Animation: David Lewandowski

Sometimes, we shouldn't question the strange. Sometimes, we should just enjoy the strange.

going to the store. from dlew on Vimeo.

Animation: "Dot" by Aardman's Sumo Science

This is INSANE!!!! The world's smallest stop motion animation...shot on a Nokia N8



WOW

Here is the "Making Of" segment, which is RI.DIC.ULOUS.



Wow, just WOW. COuld you imagine if someone bumped this set???!

Animation: "Nude" by Hayato Nove & Tomoko Miyahara

Oh, I wish there were more information about the creators of this lovely clip. This was from the Aniboom "In Rainbows" contest last year. I'm not crazy about the subtitles, but I really wish I could find more of their work...

Animation: Mary Blair

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

A great link that I found with some images of the great Mary Blair's work. If you have ever been to Disneyland (the one in California) and have seen the It's A Small World ride, you've experienced some her great imagination as she had a great hand in designing this experience...

Ideas for character and costume design of Cinderella (1950)

Click here to go to the link!

Please click here to go to Cartoon Brew - a GREAT resource for retro 50's style animation-- one of the best and most beautiful phases of the art form....

Animation: French Animation

I'm not sure who this is by, but I fund it googling "French animation"... wonderful, non?

I need to take French lessons this summer. Gah...

Animation: Vintage ToonCast

Vintage ToonCast!

For vintage animation clips from yesteryear...Brilliant!

Animation: Disney's The Princess & the Frog

Looks awfully lovely, doesn't it?

Jim Hill Media

Animation: The Dot and the Line

One of my all time favorite animated films.

And of course, here we go: Chuck Jones is a genius.

Comment: Theresa Duncan & Jeremy Blake

This week, I read New York Mag's article about the double suicides of these two artists in love. It was a tale of love, paranoia, artistic frustration, and Scientology. I was moved enough to read some of Theresa Duncan's blog, (the post below is something I gleaned immediately from it) -- I found her affecting...

She created an animated short which was mentioned in the New York article. Iam hoping to find a clip of it to post. It was fragile, lovely and very rock and roll.

Always sad to hear stories like this.

Animation: There is a God

Disney To Halt DVD Sequels
21 June 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The Walt Disney Co. will no longer produce direct-to-video sequels of its animated features, according to Disney watcher Jim Hill. Hill, who has had a hit-and-miss record in reporting on inside decisions at the company, said that Sharon Morrill, president of DisneyToon Studios, has been forced to step down as part of the decision to shut down the group that produces the DVD sequels. Prior to Disney's acquisition of Pixar, Pixar executives Steve Jobs and John Lasseter had publicly complained about the quality of the sequels, maintaining that they undercut the value of the original features. Disney executives had responded that the sequels had proved to be enormously successful for the studio. According to Hill, Lasseter made the decision to halt further production of the DVD sequels and fire Morrill after viewing a "work-in-progress version" of The Tinkerbell Movie, which Hill described as "an awful mess." Hill said that Lasseter complained to Disney chief Robert Iger that the movie was "virtually unwatchable." As a direct result of that meeting, Hill wrote, "some $30 million worth of animation had to be scrapped."

Animation: I KNEW it

I was talking to someone about how DIsney REALLY really should put out another princess story. I was POSITIVE the next feature was going to be Glen Keane's Did-he-really-agree-to-3-D "Rapunzel", however I was mistaken. Disney is releasing "The Frog Princess. In addition to this new princess fairytale/merchandise push, Disney will also introduce their first black/african-american princess.

(No, neither Jasmine or Nala counted!!!)

Those "Disney" eyes....

It's set in New Orleans and her name is Princess Maddy. Of course, this is all pre-production. Who knows what final results will be.

I'm sure that this film will meet its audience, ESPECIALLY with guru John Lasseter at the reins and racial-based press. Of course, people will talk about it and I'm sure it will be clever, funny, enchanting, empowering, whatever, etc.... anyhow, we'll see when we see it.

Of course, my perverse side can't help but wonder what the prince will look like (if there is one)...

Thank you to my beloved M for forwarding....kisses beebee.

Animation: Witch Hunter Robin

Witch Hunter Robin. I was absolutely enraptured watching this.

Animation: RIP Joseph Barbera

Animation: Maleficent!

Just because...

Animation: Michael Dudok de Wit

It's too cold to go outside anyway. French animation. GORGEOUS. "The Monk and the Fish" was the first film I saw by Michael Dudok de Wit. Here is another, "The Aroma of Tea"

Animation: Duran Duran Anime

If you've attended any of the recent Duran Duran concerts, you've probably seen this. I think that I thought it was really good at the time, but I was also high off my ass. I don't remember Nick having fangs and it's pretty violent ... The song is a live performance.... and gawd, I just don't understand all the FUCKING FANGS.....

Animation: Happy Little Puckered Faces

Disney Reportedly in Talks To Buy Pixar

Appearing to be carrying out the longstanding Hollywood maxim, "if you can't sign them, buy them," the Walt Disney Co. is reported in "serious discussions" to acquire Pixar Animation. According to today's (Thursday) Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the situation, the proposed all-stock deal would pay a nominal premium to Pixar's current market value of $6.7 billion, making Pixar chief Steve Jobs Disney's largest individual shareholder. The newspaper said that talks between Disney and Pixar "have gained momentum in recent months" and that they are now "at a sensitive stage."

Good Grief.

Also, it looks like the Pixar 20 year retrospective exhibit will go to LONDON, not San Francisco as previously thought. If you are in the NYC area, you have until Feb 6 to see this at the Museum of Modern Art. Don't miss it!

Animation: PIXAR 20th Retrospective

The best thing about Disney and Pixar visual development in animation:

1.There's something about seeing work that you can see the artist's hand on.
2. It's so very well done and, the best part,
3. it's usually a totally made up world.

I, unabashedly, very much still love Disney. Correction : I unabashedly still love Disney Classic Feature Animation. It's no secret, as a fan, that Disney Feature has, ahem, lost its coolness for sometime now. Pixar is the New Disney. This is not a new saying obviously, but coming from me, it's a huge thing. It's like Pixar holds the heavyweight championship belt for storytelling.

I recently read about the Disney Studio's "mandatory switch" from 2-D to 3-D. The animators were told to learn to draw using a computer, or they could leave the company. Quel horror, I'd imagine. Their next film is Rapunzel---a story I've been dying for Disney to tell . Glen Keane will be primarily directing, I believe, which is something he has always wanted to do (who doesn't?) but the caveat was that it must mostly be in 3-D and that he needed to learn how to animate on the computer.

Maybe you're thinking, so what? EVERYONE has to move on the 21st century at some point. And maybe you would have a point. But I don't think the Disney bosses get it. Switching over to 3-D is not going to make more people come to your movies. It'll just make your workers (who happen to be artists) hate you more since you're not really creating, you're imitating. Getting back to telling a GOOD STORY will do it, not trying to be like Pixar.

At the Pixar 20 Year Retrospective, I experienced the most magical of two floors that I ever did see at MOMA . It all unfolded in such a lovely way, I knew who all the characters were, it was like being greeted by an old fuzzy friend hanging out in a posh building. And Pixar just happens to makes some very good looking films that are extremely entertaining. There are an entire cast of uber-talented drafters, illustrators, sculptors behind the 'magic' you see on screen.

Everyone knows this, but have you actually seen one of these pieces? Up close? Unfortunately, we could not take photos of the exhibit)

Some artists gave me chills when I looked at their work. With some I couldn't even breathe. But on with my report:

I noticed that there were quite a few French names---I wonder if they were brought over as a result of Disney closing the Paris studios....I jotted a few names of those whose work stood out..

Teddy Newton: I liked his elegant line--his illustration of the Incredible's Frozone looked like it had been etched out by a brushpen that was an ice skate. It was that clean and crisp.

(<---------Here is my crappy rendering of the drawing. Don't you love the feet and cartoon chicken leg hands?)

Simon Vladmir Varela was another one whose work I loved. I seriously want to buy that charcoal he did for the scene where Nemo and his friend are standing right before the huge coral dropoff. Other favorites: Lou Romano, Nicolas Marlet, Nelson Ray Bohol, Robin Cooper, Tia Kratter. I don't know if you google these people if they would come up, but they really ought to, they are so damn talented. I'll be going back, so I'm hoping to drag a bunch of people with me. You should go see it too!