EAT DOG CAT MOUSE is the first animated film by Kwok Fung Lam. It was commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK. It’s not a perfect film, but there’s a lot of fun ideas in it, including a sort of “Russian nesting doll” visual theme. (And as a sidenote, it’s a lot of fun saying the director’s name out loud: Kwok…Fung…Lam. Yeah, it’s definitely Friday around here.).

The fps magazine annual charity auction begins today and runs through December 9. All of the profits from the eBay auction will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Lots of nice cartoon stuff is available for bidding including:

Limited edition Gorillaz action figures donated by Kid Robot, including the sold-out Noodle Red Edition, limited to 2000 copiesFragile Machine posters signed by Aioneko’s Ben Steele, donated by the Waterloo Festival of Animated CinemaTim Burton’s Corpse Bride movie posters, including marquee posters signed by animation co-director Mike Johnson, donated by Warner Bros.

I’ve been wondering who did this Mastercard commercial I keep seeing on TV, which is a nicely done hand drawn piece, but perhaps a bit too derivative of the Mary Blair-designed Disney short THE LITTLE HOUSE (1952). A quick online search reveals that it was directed by Sarah Roper out of Sherbert in the UK. The Sherbert website has many nice examples of work by the studio’s various directors. Also should be noted that Blair’s LITTLE HOUSE is coming out on dvd next week, on the must-have Disney Treasures “Rarities” dvd.

Disney animator Clay Kaytis, creator of The Animation Podcast, has created a great new MAP that allows you to see exactly where different animation studios are located around the world. The map can be edited by other users, who can each contribute addresses that they know. Clay explains the idea on the Animation Podcast:

Wayfaring is a new site that allows anyone to make custom maps and stick pins in them for whatever purpose they want. Of course, my first idea instinct was to make an animation map. I started it by putting on all the studios whose locations I was sure about. I know there are many more, so if you know where you work, add it to the map. Anyone can add to it, but I think you need to register.

UPDATE: Stop motion animator Tennessee Reid Norton wrote to let me know that stop motion animators have been doing a similar map project for the past few weeks. Their map is HERE.

Animation writer Anne D. Bernstein (”Daria”) has started a website to sell Odd Books Online, “eclectic books for eccentric people”.Amongst the odd books and mod books in her initial offering, THE GREAT AMERICAN CHEWING GUM BOOK (1976), a first edition of THE ALICE B. TOKLAS COOKBOOK (1954) and a rare first issue of COMEDY MAGAZINE (1980).Anne has just started the site and plans frequent updates. Her descriptions of the books are fun to read too.

I had a nice chat with the gang at TOONZONE about animated features, the Pink Panther and anime - and you can listen to part 1 of it in a Podcast now posted at Toonzone.net.Meanwhile Channel Frederator has now posted episode 6 of their series of video podcasts, this one including the first classic cartoon in the bunch - “Breakfast Pals”, a campy theatrical Rice Krispies commercial from 1939. I’ve been informed that further old-time cartoons are planned for this series. This week’s episode contains four other highly entertaining independent animated shorts of recent vintage. If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now: this series of video podcasts is well worth subscribing to.

Here’s the TRAILER for what promises to be the next great hand-drawn anima…oh…wait a second.

Great job by Yowza Animation on this.

UPDATE: Bill Turner has some enlightening comments on the above:

Besides the actual animation by Yowza, the Best Buy “Soar” spot was produced by John Smith and directed by Elliot M. Bour & Saul Andrew Blinkoff. They were the team behind the Annie nominated “Springtime With Roo” and the upcoming “Kronk’s New Groove” from Disney. “Soar” was a freelance job, not Disney. Check out some of their other work HERE. Their sense of comedy and love of classic Disney really comes through, especially in “Kronk’s New Groove.”

Our pal, Didier Ghez, writes to us about a new limited edition book about Vladimir “Bill” Tytla. I hadn’t heard of this, but boy, does it sound awesome:

Adrienne Tytla has recently released her long awaited book DISNEY’S GIANT. Part biography of Bill Tytla by his wife, part scrapbook, this huge volume (about 1000 pages) is extremely difficult to classify or to explain. Let’s just say that Disney historians had been awaiting this document for years and that it will not disappoint them. Let’s add that, because of its high price ($165) and its very specific focus (Bill Tytla), it is advised that only the most serious Disney historians buy it. To do so, send an email to Howard Green at howard (dot) green (at) disney (dot) com.