I consider myself fairly open minded about different animation styles and techniques, but I simply fail to see any redeeming value in Beck’s latest music video, “Hell Yes.” [Watch the video in Real Player or Windows Media Player] It’s not that I’m against the video’s choppy, unabashedly lo-fi digital aesthetic, but the execution of that technique is just plain weak. It’s representative of everything that I loathe about modern design and graphics; I’ve never understood how showing a complete disdain for craftsmanship somehow equates to ‘hip’ but perhaps I’m missing something.

I’m still recovering from yesterday’s Annie Awards ceremony – and post-show party last night. As a member of the Board of Directors of Asifa-Hollywood, I’m very proud of this event. It really is a great moment for our industry to celebrate the artform and Asifa is the only organized group who champions the craft – and has done so for over 40 years.The Incredibles swept the awards. Brad Bird, Don Bluth and the woman accepting the award for historian Bill Moritz gave great, inspiring speeches. Stan Lee was a guest presenter for Best Animated Feature. Tom Kenny was hilarious as the M.C. and Virginia Davis (Disney’s Alice Comedies) was charming. The whole presentation was superb. You can read the details of the winners here and see some candid photos at Asifa’s Blog.

Chris Harding’s MAKE MINE SHOEBOX, a quite funny corporate film produced for Hallmark Cards, can now be seen online in its entirety HERE. I was ecstatic when I discovered Chris’s work a few months back – he’s a major new talent on the scene whose films deliver a solid combination of design, animation and content. Hopefully we’ll be seeing many more of his cartoons in the future.

The first volume of WALT’S PEOPLE: TALKING DISNEY WITH THE ARTISTS WHO KNEW HIM is now available at XLibris.com. Edited by Didier Ghez, this 270-page collection includes interviews with Rudy Ising, Dave Hand, Bill Tytla, Ken Anderson, Jack Hannah, John Hench, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Harper Goff and Joyce Carlson. A second volume is planned that’ll include interviews with Grim Natwick, Frank Tashlin, Ward Kimball, Floyd Gottfredson, Herb Ryman, Frank Thomas and Eric Larson among others.

Frank Tashlin was great.His live action films were hilarious – but, as we know, his print cartoons and animated films were even funnier. If you haven’t yet, please read Mike Barrier’s 1971 interview with Tash and Ethan de Seife’s biographical profile. One of Tashlin’s last live action films, THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT (1966), will be released on DVD in April with several behind-the-sceenes bonus pieces – including the oft-requested Chuck Jones MGM Oscar winning cartoon THE DOT AND THE LINE (1965).Another DVD of note (unrelated to Tashlin or Jones): Barnes & Noble is selling an exclusive DVD, Academy Award-Winning Classic Cartoons, a new collection boasting 7 Oscar winners for Best Short Subject Cartoon. Included are: Rudolf Ising’s “The Milky Way” (1941); Joseph Barbera and William Hanna’s “Quiet Please!” (‘46); Barbera and Hanna’s “The Cat Concerto” (‘47); Friz Freleng’s “Tweety Pie” (‘48); Barbera and Hanna’s “Johann Mouse” (‘53); Freleng’s “Birds Anonymous”(‘58); and Freleng’s “Knighty Knight Bugs” (‘59). This collection will only be sold through Barnes and Noble bookstores, or available for free with the purchase of two Warner Home Video Academy award winning features.

According to this FOX NEWS story, Disney is having a hard time getting its post-Pixar Toy Story sequel together.

That’s the word in Hollywood’s animation world, where the third installment of the incredibly successful Pixar series has no director, writer or, possibly, stars. “Every single animator of note has turned down the director’s job. They don’t want to cross Pixar. They’ve become the only deal in town.”

While I doubt Disney will halt it’s plans or have trouble finding a production crew, the fate of our favorite Pixar characters solely in Disney hands gives us reason to pause. Just seeing Buzz, Woody and Jessie on ice is scary enough, especially when we consider the possible fate of Mr. Incredible and Frozone.