…because I always think of car insurance when I’m watching a Disney feature.

(Thanks, Jon Reeves)

Dave Way directed this commercial, Light of Mine, another beauty from New Zealand animation collective Watermark - the same gang who produced the beautiful Greg Johnson I Got Candy video we mentioned a few weeks ago.

(Thanks, Dave Follett)

The funniest thing I saw in Ottawa last week wasn’t on screen, in a theatre or even cartoons. They were the festival posters plastered on buses, mounted on walls and bannered all over intersections in downtown Ottawa.

HBS Marketing created this clever print ad campaign for the Ottawa International Animation Festival — which perfectly sums up my own philosophy of life. Click on images below and above to view at full size.

(Thanks, Kelly Neall)

Talk about your Cartoon Brew: A new Australian beer campaign has co-opted Disney’s Snow White and renamed her Ho White — and the seven dwarves are now Randy, Filthy, Ugly, Freaky, Dodgy, Dirty and Smarmy. The initial ad features Ho White wearing a negligee, in bed with the naughty dwarves, blowing smoke rings. The concept was created by The Foundry for Jamieson Brewery.

The Walt Disney Company is not pleased.

AdWeek is reporting on a new Michelin Tires ad campaign that transforms their 111 year old rubber-man mascot into an ass-kicking, tire tossing super hero. Psyop produced the new TV spot (below) for the TBWA\Chiat\Day agency. Have a look:

Britain not only has universal health care, but their National Health Service is supporting animation with a competition to find a new cartoon spokesperson. Five finalists have now been chosen and the NHS has posted them online for public feedback. You can view the films on the shortlist here - and scroll down to see a vintage Halas and Batchelor cartoon, Charley in Your Very Good Health, which introduced the NHS to the public in 1948.

All five are of merit. This one (below) by The Brothers McLeod is perhaps my favorite.

Illustrators David Cowles and Jeremy Galante collaborated on this snazzy promo, titled “Don’t Miss It,” for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. It kind of feels like these Vic Haboush concept paintings come to life…and that’s not a bad thing.

Ahhh… once upon a time! This pretty much sums up my childhood (except my hair was longer). Reader Billie Towser sent in these 1940s-50s magazine ads (below) and I couldn’t resist posting them. The images are great.

Click thumbnails below to see full-size image.