Do you love great animation? Are you a fan of quality cartoons? Well, if so, you will be appalled and horrified by my latest co-production, Cartoon Dump, a new web TV series premiering this summer on CartoonBrewFilms.com.

Cartoon Dump is the unholy alliance of my annual Worst Cartoons Ever screening and the warped mind of writer/ producer/ comedian Frank Conniff (“TV’s Frank� from “Mystery Science Theater 3000�).

Our first podcast will premiere online in August, but on July 11th our cast will perform a live performance of the show at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood. If you are interested in attending the live show, information is posted here. In the meantime, check the Cartoon Dump MySpace page and become one of our friends!

A new JibJab video made its debut tonight. No animation, but a clever video montage to commemorate our Independence Day holiday, The Star Spangled Banner.

M.I.A.’s new music video “Boyz” is a brilliant mashup of contemporary Jamaican dance and lo-fi abstract animation. It’s easily one of the more original and exciting animated music videos that I’ve seen in a while. The animation is not simply an afterthought here but really serves to bring out the colorful style and energy of the dancers, who according to this ‘making of’ video, comprise a who’s who of the Jamaican dance scene. Comparisons have been drawn to Paper Rad though personally I find the graphic style far more successful in the context of this video than I do in most of Paper Rad’s work. Not sure who’s responsible for the animation; the live-action video was directed by Jay Will.

(via BB)

Day one at Platform. Got into Portland around 2:30pm and was whisked to the very cool Ace Hotel. After a quick check in, I headed to a meeting of jurors (I’m one of the judges of the TV category). After that, one by one, I started running into friends from L.A., New York, Vancouver, Europe… Linda Simensky, Danny Antonucci, Bill Plympton, Tom Knott, Adam Snyder, Heather Kenyon and, pictured above, director Yvette Kaplan, producer John Andrews and author-animator John Canemaker. It’s begining to feel like a festival. The opening night screening was teriffic - every film shown was great. The standouts were Aardman’s new 2-D short, The Pearce Sisters (directed by Luis Cook), Apnee (directed by Claude Chabot) and Herzog and the Monsters (a student film by Lesley Barnes). That was followed by a party and even later was a mock debate/screening, “Humor vs. Abstract” with Bill Plympton (arguing humor) and Joanna Priestley (in favor of abstract).

If day one is any indication, this festival is going to be a winner.

In honor of the forthcoming Woody Woodpecker and Friends DVD box set (on sale July 24th), Universal Pictures will be holding a premiere event at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Wednesday July 11th, admission FREE! In addition to a preview screening of 12 cartoons featured on the upcoming DVD, there will be a panel of guests discussing the life and career of Walter Lantz. Panelists will include Leonard Maltin, June Foray, and Billy West. To find out how you can get in and reserve a seat, click here: StoryMakers Studio’s Salute to Woody Woodpecker and Walter Lantz.

My friends at StoryMakers Studio (who are producing the Chinese Theatre event) told me they will make a limited number of reserved seats available for Brew readers, so if you’re interested, I strongly suggest reserving your free tickets today because it’s going to fill up fast.

In the meantime, get a sneak preview of the disc set, with video previews and downloads here: WoodyWoodpecker.com

Today’s a travel day. Amid and I are en route to Portland for the Platform Fest. If you want to find us, check this post for me, and this one for Amid.

Even though I’m a participant and judge, I’m going up there as much a spectator as anyone else. Can the festival organizers pull it off? Can a U.S. animation festival work? These are the questions that will be answered this week. One thing’s for sure, they’ve loaded the event with great screenings, panels, guests, exhibits, installations, tributes, picnics and parties. It should be a blast.

I’ve never understood the thinking of some people who try to create a hit video online so they can get a TV deal. If you’ve already created something popular online and have established a dedicated audience, then why do you even need TV? Of course, saying this is muching easier than actually doing it. TV is proven and established; the online world is still frightening and largely unexplored as a business model.

But even today there are some people who believe strongly enough in online possibilities that they’re bypassing TV deals in favor of developing their online brand. One prominent example is the animation studio and entertainment portal JibJab, run by brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis. In this new interview with Gregg Spiridellis, he offers some worthwhile insights into how JibJab is developing its online brand, and doing so without relying on the corporate world of television. It’s a thought-provoking read which makes one realize that there are even bigger and better opportunities awaiting animation creators online than in the once-dominant TV industry.

Need another reason to visit Los Angeles this summer? The Tobey C. Moss Gallery on Beverly Blvd. (across the street from the famous El Coyote Resturant) will be exhibiting the animation art of Jules Engel from July 14th through August 31st.

This exhibition is being held with the cooperation of Engel’s estate, and will cover his career from Disney, through UPA and Format Films. An opening reception will be held Saturday July 14th from 2pm to 5pm.