Video Brinquedo have been branded The Asylum of animation for good reason. Their output is consistently awful (though there is something compulsive about their bad quality, hence the curiosity value in keeping watching them), with the exact same flaws in everything they've done so far with no improvement whatsoever. Nothing of theirs is worthwhile though some are more intelligence-insulting than others.
Like 'A Lebre E A Tataruga', Video Brinquedo's version of 'The Tortoise and the Hare', 'A Cigarra E A Formiga' is one of their least bad. It is one of their shorter outings being only 25 minutes rather than just under three quarters of an hour, which is a blessing, and it is nowhere near as much of a shameless rip-off as with the case with their longer CGI features (considered among the worst animations ever for a very good reason).
It does have a redeeming quality, which is a music score that fits better than most of the music scores in their output and sounds pretty nice rather than sounding like it's cheaply recorded or belonging more in a video game or a fantasy-themed Bingo/slot game. It does try to teach some nice values too of friendship, not new territory and has been done much better before and since elsewhere but it does give a little heart.
Once again, however, it is hardly surprising that the animation is really not good at all in 'A Cigarra E A Formiga', in fact it's really quite bad if not quite one of the worst-looking of their output. Very stiff character designs, even flatter colours, static and less than fluid backgrounds and lots of times where it repeats itself shows a sign of sheer laziness than budget limitations. Seeing as films/shows/cartoons/episodes have done wonders with low budget before and since, the budget or lack of it is not an excuse.
Writing once again is appalling, and doesn't even have unintentional humour value, with clunky and draggy exposition and the irrelevant chatter and the more senselessly nonsensical parts give a real excessive long-winded quality. Adults will find it too juvenile and even kids will feel like it went well overboard trying to dumb down to them, and it did to me go a little heavy-handed on the messaging.
Regarding the story, for under half an hour this was a pretty dull and thin on the ground story that seldom properly comes to life.
Characters on top of being hideously animated are both bland and irritating. Neither titular character is interesting or likable. The voice acting is lifeless or unbearably obnoxious, like they didn't even try or even want to be there, it was almost like they were bribed or would do anything to get some quick cash.
All in all, Video Brinquedo have done worse but 'A Cigarra E A Formiga' still is not good. 2/10 Bethany Cox
Like 'A Lebre E A Tataruga', Video Brinquedo's version of 'The Tortoise and the Hare', 'A Cigarra E A Formiga' is one of their least bad. It is one of their shorter outings being only 25 minutes rather than just under three quarters of an hour, which is a blessing, and it is nowhere near as much of a shameless rip-off as with the case with their longer CGI features (considered among the worst animations ever for a very good reason).
It does have a redeeming quality, which is a music score that fits better than most of the music scores in their output and sounds pretty nice rather than sounding like it's cheaply recorded or belonging more in a video game or a fantasy-themed Bingo/slot game. It does try to teach some nice values too of friendship, not new territory and has been done much better before and since elsewhere but it does give a little heart.
Once again, however, it is hardly surprising that the animation is really not good at all in 'A Cigarra E A Formiga', in fact it's really quite bad if not quite one of the worst-looking of their output. Very stiff character designs, even flatter colours, static and less than fluid backgrounds and lots of times where it repeats itself shows a sign of sheer laziness than budget limitations. Seeing as films/shows/cartoons/episodes have done wonders with low budget before and since, the budget or lack of it is not an excuse.
Writing once again is appalling, and doesn't even have unintentional humour value, with clunky and draggy exposition and the irrelevant chatter and the more senselessly nonsensical parts give a real excessive long-winded quality. Adults will find it too juvenile and even kids will feel like it went well overboard trying to dumb down to them, and it did to me go a little heavy-handed on the messaging.
Regarding the story, for under half an hour this was a pretty dull and thin on the ground story that seldom properly comes to life.
Characters on top of being hideously animated are both bland and irritating. Neither titular character is interesting or likable. The voice acting is lifeless or unbearably obnoxious, like they didn't even try or even want to be there, it was almost like they were bribed or would do anything to get some quick cash.
All in all, Video Brinquedo have done worse but 'A Cigarra E A Formiga' still is not good. 2/10 Bethany Cox
