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I wanted to find out what was the most viewed Tom and Jerry short on YouTube tonight, and it turned out to be Salt Water Tabby with 24.4 million views. But this is no ordinary copy of the short; it has a completely new dialogue track in a Moroccan Arabic dialect by Bouchana Abdelilah. By comparison, the non-Arabic version (i.e. the boring original) of Salt Water Tabby has a mere 346,000 views. Why does a remixed version of a classic short have seventy (yes, 70!) times more viewers than the original? And will an Arabic voice-over make any cartoon funny and popular? In that case, Allen Gregory could’ve used a whole lot of Arabic. I don’t claim to have the answers to such questions, but I’m intrigued by this YouTube anomaly.
Nice to know the Preston Blair book has made it to Iran. Here’s a perfect area rug for a cartoon nerd (like me) who happens to have $2800 to spare (NOT me). Now on eBay, a 5×8 “Mickey Mouse” Persian Rug. Check the detail in the thumbnails below (click to enlarge pics), you’ll spot off-model images of The Pink Panther, Mickey Mouse, Tom, something like Bugs Bunny, a Ninja Turtle, and the White Rabbit. This’ll go great in the room with my Donald Duck black velvet painting!
Paris-trained mime Lorin Eric Salm answers the age-old question, Are mimes relevant in animation? That’s only second in importance to the question: if a mime falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does anyone care?
Welcome to Jugmugland, a place that’s a thousand miles from Earth within a world of crayons. If that doesn’t make any sense, neither will the rest of Titlee in Jugmugland, which is a proposal for an animated series by Udaipur, India-based Eden Animation. Frankly, the only reason I clicked on the link was because of the lascivious title, but I got this instead:
Remember Officer Bubbles, the Toronto cop who tried to sue YouTube because he didn’t like cartoons that satirized his abuses of power? Well, some police officers in the US are trying to outdo him in the crooked cop department. The prosecutor and police department of Renton, Washington are trying to arrest a person who used [...]
No one turns to the Wall Street Journal for insightful animation coverage, but that’s still no excuse for this egregious error in an article about the use of motion capture on Rise of the Planet of the Apes:
The film, which follows the development of the chimp Caesar from baby to adult, takes advantage of “motion capture,” a technology the visual-effects company Weta Digital Ltd. first developed for the 2009 blockbuster “Avatar” and has evolved one step further.
The sentence is written in such a way as to imply that Weta developed motion capture, which it clearly did not. Motion capture is a major filmmaking technology that has been used in dozens of films and has been utilized for decades. A newspaper claiming that it was invented in 2009 by Weta defies comprehension.
The problem with publishing a magazine about animation that nobody wants to read is that one often has to resort to questionable tactics to raise money. One of Animation Magazine’s most insanely screwball stunts is their annual Pitch Party, which they’ve been getting away with for the past ten years.
Here’s how it works. Contestants pay $375 to “pitch” their animated project. Except, they don’t really pitch anything. Instead, they submit one 2″ x 5″ image to the magazine that contains their entire idea. I can’t even fit my daily to-do list in a space that small, much less an idea for an entire animated project. But amateurs and students who don’t know better still try to do it:
Anybody who has worked in the animation industry for more than a week knows that this isn’t an even remotely realistic way to sell a series, and anybody who hasn’t worked in the industry could learn that by spending a few bucks on David Levy’s excellent primer Animation Development: From Pitch to Production. The sad thing is that Animation Magazine knows this too. They’ve published enough interviews with executives over the years that they could compile their own book of dos and donts for pitching.
What’s so wrong about giving industry access to amateurs and students who otherwise haven’t learned the proper (and free) way to contact executives. Nothing, if Animation Magazine billed this as an educational opportunity to develop a project and receive feedback from execs. They don’t do that though. They frame the contest as an “economical marketing campaign that lets you—the independent artist—and your animation project reach decision-makers the smart way.” In other words, they lead entrants to believe that this is a legitimate way for them to put their ideas in front of an audience of professionals. Ahh, if only it were that easy.
One of the main attractions of the event is that the entries are “judged” by development execs and producers, pictured above. Commenters on the Brew often make fun of those who judge movie posters as an indicator of a film’s quality, but guess what, professional industry execs have the magical ability to judge an entire series concept by looking at a miniature rectangle. This year’s nine judges, all respected professionals, should know better than to participate in this shakedown of budding creators. Not only are they squandering their own hard-earned reputations, they’re making our industry weaker by misleading people about how the animation business really works.
To end on a personal note, a couple weeks ago when I moved, my movers told me about their idea for an animated series. They’d even recorded tracks, but didn’t know the first thing about producing animation. I offered to meet with them for coffee and give them some basic guidance and tips. That’s how you help people. Animation Magazine and the exe
Spotted at Best Buy this weekend: Chop Kick Panda. I have no idea what this is, but a clip on You Tube (embed below) doesn’t seem so bad – looks like a rejected Cartoon Network pilot (and I mean that as a compliment). Anyone know who’s responsible?
Now Playing - Mr. Sandman by The Puppini Sisters
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Grrr. We were so looking forward to moving into a place of our own. The numbers looked good, the realtor... used trailer salesman...sales representative..? Anyway, David said everything looked good. Then he calls us and asks if we have check stubs proving the rental of the house in Idaho. No, we do not. My mom pays the mortgage
0 Comments on Stalled Out.... Again. as of 6/1/2011 10:12:00 AM
The funniest thing I’ve seen in weeks: this Thai CG knock-off of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – though it should be more aptly titled “Beauty and the Lion King“. For another laugh, check out this poster for their version of The Princess and the Frog.
The New York Times shows how not to make an animation reference in this front page article about the parakeet boom in London:
Individually, any of the rose-ringed parakeets could be the star of a DreamWorks film, electric green with bright pink beaks and the voluble personalities that have long made the tropical species a popular household pet.
Because, you know, DreamWorks has done so many films featuring colorful tropical birds, like How to Train Your Parakeet, Kung Fu Parakeet 2, and MegaParakeet. It’s pretty obvious what film the writer was trying to reference, and for the record, the studio that made the film wasn’t DreamWorks.
If you thought Superbook was didactic… TPM.com is reporting that former minister-turned-Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is producing a series of Learn Our History animated videos that tell the “true” story of American history, the story our “schools are afraid to tell”. Says Huckabee:
“Some teachers and education boards are using history and social studies classes as their soap box to promote their own political opinions and biases! Using animated videos that kids love, this series tells the tales of the Time Travel Academy, a group of friends who create an incredible time machine that takes them back in time to relive history in the making.”
This one is going right into the Cartoon Dump. It’s so poor, it looks like a Saturday Night Live parody… but it’s for real! Here’s a sample:
Talk about Disney merchandising Fail. This is taking “urban” fashion to the extremes of bad taste: “roflerskatez” found this wallet for sale in Taiwan yesterday and posted it on Tumblr. It’s Chip and Dale with a lyric from a 50 Cent song called My Gun Go Off. Despite the copyright notice, this is (I hope) a knock-off.
What was Disney thinking when they introduced their “Graphic Edge Collection” last fall?
Corporations that try to appropriate urban culture for profit simply end up looking out of touch and dishonest. They become to urban culture what wiggers are to the hip hop world.
Seriously?!? This is what someone in Disney’s consumer products thinks graffiti looks like? Researching what you’re recreating is apparently not part of the job description.
Believe it or not, somebody earned a paycheck to create this aesthetic monstrosity.
Someone at Disney momentarily lapsed into thinking they were a twenty-year-old hipster that designs shirts for Threadless competitions.
Runaway Brain homage as re-envisioned by a Disney artist who had one too many to drink.
Remember how well it worked out for Warner Bros. back in the Nineties?
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I Will Survive by The Puppini Sisters
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The other night, at 3am, while I was straining to concentrate on my PTCB studies, I decided that I needed a cookie. But not just any cookie. I needed the motivation that comes from a hot, crispy-chewy-scrumptious cookie that can only come from cooking the thing yourself. So I hopped over to AllRecipes and found a basic
3 Comments on Hillbilly Cuisine! - Cookies!, last added: 1/27/2011
Hilarious, informative, and educational. Once again, your writing succeeds on several levels. Way to make do with what you have! My first thought was that you can soften butter in the microwave, but you may not have one of those either. At any rate, I don't think microwaves are any good for cookie baking.<br /><br />I don't think I would have ever thought to try "frying" a
Remind me to make you some cookies the next time I see you. No offense but those were some sad looking cookies. On the bright side they made for a good story at least.
I can relate to your "Hints from Heloise" story. Last night I was in the midst of making an egg white omelette (as I too have weighty matters I'm trying to overcome) when I discovered that I had no toaster. Belinda had taken the toaster to the church as she prepared an after school snack for the children. What's a grown man to do. I can't have an omelette without toast. So I
Christian painter (and former Ralph Bakshi employee) Thomas Kinkade, who once allegedly urinated on a Winnie the Pooh figure outside the Disneyland Hotel while yelling, “This one’s for you, Walt,” is now an official Disney licensee who is turning out “limited edition” paintings based on the studio’s films.
Well, actually, they’re not paintings according to Kinkade. He prefers to call them “narrative panoramas” because they’re “a recreation of the entire panorama of the story. It is the narrative all told in one visual form.”
The narrative panoramas—watch the Pinocchio video above to get an idea—form his series called Disney Daydreams. “These are my daydreams of the places and the worlds envisioned by Walt Disney, but reinterpreted as a Thomas Kinkade painting.” Wait a second…he just said they weren’t paintings! What’s he trying to pull here? Whatever he wants to call them, it basically means that he’s reinterpreting Disney’s creativity into “completely worthless collectibles” with no investment value.
Then again, maybe I’m the one who’s missing something. In this video released a few days ago promoting his new Beauty and the Beast piece, Kinkade makes a woman moan in ecstasy simply by describing the characters in the painting. Clearly, the man is doing something right.
Just for kicks, here’s another video about his Snow White painting. Kinkade discusses how he utilized “very specialized techniques” to create the painting, such as making a full-color sketch to lay out the composition. But before you complain, you should know that Kinkade makes his work for a special audience that doesn’t include you: “I always say that my paintings are for real people, people who enjoy life and enjoy beauty. Not necessarily for those who have studied art or know the traditions of painting.”
Over at Parc Asterix, the French theme park based on René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo’s Asterix comic books, there’s an innocent kid’s merry-go-round that just doesn’t look quite right. Asterix’ pal Obelix is used as a model for a merry-go-round seat with, I think, unfortunate results. (Click thumbnails below to enlarge)
If Epic Mickey didn’t rock your world – maybe this will…
Technologizer’s Harry McCracken posted this on his personal blog, and I couldn’t resist sharing it with Brew readers. It’s video of Fisher-Price’s Dance Star Mickey doll, from Toy Fair 2010 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. It goes on sale next month.
I’m not sure what’s more disturbing in this Yogi Bear poster: the grotesquely incompetent artwork or the dirty double entendre tagline. Yogi’s position behind BooBoo and the expressions on their faces don’t help matters.
I don’t know if this is a real offer, but it’s a classic. Somebody wants twenty-five hours, yes, HOURS, of animation produced in two to three months. On top of that, they’re offering between $7-10/per minute of animation. I hope some of our readers apply for the job and have some fun with these goofballs. Here’s the listing:
We are looking for a Flash Animator to finish a project for 500 of Flash short films; each film is about 2~3 minutes long. The films are about lovely & cute characters’ cartoon. Pay $20 / per film, which is 500 films x $20 = $10,000. Please submit your Flash art works for the consideration. Thanks.
City,State: New York, NY
Salary: $10,000
Duration: 2-3 months
I work with Cartoon Network and we just created a ‘Fart Blaster’ app to promote the new season of, Total Drama World Tour. You can check it out on Cartoon Network’s official Facebook: [link deleted] Who would be the correct editor cartoonbrew.com to speak with about news/reviews?
. The sad thing is that Animation Magazine knows this too. They’ve published enough interviews with executives over the years that they could compile their own book of dos and donts for pitching.
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Hilarious, informative, and educational. Once again, your writing succeeds on several levels. Way to make do with what you have! My first thought was that you can soften butter in the microwave, but you may not have one of those either. At any rate, I don't think microwaves are any good for cookie baking.<br /><br />I don't think I would have ever thought to try "frying" a
Remind me to make you some cookies the next time I see you. No offense but those were some sad looking cookies. On the bright side they made for a good story at least.
I can relate to your "Hints from Heloise" story. Last night I was in the midst of making an egg white omelette (as I too have weighty matters I'm trying to overcome) when I discovered that I had no toaster. Belinda had taken the toaster to the church as she prepared an after school snack for the children. What's a grown man to do. I can't have an omelette without toast. So I