Oct 17, 2023

Influencer culture has become the “IshowSpeed Fights Ronaldo!

Today's cartoon pick is “IshowSpeed Fights Ronaldo!” from popular Youtube channel TheGiantWorm.

This short film is a take on the viral video of one of Youtube's top celebrities, IshowSpeed, meeting one of the most famous soccer players in the world. The two videos start out the same way, but the animated version (somehow) gets weirder and soon incorporates the cartoonish and violent traditions that are the hallmarks of the art. It is like an ultra-modern version of “Tom and Jerry.”

Aesthetically, the animated version is not particularly appealing, but smart camerawork and some artistic direction make it stand out from similarly vulgar content. The ugliness here feels like it is trying to make a point. And even if it doesn't, it adds absurd humor, as in the Skibidi Toilet video posted by Youtube superstar DaFuq!-Boom!

But perhaps the biggest reason why “IshowSpeed Fights Ronaldo!” feels important is that it represents a major shift in fandom culture. Instead of pictures and tribute pages, Internet artists are now creating short animated films about events that have caught people's attention. We noticed something similar last year after Will Smith got a slap on the wrist at the Oscars.

IShowSpeed Fights Ronaldo! also illustrates how influencers have risen to the level of celebrity worthy of animated parody as much as traditional celebrities. Objectively speaking, Ronaldo is the celebrity in this video, but he is not the one TheGiantWorm was interested in animating. In fact, there are several videos featuring IshowSpeed on TheGiantWorm's channel.