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Discover the art of Jeffrey Thompson, Cartoon Brew's Artist of the Day!

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The "Gravity Falls" creator is leaving Disney for Fox's primetime animation line-up.

The post ‘Gravity Falls’ Creator Alex Hirsch Will Develop An Animated Series for Fox appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

"Gumball" and "Gravity Falls" also earned BAFTA Children's Awards.

The post ‘Paddington’ Triumphs Over ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Shaun the Sheep’ at BAFTA Children’s Awards appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

The Disney XD series will wrap up its run with a soon-to-air one-hour series finale.

Patrick McHale's mini-series got plenty of love from the Emmys this year.

Today we look at the work of Ian Abando, Cartoon Brew's Artist of the Day!

The latest episode of Gravity Falls, which is done in an anthology format a la The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror,” includes an ambitious tribute to stop motion legend Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013) with actual stop motion animation that references Harryhausen films like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. Harryhausen appears in the episode as “Harry Claymore” and there are plenty of inside jokes about the animation process, as well as a stop motion gag about Gumby. The stop motion segment, “Clay Day,” starts in the video below at around the 13:25-minute mark. Unfortunately, the video is cropped, but you’ll get the idea: (Thanks, HarryhausenFan)

Philip Vose is a graduate of the CalArts animation program and lives in the Bay Area working as a freelance animation artist.

Philip has recently worked as a freelance location designer and background painter for the Disney Channel series Gravity Falls. In the personal work that he posts on his blog, Philip is able to explore grittier subject matter than what is allowed by children’s television work.

You can find Philip’s personal work on his blog and portfolio site, and his collection of videos including several short cartoons on Vimeo.

Joe Pitt, a designer on Wreck-It Ralph and director on the Disney show Gravity Falls, posts personal and professional work on his blog, such as this behind-the-scenes look at the process of developing the perfect design for gnome barf.

Recently he moved over to the position of Lead Character Designer for Craig McCracken’s new show, Wander Over Yonder, also in production at Disney.

Joe also synchs his blog-flow of art with Twitter, where you can occasionally see work like these pieces below from a personal project in development.

J. P. Miller created brilliant drawings for the “Baby Weems” sequence of The Reluctant Dragon, and Andreas Deja has posted a nice selection of that artwork.

These background layouts and paintings from the new Disney TV series Gravity Falls are more sophisticated and appealing than a lot of recent TV fare. Above: line art by Sean Jimenez, painting by Elle Michalka.

Leif Peng’s blog Today’s Inpsiration never fails to live up to its name. It’s an exquisitely curated selection of vintage illustration with a focus on the artists who created the work. The level of technical skill and craftsmanship in this work should inspire any visual artist and not just those who work as illustrators.

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Elle Michalka, Gravity Falls, J. P. Miller, Sean Jimenez, The Reluctant Dragon

A few weeks ago I was invited over to Disney Television Animation and had an advance look at their new series Gravity Falls. And tonight you can have a peek, too. The Disney Channel will air a special preview tonight (6/15) at 9:55pm ET/PT.

The Disney TV group is on a roll. I was impressed with Motorcity and blown away by Tron Upsrising, but closest to my heart is the humor on this show. Creator Alex Hirsch (from Cal Arts, and previously on Flapjack and Fish Hooks) has successfully channeled some kind of mash up of Goosebumps and Jay Ward—leaning more towards Ward—with a very funny, smart, not-necessarily-aimed-at-kids subversiveness in the writing and the direction. While I’ve been down on most new shows these days (Pen Ward’s Adventure Time is clearly an exception in this era), Gravity Falls takes on tried and true kids’ tropes and turns them inside out (sometimes literally). The series itself begins regular airings on Friday, June 29th, at 9:30pm. Check out the sneak peak tonight, and let us know what you think.

So consider this an unabashed plug. Check it out. It’s a good “creator-driven” show. The premise follows a pair of city kids who are sent to spend the summer with their eccentric uncle who runs a tourist trap called The Mystery Shack. The cast includes Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal and Linda Cardellini. Below are a few story board images and a photo of me (click to enlarge) during my recent visit with series creator Alex Hirsch, Disney TV’s Eric Coleman and director Joe Pitt.

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Alex Hirsch, Gravity Falls