Taako Forgets - The Adventure Zone Animatic

I had wanted to do more of these sooner, but I had to get used to the work flow of my new job first! I hope you like it, and I hope to make more animatics and videos and stuff.
Find The Adventure Zone: www.maximumfun.org/shows/adven...
Find me: / enchantedcastles

[@sundog_01]

Griffin: Welcome to my comedy show for jokes. Listen today as a man asks his closest friend to kill him so he doesn't forget his missing wife's face.

[@whalesharko4465]

Everybody laugh HAHAHAHAHAhahaaaaa *starts sobbing*

[@slabsingletary7119]

Yep, simple, fun, easy-listening d&d podcast

[@ollidragon3146]

jesus christ, adventure zone is dark when you think about it.

[@if7723]

@@ollidragon3146 I mean most of dungeons and dragons is casual warcrimes when "adventuring", good DM's just actually dig out the character meat.

[@ShadowyKatz]

And his wife is his friend's twin. And he can't remember her face.

[@savon1710]

i'm NEVER gonna get over the absolute POWER MOVE that was that "who?" from justin

[@wickedly4]

tbh it never even occurred to me that that was improv. Like i figured that was one thing they'd planned a little just for awesome story telling. the fact that it's probably improv blew my head off just now.

[@eridanampora3024]

Karkat

[@therobotFrom94]

what has crabby angry troll got to do with this?

[@Pokesquirtle7]

Person 1’s PFP, I’m guessing.

[@marz881]

@@Pokesquirtle7 space

[@JamesGedda]

My favorite part is when Taako says "Who?" you can hear Clint chuckle in the background as if to say "Oh shit."

[@haveyoumettess]

THE DEFINITION OF “YES AND!!!!” WE LOVE TO SEE IT!!!

[@kierantobin4553]

Supposedly, Justin saying "who" at that moment wasn't planned. It was just spontaneous perfection.

[@audrey4170]

It 100% wasn't planned. You can hear it in Clint's chuckle.

[@magiv4205]

Audrey Clint is just as shook as us

[@taakotuesdays]

griffin confirmed on twitter that it was improv and you can hear it in Clint's reaction

[@Ajehy]

These brothers... they know each other so well. Griffin sets it up, Justin knocks it down.

[@savemeaspoon6310]

The panic in justin's voice when he says "I-I blast him, I'm already blasting him-!" Just I didn't expect to cry over this scene again

[@reillymoloney4993]

I love how Barry says he can't remember Lup's face as he looks into her twin's.

[@SarahHopkins]

he can't remember that taako looks like her :(

[@reillymoloney4993]

Exactly! A perfect use of irony!!

[@overlorddante]

Sarah Hopkins maybe he can remember she looks like him. Seeing what she looks like yet forgetting her face, that's even worse if you ask me

[@itsbeenyearsplsdropit1018]

Oh... Oh no..

[@TuckyBlue]

I’m super late, but the thought probably couldn’t form. Magnus couldn’t put together he was a red robe when he saw the picture because of the voidfish, but he could see that he was wearing the garb of a red robe.

[@taylorferguson7589]

This moment literally made me lose it. I teared up when Griffin said "that was the last conversation you ever had with your sister" but I SOBBED when Taako forgot her

[@whalesharko4465]

Exactly the same for me "Last conversation" made my stomach drop "I'm Davenport" made me start crying This made me sob

[@hemo_goblins]

clint's "hoho" after the iconic "who" is so good

[@zazelby]

Such a heart-wrenching episode of a normally-goofy podcast, and Justin just *nailed* his part of it. The comic timing that serves all the McElroys so well also serves them well in dramatic timing, leading to the biggest gut-punch, a single word: "Who?"

[@scifikoala]

They all have some kind of superpower for improvising, its the most uncanny thing

[@de_la_Nae]

I mean. Yeah, but they're a family of storytellers, actors, entertainers, and performers. Decades of practice, training, and honing their skill, between all 4 of them. They worked hard for that skill, is what I guess I'm getting at.

[@trixie7759]

I love how you can practically hear how excited Justin was about the single line of "Who?" He clearly planning it and was super excited about it

[@bleedorange2332]

omg seeing taako cry when he says "who" somehow made it so much worse. omg omg omg

[@livin4thelamb499]

I know, right!?! I almost started crying....

[@itsroman548]

bleedorange2332 yeah. It's like he wants to remember, and he knows he needs to, but he can't.

[@allisonshockley381]

I don't even know what Adventure Zone is or why I'm here but that punched me in the gut a little bit

[@SarahHopkins]

holy shit what a complement! well if you like this animatic i highly highly highly recommend listening to the podcast i link in the description above! it's super good and it has tons of laughs and gut punches.

[@DracoVictorious]

Allison Shockley you wanna be punched in the gut? Listen to the adventure zone, I was crying during this entire episode

[@MrLogain85]

I want to know, did you go and listen to it?

[@cjboyo]

Listen to it! It will curb stomp your soul in the best possible way

[@comet8956]

please tell me you listened to it

[@robot_thighs]

the first time I listened to this Taako saying "Who?" was like a knife in my chest. STILL IS

[@whatthefuckismyname9173]

Chromatic Ninja this is the 3rd time I've listened to this particular scene now, and it gets me every time. The while memory wipe thing does, but this one especially for some reason.

[@whatthefuckismyname9173]

The whole* memory wipe.

[@uiop60]

okay, so yes of course good, great art, tears, et cetera. but the idea of elves' ears perking up/flattening depending on their emotion? A+++ good shit

[@SarahHopkins]

*hikes up suspenders* well when you've been drawin them elves as long's I have these things start to come natural

[@GhoulishCinnamon]

Richard Blocher I do the same thing with my elf ocs.

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

I always thought Davenport’s reaction was the most impactful. It reminded me of my Grandfather. He had Alzheimers, and like most people who get it, there’s a horrible period between everything and nothing where you are aware that your mind is slipping, but you can’t remember how.

[@zoroarkking18]

When you find it difficult to sit through podcasts and are just surfing through storyboards of the fan-favorite McElroy goofs because you love you some McElroy goofs and then suddenly you're crying cause you found the one fan thing that isn't a goof.

[@SarahHopkins]

i don't goof around buddy only pain here in my house

[@ChrisAgs88]

I'm not joking when I say the most powerful line in this entire arc was just Justin going "Who?" Like the sheer AUDACITY of that line, so perfectly fucking timed and delivered. A fucking stab in the chest every time.

[@alidottxt]

Barry spelled "Faerun" incorrectly twice before spelling it right. Thems are some hella sweet details.

[@alexluna6716]

Taako saying “who” gets to me a lot but it’s griffin saying “not all exits are made equal” is the one that just wrecks me

[@fillyreports]

THAT'S IT I'M GONNA WATCH ADVENTURE ZONE YOU'VE FORCED MY HAND WITH YOUR AMAZING ART

[@cjboyo]

It's a podcast! 1000/10 would reccomend

[@Ray-hk1zm]

God why did you have to listen to *this* and know all this *stuff* that is supposed to be an awesome *reveal* *H E C C-*

[@thequeerishere9662]

The panic and tears and fear in Justin’s voice as he says “I-I’m blasting him, I’m already blasting him!” and then Barry painfully smiling as he dies and falls back to earth pushed me to the edge, but it was that last line that kicked me over. “Not all exits are made equal.”

[@madeleinehansen6178]

Ya know my friend always described these parts of this episode as the feeling of having your kidney removed through your mouth. I feel that is an accurate statement.

[@molybdenumrose]

lovin those misspellings of faerun. I always forget that TAZ is actually supposed to take place in Forgotten Realms.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Molybdenum Rose Wait it is? What's that?

[@molybdenumrose]

Forgotten Realms is one of many D&D campaign settings. All of "Here Be Gerblins" is a heavily modified version of a premade module called "Mines of Phandelvere, which takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting on the continent of Faerun. Griffin mostly just takes the names of places from it now (Neverwinter, Phandolin, The Felicity Wilds). Faerun doesn't normally have elevators and rocket ships and giant robots though, and Griffy has really made it his own.

[@AkutomiNamikaze]

The "camera" movement when Barry starts begging Taako to kill him is exactly what this scene needed. Fantastic job!

[@aquestionabletaryn]

ALSO, it gets over shadowed by Justin’s amazing “who”, but another thing I find so sad is the small detail that Barry was about to find her. She was in the next place he was gonna look. And then it all fell apart.

[@fluffyravens3758]

Actually the next spot was Wonderland- a cursed dungeon in the Felicity Wilds with a lot of arcane energy. Wave Echo Cave is in the mountains, so he still wasnt going to find her... :(

[@spicemoss]

A single word. One word, unplanned, in the moment. One _single word._ And he managed to break our hearts.

[@Logan-tinyplanetss]

oh my god the visual of lups face disappearing? gave me actual fear and a million chills. holy fuck

[@rebeccawithana]

Oh my gosh. Taako's face when he asks Who? killed me. great job

[@staradiablaster1737]

god that line, the way justin just jumpstarted the forgetting even to clint's (and maybe even griffins) surprise, these boys have a heart for dramatic timing

[@caegalloway2805]

who gAVE YOU THE RIGHT

[@sehnsuchtonna4857]

a very happy artichoke Are you still very happy?

[@caegalloway2805]

no. I am now depressed artichoke now

[@kiaayo]

Clint's quiet chuckle at 1:52 is really fucking strong.

[@Doritomurderer]

barry bluejeans looks immensely like griffin and it's WILD

[@accthefiend]

When I saw the thumbnail I thought it was Griffin trying to console Taako about forgetting and it stabbed my soul-

[@cubalayabandit5591]

Uhg, so good. Your art has a real charm to it. And that drop of "Not all exist are made equal". Whooooo, boy.

[@SarahHopkins]

thank you!

[@marsupialsofmars3886]

I always love Clint's little "hoHO" when he says "who" because it's what everyone is thinking

[@Hjernespreng]

That's some heartwrenching quality right there!

[@RobotVeggie98]

This really stands apart from the other animatics of this scene (though they're all quite good); the camera movements, the shift to taako's POV- all really unique aspects that make this animatic particularly awesome and soul-crushing. :)

[@SarahHopkins]

thank you! those parts were the most fun to draw :)

[@karabirb]

I think my favorite part of this whole scene is Clint’s little “ohoh” in the background. Like he’s so proud of and shook by the power move his son just pulled. It’s so perfect

[@bravetherainbow]

Fuuuuck I can barely handle the "... kill me" part. I actually felt a chill.

[@pepisconsoomer2846]

love that clint´s muffled "hoho" after the who

[@natalie9402]

“Not all exits are made equal” GAH RIGHT IN THE HEART

[@krasotabella9675]

the piece of ‘not all exits are made equal’ left in at the end had me QUAKING

[@YAOES]

Is Barry supposed to look like Griffin? His nose is a little big, but it's perfect! I love it! HAHAHAHA

[@starrats444]

YAOES nah hes supposed to look like tom arnold, but it happens to be that both of them look like the perfect generic white man.

[@hazendir]

I’m NEVER going to get over this, nor am I ever going to get over the FUCKING GENIUS that is Justin McElroy, that is some good shit right there

[@nickking2959]

I'm not crying you're crying.

[@ellawalters6724]

when i first heard “kill me taako please” i forgot about the lich thing and i thought barry was asking taako to kill him because he didnt want to be alive not remembering lup

[@MarsFireballCharge]

the last few seconds are chilling

[@caeod]

I listened to this podcast, top to bottom, while at work. Moments like this proved that it was a mistake. The Tres Horny Boys and Grif are so in sync that they can create these truly emotional moments, from a game in which they actively call themselves "The Tres Horny Boys." Hell's bells, man. DM goals. (Also, 10,000 points for Taako forgetting her while the tear is still going down his face. Well done!)

[@lauravturner]

Holy shit. I've been watching a load of Critical Role and High Rollers animations and they were all hilarious. I started watching The Adventure Zone a few hours ago, it was pretty funny too... until I reach this clip. I am close to crying. This struck a cord and struck hard. Well done. This animation was great... but damn you, now I have to go watch the entire thing so I have some real context.

[@godmaster20]

That single tear from Taako before he forgot! I never thought of that, brilliant!

[@zanthe_]

Justin killed me.

[@josiahklein70]

Sir Game A Lot You're in good company.

[@Gracyn1102]

I am in PAIN but this is beautiful

[@shawnaeatscats]

I just finished relistening to balance. The detail of Taako holding up the patch on the cloak but being unable to view it was a spectacular detail.

[@magiv4205]

That "Who?" kills me even more knowing that Justin improvised it.

[@adelef9984]

for some reason i am completely entranced by barry's nose

[@janeilnold5863]

Taako's "Who?" instantly crushes my soul every time. This whole "forgetting" scene absolutely ruined me, but Taako forgetting his own sister is the worst.

[@gwandola]

Okay no joke I have been watching taz animatics for months, slowly keeping up with the episodes i've caught up on. the thumbnail for this video has been on the side pretty much since the beginning (i already had the gist of it spoiled, so no worries). i can't describe how good it feels to FINALLY WATCH IT (esp because i assumed barry was griffin for some reason). such a beautiful video and god so sad. thank you!!

[@SarahHopkins]

omg congrats for making it also this is the best comment i've ever gotten

[@Thiscountsasahandle]

And to add to the pain of them forgetting Lup, Takko gave up some beauty in the suffering game. He didn't know it in the scene but in a few years he to keep his friends from suffering will give up some of his beauty. His face changes, and his twin sister listens as her brother separates the one thing keeping them together. He doesn't remember his sister but their faces still matched, her memory was imbedded in his face. But now even that's gone.

[@Howling-Heretic]

The Iconic "Who?" from Justin rattles me to my core every time.

[@sirstrongbad]

As sad as this scene was, I was surprised at how much Davenport's scene and his utter panic at only being able to remember his name really got to me.

[@nyxnoelle]

Okay, the end is so beautiful 'Not all exits are made equal' I love this so much! Amazing artwork and just grade A++++

[@AndrewSuter1]

Griffin's narration always gives me chills, but this was on a whole new level. Great Job

[@ZekromAndYugiAndDrago123]

Taako's who always gets me. Because it wasn't Griffin's choice, Justin did that. And the weight behind it. And everything about it. It just always gets me

[@sexualtaco308]

The boys have such skills for improv... They can put so much emotion behind one single word...

[@MisterAppleEsq]

That Faerun goof on the map is brilliant.

[@machravens]

This is amazing, great work. Justin's timing in this scene is so incredible.

[@miles4100]

I just got into Balance but the tear on Taako's face as his expression changes to one of mild confusion just rocked my shit

[@lilyfae7197]

Fucking kills me every time. They’re so frantic, and then the static kicks in and it’s all gone

[@boypaws]

having "not all exits are made equal" be the last line of this video was such a good decision you fuckin nailed it

[@chipman1589]

AaaaaaaaAaaAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa this would fuck with me on SO MANY LEVELLLLLLLLLLLLLLS. Plus the whole screen glitching/sound fuzzing out always kinda creeped me out in shows. I think it's just the whole concept of shit just disappearing and you forgetting it all is actually kinda terrifying

[@chocolatemilk9085]

This is amazing! Such great expressions.

[@finnlee8019]

I have not seen or listen too any adventure zone anything and somehow... I am still sobbing

[@Riolu91]

Oh honey, there is so much more to listen to. I downed all of it in less than a week (about eighty hours worth of podcast) it was the best.

[@whatthefuckismyname9173]

I very much recommend it, if you haven't already. And season 2 drops in less than 2 weeks!

[@MK-moth]

Every once in a while I come back and watch this animatic and it makes me HURT every time

[@sluttyskeleton]

One of the first animatics I saw for taz before I started listening but let me tell you as soon as I listened to this episode, this is what I was visualizing. Well done!

[@meganh9684]

Ohhhhh my gosh. You've made me cry. This is wonderful.

[@Epixelle]

I don't know why I keep coming back to this, it breaks my heart every time.

[@knightboulegard5483]

The video that showed me the wonderful world of The Adventure Zone. Thank you, truly, for showing me this masterpiece of a podcast.

[@morbidmanatee115]

I got chills, this is so good! I love how Taako's ears move!

[@cybellekaehler4627]

Oh my god, this is such a wonderful rendition of such a heartbreaking scene D:

[@gloriabaquera5434]

I haven't had the time to listen to the adventure zone, but this is some good shit

[@theoschloemer8645]

I havent listened to this arc in a very long long time. Stumbled upon this after losing someone so dear to me. It hit me so deep. Love these boys

[@ajasto8361]

Barry: I can’t remember her face Takko Me:...sure you can just look at Takko

[@gormauslander]

Taako is always ready to kill at the slightest indication of consent

[@mephostopheles3752]

In today’s episode of You Thought This Scene Couldn’t Make You Cry Again!, isn’t it ironic that Barry says he can’t remember what Lup looks like while staring into the face of her identical twin brother? How fucked up is that? Have a great day!

[@anevenbluerjay]

I've never listened to TAZ but I have seen a number of animatics, and what I'm gathering is that it swings wildly between making you laugh and tearing your heart out with nothing in between.

[@A3IOU]

It’s more like a scale that gets heavier the farther you go down

[@dragonbornwarden694]

Awesome art , but also, oh god my emotions, oh god

[@rachelwest5674]

Saw the title, knew I was gonna cry. Cried. 14/10

[@csukscari]

I have only the faintest idea of what this is about, I haven't yet gotten around to listening to Adventure Zone, only seen some scattered animatics, which all admittedly made me want to pick it up, but this one... this one hits so well, all these great emotional beats that made me invested in the situation despite being clueless to the bigger picture; now I *have* to start listening to all of it... and that "who?" hits so damn hard... reminds me achingly close to one of my favorite terrible moments in Re:Zero... excellent job with the animation and editing, as well

[@ninjazerofour6697]

I just listened to this part a few days ago, and I was not ready for how emotional it was going to get.

[@L-sillybrained]

this is the bit that made me cryyyyy

[@L-sillybrained]

one of themmmm

[@ehryniewicz9938]

Wow. That was, uh. Excellent use of the tech to make that glitching effect. Really caught the emotion.

[@aquestionabletaryn]

Went down a TAZ animated rabbit hole and clicked on this and immediately NOPED. That whole sequence is so heart wrenching. Not ready to relive it yet!!!! Still can’t believe these 4 dudes are all such good story tellers. Kudos to all of them but griffin especially. Holy cow, TAZ

[@rosemarycat5]

aaaaahhhhhh Love your character designs aaaaaaahhhhhhh

[@MoonlitLillypop]

THANKS FOR MAKING ME CRY

[@DoctorX17]

The feels is reals... good job

[@vazak11]

Gosh that hurt so bad, great work!

[@Watsonmakesandpaints]

Ow my heart you really captured the scene

[@samlafontaine8552]

this is such a powerful scene i got tears watching this o geez

[@LukeOConnorable]

OH MAN! Griffin sounds SO SAD during this T^T I really love your designs

[@kairos690]

Okay so the ending actually has me in tears lord help me I'm crying

[@DemonicEngineer]

Give me the chills, everytime.

[@buttonstheturtle1843]

Kudos to you for somehow managing to make the "who?" /more/ heartbreaking! One second you're starting to cry from the thought that your sister might be gone forever and the next you don't even think you have one! OW! Good job though, seriously-

[@darrylwalaszek3042]

First of all, how dare you.