"Daffy's Rhapsody" talkback
"The Snow Queen" trailer
"Arrietty" Will Be Ghibli's Biggest US Release Yet
Ricky Garduno, RIP
Follow @CartoonBrew on Twitter
YouTube
Vimeo
RSS
Follow Cartoon Brew on Facebook
|
|
|
|
POSTS FOR “March, 2009“Cartoon Brew's home for up-to-the-minute, unedited announcements and press releases direct from industry sources.
March 14, 2009 12:27 am
This is a smokin’ piece of stop-motion animation… (Thanks, David O’Reilly) 4 Comments » posted in Stop Motion 
March 14, 2009 12:05 am
13 Comments » posted in Cartoon Culture, Disney
March 13, 2009 2:06 pm
Since Cartoon Modern was published a few years ago, the most frequently asked question I’ve received about the book is, “Where’s the DVD?” While I was working on Cartoon Modern, we considered including a DVD that showed the animated pieces discussed in the book, but practical issues of time and money prevented it from happening. Since then, I’ve spoken to a few people about producing a DVD and while nothing has come of those discussions, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that someday I’ll put together a curated collection of commericals, shorts and industrial films related to that period. Until that happens, let me point out the next best thing: a “Cartoon Modern” playlist on YouTube created by an awesome user who goes by the name of criticalmetrics1. I have no idea who this person is, but I want to thank them for putting so much effort into creating this playlist. They’ve even gone so far as to organize the films by the contents of my book. There are a hundred items on the list but because of copyright takedowns, only ninety-three are currently available for viewing. Still, that’s enough stylized cartoon animation to keep anybody busy for a while. If you know of other Cartoon Modern-related YouTube links, feel free to add them to the comments below. The Cartoon Modern playlist: 13 Comments » posted in Cartoon Modern
March 13, 2009 7:32 am
Now that Michael Eisner has purchased the ailing Topps baseball card company, he’s finally in charge of a company that has to use all of his ill-conceived ideas. According to the NY Times, his latest stroke of genius is to combine motion capture and 3D technology with baseball cards. The article gives plenty of details about what Eisner is doing with Topps, a company that he views “as a cultural, iconic institution not that different from Disney; it conjures up an emotional response that has a feel good, Proustian kind of uplift.” Eisner is also developing a movie based on the company’s Bazooka Joe bubble gum and has created a seventeen-episode online comedy series Back on Topps that “spoofs his acquisition of the company.” (Thanks, Mike Hayde) 23 Comments » posted in Business, Michael Eisner, Mo-Cap, motion capture
March 13, 2009 12:05 am
Pssst! Save the date. Mark your calendar. May 21st, Woodbury University in Burbank @ 7:30PM. ASIFA-Hollywood is organizing a reunion/panel discussion/party to commemorate the 20th anniversary of The Little Mermaid. Character animator Tom Sito will moderate a panel consisting of Mark Henn (Ariel), Andreas Deja (King Triton), Ruben Aquino (Ursula), Tina Price (CAPS system and early CGI) and Gary Trousedale (storyboards) – with many more guests and panelists to be announced. We’ll keep you posted with updates, but mark the date now! 11 Comments » posted in Disney, Events
March 12, 2009 10:27 pm
If you appreciate good design and color work, then you’ll want to add the new hardcover publication The Whimsical Work of David Weidman and Also Some Serious Ones to your bookshelf. While this career retrospective features mostly his silk-screened prints from the Sixties and Seventies, there is also a healthy sampling of Weidman’s animation artwork from studios like UPA, Storyboard and TV Spots (later Creston Studios). Some of his UPA art from 1955 is identified as being from the ’70s and the writing (what little of it there is) didn’t particularly impress, but the star of this show is the artwork and there is loads of nicely presented imagery throughout. To see some of David Weidman’s artwork online, visit WeidmansArt.com. 4 Comments » posted in Books, Cartoon Modern
March 12, 2009 2:46 pm
One of the items on my infinitely long to-do list is to write some thoughts about the exquisite artistry behind Coraline. While the film is flawed, it still ranks as one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in some time watching a mainstream animated feature. It pleases me to no end to see that the film has been a box office success (as far as stop-motion animation goes at least). It currently ranks as the third-highest grossing stop-motion feature of all time, trailing only Chicken Run and The Nightmare Before Christmas. A large reason for the film’s financial success has been the deep pockets of Laika owner Phil Knight. As much as I’d like to believe that audiences will discover good films if they’re made, the truth is that despite a film’s quality, investing money into its promotion is a necessity lest one ends up with an Iron Giant. I’m not sure that Knight even understood what he was doing when he put his fortune behind this film, but I can’t think of a recent debut film by a major animation studio that has been bolder, riskier and more imaginative. Laika has the opportunity to carve out a niche as a truly unique animation studio, and I sincerely hope they continue following this path that they’ve embarked upon with Coraline. In today’s Variety, Laika took out a two-page ad thanking the people who made Coraline. The first page was dedicated to the film’s crew, the second page thanked individuals. My digital photo of the ad is a bit funky looking but at least you can see what it looks like. Click on it for a bigger version:
In other Coraline news, a stage musical will open this May at the MCC Theater in Manahttan. This musical has been in the works long before the film came out so it has little to do with cashing in on the success of the movie. Not to mention that it’s opening at a smaller off-Broadway theater that prides itself on taking “risks on plays that the commercial theater often ignores.” The musical version features music and lyrics written by Stephin Merrit (Magnetic Fields) and direction by Leigh Silverman(Yellowface, From Up Here, Well). 19 Comments » posted in Feature Film, Stop Motion
March 12, 2009 11:54 am
Whether your company is big or small, if you want to advertise on Cartoon Brew, there’s now an easy and efficient way to do so. Beginning today, all advertising on Cartoon Brew will be handled exclusively by the Reachout ad network. We’re especially proud to make this announcement because Reachout is an initiative of Cartoon Brew. Even better, we’ve partnered up with some amazing blogs to build an ad network from the ground-up that is geared towards our needs. It is the largest network of its kind, capable of delivering millions of ad impressions a month throughout animation, illustration, CG and film blogs. The initial roster of sites represented by the Reachout network are blogs that we not only respect but that we’re fans of and read regularly. In addition to Cartoon Brew, Reachout now sells advertising for the following sites: ArtoftheTitle.com So what does this mean to the average Cartoon Brew reader? Perhaps not much except for the simple fact that we’re going to be able to continue doing what we’re doing. Cartoon Brew will remain free as always, and we will continue to expand and add new features like Brew TV. Hopefully the ads that we run on this site will enhance your experience and introduce you to interesting and relevant products. If you enjoy Cartoon Brew, the most effective way of showing your support is to click on the ads every once in a while and learn about what our advertisers have to offer. Who knows, you may just find something that you want or need. And if you’re a company looking to reach creative people, and people who appreciate creativity in all its many forms, look no further than Reachout. To learn more about advertising on Cartoon Brew or any of the sites listed above, please visit ReachoutMedia.com. Our sales team looks forward to working with you. Now for a couple shout-outs. First, to our webguru Rob Kohr whose tech expertise never fails us. He has been instrumental in getting the backend of the ad network up and running, as well as designing the Reachout site. Second shout-out goes to Scotty Reifsnyder who created our lovely Reachout header illo. Check out more of Scotty’s work at SeeScotty.com. |
ADVERTISEMENTS
EVENTS
RECENT BREW TV EPISODES By Sitji Chou. A man tries to understand the futility of creating human connections when they’ve been impeded by the microcosmic void between material particles.  By Nikolas Ilic. A story of a Scottish sheep farmer who shears his sheep and tosses them cliff side…  By Dylan Hayes. Lesson 1: Everyone gambles, not everyone loses. Lesson 2: The world is full of traps. Lesson 3: You cannot win if you don’t take risks.  By Jean Yi. A personal and humorous exploration of being the ‘Nice Girl’ and coming to terms with the label and all its different meanings.  By Ferg Brennan. A lonely fisherman catches an unusual fish, which he decides to keep as a pet. |
