Entries tagged “animation”
kidrobot x Matt Groening vinyl toy
“…Created by legendary “Life is Hell” cartoonist Matt Groening, THE SIMPSONS is celebrating its 500th episode in February 2012, and Kidrobot is honoring the father of primetime animation in the only way we know how: making him into a 6-inch vinyl toy!
Complete with goatee and glasses, director’s jacket, and pad and pencil accessories, it is the first EVER Simpsons Matt Groening toy…” —kidrobot
At night the books from the shelves of Type bookstore in Toronto come to life in a fun, stop-motion animated video.
Mary Blair’s 100th birthday anniversary is honored with a colorful Google Doodle logo. The Walt Disney storyboard artist, born on October 21st, 1911, is fondly remembered for her often whimsical, illustrative style in children’s books (notably Little Golden), advertisements, and concept art for classic Walt Disney animated films. And she especially was known for her wonderful use of color, as highlighted in a new Oscars tribute video.
“…Although Mary Blair is perhaps best known for the design of Disneyland’s “it’s a small world” attraction and park murals, her concept artwork for “Cinderella,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter Pan” in the 1950s, as well as for earlier short subjects, reflects her unique sensibility and lasting influence on animation…”
—The Academy on Mary Blair’s World of Color - A Centennial Tribute
vintage book covers on shelf transformed into stop-motion love story
Filmmaker Spike Jonze worked with handbag designer Olympia Le-Tan and director Simon Cahn to create Mourir Auprès de Toi. The end result is a beautiful stop motion animated short film set inside the Shakespeare & Company book shop in Paris.
“Designer Olympia Le-Tan’s embroidered clutch-bags spring to life in director Spike Jonze’s tragicomic stop-motion animation Mourir Auprès de Toi (To Die By Your Side). On a shelf in famed Parisian bookstore Shakespeare and Company, the star-crossed love story of a klutzy skeleton and his flame-haired amour plays out amidst Le-Tan’s illustrations of iconic first-edition book covers…” —Nowness
There is a video that gives a peak behind the scenes of making Mourir Auprès de Toi (To Die By Your Side).
Can you spot the Alvin Lustig inspired dust jacket design on the book shelf?
Interactive Google Doodle remembering Art Clokey with Gumby characters
Google celebrates the 90th birthday anniversary of Arthur “Art” Clokey with an adorable, animated, interactive Gumby themed Google Doodle logo design (including Pokey and friends).
October 12, 2011, we celebrate Gumby creator Art Clokey’s 90th birthday, and Google is honoring this stop motion pioneer with a doodle. Google’s home page will feature a unique interactive stop motion clay doodle created by the Clokey Productions Premavision studios. Coinciding with the birthday fanfare is the premiere of the new http://www.Gumby.com website—Gumby’s new home!
“The Google Doodle is the perfect tribute to my fathers work,” says Joe Clokey, Art Clokey’s son and creator of Gumby’s new website. “Art’s life and film career were ahead of their time. My dad would have been thrilled to be connected with Google in this way.”
A true visionary and pioneer, Art Clokey touched millions around the world with his creations. Art’s clay animation short Gumbasia expressed an exciting kinesthetic brand of film making that has influenced many of our current leading directors…” —press release about Google Doodle for Gumby’s creator and the launch of new Gumby World site for classic film clips, history, products, and biographical information
“G” and “J” Blockhead, “Square Thinkers” (Gumby’s nemeses)
Prickle without Goo (dragon of dinosaur?)
Pokey pony (best friend and sidekick)
Aside from honoring the birthday of the late Art Clokey, the new Google Doodle is a fun way to reintroduce the characters made of clay from the stop-motion animated television classic. There’s plenty to read and watch about innovation in animation with Gumby.com as the base—only wish there were larger, archival images and photographs. Below is one of the old video gems:
Art Clokey’s early Gumby action / Montage of Clips from 50′s Episodes
The Atlantic rounds up “A Visual History of Literary References on ‘The Simpsons’,” with help from the Lisa Simpson Book Club
“Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World”
It isn’t often that there is an inspiring, non-political story on the front page of a newspaper, above the fold. The Sunday edition of The New York Times features tiny sketches of cartoon characters from Justin Canha’s journal.
“For weeks, Justin Canha, a high school student with autism, a love of cartoons and a gift for drawing, had rehearsed for the job interview at a local animation studio. As planned, he arrived that morning with a portfolio of his comic strips and charcoal sketches, some of which were sold at a Chelsea gallery…” —Amy Harmon for The New York Times
The story of this one young man’s desire to become a “famous animator-illustrator” and his teacher Kate Stanton-Paule’s special education program to help autistic youth “transition to adulthood” is worth reading. If you weren’t able to get a physical copy of The New York Times, there is a substantial amount of content available online, along with supplemental visuals and videos.
I also recommend taking a look at Canha’s Animated Cartoon Timeline featuring Mickey Mouse, Sesame Street, The Simpsons, Shrek, and more.
“Feeling creatively drained? Let this letter from Pixar inspire you.” —The Next Web
(two pages via TNW via Animator Letters Project)
Pixar’s Monsters Inc. versus Monsters University
Pixar characters Mike Wazowski and Sulley will undergo slight anatomical tweaks for the upcoming Monsters Inc. prequel, Monsters University. The new film has a release date in 2013.
“…While instantly familiar, due to the original Monsters, Inc., it looks like Pixar is trying to do something very different and unique as well. John Lasseter described the film as an “animated college movie.” The film is a prequel showing us a time when Mike and Sulley were not quite the best of friends. They are both 18 years old and some slight alterations have been made to their appearance. Mike is a bit shorter and has a retainer, while Sulley is thinner…”—Pixar Times
(images via Slashfilm)
Defective Detective was directed by Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis (while they were students at the Ringling College of Art and Design). The short animated film recently made its debut at Cartoon Brew’s 2nd annual Student Animation Festival.
For her final experimental animation project at Pratt, Rachel Kwak created the stop-motion animated short film, “A World I Never Made.” The illustrated bunny beautifully jumps off of the pages in a book…
(first discovered via laughing squid via kuriositas)
Forbidden Planet’s review of Studio Ghibli’s The Borrower Arrietty
After the season finale, FOX and The Simpsons leave the audience a cliffhanger on the fate of Ned’s new relationship with Edna. Through a fun marketing campaign, complete with Facebook and Twitter icons, “the love and future happiness of Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel are in your hands.”
