Waiting at the Geneva Airport for my flight back to New York and thought I’d share pics of a few of the fine animation folk I hung out with this past week in Annecy.

New York crew: PES, Fran Krause and Signe Baumane

Eddie White, co-director of The Cat Piano from The People’s Republic of Animation

Directors Andreas Hykade (Ring of Fire, The Runt) and Bill Plympton

Director Candy Kugel of Buzzco Associates , designer Harald Siepermann, and director David OReilly

Filmmaker Ruth Lingford, Projector festival director Susie Wilson, animation curator of the Cinémathèque Québecoise Marco de Blois, and Studio AKA creative director and Lost and Found director Philip Hunt

Mike and Tim Rauch of Rauch Bros. Animation and designer Erin Kilkenny

Joost van den Bosch (l.) of Ka-Ching Cartoons and Tomm Moore, co-director of Brendan and the Secret of Kells

Director Cordell Barker (The Cat Came Back) surrounded by men from Annecy’s Popeye fan club.

Pixar’s Teddy Newton produced and co-wrote (with director Gregor Joackim) an independent live action feature, The Trouble with Lou, in 2001. It’s NSFW, laugh-out-loud hilarious and is now on iTunes. It stars animation designer Lou Romano (Ratatouille) as “Himself”, and composer Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Up, Star Trek ) did the score. It’s almost like Pixar’s bastard step-child.

Teddy sent me these facts about he film:

1. The Trouble with Lou was shot over a 33 day period.

2. It was independently financed by Teddy Newton for the cost of $300,000.

3. The entire cast was made up of unknowns.

4. Dr. Killgore is played by Doodie.com cartoonist Tom Winkler.

Below is the first two and a half minutes. Download the entire feature here.

Internet broadcaster Stu Shostak has an almost complete collection of TV Guide magazine. While waiting for his radio show to start (which I was a guest on yesterday; rebroadcasts of the program run everyday at 7pm EST/4pm PST) I browsed through several back issues and found a few items of interest for Cartoon Brew readers.

For example, this three page spread from the December 30th, 1961 issue, on the fine art of Format Films animators Jules Engel, Bob McIntosh, Joe Mugnaini and Herb Klynn. Engel, McIntosh and Klynn are well known animation veterans, Mugnaini is best known for his illustrations for Ray Bradbury novels. It’s great they received this sort of exposure in a national magazine at a time when the perception of animation as an adult artform was waning. (Click thumbnails below to enlarge)

Animator and comic book artist Jack Bradbury passed away in 2004. Now his son Joel has launched a tribute website loaded with comic art and animation history. It’s a treasure trove of over 1300 pages of classic comics, odds and ends and a wealth biographical information, shedding new light on working as a freelance comic artist in the 1940s and 50s. I especially love the correspondence between Jack and various comic book editors, discussing the virtues of Hucky Duck, Pansy the Chimp and Angus McSnoot.

It was bound to happen. A reality show based on animators making an animated film.

7200 Frames is seeking independent animators from around the US with ideas for a short (five minute=7200 frames) animated film. The chosen films will be fully funded and the process will be documented on video from start to finish. According to their website:

The documentary series will be about the artists and the behind the scenes process of the creation of the animated films, so the submitting artist must be comfortable appearing on camera. The artists must be able to draw, animate and direct – as well as commit to a 4-6 week exclusive production schedule. Interviews will be held in Los Angeles and San Diego in Summer 2009. Applicants must be 18 or older.

Animators must submit portfolio or reel AND live footage of the artist describing his/her film idea. This live interview should be no longer than five minutes. All submissions are due by June 26, 2009.

Animators will be considered for this project during judging sessions that will take place during 2 days in LA and 2 days at the San Diego Comic Con (the producers have reserved a boat behind the Marriot for the judging).

For more information and a trailer, check the 7200 Frames website.

Sorry for the late notice. There is a sale today at Clars Auction Gallery that is offering several lots from the estate of Preston Blair. Among the material being offered is (click thumbnails below to see enlarged image): original art to pages of his essential Walter Foster Animation book, several autographed copies of the same, the storyboards for Journey Back To Oz, rare magazine articles on Red Hot Riding Hood, cels and production art from his commercial films, as well as this transparancy negative (pictured above, flipped to positive) for the rare original titles of Columbia’s 1930s Krazy Kat cartoons. If you act fast you may still be able to place a bid on some of these items. If not you can, like me, simply enjoy some of these images online.

(Thanks, Robert Forman)

The word genius is thrown around so loosely and frequently nowadays that it’s hard to discern who might actually be worthy of the distinction. David Daniels is, and his animation technique—Stratacut—is mind-boggling and beyond words. Yesterday, The Art of the Title Sequence posted an interview with David Daniels that is pure gold. In addition to the interview, there are hi-res examples of his animation, and most amazingly, a series of video demos documenting his Stratacut technique. Whether you’re already familiar with Daniels’ work or not, prepare to be blown away.

Funny, the things you find for sale on the Internet. Got a spare $2 million? If so, you can afford Max Fleischer’s house in Miami. From the seller’s listing:

Designed in 1936 by Albert Anis for Winter Residence of famous cartoonist, Max Fleischer, creator of Superman, Popeye and Betty Boop… John F. Kennedy once visited this house… it’s full of history.

Full of history? I’m wondering if the basement is filled with cels from Gulliver or Mr. Bug. Obviously the house has been renovated and not much of original is left - however the shelves in the kitchen do look like something Grampy might’ve installed. Click here and check it out.