Animated Travels

Those wildly intrepid globe trotters at AWN have done it again! They are traveling the globe one animation-related festival and event at a time just to bring you gossip, glory, tears, trials, tribulations, geekdom, fandom, toons, awards, news, photos, dreams dashed / realized and more right to your computer screen. Don’t feel like heading out to Annecy but want to know who’s bringing what? No cash for Comic-Con but dying to see the latest in Storm Trooper fashion? We’ll bring you photos from the show floor, news from the circuits and tips on who to see, what to do, what to wear.

Competition 5 - When Abstract Meets Reality We Call It Experimental

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: 2D, Events, Short Films, Stop-Motion

 

Sorry Film Not Ready by Janet Perlman
Sorry Film Not Ready by Janet Perlman.

 

Whatever you call it, abstract/experimental ruled the day in Competition 5.  Here are some highlights.

Ottawa Competition 3 and 4 - Endings are Hard to Do

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: 2D, Events, Short Films, Stop-Motion

 

Going West by Martin Andersen and Line Andersen
Going West by Martin Andersen and Line Andersen.

 

I have no comment on Competition 3 and only a couple films stood out for me in Competition 4.

Ottawa 2010 - Just the right note with Lou

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Films, Music and Sound, People
I spoke with Lou Pomanti to get his take on music for animation.  Lou Pomanti is an award-winning, performer, arranger, and producer. He’s a keyboard wizard, and worked with Blood Sweat and Tears, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, and Michael Buble. He even was the arranger for the finalists for the Hockey Night in Canada Anthem Challenge, which, in Canada, is pretty much the national anthem.

Ottawa Day 3: Faces, Places, Pumpkin Carving and Snow

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Events, People, Places

 

Pumpkin Carving
Prize to be handed out Sunday night to the Short Film Least Deserving of the Finances Wasted On Its Production. This year there are many films in contention.
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By Dan Sarto

Take a quick glance at some of the people I met up with yesterday while stumbling around the annual Animator's Picnic and later, while trying to get warm at the Arts Court cafe and Aniboutique.  Old friends, new friends, a pretty uninspired procession of eviscerated gourds. Oh, and have I told you, it's cold here? Aye?

Ottawa Competition 2 - There Can Be Happy Endings

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Events, Short Films

 

Anita Killi's Angry Man.
Anita Killi's Angry Man.

 

There were some tough films in this competition. Three stood out for me.

Ottawa Day 2: Jan Pinkava is Utterly Charming and It's Really Cold

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Events, Films, People, Short Films

 

Ron Diamond, Jan Pinkava and Me.
Ron Diamond, Jan Pinkava and Me.

 

By Dan Sarto

The highlight of my second day in Ottawa was finding a working ATM.  Actually, it probably was my third meal at Dunn’s in 2 days though I’m praying by Day 5 I’ll have figured out how to order something with “flavor.” My suitcase was too full to pack any “flavor” so I had to leave it in LA.  What a shame.  I guess in Canada you need to ask your waitperson to bring some “flavor” on the side. But the “treat” of the day was sitting in on an intimate interview/discussion at TAC with former Oscar-winning Pixar and current Laika writer/director Jan Pinkava.  Friendly, engaging, entertaining and brilliant – utterly charming. Made me feel like audience extra at a taping of “Regis and Kelly.”  And it’s really, really cold here.

Ottawa Competition 1 - Keeping It Real

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Events, Short Films

 

Logorama
H5's Logorama.

 

Every year I think Chris Robinson can't take it any higher. But every year he ramps it up a notch.

This guy is the master of the post-modern introduction.

You had to be there to feel the bizarre energy, to share in the intense, quizzical, weird couple of moments.

Then we were back to reality.

Ottawa Day 1: Please Move Out of My Way!

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Events, Films, Short Films

 

Prayers for Peace
Dustin Grella's Prayers for Peace.

 

By Dan Sarto

Is it just me, or do Canadians like to congregate and talk hockey while blocking the entrance to every elevator, hallway, doorway and turnstile in the vicinity?  It seemed every single path I took yesterday was impeded by some throng completely oblivious to those trying to navigate past them. Oh, plus I saw some good films!

Ottawa - And then things got ugly

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Cartoons, People
I met with Linda Simensky, the Vice-President for Children’s Programming at PBS. We had strawberries and tea as she graciously shared her 20-years experience on the international scene in public broadcasting, what produced locally stays local and what gets to go international. (More about that later). But things got ugly when I asked her to define “edutainment”. Here was her response:

Ottawa – Time for Moose and Animation

Posted In | Blog Categories: Ottawa Animation Festival | Site Categories: Events

It's a two hour train ride from Montreal, Canada's cosmopolitan capital to Ottawa, the national capital. Forget the stock images of the Parliament buildings, the Mounties, or the concrete barriers in front of the block long US embassy.

What makes Ottawa unique are the furry critters. There are more beavers, squirrels, bunnies and ground hogs than in any urban capital on the planet. Not to mention the moose!