The new edition of Flip would be worth reading if only for the excellent article on the portrayal of smoking in animation by Dr. Barry Hummel. But it’s got so much more! Here it is!

Motionographer offers up two colorful Genndy Tartakovsky-directed TV spots for Niquitin, the UK-branded version of Nicorette. Genndy had also created a Nicorette spot in 2006, produced through The Orphanage.

Michael Sporn has been scanning some beautiful photos and artwork from Bob Thomas’s classic long out-of-print 1958 book about Disney called The Art of Animation. So far he’s done two posts about the book (first post, second post). Even better, and especially if you read Spanish, Michael points out that Ernesto Pfluger has scanned and posted the entire Spanish-language version of the book on his blog. Even if you can’t understand the text, the imagery is a delight. I think I speak for a lot of classic animation fans when I say that I’d like to see this book reprinted.

Also, I love this comment by cartoonist Eddie Fitzgerald about the photos in Thomas’s book: “The artists look so hardcore, so professional! I love the serious faces of the four artists looking at the cel, the one with Al Dempster on the extreme left. I even like the picture of the ink and painters. Everybody looks like they’re soooo good at what they do!” Eddie is so right. The artists in these photos defy the stereotype of animators as goofballs. These guys were professionals in the truest sense of the word, and the films they created reflect their dedication to the art and craft.

Björk’s new music video for the song “Wanderlust” is AMAZING! It’s a staggeringly original mix of live-action, stop motion, CG and puppetry directed by San Francisco-based Encyclopedia Pictura (aka Sean Hellfritsch and Isaiah Saxon). The “regular” version debuted today, but they’ve also produced a stereoscopic 3D version that requires special glasses. This would definitely be something special to see on the big screen.

UPDATE I’ve removed the YouTube link because the directors of the video emailed to tell us that they’ve put up a beautiful hi-res Quicktime version of “Wanderlust” on their website, and they’d prefer if people could see this version. I think you’ll prefer seeing this version too.

Below is a ‘making of’ video and here is an interview with the directors about the challenges of producing the video in 3D. And these are the complete production credits.

Is it a book or a set of hankerchiefs? I’m not exactly sure what this is, but clearly it’s another example of bizarre Van Beuren cartoon merchandise from the early 30s. Brew reader Anita Holmes found it and shared these photos (click on images below to enlarge) with us. Beloved Van Beuren regulars Don Dog, Puffie, Al Squirrel and The Countess each get a full page (or hankie).

The hard to see words on the bottom left hand side say, “‘Tis Maytime and the fables gang Are dressed in colors bright. Genuine Aesop’s Fables Film Characters.” The right hand bottom says “We watched them as they danced around The pole in sheer delight.” Copyright Sept. 1, 1931 by The W.R. Woodard Co. By Permission of Van Beuren Corporation.

Sometimes the title of a post just says it all.

If you are a fan of animated opening titles, as I am, you’ll want to take note of these three items:

• A special tribute to Bob Kurtz is being featured on the Forget the Film, Watch the Titles website. Kurtz has done a number of distinctive animated film titles, mostly in cooperation with top title designers. So far the site has posted seven: City Slickers, Max Dugan Returns, Are We Done Yet?, The Pink Panther, Straight Talk, Honey I Blew Up The Kid and Four Rooms - and more to come. Kurtz himself contributes comments on every sequence posted.

• Here’s a new animated film title you really should see. It’s a remarkable piece, heavily inspired by the work by Oskar Fischinger, created by Paris based design studio Deubal, for the recently released French film Ça Se Soigne?. Comments by the title’s designer, Olivier Marquezy, also appear on the Submarine Channel site.

• And finally, an incredible oversized 320 page book which surveys the history of movie title design has just been released by BIS Publishers. Uncredited: Graphic Design & Opening Titles in Movies sheds insight into the work of dozens of title designers, including such artists as Saul Bass, Pablo Ferro, Maurice Binder and Milton Glaser. It retails for $55, but Amazon has it for $34.65. Highly recommended.

Not the most embarassing moment in my life, but it comes pretty close. By popular demand, and as a Brew 4th Anniversary special, here’s my appearance on Joan River’s syndicated TV show, Can We Shop, in February 1994. The longest eight minutes of my life:

There was absolutely no prep for this show. I met Ms. Rivers on the set. I have no idea what she would ask - and they had no idea what I might say. The show needed a “Looney Tunes expert” and they located me in L.A. on a Friday, flew me to tape the show in New York on Monday. I recall the day this was taped there was a horrible blizzard hitting the city. I took the opportunity of being in Manhattan to schedule a meeting at The Museum of Modern Art later that day to pitch a Famous Studios retrospective. Thanks to Joan Rivers flying me into New York for this, the February 1995 Cartoons From Times Square screenings and Famous Studios reunion at MoMA took place - one of the greatest moments of my professional life.