History Has Its Eyes on You - Critical Role Animatic

MAJOR SPOILERS up to EPISODE 125
My love letter to the past 125 episodes of Critical Role, and one of its most complex characters, Essek Thelyss. This song just screamed Essek to me, and him singing it to the Nein??? Perfect. This labour of love really took over my life for the past 6 days just in time for episode 126 to hurt me all over again.
Thank you to the Crit Role cast and crew for giving us this amazing series to gush about!
(and especially Matt and Liam for all of the Shadowgast tension)
Music from Hamilton the Musical.

[@MonaBee]

Hey everyone!! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has watched and commented on this little animatic. I put my heart and soul into it at a time where my life was going through a lot of change (it still is but things will settle soon I hope) and it made me really happy to create it. I'm always floored to see how excited and emotional it has made others! Critical Role became a huge part of my life in 2020 as I'm sure it has for many others and this community is amazing! Keep being amazing, lovely people!🥰 and Is It Thursday Yet?🌟

[@fardareismai4495]

You did an absolutely fantastic job with this, the emotion is on point!! Thank you so much

[@Ando1428]

Your heart and soul put in work. It came out beautifully.

[@jacklarus]

The 'who lives/who dies/who tells your story' transition from Lucien to Molly and back to Lucien with the TT? Fucking incredible.

[@MonaBee]

Yay! Thank you it was suuuuch a fun scene to animate

[@Caitydid561]

I literally clutched at my heart at that transition.

[@katedelport6746]

Absolutely incredible! 'eyes on you' is a lot more sinister in this context 😅 Excellent song choice.

[@MonaBee]

It suits the Nein and their current arc very well indeed!

[@eule2585]

This one little picture of Molly just broke my heart

[@iwillcry]

Hamilton always gets the chills going but the way you timed some of the lines with the flashing red eyes and molly to lucien transition gave me extra goosebumps !!

[@MonaBee]

Thank you!! That was one of my favourite parts to animate!

[@iwillcry]

@@MonaBee this truly made me extra hype about this arc 😤👌🏻 hope to see more cr stuff from u!

[@kappaseatcukes]

I don’t know Hamilton (a travesty, yes), but this was a very good song to go with the visuals, which were subtle and meaningful. This is up there with My Friends in terms of rewatch ability. :D I love who Essek has become; he might just have been a slightly malevolent NPC for the Nein to deal with had they not been so interested in him from the gate. Now he’s a favorite! And a lesson that friendly, helpful, deep characters can’t have a little “Evil” in their chart. Who knows, maybe that will change in time; Caleb’s has. Bravo, excellent video. 🥲

[@MonaBee]

This means incredibly much because 'My Friends' is one of my favourite animatics! To be thought of in the same vein is amazing! I feel similarly about Essek - the M9 really changed his narrative the way they changed one another's. I can't wait to see where it goes!

[@alisadavies8943]

I always imagine this song being sung by Allura in campaign 1 in the run up to the battle with Thordak, as she had fought him before but this also works so fucking well!

[@MonaBee]

I can definitely see that! I don't know if you've watched 'Vox Machina, an Exandrian Musical' before but Allura's story arc in there aligns with that super well!

[@TheDangerNoodle]

The idea that Cognouza/The Somnovem are the concept of "History" is..terrifying.

[@maritajohnson9541]

This is so incredible, im just blown away as a Hamilton and Critrole fan.... Just wow

[@RuviGaPo]

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING OMGGGGGGGGGGG THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS

[@MonaBee]

EYYYYY THANK YOU! I feel the same about it😭😭

[@Velanaris]

The final drawing with the battle and the song ugh why am i crying

[@MonaBee]

So many scenes of this ended up predicting things and I was super proud🤣 but the tombtakers are now just the 2ombtakers so the ending of this is a little incorrect

[@Velanaris]

@@MonaBee Let this be a reminder that the real value in this whole endeavor are the tombtakers we killed along the way

[@MonaBee]

@@Velanaris I totally agree!

[@misternobody4535]

I love you for this! I love Critical Role, Essek and Hamilton and now they are fused in a beautiful animatic! This is amazing!

[@MonaBee]

Thank you!!! I feel exactly the same way about all three!

[@valois6846]

This hits so differently now that Campaign 2 has ended.

[@justshane9027]

This is excellent especially since this was made before ep130 kinda genius foresight given what's transpired. Great work!

[@MonaBee]

It was made after! I am a twitch sub so I watch the VOD as soon as I wake up on Friday mornings🤣🤣

[@justshane9027]

@@MonaBee lol well now I feel stupid. Nonetheless excellent work got me hype for the ep131 :)

[@MonaBee]

@@justshane9027 actually no I'm the stupid one you were correct. I mixed up animatics 😅😅😅 apologies! And yes! Its amazing how things ended up lining up like they did unknowingly

[@justshane9027]

@@MonaBee lol no worries

[@lakerose]

With all the dooming and goodbyes in the recent episode this feels even more precient - the yasha with the sword bit gets me every time, go and prove yourself yasha!! Greatness lies in you!

[@MonaBee]

Right?? Every time we get closer to Eisselcross its even better to rewatch for me 🥺

[@hphannah]

Holyyy asfdgdf!! CHILLS! Chills everywhere!!!

[@frogdotpngg]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW I LOVE THIS

[@MonaBee]

Thank you!!! I do too🤗🤗

[@matthewmccann-willis162]

This is the perfect anthem for this point in the campaign.

[@Thkya]

Oh wow, the yt algorithm decided to throw this at me today and I love it SO MUCH. Absolutely amazing use of the lyrics, fantastic timing, beautiful evocative art style - thank you so much for sharing this

[@patrickmiller7399]

My dude(gn), that was amazing. The call backs, the intense moments, and the finale uh I can't even describe how amazing you did. Please put more stuff out

[@no_clue_.]

holy crud this is amazing! loved the frames of the people close to the m9 fading away

[@CavishBeka]

This made me cry.

[@MLJ___]

man i got chills

[@jorgeianfernandez9885]

Wasnt the cast talking about how they wanted Lin manuel as a guest on CR or a VA on the legend of VM

[@MonaBee]

I have no idea but that would be SO AWESOME if they did!

[@runicdreamer]

I loved the "Who lives, who dies, who tells your story" transition! Great song choice and beautiful animatic

[@sleeplessgames1677]

*Molly shows up at "who dies"* Me: _Why do you hurt me in this way?_

[@jenniisthewriter]

I wasn't sure if this would fit the story, but this was really cool! My favorite thing about this is that unlike VM, most of the world doesn't know what the M9 did. No one saw what happened, but because of the few who do know like Beau and Allura we can reasonably assume that their actions will enter the historical record of Exandria and become more widespread over time. History is the ONLY one with its eyes on the M9 and their heroics. The present is blind to their salvation. Only in the future will history's observation of them be recognized.

[@MonaBee]

This is such a fantastic interpretation! I wholly agree. It is the impact of their choices that history will feel echo!

[@mazie1874]

Amazing. This is just amazing.

[@MonaBee]

Thank you!!! It was effort well worth it

[@AraiaHikari]

Oof this song is SO fitting for the M9 campaign though like wow

[@fivix4459]

Absolutely amazing.

[@alenavakh1940]

Wow! That moment with Molly gives me cheels - it's incredeble, i love it.

[@katelyn980]

That was beautifully haunting. Loved it

[@HunterPanoch]

This is SO GOOD I had to re-search it to put it in my favorites playlist!

[@CrowsFable]

Yes.

[@annikabunnel743]

I HAVE ACTUAL GOOSE BUMPS THIS IS AMAZING

[@djwriter3497]

I don't feel like enough people are talking about your versions of the cast! Stellar job!

[@MonaBee]

Thank you!

[@thefallencat2080]

Beautiful, simply stunning. Thought this was gonna simply be a video about essek, but you managed to include everyone else as well. We're all living the same story, just as different characters after all.

[@SeerOfTime577]

Beautiful....

[@secluded_artist1527]

Ooooooo chills!!!

[@s_grib]

Oh that was brilliant!!

[@MonaBee]

Thank you!! It was a wonderful project to complete 😊

[@bdletoast09]

Well done for the music choice, very appropriated.

[@harveyy8387]

This was amazing thank you for this 😭😭

[@LUCA_G22]

Hurrah to the Mighty Nien. The heroes of Exandria that nobody knew.

[@austinclark3495]

holy SH** that who lives/who dies/who tells your story and the way you tied the eyes to the song. absolutely incredible!

[@journeysharp7130]

THIS IS AMAZING OMG???

[@micahgarcia2280]

Dude this is so under rated wow!

[@ellisk8139]

This is so incredible!! I got actual chills, wow. I just love the transitions, the facial expressions, the layers of character work that's happening. I'm so impressed.

[@MonaBee]

Thank you!! It was a passion project 🌟🌟

[@kellycoons9808]

The usage of these eyes is excellent here!

[@Rhian370]

This was wonderful!

[@Pr1nc3_R3my]

I'm crying. Thank you for this masterpiece.

[@Madi2theMax]

This has literally everything!!!!! A+ well done

[@musical__turtles]

Omg you’re Caleb is soooo pretty I love it! especially at 0:22

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

The further we progress, the more relevant this animatic becomes...

[@rochelleibarra5177]

Excellently done! Love how you told the story in this!

[@GracetheYounger]

YOOOOOO THIS GOES SO HARD 🥹

[@nikivee2154]

This is so amazing!! I love it so much!

[@sivsi6598]

Holy shit this is such a gorgeous animatic! ;0;

[@imperator_productions]

I was wondering if Essik and Caleb might have a Burr and Hamilton friendship. Essik is certainly more like Burr: always waiting for it. . . . Now I'm trying to alt-cast the musical with M9 characters... Caleb: Hamilton; Beau: Lafayette; Jester: the Schuyler sisters; Nott/Veth: Mulligan; Yasha: Laurens; Fjord: Washington? Caduceus: Madison?

[@MonaBee]

I haven't watched the entire musical myself but from what I do know I like your choices! Esp Caleb, Jester and Fjord!

[@Eszra]

Was that Vox Machina at the end?! BrillIant!

[@MonaBee]

It was the Tomb Takers! But a VM cameo would have been really cool

[@Eszra]

@@MonaBee it looks so much like them. Please the song makes you think its them.