Mosaic

Oh the irony.

The basic premise of this show is "change and adaptability". Maggie's special powers to change her physical appearance to mimic others along with her natural talents as an actress, all play around this theme of adaptability winning over the obstinate and unwillingness to change. 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). Yes it would have been a very original concept, had it come out back in the 60s. 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. However, he too seems to be stuck in "the old days". 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. Take that and top it off with some of the best animation of the early 90s.

But oh wait! It's not the early 90s anymore.

Even the look and feel of this show is dated. The character designs are very simplistic with minimal art detail aside from the inconsistent shadows. 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. Not one who's members are each stuck in their own dated style of their respective heydays.

I just saw this on Netflix and I disagree with the previous poster.(crispy comments) this is a CARTOON. yes the main character acts ditsy. So did Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 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. however it is a little more adult in that it actual SHOWS (not in shadow as most PG rated cartoons) one person getting murdered and another beaten to a bloody mess. 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 story seems good enough. Daughter of an Interpol agent gets tangled up with mysterious ancient relic, which then gives her comic book hero powers. The characters are well developed and likable. The pacing is good and really does feel similar to an episode of 'Mighty Max'.

The writing is clichéd. There aren't any big twists, save for one minor one near the end. The ending is abrupt, and predictable.

Animation is decent enough. 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. Otherwise skip it.

Stan Lee's new animated direct-to-DVD movie, 'Mosaic' is nothing new or amazing, despite the Hype-Master's -- er -- hype. It isn't bad, but there are a few cringe-inducing moments, mostly when overly-expositional dialogue is forced into the script.

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 other voice actors range from so-so to adequate, again hindered by the script.

The animation, script and concept are 1990's Saturday morning cartoon quality. The artwork is occasionally brilliant, but mostly serviceable. All in all -- meh. It was only ten bucks, but I'd wait for it to go on sale.

My copy came with a small comic book, and there are some amusing extras. That Stan, what a card.

"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. It MIGHT have been a twist back in the 60's, but nowadays its cliché. There are also a lot of unexplainable; I'd even say "bad" decisions from a script level. 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. (Dvd, November 22, 2012)