3) Xmas in Eternia…

One of the most peculiar projects I ever storyboarded was Christmas in Eternia, an offbeat special episode in the She-ra/He-man series. Bob Arkwright, Filmation’s Storyboard Supervisor at the time, assigned me the board because the studio needed it done super fast and loaded with reusable stock footage. That was my forte. 

I had about ten days to turn out a double length storyboard that normally would have been given six weeks of production.

As I plowed through the assignment, I couldn’t help but feel that I was working with a really inferior script centering around a religious holiday that had no true tie-in with the realms of the Masters of the Universe (other than Queen Marlena being from Earth). 

Since I was working against a very strict deadline, the studio had assigned me a clean-up artist to polish my blue pencil roughed boards, but I was rather dismayed by the results. Even though I created pretty tight boards, I had expected the clean-up artist to enhance my drawings, but he merely darkened the lines. I could have gotten the same results by kicking up the contrast on the Xerox machine.

Despite my issues with the project, I think it turned out okay. I know the episode is a point of controversy among some in the Masters of the Universe fan community. A lot of fans cringe at its mention, but for me it represents a challenging workplace accomplishment.

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at themythfits@gmail.com.