I am not a number...

I mean, GAWD!

2012-02-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Night for random cartoon pieces, like you're supposed to do!

For a T-shirt possibility, it has everything to do with the implausible statue that represents Edinboro U.

(see?)

Our good fro-friend Liz, President of Animation Club, imagined as a goose for gossip.

A scream face... Not all that great, it's something.

I'm all excited that you get to see this too

2012-02-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

What you are seeing is conceptual art for my first boffo Illustration project. I'll put up more art and explain what's going on soon. Boss!

Congradulations to Rango: The 2/3 Awards Season Victory

2012-02-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

Last night at the Annie Awards, the animated western Rango won for Best Feature, the top award. It also earned awards in Editing, Character Design, and . Other winners included 'Kung Fu Panda '2 for Best Director, 'Winnie the Pooh' for Storyboarding, 'Rio', 'Tintin', and so forth. (Yadda yadda yadda!)

Last night's Annies were the first completely fair award ceremony in years. Observant animation followers may recall the controversies over winners for 2008 and 2010. That is, only the Dreamworks films won, in all major categories! It was 'Kung-Fu Panda' and 'How to Train Your Dragon', respectively.


There was controversy in the voting process, where upon Dreamworks employess were given ASIFA memberships (the voting group for the award). Effectively, Dreamworks was buying their way to the top! And in years where 'Wall-E' and 'Toy Story 3' were critical darlings and massive box office hits, this rubbed many of suspicion of bias. Those two, both from Pixar Animation Studios, went on the win the Oscars for Animated Feature.



The voting process proved so bad that Disney and Pixar pulled their support only a few years ago. So, TS3 was only nominated for three whole categories last year. That's pretty sad to see it's artistic merit effectively ignored by the voters. Not to mention Disney's own 'Tangled', which also got the snub. The two have rejoined the ceremonial proceedings following changes in the long-standing voting procedures. And yet, the two went home empty-handed (with the one exception to 'Pooh'). Neither 'Cars 2' nor the short 'La Luna' won the major categories they were nominated for.

I'm proud for all the winners last night. There was diversity and fair judgement, so many studios and talents got the gold. Sadly, I didn't get to watch the live-stream (a first for the awards show) because of Edinboro's crappy bandwidth at night, even a Saturday. I hope to turn in next year!

I'm glad to have advocated 'Rango' as an animated film to be recognized. now that it's won the Producers' Choice Award and the Annie, it's time for the Oscars!

Looney Tunes: Blu-Ray vs DVD

2012-02-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

Hell's bells, meant to post this sooner! Back in late December, I procured the anticipated (and surprisingly hard to find) Looney Tunes Platinum Collection. Sure, I already had 5 of the 6 Golden Collections on DVD. But I had to buy this new release and see how the picture quality differed from the earlier releases.

From what I understand, the Golden Collections had notorious cases of DVNR wiping parts of the image accidentally, misshapen color pallets, and bouts of fuzziness. Would the high definition releases of these shorts repair the damage, and show the cartoons looking like 35mm prints on TV? I came up with some uptop observations.

The biggest differences in these examples are two-fold: on Blu-Ray, the picture is zoomed out more, revealing more of the image you never knew was there before. Two, the colors are more saturated and vivid in high-def. The DVD picture looks a tad more blue-ish.

For the record, the Blu-Ray images are on the left of this article, and Golden Collection is on the right (sources are volumes 2 & 3).

"She's only three-and-a-half seconds old..."

Overall, I came out happy with the Blu-Ray release. It's a marked step up from the old DVD collections. Between this and the recent Tom & Jerry Blu-Ray collection, Warners has gotten me excited to see more classic cartoons in a new way.

That's why Edinboro is awesome

2012-01-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

The first thing I did for the illustrious Illustration class (you see what I just did there!) Do I mind mentioning that I'll put up concepts for my first major project within a few days? No, I don't!

(For the record, it's a giant frog dead on the road. It was totally hit by a car.)

Dedicated to our Grandfathers

2012-01-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

My grandfather, who's been in the hospital for the better part of January, undergoing radiology for a broken heart, requested a drawing from me for his bedside. This was what I came up with.

My mum, who frequents his hospital more than I could, thought he would find this image offensive, and I'm all like, "no he won't". She further drives the maddening theories suggesting that the two characters (Popkin and Maurice) didn't look human. But they totally are.

And so, yes, my grandfather did understand. He loved the drawing. But isn't that what all family elders do doting their children?

Some raw 'Beyond the Sky' character art

2012-01-17T22:48:00.001-08:00

From last December, Popkin and Maurice underwent the knife treatment and underwent tweaks in their character designs. Y'know, as suggested by my professor and others in the class. The changes are for the better, honestly. If you were to go back and look up older drawings of these characters, you'll understand.

Here is some unedited, original artwork that I know I won't get sued over (yeah, SOPA protest reference)...

This last image: special credit to fellow assassin Jordan Koch, who drew these conceptual designs for me

Christmas Ducks

2012-01-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

From the holidays? I should've posted this a long time ago! With school creeping up on me, and the resuming of studio classes, it feels timely to get back into the spirit of this blog. That means posts of my art work!

These numbers were done in D.C. this past December. They are wooden figures of ducks...as drummers! Woot.

Which one is your top favorite? They're done in pencil, and nothing more to it.

Some Highlights You Should Know About

2012-01-16T22:41:00.000-08:00

This series of heads

This PSA

These paintings (just because, right?)

All of the above are portfolio-happy prospects. Amazing!

Review: Beauty and the Beast 3D

2012-01-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

Just as I did with Lion King's successful re-release last fall, I'm putting my inhibited thoughts together for my critique of another big reissue, 1991's seminal Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast.

I think the story needs little re-introduction. Everyone should know it by now, a re-telling of the French fairy tail. The beauty but bookish girl Belle lives in a village where no one understands her. A handsome but brutish suitor Gaston wants to marry her but she refuses. When her father goes missing in a mysterious castle, she trades her life for his. The castle's inhabitants are a cursed Beast and a slew of servants turned into household objects. Over time in her imprisonment, a series of circumstances and understandings bring Belle and the Beast together, falling in love even. It's a story well known, with characters everyone remembers.

Even 21 years later, 'Beauty' stands as one of the most mature films in the animated Disney canon. The story touches on romance, sacrifice, feminism, and the like. The artwork strikes a balance of Romantic realism and traditional Disney cartooning. The songs flow effortlessly through the story, the story itself is perfectly paced. It simply deserved it's nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars. And should have won too.

But this review is purposed to evaluate the new 3D presentation, and all it's foibles. Does the 3D look good? For me, it looked exactly like I expected it too. Unlike some of the critiques I've read of the 3D presentation, I thought it was on par with last fall's Lion King 3D effort. Which is to say, it's a remarkable job the team did giving three dimensions to a traditional animation. It looks awesome, it looks like an evolved View Master!

There are much more interesting technical bits than the 3D, however. Listening to the score in theaters, I thought it was noticibly more audible than ever before. Alan Menken's Oscar-winning score really stands out from the dialogue, so you can pay attention and hear every rise and fall of the music this time.

Why Rango is the Most Important Animated Feature of 2011

2012-01-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

In the run-up to the all-important awards season...

A few days ago, I read an article where Aardamn feature Arthur Christmas was deemed the Best Reviewed Animated Film of the year. According to Rotten Tomatoes score, yes, it did come out on top with a 92%. Y'know what came close to it's score: Winnie the Pooh (91%)! And no one is nominating it for top awards, which is disappointing. It was, for one, snubbed at the Golden Globes and the Annies.
I don't agree with Arthur Christmas being the best animated feature, however. At first blush, it looks outwardly like it's riding the coat tails of Disney's own Prep and Landing. In that both deal with high-tech Santa's elves operations. I'm not saying that there's plagiarism on Aardman's behalf. But I don't rule out personal suspicions that it's a situation where both were developed simultaneously, outside each one's awareness. And it doesn't mean Arthur Christmas is a bad film, by any means...

I don't want Arthur Christmas to win the upcoming Golden Globe, Annie, or Oscar. I believe that another animated film should be a lock for these crucial awards. And it did just win the Critics Circle award for Animation. That film is ILM's own Rango.

Rango couldn't be more different from Arthur. It is an animated spaghetti western. It tells a story, as I see it, of a schizophrenic actor who unwittingly becomes the sheriff to an outward dirt town. It has a most unique execution, boasting a visual style that combines photo-realism with stylized character design (like wonky proportions). The performances are appealing and funny, as epitomized with Johnny Depp (the voice of Rango) extolling his usual shtick of quirk turned misplaced confidence as a sheriff.

Rango was also the most mature animated film given wide release in the States last year. There's smoking, alchohol, gun play, there's language tossed around in some instances. All of these you don't really see in mainstream animated features.

Therein lies my worries for the film's award chances. Will sensitive, older generations of voters give the rough-edged cartoon a fair shake? In the past, there's been instances where bold, conceptually interesting animated features get the snub. And it's usually a safe bet, like Pixar, that takes home the prize.

I refer you to Oscar years like 2009 and 2010. As simple examples, the likes of Coraline, Secret of Kells, and The Illusionist were up against heavy hitters Up and Toy Story 3. I'm not at all saying the Pixar movies are bad, or inferior. If anything, all those films are equals. The former simply did things differently, telling unique stories with fresh artistic imagination.

There's the gloomy dark of Coraline and the pantomime, maturity of The Illusionist. And, in an instance of counter logic, they lost to the big studio boffos. That's a contradiction with the main Best Picture award, which snubs big studio epics for independent, artsy visionaries.

We've had historical instances too where visionary cartoons were ignored at the Oscar time. Remember the era where numerous Tom & Jerry shorts received Oscars? Amazing cartoons were completely ignored, such as UPA's Rooty Toot Toot in 1951. The Tom & Jerry shorts were rewarded for playing it safe.

Or the Oscar voters will baffingly award a film like Happy Feet for the best of 2006. Such blurs the lines of even being animated, as it is mostly a mo-cap release. Do you think a lot of people think highly of Happy Feet, especially given the low grosses of it's unneeded sequel? I would shudder if the similarly mo-capped Tintin were to be nominated for the category, let alone win it this year.

Rango, continuing, is different, and that's the watch word for why academy voters should pay attention to it. It tells a solid tale with bold, artistic direction, and looks and feels like no other animated film out there. I would be disappointed if it was overlooked for what it did, just because the voters didn't see the leaps it took. It is the talking animal film grown up. It was, for my money, my favorite release of 2011, a real stand-out.

If others understand what makes Rango so special, then we're on the same boat.

I forgot something! A Piedmont Post-scriptim

2012-01-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

I didn't even realize this, but upon inspection of old planners stashed in the closet, I have another anniversary to acknowledge. I started at one Piedmont Community College on January 9, 2007. Five years ago!

It was a simpler time back then. I complain about how busy I am now, but in my first semester there at PCC, I only had two days of classes. That's madness! Insane! This was counterbalanced by two online classes. Oh, and to actually get to the campus, I had to drive to Yanceyville. That's a 45 mile drive, each way.

I don't know why I keep spilling the secrets of my college career, but whatevers. The tests of stamina I began my college career with, period, were Humaities in Comic Books, DEAT, and Art Design on campus. The onliners were College Student Success and some writing class.

Reflecting for a bit on the online course, the Student Success one strikes me as funny. At Edinboro, you as a freshman would have to go to some gathering in person, as a check-in. I didn't have to, transferring in, so the Edinboro freshmen are just suckers! The writing class was funny in itself. I was vehemently critical of others, whose writing was honestly bad. And I myself liked to mess with people by writing in a Ye Olde English-style. That is the height of pretentiousness, I thought.

The Humanity class was just the start of realizing how unattractive and, shall we dare say it, nerdy, the Piedmont crowd was. Not to mention awkward. I myself didn't feel right in that room. The class itself wasn't all bad. After moving past a god-awful Spider Man comic anthology, we got to the good stuff, in the forms of Will Eisner, Watchmen for the first time, and Sandman among them. I can tell you I did my top dollar work on presentations on the comic figure Matt Groening and a comic of choice, mine being Calvin and Hobbes.

The DEAT class? That's code for it being a Photoshop class, really. It was my first of many classes spent in the then-new animation lab. Hoo boy! What I remember about it was how there were a lot of people going in, and fewer coming out and continuing the DEAT program. And by program, I mean CGI, editing, and digital imaging software usage.

Prob. my favorite class that semester was the Design one. The professor was actually entertaining, and a good collaborator of ideas. My take-away from it was how much I got to experiment with ideas and how much I drew with charcoal. I didn't even care that it was an evening class.

What did always bother me about Piedmont, among other things, was how much was put into gas to get to and from there.

Does all this writing mean that I'm possibly nostalgic for Piedmont? Hell no! I didn't like it at the end of the day. What you need to take away is perspective. Back here, I had just gotten off of a high from working at Disney World, which was a great first job. I took the gig partly to delay my start at college. Had I started in the fall, I would have had to go for four days instead of two a week. Two days was a good way to ease into the eventual four I did that fall.

Also, it was a much simpler time in early 2007. I had far less school work than I do now, and no job on the side, yet. Whereas, now at Edinboro, it's like, BOOM, something everyday and nagging at me over time! That first college semester gave me a ton of free time, to play games and whatever. Whether having free time is a good or bad thing to you, I sure didn't have it at Edinboro last fall.

I, for one, promise to work hard next semester. It may be a return to sanity, because there's only four classes and my job instead of five. But there is the matter of me finding a line of work, shall we say, for after college. I haven't tried hard enough so far, though I did do the Animators Meet-Up in D.C. back in December. Networking and all that sort of thing... They were some pretty crazy people at the event, too. Too crazy for me. It's, I dunno, too insane when a working professional doesn't know how to use Maya or how the animation process works!

My 5 Years with the same damn iTunes library!

2012-01-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Now, for back story, I did have an iTunes before 2007. I had an iPod (mini) for it to boot. It was a quirky library, with an odd mixture of western artists and my own personal, animated interests.

But a new iTunes was to rise from the ashes. I had no access to it while at WDW in fall of 2006. When I came back in January, the home computer had an inconclusive bug which needed extrapolation. What madness! I was concerned what would befall my digital content on the hard drive. Luckily, it was all preserved at my request.

Inspired by the need to reorganize all the folders from the recovery folder (why must it be so technical), I decided to recreate my music line-up with the re-installed iTunes. And that's when I started it up with Tommy february6's eponymous album.

Starting it off with this actually makes a huge statement. Tommy february6 is a Japanese J-pop singer (actual name is Tomoko Kawaise). My musical tastes had veered towards this foreign sound in the course of two years then. Thanks in large part to Pocket Monsters CD attainment. Tommy had become a hit the prior summer anyways, thanks to YouTube uploads of music videos.

And with that, my library has diversified. not just music, but videos too! Thank you, then-new iPod video for Christmas! As recent as last year, I finally got to branch off into the world of apps. In all, the Music tab holds 2943 items, including music videos. That's a 'freaking lot!

What have the hits been, for context of my music tastes, which I'm open to yammer on about?

Tommy february6 (Love is Forever, Kiss One More Time, Magic in Your Eyes, etc...)
Sowelu (Mamoru beki Mono, Across My Heart, I Will, etc...)
Crystal Kay (ONE, Boyfriend part II, Eternal Memories, Shining, etc...)
mihimaru GT (Bon Voyage, Kibun Jojo, Gazen Yeah!, ect...)
AI
Shimizu Shota
m-flo (Prism, The Love Bug, )
Boa
Sukima Switch
Utada
Namie Amoru (Baby Don't Cry, Sexy Girl, Toi et Moi, etc..)
May J.
Iconiq

Oh my gahd! And that's not even half of the artists in the line-up!

* BTW, I can't help but love confusing all of you, you looking all puzzled that you don't know who any of these people are!

A Year in Musical Lyrics: J-Pop, and only J-Pop

2011-12-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

I wanna Celebi and live my life. You just gotta Pignite. Ya see what I did there? Pokemon puns in music lyrics! But that's not what I'm doing here. I wanted to do something I haven't done before, and that's to put up excerpts of J-pop song lyrics. They are the highlights in music for the year, the songs that I connected to, but you didn't. Only because you've never heard of the songs or the singers.

It's been five years since J-pop began to deeply sink it's claws into me, with Tommy february6 doing the job of stepping stonage. And it wouldn't have been that if not for Pocket Monsters japanese music. Since then, my musical tastes have exploded across the J-pop, or J-music, spectrum. Here are the lyrics:

Sou dakara Baby kanashimanaide

Kangaetemo wakannai toki mo aru tte

Sanzan demo mae ni tsudzuku michi no dokoka ni

Nozomi wa aru kara

Ame no asa demo (Baby don't cry)

Ai ga kiesou demo (Baby don't cry)

Hitori ni nante shinai kara (Baby don't cry)

Baby don't cry

Always stay by your side

WHY? kono hoshi wo erabi WHY? kono chi ni tachi

WHY? muri ni kizutsukeai sagashiai yurushiai

WHY? hibi no ayamachi WHY? kiekakaru ai

WHY?... WHY?... kurikaesu "WHY?"

Here we are jare atte mitsume atte

Get moe More & more

ren ai no seikouritsu wane sanzandene itsudatte jyoujyu shinaimama

towaie sukini nacchaunjya mouya ni naruyo

douka inakunare kon nan nara sonzai jitaiyo kiechi mae

sou omotte donokurai tatsudarou

I'll keep you hypnotized
donna toki demo boku ga

utsushi dashi teagerusa

kakegaenai merodei ga

afure dasu paradaisu

Everyday and night, I wanna make love to you

Koko mo soko mo zenbu aishite

Me wo akete mitsumeta mama

Motto yaite hotette

I'm lovin' you !
I'm lovin' you !
You ! You ! You !
Kuchibiru ga kasanaru to
Sugu wakaru I like it
Hikare au wake
Kuchibiru de chikau

(MUSIC)

akiramekaketa toki kikoete kita MERODI-

(MUSIC)

taisetsu na mono oshiete kureta no wa sou...

(MUSIC)

kokoro ni hibiku shinjisasete kureru

(MUSIC)

MUSIC... Power of MUSIC・・

Take me far away,

Hikari motome tabi suru,

You can't stop the feeling now,

My love, Kimi no soba de.

I just wanna' love you babe,

Kotae wo sagashite,

You're my everything so kono mama,

Just take me far away,

Kimi to futari de.

hikari ha kage no kage ha hikari no

hate made tsuite yuku no darou

boku ga waratte ikiteita no nara

kane wo narashite kimi ni shirase you

Natsukusa ga nagareteku itazura ni chigirare suterarete

Asa o matsu nami ni mi o makase modorenai basho o omotteru

Natsukusa ga nagareteku itazura ni chigirare suterarete

Asa o matsu nami ni mi o makase modorenai basho o omotteru

I guess I need to write up my retrospection: Remembering 2011

2011-12-31T17:01:00.000-08:00

I'm really terrible, I haven't been keeping up with the news. Or i forgot a lot of it after a while. But I'll tell you that this was a year of political turmoil and upheaval, a year for democracy, and a year where good did triumph over evil!

I refer you to:
The deaths of Osama and Gadafi: justice is served. Especially the surprise announcement of Osama's defeat
The ousting of Egyptian president Mubarak, and the rise of democracy
The Tuscon shooting in January
The final launch of space shuttle Atlantis brings an end to an era of space missions
Rebecca Black's Friday- one of the worst songs I've EVER heard!
The dramatics of stupid Charlie Sheen
A spring of terrifying tornadoes in the central states
The horrifying earthquake that shook Japan in March, and nuclear scares from radiation leaks
The 7 billionth person on Earth appears
The evil proposal of SOPA, the internet censorship bill
Ah-nald- he cheated on his wife! Breaking news!
That Royal Wedding between that jerk and that broad (remember the hype for that one, kids?)
Arab Spring, apparantly
The death of Kim Jong Il, and the potential for unrest in North Korea
We leave Iraq! For once!
Here's a hint: 11/11/11 - when will that ever happen again?

Those who've left us:
Steve Jobs
Liz Taylor
Betty Ford

My movies of 2011- Let me preface by saying I didn't see as many theatrical releases this year as you would think.
Rango- My choice for best of the year. It was unlike any other animated flick of late, with a distinct visual style and a sophisticated yet broad tone
Midnight in Paris- My best'est summer movie
Winnie the Pooh (2011)- a great-but-not-perfect recreation/homage to the original shorts, and the best Pooh production since those shorts
The Muppets- A fantastic return to the principles that the Muppet characters stand for, and a meta story that refers to their own history. The happiest movie of the year!
The King's Speech- saw it in February, go figure. But it's a wonderful story about friendship and overcoming personal obstacles
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol- Thank you, Brad Bird, for one of the best action movies I've seen
Kick-Ass- I wanna give it a shout-out, as I saw it this past summer. If Scott Pilgrim was like a cartoon, 'Kick-Ass' is more like real-life. You'll love it if you love Scott Pilgrim, but it's much darker and ultra-violent. Lots of fun, regardless of your comfort level
Puss in Boots- Wha? Yeah, it's totally true. This is one of Dreamwork's best features. Better than the Shrek series it derives from, with a respect for the audience and the story. Features absolutely gorgeous cinematography, looking like a live-action film out of time.
Super 8

*You may notice I didn't mention Pixar or Dreamwork's own Kung Fu Panda 2. Cars 2, a touchy subject... I personally think it wasn't horrible, but it was Pixar's worst film ever. As for KfP2, it was good, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't the original (re: not as good).

I concur there was plenty of crap to stay away from at the movies this year. I refer you to anything with Ryan Reynolds.

Gaming thing of the Year: The 3DS!
My hype for the newest Nintendo handheld was at a high that rarely occurs in my gaming past time. Which turned to 10 years of gaming this year, by the way. The 3DS was incredibly exciting, even overcoming the post-launch hundrum with the Ambassador program and strong fall software releases. Call me geeky, but I love my 3DS!

I could write a whole blog about the events in game-dom that I was affected by, but that's like super geeky!

For me, 2011 was a terrible, difficult year. Lonely in the first half socially, I admit. And incredibly difficult in the second half. I'll go on record saying it was the hardest year of Edinboro I have ever had.

I look back, and remember my Farm Safety debacle. Dealing with directors that I don't like, isolating myself from the group, and the animation I did sucking in general. The fall semester saw four core classes, a southern Chinese professor that didn't make sense, too many papers, tests, and quizes to stick a shake at. And that book report to boot. It's things like that which caused my blogging output to drop, and for me to not care. It'd be great if I kept up somewhat this year!

2011 also saw a tragic not-quite romance that was decent across the year, long distance, but fell apart after my third Ottowa Animation Festival. A tragic tale of woe, and yes, I did just admit this in my blog that others will read.

What bright spots were in 2011? The Camp Carefree/horse camp volunteering was the only exceptional task I undertook. It let me learn more about horses than I ever wanted to, but it also helped me grow as a person. Though I got no pay for my work, it was a positive experience.

2011 was the year I jumped onto the App bandwagon. I became the proud owner of an iPod Touch. It's no iPhone, but...

It was my fourth year working at the New Garden Panera, as pathetic as that sounds. I also feel it is my last year there, as I plan to resign sometime in the future. The lack of hours I got over the summer was the final nail that pushed me to leave. And anyway, I'm tired of working there. I wanna move on. I'm tired of being woken up, asked to come in for some jerk. Or being held up after my shif was supposed to end.

But at least I got a fair job on campus at Edinboro in 2011. The Student Center and it's gym brought balance to my school life, and challanged me to plan out my life around a packed weekly schedule. It's been a fun experience. But going into 2012, it'll be more important than ever that I find a real job for after what is my last semester at Edinboro.

Three years ago, it was to be an optimistic, carefree, healthy time. Now, the future is uncertain with hardship and sacrifice. Hope that 2012 won't spell the end of the world.

Merry Christmas Memories

2011-12-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

You know what will zest up this blog?

In the festive spirit of the season and all the gift giving that it entails, I'm posting summit I've never itemized publically before. I'm going all nostalgic on the presents of the past. There were years before dominated by a major present or theme of gifts. It shows you perspective on what was hot and trendy, and what I was crazy over, and how it differs from all the little boys who had alternative toy binges. We're gonna start with 1992, which is as far back as I can remember.

1992 was Aladdin, 1993 was Nightmare before Christmas, 1994 was Playmobile, 1995 was Toy Story
1996 was the combination of Space Jam and Mars Attacks! (two polar opposites in the realm of alien-featured movies), 1997 was about Star Wars, and 1998 was A Bug's Life.
1999 through 2002 were Pokemon-heavy years. Then 2003 was the music CD and free money year. This was also a crappy Christmas, as the first where all my specific anal requests supressed any surprises.

2004 was the first of a paradigm shift, where the Christmas presents revolved around one big gift rather than a themed set of gifts. So 2004 had the iPod Mini, from my father. 2005 is hazy, but I mostly remember both a Looney Tunes Golden Collection (vol 3) and the GameCube game Cubivore. 2006 was the first Christmas where I was not present with my family. I was actually in Orlando at Disney World. So in January, the big gift was the iPod Video.
2007 was another really crappy year. The cynicism of knowing what I was going to get ruined my spirit, and that of others around me. In that year and 2008, I really don't remember anything cool I got. They just blur together. But in 2009, I definently remember getting New Super Mario Bros. Wii. 2010 was big on animation Blu-Rays, and the Mario-themed DSi XL. Which brings us to 2011 where I just reveled in some more cartoon Blu-Rays, and the Zelda-themed 3DS!
An interesting development I should point out is the case of our family's Secret Santa program. Starting in 2008 (I think), it was a reaction to the excess of too many presents and too much shopping. It also was coincidentally in tandem to the newfound recession (thanks alot, Lhemen Bros). I honestly feel better getting less. This year in fact, I had less desire than ever for grifts. All that I wanted more was my family, especially after the anxious school semester prior.

I'd be curious what your favorite Christmas memories are? I didn't go through everything, but what I did tell you should give you perspective.

Hey you know...

2011-12-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

TinTin flopped, it just didn't do well here. I just looked at the box office numbers, I'm really surprised. American audiences gave it a thumbs down.

Yes, it has already made back it's budget in Europe. But the numbers from its first weekend in America are very telling. The combination of unfamiliarity with the TinTin character here with the motion capture made for a repellent combination. I have been unwilling to see it myself. I would be more interested if it had been a live-action flick.
I've never wanted to watch a motion capture movie, ever since The Polar Express kicked inward. The Zemeckis films in this medium, they all look creepy and uncanny valley. By now, people have decided they too do not want all mo-cap movies. Motion capture, as it were, works better when used in a primarily live-action film, as a creature or something interacting with human performers. Can you imagine if the Lord of the Rings movies were all mo-cap? Do you think they would have been nearly as beloved, or successful? People don't tend to connect with the coldness of digital humans at the forefront.

TinTin is an odd case. Here, you have a heavily-promoted 'event' movie, with the names of Spielberg and Peter Jackson attached prominently. Why would viewers reject that combination? Why would they ignore the release? I feel all the TV promos put so much emphasis on juvenile humor, skewering heavily towards the kid audience (if you watch Cartoon Network at all, you know what those are). Older audiences that would see anything might have felt alienated.

I have a theory about the potential sequel two years from now. It made all its money back in Europe, yes?

No Christmas Card this year

2011-12-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry!

I just dropped in to chime in that I'm going to merge all blog posts into this one all-encompassing blog. Animation or not, I'm sticking to the one blog I actually pay attention to.

I'm wringing my brains to do a write-up on Thanksgiving this past year. In the mean time, why not chew on these rejected character designs? They weren't altered 100% for the final, I was merely asked to alter them. You'll see how in an upcoming post. The more I write, the more focused I become to blog frequently again!

Demo Reel, as of 12/2011

2011-12-21T19:36:00.001-08:00

Includes Farm Safety material, much anticipated material that.

Being a blogger is tough because there are big gaps inbetween posts!

2011-12-13T13:00:00.001-08:00

All I have time to post you right now is this blue volume drawing. Enjoy, for I am in the throes of exam week.

Tease for my big Storyboard piece

2011-11-30T21:12:00.001-08:00

Take a close look!

Popkin as seen by others

2011-11-30T21:09:00.001-08:00

Hey, I'm late on this too. Should have posted this weeks ago, but I got some persons to draw my character Popkin in their way. The blue drawing is so frigging good that I've incorporated some aspects of it into the model.

You can tell which ones are mine. They have the chicken-scratch quality to them.

I still wanna talk about this drawing series I did

2011-11-30T21:04:00.001-08:00

Below are five drawings done in a prior Story-boarding class. Our hands were tied to practice blue pencil value drawings, AFTER we turned in key blue value drawings!

Half of them, more or less, are straight, and the rest are caricatured. Behold!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:47:00.001-08:00

This reminds me of that Monsters Inc. ABC promo ran 10 years ago.

Give thanks for all you got! And go see all those well-recieved movies coming out this week (The Muppets, Arthur Christmas, Hugo).

Animated Releases of November 2011

2011-11-18T18:45:00.001-08:00

It's been some time since a worthwhile animated film has come out, hasn't it? The last good one (subjectively) to come out in the states was what, Puss in Boots? Back in October? Man, it's been so long!

Well, fret no more! I'm looking at a month that has three key releases, which of course will vary in interest among the viewer.

'Happy Feet Two'? Eew, no! A totally skippable sequel, and that comes from someone who never saw the saw the original in theatres five years prior.

More promising, potentially, is Aardman's 'Arthur Christmas', come November 23'rd. It apparantly has garnered some positive reviews so far overseas. The pitfall of this release comes from several factors that keep me from being interested.

For once, it's premise of a high tech North Pole is too similar to Disney's Prep and Landing TV specials. Too, it is another of Aardman's collaborations with an American studio, Sony Animation. Remember 'Flushed Away'? That was a collab with Dreamworks, and it is arguably their worst production. I'd be worried that this newest one might also wring out the Anglo feeling from Aardamn's filmmaking...

The other big release that same day is a movie I'm way more excited for, and that's 'The Muppets'. Yeah, it's not technically animation but rather puppetry. But that sorta does count. The big thing about this movie is it's the first theatrical Muppet release in 12 years. How well it does critically and financially may determin the future of the Muppet gang's appearances. High hopes it is crantastic (yea, I wrote that one).

Three choices this month, at least one will victor with audiences in the face of every other release. Next month, December, all we get is the not-quite-animated-mostly-Mocap Adventures of Tintin. And that's the precise reason I have no desire to see it.

15 Years since Space Jam

2011-11-15T20:54:00.001-08:00

...and The English Patient. And 10 years of the Xbox.

Why am I talking up Space Jam, if it's not any good? It's fairly well known in a broad sense that it's a freaking commercial. Back when it came out, I was freaking excited by the idea. "Oh my god, it's a Looney Tunes movie!" I was real happy about that. I also was excited that it was gonna have Michael Jordan and aliens.

It was the Looney Tunes in their first genuine feature film. Not like the clip show compilations from the 70s and 80s. That title is sure weird, though. It sounds like word vomit, not a name you'd associate with the Looney Tunes.

I can share now how obsessive I was with this brightly colored picture. I had Space Jam action figures, sports uniforms, basketballs, bed sheets, books, dolls, Happy Meal toys, and a sleeping bag. And this was all before the movie came out! I was the perfect target for Warner's marketing campaign. How shameful.

I think the biggest impact this had on me was that it made me care about the Looney Tunes more than ever. It was fortunate that kids of the 80s and 90s had the luxery of exposure to these characters and their shorts, unlike the diminished airings kids have today. It was because of Space Jam that I wanted to know more about the Tunes history, which I became obsessed with learning of. If a movie can lead you to educate yourself on cartoons, directing you towards a career in animation, that is noteworthy.

Here's some upcoming CG adaptions to cheer you up

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Anyway, continuing... As a sequel to that earlier post about the cycle of modern adaptions of beloved cartoons, I present a list of some upcoming victims...er, properties to be slandered.

Pepe le Pew, with Mike Meyers as the voice. This is a big WTF.

Speedy Gonzales, with George Lopez. Yeah... And the story is a bland ol' origin story, where Speedy is a misunderstood boy who befriends a race car driver. What? It's a n instance of hyper political sensitivity.

Tom and Jerry. Another origin story? And worse, it's basically a repeat of 'Tom and Jerry: The Movie' in that they have to work together. That's where I'm thinking, we've already had that. Why are they trying to do it again?

Marvin the Martian. Charels M. Jones would be so ashamed. It's a Christmas-time plot where he is adopted by humans.

The Bearenstein Bears. The bears will be (wait for it) plopped into the modern world, ripe for not-so-ironic jokes about them being bears. What's the point?

Popeye, coming from Sony. Didn't Sony get the memo that a Popeye movie already exists, with Robin Williams no less?

Bugs Bunny. With writing by that guy who wrote 'Elf'. I think this is crossing the line. You simply do not mess with this beloved cartoon icon.

Looking at the above, it's clear the powers that be want to make a quick buck. That's no matter what we, the smart ones, think of them. The Looney Tunes in particular reek of desparation, as Warners disrespects their value by trying to gain relevance with the kids of today. All this looks to hurt the brand value, versus increase it.

I don't know about you, but when I was a kid I wasn't introduced to these characters through modern adaptions with flashy, Rhythm and Hues graphics. It was through the original source materials! The studios must understand that, and expose that so the kids will have respect for them in the future, in retrospective.

Those crappy Live Action-CG adaptions

2011-11-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

Don't you just hate live action adaptations of cartoons of yore? Edinboro just got through a weekend screening 'The Smurfs' from this past summer. To wit, I hope the people want their money back.


Every time these movies come out, I'm always like: This is a worthless piece of crap! Stop making this, please! And then they make more of them. This got me to thinking that there seems to be a pattern everytime these types of movies appear. And I wish to offer my theory below.



First, the project will be announced in the trades (i.e. Variety). The news reaches us at Cartoon Brew, and we flip out that some rotten producer would desecrate our beloved cartoon property.


Time passes, and a teaser trailer appears online. It usually plays out a gag sequence derived from the property in question. And the CG renditions of the cartoon characters are ugly and removed from their original appearances. The majority response from cartoon fans is negative.


A poster and second trailer appear. The poster is grotesque and the trailer starts introducing the generic, bland storyline. Cue an emphasis on pop culture and toilet humor with no purpose, not to mention cynicism and banal one-liners. We tear the pieces apart.


By the time the final trailer hits, we've grown both bored of and fed up with the push for the movie. It lacks any innovation or inspiration. The trailer pushes emphasis on whatever big-name actor the producers could grab. The pain doesn't stop.


The film finally releases, to negative reviews from critics and animation fans. It still manages to reach either #1 or #2 at the box office. The draw is mainly with families looking for something to do, parents frocing nostalgia on their kids, or high school/college women who think it's "cute". The kiddos may find yucks in the film's dumb humor, but they'll forget it the next day.


Months later, the film releases to home media. It will be forgotten soon after.

And the cycle will begin again!

Quick Cartoon

2011-10-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween? This has a tenuous connection to such a holiday:

Enjoy!

Hints and Shades of an upcoming project

2011-10-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, here's the deal. My next project involves creating an environment for characters to exist in. It's a storytelling thing. Below are some of the turn-ins.

Another view of the village in 'Beyond the Sky: MotMS'.

This one got the most kudos from students: a road where a parting of ways takes place (in one of my cartoons I'm writing). It's a road that leads off into the unknown.

Now these two are both on the thread of a baby and a dog interacting...in a nursery. The above has better contrast, the below is better polished.

The village seemed to be the winner out of all the turned in drafts. Even though the road scenario was better recieved, the village truely is more fleshed out and defined. So that's where I'm headed. I'm concocting the blue pencil drawings of that right now. They will have a shape-based definion (if that makes sense).

Not much else in the cartoon world right now. But I will say that 'Puss in Boots' looks rather good. So you should go see it like I haven't been able to!

On a lighter note... a Camp Carefree ad

2011-10-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Should be funny, but my latest Storyboarding project is the first I want to post on here! It's a commercial for Camp Carefree, as per the assignment to board a PSA or a commercial for a company/cause.

And that's the commercial! It's meant to be an abstract representation of the camp's mission: to provide an escape from reality and a comfort zone for the children.

This is what I turned in today, but there will be changes made to some panels. Some small changes, and it'll be quick because I'm taking it to Photoshop. You're welcome.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

2011-10-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

I just got back from things, and learned a second ago that Steve Jobs died today.


He lost his battle against cancer... This is unfortunate, especially bad karma a DAY after the reveal of the iPhone 4S.

There is an animation connection in all this though. Steve it is who purchased (and later sold) the Lucasfilm CGI group that became Pixar.


Recently, he was one of the largest shareholders in the Walt Disney company.



But most of all, people will remember him for the founding of Apple Inc. What he's done to revolutionize the computing world, from Apple 2 and Mac to the iMac and Macbook.



And don't forget his spark to MP3 players, with the iconic iPod, now 10 years old.



Then, he silenced critics who were doubtful that Apple cold break into cell phones: the iPhone, and again last year with the concept of tablet computers: the iPad.



My life was one of the many touched by Steve Job's influence. I have been the proud owner of iPod mini, iPod Video (32 gig), iPod nano, and an iPod Touch. iTunes is the best possible music interface I've ever had, and nothing can best it's versatility. And his tenuous connection with Pixar means that he made their ability to create the highest quality CG cartoons today.

I'm not going to linger on the potential risk to Apple's creativity without Steve. It was one of the most brilliant minds in modern day, so I'm going to remember his legacy for tech and style, and wish Apple all the best and wish well to those close to him who suffer the greatest loss.

There will never again be a Steve Jobs.

All about Ottowa, 2011

2011-10-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Animation Invasion, indeed.

The festival may have ended a week ago, say, but I'm finally ready to get around to describing it in loving detail.

Highlights including multiple screenings (naturally),

Sablo Dobe brought the house down.

Colorful was a terrific anime feature, dealing with heady subject matter. It's actually very melonchaly, but ultimately becomes very sweet. Not to give away too much, it was by far the best feature I could have seen, ...

Having a wonderful time in Ottowa, Canada!

2011-09-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Animation Festival is happening a little earlier this year! That's all I ever wanted.

Saw some amazing cartoons so far.

Wish you were here!

Whaaaaaaaaaat'sss on the Menuuuuuuuuu? Lion King 3D review

2011-09-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today, a little re-release called 'Lion King 3D' came out in theaters! I got to see it! I came Prepared to go around a Circle of people because I Just couldn't Wait to Feel the 3D magic, with No Worries!

Everyone should know the film and its story. It's a loose adaption of 'Hamlet', mixed with Biblical parables. It's a morality tale about following in our father's footsteps and accepting reponsibility, taking our place. Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata. It still holds up as one of Disney Animation's crown jewels. If only for unforgettable characters, amazing songs, a superlative underscore, and skilled animation performance.

The 3D looked really good. The team behind this conversion found a way to intelligently imbue
a hand-drawn film with believable depth.

About the screener: it was just as packed as when Toy Story 1 & 2 were re-released in 3D in 2009. Everyone seemed on board: applause was had multiple times, tears were audibly heard when Mufasa dies, laughs were split at appropo moments. And I always enjoy seeing hand-drawn anything on the big screen.

What I noticed about 'Lion King' this time was how tight the storytelling is. It's much faster paced than animated films of today, and that's partly due to a shorter running length. But that equates to a faster pace, and stronger, compact storytelling. They cut to the chase in every scene, with little to no time wasted. Very different from the longer, jam packed animated features today.

Now, onto my complaints. For this conversion is not without its problems.

For how do you improve a classic film? Should you try to improve a classic film? The 3D's not as big a deal, since it's an after effect. However...

First off, the opening is ruined. Much like Beauty and the Beast last year on Blu-Ray, the old white castle version of the Disney logo is axed here. The newer Disney logo and Animation Studios logos are slapped on instead. Here, it's even worse because it truncates the original opening. Remember how it opened with a tribute to the late Frank Wells? Well, it's been moved to the end of the credits now. And those ambient sounds of the African pre-dawn? Mostly gone!

(for reference, here's a clip of the Special Edition opening, to give an idea of the atmosphere which was taken out.)

And here's a fascimile of what you'll see in theatres:

Disappointing, right?

It get's worse. This 3D release is based off of the changes made in the Imax release in 2002 (whew!)
That means redrawn gators, a changed background, just diminishing the rat focus effects...

(refer to the original gators of 'Just Can't Wait to Be King' below, marked at 1:52)

(and the redrawn ones in the Imax release, marked at 1:45)

These changes are dumb, right? The thing that makes these edits dumb is... They act like we don't notice these changes are being made. Us hardcore Disney fans, that is. This raises the issue that films like this need be preserved in their original state. The purism of classic films is a serious issue among cinemaphites, and I've increasingly become one myself.

How hard is it to give us viewers the original versions of these animated films? Is it legal BS, or sheer spite?

The one good thing to come out of the 3D version is that the song, 'Morning Report', is not included. That was an addition to the Imax version.

Note that these are aesthetic nitpicks, and don't let them deter you from seeing this re-release. You're still getting the core film, despite this crappy little changes. And that core film is still as current today as it was 17 years ago. Thunderously powerful, spanning universal themes and emotions, The Lion King still holds up as one of Disney's best.

I promise you it will make a boogle for Disney over two weeks. More than the Glee concert movie did!

Guess what came in my care package?

2011-08-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Pixar stamps! That's the random animation bullet point of the day.

Class is back

2011-08-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

Last week in my job training, however, I created these tableux:

What's the story? They were made for a skit for a group-based competition. A friendly competition. The skits were based on a key word drawn from the pile. My group's theme was vacations, so what better than a sales pitch for a travel package...to Edinboro, PA!

Today, my first class is the studio Human Anatomy (not to be confused with Human Biology).

Pokemon + Cats

2011-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

A crazy new Photoshop project. Okay, it's not that great. But you get the idea.

:)

When I first saw Pokemon...

2011-08-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

To continue my Nicktoon rant, I was a Nickelodeon Magazine subscriber as far back as 1998. At the end of one September issue, I saw this:

When I initially saw it, I groaned! Really, another Nicktoon?! Keep in mind, this was back when Nick was on an overdose of new Nicktoons. In the last few years, we had Hey Arnold!, Kablam!, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, Angry Beavers, CatDog, and The Wild Thornberrys.

So, it was an easy mistake to assume that this cartoony advert, in Nick Magazine, automatically meant it was a Nicktoon.

But then I saw the Nintendo copyright info on the bottom, and I realized it was actually a video game.

And the rest is history!

Happy 20 Years, Nicktoons!

2011-08-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

It was yesterday, but I still wish well to the Nicktoon label. 20 Years ago, on Aug. 11, 1991, the series 'Rugrats', 'Doug', and 'The Ren & Stimpy Show' debuted on Nickelodeon. And animated television would transform forever.



It was the beginning of the rise of creator-driven cartoons, made by cartoonists with a unique vision. It was a far cry from the majority of 1980s animated television (re: toy and franchise-based shows).

As we may know, Rugrats became the longest running Nicktoon in the network's history, and Doug would spend some years on the network before defecting to Disney's ABC.

But the most important Nicktoon was Ren & Stimpy! Created by John K. and produced by Spumco, it had a distinct, retro flavor crossed with outrageous cartoon humor and amazing artowork.

It's been said may times, many ways, but the show is of utmost importance in it's impact on the American animation landscape.

We saw many shows throughout the 90s try and fail to ape the look of the show. But Ren & Stimpy was simply unmatchable.

...until Spumco had the show taken away.

Without the Nicktoons, many other great cartoons of the 90s, and certainly Cartoon Network's original programming, would not have been possible.

And there would have been no great shows like 'Invader Zim', 'Rocko's Modern Life', and, the big one: 'SpongeBob Squarepants'!

Today, Nicktoons have seemingly faltered.  The network has seemingly forgotten how to make these shows by definintion, because most of them are based on pre-existing properties (Nick-based or otherwise). And the rest are the same shows from ten years before (SpongeBob, I'm looking at you).

It's funny, because back in the mid-to-late 90s, Nick went on a blitzkrieg of Nicktoon oversaturation ('Hey Arnold', 'CatDog', 'Wild Thronberrys', 'Angry Beavers' all came out within two years). And now, they're like: 'The Penguins of Madagascar'!



When was the last time you saw a great new Nicktoon? With minor exceptions, the network has put out some pretty lousy ones in the last five years (Barnyard? Catscratch?!) And when they had good-looking ones like 'El Tigre' and 'The Mighty B' (a SpongeBob-wannabe at heart), they were consigned to lousy airtimes, and went to ratings hell.



I have hope that some day, we'll see amazing, original Nicktoons from the minds of budding animation artists, with powerful imagination and strong visions. But in these times, it looks unlikely (see: Voltron reboot, Ninja Turtles revival).

We'll alaways have our memories, though. So, commenters: do you have a favorite Nicktoon memory? A favorite show?

You know what?

2011-08-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

The Bamboo Tablet I've been using is terrible! That's just one of the reasons I don't do alot of Photoshop pieces for you, the reader.

It's not very sensitive, and it lags upon the pen dropping down. I'll be getting a new tablet in the future to make up for it.

But hey, I did get a new printer/scanner. It's way better than the previous one (from Leximark - shudder). Now, it'll be quicker/easier to scan in all sorts of cool goodies.

In the meantime, here is a Photoshop piece:

With a fall semester of anatomy and storyboarding, I'll have plenty to talk about.

Winnie Puuh? No, Winnie the Pooh Came Out Today!

2011-07-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

Finally, after two years of waiting, it's finally here! The much anticipated revamp of Winnie the Pooh has hit screens. The big deal of its production is that it's the first Pooh production done in-house by the Disney artists since 1977's 'Many Adventures of'.

I thought it was pretty good, but not the perfect storm of purism we were hoping for. The artwork, of course, was dead-on to how the original shorts looked. The story was cute, with no need for complexity or scope. The storytelling itself was pure simplicity, and well concieved was how (spoilers) Pooh's hunger for hunny was the throughline that holds the film together.

Now for my nitpicks.

There were some tonally-inappropriate moments here and there. Characters (rarely) say something rude or modern in tonation they would never say in the shorts. An odd out-of-character expression is thrown (by Eeyore, once). Roo and Piglet get the worst of it, despite that they are only minor characters.



The songs were okay, but not matching the charm of the songs by the Sherman Bros. I thought they were really bad before seeing the movie, based on foreign clips on the internet misrepresenting the final product. They're not so bad, though I question whether all of them are needed for the story- natch.



Yeah, the animation was great, but I gotta ask about Rabbit's performance. He overanimates in parts. It's wierd that he's lead by Eric Goldberg, an animator who's style is the exact opposite of who Rabbit is.



Voices? I can't complain (no complaining). The only problem I had initially was why so many of the characters were recast.

In truth, I actually prefered the accompyning short, The Ballad of Nessie, artistically to the feature.  It looks so much like the Disney studio's shorts of the 1950s (think Pigs is Pigs and you're there). It was narrated by a guy who channels Bill Thompson exactly. And it's a charming affair.



Winnie the Pooh, however, is much better (technically) than the last ten years of Pooh features and shows. This is no 'My Friends Tigger and Pooh' or 'Heffalump Movie'! And thank god there's no Lumpy in sight.

It, despite my nitpicks, earns my high recommendation. Give Pooh a vote, help him out.



Because you all will be seeing Harry Potter instead. So to acknowlege, here's a cartoon short I just found.

Some small things

2011-07-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

In the wake of my move, I've continued to come across some neat archived drawings. Like these from my Design class of early 2007 (yes, it was that long ago!)

I think these hold up well enough. What about this next one though?

For the bottom image, it's Smart Moon, Baby Moon, and absent-minded Termite as a comedy troupe. Smart Moon's index finger has a comedic face tatooed on it. Woot.

Zombiesaur Photo Series

2011-07-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago, he was buried for eternity. Now he's risen from the dead! So his appearance belies.

These are Photoshop-aided photos of the toy (not a puppet, despite it's fetching appearance). I designed the color and contrasts to resemble a Romero-esque zombie fest.

Especially this one, where it looks like it came from a bad film print. How kitchsy!

Remember when they made these?

2011-07-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd find this old, dusty box. Found it in my closet as a matter of fact. It was my first ever iPod. A Christmas gift seven years ago (yea, a Christmas post in July).

Boy, times have changed. If the upcoming iOS5 this fall indicates, the iPod name has changed meaning over the years since iPhone came out and changed the face of portable media.

But back then: when I first learned what an iPod was, I thought it was brilliant. It took away the clutter of a CD collection. And I thought 1000 songs were enough for me.

Now, my iTunes has 2622 music items!

I like this box design myself. Colorful lettering, glamorizing the product itself, and that cute box shape. Today, the packaging is so much smaller, only big enough to house the player, earbuds, USB cable, and nothing else.

But then, iTunes was delivered via a CD-Rom. How dated is that?

Did anyone else jump onto the iPod bandwagon back then?

I dood this at 6 years old

2011-07-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

As I'm cleaning out for my move, throwing away old crap, I tended to find some old chestnuts. I scan them before they go to the trash can. Like this above drawing.

It came from a WildLife Fact File folder, where you'd get these fold-outs in the mail to add to your collection. They were very kid-focused, but they taught me well. At 6 years old (in the department of redundent reduncency).

A little Photoshop fixer

2011-07-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the book Hoodwinked, about George W. Bush's push for the Iraq War?

Well, I got an inspiration!

Cool, huh?

Plug for the new blog

2011-07-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Ever since June 30'th, my new blog I've mentioned on here has been live. I hope you will check it out. And comment. It is called The Main Blog.

Paintings

2011-07-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

Don't think I've ever posted these on here before. But here is some more byproduct of my tenure in Painting I, in the fall of '10. With an incredibly boring professor.

"Beyond the Sky: Maestro of the Morning Song" - my Painting final, I got to do whatever I wanted.

"Model Study" - done over a period of days, they get progressively more realistic

"Self-Portrait" - Many nights and days in front of a mirror

"Sea Bird Studies" - Based on a photograph, each one uses a different color scheme than the master copy. Those colors were made in Photoshop. 'Cause, where else?

"Abstract Study" - The orientation will change what you see in this hard-to-design piece. Seriously, it was hard.

Until I depart...

2011-06-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

I dug up this dusty old art from 2007. Cowboy Loggins duking it out with his hlaf-brother Cartwright.

Designs, they have-a changed since then, my friends.

Greetings from Camp Carefree, from beyond the grave

2011-06-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

I will be gone for a week, as a camp counselor! So I won't get to post during then. In the meantime, here's something to tide you over. My live blog notes from Nintendo's E3 press conference. Remember, it's the games I like too.

Announcing my new blog, y'all!

2011-06-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

This just in: I'm on the cusp of launching my new blog. It's not simply an animation blog. It is a continuation of my ye older...MySpace blog.

You probably read that and though, "bleargh!" It may prove a fascinating read, though. I use such a blog to disclose deep fears, dark secrets, commentary, and opinion pieces. This is a boon for my blogging development, uniting it on the service with my animation blog. Away from the dying social network site, a source of embarressment.

And hey, I might have a good story to tell. I'll be migrating and re-posting every old blog post, left in their original state. You'll mine fun reading older, antiquated blog writing.

10 Years of Game Boy Advance (ownership)

2011-06-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

You've seen articles I did paying tribute to the Game Boy Advance back in March. You, the lovely reader, can check in on that.

However, before you do, I'll say today marks 10 years since I got my own GBA. Saturday marked the handheld's 10'th anniv. in the states.

I admit how exciting it was to pick up the system and Super Mario Advance that afternoon (both seen above in a recent photo). It marked the future of handheld gaming!

Yessir, GBA was significant for taking us game players out of the 8-bit ghetto handhelds were stuck in since 1989. It's remarkable how much portable electronics have evolved since, such as the PSP and iPhone/Touch/Pad devices putting emphasis on multimedia and convergence. Aside from better gaming tech, relatively speaking, of course. But the 32-bit bugger will always have a special place in the history books.

(Baby) It's You!

2011-06-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

In actuallity, my animation professor and advisor Brad Pattullo has finished a short cartoon I last saw him working on back at school. Only it's not a narrative short like I though it'd be: this...is a music video!

It is a collaboration between Brad P. and collegues Jeremy Galante and David Cowles. The song is by The Boys.

Bonus: check out the directing animator's websites! Right now!

Brad Pattullo's blog on the production
Jeremy Galente
David Cowles

Where was I?

2011-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've found something inspired to tell you about. Writing a blog on the dot isn't the easiest thing to do, particularly when Blogspot's servers are terrible. But below are some cartoons you want to take notice of. Prepare to be bewildered!

Pinocchio in Outer Space (1964). Above is a small sample of the madness. It is a Belgium/US co-production from the 1960s. Judging by the campy space motif, the period it reflects shows. If you watch more, you'll see it's both a bit boring and batsh*% insane.

This review that led me to check it out can be found here.

He complains that the animation is TV-level. But I don't think it looks that bad. The visuals remind me of anime features from the 1960s, and it's a beautifully fluid-moving film. They went for a simple, clean visual style. Thusly it's more visually appealing than alot of the cartoons made today, this I believe.

My only critique about the animation? It's not the best animation acting, for one. But also, the character's aren't particularly facially expressive.

(Look at the parrot/turtle: his mouth has no change in emotion whatsoever. His eyes may show emotions, but his mouth betrays his feelings.)

Come to think of it, he also makes the whole enterprise sound like a worse cartoon than it actually is. It's not that offensively bad, or stupid. If you go into it with the mindset of a campy B-movie, you'll be fine.

The above is a perfectly suitable antidote. Kung Fu Cooking Girls is both sexy and funny. It knows its audience- every guy has been through super girl-loving phases after all.

The animation is incredible! Guess how the filmmakers accomplished their feat? They hand-drew the key frames, and did the inbetweens through vector software! I'd love to know two things: how did the process work, and how can I win one? This could be the future of creating hand-drawn animations on the cheap.

It was done by Chinese animation group Wolf Smoke. Check out their website. I endorse such a manuver.

Some MORE Edinboro leftovers

2011-05-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

I really predicated a grim past year at university. That said, here's some cute material I should've posted a long time ago, but didn't.

When we went to Ottowa, we got van and room designation cards. Mine had the Pokemon Plusle! It was drawn by Animation club leader Liz (see, I do give credit where it's due).

I did a chibi Tommy february6 as an off-shoot. It demands to be cleaned up.

What is 'silk/t'? It's some graphic design I made out of letter magnets. You'd mess around with 'em in sculpture.

A robot as seen in the sculpture lab

2011-05-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

I found this anmazing robot sculpt someone did back in the semester. And I just had to sketch it.

It's so toy-like, I love it so much.

Here, he's channeling Johnny 5!

While we wat for Farm Safety to go live...

2011-05-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here's some seldom seen, out-of-date model sheets. Of Charlie, the hardest character to draw.

I only wish I had done these. They were done by the character designer.

Some paper bits

2011-05-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Edinboro's Highlander paper can post good stories after all. Take a look at this article from a few weeks ago.

And take a look at this city life paper's words of wisdom. This is very relevant to my animation director. Heed this advice:

This is pretty funny

2011-05-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon the rare soundtrack to the Don Bluth release, Thumbelina (1994). It's unopened, and $20!

It goes for $43 used online, and over $100 new. Thanks, suckers!

This was the dream soundtrack for when I was a kid. And I never could find it then. But now, I have it! I just got it 'cause I thought it'd be funny.

What to do with it though? Part of me is the comic collector, and part of me is perpetually 6 years old. Where I just wanna rip it open and listen to it.

I really wanted that soundtrack to that awful movie!

2011-05-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember this short?

Well, back before I filmed it, I actually storyboarded it! Here are the boards:

Farm Safety is in the Toilet!

2011-05-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

To celebrate it's first screening, here's some more previously unseen production art, research and model sheets that fell through.

Uncle Marty as Archie Bunker-esque is way below, along with versions of Charlie, Andrew (with a pick), and Jamie.

Below: Oh gosh, look how flamboyant my take on Charlie was, before he was finalized.

Below: Yeah, I actually had to research fire hydrants. None of this really ended up in the final.

Below: These model sheets weren't by me, but they are interesting and skillful.

Funny story about the cows above. Our clients didn't like 'em because they were too appealing. Which is the whole point of animation.

I would show you the short, but I don't yet have a copy. I'll get one soon.

My sister's 25'th B-Day card

2011-05-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

I know this is really late, timing wise. But the semester is closing up, so I have free time to do this post-it.

I find it reasonable that she enjoyed it. Smart Moon's costuming references a Broadway show she's seen recently (How to Succeed Without Trying).

The drawing on top could always be better. That's why I'm taking an anatomy class this fall. That'll make for improvement!

A One-Man Performance

2011-05-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is very exciting - my Film/Video final can finally be posted here, and discussed thereafter.

The decision to make this short was the 2002 film, 'Adaptation'. In i, Nic Cage appears on screen twice at many instances. That blew my mind - I couldn't digest two Nic Cages on screen at once. So, this short is an experiment in split-screen photography. The same technique that this film uses.

Plus, I love the Winnie the Pooh shorts. Tigger Too is my favorite of the three, because guess who it features? And with the new feature coming here in July, this seemed like the ultimate big hug to Pooh.

Production was mostly a solo affair, when it came to shooting. The combination shots were done in After Effects, and the editing was in Windows Movie Maker. It took about two weeks to complete.

Hope you thought it was funny/surreal/one big holy sh*t moment. One of my classmates certainly did.

Farm Safety Shots For All!

2011-04-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus, I've collected myself in time to bring you a reel of all these shots I've worked on. I've done everything in them, ranging from animation to inbetweening and clean-up.

The project was tough, inscruitably so. I was recently shifted over from one unit to another, where I found much more success. So, the bulk of shots here come from that newer unit.

Interestingly, today the 21'st, was the due date for all the rough animation! However, for at least another week, we'll be plowing through clean-up animation. All in the name of turning in the short for the annual film festival. Looking forward to completing it myself.

Why, yesterday I was up till 4 AM working on it. That should give you an idea of how hardcore crunch time is.

The Future of Television?

2011-04-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have a new 4D short! It's a piece of edited public domain footage, with eerie results.

What's your take on the subtext of the short? It's a little creepy, yes?

A look back at: Pokemon 3 The Movie

2011-04-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

Farm Safety is a very time consuming thing. You know what else is? College in general. That's why I haven't posted for a few (a lot of) weeks. Sorry about that. I'm going to cap off my look at the Game Boy Advance soon. But I can't skip today without setting up talk about the 3'rd Pokemon movie. Which was released 10 years ago to the day.

10 years of GBA - the tech (part 1)

2011-03-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

To set this story up, the Game Boy Advance was the first 32-bit handheld ever. Part of the appeal of GBA at it's arrival was the possibilities untold. It's processor said that it could outpace the SNES of 10 years ago, and mimic some of the things that Playstation and Nintendo 64 could do(!)

Was the system up to the task? And what else defined the hardware's impact, beyond just the software?

Part of the above description inadvertantly set up false over-expectations for the system's capacity early on, certainly for yours truely. I was 13 when it came out, and very naive about the realities of game hardware.

Seeing tiny thumbnails of Space World 2000 builds of Mario Kart and Golden Sun on GBA didn't help either.

Or this tech demo, which got so many hopes up:

It's Yoshi's Story on a freaking GBA! Too bad it never happened.

Start by looking at the system's most amusing function. That it could assume the look of polygonal graphics. See, those were the games that impressed more than a silly old 2D game (at the turn of the century).

It was baffeling to realize the GBA's processor could not naitively produce polygonal graphics. So, we were amazed when we saw early release Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.

Holy crap! There was a 3D skater model moving on the screen! With a smooth frame rate, to boot!

Check out these other uses of 3D gameplay, and draw conclusions from them:

Iridon 3D, for example. This looked amazing for the day, truely 3D-seeming perspective and detailed environments. This was impossible on earlier handhelds. Certainly not doable on the SNES, but plausible for PS1.

GT Advance was an early true racer for the system (and a launch game too). Look how it had polygonal cars and seamless moving roadways. No pole position here. It was mode 7, yes, but it had detailed enough graphics that it could look believable.

Tekken Advance. The fighters, even in still form, look three dimensional, as do the detailed back drops. Smooth animations accompany the fights.

Kill.Switch. Hey, they did a full 3D, third-person action title(!)

V-Rally 3. One of the later GBA racers, this achieved a full 3D environment for you to race in, moving at 30 frames per second. There were no other cars on the track, to be sure. But the effect is pretty marvelous.

Driver 3R(?) A step further, this is another full 3D action/sandbox game. Draw-in weakens the illusion, though.

Banjo Pilot. What was once Diddy Pilot back in the day, had the chance to live retooled for Banjo Kazooie. And it arguably looks more impressive than kart rival Mario's effort on GBA. The scope is larger, the graphics richer.

What do all the above games have in common? While I appreciate that the developers pushed for 3D gameplay/graphics, these games mostly weren't very good. Iridon suffered from linearity, Tekken was control-limited, the games involving cars were stiff and slow. And Banjo was, well, meh.

I'll almost except it from Super Monkey Ball Jr., if only because it does move kinda smoothly. And that Sega could cram in so many 3D platforms to roll on was a technical achievement of some sort. But the full-blown console Monkey Ball would always win out:

Too, the games that tried to push for 3D action were limited by the minimal screen resolution, and by the limited control options on the system. Just look at this canceled GBA title below. I like the ambition, but it was too big for the GBA's britches.

Don't get me wrong, for the day, this would have been very cool. Not even Nintendo tried to assume a 3D action-heavy game in their portfolio.

And that's sort of the point. It's arguable that the better playing GBA games that pushed technology did so intelligently. Prerendered graphics can look good, but for the system, those would have to match with gameplay that works given the system's limitations.

Just ask the games below:

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge acted like the N64 predecessors, but played from a top-down angle. It plays better with this design choice. It may not play technically 3D, but still feels as good looking as the N64 entries.

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong. It reminds me of either Donkey Kong Country, or N64's Mischief Makers. But it remains a 2D puzzle platformer, retaining a pick-up-and-play mentality (even if it gets brutally hard).

Speaking of Donkey Kong, how does the GBA port of Country compre to the SNES original? Not well. The SNES version has richer colors, and certainly better sound.

The GBA remake has super-bright colors to compensate for the original, light-less system. And it hurts the game's visuals, as a result. They look kinda garish comparatively.

That doesn't stop the GBA version from having the same gameplay, so it's forgivable in that sense.

I mentioned Golden Sun before now, as looking like an N64 game. You decide if it's truly comparable to Harvest Moon 64, like I did/do.

Why yes, they do share similarities. The prerendered characters, detailed environments, even aspects of the art direction.

I mean, those kinds of graphics were'nt even attempted back in the SNES days. As if it wasn't possible. So there's a prime example of GBA lording it over the similar SNES.

Bottom line is, when developers pushed the limits of the GBA's chip, it had the power to capture the imagination. Understand that all of these games were made in the days of PSP and DS. Though both of them could blow GBA out of the water with much better 3D (and crisper 2D, for the sake of argument), GBA was able to defy the limits and do things not thought possible.

Gameplay always comes first, of course.
I'll bring more later, with much regards to the sound of the system.

10 years of GBA - The Software

2011-03-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of my retrospective today, here's a look at some (not quite all) of the influencial software that hit in it's six-year life span.

Super Mario Advance

In my view, did the best job (certainly of all the Mario Advance games) of showing what the GBA was capable of. It also set the tone for a majority of the system's library: it was a remake.

See games like Link to the Past, Breath of Fire, Metroid, Final Fantasies I-VI sans III, etc...

It used flashy tricks likes sprite rotation, bright cheerful colors, large sprites, slight particles, and voice samples. At the time, this was incredible that this could be done on a handheld! I was floored when I first saw it in action, only used to porta-play defined by 8-bit sprites.

Compared to the later games in this Advance series, the first one did the most to set itself apart from the original it was based on.

It was also, by far, my only choice for an accompying game when I got the system (days after launch, by the way).

Kuru Kuru Kurin

I would have killed for this to come to the USA. It embodies pick-up-and-play gameplay that is perfect for handhelds. Curses that only Europe got an international release. You could easily sell it to the Hot Topic crowd.

Plus, it is quirky and unique, based on avoiding those barriers while rotating constantly. And with a charming mascot to boot.

Mario Kart: Super Curcuit

Here's a GBA presentation powerhouse. And one of my personal favorites. It looks lightyears better than the SNES predecessor, and almost matches the N64 sequel for visual magnitude.

The character models and colorful environments just weren't possible on SNES. Control-wise, it felt tighter than it's bretheren before (my opinion, of course).

Golden Sun

One of the best looking GBA games ever. It practically resembles Harvst Moon 64 in it's art direction. The graphics and sound design humbly push the system sensibly, and it struck awe when it first appeared. It was state-of-the art for the time.

Ever since its reveal at Space World 2000, I felt that Camelot had created something must-see for the platform.

As a personal anectdote, my Golden Sun play history started after I was deathly ill post-8'th grade graduation. I didn't care that I was too ill to get out of bed, I really wanted to play this game. It helped speed up time while I recovered.

Wario Land 4

Perhaps the best of the 'Land series. The graphics were attractive and detailed, and the audio/music was some of the best on the system. The level design was filled with nooks and crannies to explore, and unlike WL3, there was more direction to them.

It's fun to go from the Amazon ruins to a toy-filled city to a garbage dump to a domino-filled cavern.

The games I got the GBA for: Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire!

And they were just the beginning...

I imagined the possibilities well before they came out. Back when they were announced simply as 'Pokemon Advance' in early 2001. And I was a huge enough Pokemon fan then to die for that wait.

They were fantastic for their day, but after RPG Golden Sun set the golden standard for GBA RPGs, Ruby and Sapphire couldn't quite live up to expectations (graphically speaking). Golden Sun had a prerenderd visual style, while R/S looked plain and gaudily textured by comparison.

However, the gameplay is still excellent, as is wont with any Pokemon game. and hey, these introduced 2-on-2 battles, 136 new Pokemon, and plenty more.

I know many Pokemon players still fire the GBA line of Pokemon games up every now and then, using them to upload their critters to the DS entries. My copy of Sapphire, for example, has clocked in over 200 hours in 8 years(!)

In my top 3 GBA list, the top slot would go to WarioWare Inc.

This was a completely unexpected surprise when it hit the shelves in 2003, and it remains a brilliant handheld game to the day. I had no idea what it actually was until I played a demo in the 'ol Target store.

For starters, it is important for re-invigorating Wario's character by upping his greed level from treasure hunter to a business tycoon. And the series created a unique universe for him to live in, populated with colorful, hilarious personalities.

Remember how Mario Party before was well known for it's truck load pf mini-games? WarioWare re-invented the idea of minigames when they appeared here as microgames (five to ten seconds).

The visual style did wonderful things with the graphics of the system. There were photo-real games, 8-bit recreations, and complete abstractions.

My personal favorites were the 9-Volt series.

The GBA sequel, Twisted, goes even further with unbridled creativity, thanks to the innovative use of the gyroscopic cartridge. But I don't forget the impact of the original.

Also, some imports I would've totally jumped on if brought here:

Rythem Tengoku

Mother 3

With the above two, Nintendo notably deprived the US (and everyone outside of Japan) of these potential last hurrahs. The former, hailing from the team behind WarioWare, was a rythm music game, with wild situations, catchy music, and striking artwork.



And the latter, already fan-translated for the 'ol ROM use, is the realization of what could have been Earthbound 64, way the hell back when. Like the Mother games before it, it had a wicked sense of humor, colorful, appealing visuals, and charming characters.



Without these, the only last hurrah we got was a remake of Final Fantasy VI (Advance). This had the effect of bookending the system as it had begun (with Super Mario Advance): with a remake.



...And the platform died thereafter with crappy, ugly third-party shovelware.

Look for more in part 3 of my look at GBA's technology.

By the way, I know there were lots of GBA games left off the roster here. If you want to comment, what were your favorite GBA games?

10 Years of Game Boy Advance

2011-03-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

With the advent of the 3DS upon the US, and because I got away with discussing the DS's design on this animation blog before...

I thought it fit to tribute the Game Boy Advance today. It came out in Japan on March 21, 2001.

It felt like the first modern handheld, the first to step out of the 8-bit era of every handheld before.

Design-wise, what did it mean? It looks like a SNES controller with a screen on it. And minus two buttons.

It still feels very comfortable to the hands. It also differentiated itself from it's Game Boy predecessors with a hot horizontal orientation, necessitated by having the first 'wide' screen on a Game Boy handheld.

By the time Game Boy Advance SP came out in 2003, it made the original model feel like a toy by comparison. The GBA SP resembles a tiny little laptop computor. Or, more appropriately, a flip phone.

As the above press shot shows, the GBA SP (especially the silver model) looks very sleek. It's clamshell desgin, incedentally, would come to define Nintendo handhelds from here until the end of time. That is, with one major exception:

The Game Boy Micro, of 2005, went back to the basics of the first model. Though it also takes inspiration from the iPod. Which was in the hopper at the time.

Nintendo thought everyone would be bedazzled by it's slick new handheld. But it was held back by dated technology (no wireless inside?) and really bad timing.

That is, the DS was already established as the 'it' handheld of the day. Thus, GBM came and took the Game Boy line down with a whimper, instead of the bang it deserved.

(By the way, in the spirit of the above silver handhelds, here's the silver DS Lite. It is a color that's been discontinued since, but it's indicative of the DS's continued success to this day.)

And before you say, "nerd!", I have played the ol' GBA back in the day. I have fond memories of it's vast software, even if the tech is now severly outdated.

Incedentally, the 3DS today is equivilent to the GBA, in that 3DS is a proper evolution of an established handheld that was brand new. See, GBA was to GB/GBC as 3DS is to DS/DSi.

(Coincidentally, both have wider resolution screens than their earlier relatives.)

What else can we say about the software and tech? I'll save it for later posts in my ongoing series. For now, the GBA certainly lead the way for future handhelds, such as DS, and lead to needed competition like PSP.

Remember the GBA.

Here are the other parts I've concocted so far, in my loving tribute to the system:

The Software

The Hardware

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 did Gumby

2011-03-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

I should probably like this show. It's fun to make snark at bad movies, and this show did it really well. I never knew they had animation on it, less so with a Gumby production. Have a look.

My Tribute to Japan

2011-03-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

As you well know, a week ago struck the terrible earthquake and tsunami across much of Japan. It has destroyed lives, homes, and entire villages and towns. On top of that is the threat of a nuclear crisis that could be devastating.

I encourage everyone to donate to the cause of recovery, vbe it with Red Cross or anyone else. I love Japan, so I've put in a donation myself.

In tribute to one of my favorite nations, here's a compilation of many things I love about Japan. It includes the music, anime, landmarks, and persons.

Start From a New Beginning

2011-03-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

That's the title to my newest live-action piece. This one's an interesting beast. We had to establish a unique editing pattern, that of five frames, 10 frames, then 15 frames. This then repeats the whole sequence. Oh, and it had to be a self-portrait to boot.

Here's what I came up with:

It's about creating a fresh start in life. In this case, it reflects a real-life campaign to make my room a bit more grown-up. I did so, without completely deleting the room's character (spoilers: Pokemondom).

The music here is an experiment in choppiness that matches the images. I don't think it went over that great. I'll rectify that in order to show a cut with proper audio.

Enjoy!

I was gone, 'cause I took a break

2011-03-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the week-long absence. I will try not to do that again.

I don't have some big thing to post today, but over the last week, some big 'cartoon' news happened. As reported by a multitude of sites on the intertubes, the mo-cap film 'Mars Needs Moms' bombed big time, grossing a mere $6.8 million against a $175 million budget. This resulted in the 'Yellow Submarine' mo-cap remake getting canceled. Thank crimeny for that!

I don't think I've ever discussed my personal opinion of Bob Zemekis's mo-cap movies on any blog before. I'll say that my opinion is markedly similar to other animator's: they are incredibly ugly and creepy looking. They make the classic mistake of emphasizing technology over story.

How could 'The Polar Express' ever get replay value over the holidays, for example? What's so damn special about 'Beowulf'? What was former Disney exec Dick Cook thinking to greenlight 'A Christmas Carol', 'Mars', and the 'Submarine' remake? They no doubt were suckered into the supposed streamlining of production of the mo-cap process. Who needs animators or live actors, anyway?

* I excepted 'Monster House' because that one at least looked more like a cartoon than the others, looking photo-real.

These movies are boring, unremarkable, and creepy to the eyes. 'Mars' deserved to bomb. I think it means audiences have finally learned to avoid Zemekis's crap mo-cap.

And yes, I know 'Mars' was directed by Simon Wells (of, shudder, We're Back, among other bad movies). The project, however, is indelibly tied to Zemekis's Image Movers Digital.

Hopefully, we'll get more CG animated movies like 'Rango' and 'Arther Christmas' (coming this holiday), and no more mo-cap pictures like what Zemekis built.

There are no dumb questions

2011-03-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

This is an actual exchange between an animation student and the professor yesterday, during a drawing clean-up demo:

"How hard do you press down on the paper?"
"Hard enough for something to show up."

Rim Shot!

Farm Safety - A new shot emerges!

2011-03-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

Behold! I will totally have more shots post-Spring Break. I went through four revisions before it was approved this past week. It's kind of sad how I wasn't allowed new shots until this one was finished.

Let's watch... Oscars 2011!

2011-03-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the scoop. This past Sunday, I live-blogged my views while watching the 83'rd Oscars broadcast. Since there's some animation-themed stuff going on, and because we all love film, this blog proves to be a good place to re-print the transcript. Sorry for it's tardiness and datedness. The week before spring break will do that to you. It starts right below:

First, my predictions: you know, you just KNOW Toy Story 3 will win Best Animated Picture. I would like if there was an upset win for 'The Illusionist', but just won't happen.

Best Animated Short: Could be Day & Night vs. Let's Pollute. But the Madagascar short could come out and win, too.

Best Actor: Two words: Colin Firth

Best Picture: For TS3, ain't gonna happen, sadly. I give it to the old-fashioned The King's Speech. For the public, it'll be an upset over the more popular The Social Netwok.

Off-hand, my greatest Oscar wish is for Clint Eastwood to present an animation award. Not some cute actress or some kids.

8:30 PM Whup, here we GO!

"What happens when the kids grow up?" The moral dilemma of TS3

The hosts are being planted into the nominees for Best Pic. As they say, impressive. Or "kewl".

I can't see them fitting into TS3, though. And I was right.

Your hosts: James Franco and Ann Hatheway!!

(I bet the Pixar guys got seated along the aisles.)

A bad-taste lesbian string of jokes... Ugh.

The loved films of the last century...starting with Gone With The Wind (When Will It End?)

Titanic!! Art Direction and Cinematography create a Best Picture classic

Art Direction award: Alice in Wonderland? I thought it'd be King's Speech

Cinematography Oscar goes to: Inception!!! A deserving win!

Best Supporting Actress, I give it Boham Carter. It goes to: (he's drawing it out...) Melissa Leo from The Fighter?

NOOOO! They censored her words #$@@!

...and BEST ANIMATED SHORT: The Lost Thing?!

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Who's it gonna be?: TOY STORY 3

Lee says...thank you to the academy. Thanks Lasster, Jobs, and Catmull. Pixar is awesome.

Talking toys with something human to say

The awards were presented by two good people for once... Timberlake and Tome

Adapted Screenplay, including TS3, based on previous films: Social Network!!!

To the award recipient: Get OFF THE STAGE!!!

Best Original Screenplay, I give it King's Speech: KING's SPEECH: Called it!

"I'm the oldest to win this award...I hope this record is broken quickly and often" XD

BTW the guy stalling during best supporitng actress was awesome and funny

OMG you're gonna sing, aren't ya?

Russel Brand taking a shot at Colin Firth, comparing it to Dame Helen!

Best Foreign Film: In a Better World

Whup, Best Supporting Actor (I want Geoffry Rush): Christian Bale!!

Looks like a tribute to film scores, iconic and memorable

Best Score, probably King's Speech (all the noms here have terrific scores, honest): Social Network!!!

"I am 'six degrees of Kevin Bacon' away from our next presenters!"

Best Sound, probably Inception (Salt sucked): Inception!!!!!!

Best Sound Editing (poor Tron Legacy): INCEPTION!!!

Best Make Up: The Wolfman (eh...)

Best Costume, probably King's Speech or Alice: Alice (told ya)

My favorite movie song is...

Barack Obama?!!! 'As Time goes By' is HIS favorite song.

We Belong Together, performed in full! Thank god they're not doing a stupid song montage.

Toy Story 3: a film about the inevitability of change, and the friendships that last forever

I See the Light!!!! From 8-time nominee Alan Menken!

Best Documentary/Short: Strangers No More

Best Short: God of Love (awwww)

Harry Potter Auto-Tune HAHAHA!! XD!

Toy Story 3 Auto Tune, AND Social Network Auto Tune - this is ridiculous!

Best Documentary: Inside Job (sorry, Banksy)

"Not a single bank executive has gone to jail"

Here comes Billy Crystal, one of the greatest Oscar hosts ever!

Talking about the 1953 televised Oscars...

Hey, cool! Screen projector technology!

Whut, Bob Hope said names of two contemporary actors?!

Best Visual Effects, I give it Inception: Inception!!!!

Best Editing, I bet it'll be either Black Swan or Speech: Social Network!!

These guy's first nom was for Benjamin Button. They have Benjamin Button's disease!

Best Original Song, it's comin' up: it'll probably go to 127 Hours: WE BELONG TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A tribute to those who've left us: Tony Curtis, Gloria Stuart, Leslie Nielson, Art Penn, Irvin Kershenr, Dennis Hopper, Blake Edwards...

Hilary Swank...swanky. She's presenting:

Best Director(!): TOM HOOPER, King's Speech (uh-oh, that spells doom for Social Network's Best Pic win)

Tom sez, "listen to your mother"

Lifetime Achiever goes to: a bunch o' people. Ecept Ford Coppola!

Best Actress, here we go! (might be Portman in Black Swan): NATALIE PORTMAN!!!!!

This is her very first Oscar win, wink wink.

Best Actor, say it with me, now: COLIN FIRTH!!!

Best Picture is coming up, people!

Presented by Steven Spielberg, Best Picture goes to......

First, a montage set against the climax of The King's Speech

...THE KING'S SPEECH!!!

G'night Everybody!

Sorry it's late, but here's the last short I filmed

2011-02-26T22:12:00.001-08:00

The caevet was that it be done in 30 seconds and one take. Enjoy!

Place yer bets fer the 2010 Oscars

2011-02-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

The above image is an apt description of the film you know is going to take home 'Best Animated Feature'. That happy-go-lucky ghettoized clip in Oscar-dom.

'Toy Story 3' is, in fact, a great film. It really is the 'Return of the King' of animated features, and makes for the best trilogy in film history (in terms of fiscal revenue and critical acclaim). I enjoyed how it went to darker places than the first two, while managing to live up to the impossibly high standards of the first two. I'll also throw in that I loved how it pastisched other film genre in the storytelling. TS3 captured film noir, the nostalgic flashback style of Godfather Part II, Hitchcock-style horror/suspense, and whatever else it could get. Pixar proved again that they know how to tell a story with pitch perfection.

Unfortunantly, Rich Ross's dreams of winning the coveted Best Picture ain't gonna happen. I guarantee you it will lose to 'The King's Speech', a voter favorite. After seeing it myself, I can see why. It was a film for adults, first of all. Too, it had wonderful performences, strong storytelling, and historical relevence. More to the point, it told a human story about friendship and learning to subdue one's own problems. George VI made for a flawed, utterly human lead. And Colin Firth is, thereofore, a dead lock for Best Actor. I'm telling you right now.

But this is not the live-action blog: this is the animation blog. For Best Animated Short, the outcome is a little fuzzier. I guarantee you the award will be presented by two kids/preteens, and I hate that that's how it always is. (Give me Clint Eastwood presenting animation awards, if only because it's ironic.)

I want Pixar's brilliant 'Day & Night' to win, for being so conceptually creative. But I think a more likely winner is a short called 'Let's Pollute' by one Geefwee Boedoe. He is a veteran of both Disney and Pixar, heavily involved with design work. The short is socially relevent, a satire of human consumption and waste. And it has a beautiful, personal visual style, influenced by UPA and 1950s PSAs.

Here's a clip:

The animation may have been done in Flash, but the visuals look charming and attractive. This will be my favorite next to 'Day & Night' to win.

So, I'll see your bets at the Oscars tomorrow night.

The madness is about to spread!

2011-02-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

I just discovered this unique little gem, through the view stats of this very blog. It's surreal to be living this very project.

The man who begins the video is the animation director of the piece. And the other two are his men at arms.

Enjoy this bit of perspective. Spread the word on farm safety!

And enjoy these old, unreleased drawings from last fall's pre-production:

Sorry for the lack of post-its

2011-02-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

That pesky university stuff keeps me busy! That and my job.

I can't post my farm safety animations just yet. You see, I'm still reversioning a shot. And another shot I was working on is in the hands of another teamster. That shot was a whopping 11 seconds long! The shot I'm on right now? I had to re-draw an arm for a number of frames. And I'm still waiting for a genuinely new shot to animate.

In the meantime, I'll share with you some cutesy drawings, based on the animal-tastic 'Smart Moon' cast.

I don't know if I've shared this yet on the blog, but Smart Moon stands as the first major player in my character/property arsenal. Here is the title character:

My idea of his character is that he's an everyman. Can be fit into any situation and any role. Acts as a purely cartoon character. He's wide-eyed with wonder, enthused, a worrier, zesty, and recklessly confident.

And this is his sidekick, the mischevous Baby Moon:

And this one sample proves what she looked like 10 years ago, versus now. She started life with very anime-esque eyes, and emphasis on feline features (a tail, toes). But in 2006, I had the urge to radically redesign the character, simplifying features and giving her more expressive, American Animation-friendly eyes. Which one do you prefer?

And while we're on the subject... Smart Moon was created way the hell back in January 1998, as a personal experiment, to gain the know-how on how to mold a cartoon with presence. My recent problem with the character(s) in this universe is their lack of concrete personality. That's why I think Cowboy Loggins was made as a reaction to 'Smart Moon'. To create a cartoon with strong personalities. It's important, turns out, to write characters for stories, rather than the other way around. I'll get to that later, with another post.

How's that Farm Safety coming along?

2011-02-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

Here's some extra Valentines Day love for the ol' blog.

In relation to the project, here are the tests I did back during the holidays. The above one is of the 'teenage boy' character Charlie, animated through digital means. And the below is one of the kids, Jamie, animated traditionally.

I know this one has all sorts of problems with crawling and scale. But I'm getting better at catching those things of late.

Bonus concept drawings!

I'll have some more farm content on Thursday.

For my 150'th Post...

2011-02-13T21:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day, 2011!

Here's my new e-card. Here's the previous ones I've done to stack up against:

XOX!

Cornish Pixie - A CD Project from da year 2007

2011-02-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

He's a balladeer, and a trifle queer in his disposition. He's a failed attempt in his perception of hipness.

The whole CD's tone was 'anarchic irony'. Other kids working on the project did hipster, grunge-esque rock designs. I 1-upped those by going a cartoony route. Not that that means it was the best, it was simply unique.

It is entitled, 'Cornish Pixie: Sweet Danish, Ya?'

Fun Fact: The CD tracks are riffs from the fourth Harry Potter book.

February Blitzkrieg: Two new live-action shorts

2011-02-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

Behol, two new productions to tide over on:

The first is my opener for my Film/Video Production class. I was befated to film it solo, in the sleet, in frigid cold no less. That may well have compromised my performance and the framing. Shame, 'cause it should have been better. A grade's a grade.

And this last one's is infinently more personal. As is the description:
This past summer, I visited my childhood home of Medford, NJ for the first time in 16 years. I was inspired to make a short, melodic 4D-esque piece that captures what I felt while there, rediscovering my roots. I've included where I went to school, my house, the lakeside, and other odds and ends that relate to this sense of time and place

Some More Retrocity

2011-01-31T16:57:00.000-08:00

I did these back in 7'th grade!

Pretty spritely for 2001. Snap!

Oh Smart Moon, you and your animal friends sure have come aways. As this contemporary portrayal I whipped up this month indicates.

Why the writers of the Edinboro Highlander newspaper don't deserve to write in journalism

2011-01-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

Now that I've settled into the new semester at Edinboro, I'll get right on those posts. This below has limited animation connections, but...

just... read it.

If you can't name three things wrong with this review from 2009, you're not looking hard enough.

Speaking of Firsts...

2011-01-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

Here are the earliest surviving drawings of my first big animation character, Smart Moon...

It's rough, but compare that to how he looks today. Pretty crazy, huh?

It illustriously illustrates how characters evolve over time. In Smart Moon's case, since Jan. 1998!

Cowboy Loggins: Then and Now

2011-01-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

This was probably from either 2005 or '06. It's crap, but established early on the cowboy-deputy relationship of Loggins and Leech.

By 2008, the cast expanded in great numbers. A mixture of humans and fantastical beings has always, from the near-beginning, been a part of the CL design.

Cut to 2011, they are much better drawn, aren't they?

What's your opinion?

(I'd post more right now, but the images are huge, and take forever to appear on the servers.)

Farm Safety Audition Preview for you (part 1)

2011-01-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

What you are about to see are layout drawings from my decisive animation test of late...
Roll film!

Below is the precocious lad, Jamie. He doth be rambunctious, hyper, and daring. As this skip towards an unsuspecting bale of hay indicates.

Here are poses, poses that show Jamie attempt to prod the bale. He thinks about what he should do with it, looks around to check if anyone is watching, and sets loose with glee.

He readies to manipulate the bale of hay...

And goes through a sweeping motion to start lifting the packet of straw.

However, it's heavier than expected. He strains several times to lift it off the ground. At one point, he flexes his arms out before a trial of error. And the second time round, he's brought to panting it's so hard.

And so, he finally manages to lift it off the ground. Once balanced himself, he carefully holds up the bale with one hand, with confidence. Only for it to start tipping slowly over.

To be continued...

Some light cleaning..

2011-01-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Some dusty old comics have got to go...

Their time was at hand.

I'm keeping other, better comics however. Comics like 'Squee' and a volume of 'Bone', and the works of 'A Contract with God'.

A New Years clip for you: Happy 2011!

2010-12-31T21:09:00.001-08:00

I think it's safe to say I'll work on making more regular blog posts this year.

My two cents on the success of 'Despicable Me'

2010-12-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

Isn't it obvious? It's because of the minions!

Like Scrat of the Ice Age movies, the minions of the film are essentially pantomime characters. Even if they do speak gibberish.

The minions are a testament to the power of humorous character animation, garnering immense appeal without the benefit of dialogue.

And they sure are funny, adding to the quirky quality of this animated comedy.

I've just re-watched the movie on 2-D Blu-Ray. Perhaps I should write about it more.

Interesting comparison

2010-12-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

This is the new Pokemon,Oshawott/Mijumaru.

This is a made-up Pokemon I drew ten years ago.

Notice their similarities? They share similar ears and body shapes. There's even a round deal on each one's chest!

At the time, I was improvising a baby version of Mr. Mime. Never dreaming there'd be a real one someday (Mime Jr.)

Hard to believe, but...

2010-12-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

this was actually drawn ten-ish years ago.

I loved Pokemon then, and I love it now. This was all in good fun.

I thought it was amusing to have found it after all these years. Like the etching I tried to give the Pokemon a crisp texture.

My 2010 Christmas Card..to you and you

2010-12-25T07:03:00.000-08:00

Hopefully, this is the first of many Christmas cards I'll create and send out each year.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

A Don Quixote cardinal

2010-12-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

Earlier this past semester, I helped out an animation friend with some concept sketches to inspire her cartoon.

It's about a cardinal who fights his own reflection, inspired by the character of Don Quioxe and his never-ending struggle.

Neat, eh?

This is it: the first Cowboy Loggins drawings!!

2010-12-19T23:02:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to share this for a long time!

If you don't already know, Cowboy Loggins was created as a response to my IB art professor's request that I create a new, original character. So, thus he was born on Sept. 9, 2005.

The design was inspired by a restaurant logo. If you look carefully, you can tell my thought process behind it. There looks to be a western-style hat, and the outline of a figure, which inspired the graphic look of the character.

For later, I describe what it took to define his actual personality, and when his basic appearance was set in stone.

Some funny things out of German 2 class - 2005

2010-12-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

A Kecleon-moose-bird-elephant-giraffe hybrid!

Heard of the German verb gehen (to go)? Well, back in the day, I came up with the 'clever' pun of...

Gay-hen!!

Where did I draw these?

2010-12-19T22:11:00.000-08:00

I wish I remembered. I dug this up in a sketch book from last year. It was, however, amidst sketches from my design internship. So it has nothing to do with Edinboro.