Dale and Ark Now on YouTube, Link in Description

Not bad; the coloring is decent and I really liked the gag where the spider's heart jumped out. The soundtrack was a bit distracting for me, though, as the music sounded too much like something from a keyboard and not from live instruments (I mean, I know most of us can't afford live musicians, but that doesn't mean our creative products have to sound like that). These guys have some great brass samples: www.newyorkbrass.com/download-… And Sampleradar has a huge variety: www.musicradar.com/us/news/tec… I also thought that the Times New Roman (-ish) font in the credits seemed too formal. A sans-serif font would be more appropriate for the subject matter.

Also, the fact that the forest is located near San Francisco Bay is irrelevant to the story, so unless the plot involves the spider chasing the fly over the Golden Gate Bridge, there's really no point in including it in the opening. You could have cut out that whole establishing shot and the animation would work just as well; it's clear that there's a spider on a tree branch next to his web and the story plays out in that restricted area, so we don't need to see how vast the forest is. Plus, when the fly is flying, the background doesn't pan, so it looks like he's just hovering instead of moving forward.

I think this could have worked without dialogue, too. It's a pretty simple setup, so the audience doesn't require the characters' voices to know what's going on. If the characters told jokes, the voices would be warranted, but mostly they just state the obvious. And the hawk isn't really a hawk...it's more like a bug with a hawk-like beak. Was that meant to be a joke, or-? I feel like that and the fly holding up the sign were supposed to be Looney Tunes references, but if people in the audience haven't seen/don't remember those parts of Looney Tunes, they won't get the joke. And it sort of comes out of nowhere, too, and not really from anything the fly did. It was just his dumb luck that the "hawk" showed up when he did; the fly didn't lead him there or call for help or anything. It might be funnier if the final outcome were foreshadowed in the beginning, like maybe the spider picks on a baby bug who the fly has befriended, and then the baby bug's parent arrives to give the spider his comeuppance.

Finally, I feel like the animation style takes too much from the styles of yesteryear instead of being its own unique thing. When you get down to it, some of the conventions used back then seem clunky and cliche now. It's really a matter of finding a balance between past and present. Take Cuphead, for instance. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jDZfR… The game developers did extensive research on the kinds of designs and movement they wanted, but they're showcasing them in a very different medium. They're emulating the style, but still putting their own creative spin on it. Disney did something similar with "Get a Horse", too. Much of that film's charm comes from the interplay between modern-day 3D and the style of the early Mickey shorts. Just something to think about.

Good luck with your next project!