Chronology of the Disney Animated Canon

Timelines are fun if often frustrating to make. Some can be confusing, headscratchers, or downright make no sense. Today, we are going to try to piece together a very loose timeline of the fifty-eight installments of the Disney animated canon. 

 This is more of a chronological timeline over the historical eras, then trying to tie everything together. Now, whether or not each film is set in the same universe has always been a bit of a debate, and a lot of guesswork is made based upon easter eggs. For example, a toy of Dumbo appears in The Great Mouse Detective, which takes place in the Victorian era, and lacks the modern day trains that Dumbo has. So, a lot of these references are mostly inserted for fun. Other times, characters even crossover into each other’s films. This also means that some movies will not be included in this timeline.

 

For simplicity’s sake, certain movies won’t be featured in this chronological timeline:

-The Lion King, could easily be said to take place in 1994, but we have nothing to nail that down.

-Wreck It Ralph and Ralph Break the Internet are very meta movies, with Disney itself appearing in the sequel, with Ralph and Vanellope meeting the Disney Princesses and characters from Marvel and Star Wars.

-Melody Time, Make Mine Music, and Fun and Fancy Free as they are package films made up of shorter animates sequences that occur all over the place.

-The same applies for Fantasia and Fantasia 2000.

-I also decided to leave out Robin Hood, Chicken Little, and Zootopia, as they appear to exist in a reality where humans don’t.

-Frozen II isn’t out yet, so we don’t know how long it takes places after Frozen.

Dinosaur – 145-65 Million Years BC - Our timeline starts off relatively easy. Dinosaur is set over 65 million years ago, cause, you know, the title says “Dinosaur”. Aladar, an Iguanodon, is raised by lemurs, until their home and entire species can wiped out by a meteorite. The family then join up with a herd of dinosaurs to reach breeding grounds, encountering Carnotaurs and grouchy ignorant leaders on the way. Most interesting about Dinosaur is that one of the supporting characters is an elderly Brachiosaurus, whose species were more prominent in the Jurassic era rather than the Cretaceous. Heck, one character even mentions the Brachiosaurus is potentially the last of her kind. Boy, Dinosaur got really depressing all of a sudden. The film appears to take place in Africa and Madagascar, since that is the only native place lemurs live.

Brother Bear – 10,000 Years BC - One of my favourite films, the highly underrated Brother Bear occurs during mankind’s early days of living in caves, and when mammoths still walked the Earth. Of course, this carbon dating is purely guesswork (as a lot of this timeline will be!), but according to 10,000 BC’s article on Wikipedia, a lot of cave paintings, man dwelling in caves, and early tools and weapons were rising around this era. Mammoths went extinct around 4000 years ago, and are the only ancient Ice Age-era animals to appear in Brother Bear. Not, that Ice Age - the actual historical ice age.

Moana – 3000 Years BC - Okay, this is where things become as thin as ice. I didn’t really know where to put Moana on the timeline, but I thought it should be near the beginning. Maui steals the Heart of Te Fiti at least a thousand years prior to Moana’s birth, so this film takes place over a long time. According to one CBS article I found, Moana allegedly takes place three-thousands years ago, but I don’t know if that means literally 3000 years ago, or 3000 years BC. I decided to go with the latter, as academic research on Polynesian culture and origins indicates humans moved from the Pacific to the Polynesian area circa 3000-1000 BC. Moana exists in a time where physical gods and monsters lived in the world. And this isn’t the only movie associated with the gods.

Aladdin – 1600-1100 BC - Urgh, Aladdin! Another one that looked like its place in the timeline was solid, but the whole thing is confusing. In this movie, the Genie claims he has been imprisoned in his lamp for 10,000 years, the Sphinx’s nose is accidentally broken, and in the space of four minutes, and Aladdin and Jasmine fly from Agrabah, to Greece, then to China, and back again. I decided to pretty much just plop Aladdin here, as it was driving me crazy on where to put it. Gazeem says “By Allah!” upon seeing the Cave of Wonders, the term for God that existed long before Islam was founded. Pre-Islamic Arabia is said to have had major kingdoms and tribes from 3000 BC to 600 AD. Islam wasn’t around until the 7^th century. I’m probably grasping at straws here, but another reason I put Aladdin is because of its canon/non-canon connection with Hercules.

 

Hercules – 1600-1100 BC - Hercules is the set in an abridged version of the Greek myths, where Hercules (or Heracles) existed after the time of Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus (his cousin), and Achilles, when usually he comes at least second in that list. Anyway, the reason I linked Hercules and Aladdin together through Hercules: The Animated Series, which takes place during Hercules’ training days to be a hero. In this series, Hercules crosses paths with Aladdin. Hades meets the ghost of Jafar in the Underworld, and together they conspire to have Hercules and Aladdin destroy each other. So, this at least confirms Hercules takes place at least after Aladdin: The Return of Jafar. The majority of Hercules takes place when Herc is 18, so, if the animated series was canon, Aladdin has already happened. But, it is possible Hercules: The Animated Series isn’t canon to the movie. In the film, Hades assumed Hercules was dead for eighteen years, but in the animated series, he often interacts with him on an episodic basis. It is like a jigsaw that can’t be put together. So, if the animated series is canon, Aladdin takes place before Hercules in this timeline.

The Sword in the Stone – late 400s-early 500s AD - Phew, time for something a little easier. The Sword in the Stone features a young Arthur Pendragon on his relatively uneventful (but fun) journey to becoming the One True King of England, pulling Excalibur from the stone in London. Merlin pretty much confirms the film takes place in the Dark Ages, and repeatedly travels forward in time to the 20^th century, cause he hates the Dark Ages. The Arthurian legends involve the Saxons invasion of Britain, which took place in the late 5^th century and into the early 6^th century. The Dark Ages began in the 5^th century, so it all adds up nicely.

Mulan – 386-620 AD - There is some debate about when Mulan takes place, but it could be anywhere between 386 AD to 621 AD. Mulan’s historical setting is in the Northern Wei, which existed between 386-536 AD. A thousand years later, playwright Xu Wei also places Mulan’s legend within the same period. However, the Qing dynasty’s Sui Tang Romance, places Mulan around 620 AD, during the foundation of the Tang dynasty.

The Black Cauldron – Dark Ages (5^th-15^th century) - The Black Cauldron also appears to be set in the Dark Ages just judging by the familiar medieval clothes, and how everything seems rather mucky, grubby, and miserable. Fflewddur Fflam is a minstrel, who were extremely popular during this era. Plus, the movie is your standard medieval fantasy story, apart from the psychic pig, zombies, and the most annoying protagonist in Disney history!

Sleeping Beauty – 14^th century - Princess Aurora is the classic princess so to speak, and lives in an equally classic interpretation of the Middle Ages, an age of chivalric romance, big pointy hats, and the like. Prince Philip even quotes that it is the 14^th century, so that pretty much nails down when Sleepy Beauty takes place. Prince Philip, slayer of dragons, and trend setter for the modern era.

The Emperor’s New Groove – 1425-1532 BC - Another movie that doesn’t have an exact date, so The Emperor’s New Groove is set during the Incans’ golden era was between the dates above, and Kuzco has got a pretty swank empire for him to groove around.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame – 1482 - Hallelujah! The first film on the timeline with an actual date. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is set in Paris, during a time where Christianity was huge, gypsies were persecuted by the second greatest Disney Villain of all-time, and a humble hunchback talks with gargoyles who may or may not be alive. Definitely one of Disney’s darkest and greatest movies. Interestingly, Belle cameos in the movie. The mayhem in Paris could explain why Belle and Maurice moved to the “poor provincial town”, but Beauty and the Beast has always been associated with the 18^th century. Belle’s cameo is likely just that.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – 15^th century - At first, I thought Snow White would go just after Sleepy Beauty, but decided to do a little investigation. Another creator’s Disney timeline lists the film has being set in the 15^th century, and I wondered why. I looked into certain objects in the dwarfs’ cottage, discovering both clocks and certain types of pipe organs were not invented until around the 15^th century. Makes sense to include it around this century. As I said, a lot of this timeline is grasping at straws, but I wanted this to be a fun project, not a frustrating one hammered down by utter historical accuracy. Besides, Disney doesn’t exactly tell history as it always happened...

Pocahontas – 1607 – Speak of the devil, here’s Pocahontas, a beloved Disney film, but also their own attempt to distil history. The very first piece of dialogue in the film is establishing it is 1607, where Governor Ratcliffe’s expedition to the New World commences. Pocahontas and John Smith fall in love, creating what looks to be a peaceful union between England and the Native Americans of Virginia. Yeah, we all know history didn’t go like that. The real life Pocahontas did save John Smith from her father’s execution, visited Jamestown a lot, but was later taken captive, raped, married and had children when in her teens, and died at the age of 21. Then again, Pocahontas’ direct-to-video sequel did focus on Pocahontas going to England and marrying John Rolfe, sans the whole capture part.

Beauty and the Beast – 1770s – Honestly, Beauty and the Beast could be set anywhere within 18^th century France, but other websites said it is set around this period, so I decided to put it in the 1770s. Hopefully, Belle and the Beast would go on to survive the French Revolution, if it happened in the Disney animated universe.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – 1790 – Based on Washington Irving’s book, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, though the book itself was published in 1820. Because now most of the remaining films have dates or general years of occurrence, there maybe less to say.

Cinderella – early 1800s – Not sure where Cinderella could take place, perhaps a little earlier in history, but the setting feels a little more modern compared to Beauty and the Beast. The French monarchy dissolved in 1870, so the film is at least set before then.

The Little Mermaid – early 1800s – Another challenging point on the timeline as Ariel’s place and time is a tricky one. I would at least say it is set somewhere in the 19^th century judging by the clothes and fashions. An article of Flavour Wire, where a fashion designer replicated historically accurate costumes for the Disney Princesses, she stated Ariel’s wedding dress is from the 1890s. Another issue is where The Little Mermaid is set. Though the fairy tale was written in Denmark, when has Denmark been tropical with palm trees and that wide variety of exotic fish? I would say that The Little Mermaid may in fact be set in a Dutch colony in say the Caribbean. The King and Grand Duke from Cinderella cameo during Ursula’s “wedding” to Eric, so this could put both princesses living within each other’s lifetimes.

Tangled – 1842 – Tangled and Frozen are both tied together, and were actually the basis for creating this timeline. Both films are confirmed to take place in the 1840s via the official Frozen artbook, despite Tangled looking like it is set in medieval Europe. The design aesthetic was to make it look like it came from a storybook. At the end of Tangled, Rapunzel and Eugene get married, and have been married for three years by the time Frozen rolls around – or at least by the time Elsa turns twenty-one.

Frozen – 1845 – Frozen takes place three years after Tangled. How do we know this? According to some, Elsa and Anna’s parents are going to attend Rapunzel’s wedding in Corona, but didn’t make it. The film picks up three years after the shipwreck, and look who cameos in Frozen, but Rapunzel and Eugene, attending Elsa’s coronation (on the left in the above image). Now if only it was more than a cameo and had exploded into a more ambitious project. Then again, we did get all the princesses together in Ralph Breaks the Internet. As for the year, I chose 1845 mostly because it is when The Snow Queen was published. Presumably, Frozen II will occur shortly after.

Alice in Wonderland – 1865 – 1865 was when Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so it seems a suitable year. Could easily take place a few years earlier based on Carroll’s relationship with the Liddell family.

Tarzan – 1880 – Tarzan is not related to Elsa and Anna by blood. I’m just getting that out of the way. It sounds very silly. As for the year of Tarzan, I’m not sure. Whilst Wikipedia says the film starts in the 1890s, the Disney Wiki says it starts in the 1880s. Neither of these make any sense, and I’d say it takes place even earlier, while the adult Tarzan’s story occurs in 1880. Jane and Professor Porter plan to take Tarzan on tour around Great Britain, introducing him to “Dickens, Kipling, and Queen Victoria” – only problem is that if this film was set in the 1890s, Charles Dickens would be dead, Rudyard Kipling would have only just published The Jungle Book, and, Queen Victoria would be really old. Dickens died in 1882, so I decided to set the film a couple of years beforehand.

Home On the Range – 1889 – Another film with a confirmed date. Set in the later days of the American Frontier.

Pinocchio – 1890s – While The Adventures of Pinocchio was published in 1883, I’d say the film takes place a little later. Pleasure Island has a ferris wheel on it, the first of which wasn’t built until 1893 in Chicago. Makes sense to put the film at some point afterward.

The Jungle Book – 1893 – The Jungle Book lacks a date, so I placed it in 1893 when the actual book was published.

The Great Mouse Detective – 1897 – Set in 1897 during the Victorian era. Interestingly, we see that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson actually exist in the Disney universe, Basil living under Holmes’ house in Baker Street.

Wind in the Willows – 1909-1910 – Though The Wind in the Willows was published in 1908, the film is set a year after, over several months between late 1909 and early 1910, based on Mr. Toad’s time in prison. Toad escapes prison on Christmas Eve 1909.

Lady and the Tramp – 1909 – Confirmed to take place in 1909, though it could occur over the next couple of years due to the arrival of Jim Dear and Darling’s baby, and the time Lady grows from a puppy, and then has puppies of her own.

The Aristocats – 1910 – Confirms the year straight away at the start of the movie.

The Fox and the Hound – 1910s – Lacks a date, so I’m setting The Fox and the Hound in the 1910s, mostly based on the antique Model T automobiles seen in the film.

Peter Pan – 1911 – Another film that lacks a date, so I set it around 1911, when Peter & Wendy was published by J.M. Barrie. Its sequel, Return to Neverland, is set during the Blitz in World War II.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire – 1914 – Confirmed at the start of the film, though the prologue occurs centuries ago.

Winnie the Pooh films – 1926 – As this was the time A.A. Milne published the classic books, set during Christopher Robin’s childhood, it makes sense to place them in 1926. I would say that all of the animated Pooh films and the animated series could take place in the same year, or over a couple, ending with the events of Christopher Robin in the 1950s.

The Princess and the Frog – 1926 – The film first begins in 1912 when her Tiana is a child, her late father participating in World War I. The main plot occurs in 1926, and during Mardi Gras.

Everything onwards takes place in the modern day, or at least during the time that they were released, so most of the remaining films on the timeline are mere place markers. Dumbo is up first, set in 1941, followed by Bambi in 1942, which may take place at least over a couple of years based on a deer’s lifespan. Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros occur between 1942-1944, depicting Latin American countries in the era, inspired by Walt Disney’s tour of the region. Next is 101 Dalmatians, which takes place in 1961. The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under take place within a short space of one another. Since The Rescuers was released in 1977, I set the sequel around a year later. Oliver & Company felt like the most modern day movie of its time, set in New York City around 1988.

Lilo & Stitch may have one of the longest timespans in the canon. While the film takes place in 2002, the franchise spawned a sequel, an animated series, and a tie-in movie to that, not to mention an anime spin-off/sequel where an adult Lilo appears, and has an identical daughter, and then a Chinese animated spin-off. I don’t know if the anime and Chinese show are considered canon, but I decided to put them in. The original animated series had crossovers with Kim Possible, The Proud Family, Recess, and American Dragon.

Next in the timeline, we have Bolt, which occurs in 2008. But, then we have Meet the Robinsons, which came out in 2007, but involves time travel. Part of the movie occurs in 2037 where the world effectively turned into Tomorrowland. So, Meet the Robinsons takes place both before and after Bolt.

Big Hero 6 was released in 2014, but its positioning and place in this timeline are a little vexing. It is set in San Fransokyo, which appears to be an alternate version of San Francisco, with Japanese technology and themes. Of course, it could be a different city and location altogether. Or maybe I’m just looking too much into this already wobbly timeline.

And finally, we have Treasure Planet, set…in the future. Some when far into the future! A time of intergalactic voyages, farting aliens, and the 18^th century was fashionable again. Okay, it is based on Treasure Island, so the aesthetic makes sense. We see a toy of Stitch in Jim Hawkins’ bedroom. Perhaps, Stitch’s placement on Earth by the Intergalactic Federation kicked off an eventual, stronger relationship between mankind and aliens, leading to the eventual development of the world of Treasure Planet. This union perhaps wouldn’t take place centuries later, as we see no aliens walking around in Meet the Robinsons’ future.

So, there you have it. My attempt to weave the Disney universe together into a timeline. Again, all of this is just guesswork and wish fulfilment. Animators and filmmakers from Disney have said that these films are all disconnected from each other, and exist in their own standalone stories. Still, it is fun to try to join the dots together.

Rewriting Netflix's Death Note Movie

Last time, we discussed why Netflix’s adaptation of Death Note was a disappointment, and could have been a lot better. In short, it doesn’t quite swing for the fences with the manga, instead throwing out a good majority of what made Death Note so appealing, in favour of a dreary romance drama. The characters are profoundly stupid, whiny, and spend more time flailing their hands than doing anything with the titular Death Note. Though it did have some shred of interesting ideas, the film didn’t commit to anything of merit. Now, in this follow up entry, I shall be pitching a few ideas on how Death Note may have been improved.

For one, I feel a property like this, which involves a long game of wits, moves, and countermoves, may have worked better as a miniseries or a full out TV show. While the film looked like it would tackle the duel of minds between Light and L, it quickly abandons it, replaced by a semi-interesting but ultimately flawed romance between two dumb teenagers.

It is possible I am looking at it a little too unfairly as a fan of the anime, as it does manage to pull off this cautionary tale of giving teenagers great power but abusing it with little thought of the consequences. But, when you adapt a movie after something of Death Note’s calibre, the expectations are high.

Light and L are both geniuses, often cool, calm, and collected in their moves against one another. Perhaps the screenwriters thought how the two characters were portrayed in the manga would not work well with the story they had in mind? While Light Yagami decides to use the Death Note on a whim, quickly developing his god complex, Light Turner has legit, personal reasons that tempt him to use the book’s powers. His mother was murdered, the culprit getting off free. He then defends Mia from a bully, but is reprimanded by the school principal for doing homework for others, when Light is the victim here. Ryuk gives him the opportunity to get justice, becoming Kira.

Kira’s reputation in both versions of the story differ depending on the setting. In Japan, Kira is viewed as a criminal by authorities, based upon the country’s severe condemnation on criminals. In the Netflix film, set in Seattle, both civilians and cops praise Kira’s judgement. This could symbolise America’s need to police the world. In a montage, criminals implied to be from North Korea and ISIS are seen being punished by Kira.

One of the biggest problems with the film is that these characters are named Light and L, two of the most compelling characters in manga. To completely alter them to their core, to the point they no longer resemble the iconic characters they are based on, is bound to put off any fan expecting a fair adaptation.

So, what if instead of being Light Yagami and L, that these characters instead had been original ones? Perhaps, otherwise, the reaction to these characters wouldn’t have been so vicious. If I had written this movie (or TV series had it gone that route), “Light Turner” and “L” would not be the same characters as seen in the manga. Instead, Death Note would have been set in the same universe as the manga/anime, but set years after Kira’s reign of “justice”. Kira is gone, crime is on the rise, and there is no sign of Kira’s second coming as some predict. The character who is Light Turner could be renamed, but with the same story arc, and wham-bam-shalam, you have a brand new character. Completely unrelated to Light Yagami, aside from deciding to become the next Kira out of necessity.

L could stay the same too, but instead be rewritten as a successor to the original L, but struggles to keep his emotions in check, and live up to the reputation of the world’s greatest detective. This would explain why this L makes erratic decisions, is emotionally compromised, and does stupid things that the original L would not do.

There, I just rewrote the whole movie in two changes. Not-Light is a victim of injustice, Ryuk tempts him to use the Death Note and become the next Kira. New-L has become, well, the new L, and decides to stop Kira. Not-Light dates Mia and they both double as Kira. New-L teams up with the Seattle police force to identify Kira, but panics, and is convinced Not-Light is Kira, which turns out to be true. New-L’s mentor Renamed Watari gets killed, Not-Light finds out Mia is also using the Death Note, they fall out, New-L chases Not-Light, big dramatic ferris wheel ending, Mia dies, Not-Light planned everything to work out that way in advance, but his dad finds out he is Kira. The film ends on that pesky cliffhanger with Not-L ready to use the Death Note to kill Not-Light.

As for all of the altered Death Note rules…perhaps the King of the Shinigami could’ve altered the rules of the books? I’m grasping at straws here.

Another change could be exploring the deeper philosophy and moral discussions of Death Note. How is the world reacting to Kira and his powers of death and justice? In the manga/anime, the USA of all people cave in to Kira’s power. How was Kira’s justice affecting normal citizens morally and religiously? Are his actions good or evil in their eyes? There’s that scene with the Kira-worshipping website where people list those they feel deserve to die. While Mia is gung ho to start jotting down names, Light suggests half of the people listed might be innocent. I wonder if Light Yagami would consider such an option.

This website scene opens up all sorts of questions about Light’s brand of justice. Light Yagami just wrote down names of criminals who were reported on the news. What if it turned out they were innocent/framed/set up/a fall guy, etc.? Would Light write down a person’s name if they killed in self-defence? By accident? What if say a criminal is repentant, or making amends for a past crime? Who would Kira target? Would he take out ordinary criminals or people from across the board like businessmen, religious figures, or, what if his own relatives committed crimes? Who punishes Kira?

There’s another can of worms. What happened if Light (or Not-Light) was arrested? How would he survive in a trial or in jail? Would he be the number one whipping boy, or treated as some sort of saviour behind bars? See, the possibilities are virtually endless in Death Note.

The Death Note itself has a lot of rules, some of which are a little ridiculous or complicated. Many of these rules exist so the lore remains accurate, rigid, and firm. Whoever has their name written in the book will die. There is not “get out of death free burnable page” in the Japanese version, so either that convenient plot twist would either stay or go. Perhaps the most interesting rule is that up to six Death Notes can exist on Earth at the same time. Imagine the mayhem that would unfold. What type of movie would that be like?

Turns out Japan already did that movie. In one of the live action Japanese Death Note movies, Light Up the World, six Death Notes are dropped on Earth by the Shinigami out of amusement. This allows six different people to use the books very differently. You have the wannabe successor to Kira, a serial killer, a Russian doctor who kills terminally ill patients, a Japanese politician who murders Kira fans, a New York banker who axes his rivals, and the next L, who refuses to use his copy of the Death Note. Such a concept would be a real thrill to imagine as a TV series, Hey, there’s a great idea for a sequel to the Netflix movie!

These aren’t exactly concrete ideas, but there are those and many more to spread around. While the Netflix movie was met with mixed results, there is room for improvement, and if Death Note does get a sequel, which apparently there is.

Netflix's "Death Note" aka How Not To Adapt An Anime

Alita: Battle Angel has broken the curse that Hollywood can’t make good movies out of Japanese manga and anime, mostly thanks to James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez commitment to the film. While this could open the door for future visionaries to bring popular anime to the big screen, it doesn’t make up for the many disappointing movies that preceded it. We all know how much Dragonball Evolution sucked, how Ghost in the Shell duplicated the look of its source material but was disappointingly hollow, and well, then there is Netflix’s take on Death Note.

 

Death Note is based on the hugely popular manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, a thrilling, suspenseful detective horror story. The manga, subsequent anime, and other live action movies, worked well for their discussion on morality, the exciting cat-and-mouse game between the designated hero and villain, and the supernatural world building. Netflix’s film, directed by Adam Wingard, tried to adapt the story, world, and characters, but didn’t quite have the depth. Feeling like it was in a bit of a rush, Death Note eventually grinds to a discombobulated halt as it fumbles up the source material, chucking out the meat of the story, to rely on familiar tropes, an awkward romance, and characters making dumb decisions.

The manga/anime is about Light Yagami, a Japanese high school student who comes across the titular Death Note, a book which will kill whoever’s name is written within it. Light is approached by the book’s owner, Ryuk, a leering, grinning Shinigami (or death god), and pursues a goal to rid the world of criminals via the Death Note’s powers. Light soon develops a god complex, declaring himself the new embodiment of justice in the world, earning the messiah name of “Kira”. He finds opposition from “L”, a strange but genius detective, and a group of police led by Light’s own dad, who want to arrest the anonymous Kira. Light and L try to unearth each other’s identities in an incredible game of wits.

The Netflix adaptation takes that basic premise and runs with it. Light, now an American student from Seattle, and played by Nat Wolff, acquires the Death Note, and undergoes the same journey as his Japanese counterpart. Ryuk is voiced and partially mo-capped by Willem Dafoe, and is by far the most enjoyable part of the movie. Light adopts the mantle of Kira, becoming a champion of the people by killing outlaws. He teams up with the unstable cheerleader Mia Sutton (Margaret Qualley), to spread their own brand of justice, and form a destructive romantic relationship. Light’s dad James Turner (Shea Whigham) is recruited by this film’s version of L (Lakeith Stanfield) to help stop Kira.

Nat Wolff’s portrayal of Light is a very mixed bag. In the manga, Light Yagami is this near-sociopathic, manipulative genius who knows how to play a deadly game of chess, has a strong sense of self-justification, and shows little concern for others, even his own loved ones, especially if they stand between him and his self-granted godhood. Wolff’s Light is a weedy, wimpy, garden variety high school loner, but has a sense of conscience. Whilst Light Yagami would kill anyone who could expose his identity, regardless of right and wrong, Light Turner is driven a little more by morals. He only wishes to punish criminals, and protect the innocent. This comes from a minor sense of victimisation he has, receiving detention for doing homework for others, when he is being bullied into doing it to begin with. This sets up Light’s belief that the justice system is flawed through personal experience. This is further extended when it turns out his mother was murdered, and the killer got away.

Light lacks a sense of initiative and self-preservation, performing increasingly stupid decisions as the movie goes on, and even completely breaks down at the end of the film to have a shouting match with Mia. Because he shares his name with such an iconic character, Light has very little in common with Light Yagami, and is a poor attempt to adapt the anti-hero to the big screen. I don’t want to see Light Yagami freaking out at mistakes he made, or arguing with another character. He should be calmly and carefully plotting how their destruction.

While I enjoyed Lakeith Stanfield’s performance of L, the characterization is perhaps even worse than Light’s. He captured L’s eccentric personality well, but the character is defined as being a lot more emotionally vulnerable, panicky, and not very good at sleuthing. He accuses Light of being Kira with any physical evidence or legit suspicions, then goes completely ballistic, grabs a gun, and starts chasing Light through the streets, whilst performing parkour moves and sliding over cars. It feels completely out of place for such a character defined by his mind

  

Light and L feel like stand-ins for the actual characters, as neither have much in common with their anime counterparts. Perhaps if these two had been set up as original characters then adaptations of two established ones, the transition wouldn’t have been so difficult. I understand that they wanted to add a more vulnerable, morally grey element to both characters, which is fine, but they are so far flung from the source material, they might as well have been new characters altogether.

The cat-and-mouse duel of wits is barely acknowledged in the film, with L somehow figuring out, or rather guessing, that Light is Kira, with no evidence. Meanwhile, Light’s father puts two-and-two together with crucial evidence and motive, whilst the supposed genius detective L points fingers, and then gets all whiny when things go wrong. Instead, most of the film is dedicated to Light and Mia’s romance, and their increasingly desperate attempts to cover up their tracks. I suppose this is what is meant to set Death Note apart from the other adaptations, focusing on immature and frankly stupid teenagers wielding a power they abuse.

The character make increasingly stupid decisions, whittling down to a screaming match between Light and Mia atop a ferris wheel, whilst the scheming Ryuk is trying to demolish. Light is set up as a character who is willing to do whatever it takes to bring about justice, despite his initial hint of being a bit more of a moral person. But, by the end, he appears to have completely detached himself from his godhood, whimpering and pleading with Mia to throw away the Death Note so that they can be together. But, then, it turns out through rather forced means that the whole third act was set up by Light so he could kill Mia and get back the Death Note.

The lore of the Death Note itself gets ignored repeatedly in the movie. If a person’s name is written down in the book, they will die, and such a fate cannot be averted. But, the film changes that, including a rule that a person’s death can be stopped if the page with their name on it is burnt. Also, I am not sure if Light has a sadistic streak, but he decides to come up with rather nasty, Final Destination-style deaths for all of his victims, some of which feel impossible to pull off (going against Ryuk’s rule that deaths can only occur if physically possible).

Light’s girlfriend Mia is based on the character Misa Amane, a pop idol who owns a second Death Note in the manga. She has a darker side, but hides it behind a bubbly, airheaded persona that may or may not be real. To Light Yagami, Misa is just another pawn to use, and he has no genuine affection for her. Mia Turner has no real motivations. Why is she a cheerleader? She doesn’t exactly fit the bill for being one. She is grouchy, cynical, nihilistic, slightly gothic, and we are first introduced to her performing a human pyramid whilst smoking. She looks more like a girl you’d find smoking behind the school dumpsters, then being star of the cheerleading squad.

 

Her reasoning for joining Kira is, well, without reason. She is mildly angry at society for some reason with no further exploration, and that’s it. We know nothing about her as a person, or why she wants to use the Death Note apart from being a bit of a ruthless, slightly unhinged teenager with a bad attitude. The romance between Light and Mia dominates the movie, but beyond their “devil-may-care” attitude to what they are doing. In one scene, Light and Mia examine a website dedicated to Kira, where people list those they think should die. Whilst Mia is just eager to bring out the guillotine, Light is more logical, believing most of the listed criminals might just be people who his followers dislike or spite. Mia looks at him as if he just decided to spare Ted Bundy. What is  her motivation in life? Said scene is certainly a new take on Death Note, and might’ve helped it become a more interesting thought piece if it wasn’t such a mess.

If there was a shining light in this murky mess of a movie, it is Willem Dafoe as Ryuk. Though the grinning phantom mostly lingers in the shadows, Dafoe really brings the character to life, bringing back that devious, predator essence he had when he played the Green Goblin. While Ryuk is more of a watcher in the manga, entertained by Light and L’s game, he takes on a more active role in the Netflix movie.

  

Another problem with the film is changing the setting from Japan to America. Light and Mia go out of their way to utilise the Kira name without much food for thought, believing such a name would throw off the cops. Light claims “Kira” is both Russian and Celtic for “light”. I looked both translations up, they don’t. Plus, why would you use a word that supposedly translates in multiple languages to the same meaning? They dance around the fact whether or not Ryuk is a Shinigami or not, or some sort of demon who murders people for fun – only for Light to later be seen reading a book showing Ryuk depicted in his anime design in a piece of Japanese artwork.

Sadly, Death Note is a mismatched movie that doesn’t really know what it wants to be. Ironically, the titular Death Note, the primary game of wits, and the police investigation are forgotten about in the film, as it favours choppy romance and even cheesier action set pieces instead of exciting psychological thrills. They even had the nerve to end on a cliffhanger and setting up a potential sequel. Netflix could have easily adapted Death Note into a TV series or a miniseries, rather than a ninety-minute plot that has little in common with the popular manga. Perhaps, it could’ve been done a little differently.

Disney's Hercules: Movie vs. Myth

Hercules, Disney’s 1997 animated film, is one of my favourites from the company’s animated canon. Though some say it is the weakest of the Renaissance-era movies in terms of storytelling, I personally love it. The main characters are likeable and fleshed out, the charismatic Hades (voiced by James Woods) is an absolute riot, the art style is memorable, and the gospel soundtrack by Alan Menken is extremely catchy.

Still, the film does take a lot of liberties with Greek mythology. Disney is no stranger to reworking classic stories and telling them in a more family friendly style, often becoming the best known incarnations of said tales. Greek myths are a lot more, well, violent, dramatic, and prone to adult themes that Disney wouldn’t dare to touch. In the movie, Hercules is a charming, good-natured goofball, who finds a happy ending with the snarky Megara. In Greek myths, Hercules was driven insane by the goddess Hera and murdered Megara and their children in a fit of rage, and has to undertake his infamous Twelve Labours to earn redemption.

“Hercules” isn’t even his Greek name, but his Roman one. His Greek name is Heracles. But that’s just the tip of the Olympus-sized mountain of liberties that Disney took with the myths. We’re going to go through a few examples and references used in Hercules.

The first characters we meet in the film are the Muses, our narrators, and the Greek goddesses of the arts. Calliope, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Clio make up the group, though there are actually nine Muses in myths, with Euterpe, Erato, Polyhymnia, and Urania. They are also daughters of Zeus, making them Hercules’ stepsisters.

The movie’s backstory is an abridged version of an event called the Titanomachy, during which the Olympian gods went to war with the Titans, to see who would rule over the universe. The details have always been vague, and the war lasted ten years before the Olympians won. In the movie, there are only four Titans, each based on one of the four classical elements, and were trapped in an underwater vault by Zeus. In the animated series, which may or may not be canon with the movie, several actual Titans from mythology, like Prometheus, appear as supporting characters.

Hercules is born as an immortal god, but loses his godhood thanks to the schemes of Hades, and has to become a true hero in order to regain his powers. In the myths, it is the opposite. Hercules was born as a mortal demigod, and only after he died did Zeus transform him into a true god. The film also portrays Hercules as the son of Zeus and his wife-sister Hera.

Ho, boy! Hera is a very different person in the myths. In the film, she is a loving mother to Hercules. In  the myths, she is a jealous, spiteful, and very vengeful woman, despite being the personification of good marriage. Zeus was a rather unfaithful husband, chasing after and sleeping with hundreds of beautiful woman, who gave birth to a number of known deities and heroes like Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, and Perseus. Hera would often unleash fire and brimstone upon the poor women and their children, several who would sit alongside Hera and Zeus as Olympians.

Hades is by far the most entertaining character in the film, and is perhaps the best known adaptation of the god of the Underworld. In truth, Hades was probably the least immoral of the three Greek brothers of himself, Zeus, and Poseidon, who were both horny all the time and often did unscrupulous things to in their lustful pursuits. Hades regarded humans as dull, and his role as keeper of the Underworld was just his job. Perhaps the worst thing Hades did in the myths was the abduction of Persephone, goddess of the spring, who he would manipulate into becoming his wife. A deal was eventually struck that Persephone would spend half a year with him, and the other half on the surface with her mother Demeter.

 

Hades’ characterization in the movie involves his obvious jealousy and contempt for Zeus and the other gods, implying he was forced into the role of ruling the Underworld. In the myths, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew fair lots on who would rule over which domain. Zeus got the skies, Poseidon the ocean, and Hades got the Underworld.

He consults the three Fates, elderly hags who can see the future, and cut the mortal threads of life for each person on Earth, cutting them with scissors when the time comes. The Fates are a fusion of characters – the Morae, three sisters who decide human fate, and the Graeae, another trio of sisters, who were born elderly and share one eye between them.

Hercules is abducted by Hades’ minions Pain and Panic, who strip him of his immortality using poison, but are unable to kill him before the arrival of Alcmene and Amphitryon. Zeus had sex with Alcmene, and she is Hercules’ mother in myths. Pain and Panic transform into snakes to kill baby Hercules, but he treats them like play things and sends them flying away into the air. In the myths, Hercules kills the snakes, who were sent by Hera. Pain and Panic appear to be based on Deimos and Phobos, who worked for Ares. Deimos and Phobos themselves would appear as separate characters in the animated series.

Years later, Hercules learns of his true heritage and is sent by Zeus on a journey to become a true hero, aided by the winged horse Pegasus, and Philoctetes, a satyr who once trained heroes. Interestingly, Pegasus is never associated with Hercules in the myths, but rather other heroes like Perseus and Bellerophon. Pegasus is actually the child of Poseidon and Medusa, leaping out of Medusa’s neck after Perseus decapitated her. And that’s just one of many weird ways characters are born in mythology!

 

Hercules meets Philoctetes, or Phil, on an island that resembles the city of Rhodes, the Colossus of Rhodes, once regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, lies in pieces throughout. Phil tries flirting with nymphs, but they reject. One turns into a tree, referencing Daphne, who was turned into a tree to escape a lustful Apollo.

Phil’s house is a smorgasbord of references and easter eggs. Phil claims he trained all of the great heroes like Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus (“A lot of ‘-euses’,” as Phil puts it), and then Achilles, who died of his infamous heel injury. However, in the animated series, Hercules meets an elderly Achilles. Again, the cartoon’s canonicity is questionable. The mast of the Argo, the Golden Ram’s healing wool, and the head of the Trojan Horse can be seen in Phil’s house.

Hercules later rescues Megara from the centaur Nessus, and travels to Thebes, where one disgruntled citizen, fed up with the city’s disasters, vows to move to Sparta. Hercules then battles the multi-headed Hydra, which is the second of his Twelve Labours. Like in the myths, Hercules continues to cut off the Hydra’s heads which regenerate, but he then kills the beast by burying it in a landslide.

The “Zero to Hero” musical number is told via montage, showing Hercules accomplishing several of his other Twelve Labours, fighting the Erymanthian Boar, the Nemean Lion (whose skin cameos as Scar from The Lion King), and a Stymphalian Bird. But, Hercules also fights and defeats the Minotaur and Medusa. These were slain respectively by Theseus and Perseus in myths. Heck, Phil’s memorabilia shows said heroes fighting those monsters. It is implying that Hercules is telling an alternate history where the likes of Perseus, Theseus, and Odysseus failed as heroes, with a discus showing Theseus being strangled by the Minotaur.

Hercules and Megara go on a date, mentioning they attended a play based on Oedipus, one of the most tragic figures in Greek mythology. Oedipus was a king of Thebes, who accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his own mother. He is the inspiration for the Oedipus complex. Hercules later gives up his powers for a day so Hades can invade Mount Olympus with the freed Titan. But, the pragmatic Hades deploys one of the Titans, a Cyclops, to murder the depowered Hercules.

The Cyclops were actually close allies to Zeus in Greek myths, becoming his personal armourers and weapons designers, crafting his signature lightning bolts. Though, there was one evil Cyclops named Polyphemus, who fought Odysseus and was blinded by him. Hercules blinds the Cyclops whilst battling.

After defeating the Titans and blowing them up in space, Hercules finds out Megara has died and her soul has gone to the Underworld. Hercules bursts into Hades’ lair, riding the three-headed dog Cerberus, and demands Meg’s soul back. He and Hades make a deal that if he saves Meg’s soul, Hercules shall remain. This may be a reference to the tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. When Eurydice died, Orpheus went to the Underworld to ask Hades to give her back. Orpheus played his lyre, moving Hades. The god agreed to let Eurydice return to life, but only if Orpheus didn’t look back at her whilst guiding her out of the Underworld. Sadly, Orpheus failed in his mission. Hercules, however, has a more successful mission, rescuing Megara’s soul by obtaining his godhood, and punches Hades into the Styx.

The animated series was filled to bursting with characters and elements from Greek myths. Hercules’ best friends were Icarus and Cassandra, rivals with Adonis, had a crush on Helen of Troy, and a number of other heroes and gods appeared. Heck, the show even had a crossover with Aladdin, in which Hades and a ghostly Jafar joined forces to eliminate Hercules and Aladdin.

So, like all heroes, Hercules gets his happy ending, deciding to give up his immortality to be with Megara on Earth. In Greek myths, Hercules had several more wives after Megara, but eventually died thanks to poison and ascended to become a god. He even made amends with Hera, and married her daughter Hebe. In both versions, Hercules received a constellation in the sky, and was defined as a true hero.

How Not To Run A Fan Convention: The Worst Cons Ever

Fan conventions (or “cons”) are a thrill for many, with people from across the globe coming together to celebrate their hobbies and beloved films, TV shows, video games, anime, books, websites, you name it. I attend conventions every now and again, both professionally run and operated by fan communities; my favourite being 2016’s “Summer of Sonic”, and my least favourite being my time at the London Film & Comic Con a few years back, due to a lack of information, and, well, ironically, crowds. I still believe hosting LFCC in Olympia, where there are only three elevators and one staircase up to each floor, is a poor place to hold such a large event.

But, not every con goes well, for a number of reasons. It can be due to mismanagement by the organizers and managers, a lack of finances, chaos on part of the attendees, or in some cases, outright lies and manipulation in order to make a quick buck. Let’s go through some of the most infamous conventions in history, or in other words, the worst of the worst.

New York Star Trek ‘76

Held at the New York Hilton, organizer Lisa Boynton seemed dedicated to undermining other Star Trek conventions occurring in the area, particularly the Schuster Star Trek Convention, which had occurred mere weeks earlier. This move was seen as intentional, to cut into the finances and attendance of Al Schuster’s convention. Fans were put off by Boynton’s priority to make money rather than celebrate Star Trek. Most notably, the convention was the first to pay special guests to attend the event.

Needless to say, the press and fans themselves labelled the con as a disaster (or “DisasterCon”). Up to 30,000 fans attended, and the convention oversold, with some having to be turned away when the hotel grew overcrowded. This can be a problem in some cons, and Lisa Boynton’s convention is a textbook example of how not to run such an event. William Shatner, making one of his first appearances at a convention, had a pie thrown at him whilst giving a panel onstage.

Tentmoot

This fan convention is a little different, as it never actually happened, and is just a part of a much darker, disturbing series of events. Tentmoot was a promoted convention celebrating The Lord of the Rings, run by one Andrew Blake, a disturbed, controlling man who took on many aliases. Blake began his shenanigans under the alias of “Victoria Bitter”, founding a website and alleged charity group called “Bit of Earth”. Blake is a man of many personalities and counts of criminal acts, including multiple cases of assault and domestic abuse, a history of fraud, cult building, etc. Blake also claimed he channelled the souls of fictional characters and actors from The Lord of the Rings.

Blake adopted the alias of “Jordan Wood”, claiming he shared his body with Elijah Wood’s soul, that he was even the actor’s cousin, and that Wood’s family was involved in the IRA. He later claimed to possess Orlando Bloom’s soul too. Bit of Earth launched “Project Eleanor”, the sole positive thing the group actually did, creating a children’s reading garden for the Riggs Institute in Beaverton. The volunteering effort was a success, with Sean Astin (aka Samwise Gamgee himself) attending to create the garden, which still stands outside the institute til this day. Allegedly, the charity money raised at a screening for The Two Towers would go to Reading Is Fundamental, a non-profit children’s literacy organization. The money instead either was used for Project Eleanor’s supplies, or simply disappeared, likely into Blake’s pockets.

Blake then announced Tentmoot, a five-day event celebrating Middle-Earth, to be hosted in Portland. Blake, thanks to his many aliases, caused chaos and confusion with many people, including the police, Middle-Earth related cast and crew, their agents, public relations people, and those who had volunteered to run both Bit of Earth and the imaginary convention. Jed Brophy, Paul Randall, and Brian Sergeant arrived at LAX expecting to attend Tentmoot, but learnt it wasn’t going to happen. Lawrence Makoare never made it out of New Zealand thankfully. According to Blake, a deal he had made with New Zealand airlines to fly the celebrities to the convention fell through. Blake asked friends to donate to ensure guests could travel to Portland. But, as it turns out, he never made any arrangements with airlines to begin with. Just one of many lies he had wove to cheat people out of their money.

Las Pegasus Unicon

The Brony community who make up the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanbase, is one of the more dignified ones online, a welcoming and closely-knitted phenomenon that reached its cultural peak around 2012. A documentary, produced by actor John de Lancie, focused on the Brony community and the 2012 Bronycon, highlighting the artistic talents, and integral sense of unity between the fans, never discriminating or isolating anyone from joining the “herd”. Pony conventions were popping up across the United States, and things were looking good for the fanbase.

But, the 2013 Las Pegasus Unicon in Las Vegas nearly destroyed the future of the Bronies’ conventions, and their relationship with the cast and crew of MLP. Needless to say, the convention was a disaster. Held in the Riviera Hotel Convention Centre, the con was such a colossal train wreck, that some feared it was the end for Brony conventions as a whole. The main problem seemed to come down to mismanagement, a lack of expected attendees, and the financial panic that followed. Funds were overextended, actors could not be paid, and some attendees were even kicked out of their hotel rooms, and left with enormous bills for travel expenses. Voice actresses like Nicole Oliver and Tara Strong were left stuck at the  airport without transport, and had to make their own way to the convention.

In the end, the Everfree Network, the Brony community’s radio channel, stepped in and organized a donation to raise money for the unpaid guests. The event’s lone organizer, Sandi Haas, had no prior experience running a con, and disappeared during the second day, allegedly with most of the money. It goes to show that poor management and mishandling of money can lead to disaster. However, Las Pegasus did not kill the MLP convention circuit, as many have been held since, and better organized.

Rainfurrest 2015

In some cases, it is the attendees themselves that cause havoc. Rainfurrest was a convention for and by the furry community, which ran from 2005 to 2015. The final event marked the death knell for this unusual convention. Mere hours after Rainfurrest 2015 began, there were multiple arrests, guests got seriously hammered, and went on a rampage, and caused much damage to the hotel. Toilets were deliberately flooded, some guests disabled their hotel room’s fire alarm to get high, sabotaged a hot tub, and the swimming pool was closed because some fool decided to do their business within. There were also fans walking around wearing nappies on their heads, or throwing them out windows and leaving them in the halls and rooms, harassing other guests, and causing anarchy. The response from the hotel was swift, warning other hotels in Seattle to not play host to any future Rainfurrest conventions.

Fyre Fest

Fyre Fest was a music festival in 2017, set on Great Exuma in the Bahamas. The event was organized (and orchestrated) by Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. The idea for the music event sprung from merely viewing the island by flying over it in McFarland’s private plane. Having no experience running a music event, McFarland contacted other, more experienced companies for advice. He was astonished that these gigs cost between $5-12 million to run. Believing it would cost far less, McFarland and his Fyre Fest team continued under this assumption. Tickets were pricey, but the marketing promised a private tropical island called Fyre Cay, with meals prepared by celebrity chefs, a line-up of popular bands and singers, and being a paradise for all who came. Boy, was that a lie!

Fyre Fest was a total wash out, and like a mass recreation of Cast Away. Guests found out that Fyre Cay did not exist, and instead flew to a dump on Exuma Island. There was no sense of security or order, none of the scheduled musical acts showed up, and there were no luxurious villas and gourmet food, just grubby tents on a gravel site, and cheap, pre-prepared food. 

There was no communication between the staff members (no walkie talkies), the only toilets were portaloos, and McFarland and Ja Rule were nowhere in sight. Guests didn’t receive water, but rather free tequila, and lockers were provided by no one told guests they needed to bring their own locks. Eventually, things were so chaotic that the Bahaman government stepped in to close down the festival.

The exodus from the island was just as messy, with guests stuck at the airport for an extended period of time. Strangely, the security guards locked the passengers in the airport terminal with no access to food and water, leading to one person fainting. People were understandably angry, having paid thousands of dollars to stay in a dump. Ja Rule released an official apology, but took no blame for what went down.

Fyre Fest’s organizers did offer refunds for all, but also the absurd invitation to get tickets for the imaginary Fyre Fest 2018. As for McFarland, he claimed that, get this, a storm had somehow changed the digital marketing into exaggerated lies. Yes, a storm. Can rain, wind, and thunder somehow edit a website? Then, eight different lawsuits were thrown against Fyre Festival, on various counts of fraud and other criminal charges, one seeking more than $100 million in damages. Then the feds got involved, arresting McFarland for one count of wire fraud. He ended up confessing to two different counts of wire fraud towards investors and a ticket vendor. McFarland was sentenced to jail for six years for his actions, and hopefully will never be allowed to plan a convention ever again.

Dashcon

And finally, we have Dashcon 2014, perhaps the most infamous doomed convention. A fan convention “for Tumblr fans, by Tumblr fans”, Dashcon may have been created with good intentions, but was an unmitigated disaster. Within a weekend, the organizers took $17,000 from the attendees as part of an emergency fundraiser to pay off the hotel bill, were unable to pay for or even accommodate guests (or chose not to), and disappointed ticket buyers were offered hotel mints and an extra hour in the pathetic children’s ball pit as compensation. The convention was originally named “TumblrCon”, but had to rename itself since it was unaffiliated with the website.

On the first day of the convention, organizers found themselves overwhelmed, and the entire convention would be booted out of the hotel that night, unless $17,000 was paid to the hotel. Dashcon’s organizers claimed hotel management didn’t like the people attending the event – in direct contrast to the hotel, who publicly welcomed the convention. Attendees agreed to pay for this “con” directly from their wallets, not really stopping to think if the organizers were pulling their legs. The vendors couldn’t make any profit because the attendees had just given all of their cash away to the desperate planners.

The organizers had expected around seven-thousand people to show up, and only about 1500 did. It seems odd that a hotel owned by the Marriot would let a first time convention to go ahead without paying up first. Pacific Rim was illegally screened in a panel, the Dr. Horrible Sing Along Blog listed on the schedule was cancelled since they didn’t have the rights to do it, and the highly anticipated panel of the event was for Welcome to Night Vale, pausing their national tour to attend. But, upon arriving, the Night Vale crew found out their rooms and transport had not been paid for, forcing them to sleep elsewhere.

Other guests, the Sherlock podcast group, the "Baker Street Babes", quit the convention on day two, and were forced to pay for their own hotel rooms. When Night Vale were announced to have bailed, the organizers pathetically offered an “extra hour in the ball pit” as compensation. Yes, really. The headline panel was cancelled on the fault of the organizers who attempted to pin blame on Welcome to Night Vale, who they had invited and offered to pay for, and then couldn’t due to their own incompetence. The reward was an extra in the ball pit, which was about the size that a six-year old could fit in. And even after that, it deflated, and someone apparently urinated in it.

Oh, and during the wait for Night Vale, the organizers sneakily altered their website, so that they would not be offering any refunds to the attendees. Pathetic. Utterly pathetic. And there was also Dashcon’s claim that it was in a partnership with the charity Random Acts, but RA responded that they had no such affiliation with the convention.

So, what went wrong? It appears to be a mix of the organizers not anticipating the responsibility and finances needed to run a convention, and the amount of attendees was shorter than expected. Asking the guests to pay for the convention’s finances pretty much killed it, leaving vendors and attendees unable to spend money, as there was nothing to spend. The organizers literally blamed everyone but themselves. There were rumours that the whole operation was a scam. Whether or not it was, Dashcon is without a doubt one of the worst planned conventions in history, and could be used in classrooms on how not to run a business!