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After 111 years of publication, "Variety" has come up with a theory about why people enjoy animation.

The post ‘Variety’ Figured Out Why People Watch Animation: Terrorism and Mass Murder appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

If you want to learn a new job in 3 months that'll make you lots of money, this self-help author recommends animation.

The post Self-Help Author: Robots Are Taking Over So Learn Animation Before It’s Too Late appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Rule #1 for being U.S. president in 2015: Do good cartoon impressions.

To accompany its fawning story on the success of Walt Disney Animation, "Wired" labeled John Lasseter and Ed Catmull as "big heroes" on its cover.

The Los Angeles fashion label The Hundreds has been caught in the past selling merchandise with traced images from animated films. Is it legal? Is it ethical?

A bit of advice to John Lasseter.

Disney is re-releasing The Little Mermaid into theaters on Friday, September 20th, in a new version that is apparently designed for people who think the original film doesn’t hold up on its own merits.

In this new release, called The Little Mermaid: Second Screen Live, attendees have to download an iPad app and bring their iPads to the theater to distract them from what’s happening on the screen. Audiences are encouarged to ignore the careful plotting of the story, the nuances of the character animation, and the development of the characters’ personalities, and instead play games, answer trivia, solve puzzles, perform sing-a-longs, and compete with other audience members. In fact, they’re asked to pretty much do anything but actually watch The Little Mermaid.

The announcer in the promo says, “Bring your Apple iPad and see The Little Mermaid on the big screen like you never have before.” That part is true because I’m pretty sure nobody has ever seen The Little Mermaid by purposely holding a hunk of metal in front of them to obscure the film:

Disney promises that, “Moviegoing has never been so much fun.” So far, the Internet disagrees, and Disney has disabled comments on its YouTube promo. To experience the future of moviegoing and see bits and pieces of The Little Mermaid in a theater filled with moviegoers tapping away on their iPads, visit the Second Screen Live website.

In an analysis of Hollywood’s summer movie season, Scott Mendelson of Forbes suggested that Hollywood produced “too much animation” this year, and that “six major animated films in just over three months is a glut.” We’ve been down this road before, and hardly need to point out the wrongheadedness of this lazy punditry.

What’s amazing is that Mendelson spends most of his analysis talking about the relative success of these animated films and still manages to arrive at the wrong conclusion. The fact is that two out of those six animated films were blockbusters, which is a far higher success rate than Hollywood’s live-action efforts. It’s exasperating to keep having to point this out, but as long as the mainstream media continues to misrepresent the animation industry, we’ll keep correcting them.

(Thanks, Ashnard)

Why produce expensive hand-drawn animation when you can placate your audience for the cost of lunch at Spago’s? Animation artist Henrique Jardim noticed that at yesterday’s CTN Road Expo animation event in Burbank, Disney was handing out papercraft animation desks complete with disc and peg bar. He tweeted the photo above along with this note:

Artist Katie Woodger is claiming on her Tumblr this morning that Disney’s Consumer Products division has been reproducing her Alice in Wonderland artwork on Disney merchandise without permission. She has a compelling case:

My painting was created back in 2010, and since then so many people have expressed their love for it, not just on tumblr, but in many places. At least 9 people had it tattooed on their bodies. It’s one of my favourite images I created at University and I was proud of it in many ways.

Disney have used it on a cosmetics bag HERE (look at the back)

and they have produced a Tshirt HERE with a really similar design clearly modeled from my painting.

I’m so mad because I have no chance at getting Disney to do anything about it. I had so much respect for the company and now I am just SO upset and disappointed.

Bear in mind that Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland is a public domain property and Woodger’s art was styled in an original manner that is distinct from the Disney versions. If her claims hold up, this would be a bold example of copyright theft by the Disney Company.

One of the memes that has gained popularity during the recent visual effects industry turmoil is asking, What would Hollywood films look like without visual effects? We may not find out the answer to that question anytime soon, but we do know now what a Turkish TV series looks like without visual effects.

Turkish Redditors are claiming that the TV network STV accidentally aired an episode of a dramatic show with unprocessed chroma key shots, that is, with the green screen actors still running around the screen. Here is the footage that allegedly went over the air:

(via Uproxx)

The Draw Shrek Tumblr is described as “a place where we draw Shrek.” For those of you rebellious artist-types who were considering drawing other characters from the classic DreamWorks franchise, don’t even think about it! The site’s rules clearly state: “NO DONKEY FUCK FIONA ONLY SHREK. SHREK TIL U DIE.”

Shrekquille O’Neal

Shrek Fighter by Aaron Cowdery

Ballin Shrek by Edgar

Shrek Kawaii

Shrek Onion by Matt Marblo

Shrekbath by Sean Glaze

The answer is 56 writers (and 3 story editors). The show was THIS.

Imagine that you could interview Milt Kahl at the height of his powers and ask him anything you wanted. That’s the opportunity a little old lady in Dallas got in 1973. Andreas Deja recently posted the segment on his goodie-filled blog, and even by the low standards of local television, it’s a disaster.

Resembling a bad sketch-comedy routine, she asks Milt nonsensical things that only vaguely resemble questions like, “How far back do they go? Do they go back…what are some of the …Nutcracker?” and “Do you think it’s an inspired thing that they get these characters?” One gets the sense that Kahl would have decked the lady had the interview gone on a minute longer. Perhaps the reason she’s wearing dark sunglasses indoors is that the last person she interviewed gave her a black eye for her utter lack of journalistic ability.

The saving grace is Milt doing his famous eyeglass-dangle at 1:15, not to mention that fabulous patchwork sports jacket.

In Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, Nesquik nearly kills two of the film’s main characters. Well, they weren’t joking about the deadly nature of the sugary drink. Wreck-It Ralph-themed Nesquik can also kill you in real life.

Nestle USA is recalling 200,000 cans of Nesquik Chocolate Powder due to possible salmonella contamination, which can be life-threatening to infants, pregnant women, the elderly and individuals with weakened immune systems. The recall affects 10.9, 21.8 and 40.7-ounce canisters with a “best if sold by” date of October 2014.

Remember the DreamWorks artist who was accused of shooting a dog and then pounding it to death with a hammer? Last Friday, Young Song, 41, who has done CG surfacing since 2003 at DreamWorks, admitted in court that he went into his neighbor’s yard, beat a German Shepherd that was tethered and muzzled, and then disposed of the body.

Song had initially entered a “not guilty” plea, but on the first day of the trial, jurors were shown surveillance footage that showed him attacking the dog. After the tape was shown, Song changed his plea to “no contest.” The judge sentenced him to one year in county jail, three years of probation, and ordered him to not own any pets or animals for ten years. He will begin serving his sentence next month. More details at the Pasadena Star-News.

(Photo of dog via Shutterstock)

Good Lord, no…

Here we go again… trendy New York hip-hop clothing maker Mishka is tying its new fall fashion line to Harvey Comics characters. I’m going to assume this deal was put in place before Dreamworks bought the characters…

From their press release:

“We were elated to pay tribute those characters by using them as the basis for the entire Mishka x Harvey Comics Collection. Here’s the Harvey Comics for Mishka Fall 2012 Lookbook starring none other than Casper The Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich, Spooky, The Ghostly Trio, Hot Stuff The Little Devil, Baby Huey, and Wendy The Good Little Witch. These beloved icons can be seen sporting the very best of our Fall Collection, decked out in everything from Richie’s khaki’s + button-up country club ready outfit, to The Ghostly Trio’s imposing camo uniforms.”

The Ghostly Trio’s “Camo uniforms”? I won’t even begin to dissect the schizo-illogic of invisible characters needing camouflage uniforms… But I also going to assume the characters are in better hands now and crap like this won’t be happening again.

(Thanks, Mark Bieraugel)

At least it’s not animation. Billboards and posters for this mysterious children’s film have been appearing all over town for weeks. The film opened yesterday to disastrous reviews. This project has the stench of Delgo all over it.

Unfortunately, as animation is still perceived as children’s fare, a film like this could harm the good will animated features have built up in recent years. The Oogieloves in The Big Balloon Adventure (it hurts just to type that) opens this weekend on 2000 screens. The $55 million dollar production (that figure includes production and marketing) is being bankrolled and self-distributed by a would-be Walt Disney (or perhaps Jim Henson) named Kenn Viselman.

Viselman was previously a “marketing visionary” and producer on Thomas the Tank Engine and Teletubbies. He is so sure that he can “sell” parents and kids on this film, he has a sequel ready to shoot in October. This guy is either a genius—or a madman. My mind is made up regardless—based on the trailer, this guy is crazy. I look forward to reading the grosses next week.

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | 63 comments | Post tags: Kenn Viselman, Oogieloves

What says “Chuck Jones centennial celebration” better than this kitschy painting of Bugs and Daffy riding motorcycles? According to the Chuck Jones Gallery, the artist Mike Kungl has created something of a masterpiece: “With his sleek styling, geometric patterns and luxurious color palette, he is able to evoke the sophistication of the Art Deco era and at the same time add a contemporary look to the beloved cartoon characters brought to such magical life by Chuck Jones.” The gallery is selling the limited edition piece for $600. Pay an extra $300 to have an artist “hand-embellish” the piece. For an extra $500, they’ll complete the deal and have one of their gallery employees whiz on Chuck’s grave.

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | 8 comments | Post tags: Animation Art, Chuck Jones

Have you ever wondered what Disney’s Seven Dwarfs would look like if the characters were designed by an artist who had no fundamental understanding of drawing, color theory or appeal? Wonder no more. The designs above, which look more like an animation student’s first pass in a character design class than functional designs for a TV series, will be used in a new Disney TV production called 7D, that will premiere on Disney Junior in 2014.

A bunch of Tiny Toons and Animaniacs alumni are involved: Tom Ruegger exec produces, Alfred Gimeno directs and Sherri Stoner story edits. Fish Hooks creator Noah Z. Jones designed the characters. He’s made it impossible to differentiate between the dwarfs, but I can only assume that turning them into generic icons was a directive from above.

According to Deadline:

Described as a comedic take on the world of Seven Dwarfs in a contemporary storybook world, 7D takes place in Jollywood where Queen Delightful relies on the 7D — Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc — to keep the kingdom in order. Standing in their way are two laughably evil villains, Grim and Hildy Gloom, who plot to take over the kingdom by stealing the magical jewels in the 7D’s mine.

Man, what I wouldn’t give for a couple of solid, well-constructed drawings just about now….

Aah…that’s better.

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | One comment | Post tags: 7D, Alfred Gimeno, Disney Jr., Noah Z. Jones, Sherri Stoner, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Tom Ruegger

Today Disney announced the official start of production on their live-action Maleficent and released the first image of Angelina Jolie in the title role. The film is helmed by first-time director Robert Stromberg (production designer, Avatar, Alice in Wonderland), produced by Joe Roth, written by Linda Woolverton (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Don Hahn, Matt Smith and Palak Patel.

Scheduled for release on March 14, 2014, the film recounts “the untold story of Disney’s most beloved villain, Maleficent, from the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. The film reveals the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora.” Next in Disney’s series of unnecessary films that destroy the mystery of cartoon villains: the story of the Queen in Snow White and which supermarket she bought the apple from that was used to poison Snow White.

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Angelina Jolie, Don Hahn, Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty

Last Thursday, Rhode Island-based 38 Studios laid off its entire staff of nearly 400 people, which presumably included many artists and animators. The unceremonious layoff notice sent to their employees can be read on Gamasutra.

The game studio was started by former baseball player Curt Schilling, and had received a $75 million loan guarantee from the state of Rhode Island, which gambled that Schilling’s company would bring high-paying tech jobs to the state. The company managed to slip out one game before collapsing, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which both looks and sounds like the creation of a sweaty-palmed, pimple-faced high school student.

Amalur shipped 1.2 million copies in its first 90 days (at least, according to Schilling). The governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, said in a press conference a couple days ago that the game would have needed to sell twice as many copies just to break even.

There’s a lot of lessons to be learned here, the first of which would be that just because you know how to throw a ball doesn’t entitle you to tens of millions of taxpayer dollars so that you can pretend to run a video game technology company. Schilling just made it that much harder for legitimate video game entrepreneurs to receive any type of investment for their companies.

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: 38 Studios, Curt Schilling, Rhode Island

Not to be confused with Dreamworks’ Madagascar…

…actually, the makers of Life’s A Jungle are desperately trying to trick consumers to pick up this low budget travesty. People say the DVD market is dying – if it puts an end to crap like this I’m all for it. And if you think the box art is bad… wait’ll you check out the trailer:

(Thanks, ParamountCartoons)

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Life's A Jungle

Forget Mel Blanc’s vocal cords; Just spotted at Disneyland’s Candy Palace: Goofy’s balls – sour balls, that is. And they come in a large sac. Family-size! Gawrsh!

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Goofy

If you’re gonna crap all over The Lorax, you might need this:

The Lorax became the number #1 movie in the country last weekend, and part of that success was establishing merchandising tie-ins with numerous licensees. But here’s one even last year’s Winnie The Pooh (a more appropriate match) didn’t think of. Apparently the 7th Generation company is selling all sorts of eco-friendly Lorax products including these “Lorax-approved” baby diapers. For those Seuss collectors who have to have everything, you better hurry: they are a limited edition – and yeah, images of the little orange Danny Devito voiced creature are printed on the tab fastener of the diaper.

(Thanks, Jeffery McAndrew)

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: The Lorax