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Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park," along with other early-to-mid-Nineties films like "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Toy Story," were all part of a breakthrough era in CGI filmmaking. What many people may not realize, however, is that the decision to create computer-animated dinosaurs wasn't made until the film was well into production.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the stodgy group of film industry workers who hand out the Oscars, has revealed a list of the 271 people it has invited to become members of its organization this year.
I was back in Don Duckwall's office, exchanging insincere smiles with him. I had been on "The Fox and the Hound" with Larry, Woolie, and everybody else for half a year. But now Don wanted me to go on another assignment.
Larry had me writing sequence scripts for "The Fox and the Hound," which turned out to be my assignment for the next six months. Part of the package was attending Woolie Reitherman's marathon story sessions, which often left me drained and dazed. There were also Woolie's marathon take-selection meetings, which left me drained and bewildered.
Disney's head animation writer in 1977 was cartoon veteran Larry Clemmons, who had first been hired at the studio in 1930. At the time of his hiring, he was a Yale graduate with a degree in architecture, but an Ivy League education was of little value in 1930 when the economy was collapsing...and few buildings were being erected.
The first chapter of Steve Hulett's memoir about working as a writer at Disney in the late-Seventies and Eighties.
Tonight in New York City, Sotheby's will auction a stainless steel, 2000-pound, six-and-a-half-foot-tall Popeye sculpture by Jeff Koons that is estimated to sell for between $25-35 million. Koons, who is already among the top three richest living American artists not to mention an avowed lover of "Croods," made three of these Popeye sculptures, which probably represents the number of people who he thinks are dumb enough to pay between $25-35 million for a Popeye sculpture.
Our post on Andy Serkis's inflammatory rhetoric about the limited role of animators on his motion capture performances generated a robust, often heated, discussion in the comments. By far, the most informative comment was provided by 3-time Oscar winner Randall William Cook, who was the animation supervisor and designer at WETA on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy that was released between 2001 and 2003.
New York City-based artist Arik Moonhawk Roper illustrates fantasy art in full washes of color or in limited colors for black light posters, books, and shirts. He has illustrated a handful of covers and articles for "Arthur" magazine, and he also frequently gets commissions from musicians that find his art to evoke exactly the right visual mood for their music.
A film about design. If for one day you had the power to make your world work better, what would you change?
The United States has surprisingly few animation festivals for a country of its size, but increasingly we are seeing smaller local events that serve as a substitute for the festival experience. Animation Breakdown is an ongoing series in Los Angeles, and Chicago animation fans, who already enjoy the Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation, will see the arrival of Animation Torrent next month.
Ahead of the film's teaser trailer premiere later today, we've got our first look at the bigscreen CGI adaptation of "Peanuts" that is being produced by Blue Sky Studios.
Sparrow is struck by a plane and lands wounded in a mysterious city inhabited by anthropomorphized birds. With the chaos of urban life all around him, Sparrow goes on a heady journey of self-discovery and is faced with a choice: should he follow his natural instinct and flee, or adapt his nature and embrace city life.
Richard Linklater, currently nominated for an Oscar for "Before Midnight"'s screenplay, is making strides on the Warner Bros. remake of "Incredible Mr. Limpet," a project with which he has been involved since 2011.
The winners of the 2014 BAFTA film awards were announced today.
The Animation Guild's TAG blog has confirmed that Disney will no longer produce new episodes of "Phineas and Ferb."
The VES Awards, otherwise known as The Only Awards Show Where "The Lone Ranger" Can Win An Award For Something, were presented last night at the Beverly Hilton by the Visual Effects Society.
"Vanity Fair" doesn't write about animation often, but when they do, it's memorable. Their new Hollywood issue has an excellent long read by Sam Kashner about the legendary CalArts animation program of the Seventies and Eighties.
ASIFA-Hollywood announced the winners of its 2014 Annie Awards ceremony tonight at UCLA's Royce Hall. Disney's "Frozen" won the prize for best animated feature and best directing. Disney's "Get a Horse!" won for best short.
The rest of America can have their Super Bowl tomorrow, but the animation world's big night is TONIGHT. Slap on your cleanest pair of underwear or panties, wedge that huge tub of ice cream inbetween your legs, and settle in to watch the livestream of the 41st annual Annie Awards from the solitary comfort of your couch. The video below will begin live from Los Angeles at 7pm PT/10pm ET.