This year’s Tribeca Festival featured over 90 feature film premieres, in addition to the usual selection of television shows, video games, and virtual reality experiences. However, what I find particularly interesting about the festival this year is the animation presence. While the animated shorts are back, and there’s normally at least one animated feature, this year features two independent animated feature films premiering, which I don’t think has ever happened (at least not recently). At the same time, this year’s edition has proven controversial due to the inclusion of 2 programs spotlighting generative AI “filmmaking”, totaling about 45 minutes of synthetic footage. (The fact that neither program could even make it to a half hour should tell you something.) While Tribeca has spotlighted various forms of new media, and I do not want to be an arbiter of what kinds of works should and should not be made, in my opinion this crossed a line into being disgraceful, especially given the amount of effort required to make films. At the same time, however, it also makes it even more urgent to talk about the actual human-made animation efforts in the festival this year. Now that I’ve gotten the editorial out of the way, here’s the first part of my review of the animation at Tribeca Festival 2024, in which a popular sketch group embarks on its final voyage.
Mars is an adult animated feature, and a quick look at the cast list makes it clear this isn’t just another raunchy animated comedy. It comes from sketch group The Whitest Kids U’ Know as their first project together in over a decade, and while their taboo-shattering comedy has raised more than a few eyebrows over the years, their inclusion in this festival should raise eyebrows for a different, less funny reason. Trevor Moore, the de facto leader of the team, died in an accident in 2021, and while he managed to record all of his lines for his movie before his death, it was clear from the introduction prior to the screening that the other members are still reeling from his death. As a result, Mars is essentially the last hurrah for the team, and the good news is it’s a fitting note to go out on.
The film focuses on an expedition to Mars led by an eccentric billionaire. Five people are picked from a pool of submissions to be the first humans to set foot on the red planet, among them a devout Christian, a woman with an unsettling backstory, and Kyle, a dentist feeling unfulfilled with his life and practice who ditches his fiancée on her wedding day in favor of space travel. The team’s excitement for what lies ahead very quickly fades as things go south fast due to some very unexpected developments.
If the crowd at Tribeca was any indication, fans of The Whitest Kids will absolutely love this movie. (I noticed a lot of nods to the sketch show, as well as some tributes to Trevor Moore sprinkled throughout.) I had a lot of fun with this, and likely so will anyone with a twisted sense of humor. Yet while the group’s signature dark comedy is out in full force, they also try and keep a more mindful eye on what they joke about. That’s not to say there still aren’t some pitch-black gags in this (though many of them got a big laugh out of me), but other times they’re definitely aware that times have changed and even address that, while still being funny. Some of the movie did wear a bit thin in my opinion, though I sorta expected that given that they’re a sketch group.
The animation was crude, but I’ve gotta be honest, I’ll give it a pass. Seriously, if you think you can do better with a DIY animated feature, be my guest. It still takes full advantage of the medium, incorporating a number of scenes that that would otherwise break the bank on a live-action feature, and the twisted comedy definitely works well within an animated framework. That’s the nice thing about animation: if you put in the work, you can make a blockbuster premise on pocket change. The plot is elaborate and honestly not something I want to say too much of. There’s a lot of twists, and seemingly innocuous moments ultimately later play big roles in the story. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this, and if you’re a Whitest Kids fan, you will too. It’s a shame this ended up being the end for them, but the fact that they were able to finish this is nothing short of a miracle.
Stay tuned for more on the animation at Tribeca Festival 2024, including Boys Go to Jupiter and the animated shorts.
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