Tarboy

Tarboy is an animation by James Lee, with original score by Hania Zdunek.
== Story ==
The story of Tarboy takes place in a world where robots are sentient and take the place of people. It is presented by a grandfather who is telling his grandson a nighttime story before he goes to sleep. Once, there were three rich "Fat Cats," who ruled the world. Their robot slaves were forced to work in the mines all day, until one day, the Fat Cats discovered a more efficient method. Unfortunately, they did not need the robots anymore, and so they destroyed their slaves and dumped them into the tar pit. They died in the tar pit, but their collective consciousness (in the form of memory chips) survived and combined itself with the tar. The resulting creation was a boy made of tar, who named himself Tarboy, whose only desire was revenge against the Fat Cats. What followed was a battle of epic proportions.
The action began at a water cooler in a corporate building, where agents of the Fat Cats (who resemble Terrance and Philip and other Canadians in South Park) were idly chatting. Tarboy, meanwhile, was sneaking up through the plumbing and into the water tank, taking advantage of his fluid body. Tarboy immediately attacked, but was soon met by well armed enemies. However, Tarboy was easily able to take them on, even managing to throw an enemy's rocket back at them. After defeating the armed robots, he pursued one of the agents into a dark building. There, he was stalked by another dangerous robot, whom he could not spot in the dark. Their confrontation, however, was interrupted by a janitor, who came in and turned on the lights and some music. When he saw what was going on, he turned the lights back off, and Tarboy was able to overcome his foe.
Although Tarboy was skilled in combat, the Fat Cats were cunning, and were able to lay a trap. The Fat Cats gathered in one place, and when Tarboy arrived, they turned on a number of giant heat lamps. Being made of tar, Tarboy immediately began to melt, while the Fat Cats stared down at him. In a matter of seconds, he was a mere puddle. Grandpa finishes his tale by explaining that he was the janitor who stumbled upon Tarboy that day. He believes that a piece of Tarboy (a bubble that escaped) still exists, searching for its body, which Grandpa keeps in a jar. He ends his tale and the short by explaining that the Fat Cats will "see their ruin" on the day Tarboy is resurrected.
== Presentation ==
Tarboy has a striking presentation. Most notable is the fact that the characters are mostly robots, and therefore can take a variety of forms. However, the style is reminiscent of steampunk artwork. Tarboy also makes extensive use of similar and contrasting colors in order to create atmosphere, and the color scheme frequently changes based on the location. The movie's soundtrack was made by hania, and was remarkably popular. This soundtrack is largely responsible for her winning the 2009 Tank Awards, despite not being an active part of the Newgrounds community.
== Reception ==
Tarboy was a huge hit on Newgrounds. As of January 2011, it has had over 1.2 million views and a review average of 9.9/10. In fact, it is the second best reviewed submission of all time, beaten only by the Final Step of There she is!!!. Tarboy was also voted the best movie of August 2009, and went on to win the third annual Tank Awards. Hania won the award for best musician largely due to the original score she created for this movie. Tarboy also spent a large period of time on the "Best of All Time" list, and still manages to reach the top position on a regular basis.
Watch it here
Category:Flash cartoons
Category:Action Movies
Category:Teen
Category:Tank Award winners
Category:2009