Mayerson on Animation
- An Independent SuccessThe video embedded above has been viewed almost 42 million times. That's a number larger than the population of many countries, including Canada.If you're not aware of it, Simon's Cat has been around for about 5 years and is a series of cartoons like the above by Simon Tofield on YouTube. In addition to his animation, Tofield has authored eig […]
Cartoon Brew
- The Only Animation Ad You Need to Read on Craigslist This WeekThis is the only animator-for-hire ad you need to read on Craigslist this week. […]
NFB Blog
- Welcome to the Uncanny Valley: A sneak peek at Chris Landreth’s new film, Subconscious PasswordThe following is a guest post from Oscar®-winning filmmaker Chris Landreth about his upcoming release, Subconscious Password. *** Subconscious Password, my latest short film, travels to the inner mind of a fellow named Charles Langford, as he struggles to remember the name of his friend at a party. […]
Cold Hard Flash
- Speedrun Spawns Aliens in 60 SecondsThe crew of the Nostromo would have wished their suffering lasted only 60 seconds, but they weren’t so lucky. Aliens has been compressed down to the essentials, and 1A4 Studio picked only the most revealing moments in this Speedrun episode. You may have to watch it a few times to get it all, sorta like ... […]
ToonBoom Resource
- Forty Seconds in Two Weeks with Animate Pro 2, now at Acme Punched!Learn how my partner and I made it from concept to published video in just two weeks using Animate Pro 2. This four-part series on my blog Acme Punched! details how we took the client’s ambitious concept and found a way to make an appealing ecard for their company, all in time for Christmas! A […]
Tag Archive
from the internets: Warren Leonhardt on Animation Insider
Sometimes contributor and all around swell guy, Warren Leonhardt, answered a few questions for Animation Insider. Apparently, Warren used to be a logger, and is too lazy to be an amateur kickboxer. I had no idea he was so… »
from the internets: OIAF’s Chris Robinson talks to FilmFestivalLife
Nice little chat with OIAF Artistic Director, Chris Robinson, over here at www.filmfestivallife.com. Look at that smile. Deadline for entries is coming up May… »
Colin Jack and Galaxy Zack. A little friendly promotion for something that won’t suck.
All around swell guy, and current PDI Dreamworks story man, Colin Jack, has somehow found time to illustrate some books. Galaxy Zack is coming out April 2nd, and I’m personally looking forward to getting my hands on a copy. I’m a fan. Here’s a link to Colin’s post about the books. There’s more artwork to… »
Last day for NIKO AND THE SWORD OF LIGHT
Amazing looking Kickstarter project, Niko and the Sword of Light, out of the UK. It’s an animated comic book, with a lot of Canadian talent on board. They’ve already hit their goal, but you just need to see it…. »
from the internets: Capilano Grads sharing Oscar gold on Disney’s Paperman
Capilano University’s animation program has always done a great job of promoting and keeping tabs on their alumni. Don Perro recently sent me a link to a post they ran about a couple of their grads who played key roles in the production of the highly acclaimed Disney short, Paperman. Here’s the post (original can… »
from the internets: Mark Mayerson’s review of Sick Little Monkeys
Thad Komorowski has written an unauthorized, behind-the-scenes account of the making of Ren & Stimpy. Here’s Mark Mayerson’s… »
from the internets: Noam Sussman on Animation Insider
Looks like it’s unofficially Noam Sussman week. There’s a quick interview with the Toronto Animator on Animation Insider where Noam answers the usual set of questions. Check it out… »
from the internets: J.J. Sedelmaier talks Lightboxes and Peg Bars
Imprint magazine has a great article by New York animator J.J. Sedelmaier that features an awesome array of animation discs and setups that are drifting into antiquity. You young’uns won’t barely recognize most of this stuff, but it’s great to see it all laid out. No Canadian connection mentioned in the article, but I’ll add… »
from the internets: Guys With Pencils talk with Scott Caple
Guys with Pencils podcast, featuring a conversation with Scott Caple. Scott is an instructor at Sheridan, whose resume includes the Incredibles and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Here’s the download link…. »
from the internets: Style 5′s High Five, 2012 year in review
One of the things I enjoy about this time of year is all the looking back and peering ahead. Style 5 head honcho, Sam Chou, posted a year in review for 2012, listing off the top 5 highlights of his year. If you don’t know them, they’re the kind of small shop that always has… »
from the internets: Animation Production Insight, from Echo Bridge
Steve Valdez runs Echo Bridge Pictures. They’re a boutique animation studio out of Florida. Yeah, I know that’s not in Canada, but I’m not going to hold it against him. Steve’s an honorary Canadian in my book. I met him a few years ago at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, an event he tries to… »
Ikea Munke: Animators finding creative ways to make a living
If there’s one thing we’re known for in Canada, it’s monkeys. That’s right. Monkeys. Used to be, our most famous animal would’ve been a beaver, or maybe a moose. But one little monkey in a particularly smart winter coat changed all that about a week ago by paying a mysterious visit to a Toronto Ikea. … »
Even more HOLIDAY AWESOME!
From designer, illustrator, ex-pat story-man, and all around swell fellah: Colin Jack. Sheridan animated this fun little greeting: West-coaster, Cale Atkinson offers a how-to for a festive paper-box pug: And this one came in from Katarina Antonic: And while I’m at it, here’s the link to the animated Christmas Card my gang here at Smiley… »
CBC’s Wiretap Animation Contest: finalists announced
A few weeks back we announced a contest that CBC was running, asking listeners to animate segments from their popular series: Wiretap. There was some discussion over the ethics of contests in our comments section, and not only was the CBC listening, but they also acted, taking our comments into consideration and amending the contest… »
Why did the animator cross the road?
Brent Forrest supplies the answer after the… »
showcase: Smiley Guy’s HALO 401K
Another short from my gang here at Smiley Guy Studios. HALO 401K. Just in time for the launch of the game tomorrow, and this one we just made for ourselves. … »
CBC Radio’s WireTap: Animated…UPDATE: Contest rules amended!!!
UPDATE: We posted this a few days ago, and a few of our regulars chimed in over the specifics of the ownership breakdown in the contest rules…. well, looks like the kind folks at the CBC were paying attention, and producer Mira Burt-Wintonick had this to say in our comments thread: We want you to… »
from the internets: Winsor McCay Google Doodle
Google’s got a Winsor McCay homage up today. For those who don’t know him, he’s one of the defining pioneers of animation. He’s best known in cartoon circles for Gertie the Dinosaur, his traveling Vaudeville show where he interacted with an animated Brontosauraus of his own creation, a process that precision timing, and painstaking animation. … »
OIAF pre-festival coverage: Chris Robinson on CTV
A little clip of OIAF Artistic Director Chris Robinson chatting up the festival in our nation’s… »
from the internets: more PIG GOAT BANANA MANTIS? could it be?
Here’s some good news! A little while back, Nick Cross posted a pilot he animated for Dave Cooper and Johnny Ryan‘s PIG GOAT BANANA MANTIS! The cartoon was produced for Nickelodeon, and we all got to see it because the network had finally passed on the project. It looked like a candidate for our “Greatest… »
from the internets: OAIF 2012 coverage begins
With this year’s Ottawa International Animation Festival just around the corner, mainstream media starts to throw a few stories our way. First up is local Ottawa fare: Metro Ottawa as a nifty little picture of Chris Robinson, OIAF Artisitic Director, resident curmudgeon, and Animation Pimp. Chris looks frighteningly cheery. The brief piece mainly covers the… »
from the internets: Digital Domain’s stock sinking faster than the Titanic
(see what I did there?) A few months ago, the internets were in an uproar over US-based FX house Digital Domain and their new business model, involving student labour, government money, and comments made by CEO John Textor. We snagged half an interview with Textor, but that was it. Well, reports are coming in that… »
from the internets: Thunderpaw
It’s important we all see this. It’s not Canadian, but it may be the future of everything I love. It’s Thunderpaw. Go experience it here, then come back and tell me how awesome your life… »
from the internets: Ted Wilson, Animation Insider interview
More Animation Insider interviews: today’s Canadian Animator is Ted Wilson, co-creator of Mondo Media’s Gundarr the Barbarian. Here’s the… »
from the internets: Sandra Loke on Animation Insider
So the other day, Animation Insider drew my attention with a Dave Merritt interview. As is usually the case, I started poking around to see who else had recently been subjected to the Insider questionnaire. I found another Canadian: Sandra Loke. Sandra’s a talented artist who works at Chuck Gammage Animation. Here’s her interview. And… »
from the internets: Animation Insider interviews Diamond Dave Merritt
Animation Insider has a great formula. Standardized interview questions that they send out to all kinds of animation types. There’s a pretty huge catalogue on there, including a number of notable Canadians. The latest is “Diamond” Dave Merritt. Whether you know it or not, you’re probably familiar with the man’s work. Have a read here…. »
from the internets: Tribute.ca points out that Canadians work on American movies!
A little piece popped up on tribute.ca about Canadian talent working on Genndy Tartakovsky’s Hotel Transylvania. It is cool that they mentioned some animators by name. We don’t usually see that kind of coverage. Here’s the… »
from the internets: Troy Little on CBR!
One of my favourite people, talking about one of my favourite things, on one of my favourite sites! Here’s the… »
from the internets: Mike Geiger’s Super Duper Super Hero, coming soon!
Over on his blog, Mike’s announced a web-series he’s independently producing, Super Duper Super Hero! Coming August 6th! Can’t wait!… »
from the internets: TAAFI roundup
Lots of TAAFI stuff to share as it looms ahead of us this week. One of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while is the 30 second bumper that TAAFI commissioned Sam Chou’s company, Style5, to produce. Its not available for viewing anywhere yet, but I managed to score a sneak peek about a… »
from the internets: Rainmaker announces sale to Xing Xing Digital
Two days after announcing that Catherine Winder will step down as president and executive producer on June 30, Rainmaker has revealed it’s selling its animation studio to Beijing-based animation company Xing Xing Digital. No announcements as to how this will affect day to day operations. Kidscreen has more complete coverage here:… »
from the internets: Guys With Pencils
Do you like podcasts? Do you like animation and comics? Then you might like this: Guys With Pencils. The guys in question are Adam Hines and Andrew Murray. They’re graduates of the animation program at Sheridan and have been doing this podcast for around a year. They get some pretty good guests, including the likes… »
from the internets: just wrong
Oh dear. I want to know who approved the posing on this one. I actually managed the studio that likely did layout on this season of Franklin, so I’m looking at you, Keith Savage. (clip found via Cartoon… »
from the internets: Meet the cartoonists behind Cartoon Network’s hottest shows, c/o the Beat
Heidi MacDonald’s long-running comics blog, the Beat, is currently running a series of articles featuring the cartoonists behind Adventure Time, the Regular Show and Problem Solverz. The pieces showcase the crossover of current talent working on these shows from indie comix to animation. It’s a good read, and shows the impact having the right… »
also from the internets: animation-studio-stuff.blogspot.ca
Wow. Lots of stuff to look at over here: animation-studio-stuff.blogspot.ca It’s a blog by David Nethery, for “online animation students attending Academy of Art University. (or anyone else interested in the art and craft of classical hand-drawn animation) “, and provides sources & suggestions for setting up an animation workspace for hand-drawn animation. Check it… »
from the internets: TAAFI’s Barnabas Wornoff on Sheridan Industry Day
The TAAFI guys are doing a better job of posting than I am these days. Today they’ve got a write-up of Sheridan’s industry day by alum, Barnabas Wornoff. Check it out over here. Barney does a nice job of pointing out a few standout films, particularly GUM by Noam Sussman, and “Murder on the Docks”… »