One of the better-done animated webisodes that you will ever see is this Super Deluxe Webisode, which is offered to the masses by SuperDeluxe.com—where you can watch hundreds of other past webisodes in their entirety. If you have never seen the many commercial advertisements on the web and on television for Super Deluxe—let me bring you into the present here. Super Deluxe is a conglomeration of corporate sponsored, big-budget, webisodes that are not only funny; they are really well done too.
Their newest webisode, “Akron Calls T-Pain” (Super Deluxe, 2007) seems like it was done by the same animators who have created many a flare-filled Weird Al Yankovic animated music videos—yet is entirely it’s own. Using a new suburban-themed and very popular style of animation, the webisode opens with Akron on the phone talking in digitally enhanced and club recording styled voice as he calls his best friend, T-Pain to discuss where they can eat lunch at.
They both cannot decide on where to eat. Akron wants Greek food and T-Pain wants sushi. But they come to an agreement when Akron lets T-pain know that he has found a restaurant that serves both types of food. Akron agrees to meet T-Pain at the eatery and is sitting there waiting for him to show up when T-Pain calls him lost on his way to the place. The funniest part to this series is the digital voice-effects that make it sound like every other nightclub soundtrack that you have ever heard. Another thing to note about the funniness of this short is that all of the conversation rhyme—when Akron schools T-Pain on the fact that he is lost and late, he reminds him of how he gave him perfect directions. Yet T-Pain still stands at the mall directory trying to find his way to Akron. Finally the ambiguous pair meets up and sits down to eat—only to be serenaded by the waiter about the fact that they should forgo Greek food and sushi and only eat steak. The hilarity continues to manifest itself as the pair becomes the stars of a steak music video hosted by the waiter and done in the club-styled, hip-hop reaming.
The greatest thing about this webisode is that it is very original. It is very funny. The animation rocks; simply put. The voices are refreshing and the fact that they take a very unique approach to the way that they both rhyme the words and add the digital effects to them, makes this short a total winner. Added bonuses are the steak music video and the waiter who is just as funny as Akron and T-Pain.
