“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is not your typical musical film. It is a hilarious and entertaining tragicomedy musical that gives the heroes vs villains scene a musical twist.
The movie was written and directed by Joss Whedon, along with his brothers Zack Whedon and Jed Whedon, and writer/actress Maurissa Tancharoen in 2008. The producers decided that the film would be released in three acts and produced exclusively for Internet distribution. But it was so successful that it’s now on Blu-Ray DVD and Itunes.
“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is presented as Dr. Horrible’s vlog who tells about his dream to finally be a member of the Bad Horse’s evil league, the progress of his “freeze ray” that stops time, his love interest, Penny (played by Felicia Day), and his nemesis, Captain Hammer (played by Nathan Fillion), who always stands in his way and ends up getting what Dr. Horrible (played by Neil Patrick Harris) wants. In the end, will Dr. Horrible get the girl? Will he be able to produce a successful freeze ray? Only those who watch it will know.
Compared to other musicals, this is probably the most unique way of presenting a musical. A musical is the balance between spoken dialogue and song lyric. When songs are performed, it is highlighting a dramatic event or a momentous event. “Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” definitely incorporates those traits and more. What makes “Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” unique is the way the musical was presented, as a vlog. It also incorporates various comedy styles which is a must-see, because it will keep you entertained throughout the entire 42 minutes.
“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” won the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Online Sensation”, an Emmy award for “Outstanding Special Class – Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Programs”, and a Hugo Award for “Best Dramatic Presentation-Short Form” in 2009.
http://youtu.be/qVBjS22ppdw
4 responses so far ↓
Vivian // Sep 26th 2012 at 3:46 pm
When reading your blog post I instantly loved what the short film was about! I sounds fun and funny, the kind of film I wouldn’t mind watching. Plus, once you mentioned that Neil Patrick Harris was a member of the cast you had me sold!
I think it looks like the perfect combo of a good cast, a great script, and a director that knows what he’s doing. A testament to this is the fact that it was distributed to the general public and received an Emmy, People’s Choice, and Hugo.
elizabeth griffin // Sep 26th 2012 at 6:07 pm
I loved this short film. I also loved how he always stalked Penny. Neil Patrick Harris is amazing and he is truly one of my favorite actors. His energy is so infectious like Jim Carey on steroids. You truly picked a great film. Did you find this on the website?
yl146984 // Oct 3rd 2012 at 12:26 am
I am a huge fan of HIMYM and Castle. To have NPH and Nathan Fillian in a musical… just brought out the teenage fan girl scream in me. If you haven’t watched Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother or Nathan Fillian in Castle, I highly recommend you give it a try. ><
Yes, if you search "Musicals" on the website, it's the 2nd entry that comes up. However, they only have the 1st episode uploaded on the site, which lasts about 12 minutes. I immediately youtubed the for the full movie and continued watching it. Afterwards, I did more research on it and discovered that it was distributed to the public for free and had won nominations and awards!
ay083951 // Dec 17th 2012 at 1:46 am
Very detailed and informative review. But at the same time I feel it might be a little too heavy on the facts and information, and not enough exploration on the theme’s stories however, which didn’t get me quite as excited as I was initially hoping.
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