The Summoning is an animated short created by Elyse Castro and distributed by Frederator Studios' "Cartoon Hangover" outlet, as part of the "Go! Cartoons" joint venture with Sony Pictures Animation. It started out as a series of comics. The series follows Claire, a young catnote witch who lives with her pet cat, Edgar. She’s constantly trying to summon new entities, but it doesn’t always work out the way she wants it to, usually due to missing a key ingredient. The aesthetic of the series is oftentimes compared favorably to Adventure Time and Chowder, or mid-2000s Cartoon Network animated series in general. As of now, there’s only one episode of the animated adaptation, but Elyse Castro has confirmed that she is attempting to pitch a full series.
The Summoning provides examples of:
- All There in the Manual: The comic states that Claire is 12 years old (the animated adaptation makes her 14), and is a wood elf, not a cat. An interview with Elyse Castro after the animated adaptation states that she is half-wood elf, half-cat. Said "manual" can be found here
. - All Witches Have Cats: Claire owns a pet cat, Edgar, who assists her on her witchcraft. It’s rather ironic because Claire strongly resembles a cat herself.
- Ambiguous Species: Claire is supposed to be a wood elf, but pretty much everything about her screams “feline”.
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Broken Aesop: The protagonists are said to lack “common sense” repeatedly, but the mistakes they make are from ignorance, in some cases of fairly obscure facts like demon portfolios, or rabbit digestive functions. - Cat Folk: Claire looks feline in appearance, though she was intended to be a wood elf, hence the lack of a tail.
- Cute Witch: Claire is an adorable little aspiring witch.
- Creepy Child: Claire is a gloomy, slightly deranged little girl who practices witchcraft.
- Exact Words: When Claire told Edgar that she summons a demon to "eliminate some scum", she simply wants the demon to clean the bathroom, not people she despises.
- Eye of Newt: Claire needs to pick up some troll fat to complete a summoning potion.
- Furry Confusion: Claire seems to be a cat or some sort of feline, but owns a cat in the form of Edgar. Edgar is also anthropomorphic himself, adding to the confusion. Claire is later stated to be half-wood elf, half-cat, which doesn't help the matter much.
- Goth Girls Know Magic: Claire is quite gifted in the dark arts.
- Gross-Up Close-Up: "I live on a swamp giant's head. Swamp Giant Head Island? It's dandruff."
- I Ate WHAT?!:
- Claire attempts to "cleanse" herself from getting a giant mouthful of troll fat by eating "dirt"... then learns it's actually Swamp Giant dandruff, making it worse.
- Edgar gets a rude awakening when the "chocolates" he stole from the rabbit turn out to be...well, take a guess.
Gecko: You guys don't have a lotta common sense, do ya?Claire: (holds up coin) We'd like to pay now. - Mundane Utility: Claire uses her summoning magic to call a demon/ghost to clean out the scum in her bathroom.
- Nightmare Face: Claire makes a frighteningly angry face while yelling at Edgar to get off the door, exclaiming it's made of mahogany.
- Perky Goth: Claire has a strong goth aesthetic, contrasting her petite size and cute appearance.
- Vague Age: Claire is tiny, but has a fairly deep voice, making her seem like she’s in her early-mid teens. She’s apparently 12.
- Younger Than They Look: Subverted. Claire is 12 years old, but sounds and acts a bit older. She does look the part, though.
