Why THE FAR SIDE is a masterclass in storytelling

Oh finally oh hey who's got my hat look I'm woody howdy howdy howdy ha ha ha ok I'm gonna stop you there for one second woody because this little scene from the first Toy Story movie is pretty interesting apart from being very funny the scene doesn't have much significance it has no story value whatsoever see that and that's a bit strange because story always comes first at Pixar they are the masters of storytelling every scene they build every line they write every joke they make it always has a purpose it either provides information about the world in which the movie takes place or it builds the characters that live in it or it pushes the story forward if you consider all that then this is pretty peculiar it's just a joke of a very minor character in the movie it's only purpose is to make us laugh which of course is very important but with Pixar it's rarely just that there has to be something more and if it's not story than what it's a tribute a tribute to one of the best cartoons ever made the far side by Gary Larson it's a direct reference to this cartoon of the far side let's have a closer look because it's just perfect the caption of course is great to begin with and in the panel we see a vulture in a cowboy hat and clothing imitating a cowboy for his vulture friends that are probably eating that same cowboy it's perfect in so many ways for one the character building is genius the goofy posture and sloppy clothes of our main character immediately transformed the vulture into a goofball a big derpy bird trying to be funny but not really succeeding because his friends are clearly not interested I mean Larson could have easily chosen a different version of the cartoon where the other vultures are all enthused basically laughing with this goofball but he didn't instead he made them totally indifferent they just ignore him and keep on eating because they are probably fed up with his stupid jokes I can totally see why the story lovers at Pixar wanted to reference this cartoon because Gary Larson is a master storyteller with just one image and one perfect punchline he creates the entire world of these vultures he shows their social relationships he builds characters and creates a funny little story and that's just one reason why the far side is so special the far side was and still is one of the most praised and successful comics of all time Larson sold 45 million books another couple million calendars and was part of a merchandise industry worth over five hundred million dollars it ran from 1980 until 1995 when Larson suddenly retired at the peak of his success it appeared in more than 1,900 newspapers all over the world good for 4337 cartoons in the pantheon of newspaper comics the far side sits right next to Calvin and Hobbes Garfield and peanuts one of the things that sets the farside apart is the level of detail take this one for example the Holsteins visit the Grand Canyon this surreal drawing in itself is pretty funny but it's this detail that really makes the joke let's take another example and that the master himself Gary Larson explain it now let me get this straight we hired you to babysit the kids instead you cook anything both when I did this that the focus of the humor in this is the word both the emphasis on the word both look like we'll want to be okay but though again the power of the joke sits in one little detail this attention for detail shows how meticulous Larson was in his craft he had to be because it takes special talent to create an entire story with just one image and a caption other kinds of visual storytelling have the advantage of time strip comics have several panels to set up a punchline and movies can stretch the story Larson can't he has to condense time into one panel and some words but he overcomes that limitation by showing stories in medias res or in the middle of things we don't see the beginning or the end of the story but were thrown right in the middle of the plot and most of the times the ending of that plot is pretty violent Larson often freezes time seconds before disaster strikes and that disaster doesn't strike on the page but in our heads we have to connect the dots and complete the narrative the result of that process is a nice shot of dopamine and the laughs so the storytelling of the farside is obviously great but what is it about well there are many themes in the farside like evolution science or disaster but the cause of all that disaster I think is the most important theme of the farside I'm talking about stupidity our own human stupidity and to uncover that human stupidity Larson uses animals this is maybe one of the most famous animal cartoons of the farside I'll let someone else explain it didn't get the far side buddy I hand it over here look okay what I see here in the first panel the cows are standing on their hind legs right the second panel my car goes by they're acting like normal cows see the idea here is would that uh you know cows only act like cows when we're around other times they act like people said help you clear it up a little bit just man I don't get the farside in my newspaper at home but thanks for treating me like a one-year-old so as Norman cliff explained this cartoon plays with yet yet at animals have a secret life behind our backs it implies that animals outsmart us that they are the higher species and not us but the animals of the far side aren't always so clever but a lot of them are pretty ignorant as well but that doesn't mean Larson things animals are stupid because in his cartoons they all act like humans they just mimic our stupidity in this rare interview he gives us a hint about how he feels towards humans what it'd be accurate to say that you have less respect for human beings than you do for animal yeah if it would be right I don't know if I really believe that or not I guess down because I know I don't but I don't know never been an Irish Setter I didn't like Larson also once said that all we are is a species like millions of others I think it's dangerous to think otherwise Larson is a naturalist and that sure ilysm is the idea that natural laws and forces operate in the world and nothing else we can try to change and shape our world but in the end we're just part of nature nothing more and nothing less that I think is the most valuable message that Gary Larson tried to communicate to us through his work and this message struck a chord with many readers throughout his career Gary Larson and his editors received angry letters of people that thought the far side was dehumanizing demoralizing and insulting lots of people also just didn't get his jokes because they were often so bizarre and surreal like Homer Simpson for example Oh Gary Larson calendar I don't get it I don't get it I don't get it I don't get it I don't get it but luckily there were far more fans than there were haters because despite the weird surreal and morbid humor the far side became a huge mainstream success and that since it paved the way for shows like The Simpsons and later Rick and Morty so the cultural legacy of the farside is pretty obvious and even though Larson didn't fulfill his teenage ambition to become a biologist he does have a scientific legacy as well the official name for the spikes on the tail of a Stegosaurus the thagomizer comes from the far side and the species of louse is named after him in appreciation of the unique light he has shed on the workings of nature a thagomizer and the louse it's a weird legacy but a fitting one because with the far side Gary Larson created something for the ages the series isn't just a masterclass in storytelling and humor it's a masterclass in humility the far side questions our intelligence and our self-proclaimed superiority over animals and our planets because we may think we're so smart but in Gary Larson's world the joke's on us humans we are the stupid ones and you know what he's probably right [Music]

Channel: The Gaze

Views: 786,146

Rating: 4.8484387 out of 5

Keywords: the far side, the far side gary larson, the far side storytelling, the far side cartoon, the far side analysis, gary larson storytelling, gary larson cartoons, gary larson, toy story storytelling, toy story, toy story woody, toy story mr shark, toy story storyboards, the far side the simpsons, the far side cheers, the far side newspaper, comics, strip comics, single panel cartoons

Id: jQjGW5Mxk58

Length: 9min 51sec (591 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 26 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/F_artagnan]

I always loved that shark and didn't know why! Thanks.

[u/fizzy_sister]

I actually noticed this, but didn't make the connection that it was a tribute to Larson. I feel like one of his characters now.

[u/MadMarcAgain]

I love the comic and own a few collections but That recent sub purge of all strips wasnt exactly a good move, dont ya think?

Im curious how the best thing for him was to shut down his fan base so he could make his own site.

Wouldnt it be better to acknowledge his still existing fan base and thank them for keeping interest? I mean the fan base didnt stop liking him all that time he wasnt producing new content.