What happened to Gedo Senki, Tales from Earthsea?

When a new animated film from Studio Ghibli is released in the US, it usually comes with anticipation and excitement, if not from major media then from devoted fans of director Hayao Miyazaki. The film Tales from Earthsea (Gedo Senki in Japan), based on the Earthsea books by Ursula K. LeGuin, was released in limited theaters this month, with mixed reviews and practically no buzz outside the anime community. The likelihood of it getting wider release is doubtful, judging by reports.


What happened here? There were many unfortunate circumstances surrounding this film. It was originally to be directed by Hayao Miyazaki himself, but he became too busy, so it was given to his son Goro who had never directed a feature film before. The film did well at the Japanese box office, but got mixed reviews and made only half the earnings of Ponyo. Then its release in the U.S. was delayed several years because of rights issues, losing any momentum from the Japanese release. And to make matters worse, the author herself was critical of the film (though she was a bit more positive than reports suggest, you can read her detailed analysis here.)

It’s frustrating when a project with such great potential falls short. The original book is a masterpiece, Ghibli is one of the best studios in the world, the design and production of the film look amazing. And yet a film is more than the sum of its parts, it needs that extra magic to pull it all together. I’ve seen it happen with so many films that didn’t live up to their books, both animated and live-action.

Here are the film trailers for the Japanese and U.S. markets. The Japanese one is much longer and contains a bit more of the Ghibli magic. It makes you wonder what might have been, had the elder Miyazaki had a chance to direct it.

FableVision's Top Animated Films of the Decade (2000-2009)

A few weeks ago the bunch of us at FableVision decided to poll the company to see what everyone's favorite animated films were of the closing decade (limited to features). Most of us voted, and we tallied the results. Without further ado, here are our Top Ten in descending numerical order with write-ups from the crew:

10. Kung Fu Panda (2008)


DreamWorks SKG hasn't had the best track record for good movies. For example, Shark Tale and Antz, didnt exactly raise the bar for CG animation. When I heard that they would be making an animated feature film about a young panda that learns martial arts, called Kung Fu Panda, I was instantly reminded of those little awkward ant(z) voiced by Woody Allen and Silvester Stallone. In doing so, I instantly threw out any thought of buying a ticket to see this movie. It was wrong for me to pre-judge this movie and I am sorry Jack Black, for thinking you were just another gimmick celebrity voice.

I did in fact watch Kung Fu Panda, and what I saw shattered the mold made by previous SKG movies. This was an honest to goodness original film, and best yet, it was BEAUTIFUL. Color Palettes to drool over, sweeping landscapes, and masterful lighting really stood this film apart from its predecessors. I think the only reason I can comfortably say this doesn't belong in the number 5 slot, is because of the first 10 minutes of the film. It was a jarring experience to go from what I consider some of the best 2D animation I've seen in a feature film, to transition over to 3D in the very next shot. A dangerous move that could have ruined the entire movie. However, it didn't and they managed to recapture my attention almost immediately.

skidoosh. —Keith Zulawnik


9. Shrek (2001)


If you were a squatter in the Bornemann kitchen, every so often you'd hear this exchange:

Jesse: Do you know....the Muffin Man?
Eric: The Muffin Man?
Jesse: THE MUFFIN MAN.
(pause)
Eric (in a squeaky pitch): You're a monster!

No, my husband and I aren't obsessed with nursery rhymes. We are, of course, quoting from Shrek, the 2001 DreamWorks movie chronicling one ogre's quest to save a princess and rid his swamp of annoying fairytale campers. Shrek is a bit of a lumbering oxymoron -- full of "inside jokes" that every Disney-literate individual (translation: everyone) can share; bursting with messages of self-acceptance voiced by picture-perfect Hollywood stars. But only a Grumpy Dwarf would take Shrek too seriously. The main character makes a candle out of his earwax, for crying out loud. —Jesse H. Bornemann


8. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)


This beautiful film from Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's master of animation, plunges into a complex and visually fantastic world of demons and sorcery. Based on a novel, it is about a mousy young girl named Sophie who is transformed into a 90-year-old woman by a witch's spell. Slowed by the pains of sudden old age, she goes on a quest to undo the curse and stumbles across the wizard Howl and his great magical traveling castle. As she unravels the answer to her own dilemma, she finds herself tangled up in the chaos that surrounds the conflicted young wizard and risks everything in her determination to save the man she loves. —Tami Wicinas


7. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)


With a quirky story spun around a stubborn old lady, her bicycle loving Grandson, a dreaming dog, double agents, gangsters, and a group of old-time frog-eating vaudeville musicians, The Triplets of Belleville is…something completely different. Subtle humor makes this film geared more for adults than kids; you may find yourself smiling through the entire film without knowing exactly what’s tickling you. Nearly void of dialogue and moving at a relaxed (yet superbly timed) pace, the film calls all attention to the animation itself. Keep an eye out for bits of CGI blended seamlessly into the highly stylized artwork. Well worth a spot in your Netflix queue if you missed it, Triplets is possibly the hidden gem of the last decade. —Ryan McNulty


6. Persepolis (2007)


This French film is a must-see for anyone interested in a culture besides their own. Persepolis mixes politics and growing pains to tell the story of a girl growing up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. Adapted from the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis tells its story with wit and emotion, and is a compelling and beautifully animated film. As the rebellious Marjane becomes a young woman, we get a glimpse of Iranian history during a time of upheaval and change. And though deeply personal, the universal themes of growing up and finding one's identity in the world help make film accessible to everyone.

Persepolis stands apart from other graphic novel adaptations by bringing Satrapi's drawings to life, rather than attempting a live-action portrayal. Satrapi's simplistic black and white drawings show that truly great story-telling can be achieved without embellishment or flair, and leave a lasting impression. —Taryn Johnson


5. Monsters, Inc. (2001)


Monsters, Inc. is an imaginative story about what's really on the other side of your childhood closet door. The characters are endearing and the cast and clever writing doesn't disappoint audiences of any age. However, what I remember the most about the experience of seeing this in the theatre, was how vividly detailed Sully's wavy fur was illustrated. There was definitely a "wow" moment there for me, further convincing me that Toy Story was just Disney/Pixar's tip of the iceberg, and to follow their creations for the decade to come. —Heidi Hall


4. WALL•E (2008)


We're now all but numb to computer-generated animation. It's everywhere—accounting for most of the animated films released each year beginning with the arrival of Toy Story in 1995. Go back a little further and you'll remember the Pixar short Luxo, Jr., which features the hopping desk lamp later incorporated into their logo. With WALL•E, Pixar comes full circle by returning to CG animation in its original form and advancing it. In this case, using technology to breathe life into robots and machines. They take full advantage of the strengths of the medium, not trying to mimic cartoony hand-drawn animation or to dazzle you with fully-textured, cute, wise-cracking critters. It is the embodiment of everything that is right about CG.

WALL•E boasts a realism unlike any of their previous features, and is easily their most daring film to date—opening with nearly 45 minutes of dialogue-free story-telling. In it's place, we get intelligent boops and beeps with a wordless comedic charm which draws comparisons to silent film stars Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. WALL•E and EVE are incredibly genuine and expressive robots, revealing a greater humanity than any of their overweight human counterparts. Combine this with more than a few nods to the sci-fi genre, mix in a love story, and you have a near perfect piece of film-making. —Bob Flynn


3. Spirited Away (2002)


Spirited Away is a towering achievement in animation. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, it is the story of a young girl who becomes trapped in a magical world populated by spirits and demons. Chihiro faces many challenges, but her inner strength and spirit help her overcome all obstacles.

The meandering and sometimes puzzling plot is grounded by the strong central character, and the viewer follows her along through this strange world, discovering it with her. This film can be surreal and frightening at times, but also has moments of breathtaking beauty. The animation is stunning, the backgrounds beautiful, the musical score magical – an inspiring film from start to finish. —John Lechner


2. Finding Nemo (2003)


"Mine! Miiine! Miiine! Mine! Miiine!"

I can't be the only one who uses this squawking phrase at least once a week...and it's not the only quotable phrase from Pixar's 2003 release, Finding Nemo. Easily one if the best animated films of the decade, Finding Nemo has everything you could ask for: comedy, adventure, mistakes, rewards, tears, fears, colors, beauty...pivotal life changing moments, and "Bubbles! Bubbles!"

With an ocean of possibilities, Pixar has an easy cast of likeable characters from Clownfish to Anglerfish (i.e. cute vs. scary). The story starts on a sad note, but sets the tone for why Marlin is so protective of his son. (Pixar used this technique again with Up in 2009.) The rest of the story goes a little bit something like this: Nemo touches the butt with his gimpy fin and gets captured by Dentist, P. Sherman from 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. Marlin pulls out all the stops to find Nemo, even though he starts off as a bit of a 'nervous nellie.' He meets forgetful Dory along the way and POOF! you have comedy. Wise fish, Jellyfish, and Mount Wannahakaloogie are only a few other reasons to watch Finding Nemo...


I won't give away any more, though mostly everyone has seen this movie. And, if you haven't...whether or not you want to believe it, you will love it. You need to SEE it, duuuude!

P.S. Why does John Ratzenberger have a part in every single one of Pixar's movies!? Likely, there's not really an answer, but I'm sure he'd respond to your silence by saying, "That's ok kid, don't hurt yourself." The best answer to this question is really...to not ask so many questions. —Renée Kurilla


1. The Incredibles (2004)


There are very good reasons for why enough people put this wonderful movie on their top 5 best-animated-features-for-the-past-decade list and caused it to win overall. And here are some of the reasons I feel made this the great feature that it is.

The Incredibles created a believable world without ever referencing real world events/people, or breaking the 4th wall. This is important to me as I come to see a lot of entertainment series and movies using these elements like crutches to propel themselves. But of course if the story is good enough, you don't have to do that. As well, The Incredibles successfully bring together every important aspect of a superhero story with weakness and conflict. And it makes the superhero genre more accessible by placing it in a family setting, with characters most age groups can relate to and enjoy easily. Again strengthening the story.

Character and set design are very successfully and takes lots of themes and conventions from superhero (every type of superpower shown in film) and popular action and sci fi films and comics (pulp mad scientists of early day comics, through James Bond villainy), but avoids being derivative and makes those elements part of it's own story. Not to mention lighting, effects and animation techniques were more advanced than other animated features at the time and still hold up as some of the best stuff today.

The momentum of the story in combination with Michael Giachinno's score show how important Brad Bird was in directing the movie, in collaboration with John Lasseter's sensibilities. You see, Brad Bird is a FANTASTIC director, but even the greatest directors can go overboard if not reigned in a bit (i.e. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg.) Brad Bird's original stories and ideas for The Incredibles were great but a bit convoluted. It took other minds such as John Lasseter to help smooth out the story and simplify things to create the strong clear story we have today.

It's also very important to note that The Incredibles was the first CG animated feature to have an all human cast of main characters. Pixar used caricatures similar to classical Disney movies like 101 Dalmatians, again distilling their characters and best traits to make them seem more alive and have a greater impact than realistic models, and probably the most appealing representation of stylized comic book heros. Think of the opposite being it's contemporary, Polar Express, and how creepy and distracting from the story the super realistic characters were. —Hannah O'Neal


* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Finally, here's a list of the other films that received votes from the FableVision crew:

AH! My Goddess, Astro Boy, Cars, Chicken Run, Coraline, Corpse Bride, Emperor's New Groove, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Final Fantasy, Lilo and Stitch, Meet the Robinsons, Metropolis, Millennium Actress, Paprika, Ponyo, Ratatouille, Tekkon Kinkreet, Titan A.E., UP, Waking Life, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Wonder Woman

We hope you enjoyed our list.
Feel free to leave your own in the comments!

Donalds Tire Trouble (1943)

Such a weird concept. If you tried to write it, it wouldn't work: Donald has car trouble...Antics ensue. How would you pitch that? It's all visual comedy—all storyboarded (little dialogue, most of which you can't even understand). Loren loved it as a kid—she just had me watch it.

Toot, Whistle, Plunk And Boom (1953)

Educational animation at its best, folks! Ward Kimball, at his best.
Can be viewed bigger over at Youtube.

Different

via LineBoil

"Here’s a cool new animated spot for Girl Guides of Canada titled Different. The character designs were handled by Nathan Jurevicius and Andrea Kang, while Eric Makila and Anthony Burns took care of the animation and compositing. Production was run by Alchemy."

A great combination of stop motion, set creation, and digital compositing.

Here are some production stills (courtesy of the Alchemy website)

On Moving On

by FableVision artist and animator Allie Biondi

"This was my degree project from college. Made in 2005."

You can watch more animation by Allie on her YouTube channel.

The Next Lesson

by FableVision artist and animator Didi Mitova

"This is my senior project / thesis film. It was inspired by my frustrating experience studying art as a youth in Bulgaria, where schools teach tedious, precise representational art without getting to the essence of the subject."

You can watch more animation by Didi on her YouTube channel.

Ponyo - A Beautiful, Bizarre Masterpiece

Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film was released in the United States this summer, generating much discussion about its visual beauty and unusual story. Reaction from critics here has been mostly glowing, while reaction from viewers has been mixed between those who adored it and those who found it confusing or strange. As a longtime fan of Miyazaki, I had my own expectations going into this film, only to have them torn away one by one, leaving a film which is so different than other films of its kind it almost defies analysis.

We all go into a film with expectations, and every film also creates its own in the opening scenes. Miyazaki’s films are known for their visual beauty, strong characters and epic storytelling, and the first half of Ponyo contains all the ingredients of a classic fantasy adventure – a magical world, plucky heroes, a dangerous wizard, and potential threat to humanity. And yet this is not an adventure film (despite the many epic scenes); it is a film about two young children becoming friends, despite the many forces bent on keeping them apart. Seems simple enough – though this film is far from simple. Besides the themes of friendship and love, the film touches on the environment, humankind’s place in the world, relationships between parents and children, growing up, growing old, and life itself. Miyazaki has said that he wanted to make a simple film for children, but I suspect there are so many ideas thrashing around in his head, he can’t help but let them slip out and populate his films like fish in the sea.

Nothing about this film is typical, it takes unexpected turns and leaves you both breathless and puzzled – it's a film that makes you think. It is interesting to observe the many different reactions to this film from young and old, positive and negative. My own reaction was mixed. I was confused by some plot threads which were not explained very clearly (at least in the dubbed version) and a resolution that seemed to fall short. Yet at the same time I was overwhelmed by the sheer force, the cinematic exuberance of the film, embodied in one of the strongest young heroines ever, Ponyo herself. In casting his net for something big, Miyazaki may have pulled in a few stray tires, but he also pulled in a true gem, one that outshines the murky depths and lifts the film to greater heights. Ponyo the character is literally a force of nature, and deserves a separate analysis and celebration of her own.

This is an amazing film in so many ways. Like its title character, it is at once childish, headstrong, awe-inspiring, and impossible to pin down. It operates by its own rules of storytelling – there is no clear villain, no story arc, subplots are not followed through – and yet for all that, it is a true work of art, worthy of discussion and debate for years to come. A simple film for children? In many ways yes, it cheerfully operates on the level of a small child. Hopefully someday I’ll be young enough to appreciate it.

Happiness in 3:23

I wanted to share TMBG's latest video- it's for their song Electric Car, from their new cd that's coming out September 1st.
I don't think I need to elaborate on how much I love this... it is a dream to make videos like this. I want to make the music, and bring visual life to the song.
Someday FVers, it'll happen :)

Electric Car!

—Thanks, Allie! I embedded the video. -Bob

How James Sugrue makes cartoons in Flash

via Cartoon Brew



A couple things to note. James starts with 7 drawings (his boards, essentially). His animation builds upon those drawings with more drawings (James likes drawing). And he uses a good mix of reuse and redraw. Just because its Flash, doesn't mean it has to tween.

Thanks, James!

Sesame Workshop's Spike and Bubbles

via Cold Hard Flash

"Check out this beautiful short produced at Dancing Diablo. Lineboil.com contributor Dan Forgione was the animation director on the piece, which was produced for Sesame Workshop. It’s titled Spike and Bubbles."

I love this simple little narrative, which basically teaches kids about sharp things, bubbles, friendship, and teamwork. The characters are wonderfully bizarre and it's great how the background not only changes as characters pass through it—paint blotches even follow them around. The music is spot on, too....notice there are no words or dialogue.

SpongeBob is Everywhere

You may have noticed that SpongeBob has been popping up even more than usual over the past few weeks. It's because the show recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Say what you will of the yellow sponge, but you can't deny his popularity. People (kids especially) LOVE SpongeBob. VH1 recently debuted a documentary special "Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob Squarepants", Nickelodeon aired a 50-hour marathon last weekend, and Nick Mag currently has an "Ultimate SpongeBob Issue" on news stands. The Atlantic also recently published a great article called SpongeBob's Golden Dream which I think does a unique job of putting everything in perspective.

I posted some spongy thoughts on my blog as well. And I wanted to take this post to highlight some great SpongeBob art.

Sherm Cohen is an amazingly talented cartoonist who worked on the show in the early days as a writer, storyboard artist, and director. His artwork frequents the covers of Nick Mag, and he's one of the best SpongeBob artists around in my opinion. He just posted a bunch of illustrations he did for the Village Voice (posts 1 and 2) a few years back that are some of the best SpongeBob imagery I've seen outside of the show. Here are a few favorites:



And then there are the often sick and twisted drawings of Robertryan Cory. About a month ago he started posting production art from the show on his Flickr account and he keeps adding to it. He seems to be tasked with the more elaborate, exaggerated, grotesque, and cartoony drawings needed in the show. They are some of my favorite drawings PERIOD as of late, and definitely worth your attention.




You may be annoyed by his laugh, you may be tempted to label the shows overly hyper-active, and you may be sick of all the merchandising (I love this camera), but now that the show has been on for over a decade, I think it's a good time to reflect on the phenomenon that is SpongeBob. A character like this only comes around once a generation (once a century, even—I would easily qualify SpongeBob as the new Mickey Mouse). From The Atlantic article:

...the SquarePants writers are interested in stories, even in lessons. Again and again, a kind of innocence triumphs—over fear, over snobbery, and over skepticism.

Trotting along bright-hearted, laughing his spray-on headache of a laugh, he will not succumb to complication. His corner of the world is all levity. Embrace him, drained adult. Where you see his little yellow flag, salute it; it’s a sign of life.

Here's to that!

SpongeBob © 2009 Viacom International Inc. All rights reserved. NICKELODEON, SpongeBob SquarePants, and all related titles, logos, and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. SpongeBob Created by Stephen Hillenburg.

A Loaf of Bread, a Container of Milk, and a Stick of Butter

A memorable Sesame Street animated short for sure (how could you forget?!) But seriously folks, check out this walk cycle. Here's a perfect case of the way a character talks and the way a character moves completely defining the character. It's also a perfect case of coming up with a great cycle (which definitely took time to create), and then getting a ton of use out of it.

According to YouTube, this was produced by Jim Simon's Wantu Enterprises, the same company that made equally distinctive animation for The Electric Company and Vegetable Soup.

Mike Rauch on Talking UP to kids

Mike Rauch is a New York-based animator heading up the Rauch Bros Animation Studio. Here's what he says about children's media:

"Outside of entertaining the audience, the most important purpose of film for children and their families is to inform them and encourage them to think about the outside world and themselves. Media for kids should engage and respect them as intelligent people. This tells children that their thoughts, their ideas, and their lives matter. It shows parents and adults that listening closely to what kids have to say is one of the most important things they can do."

Great thoughts! I would say right in line with our philosophy here at FableVision.

Here's a teaser of the film "Q&A" that Mike and his brother Tim have submitted to the Chicago Children's Film Festival.

"Q&A" teaser from Rauch Brothers on Vimeo.

Does dialogue-driven TV animation need animators?

This is the question posed over at Cartoon Brew by Amid Amidi in his latest post Xtranormal: A Glimpse Into the Future of TV Animation Production. The animation below was created using free web software available at Xtranormal.com (honestly, you can try it out right now), where their slogan is:

“If you can type, you can make movies.”



This isn't meant to be a fire-starter (or maybe it is) (edit: a heated debate has indeed sparked). Amid raises several points:

"I’ve long felt that the amount of effort invested into TV animation is disproportionate to the quality of work that appears on the finished screen. Too many production dollars are wasted on menial artistic tasks that could more efficiently be handled by a computer."

and:

"Dialogue-driven shows that are visually formulaic (i.e. Fairly Oddparents, The Simpsons, Family Guy, most pre-school and “Adult Swim” series) could easily be replaced with automated production systems. Crazy talk? Consider South Park, a half-hour show that uses automated systems to deliver finished episodes in as little as two weeks and doesn’t suffer with audiences one bit."

So really, what he's getting at is that so much of the animation on TV amounts to talking characters with repetitive movements (or no movement at all) that could be handled by trained technicians (not necessarily requiring a trained animator's touch). Amid posits that animators would be freed up to create truly unique material that requires an artist's hand, instead of tediously moving arms, choosing from a series of mouth shapes, canned expressions, etc...tasks that could in many ways be orchestrated by an editor/technician trained in the software. I don't believe any of this discussion is meant to slight the animators currently working on the shows (edit: it has). He simply puts the question out there: what is stopping this from coming to fruition?

I encourage everyone to chime in on this. Admit it, we're looking into auto-lipsync apps to handle the brunt of our educational games that feature talking heads because it is tedious and time-consuming to have to do something by hand that is so repetitive. We're always looking to optimize our processes by building organized libraries of characters and their parts. The philosophy built into Flash is all about cutting corners and creating efficiencies, so at what point do you need one artist to get the ball rolling, and then hand over the brunt of the work to smaller teams that know how to work the software?

This doesn't need to be the case. But it goes to show that certain forms of entertainment don't require the unique talents of individual animators. I would argue that there is a growing market for storytelling and animation where the hand-made (human) element is more evident. Both visually, and in the writing. I would argue that we offer it up at FableVision all the time, and it's why people flock to us. It's also what makes Animation-ish what it is—compare our version of the "anyone can animate" mission to that of Xtranormal and the differences are plain to see.

That's where I've landed. Discuss, or just think about it :)

EDIT: So, after an mere afternoon, Amid is definitely drawing criticism and protest from many an animator over at Cartoon Brew. Many of them working on shows targeted in his post, defending that they've been unfairly labeled as technicians when they are in fact animators. Definitely worth checking out the comments in the post. It's also important to note that some of his comments on shows have been labeled inaccurate or over-generalized (South Park is actually made by a small army of animators who work incredibly hard and fast for 2 weeks).

Some have asked if he purposely baited everyone (if he's half joking). I don't think so; this isn't the first time Amid has taken a point of view that has riled people up. But I still think it's a debate happening in the animation field worth highlighting over here at Creative Juices. For me personally, I think the more you give over to the computer, the more likely that processes can and will be automated. I also agree that the technology to do what he suggests is definitely coming, especially in the realm of CG.

An Interview with Ralph Eggleston

First off, special congratulations go out to Wall-E, Eve and the gang for snagging the Oscar. Dave Schlafman just passed along an interview with Ralph Eggleston, production designer on the film. He details some of the artistic goals and production challenges of the the film. I especially enjoyed reading about his thoughts on color. He gets into texturing, too. Well worth the read.

--> Design With a Purpose, An Interview with Ralph Eggleston

Deadlines got you down?

...take a note from Glen Keane, Disney animator extraordinaire. There is a great article about him on Lineboil.

My favorite portion of this article:

Do you have any routines for uncorking your creativity?

GLEN: Get away. That’s what I need to do when I am stuck. I go for a long walk and refresh my soul. I go to a museum to remind myself that I am an artist and need to think like one. Often the thing that can happen to someone working for a big studio like Disney, or any studio for that matter, is that you can forget why you love this art form. It can quickly become about meeting a production goal. Schedules and deadlines are important, even essential, because they create a fire and heat that seem to force you into your best ideas. However when you feel creatively empty and uninspired, the deadline mentality will say “It’s okay just let it go. So what if it’s not your best work - you’ll get another chance next time. Hand in the scene and at least you can feel good about hitting the numbers.”

I reject this voice and instead do something that feels entirely counter-intuitive. I take that seemingly all too precious time and walk out the door of the studio, hop in my car and drive to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. I marvel at the Rodin sculpture at the entrance. I study the Degas pastels and figurines… I start to remember that I am an artist first and animator second.

Ditch Digital

Floyd Norman has a rather bold suggestion sure to stir controversy:

"I’m going to apologize in advance for today's column because I'm sure that it's going to make a lot of people angry. I have a plan that some might call radical. But it’s a plan that I’m afraid we need. Tough times demand tough decisions, and here’s one to consider:

Get rid of digital animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios."

--> Link to column

His argument is from a business perspective, mainly that Disney should leverage their history (the brand they established over an entire century) and return to what they have always excelled at. Especially in a world where practically everything is CG, and they already own Pixar. Interesting read, for sure. Thanks to Sherm Cohen for sharing the link over Facebook.

The Art of Storyboarding

Walt Disney: "At our studio we don't write our stories, we draw them."

Alfred Hitchcok: "A storyboard artist has to be a good storyteller."

Andrew Adamson: "This is an expensive writing tool, but a really inexpensive production tool."

via Presentation Zen

Donald Duck is funny

Donald always has bad stuff happen to him. He's picked on, taunted...his tail's always getting smacked or mistreated...and yet we laugh at him. He's one of the few Disney characters that we route against in a fun way, and yet he's likable. Ask most people who their favorite Disney character is (fighting off the Disney conditioning that wants them to say MICKEY), I bet most of them would say Donald. Is it easier to laugh at his misfortunes because he's so angry all the time? Sometimes he shows a softer side, but we all like him when he's waving his fist ready to give it to'em.

Anyway, think on that, and watch these classic Donald Duck cartoons :)

Donald Applecore (1952)


I always wondered about the "Applecore" joke in this. Wikipedia says it was a schoolyard game...how sweet!

This one won't allow embedding for some reason:
--> Bee at the Beach (1950)

Note that these are a full 15 years later than the cartoons I posted yesterday. It's interesting to see Donald's design morph over the years.