DreamWorks has released the first latest official image from their March 2009 feature Monsters vs. Aliens. It’s hardly groundbreaking visually, but the simple fact that a DreamWorks publicity still doesn’t make me want to claw my eyes out is cause for celebration. I’ve been hearing the same whispers on this film that I have for nearly every other DreamWorks feature: at first, it was that the artists were getting a chance to really show themselves, and more recently, that it’s being watered down. What’ll end up on the screen is anybody’s guess but this image at least offers a glimmer of hope.

There’s an accompanying article in today’s USA Today about Monsters vs. Aliens, in which Jeffrey Katzenberg says that to avoid confusion between 3-D computer animation and stereoscopic 3-D, he’s going to begin calling stereoscopic animation “the Ultimate 3-D.”

(via Cooked Art)

Please Say Something is a visually and narratively intriguing series of CG micro-shorts by David O’Reilly, creator of RGBXYZ. O’Reilly tells me that the series of five dramatic pieces is designed to be seen on the Web and is influenced by the “amazing comics” of Jason. The shorts speak for themselves but should you require additional explanation, there’s always this blog entry.

Throughout the history of the animation art form, there have been a select group of innovators who have pushed the medium to its limits and explored the potential of animation to its fullest. These artists include Winsor McCay, Walt Disney, Max Flesicher, Tex Avery, John Hubley…and now, I’m pleased to announce, Fred and Sharon.

Fred and Sharon, hailing from Kelowna, Canada are redefining the possibilities of filmmaking and animation by producing movies for any type of occasion. You can learn about their skills by watching this introductory piece below, entitled “Who Needs a Movie.”

Of course, Cartoon Brew is an animation website and thankfully for us, Fred and Sharon are specialists in the art of animation. They work in a dizzying array of styles, including hi-end computer animation that is seamlessly integrated into live-action settings…

to a traditional hand-drawn look…

to more painterly and experimental styles of animation…

For more of their filmmaking magic, visit FredandSharonsMovies.com or their YouTube page. And when you see them accepting an Oscar, just remember that you read about them on Cartoon Brew first.

This nicely crafted, character-driven viral advertisement, The Ultimate Break, was produced out of Paris based Akama Studio.

I don’t know about you, but I can go for a Kit Kat bar right now.

(via Motionographer, with thanks to Kris Boban)

Please meet one of the most refreshingly original and funny animated series I’ve run across in a while: Usavich produced by Kanaban Graphics in Japan. The CG animation is funny beyond words, the gags are jam-packed and fresh, and the design is a stunningly distinctive picture-book illustration style. The show’s website Usavich.tv offers 14 of the 26 episodes produced to date, every one of them under two minutes. The entire production is so fun-spirited and well-done, what more can one ask for; I’ve watched all of the available episodes in the past day and still want to see more!

Description is useless for the series. Let’s just say it’s the slightly surreal adventures of an odd couple pair of Russian rabbit inmates who share a jail cell with a frog and a bird. The first season takes place behind bars, the second season follows them on the run in a stolen car. Every episode is solid, and there is a storyline, so it’s best to watch them in order, but two of the most entertaining entries, in my opinion, are this one and this one.

If anybody knows more details about these shorts, please share. The series looks to have some backing by MTV Japan, but there hasn’t been much discussion online about the show so it’s unclear whether it’s new or has been around for a while. I only found out about it the other day on Motionographer. Animator Peter Richardson also posted some praise for the show on his blog. He writes, “[I]t’s tricky to tell which features are in the painted textures and which are shaders and lighting. Perfectly balanced…it goes to show what’s to be gained from a thoughtful and thorough integration of textures and lighting.”

Colin Sanders, a game development student at UOIT, was frustrated by the quality of instruction in his animation class. Below is the animated piece he created for his final using all of the techniques that were taught by his professor. He concludes the piece with a “Thanks for nothing” note in the credits.

(Thanks, Dai Kun)

CG filmmaker David O’Reilly (RGBXYZ) has redone his website DavidOReilly.com and also posted an enticing trailer for his new short Serial Entoptics. What continues to impress me about O’Reilly’s work and what makes him one of the more exciting young CG animators working today are his efforts towards finding a true and honest graphic expression befitting the CG medium instead of trying to force traditional graphic concepts to fit a CG mold as most everybody else does.

In other words, his work is designed from the groundup for the digital world. It doesn’t look like anything that could be accomplished in a medium besides CG. Impressively, he’s uncovering this new visual terrain sans a bloated crew of hundreds or an overblown Pixar-sized budget; the only things necessary are creative aspiration and a clear sense of artistic purpose.

O’Reilly gave a talk last month at the Pictoplasma Animation Festival, which impressed cultural commentator Régine Debatty so much that she calls him a ‘genius’ in this discussion of O’Reilly’s work on her blog.

Previously on the Brew: Up-and-Coming: Miwa Matreyek & David O’Reilly

San Francisco commercial director Carl Willat has the shocking and hilarious answer.

(Thanks, Karl Cohen)