Colossal's spots for Turner Classic Movies animate the style of Edward Hopper paintings.

My favorite work on the reel is a stunning work done for Turner Classic Movies, directed by Tom McClure, which brings the paintings of Edward Hopper to life. We watch sunlight and shadows move across his cityscapes as people sit or stand quietly, or slowly move about. The city seems to be a series of 3-D sets or models, but it still maintains the look of Hopper paintings. All this is set to a period song about the sunny side of life. The music and visuals works so well together that they must make a lot of viewers happy when they see this art that moves.

< Colossal's latest work to be released is Koala Lumpur, a CD-ROM created and directed by Jamie Baker, that provides an interactive journey in the form of an action-adventure movie with lots of outrageous humor. A review on Gamesite said that Colossal's collaboration with Brøderbund produced "mature themes, high-brow remarks, and twisted puzzles with the finesse of a seasoned Las Vegas lounge comedian. And their routine deserves a loud round of applause . . . a unique fun experience . . .they pull the trick off so well that it's hard to believe that Koala Lumpur is the company's first attempt at a comedy title."

Future Plans
Executive Producer Jana Canellos said that restructuring the company, so that its energies are directed toward design work, has resulted in a smaller company, where everybody can work together. She also feels that Colossal is a great working environment where people help each other, and what they do best is tell short stories--whether it be via a commercial, a station ID, a TV show or an interactive project.

Canellos expects the company will expand by creating work for new markets, including the Internet. She stresses that regardless of what the format is, the main thing Colossal is concerned about is a commitment to quality.

A look at Colossal's current projects gives some idea where the company is headed. For instance, they are developing an online show with Microsoft, material for kids' programs on the MSN (Microsoft Network), an interactive TV project with a major entertainment company, and interstitials for a major TV network. They are also doing live-action TV commercials for GTE Mobilnet and animated IDs for the Discovery Channel.

Colossal also has its own award-winning Web site at http://www.colossal.com, so check it out if you want to learn more about one of San Francisco's great companies.

Colossal's Successful Children
When a company gets into trouble, the press rarely mentions what happens to the people who join the ranks of the unemployed. Fortunately, the San Francisco Bay area's film and animation industries have been growing rapidly in recent years; so, when Colossal laid-off most of their production staff in 1996, there were lots of jobs available. Some former staffers joined well-established companies like ILM, Zoetrope and Pixar. Others joined studios that were formed in the 1990s by Colossal alumni, while others formed their own companies after the layoffs.

The live-action, animation and special effects companies in the Bay area run by former Colossal employees include: Cartoonland, Complete Pandemonium, Curious Pictures, EyeHeart, Kirk'sWorks, Little Fluffy Clouds, M5, Maverick, MessyOptics, Protozoa, Six-Foot Two Productions, Story Animation Company, and Wild Brain. They may not be well known yet, but all are producing excellent work, suggesting working at Colossal was an important educational experience.

Wild Brain, founded in 1994, has grown rapidly. In 1996, when Colossal laid off most of its staff, Wild Brain was busy doing commercials for Nike and Coke, animation for HBO, Warner Bros. and the Cartoon Network, plus CD-ROM projects, including Flying Saucers for AnyRiver Entertainment, an animated Carmen Sandiego sequence for Brøderbund, and the Green Eggs and Ham CD-ROM for Living Books. About half of their staff of 80 are former Colossal people, including 10 taken on within two weeks of their being laid-off last year.