Uhm.. I thought this series idea has pretty much died. Checking the 'view source' on this page shows that its an 'unnofficial site for the upcoming animated series' and the domain is somehow connected to 'angeltruck.homestead.com' which is some kind of volunteer charity for the homeless. This 'good quality' site is just one page with a single downloadable wallpaper, using some copyrighted images by Eric Wright. This isn't convincing proof to me that the animated series is back on the table.

I question this link's validity, and whether or not it even belongs on Whedonesque. Please feel free to prove me wrong. I'd be happy to be wrong, but I don't think we're ever going to see this animated series.

By the way, Eric Wright's website does not appear to have been updated since January 24th of 2003.

ZachsMind | January 29, 00:00 CET

I'd say that there is a better chance of getting some network to pick up BTVS:TAS if there are sites like this. How many animated pilots have fansites?

FaithFan | January 29, 00:10 CET

As far as I know, the last word was that they are still working on the presentation.

electricspacegirl | January 29, 00:24 CET

No, I dont think the Series is dead. Jeph Loeb said in December that some big news was coming regarding Buffy: Animated in the coming months, so I'm hopeful that could mean a network has picked the show up for a full or limited run

Apocalypse | January 29, 00:35 CET

Honestly? I am not looking forward to an animated series. It's going to, what, pick off where Season 7 left off? No thank you.

Buffy was fantastic. It was epic. And it ended perfectly. Right time, right place, went out with one heck of a bang, stuck the knife in the gut and twisted. We all wish it could have gone on for ever, and we all know that it couldn't have without starting to suck, like every other television show that wears out its welcome (Charmed, anyone?).

Buffy ended, and that's sad. But it ended well, and it ended completely. Anything that comes after will only tarnish the memory. Besides, Joss has said that he's out of the TV world for some time now, and I don't trust such a delicate project in the hands of *anyone* else.

And hi, I'm new! :)

Daromaius | January 29, 02:37 CET

Hey Daromaius! Welcome to Whedonesque!

Apocalypse | January 29, 02:40 CET

Daromaius: Agreed with everything about buffy. :) However I would like to see the animated series, and the premise is not to pick up where season 7 left off, but to show new adventures in the high-school era (including Dawn) without the restrains of a live action show. For example, the planned pilot featured Buffy being shrinked (a la Honey I shrunk the Kids).

I think it would've been a good project, but I doubt it'll take off.

Cabus | January 29, 02:54 CET

Don't know why the website says that it "raises doubts" about Tara's role, there's no way they could work her into the story, so she definitely won't be in it.

I'll watch this if it ever happens, at the moment it's probably the most likely return to the 'verse for a while, unless Doctor Who reignites the BBC's interest in quality Sci-fi/fantasy and gets them to actually do something about Ripper.

Ghost Spike | January 29, 02:57 CET

Well Daromaius (and welcome), I had my doubts, initially, about an animated series until I played the Xbox games and I think there is room in the Buffyverse for it. It's not supposed to pick up at the end of season 7 but be early in the shows history, back in the high school days and even before Spike was around. Dawn is supposed to be around in this version and for that alone it would be fun to see. Even when BtVS was still on, Joss was interested in doing this. I believe he is still very much interested in this idea. And I just noticed that Cabus explained a lot of this too.

But even though some of you aren't interested, there are a lot of us who are. And for some of you new posters, why don't you check the archives about the animated series and you may find yourself more interested after you read up a bit about the premise.

Firefly Flanatic | January 29, 03:34 CET

I'm not personally against this idea. However, this 'good quality' website has few links and less news. It looks fake. I don't see how this link validates a revisiting of the subject. Until Whedon or a network or someone in the biz actually greenlights this thing, it's in Development Hell. The link in question is not going to change that. A hundred web pages like it will not make a difference.

ZachsMind | January 29, 03:56 CET

Does anyone know how they're going to incorporate Dawn into it? As the monks never physically created her in the past does that mean the whole series is from the memories of the other characters? I think that makes sense.

Jackal | January 29, 04:05 CET

I would so much love for the animated series to see the light of day. I've had my fingers crossed for a long time, and will keep them crossed for as long as it takes... even though it impedes my typuingG. ;)

"Does anyone know how they're going to incorporate Dawn into it? As the monks never physically created her in the past does that mean the whole series is from the memories of the other characters?"

I'm too lazy to dig up the source, but I thought I read somewhere that, yes, it incorporates everyone's faux Dawn memories.

miyu_tVP | January 29, 07:28 CET

I say we all go to college and become the next Bill Gates and the ones of us with talent can go become rich actors then we'll all pitch in to buy our own TV network so that the Jossverse shows will have a home. And we need to do this quickly before the vampires start aging. Plus we'll first have to make a Angelverse theater trilogy to get DB on board. And while that is being filmed and negotiated the Animated Series will be playing along with reruns of BtVS and Angel and a new season of Firefly.

[ edited by charisma on 2005-01-29 05:59 ]

charisma | January 29, 07:53 CET

AhhHHH........we can dream can't we? hahaha!!

WheelsOfJoy | January 29, 20:18 CET

From season five onward, the writers treated Dawn as if she had always been there. I can't recall if they ever mentioned Dawn contacting her Dad, because by then he'd been communicating with Joyce and Buffy hardly at all anyway. It's possible he wouldn't recall Dawn at all but they never explored that. For all intents and purposes, the series retroactively incorporated Dawn into the Scoobies' lives. She's always been there, even though we didn't see it. It's fun to watch the first four seasons and try to theorize where Dawn was each time. She was too young to go to the same school as Buffy, so she didn't affect any of those scenes, but episodes that dealt with Buffy's homelife, like the one featuring John Ritter as a robot wannabe stepdad? Dawn would have been more integral in that episode. I explored this concept a couple years ago in an essay called The Dawn of Buffy in case anyone's curious.

ZachsMind | January 29, 22:29 CET

ZachsMind, that was great! Would you mind if I posted that on the front page so people could discuss it? I have lots of thoughts myself on what it would've meant for Dawn to be there from the beginning. I've often thought how great it would've been if they had secretly filmed episodes with some scenes with Dawn from the beginning to be used in flash backs.

Firefly Flanatic | January 29, 22:40 CET

Firely Flanatic - I have read up on the animated series, and seen several pieces on it elsewhere, and I still wasn't interested. I'd read about the "Early Years" animation in one or two articles that I did not consider reliable by any means, and as such did not consider that information to be canonical to this discussion by the time I posted. Apologies for the misunderstanding.

Daromaius | January 29, 23:30 CET

I think Buffy's dad did know Dawn, in the season 5 episode with Buffy's birthday didn't she give Buffy a photo frame that she says was from "that summer they spent with dad".

At some point between season 5 and 6 he had contacted her, because in "Bargaining Part One" she says expecting a phone call from him.

Ghost Spike | January 30, 01:01 CET

Please feel free Firefly Flanatic. I wasn't able to when I wrote it of course because I wrote it. I can't link to my own stuff, but feel free to if you want. I surely won't stop ya. LOL

If you're right, Ghost Spike, that means the monks magicks stretched much further than just tinkering with a handful of human memories in one town. We were led to believe in season five that crazy people could see her for what she really was. But they could also see her. So if her Dad took as a given that Dawn was real, wherever he was on the planet, then the monks were really screwing with reality in a way that I'd imagine reality hates being screwed with.

ZachsMind | January 30, 14:10 CET

Thanks Zach, I just posted it. It's great stuff and I look forward to the discussion to follow.

Firefly Flanatic | January 30, 20:19 CET