The Miscweant: Most Read Posts

Of Ponies and Bronies

jstrike — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:06:46 -0700

The Transformers may be raking in the box office gold and G.I. Joe battled COBRA in the multiplexes, but while those once-upon-the-eighties Hasbro cartoon shows made the leap from TV cartoon to big screen live action, the diminutive equines collectively known as My Little Pony have returned in a new animated series that has surprised a lot of people. To put it simply, The Hub Channel’s My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is one hip show.

Storeyboarding at MoCCA with Stephen DeStefano

jstrike — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:34:15 -0800

Joe Strike sits in on Stephen DeStefano's storyboarding class at MoCCA, part of the museum's ongoing educational program.

Disney’s A Goofy Movie (or at least part of it) lives – Live!

jstrike — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:39:52 -0700

Disney’s 1995 backup animated feature A Goofy Movie – and one of its songs in particular – struck a chord with a generation of school kids who are now in college. Fan videos and mash-ups are nothing new, but one student took it a step – or two – further…

Review: How to Train Your Dragon Comes Out Smoking

jstrike — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:12:09 -0700

The Miscweant plays with fire watching How to Train Your Dragon – and decides the movie is hot stuff.

Drawing to a Close: The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!

jstrike — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:36:42 -0700

Coprophilia, necrophilia, aroused onscreen genitalia, an endless supply of “fuck”s, “shit”s and language even less polite; it must be The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!

New Road Runner & Coyote Shorts from Warner: The Matt O’Callaghan Interview

jstrike — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:40:11 -0700

When Warner Bros. asked Matt O’Callaghan to return their yin-and-yang, would-be predator and hoped-for prey pair Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, to the big screen – only in CGI-shape and 3D-depth, O’Callaghan took a deep breath and delivered the goods – and fortunately for all involved with the production, without once resorting to Acme technology…

Cartoon Network’s Up-Front: What Won’t They Think of Next?

jstrike — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:24:07 -0700

Robots, superheroes, teen-age angst, the return of Bugs Bunny – and free lox; it’s Cartoon Network’s annual ‘up front’ unveiling of its new schedule.

Movie Review: Legend of the Guardians: 300 with Feathers

jstrike — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:51:46 -0700

You’ve probably heard about the Uncanny Valley: not a geographical location, but the precipitous drop in peoples’ comfort level when they come across something that’s almost human… but not quite (like the replicants in Zemeckis’ mocap movies). Well, in Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians you’ve got owls – dozens and hundreds of owls who look almost like real life owls… but not quite. It’s that quest for the absolutely perfect replication of wind rippling the tiniest hairs in their feathers or the way light glints and reflects off their wide eyes: Guardians achieves it – at the expense of the audience they’ve just tossed into the Valley.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs DVD Review

jstrike — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:58:58 -0800

Maybe I was in a bad mood when Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs came out. Maybe I just resented the idea of taking one of my kids’ favorite picture books and pumping it up into a full-length feature, so I passed on it in the theaters.

From Disney to Ground Zero and Beyond - The Ron Barbagallo Interview

jstrike — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:26:20 -0800

Once upon a time animation art wasn't worth the celluloid it was painted on. Art that would now be worth tens of thousands of dollars was washed or thrown away – and what was saved often handled thoughtlessly or just forgotten about. Things have changed since then, changed a lot. People now realize that animation art is exactly that - a thing of beauty in its own right, and a cultural heritage to be cherished and preserved. Preservation is where Ron Barbagallo comes into the picture.