Monster | EPIC: The Musical Animatic 

My favorite part of the video is when Odysseus says "I'm the monster rawr rawr rawr", definitely one of my best looking shots right there

AHHHHHH THE HEADBAND SYMBOLISM!!!!! He no longer is going to greet the world with open arms like polities. This animatic was positively breathtaking you have so much talent. THE COLOR SYMBOLISM *chefs kiss*

Something I love, that is also reflected in the song, is that Polyphemus, Circe and Poseidon are depicted as tragic and/or ultimately kind-ish, while Odysseus is framed as this murderous specter of a person. Also, Odysseus just laying in a puddle is hilarious.

The fact he sees Telemachus as a baby because hasn’t seen him as an adult just make my soul hurt

The blind Polyphemus with his sheep and the broken glasses... I love this SO MUCH I'm going to blow up any second

"rawrr im a big bad monster rawrrr" - Odysseus

I love how you gave the “Monster” Odysseus’ helmet, to show that it’s a soldier and not a man. A monster hiding among mortals.

3:14 Penelope (Odysseus' subconscious) letting go of Polites' headband(?) or essentially letting go of his 'greet the world with open arms' ideology because he thought it was necessary so he can return home safely to his wife and son Thank you, gigi. I am now punching the wall and screaming in agony :'D

1. Polities's broken glasses😭 2. Love Ody making a deal with his dark half 3. The end with the pupils in the darkness, a very very nice touch

Penelope ripping away Odysseus' head band hits si much harder, especially coming from Penelope herself, one of the few things he's fightitng for. You're an absolute genius!!

I'm so glad the one-eyed tall solider (nicknamed X-Eye Guy) survived Circe. You have no idea how heavily I am invested in this one background character.

LOVE the fact that the “monster” he sees himself as is the same one that the infant would have turned into all the way back from “Just a Man”!! ❤❤❤

When he says "oh, ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" but it's the darkness deep down inside of him whispering things!! Oh my heart

Penelope stripping away Polites band, that final reminder to greet the world with kindness, had me sobbing. You're such an amazing artist!!

I might be a sensitive little weenie but the bit that got me was the cyclops nuzzling the sheep and smiling with his eye cut out and bodies around him-- owie

That entire sequence where Odysseus and the monster inside of him merge is insane. Those transitions? Those glitches? Those camera angles and shots?????

It makes me SO SAD but I love it SO MUCH when artists portray Odysseus wearing Politie's sash, but have him RIP IT OFF IN MONSTER. It has me foaming and sobbing on the ground, representing Odyssey's parting from humanity and truly becoming ruthless

MEANIE!!! You’re a big MEANIE! For making us wait THAT LONG

my favorite part is when he says "it's monstering time" and he monstered all of the threats. now seriously speaking, this is one of the greatest animatics of all time, and the way you captured the contrasts between emotions and the internal transformation of Odysseys was just perfect. Congratulations, i will show this video to all of my friends!

The visual of Penelope taking aways Polite's headband from Odysseus head because now he won't greet the world with open arms anymore because he HAS to go back to her no matter the cost is INSANE and I LOVE YOU FOR IT

Wow... I am absolutely gagged at what I have seen, first off the first moments of Odysseus walking about in shock and slight despair, the constant reflections of himself, then the colours darkening as he really starts to question himself, Polyphemus being first, him rubbing the sheep, Circe looking malicious at first, but then turning back to a past, more young version of her after a failure she could not stop. given her more depth, Poseidon being seen as someone who has to be respected, no matter the cost, then Odysseus seeing himself as nothing but a solider but then cutting back to his men, who wish the same goal as him, Home, Itacha, to their families, the "Monster" side coming from the ground and confronting him, I like to think it says "Oh ruthlessness is mercy upon our sails" , then passing by the people he has lost, Polities, who died beside him, Athena separating from him, his mother dying of grief and hopes to see her son again, the 500 men he has lost, the constant paddling he does when trying to run from Poseidon, then it coming back to when he dropped Hector's son, cutting back to the "monster", the final agreement that comes between them at the end, as it slowly takes a part of him, btw this sequence is absolutely beautiful 2:46 the countless cuts to the colour red does it for me, the reflections in the first few seconds now becoming the "monster", then it ending on the white eyes of it, as Odysseus comes in terms with it Just an absolutely amazing animatic at it's finest!

You captured this. No one managed to so completly capture his change AND BRO DARK ODYSSEUS CALL BACK WAS INSANE

That acceptance sequence was beautiful. I feel like it’s easy to go too far and make Odysseus look like a maniacal villain or edge lord, but it’s a perfect balance of inner conflict here imo

this is ALL gorgeously done but i'm SO enamored by 2:39 - 2:45, just the scene of Odysseus standing at the edge of the wall transitioning into his darker self holding out an open hand (perfectly conveying the release of his hand from dropping the infant too!!) and Odysseus then taking its hand--well. it's fucking INSANE and i LOVE IT SO MUCH. like hooooOoo my god

My favourite part is when Odysseus went with the Pam Pam 👏👏 and said: raw raw raw 🦖

genuine chills from this and also once again blown away by the fluidity of ur animations damnnnn (also penelope stroking odysseus' hair broke me my HEART)

This is very well made but also I can’t help but imagine the crew watching from the ship as Odysseus dances around singing his heart out with no music and non of the dramatic visuals

At 3:00 the way that Odysseus's hands look kind of black and watery reminds me of the way that you drew one of Poseidon's arms in the Ruthlessness animatic. The symbolism of this is like saying that Odysseus is kind of adopting Poseidon's mindset of ruthlessness, which he is. This probably isn't a design detail, but I just noticed it and thought it was cool. My favorite EPIC animatic yet! IT'S SO GOOD!!!!🤯🤯

HE'S BECOMING THE MONSTER 🐸🐸🐸

I love how you used the pause after the "and if I gotta drop another infant from a wall in an instant so we all dont die?" With odysseus holding the baby as he sings and during the silence it is the monster with his hand open. Amazing

omg i love this especially when he takes the hand of the “monster” and how the darkness goes over his hands to show the blood on his hands and the transitions are too gigi would’ve done it again!!

2:34 this whole animation sequence is INSANE . The camera work is just so good

Him shaking hands with the dark spirit thing and absorbing it is something I've envisioned since I heard this song. If I could draw, I'd do that, and I'm happy someone else thought of it

You’re a monster for making everyone wait two days for such an epic animatic. Can’t wait to see it.😊

I just imagine hades looking at oddyseus from his castle like: " What is this therapy session day or something? This is like the 559th person with a midlife crisis"

This was really good, you could tell the moment the shackles of restraint were cast off. He embraced the darkest parts of himself and felt like he could do anything, because there’s no point in holding back…

37 HOURS???.. You're evil, Gigi. I like that 👌🏻

I love how Odysseus just falls over into the water for his existential crisis, perfect. And the cyclops being so soft with his sheep, very adorable! And the whole end where he becomes the monster rawr rawr RAWR, it looks so awesome!

At 2:04 we can see this monster bending down almost in half and is about the size of Odysseus showing the monster is much taller than Odysseus which to me is giving Athena vibes especially with the helmet showing how the warrior of the mind ideology and the monster ideology are very close to being exactly the same.

WHEN SE RIPS AWAY POLITES' HEADBAND!!! OMG it's representing how he's given up on the ideals. it means that between "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" and "Greet the world with open arms", the former has won. I can't explain it, but i really want to see Polites shhow up again, just as a reminder or maybe a memory. I love this animatic so fricking much OMG

GOD. The expression work?? The pallete change???? EVERYTHING???? You've OUT DONE yourself

Holy. Moly. Where do I even start? Odysseus’s expressions are _everything._ It definitely gives off a vibe of “sleepless nights of regretting your past decisions”, which perfectly matches the themes of the song! I love the parts where the “monster” is reflected in the water _so much,_ because he’s literally _reflecting_ on where he’s gone wrong so far, and the second half of the song is how he’s gonna fix it so they can get home. Oh my *_gods,_* the black silhouette flashbacks had me *screaming.* Absolutely gorgeous! The fact that they’re outlined the same way as the reflections is really cool too, because he’s also reflecting on his encounters with the people he lists. And then the cut after each one to who those people really are, so cool! Although one detail I noticed in Poseidon’s is the shot of a bull being sacrificed when Odysseus says “Or does he keep us in check so we must respect him, and now no one dares to piss him off?” Is that a reference to how Minos intentionally sacrificed the wrong bull to Poseidon, leading Poseidon to curse Pasiphaë into creating the Minotaur? Because if so, that’s a really nice touch. The pan over everyone Ody has lost was also amazing! I really like your design of his mother, too! That final sequence where the “monster” becomes part of him absolutely took my breath away. One more small detail I noticed is that in some shots, the “monster’s” silhouette resembles Athena. I know that’s likely not intentional, but it makes me think about how the “monster” and the way of thinking it represents is what Athena originally wanted Odysseus to be. Absolutely incredible work, and well worth the April Fool’s prank! 😂

Definitely one of your best works gigi.....THE SMOOTHNESS, THE VISUALS, THE SYMBOLS, ITS IMMACULATE

Ooh shit, the part where the tone changes is sooo good truly .

I love the moment when he takes the shadow's hand: the weight and the almost liquid-like motion as it siphons into him. A+ work!

This is incredible. I love the visual of him giving himself up to the mindset of the soldier during battle, willing to do anything to win, even kill an infant, only to their collapse against Penelope's lap. It shows that he's willing to do it, he has to be the Soldier now, but he still lacks the strength to become the Monster fully.

HOLY SHIT seeing him merging with his dark half is INSANE well done!

Every animatic you made has so much little detail and your choreography is just stunning! Honestly the idea with the different versions of Polyemphus, Circe and Poseidon while Odysseus is pondering about them gave me shudders especially Circe crying. Please keep doing what you are doing :)

Fantastically well done! Absolutely love how "cinematic" your animatics are. They're always remarkably fluid. The scene where Odysseus accepts the shadowy figure was sick.

Ooooo!! Gigi, you've outdone yourself with "I am a monster rawr rawr rawr " so I'm EXTREMELY hyped for this ❤❤❤❤❤

Chills... LITERALLY CHILLS!!😳 That part when he's holding the baby and the horse's behind.... It took me out of breath!!

I love love LOVE the ending sequence! It actually took my breath away ;~; I love how he falls into Penelope's lap, there’s just something so gentle but desperate in the way you animated it, and how well it contrasts the more intense desperation in the sequence prior SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE THIS MAN A BREAK 😭

I love everything so much, oh god. POLITES’ HEADBAND, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU DID THERE.

2:43 - 3:36 - This whole section is so beautiful.

oh man. all the reflection work. when he shook hands with his other self and they were warping together. WHEN SHE PULLED OFF POLITIES' HEADBAND

OH MY GOODNESS. This is an amazing animatic, but that headband being pulled off BY PENELOPE HERSELF is amazing. It shows his deep desire to get home to his beloved and family *no matter the cost* and it is absolutely stunning. The deal with his darker side, that WHOLE sequence, was breathtaking. I'm in love!!

RAWR SHOULD I BECOME THE MONSTER 🦖🦖🦖 Edit: This really is my favorite Monster animatic now. You always have such a way with colors! (And those sheep were so cute, I would have killed for them as well)

I always love it when someone gives Ody’s men unique facial features. It’s always a treat to see recurring faces in Ody’s crew. 1:47 - Oh! So that’s why he has one eye. That’s such a cool detail!!!

The transition from the shadow dropping the baby to offering his hand was beautiful!

Oh my god, that scene where Odysseus fuses with the monster... The animation is a chef's kiss.

I nearly fell out of my seat seeing this premiere schedule pop up

i love how you did 2:44, just all the parts with his reflection honestly

idk the words for it, but the sketchy sort of way you drew the monsters making their breathing look so ragged was really fucking cool LOL they looked so ominous

This is not an animatic, rather it is a complete animation and one of the most beautiful and expressive that I have ever had the opportunity to see.

AWWW OMG I can't wait for this!! People are complaining about the wait but I'm just glad we have this talented artists making this content for us. Love you so much gigi! ❤

I deeply resonate with the part where Odysseus says, “I am the monster rawr rawr rawr”

This whole thing is absolutely fenomenal, but everything that comes after "then I'll become the monster" is PURE EPICNESS AAAAAH

i seriously love the design of the shadow of odysseyus especially when it merges with him

Gigi, you're a monster for making us wait for 2 whole damn days and then leave us like this! The scene of Penelope taking Polites' handband off of Odysseus because he's no longer accepts "Open arms"😭😭 (I knew you were gonna do something like that, but it hit) Besides, bringing back the shadow figure from your "Just a man" was brilliant💙

I just want to pay attention to the characters that appear in the background of the Odyssey song, because they are fantastically revealed to Gigi!! 1:19 How I love this shot! He sits quietly and looks at his furry friends, although in the meantime, next to them are the belongings of the dead soldiers of Odysseus (specifically Polit's glasses). And despite the fact that he no longer has an eye, he feels calm and knows that someone worse than him will avenge him. No one else is in terrible danger. 1:30 No matter what anyone says, Circe has the saddest story of why she attacked Odysseus. Because her nymphs were harmed and she herself, and of course Circe became much colder over time and stopped trusting the opposite sex (men) who sailed back to her island. She is more realistic with Cyclops, I can really sympathize with them, unlike Poseidon and others who harmed Odysseus and the team. 1:36 I ask the commentators who know the meaning of this scene to tell me who exactly Poseidon is killing and for what!! I will be incredibly grateful to you! 🕊️ 1:39 It hurt my heart after that moment, ay... Poseidon is the most soulless of all Odysseus' enemies, he is a god who killed before Odysseus, and will kill after. To rape, to offend, because he can just do it! It is impossible to sympathize with him, because he does not even avenge his son, if you refer to the lyrics of his song, he just takes revenge because he wants to. 3:16 My holy buns, Odysseus lost everything that Polite taught him. Literally everything and Penelope confirms it... Dear Gigi, thank you very much for the incredible animation, for the emotional scene at the very beginning, when Odysseus already lay down on a puddle and began to reflect on himself, his enemies and the "Monster"... I'm a monster, rav, rav, rav 💔

This is basically this musical's Defying Gravity

God! I love how you portrayed how he realize the 'monsters' he faced were doing it to protect others thus why have no guilt in killing their enemies. Like the Cyclops was even being gentle to his sheep because they ARE his friends and to him they killed his friend, Circe turned them into pigs to avoid any conflict at all to save the most people, and the God keeps them in line. Then himself he makes himself look so much more monsterous then them, SO GOOD!!!!

I want to download this directly onto my brain and watch it everyday. I know people say 'everyday' in a non-literal way, but I mean it. I would watch this everyday and still find new cool things you've done. Holy shit Gigi

Omg the shadows of Odysseus embracing the fact he needs to be a monster was well done

The visuals of Odysseus accepting himself as the monster gave me chills. Gigi, one of your best works, congratulations! 👏👏

Yes! I just saw this, and so far what I can say on. the first watch, is how PERFECT the colors work! They match the atmosphere of the music (if that makes sense) and just how absolutely superb the. art is! Also, still fan-girling over your Circe design! also not to mention the transitions and how SMOOTH they are!!! ✨

Beyond AMAZING, I love how it focused on odyessus reflecting in 6 before accepting his fate(animation is 🤌) and the reference of his helmet on being his "ruthless" self like in Just a Man. Penelope taking off polites's headband from him (his "kind" side) SO GOOD , but please don't forget to rest, trust me, we can all wait for another masterpiece. Just take care of yourself ❤

I'M INTERNALLY SCREAMING IT LOOKS SO COOL THE WATER BEING A CONSTANT REMINDER IF THE LESSON THAT POSEIDON TRIED TO GAVE HIM- My bro was so done that he stole his leimotif

Chills man actual chills when the beat dropped and he accepted in becoming the "Monster"

You captured his mental state so perfectly! The flash through everyone he lost to the "if I have to drop another infant from a wall" part gave me chills! it was so well captured! Amazing work!

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS ESPECIALLY ALL THE ANIMATION AND WHEN PENELOPE RIPS OFF THE BANDANA, THE KINDNESS THAT POLITES GAVE HIM, AND SHE TAKES IT AWAY FROM HIM LIKE DAMN YOU HAVE TO BE RUTHLESS!! AND THE SHADOW GUY LOOKING LIKE A WARRIOR FROM TROY, AADGHQJKA I LOVE THIS ANIMATIC SO MUCH (i also support the headcannon that in his brain, odyseus doesnt know what telemachus looks like so to him hes just a lil baby)

2 whole daysss nooo!!! I love your animation!! RAWR RAWR RAWHHHHH

I can’t believe they cut the beautiful “I am the monster rawr rawr” it truly showed Odysseus’s character arc in the best way. It’s a travesty that it was lost 😢

That one year wait of set up and payoff is absolutely stunning. Also, THE CAMRA MOVEMENT? It just feels so smooth and expressive at the same time. chefs kiss

Yes! I can't wait to see this! I absolutely love your version of Epic character designs!

The animation here is INSANE❤ I don’t know how to put this... It's just perfect. My favourite moments are on 0:59 where Odysseus lies in the puddle, idk it's very depressed; AND also on 3:07 where Odysseus lays his head on Penelope's knees HE'S SO WEAK AND ADORABLE PLEASE someone hug him and tell him that everything is going to be okay 😢 Oh wait there is one more - on 2:34 where Odysseus is rowing a boat, it is SO good and smooth yeah I think I can say that the whole animation is very VERY COOL 🎉🎉🎉 RAWR with love❤

The entire sequence from 2:34 is soo beautifully animated, the transitions are incredible, I love everything about it! Definitely my favorite animatic so far!

Okay that whole sequence where he spins around on the sails is just. WOW. Your animatics are always so astounding, they have this special charm about them that is just so undoubtedly yours. I'm in love. Also he's truly such a Disney princess, singing his heart out at his reflection in the water

Gigi!!! Oh my god!! You are absolutely insane and so so freaking talented. Ohhhhh myyyy gooddd!!! Woahhhh this is so coooollll. The last 45 seconds are just... so damn powerful! Arrggghhh

GIGI, THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY EPIC. I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT AND EVERYTHING YOU DID. REALLLYYY GREAT JOB. WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW OBSESSED I AM OVER THIS 🤯🤯🤯👍👍🫡🫡‼️‼️

OMGGGGG I LOVE WHEN HE SHAKES HIS SHADOW'S HAND AND BECOMES THE MONSTER

from how smooth your animatics are getting they are rapidly becoming more and more like pure animations, keep up the amazing work gigi!

This is legitimately amazing. It's an amazing realization of the song and everything I expected it to be and more. Honestly, if Jorge hasn't contacted you to help storyboard Epic's inevitable animated movie, idk what the hell he's thinking.

CAN’T WAIT - TWO DAYS - WHYYYY

Damn...rewatching it I love after the "monster" materialized he turns to look at it and his first line looking into his dark reflection is "if I became the monster to everyone but us, and made sure wed got home again who would care if were unjust" Not only is this him convincing himself to be more ruthless and uncaring but its also him making himself the promise that he doesn't care what happens between now and home as long as *he* can get there no matter the cost, I love the symbolism for this whole video XD

The transition to the handshake lives in my head rent free

I WAS THINKING HE SHOULD LOSE THE HEADBAND IN THIS BUT DAMM YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO RIP MY HEART OUT

GIGI, HOOOOOOLY CRAP! YOU SNAPPED SO HARD ON THIS ONE! The fuggin animations smoothness when he accepted becoming a monster?! Omg, so good! Gonna loop this 100x more AT LEAST

What I like about the Polythemus, Circe, Poseidon, and trojan parts is that first it looks like a more like an image than an animation, and then it switches to a softer animation style, showing that the images are just flawed depictions of those mythological beings, then the animation shows the true image of those beings. Nice detail!

i think i have a new favorite 'monster' animatic... omg! i love the handshake/tag with the shadow self, and how the shadow self sings the first "ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" -- all of this is so great!!!