{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox video
| title      = ''Villager News''
| image      = Villager News.png
| type       = Video series
| starring   = [[Dan Lloyd]]
| network    = {{w|YouTube}}
| production = [[Element Animation]]
}}
'''''Villager News''''' is an online comedy web series produced and published by [[Element Animation]], an indie animation company best known for their numerous ''[[Minecraft]]'' parodies including ''Villager News''. The series started on April 26, 2013, when the first installment was uploaded to Element's official {{w|YouTube}} channel. The first video alone has amassed over 33 million views since its initial upload,<ref name=":First">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frtax3pXPtg Villager News (Minecraft Animation)]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved October 2, 2024.</ref> and the full series has over 200 million views in total.

The series has been included in officially-licensed ''Minecraft'' media multiple times, mainly for live streams and promotional purposes.

==Synopsis==
The series typically follows a cast of [[villager]]s who operate a live news station known as "Villager News". Every episode begins with Villager No. 4 ([[Villager No. 5]] following his death in the episode {{ytl|CleUrqPLCzU|VILLAGER NEWS: WAR!}}) announcing breaking news before [[Villager No. 9]] presents the live-recorded footage<ref group="note">The footage is not actually recorded live, only being so in-universe.</ref> that sets up the main plot of the episode. 

Voiced by Dan Lloyd, the villagers are portrayed as air-headed and naïve, often falling for enemy attacks and resorting to barbaric resolutions such as the "Pit of Death", a running gag in which a villager is tossed into a 2-block-tall hole and is unable to escape, or making vehicles out of themselves.

Some episodes revolve around other kinds of plots, such as {{ytl|1hoSYvwnv_E|VILLAGER NEWS: THE GIANT PROBLEM}}, in which several [[mob]]s massively increase in size because of a lake contaminated with a growth [[potion]] made by a [[witch]].

==Collaborations with Mojang==
During 2014, an extensive [[April Fools' Day jokes#2014|April Fools joke]] was done in collaboration with ''Villager News''<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401120035/https://mojang.com/2014/04/minecraft-is-experiencing-some-problems/|title=Minecraft is Experiencing Some Problems|website=Mojang.com|author=Jens Bergensten|date=April 1, 2014}}</ref> for [[Java Edition]]. All [[player]] [[skin]]s were replaced with unique ones of random villagers, including the then-unused green villager, while the villager mob's sound effects were replaced with Element Animation's "T.E.A.V.S.R.P" (The Element Animation Villager Sounds Resource Pack). Mojang Studios also added in-game villager music, including a parody of the ''[[w:Game of Thrones|Game of Thrones]]'' theme, a reference to it being previously spoofed in the trailer for the resource pack.<ref>{{YouTube link|yG_Y52bK6Ec|The Element Animation Villager Sounds Resource Pack (T.E.A.V.S.R.P.)|Element Animation|February 8, 2014}}</ref> The next day, on April 2, the changes were reverted, bookended with a ''Villager News'' episode "apologizing" for the incident.

Due to the series' widespread popularity, [[Mojang Studios]] has commissioned ''Villager News'' animations for promotional purposes on several occasions. The first is the video [[VILLAGER (and Pillager?) NEWS]], which was produced to promote the release of the [[Village & Pillage]] update and was played as part of [[MINECON Live 2019]]. The video revolved around an outcry over a villager not wanting to download the new update, despite him clearly saying that he does want to. This is followed by an advertisement-style montage of the update's new additions, including a small tease for [[raid]]s.

Element and Mojang's next collaboration would be {{ytl|nDLmBv-2wb4|Monster in the Woods}}, an episode involving a group of villagers lead by Villager No. 5 going into a [[Pale Garden]] to search for a sighted "monster". The video is played in two separate segments as part of [[Minecraft Live 2024]] to promote the addition of the [[Creaking]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnX6sPFjXnA Minecraft Live 2024]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved October 2, 2024.</ref> Following the release of the video, several more [[short]] videos would be released to promote the introduction of the [[Pale Garden|pale garden]].

==Videos==
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== Trivia ==
* Although not officially related to the series, Element Animation would also create a video opening for [[MINECON 2015]], using the same art style and tone as a ''Villager News'' episode.<ref>{{YouTube link|AIdvjx6kDk4|MINECON 2015 Opening Ceremony Animation - YouTube Edit|Element Animation|July 5, 2015}}</ref>
* The episodes produced in collaboration with Mojang use a slightly different art style from the regular series. Most noticeably, in regular ''Villager News'' videos the characters express with curved, elastic features, such as bending monobrows, whereas the crossovers are perfectly square to be in line with typical [[Mojang cinematics|animations]].
* In a promotion for [[Minecraft Dungeons 4xLP|''Minecraft Dungeons'' 4xLP]], ''Minecraft'' writer [[Per Landin]] made an offhand remark praising an episode of ''Villager News'', unrelated to the release or Mojang Studios.<ref>{{Mcnet|minecraft-vinyl|Minecraft on vinyl|December 28, 2022|Per Landin}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube link|CNeW3BbZc9Q|What's In My Big SACK!? - A Villager Christmas Carol|Element Animation|December 18, 2022}}</ref>
* The staff of the show like to incorporate elements from updates for the game as they release, such as villagers taking on professions from [[Village & Pillage]].<ref>{{Citation|url=https://elementanimation.com/shows|title=Shows|website=Element Animation|quote=Whenever Minecraft drops new updates, we try to work them into the series. Like, after the Village & Pillage update, we gave all the villagers jobs and added villagers from different biomes.}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Villager No. 5.png|Villager No. 5 in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFPcx4X9-e8 VILLAGER NEWS: BREAKING NEWS! 🎵🎵🎵Minecraft Animated Music Video🎵🎵🎵]
File:Villager No. 5 profile.jpg|Render of Villager No. 5 used to tease his appearance in Minecraft Live 2024.
File:Villagernews-header2.jpg|Banner used for an interview with Dan Lloyd.<ref name=":Interview">{{Mcnet|it-takes-village|It takes a Village|August 4, 2021|Per Landin}}</ref>
File:Villagersnews-helicopter2.jpg|A villager helicopter, from the original ''Villager News'' video.<ref name=":First" />
File:Villagersnews-fire.jpg|A villager in a parody of the "This Is Fine" meme.<ref>{{Citation|url=https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/this-is-fine|title=This Is Fine|author=LNH|website=Know Your Meme}}</ref><ref name=":Giant">{{YouTube link|1hoSYvwnv_E|VILLAGER NEWS: THE GIANT PROBLEM|Element Animation|November 30, 2018}}</ref>
File:Villagersnews-testificateman.jpg|[https://elementanimation.fandom.com/wiki/Testificate_Man Testificate Man], a frequent character in the series.
File:Villagersnews-scene.jpg|A scene from The Giant Problem, and Dan Lloyd's personal favorite scene in the series.<ref name=":Giant" /><ref name=":Interview" />
File:Villagernews-scream.jpg|"Oh no, this story is about to end! Quick, panic!"
File:Giant Vibrations.mp4|A clip from ''The Giant Problem'', used to promote an interview. Note the ESRB rating.<ref name=":Giant" /><ref name=":Interview" /><ref>{{Tweet|Minecraft|1422935930311217155|Vibrant, action-packed and only ever so slightly chaotic, @Element's Villager News series is a long-time darling of the Minecraft community.<br><br>We sat down with the creators of these beloved fever-dreams-come-to-life:}}</ref>
</gallery>

=== WE'RE SORRY! ===
<gallery>
File:Villager News apology.png|A villager apologizing.
File:Villager News unapology.png|Another villager unapologetic.
File:Villager News disagreement.png|The two villagers disagree.
File:Grass grass grass.png|A third villager walking on [[Grass Block|grass block]]s.
</gallery>

===VILLAGER (and Pillager?) NEWS===
<gallery>
File:MCL2019 Villager No. 5.png|Villager No. 5 at the start of ''VILLAGER (and Pillager?) NEWS''.
File:Villager No. 9 1.png|Villager No. 9.
File:Interviewer swarm.png|Several interviewers confront the citizen.
File:No. 9 tilts behind librarian.png|A librarian in front of Villager No. 9.
File:Second leatherworker newsman.png|No. 5 with another villager.
</gallery>
===Monster in the Woods===
<gallery>
File:Villager No. 5 2024.png|Villager No. 5 at the start of Minecraft Live 2024.
File:No. 5 elaborates.png|Villager No. 5 elaborating.
File:Villager News Steve Monster 1.jpeg|A villager holding up an image of [[Steve]] as a suggestion for what the monster may be.
File:Villager News Steve Monster 2.jpeg|A {{w|Internet meme|meme}} made by Element Animation, using the previous screenshot.
File:No. 5 panics.png|Villager No. 5 reacting to the death of the cameraman.
File:No signal.png|Villager No. 5 scornfully looking at the signal being cut.
File:Definitely wasn't a monster.png|Villager No. 5 in denial.
File:Eight villagers lost in a dark forest.webp|Eight [[villager]]s lost in a dark Pale Garden at night.
File:No. 9 and 15.png|The last villagers remaining.
File:They literally just said its name.png|No. 15, angry.
File:15's creaking heart.png|A creaking heart is placed.
File:Creaking in Villager News.jpg|The creaking appearing behind Villager No. 9.
</gallery>

=== Storyboards ===
<gallery>
File:Villagernews-sb1.jpg|Storyboard of Villager No. 5 in ''WAR!''<ref>{{YouTube link|CleUrqPLCzU|VILLAGER NEWS: WAR! (Animation)|Element Animation|September 27, 2019}}</ref>
File:Villagernews-sb2.jpg|Storyboard of several villagers confronting a giant creeper.
File:Villagernews-sb3.jpg|Storyboard of a creeper growing, from ''THE GIANT PROBLEM''.<ref name=":Giant" />
</gallery>

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Navigation ==
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