| The Smash Brothers | |
|---|---|
 Poster for the film depicting the players profiled in the series. | |
| Directed by | Travis Beauchamp |
| Screenplay by | Travis Beauchamp |
| Music by |
|
Production company | East Point Pictures |
Release dates | [[Category:Expression error: Unrecognized word "october". films]]
|
Running time | 4 hr 18 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$12,000 |
The Smash Brothers is a 2013 nine-part documentary series written and directed by Travis 'Samox' Beauchamp.[1] The documentary series examines the history of the competitive Super Smash Bros. community, in particular the game Super Smash Bros. Melee and eight of the most dominant players throughout its history, including Joel "Isai" Alvarado, Jason Zimmerman, Juan Debiedma, Joseph Marquez, PC Chris, and Ken Hoang. The film also features extensive commentary from other community figures including Chris "Wife" Fabiszak, Wynton "Prog" Smith, Kashan "Chillindude" Khan, Daniel "ChuDat" Rodriguez, and Lillian "Milktea" Chen. The series was crowdfunded through Kickstarter,[2] receiving US$8,910. The series had a total budget of US$12,000.[3] The series has received a combined total of over 4 million views on YouTube.[4]
Overview[]
The documentary is split into nine parts, with each part except the first and the last profiling a notable Melee player.
| Episode | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Show Me Your Moves | Introduction to the documentary and overview of competitive Melee. |
| Part 2 | No Johns | Follows the career of Christopher "Azen" McMullen. |
| Part 3 | Don't Get Hit | Follows the career of Isai Alvarado. |
| Part 4 | The King of Smash | Follows the career of Ken Hoang. |
| Part 5 | Revolution | Follows the career of Chris "PC Chris" Szygiel. |
| Part 6 | Paper Cuts | Follows the career of Daniel "KoreanDJ" Jung. |
| Part 7 | The Robot | Follows the career of Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman. |
| Part 8 | The Natural | Follows the careers of both Joseph "Mango" Marquez and Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma. There is also a short section on women, gays, and minorities in the Smash community, featuring retired Marth and Peach main Lilian "milktea" Chen and currently active Peach main Landon "DoH" Cox. |
| Part 9 | Game! | Describes the EVO 2013 fundraiser and Nintendo's subsequent decision to block the tournament from streaming. |
Development[]
Beauchamp played Smash Bros. from an early age, and was inspired to create the documentary series after learning about the lives of professional players.[3][4] The pilot episode was shot in the summer of 2011.[5] The documentary took over two years to make. Beauchamp quit his job to work on it full-time.[6] He was able to interview all of the players he profiled in the series except for Azen.[7]
Reception and legacy[]
The documentary series was well received by fans and game critics alike who praised its high production value, unusual for most fan films.[8][9][10]
The documentary has been credited with leading to a renewed interest in competitive Melee tournaments.[11] Due to the success of the series, Samox has announced a spin-off documentary called Metagame, set to expand on the stories of Swedish smasher, Adam "Armada" Lindgren, America's Kevin "PPMD" Nanney, and others,[12] which is expected to be released in spring of 2018.[13][14]
A Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U equivalent, entitled Smash 3, is in development by Corey "False" Shin.[15][16]
References[]
- ↑ Travis Beauchamp (2013-10-11). "Documentary". East Point Pictures. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Travis Beauchamp (2011-09-01). "The Smash Brothers Series - Production". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
{{cite web}}: ; - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "-samox- comments on Hello all, Samox here - creator of The Smash Brothers documentary mini-series - AMA!". reddit.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "-samox- comments on Hello all, Samox here - creator of The Smash Brothers documentary mini-series - AMA!". reddit.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "-samox- comments on Hello all, Samox here - creator of The Smash Brothers documentary mini-series - AMA!". reddit.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "-samox- comments on Hello all, Samox here - creator of The Smash Brothers documentary mini-series - AMA!". reddit.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "-samox- comments on Hello all, Samox here - creator of The Smash Brothers documentary mini-series - AMA!". reddit.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Patrick Howell O'Neill (2013-10-17). "'The Smash Brothers' might be the best eSports documentary of all time". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Hernandez, Patricia (2013-10-16). "A Fascinating Look At The World's Best Super Smash Bros. Players". Kotaku. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Landon Robinson (2013-10-15). "This Super Smash Bros. Melee Documentary Rocks". insidegamingdaily.com. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Magdaleno, Alex (4 May 2014). "How a YouTube Documentary Gave New Life to a Nintendo Classic". Mashable. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Schreier, Jason (April 18, 2014). "Telling The Story Of The Best Smash Bros. Players Around". Kotaku. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Travis "Samox" Beauchamp Unveils a Big Format Change to Upcoming Super Smash Bros. Melee Documentary "Metagame"". Shoryuken. 2016-07-30. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Beauchamp, Travis. "The Smash Brothers: Armada". Kickstarter. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (March 9, 2016). "Smash 3, A Documentary About the Smash Bros. Community and Its Greatest Players, Has Been Funded by Fans". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Shin, Corey. ""Smash 3" - Super Smash Bros. Brawl + Wii U Documentary". Kickstarter. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
{{cite web}}:
External links[]
| Professional Super Smash Bros. competition | ||
|---|---|---|
| Games | Super Smash Bros. series (Super Smash Bros. • Melee • Brawl • 3DS / Wii U) • Project M | |
| Notable players | Isai Alvarado (Isai) • Gonzalo Barrios (ZeRo) • Juan Debiedma (Hungrybox) • Weston Dennis (Westballz) • William Hjelte (Leffen) • Ken Hoang (Ken) • Adam Lindgren (Armada) • Joseph Marquez (Mango) • Justin McGrath (Plup) • Kevin Nanney (PPMD) • Nairoby Quezada (Nairo) • Christopher Szygiel (PC Chris) • Jason Zimmerman (Mew2King) | |
| Community | The Smash Brothers. | |
| Notable teams | Active | Alliance • Cloud9 • Counter Logic Gaming • Echo Fox • Evil Geniuses • G2 Esports • Immortals • Luminosity Gaming • Misfits • NRG eSports • Phoenix1 • Red Bull • Renegades • Splyce • Team Liquid • Team SoloMid • Team YP • Tempo Storm |
| Inactive | COGnitive Gaming • Selfless Gaming • Team Secret • Winterfox | |
| Tournaments | Apex • The Big House • CEO • DreamHack • eGames • Evolution Championship Series • Genesis • Major League Gaming (List of National Championships) | |
| Tournament results | Melee • Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U • 64 • Brawl • Project M | |
