Barney tries to lead a normal life, except for one thing: his sense of gravity is reversed. Honma Kimberly, Clément Lauricella and Arthur Seguin made Reverso as their graduate film at ArtFx school in France. A really good making-of short is posted here.
J. P. Miller created brilliant drawings for the “Baby Weems” sequence of The Reluctant Dragon, and Andreas Deja has posted a nice selection of that artwork.
These background layouts and paintings from the new Disney TV series Gravity Falls are more sophisticated and appealing than a lot of recent TV fare. Above: line art by Sean Jimenez, painting by Elle Michalka.
Leif Peng’s blog Today’s Inpsiration never fails to live up to its name. It’s an exquisitely curated selection of vintage illustration with a focus on the artists who created the work. The level of technical skill and craftsmanship in this work should inspire any visual artist and not just those who work as illustrators.
Serious message, hilarious animation in Nacho Rodriguez‘s short A Paedophile. I’m not sure the funny design fits the tone of the film, but the skill is undeniable.
Ted, the live-action/CG combo by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane opens today. If you’ve seen the film, please share your thoughts. I’ll be seeing the film soon because I’m a serious animation critic and it’s my duty to see everything animated, and…oh, who am I kidding, it’s got Mila Kunis in it.
Everybody should know the drill by now. This talkback is only for those who have seen the film. If you haven’t seen the film, your comment goes bye-bye.
Jeffrey Katzenberg makes his second appearance in our Lifestyles of Animation Executives column. Unlike his Beverly Hills mansion that he built on a $35 million plot of land, this relatively modest ski-in, ski-out lodge in Deer Valley, Utah cost a mere $10 million to build. The 14,000-square-foot space includes six bedrooms, gym, stone fireplace, ski-prep room with boot warmers built into the walls, an indoor pool and hot tub, a wood sauna and a billiard room. It also includes a 75-inch 3-D-enabled Samsung television that Katzenberg flew in from Korea.
The home was built twenty years ago but has been continually updated. Its interior floor plan was designed by architect Charles Gwathmey in consultation with architect Rick Otto. “[My wife] Marilyn wanted to create a place where we could be a family and not have social obligations infringe on that time,” Katzenberg explained to the Wall Street Journal. “We designed the house to be the perfect family trap. When we vacation at the house, we literally eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together.”
Guests at the home have included Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Michael Jackson, reality-TV producer Mark Burnett, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The Wall Street Journal offers more photos and a video tour of the property, which you may as well watch since it’s unlikely that Jeffrey will be extending invites to Cartoon Brew readers anytime soon. But seriously, Mr. K, if you’re ever lonely and need a ski buddy, don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’ll even eat dinner with you, though breakfast and lunch seems a tad excessive.
(Photos by Chad Hurst of the Wall Street Journal)
Invade All of the Humans is a test piece for personal project written and directed by London-based commercial filmmakers Tom and Mark Perrett. It’s about two obsolete and unhinged retro robot toys, Calculord 3 and Px Micron, with delusions of world domination. They run on four AA batteries. Here’s the sample:
This looks absolutely terrific. Saving Sally is a tiny independent Filipino feature film by Avid Liongoren that combines actors, 2D animation, matte paintings and motion graphics. It’s two years into production with editing, post and additional animation to come. Can’t wait to see the finished project.
(Thanks, Ivan Guerrero)
Polish animator/artist Czarek KwaÅ›ny plays with “Synthetic Cubism” in this lively musical piece. The whole thing is symbolic of the circle of life – or so he explains on his blog. Personally, I just think its a lot of fun.
The Animation Project is a New York City-area program that uses computer animation as an art therapy tool for court-involved teenagers. The program, founded by animator Brian Austin, is part of the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), which offer youths rehabilitation opportunities such as GED training as an alternative to incarceration. This article by Greg Condon in Social Work Today discusses the program’s aims and the surprising comfort level of teenagers with 3D software:
Although none of the group members had worked in 3D Max before, they are all computer savvy, much like most in their age group. It was this fact that ultimately drew Austin’s focus back to computer animation. In the span of 45 minutes, each group member has turned a square polygon into a house with a pitched roof and side garage. As [Karen] Gibbons says, “Video games, movies, and print media are probably the main art forms these young people have been exposed to. Media like pastels and paints would be unfamiliar.” The group will spend the next four weeks building assets in 3D Max developing their story. As the weeks progress, they will begin dividing duties: One person may build the characters while another builds the setting of a scene.
I’ve embedded one of the student shorts at the top of the post. More of their work can be seen on The Animation Project’s Facebook page.
Nest is a short and sweet piece of character animation by NYC-area animator Michael Ruocco. The animation displays unusually sharp timing, which might be expected of someone who curates the blog Smears, Multiples and Other Animation Gimmicks. Michael also deserves credit as the co-curator of my new blog 365 Days of Ward Kimball. A fount of animation knowledge and an animator of great promise–Ruocco is the real deal.
A newer trailer with footage we haven’t seen before for Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. Between ParaNorman, Hotel Transylvania and this, it’s monsters, monsters, monsters… (and I mean that in a good way):
I never imagined we’d be posting a parody of Belle’s song from Beauty and the Beast, but Beauty and the BEAT is ambitious as far as cartoon spoofs are concerned. In this version, ‘hood rat’ Belle visits the ghetto and even manages to adopt a baby. It was created by former American Idol contestant and Broadway performer Todrick Hall with the help of Katie Stevens as Belle and YouTube celebs DeStorm, GloZell, AlphaCat, Miles Jai, Antoine Dawson, Vonzell Solomon, Katie Stevens and Tre Melvin.
Had to post this photo with June Foray and her well-deserved Emmy Award, taken a few minutes ago at the broadcast of Stu’s Show. Again, Congratulations June!
Live FREE internet broadcast with Jerry Beck, discussing the history of Terrytoons, right NOW, right HERE.
Animation historians can sleep a little easier tonight. We now know that the rotoscope model for Superman in the classic Fleischer Studios shorts was a gentleman by the name of Karol Krauser. According to the Superman Homepage, Krauser was “best known as one of the Kalmikoff Brothers, Mad Russians, in the wrestling world of the 1950s and 1960s.” More info and photos of Krauser can be found on the Superman Homepage.
Here’s an example of the Krauser-inspired Superman:
(Thanks, Brian McKernan)
