Wanted (Animator Vs. Animation)

''Animator vs. Animation'' (''AvA'') is an American animated web series created by Alan Becker. The original animation was first published on Newgrounds on June 3, 2006, with a sequel following five 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.

The premise of the web series is a stick figure attempting to escape the animation program they were created in, either by 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 YouTube. The fourth installment 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.

Multiple browser game adaptions of the series have been created, including one in 2006 titled ''Animator vs. Animation Game: SE'', developed by Charles Yeh.

Characters

Humans

* "noogai3" (played by Alan Becker): The animator. He originally showed disdain towards his creations, before showing more care to them after learning that one of them (The Second Coming) could talk through text.

Stick figures

Artificial Stick Figures

* victim: A black (later gray) stick figure created in 2006 by noogai3. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation" before seemingly being killed off in the same episode. Nearly seventeen years later, he was revealed to have ultimately escaped Adobe Flash via a rocket after being recreated and tortured by his creator countless times over the course of 2006 and 2007, turning dull gray and getting marooned alongside an animated female character known as Mitsi. The two created a technology company together and lived a peaceful life in the Outernet until 2011, when Mitsi was killed by victim's successor, The Chosen One. This prompts victim to track him down over the coming years with the help of four mercenaries.

* The Chosen One: A black stick figure, originally almost identical in appearance to victim, being created in 2007 by noogai3. He has several superpowers which include fire breathing, laser vision, and superhuman strength, among others. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation II" and was presumed dead after the next episode before reappearing at the end of "The Virus".

* The Dark Lord: A red stick figure, created by noogai3 in 2011, programmed solely with the mission of destroying The Chosen One. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation III" 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: An orange stick figure accidentally created by noogai3 in 2014. He is the leader of the Stick Gang. In almost all animations he appears in, The Second Coming is depicted as being a completely normal stick figure, much like the other figures he meets the same episode he is introduced in, albeit with far more honed fighting abilities. However, he has hidden powers and capabilities that make him one of the most powerful figures currently introduced in the series. These powers include telekinesis, flight, laser vision and extremely powerful punching. These abilities have only surfaced temporarily through vague means, and The Second Coming has zero recollection of his powerful state.

Fighting Stick Figures

A group of four 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 noogai3, then subsequently revived. They were later killed by The Dark Lord during "The Showdown", only to be revived again by The Second Coming.
* Red: A red stick figure that loves animals.
* Blue: A cyan stick figure that likes farming and brewing potions.
* Yellow: A yellow stick figure that likes computer programming.
* Green: A lime stick figure who likes music and is The Second Coming's best friend.

Mercenaries

A group of four stick figures with unique designs and fighting styles.
* Hazard: A pictogram portrayed as uncommitted and comical, but also loyal to victim.
* Agent Smith / Agent / Shady: A thin dark grey Pivot stick figure of above average height. He has a solid white head with a dark grey outline, the same as his body. He wears black sunglasses. He is a skilled fighter and a loyal employee to his boss, victim, often saving him from harm.
* Primal: A tall, brown stick figure (similar to stick figure drawing by cavemen) that embodies a wild and untamed nature, often acting on immediate instinct and raw power.
* Ballista: A pixelated stick figure that can shapeshift and even split his head to reveal a gun. First appeared in ''Stick Figure vs Door''.

Episodes

Season 1 (2006-14)

Season 2 (2018-20)

Season 3 (2023-present)

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 three 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

"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 false testimonial. Becker later retracted the statement, and officially asked ''eBaum's World'' to pull the animation and the testimonial off the website.

Other media

Game adaptations

In 2006, a browser game adaptation titled ''Animator vs. Animation Game: SE'' was released for Adobe Flash Player, developed by Charles Yeh.

On March 26, 2025, a Kickstarter campaign was launched for '' Animation VERSUS'', a fighting game slated for release in June 2028. The game is being developed with help from Muno, who created a ''Rivals of Aether'' mod featuring characters from the series.

Spin-offs

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

A 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 companion series, "Animation vs. Minecraft Shorts" (AvM Shorts), alternating between slice-of-life and serialised storytelling, 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 spinoff, "Animation vs. YouTube", 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 most episodes in the ''Animation vs. Minecraft Shorts'' series are too long to be considered "shorts", with running times of up to thirty minutes.

Reception

The series has gained a generally positive reception.

Awards and nominations

See also

* Flash animation
* Stick figure

Notes

References

External links

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{{Minecraft
2006 web series debuts
2000s YouTube series
2010s YouTube series
2020s YouTube series
Internet memes introduced in 2007
American animated web series
Action adventure web series
Comedy-drama web series
Animated science fiction web series
Self-reflexive television
Works about animation
Works about the Internet
Television series about artificial intelligence
Fiction about malware
American television series with live action and animation
Television shows adapted into video games