AEON FLUX
Aeon Flux is an avant garde American science fiction
animated television series that aired on MTV. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's
Liquid Television experimental animation show as a six-part serial of short
films, followed in 1992 by five individual short episodes. In 1995 a season of
ten half-hour episodes aired as a stand-alone series.
Aeon Flux was created by Korean American animator Peter Chung (also the man
behind Phantom 2040, which used the same animation style as Aeon Flux). A live
action motion picture loosely based upon the series and starring Charlize Theron
was released in late 2005.
Aeon Flux is set in a bizarre, dystopian, future world of mutant creatures,
clones, and robots. The title character is a tall, bondage gear-clad secret
agent from Monica, skilled in assassination and acrobatics. Her mission is to
infiltrate the strongholds of the neighboring country of Bregna, which is led by
her sometimes-nemesis and sometimes-lover Trevor Goodchild. Monica apparently
represents a dynamic anarchist society, while Bregna embodies a centralized,
scientifically planned state. The names of their respective characters reflect
this: Flux as the self-directed agent from Monica and Goodchild as the
technocratic leader of Bregna.
The visual style of Aeon Flux was deeply influenced by the figurative paintings
and drawings of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele. Other key influences on Aeon
Flux can be found in Japanese anime (especially grittier fare like Akira), and
European comic works such as the work of Moebius (particularly in lineforms,
color palettes, and figure characterizations). Aeon Flux is often erroneously
classified as an anime series.[citation needed] Graphic violence and sexuality,
including fetishism and domination, are frequently depicted. In the featurette
Investigation: The History of Aeon Flux (included on the 2005 DVD release), Peter
Chung says the visual style also was influenced by the limitations of the
animated series, Rugrats, which he worked on prior to Aeon Flux and found highly
frustrating in the limitations of what the characters could do.
With the exceptions of the exclamation "No!" in the pilot and the single spoken
word "Plop" in the episode "Leisure", all of the short episodes are completely
devoid of (intelligible) dialogue. Instead, the sound track employs a variety of
sound effects including sounds such as laughter, grunts and sighs.
Unintelligible dialogue was voiced by the series music composer Drew Neumann.
One peculiarity of the early shorts is the violent death of Aeon Flux, which
occurs in each of the installments (by contrast, she only "dies" once in the
half-hour series). Often her death is caused by fate, while other times she dies
due to her own incompetence. One of the half-hour episodes, "A Last Time For
Everything", ends with the original Aeon being killed and replaced by an
identical clone. (In the episode "Chronophasia", Aeon is apparently killed
repeatedly by a monstrous baby, but the reality of these events is ambiguous. In
"Ether Drift Theory", Aeon is suspended indefinitely in an inanimate state, but
remains technically alive.)
Although continuity is virtually non-existent in the series and Chung made
some adjustments for the DVD release to improve this the primary unchanging
elements in the episodes are the two main characters of Trevor and Aeon. There is
intentionally no continuity between the second season shorts. Peter Chung has
said that this plot ambiguity and disregard for continuity are meant as a satire
of mainstream action films, and his stories often emphasize the futility of
violence and the ambiguity of personal morality.
A fourth season of half-hour episodes was considered, but never materialized. In
late 2005, around the time of the DVD release, Chung announced plans to work on
another Aeon Flux project. In an online interview conducted after the release of
the film, Chung indicated that it is to be a made-for-DVD animated feature.
On 3rd of October 2007, Chung revealed that MTV has released funds for further
Aeon Flux episodes, which will not be aired on MTV. Chung predicts these episodes
will be "the best version of AF yet. Closer in tone and style to the LTV shorts,
but with a longer running time, a complex, character-driven story, and the
relationship between Trevor and Æon preserved from the series". He also
mentions a post-2008 release.
Aeon Flux is an avant garde American science fiction
animated television series that aired on MTV. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's
Liquid Television experimental animation show as a six-part serial of short
films, followed in 1992 by five individual short episodes. In 1995 a season of
ten half-hour episodes aired as a stand-alone series.
Aeon Flux was created by Korean American animator Peter Chung (also the man
behind Phantom 2040, which used the same animation style as Aeon Flux). A live
action motion picture loosely based upon the series and starring Charlize Theron
was released in late 2005.
Aeon Flux is set in a bizarre, dystopian, future world of mutant creatures,
clones, and robots. The title character is a tall, bondage gear-clad secret
agent from Monica, skilled in assassination and acrobatics. Her mission is to
infiltrate the strongholds of the neighboring country of Bregna, which is led by
her sometimes-nemesis and sometimes-lover Trevor Goodchild. Monica apparently
represents a dynamic anarchist society, while Bregna embodies a centralized,
scientifically planned state. The names of their respective characters reflect
this: Flux as the self-directed agent from Monica and Goodchild as the
technocratic leader of Bregna.
The visual style of Aeon Flux was deeply influenced by the figurative paintings
and drawings of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele. Other key influences on Aeon
Flux can be found in Japanese anime (especially grittier fare like Akira), and
European comic works such as the work of Moebius (particularly in lineforms,
color palettes, and figure characterizations). Aeon Flux is often erroneously
classified as an anime series.[citation needed] Graphic violence and sexuality,
including fetishism and domination, are frequently depicted. In the featurette
Investigation: The History of Aeon Flux (included on the 2005 DVD release), Peter
Chung says the visual style also was influenced by the limitations of the
animated series, Rugrats, which he worked on prior to Aeon Flux and found highly
frustrating in the limitations of what the characters could do.
With the exceptions of the exclamation "No!" in the pilot and the single spoken
word "Plop" in the episode "Leisure", all of the short episodes are completely
devoid of (intelligible) dialogue. Instead, the sound track employs a variety of
sound effects including sounds such as laughter, grunts and sighs.
Unintelligible dialogue was voiced by the series music composer Drew Neumann.
One peculiarity of the early shorts is the violent death of Aeon Flux, which
occurs in each of the installments (by contrast, she only "dies" once in the
half-hour series). Often her death is caused by fate, while other times she dies
due to her own incompetence. One of the half-hour episodes, "A Last Time For
Everything", ends with the original Aeon being killed and replaced by an
identical clone. (In the episode "Chronophasia", Aeon is apparently killed
repeatedly by a monstrous baby, but the reality of these events is ambiguous. In
"Ether Drift Theory", Aeon is suspended indefinitely in an inanimate state, but
remains technically alive.)
Although continuity is virtually non-existent in the series and Chung made
some adjustments for the DVD release to improve this the primary unchanging
elements in the episodes are the two main characters of Trevor and Aeon. There is
intentionally no continuity between the second season shorts. Peter Chung has
said that this plot ambiguity and disregard for continuity are meant as a satire
of mainstream action films, and his stories often emphasize the futility of
violence and the ambiguity of personal morality.
A fourth season of half-hour episodes was considered, but never materialized. In
late 2005, around the time of the DVD release, Chung announced plans to work on
another Aeon Flux project. In an online interview conducted after the release of
the film, Chung indicated that it is to be a made-for-DVD animated feature.
On 3rd of October 2007, Chung revealed that MTV has released funds for further
Aeon Flux episodes, which will not be aired on MTV. Chung predicts these episodes
will be "the best version of AF yet. Closer in tone and style to the LTV shorts,
but with a longer running time, a complex, character-driven story, and the
relationship between Trevor and Æon preserved from the series". He also
mentions a post-2008 release.