Monty Oum is a self-taught animator that was talented in creating creative and imaginative fight scenes using character models from various videogames. I first found out about him from a friend that shared one of his most well-known, fan-made videos "Haloid".
The first time I saw this, I was awestruck by how intricate and fantastic it felt. I told my friend "this guy is going to create some amazing things in his life time" and he agreed. Later on, he was working on a project called "Dead Fantasy" which, much like Haloid combining Halo and Metroid, pitted Dead or Alive characters with Final Fantasy characters in a dynamic, multi-part fighting web series. Along the way, he was hired to work on the game "Afro Samurai" and later hired by Rooter Teeth to work alongside the creators of "Red vs. Blue" in creating action sequences in the show. Then it finally happened. He got to create his own web series with his own original characters and story line. Up until then, he's always worked with fan-made material or worked under existing intellectual properties. So when I first saw the teasers for RWBY, I was so happy for him. He finally got a team to work behind him to make his vision possible. Seeing how it was a long series, I wanted to wait until it was entirely finished and binge on it (like I do with animé). I never would have imagined that he would leave us so soon and so suddenly.
I was sad and upset. It was clear that he was not finished with his work and he had plenty to still share with us, yet it seems that life has denied him of continuing any further. Much with how I felt about my friend's passing 2 years ago, all I could think was how "unfair" it was. I was so upset with my friend, Jessica's passing because she had a strong ambition and was clearly talented in what she did (which was photo-journalism). She shared those dreams with me when we were both in college and talked about what we wanted out of life and what we wanted to do. She had a similar passion in video games and expressed how she would love to review video games for a job. She accomplished a lot before she passed on, but you could feel that there was so much more she wanted to do and could do. That's how I felt about Monty. His work wasn't just good, It was inspiring! I had almost forgot that he was the reason why I put "Animation and Graphic Design" down as my major back in Jr. College. Sadly, I never got to learn Animation (or working with any art, really). I was so impressed by his videos that I wanted to learn animation and be able to create such magnificent fight scenes in film or video games whenever I got into the industry. Alas, we won't be able to experience anymore new work of his. But with what he has done in these past years is likely to stick with us for the rest of our lives.
I think it was even harder for those who actually met Monty in person to accept his passing. From what I heard, he was truly down-to-earth and kind to everyone. I have a friend that met him and she expressed how humble and respectful he was. With his status and popularity, some feared he might have been arrogant with a big ego. But that just didn't seem to be the case with Monty.
With Monty gone, fans of the RWBY series were worried about its future. From what I heard, Rooster Teeth will continue it for the rest of the season and end it there. It's definitely not going to be the same without Monty around. Rooster Teeth asked the community to do something creative in tribute to Monty as "it would be something Monty would have wanted". Fans drew lots of pictures celebrating the work and legacy Monty left behind him.
This one in particular made me tear up. It's essentially Monty saying goodbye to his creation. Although he won't be with, his characters will carry on his legacy.
I'm sad I never got to meet him, but he's definitely someone I'll remember. We will miss you, Monty!
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