The trailer for Pixar’s CARS is honestly one of the most perplexing pieces of animation I’ve seen in a long time. After the magnificent fleshy achievement of THE INCREDIBLES, a film that proved personality-filled character animation and CGI are not incompatible, why would the studio regress to producing a film about lumbering metallic forms. Let me be clear: I’m not opposed to the idea of animating cars. It’s actually an idea with terrific potential. But the boring animation of the cars in this particular trailer hardly takes advantage of the concept. Granted, the subtle movement of the race car shifting from side to side was a nice solution to compensate for the car’s lack of arms and legs, but the cars’ immobility had turned frustrating by trailer’s end. Do they expect anybody to sit through two hours of this? Where is the cartoon invention that Pixar is known for and has built their reputation upon? Did Pixar pull a Katzenberg and opt to create an animated film that doesn’t take advantage of the medium? Why do I have so many questions about a friggin’ trailer? My disappointment with this became more focused when I saw the comic strip below by Ward Kimball (click on it for full version).

The poses are pushed to the extreme, the expressions are full of life, the metal has beautiful twists and flexibility, and yet at no point does it lose believability as a car. That invention is the beauty of the cartoon medium and its primary strength over live-action; it’s also precisely what is lacking from the CARS trailer, particularly in the animation of the race cars. Perhaps the film is actually bursting at the seams with innovative solutions to car animation, and Pixar simply chose to reveal none of it in favor of creating the most boring trailer ever. At this point, that’s what I’m compelled to believe, because I have faith in the studio and in John Lasseter’s directorial skills (is the man even capable of producing something bad?). Here’s to hoping for the best.

One of the numerous interesting things about Brad Bird’s THE INCREDIBLES is that it’s a serious enough movie that it’s sparked thoughtful discussion of the things it has to say about child-rearing in America, competition, and how to treat kids who are naturally gifted. Here’s “When Every Child is Good Enough,” a story from today’s NEW YORK TIMES (registration probably required) that digs into these ideas.

Funny–I don’t remember SHREK 2 or SHARK TALE spurring thoughtful discussion of, well, anything at all…

Here’s how it works - Each day I have two prizes. I will ask one simple question. The first two people with correct answers (or what I think is the correct answer) to hit my email-box win.Today’s prize is: THE TOM & JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION. Today, both winners will get this dvd. Today’s question was provided by my Uncle Wayne:

Mel Blanc did voices for all the Hollywood cartoon studios, except one - or did he? How many Disney films did Mel Blanc work on?

The Contest is now OVER. The winners were Greg Laughland and Eric Wilson. The answer: One - In Pinocchio he recorded for Gideon the cat, but his part was cut down to a hiccup before its release.Brew reader “Herekittykitty” sent in an answer, which is technically correct, but not what I was thinking: Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I’m going to send this reader a special “no-prize” for her answer - a LOONEY TUNES Ultimate Sticker Book.

For months now, Scrappyland, my site for Scrappy appreciation, has been in preview mode. Folks sometimes ask me if I’ve forgotten or abandoned it.

Nope–I’ve been busy working on it, and it will eventually launch in all its full-blown glory. Soon, I hope. It’s my magnum opus, so it would be a shame if it stayed on my hard drive forever.

To prove I’m still toiling away, here’s a download (in PDF form) for Cartoon Brew readers: An eight-page 1936 publicity booklet for the Scrappy Puppet Theater, a Farina premium that Columbia promoted like it was the Second Coming. It includes promotion ideas such as organzing Scrappy window-decorating contests for local grocers, Scrappy poetry (”I’m a boy named Scrappy/Farina keeps me happy”), and a letter from our hero himself.

Enjoy. Or be mystified. Or maybe both–that’s par for the course when it comes to Scrappy-related matters. (Yes, that’s Scrappy waltzing with an anthropomorphic box of Farina on the cover…) And stay tuned for news on Scrappyland’s grand opening.

I’m back from NY. The last week of the trip was unbelievably nuts, including a final stretch of 36 hours without sleep. Upon arrival in LA, I was so jetlagged that I somehow managed to lock myself out of my apartment within minutes of getting home, and then had to call a locksmith to bust open my lock. The ultimate purpose of this trip, sleep-deprivation and all, was to gather research and artwork for my forthcoming book on Fifties animation design and in that respect the trip was a resounding success. There’s going to be some jaw-droppingly gorgeous animation art in this book and I can’t wait to share it with everybody. Mark your calenders folks - Spring 2006, Chronicle Books.

The NYC trip as a whole was an immensely enjoyable experience. The city has a vibe unlike anything I’ve experienced in LA and I was also quite impressed by the city’s thriving indie animation scene, which has enjoyed a major resurgence in the past few years. Here’s some of the highlights from my last few days in NYC: Breakfast with Mike Sporn and John Dilworth, two guys with an amazing knowledge of film that far surpasses mine. Coffee with Emily Hubley, daughter of John and Faith Hubley, not to mention a talented filmmaker in her own right (a retrospective of her work screens at Ocularis tomorrow evening). Breakfast with Ryan Sias, who did the boards and designs for the animated segment in BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and also boarded on the upcoming Blue Sky feature ROBOTS. Check out his comics at RyanSias.com. Also, got some cool CDs and vinyl from Ryan’s brother who runs the up-and-coming record label Music Related. Met Eric Costello, creator of the indispensable Warner Bros. Cartoon Companion and had another fine meal with current Brew guest blogger Harry McCracken, who just happened to be visiting NY on business.

Visited with Pat Smith and friends (Olivia Ward and Tony Curanaj). Pat showed me his just completed film HANDSHAKE, an impressively animated dialogue-less short which recently won at the Northampton Film Festival. Also saw a terrific screening of NY indie animation at The Tank, which featured the premiere of Signe Baumane’s latest film, the laugh-out loud funny THE DENTIST. Met Jeremiah Dickey, PES and Sarah Phelps, among others. Huge props to Mike Sporn, John Canemaker and Mark Newgarden, as well as Carol and Ray Favata, Vincent Cafarelli and Candy Kugel. The last week would have been impossible without all of your kind help. I’ll definitely be back in NYC sooner than later. And now back to regular updates…

One of my little hobbies beyond (but related to) animated cartoons is collecting buttons of cartoon characters. Specifically, I like promotional buttons relating to animated features, TV shows and classic cartoon shorts. One of these days when I have some free time I’ll post a gallery of some of my favorites.In the meantime Mark Lansdown has posted a nifty website of his collection of vintage comic strip and cartoon character buttons which is quite nice. In the mix are several great animated items, including pinbacks of Felix, Popeye, Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop. A great collection.

Here’s how it works - Each day I have two prizes. I will ask one simple question. The first two people with correct answers (or what I think is the correct answer) to hit my email-box win. The first place winner gets to choose his or her prize from the two.Today’s prizes are: THE LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION V.2 and THE TOM & JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION. Today’s question is:

Tom is called “Jasper” in his first cartoon (PUSS GETS THE BOOT), what is Sylvester named in his first appearence with Tweety (in TWEETIE PIE)?

The Contest is now OVER. Thad Komorowski (1st place) and Rob Buttery have won! Man, you guys were fast! The correct answer was: Thomas

Oh boy! I’ve got some give-away material… so it’s time again to hold a few contests!Starting tomorrow (Saturday) for the next several days, I’ll be posting a trivia question here at (roughly) 9am Pacific Time. The first two winning answers I recieve each day will win a prize. The prizes will include THE TOM & JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION, LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION Volume 2, WACKY RACES dvd set, HARVIE CRUMPET dvd (2003 Oscar Winner) and my new book, ANIMATION ART.So check in with the Brew each morning, and test your cartoon knowledge - and hopefully win a prize!