Let's see how far we've come - a taz animatic

[@thedocblock6421]

"I guess the real The Adventure Zone was the friends we made along the way"

[@FrequentFlyer815]

No. I want my fucking gold.

[@youdoyouidome7452]

I love this comment btw

[@MidoriTheAwesome]

Stuff like this just makes me realize how insane of a thing TAZ is. The way that the McElroys came together and collaboratively made one of the greatest stories I've ever experienced... I hope more stuff like this happens in the future. Amazing art by the way, it really pulled back all of the emotions I had while listening to this podcast. The emotions you showed in the characters and the scenes that you chose were perfect...good fucking job

[@evaninstinct1165]

agreed.

[@mothmansapprentice]

I wholeheartedly agree

[@scotty2hotty232]

I listened to amnesty first I never thought anything would make me cry as hard as Ned dieing. Then I listened to them forgetting. The fact that they can keep making these stories is nothing short of a miracle and aren’t we lucky to have it.

[@weepingwalnut]

What I love the most about it is the fact that they made so many jokes that later *actually* effected the overall story.

[@Duck-mn8xp]

@@weepingwalnut yeah! “Davenport is a Pokémon” oof, that one hits way harder now. Barry Blue Jeans’s death... ummmm

[@magpie8351]

My favorite part of this remains the expression of glee on Upsy as he Y E E T S the shadow into the stratosphere

[@AntProxy]

Upsy is a terrifying abomination and I love them

[@murmurgamy]

i know it sounds fake when you read "i'm crying" but literally i'm a snotty tearful mess after this master piece!!!!!!!!!!! i LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS and you illustrated their good n bad moments perfectly!!! magnus strumming the guitar was a golden nugget and i loved this video to bits, thank you so much

[@fuckwit107]

The part where Magnus hugs Lucretia always gets me

[@ataruDev]

"I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world" God, just everything about this video hit me super hard. I ended 2019 in the hospital with a broken lung from an awful car crash. And then 2020 happened. I listened to the podcast through the year and it's given me hope and joy, but one of my most important friends, who inspired me to get into the show, just isn't in my life anymore, and it's probably my fault. I can't talk to her about how much she meant to me and how much this show means to me and there's just so much happiness and so much hurt and so much emotion. Thank you.

[@creditroll176]

you should try reconnecting with her!

[@Dingopaws]

Hey you made me cry in the most Devine way thank you for this gift. Edit: The art style is memorable and dynamic, the movement is extremely pleasing to the eye- and the nostalgic choice of song wraps the whole thing up in a smooth, wondrous, tearjerker. I usually avoid emotional fanpieces after i finish content, due to penchant for mising the characters, but i simply adore this. Well done.

[@alessallie]

Dude, this made me so emotional. The sheer amount of love and work put into this just pours out, every frame is so wonderfully made it's insane. Thank you so much for making this, I loved every single second.

[@radioactiveferrets]

Magnus giving Grandpa's Knife to Angus and then hugging him made me lose it.

[@bgradehorror]

Oofa doofa this made me cry all over again goodness this is absolutely perfect

[@zoroarkking18]

I see you've started saying "oofa doofa" in your personal life since hearing Griffin say it exactly once as well, huh?

[@bgradehorror]

Walrus The Tree I swear I have a whole new vocabulary thanks to the Mcelboys and I'm not sure how to feel about it

[@Rose21307]

oh my gosh taz balance has been over for like w e e k s (months i think??) now and yet this 3 and a half minute animatic has me crying about it all over again jfc 10000/10 would definitely recommend very good

[@amclark8225]

Dude it’s been 4 years and I’m still crying at this video- the end shot had no right to hit that hard

[@atlas5335]

i was like "ah this is nice" then it turned into "god taz means so much to me i'm sobbing"

[@libertystudios1841]

God the part with Pan, Troph, Joaquin, Roswell, Garfield, and the Bear made me cry qwq I love this podcast

[@ZekromAndYugiAndDrago123]

"Say your goodbyes if you got someone you can say goodbye to" over Magnus with Fisher who he just remembered he had a strong connection with as he leaves YOU MONSTER

[@Logan-tinyplanetss]

not gonna lie, i cried at the end because i love the story, because i used to watch so many videos to this song that i loved dearly, and because this was so fantastically executed youve done an amazing job. thank you

[@taylorferguson7589]

I saw that this was finished and literally immediately texted my friend screaming about it and long story short we’re both dropping everything we were doing and watching this now Update: we finished watching it and are now screaming incoherently about how much we love this and how emotional it made us

[@sumomo2236]

I have watched this, I don't know, maybe a hundred times now. The music, the progressing scenes, all those little call-outs to all the important part. XD I adore the image of Roswell bird flying along with the purple worm. And the image of their ship flying so smoothly is one etched in my mind. This is beyond doubt one (if not THE) best thing to happen to this fandom. ^_^ Thank you so much for taking the time to make this masterpiece. XD

[@goten3268]

if you want to cry look a the last frame

[@shyguypro9876]

Not only is this an amazing TAZ animatic, it also answers the question of what song I would want blaring over loudspeakers if I had to die fighting a swarm of zombies as a distraction so my loved ones could make it to the extraction site.

[@Tildealexandra]

AAAAAAAAAAA THIS CAME OUT SO FRIGGING AWESOME I GOT SO MANY GOOSE-BUMPS AT THE END AAH FANTASTIC WORK DUDE!!! NOW IMMA GO CRY IN A CORNER

[@noddaduck2605]

Amnesty completed it’s characters stories, Graduation gave it’s entire world a new beginning. But only Balance really turned the power of people meaning things to people into a literal final battle power up. And it was beautiful.

[@aldenstarks3438]

the fact that these three goofy brothers and their dad have made this and have this amazing fan base and not even mentioning how many lives have been saved by them its just the greatest podcast i can think of

[@murmurgamy]

hey just saying but i still cry everytime i watch this which is oh.... over 2 times a week. the pacing is SO good, their faces are SO good... christ

[@KitAF]

chills. the first animatic to properly give me chills. I am going to cry cool cool cool

[@Ladygrev]

GAH watching this was like reliving the whole last arc again in the BEST way.

[@wittymcnugget7108]

the unfinished version meant a whole lot to me, so seeing it in its full glory - i really appreciate all your hard work! Thank you for sharing this, i think this is my favorite taz content.

[@childofthemoss]

This is FANTASTIC!!!! IM REALLY PROUD OF YOU FOR FINISHING THIS BECAUSE IT CAN BE SUPER HARD TO STAY COMMITTED TO A PROJECT LIKE THIS. Seriously, this is phenomenal. All of your content is the bomb, and I LOVE IT A LOT AAAA. Thanks for sending me on an emotional spiral.

[@clecanadalawexplained6330]

This animatic really captures the sense that of community and friendship so central to the Adventure Zone. I love it.

[@Ecto-Punk-Art]

I'M NOT CRYING! YOUR CRYING!

[@mrjmortimer8822]

YEAH I AM

[@somescrub8951]

Nikki Steen what about my crying

[@drgreen-fu9zc]

I no

[@statichours]

@@mrjmortimer8822 correction, we're BOTH crying

[@nightsocoolioyep7663]

I just finished Balance not even an hour ago and I was saving this for after, I almost cried watching this, its beautiful

[@lucylaybourn4975]

Wow I think this just jumped up the ranking to be my favorite TAZ animatic of all time.... the characters, the timing, the song 👌👌👌

[@thecarrotclarinet]

THIS IS VERY GOOD THANK YIU SO MUCH FOR FINISHING IT!!!

[@Yackronin]

The Carrot Clarinet from a homestuck song to a tan song

[@mirasollie7823]

Rewatching this after two years, I still get chills from the quick succession of epilogue scenes, especially when it ends with Magnus and Julia

[@zolaliz4000]

I am blown away with the style and the set up and it’s perfect and it captures the spirit of the finale and balance perfectly I just,, have been playing this on loop for days since I’ve finished and I just adore everything about this animatic

[@Diam0nade]

This brought me to tears all over again. This is beyond amazing and your hard work shined through every frame. You Are Incredible!!!

[@comacronyc]

OOF HEY THIS SONG JUST MEANS A LOT TO ME AND SEEING YOU FINISH THIS MADE ME SO HAPPY IM CRYIN G??¿¿?? EVERYTHING IN THIS IS SO GOOD I LOVE THIS A LOT

[@wrenjamin]

My glob. First TAZ animatic I've ever cried for. This is truly beautiful and the music fits this campaign so well. Thanks for giving me this wonderful gift.

[@katie478]

I just finished listening to the last episode today. This is such brilliant and beautiful animatic, its an amazing depiction of the finale :D

[@mangooospagetti5879]

Goddamnit! I promised myself I wouldn’t cry at anymore taz finale animatics!

[@catmonkshiro]

god this was such a great story.... i never tire of this little animatic :) it really did a great job of recapturing a lot of those pivotal moments in the story. While i have enjoyed the other TAZ storylines. each bringing their own flare and flavor to the worlds they bring to us, Taz: Balance is still my favorite and essentially the one that started it all :D Thank you for sharing this :)

[@edwinpoole257]

SO AMAZING. Literally crying at how well you nailed this.

[@runedragon1985]

I've heard rumors flying round that TAZ is getting an animated series probably next year, or year after, and I genuinely hope it carries the same magnificent emotional weight. Because it's just so damn good!

[@faunina669]

safe to say that i already cried like ten buckets of tears over the first unfinished video and like maybe another uuuhhhh _50_ or so over this one so. thank you SM. i owe you my life

[@Bookworm676645]

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH I AM FILLED WITH SO MANY EMOTIONS THANK YOU THIS IS SO GOOD AAAAA

[@idiocide5604]

I cry every single time I watch this. Without fail. No matter how long it's been, how often I see it, this always makes me tear up. Kudos to you for capturing the emotions of the finale so perfectly, and kudos to the McElroys for making such a timeless story.

[@peteyholman-hebert2953]

i watched this twice, the first time was for the sake of it, the second was to pause every half a second and enjoy the artwork and the memory of listening to that bit of the show.

[@littlemisslizilon]

it’s been years since I’ve engaged with any McElroy properties, but I still think of this animatic every time I hear this song. powerful storytelling by both this animator & Griffin (and, to a lesser extent, Rob Thomas lol)

[@Myce_Mycologic]

im not crying you are

[@con9734]

HERE I AM AGAIN, SOBBING HARDER THAN THE FIRST TIME you really. really got me with this one. god it's beautiful and exciting and fun and sweet and inspiring to watch this, thank you so much

[@amycraig4024]

The "I believe the world " synced up to the judges is SO GOOD

[@Kat-zc2oi]

I'M ACTUALLY CRYING THIS WAS SO GOOD (like the timing? the art style? the movement? the structure? the emotion? the song choice? Everything? flawless.)

[@pinkjaguar12]

so i think i've watched this like 5 billion times at this point and every single time i get chills. especially during that Magnus scene when he's in the Voidfish's chambers. just everything about this is just so darn good.

[@TheSkullFrost]

This animatic is just paced so perfectly both to the beats of the story and the progression of the song. It's a thing of beauty and I still cry everytime I watch it :)

[@lilyp8448]

I’m SOBBING

[@malakaiauden9029]

me, crying hysterically: GO YOU FUNKY LIL DUDES

[@andreaescobedo7926]

I can't imagine what someone who hasn't listened to Taz Balance could be thinking while watching this

[@LenaBarsky]

Hi there OP. I just want to let you know, I listened to TAZ Balance as it was coming out and cried my way through the finale… and then cried my way through this video when you originally posted it. I return to it every few months and cry all over again. Thank you for making such a beautiful piece of art. It has deep meaning for me after all these years. 💜💜💜

[@squib3825]

literally. i listened to taz for the first time 3 years ago and now, all these years later, a 3 minute animation i've seen a million times already can make me cry the same as i did the day i finished it. that is to say, great job on this.

[@thankyoulovely8281]

Every now and then I come back and watch this, and it still makes me cry. It's just so, so good, and this silly podcast legitimately changed my life. This is such a lovely, succinct little punctuation mark at the end of it all.

[@layniiicakes1643]

I watched the unfinished version of this yesterday only to find it finished today!!!! What a pleasant surprise! This is so well made and the song fits to a t. Your style is so expressive and perfect for taz,, I LOVE how you draw lup btw!!

[@Avafaid]

This is churning up some serious emotions, bravo

[@katelynrose1554]

Watching this again while I’m Relistening to taz balance makes me cry. It’s such an amazing story and this animation is so wonderful.

[@dogstoof2145]

You are an amazing person and this just makes me so happy because it commemorates all their hard work and fun and I just I'm tearing you you absolute blessing, have a bloody wonderful day, you just made mine :')

[@YeetSpace]

here is my weekly contribution to this amazing video

[@YeetSpace]

Here I am again

[@YeetSpace]

Well would you look at that

[@leynieraragon9417]

I listen to this song and watch this video every time i need a reminder of what TAZ was all about. While I first got into DND cause of Critical Role, it was TAZ and these dumb loveable brothers that really brought the game and story to life. I think you did a great job, you have an awesome vision and man. . .I've teared up too many times watching this. Im glad I've been rewatching it so I can catch the finished product.

[@JVarley9001]

Sometimes I forget how much the last few arcs of Balance made me cry, thanks for the reminder.

[@goodbrows]

this is my favorite animatic i've ever seen, i come back to it whenever it comes up on my youtube feed i love it so much

[@zym5435]

god this is probably like the 500th time i’ve watched this but it’s just SO GOOD,, like your art style is so cool and your designs for everyone are probably some of my favorites and the way it’s timed perfectly with the song i just,, i’m lov this

[@DariaElGrellPozina]

Omg, I've literally started crying, this is so well made, brought back all the feels

[@karunaskipper4964]

this is really good! i enjoyed it immensely. especially roswell and the purple worm - everything about that scene, from the 'camera' spinning with them to taakos expression at the end - i loved it

[@chasecross6063]

Watching it makes me misty -- it condenses the story beats of the final arc perfectly. Thank you for making it!

[@bigfootsbundtcake2104]

I don't think you understand just how much this makes me cry. It's so good. Really captures the emotions of the show. And also, I can only relate this song to Balance now

[@ZombifiedMira]

Oh don't mind me, I'm just sat here at my laptop fighting back actual tears, how dare you make me feel emotional so abruptly. This is beautiful, it captures the best moments of the finale and just, urgh, I'm too emotional to convey words now. A+++

[@kaydamn]

I know this is like, a year old now, but I cannot help but watch it at least once a week. It's so powerful, I love the song you chose. I tear up every time, it's such a takeback for me... despite the fact that I binged on the entirety of TAZ only a month ago. A big 'ol round of applause to you my friend!

[@valliemcc8352]

It's 2023 and I only listened to taz balance now over february and god damn the ending alone made me cry, but this brings it together so damn nicely. The fast pace and heroic tempo of the battle is reflected here, with the happy ending just being a small tied up bow at the end. This is awesome :)

[@mackdurham3316]

I'm not crying. Who PUT THESE TEARS ON MY PILLOW

[@GirlwithSwordandBow]

IM CRYING?? You captured everything amazing about this finale, this is beautiful!!

[@rosedodds4987]

I've watched this something like 10 times and it never fails to make me cry. This is beautiful

[@YarraYora]

this makes me cry god this is so touching, you can feel the emotions in this

[@fandomsarelife]

This animatic never fails to make me teary eyed i love coming back to its truly incredible!

[@fishfingersandscarves]

AHHHHH FINISHED IT

[@velcrooo891]

Dude. Thia is the most incredible TAZ animatic I have EVER seen. TAZ was the first fictional thing that ever made me cry, and in the last three months since I have listened to it, my life has been so happy. This podcast genuinely made me a happier person, and you did such a fantastic job with this.

[@Lupiniunstar]

This is amazing! It made me relive all the crazy feelings of the finale in like three minutes. I love this so much!

[@shmeediver2829]

Even now every time I feel like I need inspiration for work or just for my character in my own DnD game I come back to TAZ and especially this video. I love that it captures every single person doing something against the hunger.

[@pinkjaguar12]

This is soooooo good. I already loved this song, but the way you matched the lyrics and the overall feel of the words to the fantastic finale was just phenomenal. I loved just the shots of them fighting it was SOOO GOOD.

[@auldren]

oh god this is just so amazing. I pretty much screamed at the end. The timing of everything and the song and just reliving that finale uuuuuuuughghg yesssss I just rewatched this for like the 5th time and i still get shivers

[@namariie3184]

hi im lee and im mcfreakin crying,,, i love your art and how simple it is but so hecking expressive and the character designs and the timing with the music and the end fight and i started crying when noel's screen flickered off and anyway im a mess and in love with this animatic thank u for sharing it with us!!!!!!!!

[@koobiie]

AAAAAGHHHHHH I AM SOO HAPPY THIS GOT FINISHED! this has been one of my fav taz animations for like FOREVER and i randomly searched it up one day only to find out it actually was complete now! you did an incredible job, im so happy!!!!!

[@cassidy8561]

this is my all time favorite animatic. i honestly watch this at least 3 times a week and i still get emotional each time

[@carolineatkinson5982]

Whew!!!!! I am sobbing

[@elihere]

THE EPILOGUES!! 😭😭😭 this entire video was so amazing AAAAAAAAAA

[@jjjm7322]

Dude I revisit this all the time, it makes me feel all those wonderful taz feelings again! Such a wonderful animatic!

[@beholdingsarchivist]

i keep coming back to this and every single time i watch it it brings tears to my eyes. you did an amazing job on this

[@kquinnvandevelde1384]

I've been relistening to TAZ balance and knew I'm in the middle of story and song again so I knew I had to go back and watch this again. I just love this so much, you did such great work and it's beautiful.

[@isaacraimondo4778]

This makes me cry literally every single time I watch it, and I'm floored by the incredible job you did

[@frozenseas]

I've probably watched this 30 times in the past week and it gives me goosebumps everytime I watch it, thank you for this. It turned out great!

[@sqwooshh]

Fuck This song always makes me cry whenever I hear it, so the visuals just destroyed me. But for real this is amazing. I cannot get over how much I love your art style, I’m not even exadurating.

[@AshB78]

What's up, I'm crying now. Thank you for reminding me that the story and song arc is still 1000% capable of making me just sob. Also for the excellent art and probably dozens of hours of work.

[@juniperstokes1908]

This has got to be the best surprise, this animatic is great! Brought a tear to my eye, I'm so glad you finished it!

[@kltbird182]

Man it's been over a year since I finished Balance and I still come back to this video and it makes me emotional. Good work

[@spacetrashpile7199]

God, this is so good, it brought me back all those end of TAZ Balance feels. I may have cried a bit watching this.

[@ripplesarestable5784]

man... this song is so essential to my favorite stories, from PJO, to Homestuck, and finally, to TAZ lmaoo