Animator vs. Animation

Animator vs. Animation is an animated web series created by Alan Becker. The original animation was first published on Newgrounds on June 3, 2006, with a sequel following 5 months later. Almost every installment is animated in either Adobe Animate or Blender, with live action scenes having also been incorporated into the series starting with the fourth episode.

Animator vs. Animation
Logo as shown in the poster for 'The Showdown'.
Also known as	AVA AvA
Genre	Action Technology Animation
Created by	Alan Becker
Written by	Alan Becker Skim
Directed by	Alan Becker Skim guzzu
Composers	AaronGrooves Scott Buckley
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	10
Production
Producers	Alan Becker Skim
Running time	3–31 minutes
Original release
Network	Newgrounds
Release	3 June 2006 (2006-06-03) – 2 October 2014 (2014-10-02)
Network	Atom.com
Release	4 November 2006 (2006-11-04) – 4 October 2010 (2010-10-04)
Network	YouTube
Release	12 September 2007 (2007-09-12) – present

The premise of the web-series is a stick figure attempting to escape the animation program they were created in, whether that be through using the built-in animation tools or through sheer brute force. The series contains almost no spoken dialogue.

Known for its unique concept and high-quality animation, it became an immediate internet hit, receiving 4.78 stars on Newgrounds and 80 million views on the YouTube variant. The 4th installation gained almost 5 million views on YouTube within a month.

A Kickstarter campaign for a reboot episode of the series was created July 10, 2013, reaching their $10,000 funding goal on August 9, 2013. The episode released on October 2, 2014.

A browser game adaption of the series was created in 2006 named 'Animator vs. Animation Game: SE', being developed by Charles Yeh.

Plot

Season 1 (2006–2014)

Animator vs. Animation (2006)

Noogai (the animator) creates a black stick figure in Adobe Flash (now known as Adobe Animate), naming it 'Victim'. As soon as Victim comes to life, Alan tries to destroy Victim, and they try to defend themselves, using the animation software's tools, proceeding to also clone themselves by using the software's library tool and using Flash's built in tools (e.g., brush, pen, etc.).

Noogai eventually manages to close Adobe Flash, erasing Victim and the project file in the process.

Animator vs. Animation 2 (2006)

Presumably a few months later, Noogai tries again to create another black stick figure, this time naming it 'The Chosen One', making them even more powerful based on in-universe rules established by a discussion between Noogai and a AIM friend. Again, The Chosen One comes to life, this time making it to Noogai's desktop and destroying Noogai's desktop applications and files, all while Noogai is attempting to message a friend on AIM for help, before The Chosen One seemingly kills AIM, ending the conversation.

Before they could shut down the computer, The Chosen One is recognised as a virus by Noogai's antivirus software, Avast, and is immediately and swiftly captured. Later, it is revealed that The Chosen One is being used as a pop-up blocker by Noogai.

Animator vs. Animation 3 (2010)

Four years after the events of the previous installment, The Chosen One is still an ad blocker used by Noogai. Longing for freedom, they see a website about Stick Figure Slavery promising escape, but Noogai swiftly cuts off The Chosen One's plans. However, The Chosen One manages to manipulate Noogai's cursor, making the cursor click on the option to free them, and The Chosen One immediately begins destroying Noogai's computer. While The Chosen One battles Clippit in Microsoft Word to little success, Noogai quickly draws a red stick figure, naming it The Dark Lord, which codes it with the mission of destroying The Chosen One. The fight becomes more destructive as The Dark Lord manages to convince several desktop applications such as Firefox and Windows Movie Maker to help him defeat The Chosen One, however the apps are easily defeated.

As the battle rages on, The Chosen One brings The Dark Lord over to their side while Noogai tries to use the Solitaire match to kill The Chosen One. After failing to do so, the two team up to terminate his computer, creating a vortex and crashing his desktop, ending the episode.

Animator vs. Animation 4 (2014)

Around four years after the previous episode, Noogai is animating an orange stick figure whilst chatting with a friend through direct messages about the events of the previous episode. Noogai expresses his frustration at having to purchase a computer, but also explains that he does not believe the events of the previous episodes will happen again. He leaves to go help a presumed partner, and in his absence, the stick figure he was animating comes to life and snoops around a bit, before quickly returning to its position upon Noogai's return. Noogai tells his friend he will return shortly before heading off. The hollow-headed orange stick figure continues to explore, releasing a group of red, yellow, green, and blue stick figures from a website called "sticksfight.com" (A website that did not exist in the real world but now is a working URL). Noogai returns and eventually stops the chaos by using Task Manager to "end the tasks" of all the stick figures, including the original. However, Task Manager experiences a problem and Noogai gets a message from "TheSecondComing.exe" that says: "You ended my friends. Now I will end you." Chaos erupts as the orange stick figure now known to be named "The Second Coming" (presumably of The Chosen One from previous episodes) goes around being a general online detriment to Noogai, doing things such as insulting his friends on Facebook. The Second Coming goes between Noogai's phone and computer, fighting him as best they can. In the process of this fight, The Second Coming animates different drawings, including a horse, a strongman, and a few others. Noogai, seeing this, is reminded of his own failed attempts to draw similar ideas, and when he finally captures The Second Coming, hesitates to delete the drawings until they begin to destroy his computer. Noogai makes a move to presumably end The Second Coming as he previously has done to Victim, before learning that The Second Coming is the first of his stick-figures with the ability to talk (via text on Noogai's screen). This causes Noogai to warm up to a deal with The Second Coming: so long as they teach him how to animate better, Noogai will let them free. Second Coming eventually agrees after Noogai revives his friends from the Sticksfight website.

Season 2 (2018–2020)

The Virus - Animator vs. Animation 5

The episode starts with Noogai animating a bipedal flower-like character, when The Second Coming walks in from the left. The Second Coming then jumps up into the animation window, asking Noogai if he needs help, to which Noogai accepts. With the help of two temporary stick figures drawn by The Second Coming, the animation is refined to be more natural-looking. After Noogai's cursor and The Second Coming exchange a series of high-fives, a whirring sound becomes audible, and Noogai puts his hand to his computer tower, recoiling away after feeling the heat. The Second Coming engages the tooltip of the taskbar's temperature icon, showing it to be 92 degress Celsius. Noogai subsequently opens the Task Manager, showing a program named "ViraBot" using massive amounts of resources. After Noogai tries to end the task, a large amount of different "Vira-" apps are shown in the start menu. After attempting to use the system's management options, to which access was denied, the desktop icon of ViraBot.exe is revealed. After trying to use the Recycle Bin to destroy it, Noogai draws a hammer requested by The Second Coming, who bashes the icon until it cracks, with a red, four-legged spider-like creature emerging. The ViraBot then proceeds to attack the cursor and the stick figure, with their attempts to defend themselves proving unsuccessful. The Second Coming then opens the browser to inform the visibly overheating Fighting Stick Figures of the virus. After the ViraBot enters the browser's window and destroys Noogai's cursor, the five stick figures start kicking it around the desktop. Once they all start kicking it at once, the ViraBot starts fighting back, eventually using a sticky grey substance to trap the four Fighting Stick Figures to the edge of the screen. After The Second Coming tries to run away but gets ensnared as well, the ViraBot generates two spikes and brandishes them, before lunging forward. A sudden explosion interrupts the attack, with a portal opening and a black stick figure steps out of it, revealing himself to be The Chosen One. The episode ends right as the two start to fight.

• The Virus – Animator vs. Animation 5
• The Chosen One's Return – Animator vs. Animation 6
• The Flashback – Animator vs. Animation 7
• The Showdown – Animator vs. Animation 8

Season 3 (2023–present)

• Wanted – Animator vs. Animation 9
• The Box – Animator vs. Animation 10

Characters

Humans

• "Noogai3" (portrayed by Alan Becker): The animator. He originally showed disdain towards his creations, before showing more care to them after learning that one of them could talk.

Stick figures

• victim: A black stick figure created in 2006 by Noogai. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation" shortly before being killed off in the same episode. He was later brought back at the end of "Wanted", and became gray to differentiate him from The Chosen One.
• The Chosen One (often referred to as TCO): A black stick figure, originally almost identical in appearance to victim, being created in 2006 by Noogai. He has several superpowers which include fire breathing, laser vision, and superhuman strength, among others. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation 2" and was presumed dead after the next episode before reappearing at the end of "The Virus".
• The Dark Lord (often referred to as TDL): A red stick figure, created by Noogai in 2011, programmed with the mission of destroying The Chosen One. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation 3" and was presumed dead in the same episode, before reappearing in "The Flashback", only to again presumably die at the end of "The Showdown".
• The Second Coming (often referred to as TSC or Orange; file name 'TheSecondComing.exe'): An orange stick figure accidentally created by Noogai in 2014. He has powers that make him the most powerful stick figure currently known, including telekinesis, flight and laser vision, though he can only use these powers temporarily and while critically weakened, and had no recollection of his usage of these powers until the end of "The Box".
• Fighting Stick Figures: A group of solid-headed stick figures consisting of Red, Blue, Yellow and Green, introduced in 2014. Residing on sticksfight.com, they escaped with the help of The Second Coming before each being terminated by Noogai, then subsequently revived. They were later killed by The Dark Lord during "The Showdown", only to be revived again by The Second Coming.

Episodes

Season 1

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Original release date
1	1	"Animator vs. Animation"	Alan Becker	June 3, 2006 (2006-06-03)
2	2	"Animator vs. Animation 2"	Alan Becker	November 4, 2006 (2006-11-04)
3	3	"Animator vs. Animation 3"	Alan Becker	October 4, 2010 (2010-10-04)
4	4	"Animator vs. Animation 4"	Alan Becker	October 2, 2014 (2014-10-02)

Season 2

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Original release date
5	1	"The Virus"	Alan Becker	August 19, 2018 (2018-08-19)
6	2	"The Chosen One's Return"	Alan Becker	October 28, 2018 (2018-10-28)
7	3	"The Flashback"	Alan Becker	March 12, 2019 (2019-03-12)
8	4	"The Showdown"	Alan Becker	October 24, 2020 (2020-10-24)

Season 3

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Original release date
9	1	"Wanted"	Alan Becker	April 29, 2023 (2023-04-29)
10	2	"The Box"	Alan Becker	November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04)

Development and history

Becker was inspired by many popular animations and stories such as Duck Amuck and the 1959 animated version of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Many other flash games such as Cursor Thief on Newgrounds also gave him the spark to create the animation. Approximately 3 months after beginning animation, Becker posted the animation to Newgrounds. The next day, the animation received second place for the entire day. Becker began receiving many emails and instant messages from website owners that wanted to host the animation on their website, with one of the websites even offering $75 as long as they received exclusive rights to the animation. Becker declined after reading an email above from Steven Lerner, the owner of Albino Blacksheep.

AtomFilms offered to fund the making of a sequel, and it released on November 4, 2006. Becker used his real AIM username in the animation, which made him unable to use the service without his desktop screen being smothered by hundreds of fans who attempted to message him online. Becker began uploading the videos on YouTube, manually reporting clones of the videos using YouTube's copyright report system, but it reportedly took a few years. Becker uploaded 'Animator vs. Animation 3' onto Atom.com on October 4, 2010, intending for it to be the final episode. Becker then went to study animation at Columbus College of Art and Design, with the goal of being hired at Pixar. Becker launched a Kickstarter campaign for the funding of Animator vs. Animation 4 after being motivated by his teacher's words and encouragement to keep going. The campaign launched on July 10, 2013 and the $10,000 funding goal was reached on August 9, 2013. On October 2, 2014, 'Animator vs. Animation 4' was released onto YouTube. It reportedly gained almost five million views on YouTube within a month.

eBaum's World controversy

Main article: eBaum's World § Copyright infringement and controversy

'Animator vs. Animation' was put onto eBaum's World without Becker's permission and with no credit. Legal action was threatened against eBaum's World under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. eBaum's World later contacted Becker, offering him $250 as compensation and pressuring Becker into a fake testimonial. Becker later retracted the statement, and officially asked eBaum's World to pull the animation and the testimonial off the website.

Spin-offs

The series had multiple spin-offs, under the Animation vs. label, with some of them gaining more views than the original series itself.

A notable spinoff called Animation vs. Minecraft was uploaded on December 14, 2015. The video briefly had the title of the most popular Minecraft video on the internet for a month. A spin-off series of the same name debuted on November 17, 2017, with its fourteenth episode being the most popular Minecraft video on the internet briefly and Becker's most popular video.

Another notable spinoff is Animation vs. YouTube, which featured cameo appearances from numerous YouTubers, including PewDiePie and Markiplier. Actual Shorts are shorts formatted for YouTube Shorts, with the name referencing the fact that certain episodes in the Animation vs. Minecraft series are too long to be considered 'shorts', with running times of up to thirty minutes.

Reception

The series has gained a positive reception.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Animation	Result	Ref
2007	Webby Awards	'People's Voice' Award	'Animator vs. Animation 2'	Won
2014	Cleveland International Film Festival	'Best of Ohio' Award	'Animator vs. Animation 4'	Nominated
2024	Independent Mediaintiative	'Unknown'	'Animation vs. Math'	Won

See also

• Flash animation
• Stick figure