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JEB writes...

Day 3 - Sunday, June 30, 2002

Woke up at 9:50 AM or so. Dad went out to get us breakfast, so we waited around a bit until he returned. As soon as we
were done and a time of 2 PM was set for meeting and heading home, I headed down to see the Atlantis Q & A panel. I waited a bit while the Roughnecks Q & A ended, but eventually just went on in when it went into overtime.

The Atlantis Q & A, when it started, was interesting; Greg described it as a panel on the "death of a show." The discussion, headed by the two Gregs, went into all sorts of tangents. The show was around halfway complete when it was axed, leading some in the entertainment industry to describe such a previously unheard-of circumstance as "Atlantis-ing a show." Basically, Atlantis: The Lost Empire did well enough when considering international revenues, but it was a failure in the U.S., and
internationally when compared to corporate expectations; so rather than create a series that made the movie more likable, such as the case was with the Disney's Hercules series (my opinion, I'll grant), they dropped the show entire. Greg also commented (regarding the film) that it felt like a film-by-committee and that certain parts (such as the over-long fireside discussion of the characters' backgrounds) seemed to indicate that the creators really wanted to do a musical. (On that note, he said that Lilo
and Stitch probably worked better because they weren't trying to make a musical.) The direct-to-video Team Atlantis movie will contain the three episodes nearest to completion (they'd been sent on to animators when the show was canned). The entire main cast from the film, save Michael J. Fox and the late Jim Varney, were involved in the show. Mike Mignola did conceptual designs for many creatures for the show, which (as he put it) he would combine into a combined "Frankenstein" whole. Many
elements (such as explosions) were considered too violent (quite a increase in the S&P since Gargoyles' era...), and were toned down; for example, the bit in "The Last" where Vinnie tossed a bomb into an animated gargoyle's hands and blew it up was reduced to Kida doing a loop-de-loop in the autogyro to throw the creature off. Basically, it seemed that Disney was doing what it and a lot of Hollywood, sadly, prefer to do anymore- aim lower. Unlike the early and mid-1990s, when Disney created kids' entertainment with appeal for the whole family, Disney now creates only stuff that can appeal to their vision of children's likes and dislikes. I was rather disappointed when I heard Team Atlantis was canned, not simply for the fact that Gargoyles would make a sort-of comeback during its run, but because it sounded like a promising show (heck, I felt like the
film was a pilot for an ongoing series more than a standalone film; how right my instincts were, eh?).

After Greg Guler left and the panel shifted to voice acting, I headed to the art show, browsed a bit more, and corrected the person watching the room on how to say my net-name (Jeb, not J E B, if you're curious) when she asked. Then I went to the video room and watched the first few episodes of Cowboy Bebop. (For some reason, I expected I'd dislike that show; now it's a favorite.) Halfway through episode three, the auction crowd gathered; figuring I might as well give it a shot, I signed up to bid. Many fine items appeared, including the radio play script, Greg's version of the script, and the recording of the actual VA's
material; original art from Roy Sato of the Gargoyles cast, some of which shot up as high as $510 in the bidding; a poster of CrzyDemona's Demona fanart signed by Marina Sirtis (which Greg B. won) and a Star Trek: Insurrection DVD, box signed by Jonathan Frakes; and Greg Guler's original sketch of a stone Goliath. I left a few times when the auction lasted past 2 PM; but my family showed up late, so I got some extra time. I negotiated to stay until 3 PM, and did so; tried to bid on a Castle Wyvern playset, but it got too rich for my blood (in other words, it topped $20). After it ended, I said good-bye to Greg B., browsed the art room one more time, said good-bye again to Greg B. as I passed him (and he said I'd better update MOA or he'd kill me), and walked upstairs. After my family unsettled themselves from where they sat amidst Abram Wintersmith and the Clan Olympians' rules-talk, we headed on home.

While lower-key than some prior Gatherings (I missed G2K1, but I suspect it was much less grand than that con), G2K2 was still a fun con. In a way, the lower-key approach helped, as it emphasized fan interaction more than activities. My thanks to Siryn and all the other con staff and volunteers for running such a smooth operation and making this con so good!

Greg responds...

Every Gathering has it's own flavor. But so far I've liked them all.

Response recorded on May 10, 2004