These elegantly styled and animated “cartoon modern” titles were made for the Flemish media news programs Voor de Show by Tom Hautekiet and Mark Borgions. Jazz trumpeter Bert Joris provides the music, and the show’s art director is Luc Lemaitre. I don’t know what follows these titles, but they set a nice mood, and evoke a positive feeling, kind of like the opening and closing titles of Calvin and the Colonel.

The Baby Peas were created by musician/voice actor will.i.am to immortalize his hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas (featuring younger versions of will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo, and Apl.De.Ap). According to their press release:

“The Baby Peas are a fusion of the “Little Rascals” mixed with the “Peanuts Gang”, with the edge of “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons.” Then add some Black Eyed Peas music vibe with the classical approach of the W.B’s Looney Toons and that’s The Baby Peas!

Well, I’m not sure they can live up to that hype – but the initial videos are certainly well made. They were produced at Dipdive, Inc., will.i.am’s digital creative agency. Key members of the animation team include executive creative director Pasha Shapiro, creative directors Ernst Weber and Huan Ngheim, and executive producer Julia Pistor (Lemony Snicket, Jimmy Neutron, The Rugrats Movie). Here’s the latest music video:

I don’t get out much, but luckily my readers do. Chris Stulz found these Looney Tunes USB flash drives during a recent trip to OfficeMax. These are quite cute and also come designed as Speedy Gonzales (photo below) and the Tasmanian Devil. They store 4GB – and it’s apparently the first set in a series.

While out shopping, Chris also found these scary Looney Tunes Show Mr. Potato Heads (below center, click to enlarge) at Walmart, as well as these funky Looney Tunes Laplander hats (below, right) at Hot Topic. Looney Tunes merch is back, people! Woo-hoo!

James Curran created this clever unofficial title sequence for the upcoming Tintin feature incorporating elements from each of the 24 Tintin book in just over one minute. I like the clever contrast between the flat-colored circle and the spherical dimensionality created through the animation.

(Thanks Cristiane Fariah via Cartoon Brew’s Facebook page)

I’ve been super busy this week, but had to share this image of a Donald Duck brigade from 1930s Serbia. Who were the people under those masks and what were they thinking? The world will never know. More disturbing imagery can be found on the Disney History blog.

Nelson Boles, who’s sensitive Cal Arts student film Little Boat was a big hit with our readers when we posted it last month, created this early pencil test three years ago from a completely different POV.

Calling all animation historians! Today on animator Mark Kausler’s essential It’s The Cat blog, Mark discusses his restoration of two 1930s nitrate Terrytoons. Whatever you think of early Terrytoons (many serious historians consider them practically worthless) they have not been preserved and are essentially being neglected by their present day owner (cough, Viacom, cough). Mark’s descriptions (and frame grabs) of the two shorts he just acquired only increase my appetite for these rare cartoons. Read all about it here.

I’ve been aware of this 2010 live-action/puppet film from the Czech Republic – and its new English trailer (below) intrigues me. Kooky, by Academy Award-winning (Kolya) live action filmmaker Jan Sverak, isn’t stop-frame animation per se, but since we’ve showcased The Muppets on several occasions, I think this is worthy of notice on the Brew. The story concerns a seven year old boy whose teddy bear has been 
thrown away and how he imagines the doll will find his way home.
 Hope it gets seen in the US at some point:

(Thanks, Ben Ettinger)