It seems like a contradiction -- one is spontaneous, invented on the spot while the other requires countless painstaking hours to create.  Yet when unscripted audio is met with the appropriate animated imagery, the results are often hilarious, heartwarming and highly entertaining.

 

Maybe because the country’s founders had lost so much during the Holocaust, they chose to fight so hard for their new country, build by them from zilch. Over time and endless conflicts, wars and over numerous generations, they succeeded establishing a nation of a booming economy, impressive technologies, research, innovation, culture, prosperity, military potency, freedom of speech and, some say, a true democracy, most of anything and everything any country could hope for. All this except of course for the precious peace, stability and safe future for its current as well as the future generations.

Nifty ode to Montreal from animator, Sebastian Laudenbach.

Oh hum... NFB dominates Animation category of Canadian Screen Awards again. Kinda like hearing that the Harlem Globetrotters won their last game.

Japanese indie animator Mirai Mizue is nearing the end of an animation project that will make you feel good about yourself.

A guest post by Robert Appleton, Faculty, 3-D Animation Program, New York Film Academy

Was famous voice actor Mel Blanc the actual genius of character development in 20^th century animation? Most baby boomer fans in childhood may not have realized it, but the voice he gave to Looney Tunes’ Bugs Bunny was largely borrowed from a show their parents were listening to on the radio on The Jack Benny Program (1932-1955) and its television incarnation of the same name (1950-1965). Phrases that the Oscar-winning rabbit or his sidekick, Daffy Duck (also Blanc’s voice) used – “Now cut that out!” and “Cuc….amonga!” among them – were directly borrowed from Jack Benny. The intra-show theft worked in reverse when once, on Benny’s radio show, the protagonist had a visit from the wascally wabbit in a dream.

In each of these animated series, the genius was that the characters evolved from elsewhere. The fact that each derived from adult series is likely the reason the animations were appealing – with the help of some double entendres from time to time – to both parents and children.

 

 

What is a writer’s #1 CREATIVE TOOL? 

 

If you’re a screenwriter you better know what it is, because without it you won’t get past FADE IN: 

Aussie and Romanians sitting in a tree...

Well...okay... technically speaking... that blog title is misleading, but ... 

When it comes to finding ways to sabotage your career efforts think of how a poor Thanksgiving turkey wound up a sacrifice for the joys of your holiday meal.  It’s not so much that you have to be plucked, sucked and tucked to fit into your turkey suit, but what have you done to help escape your fate?  Here are five sure fire ways to slaughter your career in any season.