We’re excited to announce the return of guest blogging here at Cartoon Brew. It’s a fairly straightforward concept. Jerry and I don’t want this site to become purely an outlet for our own thoughts and opinions, so we’re asking friends from around the animation biz to join us on the Brew and share their unique perspectives on cartoons and the industry. There’s some terrific folks who’ve agreed to contribute over the course of the next few months, including artists, historians and critics. Our first contributor this month is animation director Ken Pontac. Ken is the co-creator of the highly inventive and entertaining stop motion TV series BUMP IN THE NIGHT, among numerous other achievements. He will be treating us to a journal he kept from a couple months ago while working on a show in that hub of animation production known as Reykjavik, Iceland. Here’s a bit more about him:

Ken Pontac has over twenty years experience in the animation industry, creating content for television, video games, and computer applications. A few of the cultural icons he has been involved with include the enduring green clayboy Gumby, the irascible green monster Mr. Bumpy, and the transmogrifying green gladiator the Blob from the hit videogame CLAYFIGHTER. Pontac has written scripts for animated television episodes that have been translated into a dozen languages and shown around the world. He directed the UPN prime time animated program GARY & MIKE, for which his episode “Phish Phry” won an Emmy for Best Art Direction. Pontac lives in Sausalito, California with a beautiful redheaded nurse and five adorable rats.

If you happen to be wandering near Walt Disney’s hometown - Marceline, Missouri - on Saturday September 18th, you might stop in on the annual TOONFEST. Pixar’s Pete Docter (Monsters Inc.) will be there, as well as Michael Broggie, the Walt Disney railroad historian and family friend. Also appearing will be newspaper cartoonists Tom Wilson (Ziggy), Mike Peters (Mother Goose & Grimm), Greg Evans (Luann) and Brad Anderson (Marmaduke). It all starts 12:30pm at the Uptown Theatre, 104 N. Main St. USA, on the 18th. More information is posted here.

Oh boy, this is neat! A complete guide (with frame grabs) to all the classic cartoon clips used on the openings on FUTURAMA. Click on over to What Else? Futurama and enjoy!

Or certainly the most painful to watch.Richard Rich (The Swan Princess) is at it again. Hoping to cash in on the release of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST on dvd this week, Anchor Bay Video has produced this ANIMATED PASSION (”for the whole family”)! This could be the worst animated video since the child-friendly TITANIC animated musical I wrote about a few years ago. If watching the crucifixion in “bright colors and kid-friendly language” isn’t enough for you, the bonus materials include “sing-along activities”.At least the lead characters aren’t mice this time around.