Is love a bitch? Apparently so for British author J. R. Ackerley.  He was always looking for an elusive companion to come to his life, yet this companion never materialized … until Tulip, a mischievous female German Shepherd came to his life and became inseparable.  Together, they started many misadventures, including searching for the ideal vet and mate for Tulip, and other ordeals which turned out to be much harder than it seemed.

 

 

Did you notice that in most stories, good defeats evil, and the good guy always gets the girl?  Armed with his brilliant evil mind and his fishy minion, Megamind, an alien from the Glaopunk quadrant, attempts a different fate. Megamind is about heroes and villains, love and redemption.  Only love can transform a villain into a hero.

 

 

How was it like to meet “virtual” collaborators on the award-winning animation short “Guard Dog Global Jam” for the first time at the film’s Los Angeles premiere?  Exciting and “Perrific!”  On May 20, 2011, seven animators from the film came to the New Media Film Festival to watch the film open the festival to an enthusiastic crowd who cheered and laughed during the screening.  The animators are: Ansar Sattar, Alta Berri, Grey Wears, Jessica Bayliss, Larry Loc, Linda Lee, and Perry Chen.  Immediately following the screening, the animators were invited on stage by festival director Susan Johnston for a lively Q&A with moderator Jeanette DePatie.  They remarked on how exciting it was to see such a variety of styles and to see the project take shape.

 

 

I thought this film had stunning visual effects. The backgrounds look like watercolor paintings and the scenes of the garden and the assortment of wildflowers in the yard were beautiful. The film could use some improvements though.

 

I love “Wreck-it Ralph,” one of the greatest films this year, and the best Disney animation since "Tangled."  For some adults, this film may bring back some childhood nostalgia from playing arcade games, but not so much that it clouds out the storyline.  The filmmakers have transformed lots of familiar 8-bit video game characters into fascinating personalities in a whole new way.  Disney must have broken the bank, in gaining access to all these iconic legends of the 8-bit world, such as Sonic and Pacman.  Just thinking about it makes my head spin…

Have you ever wondered if orphans have dreams and aspirations of their own? In Hugo, a Martin Scorsese 3D film opening TODAY, based on the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), the 12-year-old son of a deceased clockmaker, lives in a bustling Parisian train station secretly winding the clocks, filching pastries from cafes, and stealing parts from a toy shop to repair a broken mysterious mechanical man called the automaton that his father found in the attic of a museum. But, one day he gets caught by the toy store’s bitter old owner, Georges (Ben Kingsley), who takes his most valuable possession, a notebook with the schematics and instructions to repair the automaton. Hugo’s secret life of hiding in the walls and clocks, stealing to survive, and his most cherished possession, the automaton, are in imminent danger of being revealed. As Hugo struggles to fix the mysterious machine, the secret of the automaton and its origins deepens as he makes a new friend, Isabelle, the bookish, clever goddaughter of Georges, evades an inspector intent on sending him to an orphanage, and eventually finds his own place in the world.

Have you ever wondered what the life of a young journalist is like? Of course, you could probably hear my story, but my career as a journalist is far less dangerous, mysterious, and exciting than that of Tintin, a boy reporter with spiky orange hair in the movie “The Adventures of Tintin” directed by Steven Spielberg. In the film based on a comic, Tintin is a well-known public figure for being a skilled reporter and detective. He and his faithful dog Snowy had solved many a puzzling mystery together, but none as confusing as the Secret of the Unicorn.

 

2011 was a great year for animated short films. All of the shorts that were nominated for the Oscars had artful animation. My first film, Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest, (http://ingridpitt.co.uk)  in collaboration with Oscar-nominee Bill Plympton, was actually among the initial 45 animated shorts that qualified for an Academy Award! See the AWN list:

http://www.awn.com/news/short-films/academy-screens-next-oscar-winning-animated-short

I went to various film festivals in LA and San Diego, showed my film at DreamWorks Animation, and got to see all the nominated short films, thanks to Shorts International, the distributor of all nominated shorts and my own film.  My review and filmmaker interviews below for the 5 nominees are in the order from my least favorite to my favorite, with a prediction of Oscar winner at the end.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to speak to the dead? Norman Babcock, a misunderstood child with spiky hair and the strange gift to speak to ghosts, is constantly teased, bullied, and shunned by the people of his town. One bully named Alvin in particular, constantly calls him a freak. Only Neil Downe, a kid teased about his obesity, can understand Norman. Norman’s father, Perry, thinks that there is something wrong with Norman when he tells him that the spirit of Norman’s grandma lives in their house. But Norman realizes that something seems eerie after his uncle, Mr. Prenderghast, suddenly dies. His uncle’s ghost reveals to him about a centuries-old witch’s curse that raises the dead to attack the townsfolk. Norman is the only person with the power to end the witch’s curse, but will he have the intellect and the courage to save the town?

I really enjoyed this film, and can relate to Norman because I have been bullied before, like most people, for being different. The film is very emotional and about proving one’s inner power. I am really impressed by how the animators created the film out of stop motion! I marveled at the intricate metal skeleton design of the assembly for the puppets used for the making of the film.

The year 2011 was a good year for animation.  I have seen some “Perrific!” entertaining films with rich storyline and characters, dazzling visuals, and lively music.  But overall, 2010 was a stronger year for animation than 2011, the three Oscar-nominated films Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Illusionist all got 4.5 starfish from me!

My favorite animation feature films of 2011 are: Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rio, and The Adventures of Tintin, all received 4 starfish from me.  I enjoyed interviewing the directors of Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots from DreamWorks Animation earlier this month at the Annie Awards for Animation in Hollywood. 

The Oscar-nominees are Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rango, Chico & Rita, and A Cat in Paris.  I haven’t seen the last two films, both are foreign and from smaller studios. Chico & Rita is too “mature” with adult content, unsuitable to watch for me according to the publicist.  A Cat in Paris has not been released, but the art looks interesting. 

Because these two films are hardly seen by most people, I don’t think any of them has a chance of winning the Oscar. Just ahead of the Oscars on Feb 26, 2012, here is my prediction for the Best Animation Award.