Prepare for Breaking Bad like you’ve never seen before. Andrew Chaushesku, the man behind Not Default Cartoons, a YouTube channel devoted to alternative Pixar-inspired trailers using R-rated movies like American Psycho and Joker, unveiled a hilarious parody of Walter White’s adventures.
Given the worldwide popularity of Vince Gilligan’s terrific drama, it’s perhaps no surprise the fan-made trailer has become one of the channel’s most-watched with almost 500,000 views. It serves as a wonderful reminder of how good Breaking Bad was, with some of its most memorable scenes featured.
Arguably the greatest TV show ever
If you were to ask anyone to name the biggest English-language TV shows of the 21st century you would hear a familiar set of names. The Sopranos, Mad Men, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things. All widely acclaimed, award-winning, and popular in multiple territories across the world. But perhaps one stands out above them all. That’s Breaking Bad.
Winner of 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and having been nominated a staggering 58 times, the darkly comic crime-drama about a once law-abiding chemistry teacher becoming an all-conquering drug baron is widely considered one of the greatest TV series of all time. It is also considered the first of its kind to enjoy renewed interest from audiences following its availability on Netflix. Furthermore, the show’s lead Bryan Cranston earned the praise of Hollywood veteran and Oscar winner Sir Anthony Hopkins who called his performance the “best acting I have seen – ever.”
Breaking Bad beyond television
The show has transcended the screen. There’s an official store from which you can purchase all kinds of merchandise from the series and its spin-off Better Call Saul. Royal Bobbles created hyper-realistic figurines, Funko POP added the most popular characters to its selection of collectibles, and Millionspring released a 691-piece self-built miniature replica of White’s RV.
There are games too. There’s Breaking Bad Cash Collect & Link, a 5×3 reel online casino slots game which features all the main characters as its main symbols. Further, Edge Entertainment released Breaking Bad: The Board Game in 2017 which sees players take sides in a mission to control their patch.
Pixar meets Breaking Bad
Chaushesku, the motion designer and VFX artist behind the trailer, creates his memes in Adobe After Effects. He cuts together scenes but swaps the faces with Pixar-like animation and exchanges the music to mimic the orchestral scores used in Pixar fare.
He now offers others the chance to learn how to do it through his Patreon page. As part of a membership, subscribers will receive greenscreens and project files of Not Default Cartoons’ videos to make their own unique edits.
The parody of Breaking Bad is not just a fun reminder of the show’s unforgettable moments but how it found humour in tragedy. Watching it now is somewhat bittersweet given White and right-hand man Jessie Pinkman’s exploits together are now over. The show’s last episode was broadcast in 2013. The fact it’s one of the most popular videos on the YouTube channel is a reflection of the series’ enduring appeal.
