Mosaic
Tags: good versus evil, psychedelic, violence, romantic

Plot synopsis:
Aspiring young actress Maggie Nelson (Anna Paquin) gains chameleon-like powers after she is exposed to an electrical storm and a magic rune which her father, an Interpol agent, had brought home to study after it was found at the scene of a murder at a New York City museum. Her powers are from a secret and ancient race known as the Chameliel, who are able to hide in plain sight of the public due to their shape shifting abilities, and she is told all about the Chameliel after meeting a young Chameliel named Mosaic (Kirby Morrow). The murder victim at the museum was a Chameliel who was killed by another Chameliel named Maniken, who is intent on gaining the alchemical powers of his dead wife Facade, and ruling the world. After Maniken kidnaps her father, Maggie becomes determined to help Mosaic to fight Maniken.
They go from New York City, to the catacombs of Rome, to a large radio dish at the magnetic North Pole, trying to stop Maniken from stealing some of the many powerful Chameleon stones that are hidden around the world and sacrificing Maggie's father to use them in a ceremony that will grant Maniken the powers of his wife and rule Earth like a god. During the battle, Maggie uses her acting skills and shape-shifting abilities to fool Maniken into believing she is his dead wife come back to life, to distract him from noticing that Mosaic is planting explosives on the radio dish and getting her father to safety. Also while in battle, it is revealed that Mosaic is Maniken and Facade's son who volunteered to the rest of the Chameliel to go after his father and stop him. They both tumble into an icy gorge, never to rise again. Maggie then sneaks aboard the Interpol copter her father is on, overhearing him vowing to destroy all Chameliel. Upon returning home, she plans to continue acting and agrees to her father's request to continue her studies, but at the same time, she vows to search for the remaining Chameleon stones and use their power for good, and honor Mosaic and the rest of the Chameliel by becoming the new Mosaic.

Review: With Stan Lee's name practically being synonymous with half of the major comic book titles, one only has to add his name to the title in order to sell a new product to certain audiences.
Thanks to the wonders of DVD-Video and the collector's market, however, we can enjoy this effort at creating a new franchise, as well as the reasons it did not take off, at our leisure.The problem that probably killed Mosaic at the marketplace is that it is clearly intended for the Saturday morning cartoon circuit, a market that appears to be very much on its last legs.
The irony here is that in the mere two minutes that Mosaic touches upon the last subject in the list I have just outlined, it does so in a far more intelligent and insightful manner than the entire hundred minutes of the third X-Men film, which fans around the world have disowned in droves.
Perhaps a series was not picked up because Fox could not stand to invite the comparison.As I previously mentioned, Anna Paquin could read the phone book for a couple of hours and have me mesmerised.
It also helps that the character she is voicing, Maggie, is clearly modelled after her.
Her character gets the vast majority of the screen time, and it is a credit to her that she sounds so sincere when delivering dialogue that occasionally devolves into the childish.
However, for all intents and purposes, this is really Anna's show, and I submit that you have not lived until you hear her voice coming out of the mouth of a blonde cartoon woman.
Looking somewhat like the Japanese animation that flooded the market in the mid-1980s, Mosaic is very pleasant to look at.
But the story is fortunately enough to distract viewers from such questions.The character of Maggie is at once the strength and the weakness of this pilot.
Being a Stan Lee character, as much as possible is made of her attempts to understand and come to terms with her newfound powers.
It does sound a lot like a stripped-down version of X-Men, but Mosaic is one of the few entrants in the market that actually benefits from this approach.
Cast overcrowding in a two-hour feature is a very difficult thing to avoid, but Mosaic gets the balance right by allocating almost all of its seventy-two minutes to a single character.
We spend so much time learning of Maggie's world, both inside and out, that at the end when the plot takes on a threatening new direction (presumably for future episodes), it has that much more impact.
Unlike the third X-Men film, which left the most rabid fans of its predecessors wanting to erase it from existence, Mosaic leaves the viewer wanting more.
I would have liked a deeper, more inventive plot, but what was delivered certainly kept my attention all the way through.
stan lee has a penchant for taking a ridiculous idea and turning it into something fairly entertaining.
mosaic will never get there; stan is way past his prime, but it is entertaining none the less.
the main character is likable, but not as much as stan wants you to like her.
sure, maggie would have been a stupid name for a superhero movie, but surely they could have done better than a secondary character for the title.it's more entertaining than some of the big budget comic book movies, worth the the hour and fifteen minutes or so required to watch it..
Daughter of an Interpol agent gets tangled up with mysterious ancient relic, which then gives her comic book hero powers.
A bit like the current warner brothers cartoons, except with a higher budget and more detailed animation.Its kid friendly with no swearing and only has some violence (neck snap of one security guard).If you are lacking good Saturday Morning Cartoons and need a fix, this will do.
yet she had a good run (7 seasons).Stan lee is obviously trying out different new characters in a one off setting similar to the action pack setting that brought us Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and the dreadful Cleopatra 2525.the art is similar to the old sat morning cartoons.
no bloodless fistfights here.as for Crispy's complaints about the "over-sexualization", I would point to several other cartoon such as batman the animated series and justice league and their depiction of super heroine garb..
The beginning credits for this animated Stan Lee production contains scenes of superhero ripoffs of other popular characters like Batman, Captain America and the Hulk.
Not a good omen, I thought, of an original superhero film by Stan Lee. Imagine my surprise when I found that this film had a freshness and joy to it I found contagious.
None of the powers Maggie (Anna Paquin) gain are original.
Somehow, this combination of powers with the character of a high-school female drama student seemed original to me.
Yes, we've seen teenage heroes before but I really found myself taken with how Maggie's reactions to her abilities seemed more real than scripted.
There are very, very few original female superheroes (Wonder Woman and the Invisible Girl are all that come to mind right now) and a majority of them are thinly-veiled excuses to have chesty woman in tight, revealing clothes.
The character of Maggie is never used in an overtly sexy way (though when she turns invisible her outline looks rather naked and she has a dream of being in her underwear) and she is written with more depth than would be expected from a direct-to-DVD animated feature.Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't support its main character.
It would be nice to see someone put more effort and money into animating these direct-to-DVD films (Ultimate Avengers I and II) beyond the level of..well..direct-to-DVD animated fare.The tone of the movie tries to go beyond Saturday morning fare with some mild swearing and scenes of violence but Batman: The Animated Series routinely found ways of being far more sophisticated without cursing or on-screen bloodletting.So, why do I give this an 8 out of 10?
Is the main character that good?
Stan Lee struggled for a while after Marvel with characters that never found the glory of his original run at Marvel.
Mosaic is the first project that I feel touches that magic everyone felt in the 60s when Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, and the X-Men first hit the shelves.
Stan Lee's new animated direct-to-DVD movie, 'Mosaic' is nothing new or amazing, despite the Hype-Master's -- er -- hype.
The plot concerns a high-school drama gal, Maggie, who gains strange chameleon powers from an artifact her father finds on a case at a museum ( he's with Interpol ).
Anna Pacquin voices Maggie, and does as well as she can with some contrived dialogue.
The animation, script and concept are 1990's Saturday morning cartoon quality.
"Mosaic" has some good ideas but the story is a mess and any discriminating audience will find it banal.
this animated film tells an original story by Stan Lee, a brand new superhero from the man himself!
When Maggie Nelson (voiced by Anna Paquin) gains chameleon-like super powers, she decides to investigate a mysterious murder at a New York City museum.
While piecing together the clues, she uncovers a plot to take over the world.The film really feels like a television pilot, with animation that isn't terrible but never really warrants any special mentions, a plot that is predictable and filled with clichés and a lot of confusion on the script level.
There is a reveal about a young man named Mosaic (voiced by Kirby Morrow) and his relationship the big bad guy that is totally predictable for Instance.
Although it appears to be clear that "Maggie" inherits her powers from a magical artifact, there are constant hints that her pet chameleon is also involved, despite numerous references to a prophecy explaining exactly what is going on.
Characters only show hints of a personality (which once again gives the impression that their traits would have been developed over time) and a lot of stilted dialog that is not only badly written but makes no sense (a scene where healing abilities are described as "shapeshifting" comes to mind).I am tempted to say that if there had been a sequel, this could have been the start of an interesting female series.
The more I think about it though, the more this feels more like a dated concept, or a knockoff of a classic superhero story than anything else.
There's no doubt that with time this character could have become a classic, but that's because this story Is written as if there are no other superhero comics in existence.
As is, "Mosaic" is only good entertainment for pre-teens.
The latter is personified by the ancient Chamelia race who are so grounded in their overconfidence about their own natural superhuman abilities).It is ironic that in a show revolving around the themes of "change" and adaptability, the creative team shows none of those traits.Stan Lee manages to bring some very human and very well fleshed out characters, akin to his classic work on Spiderman in the 60s.
THe problem is that although the characters were interesting and easy to relate to, Stan Lee's characterization of them are straight out of 1960s comics.
Mosaic is littered with some of the most unoriginal concepts that seem plucked from a variety of sources.( THe shape changing powers, girl next door protagonist, ancient race of super-humans, and magical artifacts etc).
But For an "original creation" by Stan Lee, it is possibly one of the most unoriginal combination of concepts there is in existence today.Scott Lobdell, the writer, brings some entertaining dialog and fun, witty lines to this show.
His script is laden with unnecessary exposition in the dialog and even some campy monologues(like when Maggie talks to herself, out loud, about her new powers)that would not seem out of place in a 1980s children's comic book.
I accept that some exposition is required in comics since a writer only has 22 to 30+ pages each month to tell a continuing over-arching story, but this is a single animated movie, not a bunch of 30 page comic issues.
Not to mention that most of the dialog comes across as being rather juvenile.So we have Unoriginal concepts, juvenile story and writing that seem to be stuck in the days of care bears and cotton candy.
This looks like a lost cartoon series pilot movie from the era of Captain Planet that Film Roman dug up, added some digital effects and colors and passed it off as a new product.
The animation is only mediocre compared to today's TV series standards which is seriously dismal when compared to other Direct-to-DVD animated features like Ultimate Avengers and Superman:Doomsday.Mosaic had a great premise but could have been so much more if it had been left in the hands of a better creative team who can adapt to the changing times and deliver a product that people would want to watch.
I'd like to think that even *they* would appreciate a well-written story that's smart and engaging.
Mosaic was boring.The main character comes across as, well, a dumb 12 year old girl trapped in the body of a fully grown woman.
She acts like a childish simpleton, with little-girly mannerisms, a vapid smile, and a terrible, superficial "what a fun sleepover!" vocal delivery, even during serious situations - the voice actress, Anna Paquin, SUCKS.
Her tone is too fluffy and clueless and it sounds like she isn't paying attention to the meaning of the dialogue/scene, or really interacting with the other actors in a convincing way.
I know in animation the actors are usually recorded separately, but *good* voice actors can overcome that disadvantage.
Too bad they went for a Celebrity Name instead.It's more than a little disconcerting to see a character who behaves/sounds so young/immature, drawn with the body of a playboy model.
Well, good luck trying to make a movie for both little girls AND big boys.
That makes for a squicky experience I like to call The Britney Spears Effect.The previous reviewer who said the main character wasn't overly sexualized, must've missed the scene where Maggie walks straight towards the "camera" until her chest completely fills the frame.
I'd like to see more female superheroes starring in movies, etc.
Sure she has some heroic moments where she saves a few people, but it feels contrived, not triumphant.She has the ability to shapeshift and turn invisible, but persists in changing back to her normal form constantly, EVEN WHEN SHE KNOWS PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR HER AND EVEN WHEN SHE'S SPYING ON THE BAD GUYS (who, of course, catch her).
It would be so easy to hide from them, but then I suppose the producers/animators wanted us to look at the purty girl as much as possible.
Plus, if I remember correctly (bored as I was), it's the Mosaic character who comes up with the plan to utilize her abilities at the film's climax.
(Oh yeah, did I mention that - unlike every other movie about a superhero/ine - "Mosaic" is not even named after the main character?
If you need more proof that she's useless...)And how about that whiplash at the end of the movie, when we're supposed to believe Maggie's mourning the death of someone she "loved", (would you believe they actually used the cheesy clichéd "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" scream?) and the next second she's all smiles again, perky and joking around, and reciting Shakespeare (badly) for her audition.
Consequently the viewer can't get emotionally invested.Bad writing, superficial characterization, clichéd scenarios, and really basic unimpressive animation.
And I have no problem with the way women are portrayed in Batman The Animated Series.
I wouldn't compare that smartly written, stylishly animated series to "Mosaic" at all.
As for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, maybe she acted a bit "ditsy" in the first season but the character was created to subvert the horror cliché of the dumb, helpless blonde.
You can't take Buffy's most superficial characteristics, omitting the *reason* for them, give them to another character for *no* good reason, and then try to justify it by saying, "well, Buffy did it.".
I'm just an average teenage girl who is a fan of comic books.
A lot of people say that there are a lot of ripoffs like the powers, effects, and images.
A kick-ass teenage drama student who has the powers of a chameleon, with a best friend who is in love with her, a guy who is pretty much from a different planet teams up with her to save the world from an Alchemist crazy chameleon dude.
A interesting new superhero movie.
This is pretty much based off of a comic in how the style of animation is done and the script.
Stan Lee wrote the script.
It starts out with a typical way of a murder happening and someone who gets their hands on something they have no clue how to use.Maggie is pretty beautiful and seems well put together in what she wants to be and who she is.
Sometimes she acts like a teenager though she has the body of an adult.
There are a lot of things that seem like a copy of Spiderman and they do make fun of it once in a while.
The person that explains all that has happened to her and what the Chameliel world is like.
He knows much and yet seems to always be surprised when she one ups him.The artwork is actually very beautiful and detailed, much again like a comic book.
I fell in love with the art style in this for it was also very colorful and bright even in the darker parts.The voices seem odd, almost like they are disconnected from their bodies.
Another thing that seems interesting is that they explain a lot and they tried hard not to have cuss words.The only problem is that it doesn't have an ending.
So-So. Stan Lee, once one of the most innovative & imaginative driving forces in the comic book industry (he gave us the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, Dr. Strange, etc.
- with help from such gifted artists like Jack Kirby), now offers us this passable if unspectacular DVD feature about Maggie Nelson (voiced by Anna Pacquin).
Maggie Nelson, who looks a lot like Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman from the Fantastic Four, is a young woman in her late teens who aspires to be an actress who is sucked out of her ordinary life into a world of adventure when she gets jacked up with the powers of a chameleon, among a few other nifty gifts (such as super strength, wall crawling like Spider-Man and the ability to become invisible, much like the aforementioned Invisible Woman, whom she resembles quite strongly), and then must help the mysterious man known only as Mosaic (voiced by Kirby Morrow) thwart an evil race of man-chameleons.Definitely not on par with Stan's best work or even better DTV's like Ultimate Avengers 1 (though the animation quality is about the same) or Justice League: The New Frontier.
It obviously tries to put a hip new spin/twist on the concept of the teenager becoming a superhero storyline, but never quite rises above it.
It has a few inspired moments, just not enough.Maggie is likable enough, but not as fleshed out as we would like (though the pervert in all men should relish the nightmare scene where she runs through the streets in her underwear and the fact that her invisibility powers make her appear nude even though she really isn't), and she's certainly not as interesting as Mosaic himself.
Anna Pacquin (the miscast Rogue of the X-Men films) throws out a decent vocal performance for Maggie, and is supported by career voice actors like Kirby Morrow (well cast as the title character), Cam Clarke, Scott McNeil, Gary Chalk, Kathleen Barr and Nicole Oliver (all of them veterans of the 2002 He-man series, interesting enough).