One Movie Later: Knights of Guinevere is a Loving yet Biting Satire of Disney
by James Coulter
Independent animation has skyrocketed in recent years with animated projects like Hazbin Hotel, Lackadaisy, and The Amazing Digital Circus. The latter proved to be a surprise hit for Glitch Productions. With more than 369 million views, the pilot episode became one of the most-viewed animation pilots on YouTube.
Glitch Productions has since sought to repeat its success with the pilot episode of its newest animated endeavor, Knights of Guinevere. Within 24 hours of its release, the pilot episode gained more than a million views. One week later, it surpassed more than 11 million views.
But did Glitch Productions’ newest animated project deserve to go viral? Will Knights of Guinevere prove to be just as Amazingas The Amazing Digital Circus? Or is the next big animated princess property in another castle?
Knights of Guinevere follows the story of Andi and Frankie, two friends who live and work in the industrial wasteland underneath Park Planet, a floating theme park whose mascot is the android princess Guinevere.
One day, Frankie discovers a discarded and damaged Guinevere unit. Her boss wants to sell the robot for scrap. However, Frankie and Andi not only think the android can be repaired, but they also believe it may be the same robot they once met as children at the park. What secrets does this mysterious android hold?
Knights of Guinevere has visually stunning, dynamic animation. There’s nothing I can say about the art and animation that simply watching the pilot episode won’t accomplish. Other critics have praised the animation for having “magic in every single frame” and “a distinctive art style and emotionally resonant storytelling.” Honestly, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
This is one of those shows where every scene brims with detail, many of it hidden. One scene even has a QR code, which, when scanned, provides a mini comic that delves deeper into the show’s lore. It’s a show where, every time you rewatch it, you notice something different you didn’t notice before—the type of show that’s ripe for rewatches and fan theories.
For example, a common motif in the show is blue. It’s the color of the android princess Guinevere, and thus it’s a color prominent in most of the Planet Park merchandise. It’s also the color of the smog and sewage polluting the town under the park. And it’s the same color as the mucus many townspeople cough up, which shows the extent of the park’s pollution. One news story even reports of newborn babies being born blue!
The show’s premise isn’t anything new. Its futuristic dystopian setting is highly stratified, with the lower classes literally living in the shadow and waste of the upper class. Other media, from Final Fantasy 7 to Alita: Battle Angel, have similar settings thatcomment on the excesses of corporatism. However, what makes Knights of Guinevere unique is that its not-so-subtle critique isn’t merely aimed at our current socio-political system, but targeted directly at one of its most egregious beneficiaries and perpetrators: The Walt Disney Company.
The show’s critique of Disney is anything but subtle. Park Planet is a futuristic sci-fi version of Disneyland. Its founder, Orville Park, is undoubtedly based on Walt Disney. And the park’s mascot, Guinevere, is literally every Disney princess ever. Not only is she the star of her own princess movie, but every princess movie, including a live-action remake like the recent trend of Disney live-action remakes.
The show’s creator, Dana Terrace, previously worked for the Disney company, having created the hit animated show The Owl House. However, The Owl House was infamously cut short due to Disney’s executive meddling, as the show reportedly did not fit the company’s brand. As such, Knights of Guinevere is undoubtedly a project born from Terrace’s frustrations with the Disney company, as the pilot episode’s biting take on Disney clearly shows.
Only time will tell if Knights of Guinevere will achieve the same level of success as Glitch Productions’ other animated series,like The Amazing Digital Circus or Murder Drones. However, the company is confident enough in this new show to have already released merchandise for it online. Either way, the pilot episode certainly shows promise.
The Knights of Guinevere pilot episode can be watched on Glitch Productions’ YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCAdbUaMlAE
