Ranking classic animation series is like making a list of your ten favorite things to eat - the outcome may depend on what time of day you make the list.

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the animated film My Dog Tulip is that people who don’t consider themselves dog people are irresistibly drawn to it. In this way, audiences resemble J.R. Ackerley, upon whose best selling memoir the film is based. Ackerley, a former BBC correspondent, adopted the titular “Alsatian bitch” on a lark, and in the most improbable way ended up finding the love of his life. But, far from sentimental about it, Ackerley’s memoir dryly notes the social consequences attendant on dog ownership—including considerable knowledge of certain intimate biological processes and functions. Renowned animator Paul Fierlinger has been working for more than 50 years and teamed with wife Sandra for the past 15 to produce wry, sophisticated animations using a characteristically beautiful, fluid style akin to watercolor painting. In fact, the team uses a computerized painting tablet to create their unmistakable style, and this film is the first-ever feature entirely hand-drawn and painted using paperless computer technology. Like all of the Fierlingers’ multiple–award-winning works, one of the film’s greatest assets lies in its ability to subtly and astutely add commentary to nonfictional material. The film opens up layers of meaning in ways subtle and humorous, giving audiences access to Ackerley’s text by novel means. In the end, this story isn’t so much about a man and a dog as about the trials and joys of discovering one’s mate. 

—Sean Uyehara

Additional showtimes are:

Sun, Apr 25 / 6:00 PM / Kabuki / 1881 Post St., San Francisco

Tue, Apr 27 / 4:15 PM / Kabuki / 1881 Post St., San Francisco

Sat, May 01 / 8:50 PM / Pacific Film Archive Theater / 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley

Marc talks about shooting stills to create High Dynamic Range Images (HDRIs).

Dr. Toon takes on critics for blasting The Princess and the Frog for all the wrong reasons.

NATURE’S TOOLBOX : call for entries

ART WORKS FOR CHANGE INVITES VIDEO ARTISTS TO SUBMIT SHORT VIDEO ARTWORK
FOR CONSIDERATION FOR EXHIBITION IN CHINA AND JAPAN, 2010

Art Works for Change (www.artworksforchange.org), in cooperation with the United Nations Environ-
ment Programme is pleased to announce a call for entries for “Nature’s Toolbox,” an art installation to
be exhibited at the United Nations Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, from July 4-31, 2010. In addition, the
work may be shown in Nagoya, Japan, as part of the United Nations COP10 meeting on biodiversity in
October 2010.

We will be creating a multi-screen digital media installation addressing the theme of urban biomimicry
and biodiversity, incorporating state-of-the-art technologies.


WHAT IS BIOMIMICRY?

Biomimicry (from “bios,” meaning life, and “mimesis,” meaning
to imitate) is a new discipline that studies nature’s best ideas and
imitates these designs and processes to solve human design prob-
lems. Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is an example.
Think of it as “innovation inspired by nature.”

The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already
solved many of the problems humans are grappling with. Animals,
plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have
found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what
lasts here on Earth. This is the real significance of biomimicry:
Over the past 3.8 billion years, nature’s designs provide the secret
to survival for humans and other species.

http://biomimicryinstitute.org/about-us/what-is-biomimicry.html


VIDEO CRITERIA
1. Up to 3 minutes in duration.
2. Visually compelling video artwork
3. Tell a simple story about an urban creature (a plant, animal, microbe, fungus, insect) and show
 how it teaches us lessons for solving humans’ pressing problems — environmental, social, food,
 shelter, water, etc. Include an urban context.
4. The story can be reality-based, visionary or science fiction
5. We want to stress the importance of what we lose if these “critters” disappear
6. Animation and entertainment are encouraged
7. We discourage the usage of words or language. Music or abstract sound is acceptable.

For guidance, visit the website of the Biomimicry Institute (http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/) or their
Ask Nature database (http://www.AskNature.org/), which provides hundreds of examples of how nature
inspires design solutions.

For more information on Art Works for Change and its programs, visit www.artworksforchange.org

“The Secret of Kells” is an “illuminating” tale about friendship, wisdom, overcoming fear, and discovering your own creativity. It has splendid visual, haunting music, and amazing storyline built upon historical facts.

After ADVENTURE TIME posted great debut ratings on Monday, Cartoon Network has decided it wants more, giving the show a second season pick-up, reports VARIETY.

Nelvana Enterprises will showcase several exciting properties at MIPTV this year...

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced plans to bring The Last Airbender video game exclusively to the Wii system and Nintendo DS/Nintendo DSi systems in June 2010.

Independent producer/distributor, Skywriter Media & Entertainment Group has acquired two new children's properties, The Wumblers and Planet Echo, which will be introduced to international buyers at MIPTV 2010.