History WesternAnimation / Delgo

* MadScientist: Complete with EvilLaugh. He gets a little [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Robotnik-esque]] battle pod, too.

A 2008 animated fantasy film, ''Delgo'' is the brainchild of Marc Adler, a technology wunderkind who managed to build his own Atlanta studio and scrape together a $40 million budget from well outside the Hollywood system. Until ''[[Film/TheOogielovesInTheBigBalloonAdventure The Oogieloves]]'' came along, this film held the dubious honor of the [[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/worstopenings.htm?page=WRSTOPN20&p=.htm worst wide-release opening in movie history]]: it was released in more than 2000 theaters and earned less than a million dollars in its first and only week.

* BrokenAesop - The film's anti-war message really doesn't seem to stick once both warring sides make peace...and then [[spoiler:join forces to fight Sedessa's army.]]
** A twofer--the races, one of which has been constantly derided as a race of "savages"--join forces to [[spoiler:take out a race of savages with no redeeming value. Jeez, doods.]]

* CrossdressingVoices: Young Delgo was voiced by a girl.

* DistressedDamsel: With a token effort to make her seem more actiony.

* HonorBeforeReason: At the end of the movie, Delgo [[spoiler:recalls some pro-mercy words of his mentor and decides to [[SaveTheVillain save Sedessa from falling to her death]]. Surprise surprise, she tries to stab him, and ends up falling to her death anyway.]]

* MadScientist: complete with EvilLaughter. He gets a little [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Robotnik-esque]] battle pod, too.

* PlotInducedStupidity: Okay, Delgo, here's the sitch: you're in melee with a reptile-ogre... thingey... he's got two feet and a few hundred pounds on you, he's got a warhammer that weighs as much as you, and by sheer stroke of luck you've managed to loop your pickax through his nose, pointing its payload of telekinetic phlebotinum right between his eyes. What do you do?
** Answer: [[spoiler: Jump away from the ogre like an idiot and wait until it's knocked loose, tele-retrieve it, then ''wave the light in his eyes'' until he cracks the crystal.]] Way to go!

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Carried out with, of all things, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a gas chamber.]]

* DuelingMovies: ''Avatar'', as mentioned above. The most lopsided duel in dueling-movie history. So much so in fact, you probably weren't even aware ''Delgo'' was on the other side.

* {{Padding}}: It's subtle, but the movie has a lot of small moments which could be cut entirely without affecting the plot. Filo contributes several of these moments.

->''"I... purchased a ticket to ''Delgo'', in the process doubling its gross for the week... [It] sends out the heartwarming message that if you overcome all manner of obstacles en route to realizing your biggest, most ambitious aspiration then you too can become a laughingstock to the entire world."''

* BloodlessCarnage: All over the place. Most weapons are blunt, most hits scored are with "blasting" powers, and all, by which I mean "both," stabbings or impalings occur ju-u-ust off-screen. You have to wonder why they gave characters sharp weapons at all. And when one character gets stabbed and pulls out the knife/arrow/whatever it was, it is pretty darn clean.

* DuelingMovies: ''Avatar'', as mentioned above. The most lopsided duel in dueling-movie history. So much so in fact, you probably weren't even aware Delgo was on the other side.

* {{Expy}}: Delgo and Kyla share a few traits with [[TheDarkCrystal Jen and Kira]]. Like Jen, Delgo was raised by mystics after his parents were killed, and at one point even plays a reed-like instrument. Like Kira, Kyla is capable of flight. Unsurprising, seeing that ''The Dark Crystal'' was one of the film's influences.
* FantasticRacism - Sedessa's motivation for starting the war in the first place. Later expands to include petty revenge.

* HollywoodTactics: So, your specie has higher tech than the other guys ''and'' you can fly. That's pretty good, right? Bad news: the other guys have powerful psychics and, presumably, because they're land-bound, are able to wear much sturdier armor than you. So, what do you do? [[WhatAnIdiot Hover one foot above the ground in thick swarms and engage the foe at melee range, conspicuously ignoring the psions.]] At least the effects are more or less what you'd expect.
* HonorBeforeReason - At the end of the movie, Delgo [[spoiler:recalls some pro-mercy words of his mentor and decides to save Sedessa from falling to her death. Surprise surprise, she tries to stab him, and ends up falling to her death anyway.]]

* IControlMyMinionsThrough - Acceptance. Sedessa promises her troops a fair shake by invading the beautiful resource rich continent.
* InterspeciesRomance - From the above-linked My Year of Flops entry: "Instead of rooting for these star-crossed lovers to overcome the odds and unite their people I found myself wondering if it was even ethical or right for a lizard-man and a dragonfly-lady to knock boots."

* InvisibleAdvertising - Probably the biggest reason for the film's failure, even above the actual quality of the thing.
* MadScientist - complete with EvilLaughter. He gets a little [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Robotnik-esque]] battle pod, too.
* MeaningfulEcho - "You're on your own, kid." Repeated, with a flashback, for the [[ViewersAreMorons slower members of the audience]].
* MeaningfulName - The filmmakers were very much aware that Delgo shared the same name as a certain town in Sudan.

* SceneryPorn - The biggest praise the film tends to get is the imaginative world and beautiful environments. A couple of the monsters and bits of fantasy tech are cool, too.

* AerithAndBob: You have names like "Delgo," "Kyla," "Raius," and "Zahn," side-by-side with "Filo" and "Marley."

* XMeetsY: The filmmakers intended for the movie to be ''{{WesternAnimation/Shrek}}'' meets ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. It didn't work out.

* AerithandBob: You have names like "Delgo," "Kyla," "Raius," and "Zahn," side-by-side with "Filo" and "Marley."

* PositiveDiscrimination: Played with. The climactic battle is sparked when King Zahn declares war on the Lokni, believing them to have his daughter. The Lokni, meanwhile, are clearly portrayed as fighting out of concern for their people. ''Played with'', mind you, because an earlier scene shows Lokni villagers start a small riot against Nohrin villagers.

* PositiveDiscrimination: Played with. The climactic battle is sparked when King Zahn declares war on the Lokni, believing them to have his daughter. The Lokni, meanwhile, are clearly portrayed as fighting out of concern for their people. ''Played with'', mind you, because an earlier scene shows a scene where Lokni villagers start a small riot against Nohrin villagers.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Sedessa.

* XMeetsY: The filmmakers intended for the movie to be ''{{Shrek}}'' meets ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. It didn't work out.

* DuelingMovies: ''Avatar'', as mentioned above. The most lopsided duel in dueling-movie history.

* NoFlowInCGI: The characters have pointy hair, or no hair at all, and mostly wear pants. Work began in 1999, and it was released in 2008, and this is the result.

* XMeetsY: The filmmakers intended for the movie to be ''{{Shrek}}'' meets ''TheLordOfTheRings''. It didn't work out.

-->--'''NathanRabin''', [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/floppiest-flop-case-file-126-delgo,16751/ My Year of Flops]]

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Carried out with, of all things,[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a gas chamber.]]

A 2008 animated fantasy film, ''Delgo'' is the brainchild of Marc Adler, a technology wunderkind who managed to build his own Atlanta studio and scrape together a $40 million budget from well outside the Hollywood system. Until [[Film/TheOogielovesInTheBigBalloonAdventure The Oogieloves]] came along, this film held the dubious honor of the [[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/worstopenings.htm?page=WRSTOPN20&p=.htm worst wide-release opening in movie history]]: it was released in more than 2000 theaters and earned less than a million dollars in its first and only week.

A 2008 animated fantasy film, ''Delgo'' is the brainchild of Marc Adler, a technology wunderkind who managed to build his own Atlanta studio and scrape together a $40 million budget from well outside the Hollywood system. The film holds the dubious honor of the [[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/worstopenings.htm?page=WRSTOPN20&p=.htm worst wide-release opening in movie history]]: it was released in more than 2000 theaters and earned less than a million dollars in its first and only week.

* [[spoiler:TheMole]]

* [[spoiler:SaveTheVillain]]: Played straight, then negated soon after.

* DuelingMovies - ''Avatar'', as mentioned above. The most lopsided duel in dueling-movie history.

* MadScientist - complete with EvilLaughter. He gets a little [[SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Robotnik-esque]] battle pod, too.