“After struggling uphill in the difficult yet potentially profitable world of computer animation films, Wild Brain is on the cusp of success.” That’s the headline of the cover story from this week’s SAN FRANCISCO WEEKLY, which takes an in-depth look at Bay Area animation studio Wild Brain. Haven’t had a moment to check out the story yet, but it looks like it could be an interesting read.

(Thanks, Andy Wetmore)

Chris Savino, who worked on the original REN & STIMPY and has subsequently produced THE POWERPUFF GIRLS, directed DEXTER’S LABORATORY and co-directed THE FLINTSTONES ON THE ROCKS, is currently working on a live-action short called ADVENTURES IN MILK. He’s started a blog to document the production of the film HERE. Of particular interest to animation fans: his film will also include an animated faux-cereal commercial done in a 60s-ish Jay Ward style. Chris is currently discussing the production of this animated portion in his journal. As a sidenote, here’s a link to an interesting 1992 interview with Savino right after he’d finished working on REN & STIMPY.

Here’s a chance to see some quality CG in Montreal. The SIGGRAPH 2005 Electronic Theater will play this Thursday, October 13, at the Society for Arts & Technology (1195 St. Laurent Blvd.). Screening starts at 6pm and admission is free. Details are HERE. Following the screening will be:

…a very special SAT[MixSessions] presentation, in which DJs and VJs will digitally abduct and reconstruct the content of the Electronic Theater, mixed with live 2D and 3D imagery, before your very eyes! This session will be conducted by DJ Mr. Knobs, DJ Le Monochrome, DJ Quebec Connection, VJ jocool, VJ Ladyroll and a very special guest: MarXel 3D.

(Thanks, Tamu)

Here are three terrific blogs by animation students, one each from France, Canada and the US. The future of animation looks bright if students are capable of producing this caliber of work:

Béatrice Bourloton (Gobelins)

Josh Parpan (CalArts)

Ken Turner (Sheridan)

CONTEST OVER!Okay He-Man fans - this one was for you. This morning, the first two readers who sent in the correct answers to the question below won the complete Season One HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE dvd box set (containing 33 episodes, two documentaries, scripts, storyboards, collectible cards and more). Directors Tom Sito and Tom Tataranowicz autographed these sets exclusively for our Cartoon Brew winners. In fact, Tom T. came up with the trivia question himself:

The Question: What was the name of Orko’s girl-friend?
The Answer: Dre-elle.

Our winners were Evan Laundrie of Anaheim, CA and Liam Harrison of New York, NY won the prizes. Thanks to all who entered! I didn’t know there were so many He-Man fans reading this blog. It scares me.

Big buzzworthy story here: VARIETY reports that Genndy Tartakovsky (creator, SAMURAI JACK, DEXTER’S LABORATORY; director, STAR WARS: CLONE WARS) has left Cartoon Network and become the creative president of a new San Francisco fx studio called Orphanage Animation Studios. “After 14 years in TV, I was burned out and wanted to express longer stories and experience them with an audience,” Tartakovsky tells VARIETY. “We’ll do family comedies, but we also really want to push action-adventure beyond where it has been.”

The piece says that Orphanage is planning to do animated features for a hefty pricetag of $50-75 million apiece, which frankly, at least to me, already sounds like a troubling sign. At those prices, they’ll likely be inclined to play it safe and emulate the formulas of other successful studios, instead of having the freedom to take artistic risks and attempt breaking new animation ground. The studio aims to release its first film in 2008, followed with a new film every 18 months thereafter. The VARIETY piece suggests that, “Orphanage Animation is being built on a model similar to Pixar, with execs hoping Tartakovsky will be the John Lasseter figure who will helm the first film or two and then oversee a team of inhouse creative talent developing future pics.” Best of luck to Genndy, and here’s to hoping a good new studio evolves out of this.*

Here’s a link to the complete VARIETY article posted at the Drawing Board.

*It’s worth noting that Orphanage isn’t exactly a new studio, but still a young outfit. It was founded in 1999 by three ILM veterans, and they’ve provided vfx for SIN CITY, HELLBOY and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, among other films. They’ve yet to release an original production, but they recently began production on their first feature, GRIFFIN AND PHOENIX, a live-action romantic comedy.

A group of French animation students at the school Gobelins have started a blog documenting the production of their animated short PYRATS, which once completed, will be used as a signal film for next year’s Annecy Animation Festival. Different teams of Gobelins animation students produce brilliant signal films for the festival every year; we’ve mentioned some of those shorts here before, like LE BUILDING and SUPER TIBETAN RACER. To view all the Annecy signal films produced at the school between 2002-2005 (as well as another recent student short, the very funny LIONEL) check out this gallery page at the Gobelins school website.

Julian Goford and Jonathan Sloman inform us that at 7pm GMT on Wednesday the 19th of October, Resonance 104.4FM (London’s first radio art station) will broadcast Smarter Than The Average, an hour-long program on cartoons, comics and comedy. The show takes the form of a live studio discussion interspersed with numerous rare audio clips, many previously unbroadcast, some even banned. Listeners not in London will be able to hear the show online via the Resonance website.Here’s some of the stuff they promise to transmit:

• One of Warner Brothers’ wartime Private Snafu cartoons, designed to be shown only to the Army.
• The soundtrack to Coal Black And De Sebben Dwarfs.
• Extracts from the presskit for Yellow Submarine’s 1999 reissue, including interviews with The Beatles, Heinz Edelmann, Paul Angelis and Roger McGough.
• Don Messick and June Foray ad-libbing a dirty joke during a voiceover session.
• A tribute to Frank Gorshin (1933 - 2005).
• Billy West explaining how he creates the voices of Ren and Stimpy.
• Rolf Harris interviews Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones.

Sounds like fun.