-old fish-man.

But in three shots where she appears, Susan is normal human size. So, bye-bye Ginormica?

I’m guessing they found the mixed size character too difficult to draw in lots of scenes, so to make it easier on the animators, they either de-powered Susan, or made it where she only grows to giant size during outdoor fight scenes or something. This way she can walk around in the same shot as the rest of the characters, participate in indoor conversation scenes, etc.

Sadly, this kinda undermines the whole heroic choice Susan makes at the end of the MvA movie, choosing to remain a “Monster” for the good of her friends, for the good of the world, and to fight evil.

And symbolically, it seems like another case of taking a strong, empowered, physically capable female character, and “cutting her down to size” (pardon the completely appropriate pun). Maybe that’s just a bad first impression on my part, maybe I’m jumping to conclusions. But visual first impressions do count for something.

I guess I’ll see how they handle it in the cartoon itself. Maybe Susan will still kick-butt when it comes time to smash aliens, and she’ll be a good role-model for young girls. I hope so.

****

Edited on Addendum:

Okay, apparently, she’ll have the ability to grow and return to normal size.

Still…

I think that having her return to normal size most of the time kinda undoes a lot of her character arc, and undermines her heroic choice to decide to remain a “monster” for the sake of her friends and to defend her world. And to embrace her difference, and be empowered by it.

I’ve got no problem with giantess characters that grow and shrink repeatedly. But for this character… symbolically….seems a bad fit.

[AlexG]

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[Muscle Growth Nut]

There must have been a monkey’s paw nearby all those times I said MvA deserved its own series.

[ZZZ]

Someone found it on their site that she now has the ability to change size at will. So maybe it will be even better for those that enjoy the growing aspect?

[Lingster]

Shyeah!

Someone found it on their site that she now has the ability to change size at will. So maybe it will be even better for those that enjoy the growing aspect?

[johnny blaze]

it will be even better for those that enjoy the growing aspect????

[Author]

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