I Attended A Festival During The Pandemic. Here’s What I Learned
What does it feel like to attend an animation festival during the pandemic. One of our writers decided to find out for himself.
Chris Robinson
Oscar Shorts 2022: The Year’s Most Innovative And Provocative Contenders
These highlights of the year show that animation can tackle any subject, from sexual assault to Chile’s military dictatorship.
Animating Anxiety: Caroline Robert Discusses Her New Interactive Web Project ‘Brainstream’
Have you ever given a brain massage before?
Interview: The Team Behind Short Film ‘The Windshield Wiper’ Discuss The Many Meanings Of Love
In the new short film “The Windshield Wiper,” Albert Mielgo attempts to uncover what it is about this thing called love that so enraptures humanity.
Book Review: ‘She Animates: Soviet Female Subjectivity In Russian Animation’
This study of undervalued women animators from Russia and the Soviet Union doubles up as a good primer on the history of animation in the region.
Interview: Joaquín Cociña And Cristóbal León Discuss Their New Short ‘Los Huesos,’ Premiering Today At Venice Film Fest
“We always want to do funny things, but the results are always terrifying. We seem to be bad comedians.”
Jacques Drouin, Master Of Pinscreen Animation, Dies At 78
Drouin was known for the striking shorts he made at the National Film Board of Canada, such as “Mindscape” and “Imprints.”
Book Review: ‘Pulses Of Abstraction: Episodes From A History Of Animation’
An insightful, if sometimes dryly academic, look at the development of abstract in animation, chiefly between the 1950s and 1970s.
Book Review: ‘Japanese Influence on American Children’s Television: Transforming Saturday Morning’
Gina O’Melia traces the rise of the American Saturday morning cartoon and the challenge to its supremacy from anime shows.
Book Review: “Dreamworks Animation: Intertextuality And Aesthetics In ‘Shrek’ And Beyond”
In a new book, Sam Summers sets out to dissect how the Dreamworks formula, with its pop tunes, celebrity actors, wink-wink gags, differs from Disney’s.
How Montreal’s Diverse Animation Scene Has Weathered One Year Of Covid
Our series on Canada’s animation hotspots concludes with a profile of Montreal, home to one of the country’s most vibrant animation scenes.
Enter The Impossible Province: Félix Dufour-Laperrière On His Québec-Set Feature ‘Archipelago’
The Canadian director has followed his 2019 film “Ville Neuve” with an equally multi-layered, mesmerizing work.
A Highly Subjective Look At Some Of This Year’s Lesser-Known Oscar Contenders
Animated shorts that Academy voters should take some time to consider.
Toronto’s Swaggering Animation Scene Is In A Golden Age, But Faces Challenges Old And New
So the Toronto scene continues to blossom — but does it have the same lure it once did for aspiring animators?
Vancouver, Canada’s Animation Powerhouse, Is Thriving In The Pandemic
What gives the city an edge — and what threats does it face?
Some Of Canada’s Most Promising Animators Are Coming Out Of Animation Vieux Montréal, A School That Costs $105 A Semester
Little known outside of Quebec, Animation Vieux Montréal has emerged as one of Canada’s most successful animation schools.
Report: Animateka, A Festival With A Keen Eye For European Animation
Cartoon Brew visited the latest edition of the festival, which ran in December in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.
Halifax, Small Yet Growing, Is A Hidden Gem Of The Canadian Animation Industry
How can Halifax compete with the likes of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal? Key players in the city give their views.
Report: Feinaki Beijing Animation Week, An Event That’s Bringing Indie Animation To Chinese Audiences
Cartoon Brew visited the first edition of Feinaki Beijing Animation Week, a new kind of animation event in China.
Here Are Six Indie Animated Features That Deserve An Oscar Nomination This Year
It isn’t all about Disney and Pixar in this awards race. These smaller-scale films from abroad also warrant attention from the Academy.
Kirby Atkins On The 20-Year Journey To Bring ‘Mosley’ To The Bigscreen
A director talks us through the ups and downs of making a low-budget cg animated feature.
What Is VR Good For? The Creators Of ‘Gymnasia’ Have Some Thoughts
“If you have an idea for a short that involves story, for God’s sake don’t do it in vr.”
Suzan Pitt, Influential American Director Of Animated Films, Dies At 75
She directed iconic animated shorts like “Asparagus” and “Joy Street.”
Interview: Felix Dufour-Laperrière On His Poetic Hand-Drawn Drama ‘Ville Neuve’
The film screened last week in the Contrechamp Feature Film competition of the Annecy festival.
Animation In Ottawa Is Growing Faster Than Ever Before: All You Need To Know About Its Exploding Industry
There’s more animation jobs in Ottawa than there are qualified workers.
Bruce Bickford, Stop Motion Icon And Frank Zappa Collaborator, Dies At 72
A cult icon in the world of American independent animation, Bruce Bickford crafted beautiful and terrifying worlds of stop motion animation.
Selling Your First Animated Series: ‘Wishfart’ Co-Creator John Hazlett Explains How They Did It
“Some people told us to never pitch directly to the network; other people told us that we should never pitch without artwork. So we pitched it directly to Teletoon without artwork.”
NFB’s Montreal Studio Remembered: Filmmakers And Studio Employees On Building’s Legacy
Hundreds of classic animated films have been made in one of the most unlikely animation studios. Paul Driessen, Torill Kove, Jacques Drouin, Janet Perlman, and others share memories of the awkward but beloved NFB building.
‘Reruns’: The Final Chapter Of Rosto’s Dreamworld
The Dutch filmmaker Rosto talks about reaching the end of his Thee Wreckers Tetralogy, a personal fantasia of visuals and audio that’s quite unlike anything else.
Meet Tonic DNA, The New Montreal Studio With A 35-Year-Old Legacy
Formerly Studio Pascal Blais, Tonic DNA sets a new course for its future, including more long-form projects.
Inside The Artist’s Studio: Luc Chamberland
Director and animator Luc Chamberland carries multiple notebooks wherever he goes. “There’s too much stuff happening in the head so I write it and write it and get it out.”
Ottawa Animation Festival 40th Anniversary Look-Back: ‘The Night of the Carrots’
Chris Robinson looks at a few different ways to read the Ottawa grand prize-winning film “The Night of the Carrots.”
Why Was Estonian Animation Legend Priit Pärn Booted From His Country’s Only Animation School?
How does one of the most famous animators in the world get booted from his country’s only animation school?
Alone, Stinking & Unafraid: Ballad of a Thin Man
In this new installment of Alone, Stinking and Unafraid, Chris Robinson assesses the life of troubled Canadian animator Ryan Larkin, who …
Alone, Stinking & Unafraid: Screen Test Dummies
In this new edition of Alone, Stinking & Unafraid, Chris Robinson, the Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival, …
Alone, Stinking And Unafraid: Fallen Angels
Cartoon Brew’s Jerry and Amid are pleased to welcome our friend Chris Robinson and his new semi-regular column Alone Stinking and …
