Existential dread time!

I just realized that Adam and Eve doesn’t have bellybuttons, since they where created from dirt and not from a womb.

Fun fact: this is the only claymation movie where EVERYTHING is made out of clay, even the backgrounds

I feel like Satan isn't a force of evil, just a cold uncaring universe, which is far more terrifying.

I deadass thought mark twain was albert einstein

Guy literally says his name is Satan. Ginger kid: Come on let's go inside

never forgotten that interaction “who are you?” “an angel” “what’s your name?” “satan” literal chills down my back

My mom actually watched this when she was little, and she was scarred for LIFE, not surprisingly. and whenever i mention it to her, she’s always in a depressing mood for the rest of the day

Absolutely incredible concept and animation, but I really think it was the publishing studio and the studio alone really that pushed this as a "kids movie". Its clear the people who made, wrote, adapted, designed, and animated this not only had a real passion for Twain's writings, but really understood his conflicting philosophies on life and really the inner conflicts of Mark Twain himself and arguably the human condition as a whole. These are very mature and adult tones and themes that deal with the concept of life and death and even the concept of life after death. These are very deep, very complicated, and widely debated aspects of human life that require a not inconsiderable degree of critical thinking and self introspection, the likes of which it is not often expected of children to understand or even really grasp. I don't think this was a kids a movie at all, it has alchohol and drug use, death, the concept of religion and damnation.. this is very clearly a love letter to Mark Twain's writings and intellectual musings as told through the lens of sculpted art and claymation, and it was, in my opinion, CLEARLY some studio guy that didn't really understand much about the film that said "Yes, this is a kids movie. Let's sell it like one." Nor did they care, really... the whole studio was going bankrupt so they didn't care WHAT they had to sell as long as they had something, and in a way it might be a GOOD thing this had a limited release. If this movie managed a national circulation deal where it would be shown in movie theaters nation wide like any other major theatrical release, it may have had to gone through a harsher processing of vetting for the rating and wound up cutting major parts of the movie, or worse yet, be released unedited and forever be tainted by the million outraged cries of parents.

Fun fact: Mark Twain actually not only died on the day Halley's Comet appeared. He was also born on the day it appeared in its previous orbital cycle.

Fun fact: Twain actually did have his voice recorded once. He demanded the recording he destroyed because he hated how it sounded.

I saw this movie as a young child when it came out in theatres because my mother loved Mark Twain. It was amazing. There were parts that were scary. But that's okay. It's good to scare kids and it's good to challenge them.

"It comes naturally to me as do many other curious things." *I'm screaming*

You forgot to mention my favorite part: the ending of The Diaries of Adam and Eve, where the two have grown old together in contentment and love: "The Garden is lost, but I have found him, and am content." And we see the elderly Adam bears a resemblance to Twain himself. And then Eve passes away, with Adam eulogizing her: "Wherever she was...there was Eden." Then we cut back to the ship and a portrait of Samuel Clemens and his wife Olivia...who we now see bears a resemblance to Eve in the story. Twain caps it off with a real-life quote: "I am old and tired; I wish I were with my Livvy." You usually don't see this kind of portrayal of grief and mourning in a kids' movie...well, not until Up, anyway.

Mark Twain was also born on the passing of Halie’s comet. He believed he was spiritually connected with the comet and even predicted that his death would be on its next passing.

*"Fame is a vapor, the only earthly certainty is oblivion"* That dark sentiment from Omega Twain reminds me of its similarities with the contents of the *Book of Ecclesiastes* from the Bible.

I remember someone else reviewing this and in retrospect, they obviously didn't know much about Mark Twain. If I recall correctly, they said that it seemed like a random sort of film that just had Mark Twain chasing Haley's Comet for no real reason. They complimented the visuals, but wondered what kind of drugs the creators had to have been on when creating this weird thing that had nothing to do with Mark Twain aside from him being slapped into it. And... I believed it. I believed it was just a strange thing that randomly starred Mark Twain and his characters Tom, Huck and Becky and just had some trippy imagery. Thank you Saber for showing me this in a whole new light as something of great poetic integrity and purpose and all the relevancy in the world. I am surely richer for the experience.

My dad once walked in at a more innocent part of the movie and said that all the characters with mustaches look like they just have extremely long nose hair and I've never been able to unsee it

Fun fact: The movie is COMPLETELY made out of clay, even the voice actors.

Mark Twain's facial expressions are so beautifully done in this movie. Especially when he plays the organ...there were so many emotions packed in there, I actually teared up and finally broke down near the end of the video.

The ending of the Mysterious Stranger... who knew Twain was the first to invent cosmic horror?

"A classic is something that everybody wants to have read but nobody wants to read." -Mark Twain, Following the Equator (1897) ch. 27

Who else is about hit up Mark Twain's only fans to see those book pics

I remember seeing this as a kid it weirded me out. I thought it was a "was that real?" Memory. Fun fact: Mark Twain had writings that sympathized with Satan/The Devil. Watching this video epitomizes this. He was also great friends with Nikola Tesla 💜

"I can do no wrong, for I do not know what it is." The innocence in that statement alone was more chilling than just having an evil Satan.

“What are you?” “An angel.” “What’s your name?” “Satan.” Kids: uH Oh Ginger kid: hmmm interesting

Saberspark: "I think it's only fair that I give Mark Twain a shout out." Mark Twain: "Holy crap, I've been waiting for this day my whole life."

the fact that this movie came out and was rated g reminds me of a fact about coraline (the book). neil gaiman himself thought it was too scary, but his friend's daughter had read it and said it was fine. years later, the daughter admitted she lied. it's unsurprising laika ended up making a movie about coraline, honestly.

Fun fact: Everything is Claymation even you, everything is clay.

"One of the most unique takes on Satan I've ever seen." Bruh, that's just one of the more accurate takes on Satan. Satan is never described as a little red dude with a pitch fork in the Bible.

The idea of Mark Twain having an OnlyFans is both horrifying and alluring

I was 10 when this came out, exactly old enough for it to influence/destroy me. It was this, I think, that inspired my sister's and my infatuation with stop-motion animation that would eventually destroy the family camcorder.

Did anyone also notice that when Satan was welcoming the kids onto his island, that he made Mark Twain’s face on his mask? I wonder what it means. Just me? Ok then...

33:22 Huck Finn: "...What's a classic?" Pessimistic!Mark Twain: "Something everyone wants to have read, but nobody wants to read."

Fun fact! my Great Grandfather, George Wattles Waters was a small time artist who knew Mark Twain because their wives were friends. Twain sounds like a wild guy since he commissioned a painting from my Grandpa, (who pretty much exclusively did still life's, landscapes, and portraits) of a ship burning at sea. Because he wanted to see more activity than in his other paintings.

Laika is one of my favorite movie companies, I had no idea it tied into this! Paranorman, Box Trolls, Coraline, Corpse Bride, they were the finishing puzzle pieces that got me into claymation. Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Wererabbit is what started it. I actually think that would be a great movie for you to talk about Saber, I never hear people bring it up!

I remember watching this on VHS that I got from the library when I was a kid, mysterious stranger gave me nightmares for weeks and my parents said I couldn’t check it out again

I love that “Satan” has several voices, one masculine, one feminine. Very eerie.

Why does Adam and Eve look like Jimmy Neutron’s parents tho

I saw this when I was young, and while it was disturbing, it was also like a badge of honor - you were tough enough, or brave enough, to get through it. I always loved Claymation Mark Twain, and bought it streaming when I found it a few years back. A great movie, well worth the time, though you are right that it drags in the Adam and Eve sections a bit.

"What's your name?" "Satan." *"Let's go in!"*

I love Satan’s voice. The combination of male and female voices is a lot like Dormin from Shadow of the Colossus.

Marktwain: Father of literature Will Venten: Father of Clayamation Saberspark: Father of Furries

As someone who deeply enjoyed watching this movie since childhood, I’m THRILLED to see it appreciated like this!! I was always in awe of the art and style of this representation of Twain’s classics. When I was in elementary school, I even shared it with my 5th grade class with the approval of my teacher!! Today, my children have watched it and it inspired them to read all, or at least most, of Mark Twain’s works! This was such an awesome video. Thank you. ☺️

One thing that really impresses me about the film is how lifelike the facial expressions are.

"Whats a classic?" "Something everybody wants have read but nobody wants to read" hahahahahhaha XD

You glossed over the fact that when they asked the Stranger's name, they replied "Satan" and Huck's response was "uh oh"

I remember seeing The Mysterious Stranger a few years back on KZfaq and it’s always stuck with me. Excellent breakdown!

Not only was the Satan sequence not banned from television, that's where I saw it as a kid. I don't remember exactly when, I must have been a bit older, because I was a lot more intrigued by the whole thing than frightened, and was kinda wondering myself at the time how that sequence had gotten into a kids movie. Honestly I'm just glad to have confirmation that the whole thing wasn't some fever dream.

"The father of fu- no not that" Too late Saber, the die has been cast

you missed the chance to call them "Mark Twain and Dark Twain"

I remember seeing this television special for the first time, the Mysterious Stranger was chilling and very heavy to watch. I have had a copy of this special in my files for a long long time and like to re-watch it about once a year. It is an extremely entertaining show on its own, and a tribute to the short-lived era of claymation, not to mention being very very nostalgic. I enjoyed your take on this show and it's impact.

I have first watched the mysterious stranger clip when I was around 15 or so. It creeped me out, but kept watching it because of the animation. Now that I'm older, when I watch it, it evokes thoughts of existence, like what are we here for? It is quite deep, this film.

I was legit surprised when this suddenly turned into Laika’s origin story.

*mentions how Laika was “created”* Now we don’t have time to unpack *ALL* of that

17:00 the subtle turn to the camera after saying the line is...

This is my favorite interpretation of satan, it’s design and ideology are just spot on, I kinda agreed with it in some points

I love how when Satan tells the kids their name, the kids just reply with "That's unfortunate."

Fun fact: Satan’s voice was a combination of both a man and a woman who spoke the lines at the same time. Edit: I commented this before it was said in the video. Oops. Just knew it beforehand and didn’t know we were gonna learn it later

The Mysterious stranger is my favourite book by far and I've trying to find videos talking about it. Nice video and congrats on reading the book!

I was such a fan of Mark Twain's work I begged my grandmother to take me to see this. My 5 year old self enjoyed every moment of it

In this film: three kids accidentally click on someone livestreaming _The Sims._

Something I noticed with Satan, is that it makes sense that in the book, he was a child, and in the movie, his personality kind of reflected that. Not in a bad way, of course, just that Satan was... Strangely childish. Just small things, like squashing something living because it made a too much of a rucas, and making a storm and earthquake happen from what looks to be curiosity and annoyance, Just things like that. I've also kind of seen apathy as a... "Childish" trait, (Mostly because I'm pretty sure empathy, sympathy and compassion are learned traits) and Satan seems to have it in spades. Also the quote "I can do no wrong, for I do not know what it is." Seems like "Child-like innocence", in a strange way. This isn't a bash for his character at all. In fact, this is out of love for it. It was extremely well done.

if life really is meaningless, I’ve made it this far might as well keep going

Coraline's sewing scene: *Finally, a worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary!*

Halley's comet is an important aspect because Mark Twain didn't only die when the comet passed by, he was born during the same event as well. One of his famous quotes was is "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together." He died the next year.

While the Mysterious Stranger scene is my favorite in this movie, the Diary of Adam and Eve always makes me tear up. It drags a little but it’s sweet seeing them bumble their way around one another until they more or less figure themselves out. Plus, Biker!Cain was funny as hell.

This looks like something that is suppose to be on Courage.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WAS REAL. Was literally talking to my friend about this and he didn't remember. Was starting to think it was a fever dream.

Fun fact: The Stories of Adam and Eve, Mark Twain wrote them based on his relationship with his wife throughout all his life with her.

I’ve never seen one of your vids but this is really well done and you can expect me to be a full time viewer from this day on

My favorite short summary of the Cain and Abel story was in Ssethzeentach's video for Vampire, the Masquerade - Bloodlines. "God preferred Abel's offering. So Caine dis-Abeled his brother, by hitting him in the head with a fucking rock."

Wait, you guys never watched satanic clay movies about having an existential crisis

"Of course truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense" ~ Mark Twain

the Mysterious Stranger scene most definitely was in the TV version... that's where I first watched this as a kid. I was 11 and this scene stuck with me so well that I looked it up 30 years later and found the KZfaq video that you found. It haunted me, but because it was brilliant and not because it scares the hell out of you. Recall that movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark just played on TV on Sunday afternoons back then, and Watership Down was easily accessible... I saw so much that I shouldn't have when I was young. But this whole movie definitely holds up.

2:02 his what?

I like the idea of an evil creature that doesn’t act out of malice or hatred. It’s more like lack of empathy or understanding.

Fun fact: Grok is a literary reference. Referring to a term from the Robert Heinlein novel Stranger in a Strange Land. It's a martian term that means to understand something on a deep and fundamental level to such a degree as to have it become a part of you. Almost wholesome until you realize that Heinlein made everyone bang in a sex cult orgy in the last third of the book. And it saves the world from an alien invasion. It makes sense in context... kinda...

I did watch this film when I was a young kid, and while I had forgotten the name of the film and many elements from it, I was DEEPLY affected by The Mysterious Stranger segment, and how horrifying it all was. Luckily that sequence getting fame in recent years helped get the name of the film out, and not only am I happy to remember the name of the film again, but it's great to see that the rest of this film is as lovely and profound and heartfelt. I need to watch it again as an adult and appreciate everything it has to say!

As an 11 year old I love the adventures of Mark twain, load's of my friends say "it's way to scary" or "it's to dark" but as an artist this is a beautiful movie.

Twain's relationship to Satan is very interesting. My favorite text ever written by man (at least I think it's my favorite) is from Mark Twain, about Satan. It always brings a tear to my eye. "But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most, our one fellow and brother who most needed a friend yet had not a single one, the one sinner among us all who had the highest and clearest right to every Christian's daily and nightly prayers, for the plain and unassailable reason that his was the first and greatest need, he being among sinners the supremest?"

*The Father of “What The Hell Is...” reviews*

I watched this as a kid (1st grade) the entire thing scared me but the only part that I had nightmares of was the mask turning into a skull. That particular part gave me nightmares for weeks

I LOVE how for the "We can make more sometime.. if we need them" line, Satan *slooowly* turns to look *directly* into the camera. *directly at us.*

I feel sorry Will Vinton. Just imagine being kicked out of your own studio. It must be heartbreaking.

Y’all should read the book, it’s pretty interesting

I remember seeing this movie as a kid, I was only like 4 when this was released so I probably saw it shortly after that. I don't remember many of the details other then the Mysterious Stranger Satan scene - with the little clay figures being destroyed, bits of the airship and Mark Twain himself. Funny how those are the only parts I truly remember, everything else is kind of a blur or I just forgot it completely.

“What’s the point of having light if there was no such thing as darkness”

Omg imagine if a drunk recap of THIS film is made, Saber would have mental breakdown or at least something similar.

"You're not going to die" *Because his literature would live for decades and decades, it's still a familiar name to this day*

If you like the asthetic of old camera, and really good claymation. I highly recomend the game "the neverhood". It's simply gorgeous.

its a visually stunning story i remember i think mad momster party video having this as a trailer on it , the mysterious stranger terrified of masks as a kid but when he was nice he had such a charming face and calming voice but then changed suddenly to terrifying pretty good

"Cool snake with sunglasdes" Good Omens eat your heart out

"Who are you?" "An angel." "What's your name?" _"Satan."_ *"uh oh"* I don't know why, but I lovvvve this exchange so much. Yeah the "uh oh" adds to it but the comedy factor is only 20% of it for me, the rest of the exchange just, MngH I don't know why but it's so goood.

There’s a series for 5th grade at my school called “mark twain” books-

3:01 "oh you mean the fracking?" "..."

This scene is a masterpiece of horror. Without relying on a single jumpscare, it's able to create such a sense of unease and dread. The way it captures Twain's idea of Satan is perfect. An angel. A perfect, immortal being that just doesn't GET imperfection and mortality. A creature so far above humanity that the only feelings it is able to muster for us are mild amusement, curiosity, contempt, and disgust. And that's where the existential fear lies. That you are so small as to be nearly insignificant. That there are beings out there so far beyond you that the only reason they have not yet snuffed out your brief, confused flailing of an existence, is because you matter so little to them that they simply can't be bothered. You are nothing. You are a thought in the void. And in a brief moment, you will not even be that. Goodnight, kids! XD

"Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand." That's a really good quote.

holy shit, imagine how hard it is to film that.

Mark is my favorite writer and his stranget, is the best book ive ever read. From comedy to showing kids the curiosity of life and death was unexpected