April 01, 2006

NOT SO WILD ABOUT THE WILD

East coast film reporter Eric Lurio sent us this note concerning The Wild:

"For the first time in its history, Disney will NOT, I repeat, will NOT be screening an animated feature for critics. As you know they've screened even live action shit like Meet the Deedles. I've been going to all-medias for Disney animated films for over ten years This has never happened before."
On the heels of the Pixar acquistion, The Wild must really be an embarassment. The ad campaign, currently in progress, is probably a contractual obligation. I predict this film will make a very speedy trip to DVD.


Posted by JERRY at 07:40 AM

March 31, 2006

DO-IT-YOURSELF GIGANTOR

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Japanese robot maker Vstone Corporation has just released its latest consumer product: Tetsu-jin 28 (aka Ironman 28 - or Gigantor™, as it's known as in the U.S.). Based on the Japanese manga and classic anime series, the remote-controled robot—which is 15 inches high and weighs 5.5 pounds—comes as a kit you have to build yourself. If you construct it correctly, its arms and legs should move smoothly and it will walk around like a human being. But no, it doesn't fly. The price is in the ballpark of $3 thousand dollars. For specs (in Japanese), to order one, or just to look at the box art, go here.

(Thanks, Edwin Austin)


Posted by JERRY at 12:30 PM

Studio 4°C's TEKKON KINKURITO

TEKKON KINKURITO

The upcoming feature TEKKON KINKURITO, scheduled for Japanese release in December 2006, is produced by Studio 4°C, the Japanese animation outfit behind MIND GAME. It is based on the comic BLACK AND WHITE by Taiyo Matsumoto, and is being directed by Michael Arias, a first-time director who was previously a segment producer on THE ANIMATRIX. Pixar story artist Enrico Casarosa saw a portion of the film in Japan last month while visiting the studio, and he speaks highly of it on his blog. A lo-res version of the trailer can be seen HERE. Here's to hoping that the film isn't neglected like MIND GAME and actually receives some distribution in the US.


Posted by AMID at 09:02 AM

THE BROTHERS QUAY IN LA

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences's annual Marc Davis Lecture will be presented on Friday, April 21st. In a year that saw two stop motion films made in Britain nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar, it seems appropriate that the spotlight be cast on London's most notorious stop motion artists. The Brothers Quay, in their first-ever speaking engagement in the United States, will discuss their work and screen clips from their unique, film noir-esque animations. This is a rare opportunity to meet and greet these two incredible filmmakers. Admission is only $5. For more details, visit the Academy's website.


Posted by JERRY at 08:00 AM

2006 CG IMPLOSION

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Get ready to hurl.

With billboards and bus posters for ICE AGE 2 (opening today), THE WILD (4/14) and OVER THE HEDGE (5/19) plastering the city, I'm reminded that this could be the year of Hollywood's rude awakening (re: computer animated features). Hey, I'm an optimist. I don't want these films to fail. My hope is for animators to remain employed, to make great movies. But then I see something like THIS.

Hollywood will get what what it deserves. And it can't come too soon for me.


Posted by JERRY at 07:30 AM

Animation Blast #9 Almost Done

Just a brief update on the status of ANIMATION BLAST #9: I'm almost done with the issue and planning to send it to the Canadian printer in the next couple weeks. It should definitely be out by the end of April. A huge thanks to everybody for their patience.

Here's something I had to cut from the issue this week. It's a DePatie-Freleng era thumbnail board by one of the issue's featured artists, John Dunn (1920-1983). I have no idea whether it was for production (unlikely) or just a personal idea. I also don't know if there's more to the board; these three pages are all that exist at the moment. There's a bitter undercurrent in a lot of Dunn's humor, and it comes through rather strongly in these boards.

(click on images for larger versions)
John Dunn Storyboard

John Dunn Storyboard

John Dunn Storyboard



Posted by AMID at 07:22 AM

Yuri Norstein's HERON AND CRANE (1974)

If you have an extra ten minutes to spare today, you can spend that time no better than watching the lyrical short HERON AND CRANE (1974) by Russian animation genius Yuri Norstein.

Here is a bit of background about the film that I found online:

Norstein's third feature is based on a Russian fairy tale. It marked the first of several collaborations among Norstein, his wife, the artist Francesca Yarbusova, and a cameraman Alexander Zhukovsky. To achieve Norstein's artistic vision, they invented a special piece of equipment which allowed them to animate on layers of glass. Norstein's original script was not approved by the studio administration. Veteran director Roman Kachanov was assigned to serve as project "supervisor" and write an acceptable script. Unbeknownst to the studio administration, Norstein filmed the original script. Thanks in great part to support from Fyodor Khitruk, Norstein's HERON AND CRANE - with Norstein credited as co-writer - was approved for distribution after numerous additional clashes with the studio management. Very Popular in the former USSR , the film also won many honors abroad.

A dvd of Yuri Norstsein's complete works can be purchased from RussianAnimation.com or Amazon. There's also a fairly new book out about Norstein written by Clare Kitson—YURI NORSTEIN AND TALE OF TALES: AN ANIMATOR'S JOURNEY—which I've heard good things about.


Posted by AMID at 04:44 AM

March 30, 2006

Scary Flash Animation

Some sick perverted souls in South Korea came up with this piece of Flash animation. It might make you queasy. It might make you hate animation. If you know what's good for you, just don't click on this link. Seriously, DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK. If you clicked on that last link, then for heaven's sake, please don't click on this one HERE! Don't say I didn't warn you.
(Thanks?, Karl Cohen)


Posted by AMID at 06:49 PM

FLEISCHER COLOR CLASSICS

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Film buff John McElwee posted another great entry on his blog about old cartoons. This time offering some perspectives on Fleischer's Color Classics series. McElwee acquired a 1937 booking ledger from a rural North Carolina theatre, allowing him to compare actual rental prices for Paramount shorts against RKO (Disney Silly Symphonies) and MGM (Happy Harmonies) cartoons. This is great information.

"...a Silly Symphony through UA, Woodland Café, was $5.00 flat, while a later Donald Duck (Self-Control) through RKO got $5.25. Paramount took only $2.00 for a December 1937 booking of Christmas Comes But Once A Year, but that Fleischer Color Classic was by then an oldie, having come out the previous December, so terms were a little more favorable for this run. Otherwise, this theatre doesn't appear to have used the Color Classics, although they did book heavily on the Popeyes (I Like Babies and Infinks cost $4.86). The best money for cartoons from this venue seems to have been collected by MGM, whose Bosko and The Pirates got $6.65, while Bosko’s subsequent encounter with the Cannibals netted $6.95 for the Metro exchange. Just a lot of numbers for long-ago, and long forgotten, bookings --- but they give us some insight into the selling end of the cartoon business, at a time when such nickels-and-dimes as these kept small showmen, and big studios, afloat."
(Thanks, Mark Mayerson)


Posted by JERRY at 05:06 PM

GREAT TO BE NOMINATED

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It's back! Randy Haberkamps's great series of Monday night screenings at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Great To Be Nominated (Part 3), resumes in April. Every Monday night starting April 10th, the Academy screens a Best Picture nominee from each year, along with nominated live action and animated short subjects, newsreels, outtakes and special in-person guests. The prints (including the cartoon titles pictured above) are the best ones available (usually studio vault prints), and the Academy's Goldwyn Theatre is state-of-the-art. For a complete list of films, the schedule and directions, go to the Academy website for details. A pass for the entire 2006 series—20 evenings—is $30. Tickets for individual evenings are $5 a piece. What a bargain!


Posted by JERRY at 07:15 AM

Eisner Ruins Something Besides Disney

If Michael Eisner talks and nobody listens, does he still have a talkshow? The debut of Eisner's new series on CNBC tanked with a 0.0 Nielsen rating and a 0 share on Tuesday night, the lowest rating possible. CONVERSATIONS WITH MICHAEL EISNER lost 82% of the total viewers from its CNBC lead-in, a rerun of the gameshow DEAL OR NO DEAL, and ended up with 95,000 total viewers, including 39,000 adults 25-54 (the network's desired demo). For the record, most of the show reviews haven't been very positive. All I can say is that it's incredibly refreshing to finally see Michael Eisner muck up something that isn't related to Disney or animation.


Posted by AMID at 02:45 AM

UMB by Liron Damir

UMB is a graduate film created by Israeli animation/broadcast design student Liron Damir at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. The film is set to the song "Flugufrelsarinn" by the Icelandic group Sigur Rós, and it does a commendable job of capturing the otherworldly vibe of the band's music.
(via hydrocephalic bunny)


Posted by AMID at 02:19 AM

March 29, 2006

ASTERIX AND THE VIKINGS

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Maybe it's me - or maybe I'm just nostalgic for an old fashioned hand drawn animated feature - but this Asterix and the Vikings looks pretty darn good. I'm really anxious to see it.

We've mentioned this flick before. It has no planned U.S. distribution, despite a great English voice cast which includes Paul Giamatti (as Asterix), Brad Garrett (as Obelix), Sean Astin, Evan Rachel Wood and John ("Bender") DiMaggio. A FILM in Denmark produced the animation, which looks great (see the teaser trailer on the official site). It opens over the next few months in Europe. I'm rooting for an American pick-up.


Posted by JERRY at 04:00 PM

March 28, 2006

TOONWORLD TV CLASSICS

My friend Wayne Daigrepont has a cell phone and just found out he had Toonworld TV Classics. Here's his email to me:

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So here's my cell phone, right?? It only has 5,000 gadgets I don't know about yet. In my fiddling-faddling with it....I find I can (and do) get "tv" (images only in increments of "stills")....It is via Sprint, and it is a download called MobiTV. The Channel is 28 (ToonWorld TV). They play such non-stop (& non-interrupted) toons as Roger Ramjet (!), all Harveytoons! (theatrical Caspers, Baby Huey, Herman & Katnip, etc.) & "The Dick Tracy Show," (yes.... with allllll those "politically incorrect" characters"). The fee is $10 a month....and its image is pristine!!
Toonworld TV Classics launched in 2003 and mainly broadcasts public domain Popeye, Superman, Betty Boop, Gumby and The Three Stooges shorts. They have also partnered with Classic Media to show Mister Magoo TV cartoons and Rankin Bass holiday specials. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.


Posted by JERRY at 10:30 PM

POW! BAM! WHAM!

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Holy Animated Sound Effects! As a child of the 1960s, I was a huge fan of the 1966 BATMAN TV show. So I have to say I'm delighted with the uber-geekiness of this Argentinian website devoted to Adam West and the series. My favorite page here is a complete index to the animated sound effects that would cover every fight scene. There are also alphabetic and episode numeric indexes to where each sound effect was shown.


Posted by JERRY at 11:10 AM

Identifying Classic Animators

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My new favorite blog of the moment is Thad Komorowski's "Identifying Animators and Their Scenes." The site has only been up for a few days and it's already packed with excellent material. As the name of the blog implies, its concept is dead simple: post clips from Golden Age cartoons and identify who animated the scenes. For example, check out this great post about Walter Lantz shorts where Thad identifies scenes by Fred Moore, Ed Love, Pat Matthews and Grim Natwick. Absolutely incredible detective work. The site has plenty of other animation clips posted already, animated by the likes of Emery Hawkins, Virgil Ross and Manny Gould.

If there's one thing that ties together the work of all of these distinctive animators, it's how beautifully they communicate with cartoon imagery. I had the sound on my computer turned off when I first started viewing these clips, and I'd watched four or five clips before even realizing that there was no sound. There are significant lessons to be learned here about visual storytelling and clarity in staging and acting.

One more impressive thing worth pointing out: according to Thad's Blogger profile, he's only 16-years-old. These crazy animation historian types...they're getting younger everyday.


Posted by AMID at 12:15 AM

March 27, 2006

COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA

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Films by Jove, owners of the Russian Soyuzmultfilm Studios film library, has invested more than $3 million to digitally restore the 1,500 animated films in the collection to their original splendor. Now the company has opened a website, russiananimation.com, making this amazing library of rarely seen films available on DVD. Among the highlights: Animated Soviet Propaganda.
From 1924 to perestroika the USSR produced more than 4 dozen animated propaganda films. They weren't for export. Their target was the new nation and their goal was to win over the hearts and minds of the Soviet people. Anti American, Anti Capitalist, Anti Fascist, some of these films are as artistically beautiful as the great political posters made after the 1917 revolution. A unique series. With a unique perspective. Includes commentary by a leading Soviet film scholar.
Also check out this collection by one of the world's greatest animation artists: The Complete Works of Yuri Norstein. Great stuff.


Posted by JERRY at 02:55 PM

UPA LAST NIGHT

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Larry Loc on the ASIFA-Hollywood blog posted a bunch of photos he snapped at last night's UPA TRIBUTE at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Two of Larry's pix are posted above, one an image from the landmark 1945 film, BROTHERHOOD OF MAN (left), and the other of Bill Melendez and Willis Pyle (at right).

I'm not very good at doing followup reports, but I'll say I had a very good time. I was surprised at the huge crowd that turned out for the event, coinsidering the lack of publicity (outside of this website) for it. Just a couple of notes: My old friend, animator/director/teacher Howard Beckerman came in from New York. I wish I spent more time talking to him last night, my only regret; I want to thank Dave Bastian for bringing two vintage UPA posters for display (a Jolly Frolics "Ragtime Bear" one sheet and a MAGOO MERRY-GO-ROUND compilation show poster from 1953); Thanks to Mark from BOING BOING for interviewing me for an upcoming podcast—I hope I made sense. Thanks to Tee Bosustow for making this event happen—and to everyone who came out to make it quite a night. If anyone else posts a report on the screening, let us know.


Posted by JERRY at 09:14 AM

March 26, 2006

UPA TODAY

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The image above is a black-and-white still from one of the last non-Magoo UPA theatrical shorts, THE JAYWALKER (1956). It's a strange film—not quite successful—but a good looking picture that introduced a new character, Milton Muffet, who tried to endear audiences with his pedestrian (pun intended) humor about his jaywalking obsession. Bobe Cannon directed the film, the last of a small set of adult social comedies (which included the superior FUDGET'S BUDGET and CHRISTOPHER CRUMPET) which really defined UPA's contemporary attitude (moreso than the popular Mr. Magoo cartoons that UPA is best known for).

FUDGET'S BUDGET (1954) is one of the UPA classics that isn't shown much these days, but if you're in LA tonight you have a rare chance to see it on the big screen and meet some of the members of UPA's legendary crew. 6:00 pm at the Egyptian Theatre. See you there.


Posted by JERRY at 10:32 AM

Disney's Story of Menstruation

After posts about Disney's forays into VD prevention and gonorrhea drugs, I'd be remiss to not post Disney's 1946 film THE STORY OF MENSTRUATION. The film is available on YouTube, something that was kindly pointed out on We-Make-Money-Not-Art.com. While not exactly a classic piece of animation, its kitsch value is unsurpassed.

UPDATE: Disney historian Jim Korkis wrote in with some interesting info about STORY OF MENSTRUATION. Here's what he says:

Disney's "The Story of Menstruation" was originally delivered to the International Cellu-Cotton Company on October 18, 1946. It has been estimated that the film has been seen by approximately ninety-three million American women. Neither sexuality nor reproduction is mentioned in this influential film, and an emphasis on sanitation makes it a more a hygienic crisis rather than a maturational event.

In fact the entire film is very quiet, subtle, formal and clinical. "Menstruation is just one routine step in a normal and natural cycle that is going on continuously in the body," soothes the narrator while she reminds us that there is an accompanying free book available in case the information supplied by this film is so overwhelming that a viewer isn't able to retain it all.

That booklet was entitled "Very Personally Yours" and was filled with promotional material for Kotex brand feminine products and included Disney artwork from this educational short. The 1947 edition has a cover that features a somewhat sophisticated female hand holding an engraved card that says "Very Personally Yours" with no hint what the contents might be. My copy (thanks to eBay) is approximately 5 by 7 inches, small enough to slip into a purse, with twenty pages of text. In the side margins are drawings from the film but interestingly, there is no Disney copyright in evidence anywhere in the book. The final text pages are very directly aimed at promoting a variety of Kotex products for feminine hygiene. Since the Disney film was run for at least two decades after its creation, the booklet was updated over the years and I don't know how much of the Disney artwork remained in later editions.


Posted by AMID at 01:42 AM