Groctor Gruff

Groctor Gruff's Stupid Life · 11:30 PM

I picked this movie because it has always been one of my favorites. The whole series is great, however I feel the debut was the best of them. The thick accent and great voice acting Apfigur gives to all the characters is I think what really makes the movie, but every other aspect, animation, scenery, story, all contribute highly to the overall silly charm of the thing. And of course the eclectic music absolutely sets the tone for the atmosphere, being so innocent and "nice." I feel that if there were an ideal type of movie, based on the look of the actors and 3dmm's tools, this would be it.

I think this is one of the few silliness-focused, "random" movies that doesn't seem heavy-handed. It doesn't seem like it's fishing for laughs, but rather that's just the nature of the universe in Apfigur's series. Certainly one of the most original movies this community has ever spawned.

Vimeo provided by Aaron:

Video download (22mb)

Martin Vu · 10-19-2011, 04:43 AM

I remember this! HAHAHA

Oh thanks for the upload.

Pankrial Steve · 10-20-2011, 11:08 AM

Interesting choice. This wasn't something I've seen before but I enjoyed it. Hilarious voice acting (is that swedish?), good use of 3dmm sound effects and music and decent scene compositions. It got a little tedious at times between jokes, especially the "what did he say?" but all in all not a bad watch.

Aaron Haynes · 10-20-2011, 11:29 AM

By chance I had captured Digouts shortly before this and there's a lot of similarities. Apfigur's approach is less punchline-oriented and missing the really wacky moments....which has the effect of making it feel even stranger.

It's kind of like the creator of a beloved children's show (e.g. Blue's Clues) hit his head really hard and for some reason they let him keep making it. It feels like it was made for demented children (as the 3dmm community of 2003, we sort of qualified). Everything revolves around the weird internal logic of the characters' personalities, like Groctor Gruff and Gregor not giving Little Python a chance to order food, or all of them forgetting about Mr. Mysko's threat and going to have a party instead. Also the way Gregor and Little Python seem to have been part of a mind-switching experiment, though the movie just kind of takes that in stride.

It's a really bizarre film, but I agree, done better than movies of this type almost always are. It's actually weird rather than trying to be weird, and has Apfigur's trademark demented earnestness that continues to get stranger because there's no apparent punchline (The Contest ratchets this effect up to 11). You're waiting for something macabre and it just never comes, which is somehow even funnier.

Breed · 10-21-2011, 08:42 PM

I have no idea what I just watched. But it was freaking hilarious. Little Python and the old dude were awesome. I hadn't seen it till just now and. Yeah, it's awesome. It's oddly and bizarrely coherent for such a twisted film. I'll definitely be watching this again sometime!

Pogo · 10-21-2011, 08:43 PM

The key to a believable and engaging world is, strangely enough, less about believability and more about internal consistency. That's why we have no problem with Superman having flight and heat vision, but everyone freaks out when he starts throwing around Memory Kisses and Rebuild The Great Wall Of China Vision.

Gr. Gruff is pretty much the same principle. As random and insane as it is, there's a working internal logic which actually works out great. People eat rats in restauraunts and babies and old men have their voices swapped over, and it just makes sense because that's the reality Gr. Gruff lives in. The humour never seems forced. It just.....kind of happens....just because, and it all just comes together stupidly well.

Bjorny · 10-22-2011, 04:04 PM

haha, just rewatched this and I love how the villain never poses a real threat to the main characters. you understand that he is the villain but he never really does anything, until in the end...

the "he said..." parts are also really funny!

Phil Williamson · 10-29-2011, 10:55 PM

This movie didn't work for me at all. I had never seen it either, but as a big fan of The Contest I had high hopes. I just didn't see the same redeeming factors as a lot of you did regarding the "random" humor. I didn't feel that there was any real cohesion between the various gags, and none of them were funny enough to work on their own. The best parts, in my mind, were some of the goofy background images, like a portrait of Gregory's head, little things like that, which in a better movie could have been nice subtle touches but here were practically just on their own. I liked a few moments, like the giant Bongo and the restaurant menu, but almost everything else fell flat for me.

I also didn't think much of the voice acting. For one, the recording quality was awful, and just in general it seemed too...strained.

I can see how this has the same underlying humor as The Contest, what Aaron calls the "demented earnestness," but in this case it was just applied to completely the wrong sort of material - goofy sight gags and such. Frankly I just found this tedious and only amusing in a very few places. The Contest is a much more mature work

Aaron Haynes · 10-29-2011, 11:37 PM

I'm not sure where maturity or refinement or anything like that enters into this style, though. It's way out in the weeds, and it lives or dies based on whether you follow it out there. "Here is this world," it says. "No thanks," you say. No adjustments are gonna make that more appealing if it doesn't already click.

The Contest is one plot idea, and it's like 90 seconds long. I don't think that reflects its maturity, just a different goal.

Phil Williamson · 10-29-2011, 11:40 PM

geez aaron don't you know what

means, I was KIDDING. obviously the contest is not "mature" in any meaningful sense.

but yeah, I agree, with a movie like this, everything hinges on it being able to draw you in. I was not drawn in. just didn't really have much to say beyond that, which is why I didn't review it.

Aaron Haynes · 10-29-2011, 11:49 PM

can mean anything! I've seen it used to indicate utter disdain for the person it was addressed to. Which was awesome.

I took your use of mature to mean the two movies had the same goal and The Contest did it significantly better, not that it was a refined and sophisticated. They are similar in tone, but seem to have different goals

And yeah, movies like this kind of defy further analysis. They are fun or not fun.

10-19-2011, 04:43 AM	#2
Martin Vu Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 167	I remember this! HAHAHA Oh thanks for the upload.
Martin Vu Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 167

10-21-2011, 08:42 PM	#5
Breed Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 7,768	I have no idea what I just watched. But it was freaking hilarious. Little Python and the old dude were awesome. I hadn't seen it till just now and. Yeah, it's awesome. It's oddly and bizarrely coherent for such a twisted film. I'll definitely be watching this again sometime!
Breed Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 7,768

10-21-2011, 08:43 PM	#6
Pogo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,228	The key to a believable and engaging world is, strangely enough, less about believability and more about internal consistency. That's why we have no problem with Superman having flight and heat vision, but everyone freaks out when he starts throwing around Memory Kisses and Rebuild The Great Wall Of China Vision. Gr. Gruff is pretty much the same principle. As random and insane as it is, there's a working internal logic which actually works out great. People eat rats in restauraunts and babies and old men have their voices swapped over, and it just makes sense because that's the reality Gr. Gruff lives in. The humour never seems forced. It just.....kind of happens....just because, and it all just comes together stupidly well.
Pogo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,228

10-22-2011, 04:04 PM	#7
Bjorny Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 7,217	haha, just rewatched this and I love how the villain never poses a real threat to the main characters. you understand that he is the villain but he never really does anything, until in the end... the "he said..." parts are also really funny!
Bjorny Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 7,217

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10-20-2011, 11:08 AM	#3
Pankrial Steve Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 258	Interesting choice. This wasn't something I've seen before but I enjoyed it. Hilarious voice acting (is that swedish?), good use of 3dmm sound effects and music and decent scene compositions. It got a little tedious at times between jokes, especially the "what did he say?" but all in all not a bad watch.

10-20-2011, 11:29 AM	#4
Aaron Haynes Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 15,125	By chance I had captured Digouts shortly before this and there's a lot of similarities. Apfigur's approach is less punchline-oriented and missing the really wacky moments....which has the effect of making it feel even stranger. It's kind of like the creator of a beloved children's show (e.g. Blue's Clues) hit his head really hard and for some reason they let him keep making it. It feels like it was made for demented children (as the 3dmm community of 2003, we sort of qualified). Everything revolves around the weird internal logic of the characters' personalities, like Groctor Gruff and Gregor not giving Little Python a chance to order food, or all of them forgetting about Mr. Mysko's threat and going to have a party instead. Also the way Gregor and Little Python seem to have been part of a mind-switching experiment, though the movie just kind of takes that in stride. It's a really bizarre film, but I agree, done better than movies of this type almost always are. It's actually weird rather than trying to be weird, and has Apfigur's trademark demented earnestness that continues to get stranger because there's no apparent punchline (The Contest ratchets this effect up to 11). You're waiting for something macabre and it just never comes, which is somehow even funnier.

10-29-2011, 10:55 PM	#8
Phil Williamson Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 16,900	This movie didn't work for me at all. I had never seen it either, but as a big fan of The Contest I had high hopes. I just didn't see the same redeeming factors as a lot of you did regarding the "random" humor. I didn't feel that there was any real cohesion between the various gags, and none of them were funny enough to work on their own. The best parts, in my mind, were some of the goofy background images, like a portrait of Gregory's head, little things like that, which in a better movie could have been nice subtle touches but here were practically just on their own. I liked a few moments, like the giant Bongo and the restaurant menu, but almost everything else fell flat for me. I also didn't think much of the voice acting. For one, the recording quality was awful, and just in general it seemed too...strained. I can see how this has the same underlying humor as The Contest, what Aaron calls the "demented earnestness," but in this case it was just applied to completely the wrong sort of material - goofy sight gags and such. Frankly I just found this tedious and only amusing in a very few places. The Contest is a much more mature work

10-29-2011, 11:37 PM	#9
Aaron Haynes Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 15,125	I'm not sure where maturity or refinement or anything like that enters into this style, though. It's way out in the weeds, and it lives or dies based on whether you follow it out there. "Here is this world," it says. "No thanks," you say. No adjustments are gonna make that more appealing if it doesn't already click. The Contest is one plot idea, and it's like 90 seconds long. I don't think that reflects its maturity, just a different goal.

10-29-2011, 11:40 PM	#10
Phil Williamson Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 16,900	geez aaron don't you know what means, I was KIDDING. obviously the contest is not "mature" in any meaningful sense. but yeah, I agree, with a movie like this, everything hinges on it being able to draw you in. I was not drawn in. just didn't really have much to say beyond that, which is why I didn't review it.

10-29-2011, 11:49 PM	#11
Aaron Haynes Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 15,125	can mean anything! I've seen it used to indicate utter disdain for the person it was addressed to. Which was awesome. I took your use of mature to mean the two movies had the same goal and The Contest did it significantly better, not that it was a refined and sophisticated. They are similar in tone, but seem to have different goals And yeah, movies like this kind of defy further analysis. They are fun or not fun.