Hello NewGrounds, sorry I haven't gone near you in a while. Shit's been crazy.

Here's Vee strumming her bass, as a token of good will.

And so another month comes to a close on Newgrounds dot gov.

There was some excellent stuff as always this month, but here's the ones that I particularly enjoyed. This isn't the first time I've compiled a list of monthly picks, but it's the first time I've publicly shared my list because I think it might be fun to compare! So comment below and tell me about your choices for this month. Also, if you haven't already, please check out the submissions I've listed here.

Breaking Up With Adobe by James Lee

Aside from the fact that it's just insanely relatable - every content creator understands the love-hate relationship with Adobe - this video is excellently produced. From what I can tell, James seemingly took actual photos and digitally manipulated them to give his performance an exaggerated and cartoony feel. At least that's what it looks like, and it's used to great effect.

The comedy is strong, and visually this is probably the most striking entry on my list. The lighting, audio effects and dialog are top notch as well. The effect on James' voice is an interesting touch, but it definitely adds to the video's personality. This video was the easiest to place because I've adored it since the first time I saw it, and I knew right away it was my number one.

Lion King the Remakeboot by EdCardoso

This mad bastard actually made a 24-minute video where he retells The Lion King in the style of Ratboy Genius. I don't have any insightful commentary on this one, it's just fucking hilarious. I laughed all the way through it. The text to speech voices, the distorted faces reminiscent of old Gmod cartoons, the cartoony stock music. I love how the dialog flip flops between being taken word-for-word from the original film, and a tongue-in-cheek bastardisation of the original. I love how completely deranged and bizarre the whole thing is.

For me, the standout moments - that is, the ones that made me laugh hardest - are the first time Scar is called "Uncle Jafar", Scar tossing Simba off the cliff after telling him about the elephant graveyard, the look on Mufasa's face before he spanks Simba, and Simba's blood-curdling scream when he's practicing his roar. Those were the biggest laughs for me, but honestly the whole thing is a riot. Watch it if you haven't already.

My Neighbor Totoro by Cas van de Pol

As a general rule, if Cas makes something during the month it'll more than likely end up on my top ten list. This month is no exception, especially with the assistance of the amazingly talented folks at Studio Meala!

I'm not too familiar with the original movie, so this one didn't speak to me as much as Cas' Lion King and Lilo & Stitch parodies, but I still got a laugh out of it. Cas has an excellent animated style. The backgrounds and colours are all excellent, and he knows exactly how to punctuate his visual gags with the perfect sound effect. Even without the context of the original movie, this is a funny and charming little cartoon even if some of the actual story is kind of lost on me.

Poopy Bag by Fantishow

While I don't think this is the funniest entry on the list, and the voice acting does hold it back from being a spot or two higher, I don't think that's a big deal for this one. It's got a fairly simple joke with a setup and payoff - the writing and tone kind of reminded me of Ukinojoe, in a good way - and most of its appeal comes from the visuals.

The animation in this video is excellent, and the use of colour is phenomenal. While I wish the voices had a little more oomph, the animation more than makes up for it. I'm admittedly not too familiar with the team behind this entry, but I can't wait to see more from them if this is the standard. Definitely check it out.

Back to the Future on VHS by OrganizedApeShape

The thumbnail made me think of Harry Partridge. The video itself made me think of an alternate timeline where Harry Partridge is just as talented, but also completely batshit crazy. In a good way, though.

This is a short and sweet cartoon with a weird and exaggerated visual style and a tongue-in-cheek comedic feel to its jokes. It's less focused on jokes with setups and payoffs, and more about weird characters saying stupid shit - still though, can't deny I laughed. There's also an impressive fluidity to the animation, especially on Doc, and the ending made me laugh purely for how fucking weird and unexpected it was. Again, in a very good way.

The Lighthouse Girl by rtil

This is a weird one because the video itself is actually from 2009, but it was included in the selection because it was posted to Newgrounds this month. But I think it deserves a spot on this list because, simply put, it's a fucking gorgeous animation.

The author, rtil, is one of my favourite artists at the moment - admittedly mainly for his adult stuff - and despite being ten years old, this animation showcases his abilities very nicely. The lighting especially is beautiful. The character designs are adorable, the backgrounds are stunning and the animation is lively and smooth. I don't care if it's not technically from this month, this video fucking slaps.

"winner" by James Lee

Is it particularly groundbreaking to criticise or parody Donald Trump? Not at all. But James, appearing for a second time on this list, delivers a short and stylish video that manages to convey a lot, despite being quite simple in its presentation.

The sound design is particularly effective in this one, managing to be minimal and subtle, but extremely atmospheric and haunting. There's also an uncanny and weird quality to the performance and costume, as a straight-faced Donald is depicted fumbling around and trying to show off his medals and prizes while the city burns behind him. It achieves quite a lot despite its simplicity. It's not the most ambitious entry on this list, but I love its atmosphere.

ELON by JohnnyUtah

I know next to nothing about Elon Musk - which is why despite the Elon Musk-themed jam happening this month, I actually don't have many of its entries listed here - but it seems like the focus here is more on Elon's fans and followers than the man himself. I do see these people around but I don't know many myself, so I'd be lying if I said this video really spoke to me because truth be told, I don't know how accurate it is. Or even if it's meant to be, since the style is so silly I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff just wanted to fuck around and draw some goofy-looking people..?

Yeah, this is the tricky part of watching something like this when you're not too familiar with the person or thing it's mocking, you're sort of unsure what to make of it. Still, this is a fun video with some great drawings and funny voice acting.

Jeff's got an excellent art style. What I love about this video is, I can feel the contempt he has for the people he's making fun of, but at the same time the video is just funny and exaggerated enough to not feel overly cynical or mean-spirited. It's got the Newgrounds spirit of Pelo's Storytime Animator cartoon, or Zach Hadel's Fine Bros parody - I can feel the annoyance fueling the artist, but it's still a lot of fun to watch. This isn't Jeff's best work, but the man knows what he's doing.

Also, Spazkid's cameo got a laugh out of me.

Are You Going Outside Like That? by JoelG

Like with Cas van de Pol, JoelG is one of those creators who I pretty much always include because I just really like his work. Margo is a very charming design and I'm always happy to see more stuff with her in it. The vagueness of the title meant there was a bit of a misdirection with the cartoon's ending, which works for me because it's a fairly simple message and that bit of unexpectedness makes it funnier than it could have been otherwise.

This cartoon is short and topical - I get the impression Joel didn't spend super long on it because he wanted to get this message out, but it's effective in its simplicity and gets the job done. Looking forward to seeing more from Joel.

The Elon Musk Experience by Matt Vargas

Again, not too familiar with Elon Musk, but at least I do know what this one's referencing. Another fairly simple but funny one, with some great facial expressions and timing. Also love Elon's voice.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Samus Aran by bluethebone
• Bandicucked by TwistedGrim
• Disorderly Conduct by PhantomArcade
• A Regrettable Office Cartoon by Meatcanyon
• Animal Crossing: Raymond in Babe Town by AfroNinja
• Plankton Gets Shot by ZyagProductions

I'm setting up my Pillowfort page, on account of Twitter sucking balls.

https://www.pillowfort.social/DampOwl

Howdy folks, hope lockdown is going okay for you all.

I've been animating a lot. Not my own stuff; I got a studio job and we've been working remotely, so I've been working on scenes for them from home. It's good to keep myself busy, but I do miss actually going out and seeing people.

Anyway, does it count as a break from art if you just make a different art? For me it does! Here's a sketch of Gianna, an OC by MrPotatoParty (NSFW) - I may or may not finish it soon, depending on how exhausted I am with work and keeping Mermay going.

On that note, feel free to suggest girls to mermaid-ify. I have a roster of OCs to choose from, but if I'm ever stuck I'll definitely be looking for ideas. I've done Angie and Jucika already, and I think Zoe and Velouria are inevitable, but I wanna branch out and do other people's characters. My bucket list currently includes Derpixon's Sunny, and Chel from El Dorado. Other than that, I'm gonna play it by ear. Definitely comment with ideas though.

Stay safe out there, folks. Keep those fucking hands clean. >:(

Thank you all! More stuff to come soon.

Holy shit!

I've gotta say, I was heartbroken when the Animation Dingle festival was canceled due to COVID 19. It's been a rough couple of years and I was seriously excited to see my little college film get some attention. I was all ready to spend the weekend networking, seeing other indie films and having fun. Then this virus came along and it all felt like a sort of cruel joke. But the positive feedback I've gotten here on Newgrounds has reminded me why I love independent animation, and why I chose to pursue it.

When I got the notification that Tom Fulp himself was following me my heart skipped a beat. And when I saw that my film was on the front page, I lost my shit. Thank you, Newgrounds community, for the kind words and encouragement. Since I was a teenager I've dreamed of being featured on Newgrounds' front page, so to say I'm delighted and grateful is an understatement. I look forward to making more cartoons in the future, and I hope you all enjoy Zoe's adventures.

Feels like only yesterday I was an edgy 14 year-old watching Oney cartoons, drawing knockoff Eddsworld OCs with a mouse and a copy of MS Paint, playing Meet 'n Fuck and wishing I was making cartoons of my own. Eat shit, coronavirus.