Forbidden Mountain (2021 - Present)
When three friends set out to explore the notorious Forbidden Mountain, they soon find themselves entangled in a struggle to save humanity itself as the mysterious history of the mountain unfolds.
Forbidden Mountain is an enthralling exploration of the cycle of war and the flaws of human nature, set against the captivating backdrop of a fantasy world that both challenges and empowers the characters within. Forbidden Mountain issues a clear moral message: war will forever repeat itself. Humans are predisposed to it, in effort to better the world as they see fit they will wage war, in order to prevent others’ attempts to better the world when they disagree with their ideals they will wage war. War never ends, so what makes peace worth fighting for?
Forbidden Mountain is a 2D Animated Fantasy/Adventure Series created by Tristan Li (DigitalCartoons) and released on youtube. The series premiered in February 2021 and has received 12 main episodes since, as well as a variety of side stories.
The series was originally written by Tristan, with myself taking on a voice acting role for episode 6 and later a writing role for episode 8. I’ve since helped to write the conclusion of season 1 in episode 10 and the entirety of the still ongoing season 2 alongside the other writers, Tristan and AJ.
Characters
Nathan - Protagonist
Nathan is the leading character of the series, being at the heart of many of the mysteries and conflicts. His character is defined by uncertainty, driven by many failures and regrets in his past that slowly come to light as the story progresses, exploring his struggle to escape those mistakes.
Tom - Antagonist
Tom is the antagonistic force for our heroes, but his motivations begin to seem far more justified as we learn more about the history of this world. His character is torn between his desperate desire to make a better world and his equally strong longing for family.
Tristan - Deuteragonist
Tristan begins the series as the main POV character, being the heart of the main explorer trio, though as the story progresses Nathan takes the spotlight. Tristan is defined by his persisting hope, always seeing the good in people, but can that remain in the face of so much violence?
AJ - Tritagonist
AJ is Tom’s assistant and initially appears to be a loyal member of the syndicate, but as events unravel it becomes clear that AJ isn’t as devoted to Tom’s cause as he first seemed. His past with Nathan and conflicting desires make his character one of the series’ best.
Isaac - Main Cast
Isaac is part of the main explorer trio, and they turn to him as their de-facto leader thanks to his courage and combat skill, which he later proves in the climactic battle with Tom. But can Isaac handle the weight of leadership when the fate of all humanity rests in his hands?
Oliver - Main Cast
Oliver is one half of the comedic heart of the story, his lack of caution ultimately serving as the catalyst for the explorer’s quest that puts them firmly in Tom’s crosshairs. Oliver may play conflict off with jokes, but inside he grapples with insecurities about his value to the team.
Mr H - Main Cast
Mr H initially serves solely as the second half of the show’s comedic heart, but as it moves into the second season his past is expanded upon and he faces new dilemmas that challenge his moral code and allegiance to Tom.
Joe - Main Cast
Joe is Tom’s right hand man, loyal to him to the point he seems to lack empathy entirely. But with the climactic confrontation of episode 10 comes depth to Joe’s character and a desperate uphill battle for redemption.
Michael - Main Cast
Michael’s role in the series is primarily in his dynamics with other characters, be it his rivalry turned close companionship with Oliver or his drive to reunite with Isaac S, his connections with other characters define his arc.
Isaac S - Main Cast
Isaac S is the purest character in the series, being simply concerned for the wellbeing of his friends. But as Tom’s threatening of humanity forces the explorers to turn away from their peaceful roots, Isaac S finds himself out of his element and unable to abandon his nature.
Will - Main Cast
Will is pragmatic, blunt, and sometimes quite annoying for his sewing of conflict within the explorer group. But ultimately he never turns his back on humanity and remains loyal to his friends, which only becomes more admirable as details of his past unfurl.
Dawn Of The Syndicate
Explore the foundation of the syndicate and the bonds and conflicts between them in this four part comic telling to origin story of Tom’s twisted so-called family.
Dawn Of The Syndicate dives into the past of Forbidden Mountain’s villains, showcasing how their relationships developed and expanding our understanding of their motivations and inner turmoil. Each chapter centres around a different member of the group, the first focusing on AJ, the first syndicate to turn against Tom and his misguided quest of false heroism.
The approach Tristan took to writing Forbidden Mountain at the outset was largely unstructured. It was originally just going to be a single short animation on Youtube which later evolved into a series, but my role as the main villain wasn’t even decided until after episode 5 when I was offered a voice acting role. Since episode 8 there has been a much clearer outline of the story, especially with season 2, but naturally the way the series was initially written meant many plot holes emerged to conflict with the story we wanted to tell. I decided to take it upon myself to fill in these gaps in the plot with a comic which explored some stories the writing team wanted to tell but couldn’t fit into season 2 in a way that felt satisfying.
The comic served as a notable test of my filmmaking abilities, having to work around my incredibly limited artistic abilities and find a way to portray the nuances of these characters in a way that felt natural and subtle, but also could be clearly interpreted by the viewer. It was definitely a challenge, but one I hugely enjoyed as I got to lend my hand to pretty much every aspect of film production. I wrote the script for the comic, created the artwork, composed the soundtrack and edited it all into the final product, one which I’m overall very satisfied with.