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A Laika animator shares his process for bringing the Moon King to life.

The post Animator Kevin Parry Breaks Down A Shot On ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Behind the scenes of the film's biggest beasts.

The post Tips & Tricks for Creating Fantastic Beasts From the Artists of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Assets, effects, and environments from the real-time rendered "Adam" demo short from Unity can now be downloaded for personal use.

The post Unity Has Released Rigged Characters and Environment Art Assets from ‘Adam’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

You see the credit on nearly every Hollywood film nowadays—live-action or animated—but what exactly is the job of the vfx supervisor and how does one go about becoming one?

The post 7 Questions With ‘Ghostbusters’ VFX Supervisor Daniel Kramer appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Today is the summer solstice and the official first day of the season for those of us in the northern hemisphere. This year, the full moon known as the strawberry moon or honeymoon lands on the longest day of the year. The events last shared the same date in 1948.

What is so special about this day, and this moon?

Today the sun passes across the sky at its highest point. Likewise the moon crosses the sky at its lowest point creating a seemingly larger moon than the usual full moon. Because the summer air is humid and thick, the June moon can look like it has a yellow hue or halo around its perimeter, and possibly the reason for the name honeymoon.

The name strawberry moon comes from the Algonquin tribe, because the June full moon signaled that it was time to harvest the ripe berries in the Great Lakes and Canadian region where they lived.

Tonight the Farmer’s Almanac will be broadcasting a live high-powered telescope viewing of the moon. See that here, or just read some amazing facts about the special phases of the sun and moon http://www.almanac.com/blog/astronomy/astronomy/summer-solstice-full-moon-june.

Now head outside and enjoy the long days and warm weather while it lasts, there are only 184 days until winter!

The new subscription-site Craft aims to become an "ever-evolving interactive art-of book" for your favorite animation projects.

The post ‘Song of the Sea’ Production Files Available on New Site Called Craft appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

He's documenting the animation process of his new film through a weekly video series.

The post Watch ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ Creator John Dilworth Animate His New Film appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Art Center is making a big mov

The post ‘Shrek’ Production Designer Appointed Chair of Art Center’s Entertainment Design Department appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Spotted Salamanders

One amazing animal to get to know better is the salamander! Salamanders are amphibians  that have long, slender bodies that are moist and smooth. Salamanders in the world vary greatly from color to size. Some have 2 or 4 legs and others have lungs or gills, or neither and breath through their skin. Others have identifiable spots that are easily seen in the night thanks to their yellow florescent spots along their backs. These spots are mostly identified with the Spotted salamander.  Our book Salamander Season  chronicles the journey of a colony of Spotted salamanders in the process of breeding within a vernal pool (a temporary pool of water).

Salamander egg and tadpole

For most species of salamanders, humid forests and a water source is crucial for their survival to produce offspring and to keep their skin moist. Salamanders are bred hundreds at a time and are born as tadpoles from their eggs. Over time, their bodies develop and the process of breeding in a vernal pool starts all over again.

Salamanders are generally nocturnal and keep cool during the day under rocks or trees. During the night, they go hunting for food which primarily consists of meat such as worms, slugs, and snails. Besides the main priority of most salamanders depending on humid forests and water as sources for survival, their skin also provides a source for protection. Many species of salamanders can secrete a poisonous liquid from their skin to combat enemies. Salamanders are really interesting creatures, aren’t they?

To learn more about salamanders and how other animals develop, check out these books!:

Salamander Season                                                                                               One cold, rainy, spring night, a young girl and her scientist father participate in “Salamander Night” to follow hundreds of spotted salamanders as they venture into a vernal pool to mate and lay eggs. Together, the father-child team studies the salamanders through their complete amphibian metamorphosis, culminating in the adult salamanders’ disappearance into the woods in late summer. In easy-to-understand text, the girl relates the tale through her illustrated, photographic journal. 

Turtles in my Sandbox                                                                             Imagine finding turtle eggs in your sandbox! When a mother diamondback terrapin lays eggs in a young girl’s sandbox, the girl becomes a “turtle-sitter” to help the babies safely hatch. She raises the teeny hatchlings until they become big enough to fend for themselves in the wild. Then, with the help of experts, she releases them. Along the way, she learns about these unique animals and that she has made an important contribution to their survival. The “For Creative Minds” section includes terrapin fun facts and a turtle habitat craft.

Turtle Summer                                                                                                 This is a companion book to Mary Alice Monroe’s novel,Swimming Lessons, the sequel to The Beach House. In the novel, the readers witness a young mother, Toy, writing a journal for her daughter, Little Lovie. This is the journal Toy is writing. Using original photographs, this scrapbook journal explains the nesting cycle of sea turtles and the natural life along the southeastern coast, including local shore birds, shells, and the sea turtle hospital. Adults and children will enjoy the images, information and the journal with or without the novel.

Feature animation story artist Matt Jones shares some advice he picked up from one of the greatest illustrators of all time.

The post 6 Drawing Lessons That ‘Inside Out’ Story Artist Matt Jones Learned From Ronald Searle appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

A simple question with a surprisingly complex answer.

The post How Long Should It Take To Draw A Storyboard Panel? appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

A unique look at how different animators planned their scenes and animated the characters in the Oscar-nominated film "Song of the Sea."

The post Watch: Five ‘Song of the Sea’ Animator Reels appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

We explore how the Pegbarians have built a career out of balancing commissioned and original work with (or around) YouTube’s monetization system.

The post Can You Make A Career Out of Internet Animation? The Pegbarians Are Definitely Trying appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Claude Cloutier explains the challenges of animating inanimate objects and shares never-before-seen drawings from throughout the filmmaking process.

The post Claude Cloutier: The Challenges of Making Cars Sing in ‘Carface’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Selling your own project is not easy, but it's possible. Here are some tips to take your animation pitch to the next level.

The post 13 Pitching Lessons I Learned at Cartoon Springboard appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Bob Sabiston was offered a job three times by Steve Jobs, including two gigs at Pixar. Here's what he did.

The post ‘Waking Life’ Animation Director Bob Sabiston: It’s OK To Not Work in the Animation Industry appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Saturday was an exciting day. My Ohio State Buckeyes won the border battle against University of Michigan. I was not expecting the trouncing Michigan took in their, no, in Ohio State’s win. Score: 42 to 13. By all rights the Bucks should have had 45 points, but instead of a field goal, they ran out …

We dig deeper into the creation of "Hotel Transylvania 2" in this exclusive behind-the-scenes video with director Genndy Tartakovsky.

Did you know that giraffes, often a very quiet animal, hum in their sleep late at night? Zookeepers involved in the study were even surprised that researchers picked up a low humming noise from their giraffes.

Researchers spent hundreds of hours recording sounds in the giraffe’s enclosures and in each zoo at least one giraffe was separated from the herd.

Although the sound recordings tell us that giraffes do have more vocalization than the grunts and sneezes that keepers hear during the day, now scientists may go further to understand if this is a communication method or if it is involuntary like snoring or talking in your sleep.

Hear the giraffe’s hum and learn more about the study here.

Do you want to learn more about giraffes, or animal sounds? Here are two Arbordale books that would be a great start on the topic!

The Giraffe Who was Afraid of Heights

Imagine if the one thing that keeps you safe is what you fear the most. This enchanting story tells of a giraffe who suffers from the fear of heights. His parents worry about his safety and send him to the village doctor for treatment. Along the way he befriends a monkey who is afraid of climbing trees and a hippo who is afraid of water. A life-threatening event causes the three friends to face and overcome each of their fears. The “For Creative Minds” section includes fun facts and animal adaptation information, a match-the-feet game and a mix-n-match activity.

Sounds of the Savanna

From the first light of dawn until the sun sets at night, the savanna is alive with noise. A lion roars in the early morning, a young baboon shrieks to warn others of danger at noon, and a young mouse squeals at dusk. What are the animals saying and why? Animals communicate in many ways; explore the thriving African savanna as its inhabitants “talk” to one another throughout the course of a day.

And…Look forward to next year when we see what really happens at night in the zoo! Midnight Madness at the Zoo coming February 2016!

“My Home, Your Home”, an educational children’s book from Cloverleaf books, and some samples below.

Moral dilemmas are ubiquitous in modern democratic societies. Can we protect the bodily integrity of women and their unborn children at the same time? How can we protect the free will of adults while at the same time denying them to engage in self-harming activities, like (assisted) suicide or drug use?

The post Four ways in which policy-makers resolve moral dilemmas appeared first on OUPblog.

Launched yesterday with the non-profit education platform Khan Academy, Pixar in a Box is the most in-depth look ever offered at the studio's creative process.

The filmmaking essay series "Every Frame A Painting" takes a trip into the wondrous, disciplined mind of legendary animation director Chuck Jones.

Are you looking for a fun family trip this summer? Don’t want to travel too far from home? This Land Is Your Land talks about many different landforms all over the United States. Read this book with your children to teach them about the diverse landscapes of our beautiful country, then pack up the car and head to the nearest (or farthest!) destination. Who says education has to stop in the summer?

Coastlines: Perhaps the easiest landform to reach for many, the United States coastline is over 95,000 miles long. Many people live on the coast – about 39% of the country’s population! The coast is a very popular tourist destination, and there are hundreds of beaches for people to travel to. Some of the best family beaches are located in the Outer Banks in North Carolina; Maui, Hawaii; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Destin, Florida; San Diego, California; and Ocean City, Maryland. There are beaches in every coastal state, though. Which beach is closest to you?

Mountains and hills: Mountains are also another popular place for tourists, especially those who enjoy activities such as hiking and camping. Some states have more to offer than others when it comes to mountains. For example, the highest point in Florida is only 345 feet above sea level, whereas Alaska’s Mt. McKinley towers 20,320 feet above sea level. However, all 50 states have some sort of forest, lake, or other natural area where camping and nature walks are possible, so even those of you in the flatter states don’t have to miss out!

Plateaus and canyons: In the United States, plateaus are found mainly in the western states, where the Colorado Plateau is. Plateaus provide opportunities for hiking and climbing, and the Colorado Plateau contains the famous Colorado River and Grand Canyon. Many national parks are also in this area, including Zion and Mesa Verde, where you can find smaller plateaus and canyons.

Valleys: A valley is simply a place between mountains or hills, so even states such as Kansas, with very few hills, have some areas that lie lower than others. Beautiful valleys in the United States include the Sedona Verde Valley in Arizona, Napa Valley in California, the Waipi’o Valley in Hawaii, and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Plains: The plain region of the United States is called the Great Plains, which runs from Texas north to Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and eastern Montana. The Great Plains are known for their extensive flat lands covered in tall grass, cattle ranches, and bison. Be careful here in the spring and summer – the Great Plains are located in Tornado Alley, where tornadoes happen most frequently!

Peninsulas: Arbordale Publishing is located near a well-known peninsula –Charleston, South Carolina! Many of the first towns settled in the United States are located on peninsulas, as they provide easy access by water to ships delivering people and supplies. Jamestown, Virginia and Boston, Massachusetts were first built on peninsulas. The entire state of Florida is a big peninsula!

Volcanoes: The west coast of the United States is located in what is known as the “Ring of Fire,” an area where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur due to the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. Active, potentially dangerous volcanoes in the United States include Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, Mount St. Helens in Washington, Mount Hood in Oregon, Mount Shasta in California. While some of these volcanoes haven’t erupted in years, they are not considered dormant, meaning they could erupt at any time. A volcanic eruption would be an exciting sight to see, but be sure to keep your distance!

Islands and archipelagos: The most famous example of an island chain in the United States is Hawaii. Another is the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Since neither of these are especially accessible to the average Mackinac, Michigan; Whidbey Island, Washington; Mount Desert, Maine; Amelia Island, Florida; and Assateague Island, Virginia. Did you know that part of the biggest city in the United States is located on an island? Manhattan is surrounded by the Hudson River, the East River, and the Harlem River!

Learn more about these landforms in Catherine Ciocchi’s book This Land is Your Land!

Major network creators like Rebecca Sugar and Ben Bocquelet will participate and teach children how to create cartoons.