It’s nice to see our little neck of the woods get a bit of attention from mainstream media now and then, especially with meaningful and thoughtful commentary about films that while known to many in the industry, for the most part are unknown to most everyone else on the planet.

KPCC, a Southern California public radio station, has published an excellent audio review, complete with transcription, of the new Animation Show of Shows short film DVD collection.  The piece, by Charles Solomon, simply and succinctly gets to the heart of what makes independent animation so special. 

 

No, Anderson, Bullwinkle, Rocky and Me is not a British supergroup from the 80s.  Please, who would have played bass?

Alexander Anderson Jr., who along with Cal frat brother Jay Ward created Rocky & Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right among other cartoon characters, passed away last Friday at age 90. My daughters grew up with a constant barrage of my “Wossamotta U” and “fan mail from some flounder” mimicry.  Of course back then, they thought me odd and had no idea what I was saying, until I bought them (actually, I bought for myself) our first set of The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle VHS tapes at least 15 years ago and opened their eyes and young minds to all the greatness and splendor of Anderson and Ward’s creations. 

 

 

Is this 13 seconds of tough love or tough luck?  You decide.

 

The Avengers hits US theatres today, surely set to obliterate box office metrics on its way to blockbuster gold, financial nirvana, accolades for the actors and kudos for the studio.  Millions of people will watch it and be thoroughly entertained.  A small group will watch it and be thoroughly underwhelmed.  An even smaller group still will watch it and bemoan the continued decline of everything – society at large, superhero genre filmmaking, democracy as we know it, the ozone layer. These people are always annoyed at something.  Their sentences often begin, “When I was a kid…” as if the world was any less a shithole when they were 10.  Not surprising, most are grandparents.

The just released DVD set of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie should be afforded a spot in the collection of any animation fan as well as any serious student of the medium.  Packaged in several different editions, including a 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack  (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy), the film and accompanying supporting materials are absolutely radiant – tremendous picture quality and high supplemental material production values make for a great viewer experience. 

 

 

I’ve known Gary Schwartz since, well, since he was a much younger zany filmmaker and animation teacher.  In the Webster’s Dictionary, under the word “energy,” there is a picture of Gary with his infectious grin, a camera and a tripod.  If you ever meet him, ask him about taking 3-D pictures of Don Knotts in the Toronto Airport.  This year at the Ottawa Animation Festival, as he does every year, Gary made an extremely cool stop motion short – in one day! This year’s edition, Fa Fha Pha Ottawa!, inspired by the Ottawa festival award designed by sculptor Tick Tock Tom, is his best yet!

 

 

It's hard to choose my favorite Christopher Walken.  Kevin Pollack, Jay Mohr and of course, Kevin Spacey come to mind.  In fact, Mr. Walken has become such an iconic personality that it's tough to watch him on TV or in a film and not think, for a moment, that he doesn't do nearly as good a Christopher Walken as one of the previously mentioned actors. He's just not Walken enough.  As they say, you can't be too rich, too thin, or have enough Christopher Walken.

For every cowbell junkie and True Romance lover, this video should scare the "Wow, Wow, Wow" out of youze.

 

By Haley Hughes

If ever there was a film to see in 3D, it would be Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.  This film proves that 3D can be used to enhance a viewing experience: allowing the audience to interact with the roller coaster like camera moves and the abstract sequences of light and color.  Though it has a relatively weak story and fails to really develop character, the visuals and the use of 3d make this film worth a viewing.

 

If you spend time analyzing successful people, you will tend to find a repeating list of similarities. Attributes like talent and charisma often get the most ink, but more often than not, a person’s drive and the quality of their education is a far better determinant of a bright future. Successful educators nurture this type of person, or set someone on the path to becoming one by creating a learning environment that is as engaging as it is relevant to their student’s future ambitions. And when it comes to careers in art, animation, and digital content creation, students that learn on industry-standard technology – like Wacom’s Cintiq – are more prepared for the professional world, and its elevated expectations.

A product of British Columbia-based Capilano University’s two year, Commercial Animation program, Gemma Reeks-Coad is living proof of how the right tools, in the hands of the right artist, breed success.

 

6 new character posters have been released for the new DreamWorks feature, Rise of the Guardians, set for release November 21, 2012, including the evil villain, Pitch.