Do THE SIMPSONS Guides count? Or the BATMAN Animated book? Not 'fan'? 'Fans' are NOT allowed to do American properties! Copyrights, lawyers, lawsuits, etc., you know. -DR

Am I the only one who has seen the re-dubbed Akira? It seems that way with all the positive things i'm hearing. Yes, the picture was great, but the new voices on this film almost ruined it for me. What exactly was so bad about the orignal dubbing? In my opinion it had a lot more character to it. The guy that supplies Kanaeda's new voice for the film was just awful. You might say it was a bit crisper and more realistic, but thats just it. It sounds like they just picked some random guy off the street. There is nothing unique about his voice that provides for a good character. It's believeable, but boring. Other problems were the lab-rat children who were redubbed to sound like actual children. Sounds like the right thing to do in theory, but it dosen't for a fan of the original. The children's voices sound too cliche and don't have that eerie tone to it which helped create much of the atmosphere of the original. And trying to match the words with the mouths only works when they're saying something that sounds right. Not enough effort went into the dubbing, plain and simple. If I could do it again, i would have rented it first instead of just rushing out to buy it.

Tiny Planets is one of the most surreal adorable shows ever! I'm wondering if there's any merchandising for it yet... it already being computer animation they could make a great video game out of it, and someone should start producing plush toys of these characters as well. I know a lot of people who would wind up getting "Bongs" as Christmas gifts...

hey Chris - again, some "people" don't get it...like Z...and D...and i applaud yer efforts to enlighten same! myownself, think it's a waste of time...nothing ya or i tell em would make em "see"....sure, makes ya feel better, all altruistic and inclusive...trying to leave no one out...but some are better left there. ain't it funny the most ignorant, and "animated", tend to be the best "educated"? sez something 'bout the "education" system....

great stuff, Pam - hee-hee, on all yer heat-related nuggets! only problem, overdone, ya end up burned out.... gotta also know when too much is enuf.

Jean Once again this was a very informative aritcle. I certainly look forward to the next one. I plan to pass your article on to the Writing group at my church. They are a group of talented writers that will appreciate you sharing these excellent tips. Thanks Angel Harper Producer-Performer Heaven Sent Productions

Dear Karl, Thank you very much for drawing my attention to your text WAS WALT DISNEY... in AWN. It is extremely interesting, especially for me, "the Disney boy" from the early '50s, and the member of the Zagreb School of Animated Film after 1958. Within satirical weekly Kerempuh in 1950, we started learning animation and making the first Croatian/Yugoslav cartoon film (The Big Meeting) - in Disney manner, of course. We didn't know for any other way in animation. In 1954 the group around Vukotic-Kostelac-Marks began to research new possibilities - in drawing, animation and content. The result was the stylized graphism, limited animation and new contents, assigned to adult audience. It was so called "anti-Disney" movement, what has been the fundamental characteristic of independent artistic films by different realizators, known as Zagreb School (named by George Sadoul and Andre Martin, 1958). Of course, similar movements happened in the US within UPA, and later in all Europe, with more or less mutual influences. Beside paying tribute for the grandious achievement in animation, this new movement has considered Disney's art as benign, petty bourgeois, conservative... As you see, everything opposite from what you mention in your text about AFA. We have heard about these American citizen's associations and their power in the society, but we've thought Disney was above suspicion. My God, what AFA says about Bakshi's "Fritz the Cat"?! And about all the films by Woody Allen? Poor Walt, I esteem him even more now! I had also very interesting experience with such people in the States. In the frame of the two months tour with my films on the US East Coast (1994), I was a guest of the University in Virginia Beach. Already during the screening I observed a strange reactions of the audience, especially to the film "One Day of Life", where there are several sexy sequences. Afterwards I was informed it was a Fundamental Christian University, with very strong puritan life and comprehensions. For them I was a man with a second wife, and a person who drinks wine during a dinner. (It was a fault of the organizers of the tour; who didn't previously acquainted me with that.) One memory about Disney. When we finished the first animated film "The Big Meeting" (1951), we got from the government a new, specialized company for producing animation. With big proud we sent to "our daddy" Walt Disney some photographs from our first film and asked him (pretty naive) for several photos from his famous Studios in order to see how the proper spaces for making animation have to look like. We received an answer from Disney's secretary: "Mr. Disney is recently in the Netherlands. Unfortunately we cannot send you the photographs of our studios". This short and cold answer hurt us a little. You must know that the big Disney's portrait was placed on the wall of the large conference room in the first animation company (Duga Film) - the president Tito's (smaller) picture was in the office of the general manager. More than forty years later, during the afore-said American tour I was also a special guest of Disney Studios in Orlando, Florida. After screening of some of my films, I talked to the younger colleagues animators about my/our beginnings on animation, and mentioned how we learned on Disney's films and made our first films in Disney manner. I felt there like at home Thanks, Karl, for your article once again. With friendly regards, B o r d o

lets-see.....1600 films divided by 9 days= six burned-out eyes+ judges brains "fried" by the day eight...hmmmm, did the real-deserving winners win?who cares! i know the pimp was probably experiencing the latest brain-washing-by-over-exposure -to( bad )animation, who"s idea was this-anyway? these brave judges may need 'shock-therapy' after this one..."hold -still and bite this piece of wood-mr. 'pimp'...zzziittt-zzziiitt"....dawk

I belive in fredom of speech and also have (obivously)bad typing as well............but................Really! Is it nessary to use language for shock value? Or have we not evolved over time? So many wasted generations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DRACO

To Draino: 1. This was unedited..that means..gulp.... leaving every phrase untouched. 2. That's the sort of mentality that scrunches our society into a breed of lifeless, bland robotic either/or twits who go around pretending they're all nice and dandy like but can't wait to embrace and deliver some slander against someone else --in hushed tones of course. The type, for example, who actually believes that there are 'immoral' 'wrong' 'vulgar' sexual actions between two consenting adults. 3. As for these so called 'vulgar' words, first off, most of these words have been used for centuries so I don't know what this 'wasted generation' nonsense is that you speak of. It's not like 20th/21st century folks are the inventors of swearing for christ's sake. See the fine book, Wicked Words for details. (in the case of FUCK, it appears that the repression of that word over recent centuries has a lot to do with stifling Victorian moralities---something we ---not me though--appear to still be living with). 4. As for shock value... we all know these words are most often used to express extreme frustration, pain, anguish, hurt, anger, and serve as sort of an oral form of violence. And since I don't REALLY wanna hit people or shoot them or stab them or clonk them on the noggin with a brick...primitive, unharnessed oral 'rage' is a nice and appropriate alternative. In short...fuck you. (see..now THAT is shock value) Chris

Interesting topic, but as one reader commented a lot is missing, making the puzzle harder to solve. The business of animation is a complex labyrnth. First, there were several features to hit in the 1980s based on TV series like MY LITTLE PONY, HE-MAN, HEATHCLIFFE, etc. However, most did abysmal business. The conventional wisdom, that it had to "look like Disney" to sell, was the average excuse. Even your listing of recent shows seemed to neglect such success tales as BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD and SOUTH PARK. WB even released an animated BATMAN theatrically, which did less well. In fact, the reason a change has occured at all IS the success of such shows as BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD, etc. As one animation exec stated these shows proved "you don't need good animation to have a hit". With the first POKEMON feature doing so well, and RUGRATS, studios feel less inhibited by what they perceive as "lower quality art". Also, when one can produce an animated feature based on a popular character for under $20 million, you are almost certain to break even with home video. If, by chance it does big bucks at the box-office, it's just more gravy. And don't forget the gravy!

The author seems to have a liberal left (the word often not used against 'conservative right') bias in reporting and analyzing the facts - which is okay, because there's always a room for different points of view. I only have a problem when one side of argument gets shoved down the throat (like in the ABC news - Peter Jennings and the gang are pitiful examples of biased reporting). The conservative right has an issue mostly with the Walt Disney as a corporation, not the founder himself. Granted, Disney makes conscious efforts to promote and support a certain social agenda such as homosexual rights. I don't see any problem with the homosexuals' 'rights' as citizens. They deserve all the rights of US citizenship just as much as anybody else. The problem occurs, however, when the lifestyle or moral values of certain group is preached as the 'right value' using the national media. A group as powerful as Disney can influence people via various means of media outlets and contents. In many ways, however, most of what we call 'media conglomertes' engage in similar practices so maybe it's not right just to target Disney as the only problematic company. The point that makes it an easy target, however, is the fact that they finance the objectionable contents from 'family' entertainment.

There are also the brazilian animation students who found your book at AWN and suddenly realized who they want to be when they grow up. I know at least one.

Right on, Chris! The Richards out there, they of the too-tight ties be needin' to draw a big breath and oxygenize both sides of the brain for this because you are onto the Real Deal. Having sat/slouched/screamed my way through the selection process - which I recall as being very professionally hosted by y'all, in spite of upteen minutes of mis-cued colour bars and misguided notions of communicating with a sentient audience - I will vouch for your stream-of-consciousness as a very accurate rendition of the dehumanizing, albeit fascinating, role we fulfill in whittling down the hundreds to The Dozens. Keep the brain waves splashing, Mr. C! Stephen B.

That does it. If I ever had any doubt in the past, this article confirms my initial gut feeling. I am 100% finished reading AWN's Animation Pimp articles. Whatever it is you were trying to do, Chris, it not only went way over my head, but it has killed any further credibility you might hold in my eyes. I now officially have concrete examples of what to show my students is invalid crap information that can be found on the web. Thanks.

WHAT-EVER. At least people are trying. Hasn’t the pimp got any thing better to write than that energy draining article?

All animations concerning truly unusual creatures/organisms/monsters - all animations of frogs and/or toads - all animations for television that have to do with cigaretes, cigars or beer. These are the things to see. Yes! More information...give.

Chris, Wow! I am amazed at what you were able to make with/from this mind-numbing experience. Seeing so many films in such a short time is truly nuts (and not fair for the films and their makers I might add), and yet, you salvaged enough clarity, enough sanity (and care?) to be able to make me feel that through your writing. Maybe some of the negative feedback you're now getting exemplifies what hampers "habitual animation:" step out of the societal norms (as you just did), and you'll be chastised. Yet, it is by taking chances like you just did in the writing of this piece, and in the very way you did it, that lies new things for all of us to discover, to enjoy. There was a slogan painted on many walls during the ("my") days of May '68 in Europe, and it could apply to the present situation: "He who does not go for the impossible will scarcely do anything worthwhile." (My translation.) I can imagine the OIAF selection committee meetings described in a local newspaper, and then compare that report with your story! I for one am glad you resisted the temptation to write a "journalistic report!"

AHHHH! I love Jhonen. I have never even seen him, except for his cameo in "invader zim" I wonder how he feels about the cancellation of his show. I certainly think that nickelodeon is a pain. They say that they are cancelling the show due do graphic violence, and then they go off and tell all of his adoring fans that they are gonna make him die in the last episode. The Jerks. Where do they get off? Jhonen has a great mind. He isn't like all the other cartoon creators out there. Jhonen thinks for himself, and he is creative, and Imaginative. He is so great. It sounds like he's been ripped off. If you read this Jhonen, I am sorry!!! Check out my Zim site. http://invaderbuz.tripod.com

It is a shame that given the opportunity to write about Disney, Karl F. Cohen wastes the chance to really discuss the problems Disney has caused. It would have been far more interesting for him to discuss the way animation has now become dominated by the 'Disney look' and how this look has effected the aesthetic of world animation. For most viewers outside of America the stance taken by the extreme right and church groups is just a reflection of the bigger soical problems america has. The real problem with Disney is that they produce bland rubbish. The edge of the early work has long since gone to be replaced by a corporate animation that offends no one (Apart from the nutters on the extreme right.) and says very little. The viewer is only required to sit passively and is never questioned or challenged by the work that is shown. I am talking about the animation that is produced and has now become a huge glode product. It seems that Disney animation is really only about making money and nothing to do with art, aesthetics or creativity. Animation that actually steps outside of this normal is rare on the ground, never shown in mainstream cinemas and is usually labelled alternative. If we look at what passes for major works of animation the vast majority has a look, storyline and content that really never changes. Sit and compare Dreamworks animation to Disney and one would not know who produced what. All I can say is thank god there is still a strong tradition of european animation that still requires the viewer to think and not be a passive viewer.