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When Fame came knocking on the door of Alabama resident, Antoine Dodson he didn't just answer the knock, he flung the door wide open, and broke off the hinges. Huntsville Alabama native, Antoine Dodson, has become a member of an elite group of unlikely hometown celebrities whose fame and notoriety skyrocketed thanks to the phenomenon of YouTube. Antoine'sqq fame is the result of what could have been a tragic episode for his sister, Kelly Dodson, had Antoine not scared off a rapist who gained access to the 2nd floor bedroom if their Webster Drive apartment. Kelly's screams alerted her brother, Antoine, who managed to chase the intruder off, and had a few choice words to say to the intruder once the news reporters arrived on the scene with the cameras. Antoine's, angry yet animated demeanor caught the attention of a legion of fans who after seeing the broadcast on YouTube literally skyrocketed him to Internet stardom. I personally admire Dodson for coming to his sisters rescue like he did That took guts, and he obviously loves her. For me, as an artist, I found Antoine to be a perfect animated character. Clearly he has the personality! LOL! He's, vivacious, flamboyant, and "in your face", even though he was angry, you could still see that sense of humor peeking through. The first thing I noticed about Antoine was his eyes and mouth. Both very expressive, and very animated. He's a character that definitely calls for a lot of dialogue, and it's would be hard to conceive of him NOT getting the last word in any conversation he finds himself in. The next thing was his neck, which was unusually long.Again, visually, this is something, once animated than can add to his characters "in your face vibe" and make his dialogues even more entertaining. Finally, I love his "costume" if you're doing any type of sustained cartoon, whether it be comics, or animation, it helps if your character has a " signature look" that doesn't change. Imagine Charlie Brown minus his Yellow shirt with the jagged stripe. Antoine's red bandana with the pokadots combined with his Afro and black wife beater tee shirt are as recognizable as the late Steve Job's black turtleneck was. In an interview on the George Lopez show, I was a little disappointed to find out that he had......changed his look considerably, which I feel was a mistake. In order to "milk his celebrity status" Antoine would do better to appear in the attire "we first met him". Could you imagine seeing Mr. T in public without his trademark Mohawk, gold chains and feathered earrings? It's all about public branding. At the very least, he could've sold a line of tank tops or head scarfs! But I'll leave the marketing up to his agent. I hope if he somehow sees these cartoons that they will bring a smile to his face and adds another 15 minutes to his fame!
