Animutation

Animutation is a form of art using Macromedia Flash to create pop culture influenced videos of foreign-language, independent, or (more rarely) mainstream music. The style was invented and popularized by Neil Cicierega (a.k.a. Trapezoid) from Kingston, Massachusetts at the age of 13. The genre is currently expanding to include many other Flash artists. Independent musicians are turning to animutation artists and Flash-based music videos to promote their work for the Internet community. Currently a cult following near that of the also-popular YTMNDs, the genre has the potential to become mainstream within the next few years.

Audio

Animutations can be based on songs of foreign, independent, or mainstream origin. Japanese songs were used in many of the original animutations by Neil Cicierega (AKA Trapezoid,) but newer animutations use songs in a wide variety of languages, including English and gibberish. Besides Japanese, commonly used languages are Dutch and German. The style does not require any particular language or genre of music.

Related Topics:
Japanese - English - Dutch - German

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Fake lyrics

In many animutations, some or all lyrics are intentionally "misheard" in a manner related to mondegreens, resulting in nonsensical sentences. These words are often featured in subtitles or as sing-along style lyrics, and they are sometimes depicted visually.

Related Topics:
Mondegreen - Subtitle

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For example, these lyrics were used in the second animutation made by Trapezoid, "Hyakugojyuuichi!!!":

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: TV says donuts are high in fat, kazoo

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: Found a hobo in my room

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: It's Princess Leia, the yodel of life

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: Give me my sweater back or I'll play the guitar!

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These took the place of the real Japanese lyrics:

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: Kimi-tachi to no deai wa zenbu

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: Chanto oboete 'ru

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: Kizutsukeatta koto mo atta kedo

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: Sore wa (ēto) wasureta

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Another example of mondegreens come from this animutation made by the same artist called "Earth vs. Funk", using the song "Funkastic" by Rip Slyme:

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: Have a good yam key

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: And a crusty eye

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: See him on the pot

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: Now you're funtastic

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That took place of:

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: F-U-N-K-

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: A-S-T-I-

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: C on the funk

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: and funkastic

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The real and fake lyrics may not appear very similar, but when one hears the song and imagines that the singer is speaking English in a heavy accent, it is almost believable. Sometimes, animutations are mondegreened throughout the whole song.

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