Secret Agent Dan - Episode 1 - "Who is Dan?"
Syntheticniche
Creators: Andy Menconi
Length: 3 minute
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Secret Agent Dan is about an ex-dot.com employee laid off during the 2001 bust who has to live with his parents. He works in a local burger joint, but in reality, Dan is really a Secret Agent. How is that so, we don't really know, as the first Webisode tells us more about the character. But one thing about Dan is certain, he has the grooviest dreams in town. So where is Agent Dan hiding?
Using Dan as the narrator, the cartoon starts with a bang as we see the secret agent in action. At first, one get the impression that this is the opening title of the series. It's a good trick to grab the viewer. The rest of the cartoon is as effective in getting us interested in Dan. We really see the two sides of the character and his daily life. This animated series is off on a good start.
Menconi is a good animator. He uses a mix of motion tweens and frame by frame animation. As the shots are quick and well edited, it works well. One thing that I find odd is the design of Dan, the secret Agent. He looks much more like a bad guy than a good one. He's like an albino zombie and his face is less than heroic. Hopefully, there's a reason for this. The regular Dan looks fine, though.
Hervé