Here’s a good article on UP from Famous magazine. I have no qualms about posting this because the mag is free at any Cineplex. But if I get complaints, I’ll take it down. So get it while it’s HOT. *Evil Laugh*
I saw Up again last night. I loved it again. I laughed, I cried, and was thoroughly entertained again. The Incredibles is still my favorite Pixar film, even with all the buzz Up is currently producing.
So with almost everyone loving this film, who doesn’t like it? Well unsurprisingly Thad ain’t crazy about it. Of course I disagree with everything the guy says, and almost always do, but his opinion is worth reading for diversity alone. I’m not naive enough to believe everything I read and study is the be all and end all to animation perfection. So a disgruntled, purist, hold no bars opinion is welcome on my blog roll. I laughed my ass off when reading his “review” as well as that of his commenters. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, especially if it’s funny.
Check out this auction going on at eBay right now for Albert Hurter’s sketch book. I didn’t know about this book until now. Does anyone have it? How do you like it? I don’t know if it’s a good deal, but it’s too rich for my blood. Worth pointing out though. For those that don’t know, Hurter was one of the early Disney artists from Europe responsible for the look and feel of the early Disney films, including Snow White. I’d love to add this to my collection, but perhaps another day. At least now I’m aware of it!
I was searching around the interweb for animation desks when I stumbled upon Ralph Bakshi’s Flickr account. There’s a ton of photostreams covering a lot of his productions with some great behind the scenes production photos. I don’t have a copy of his new book, but I would guess he included a lot of this stuff in it.
David Nethery (Inkling Studios, AAU Animation Notes) has put together the ultimate traditional animation equipment resource with his new blog, Hand-Drawn Animation Equipment. There’s so much information on this blog I wish I knew about when I was putting my desk together. I’ve recently been thinking about getting a full desk, replacing my table-top one, and for me this is the ultimate resource. Oh yes, the day will come when I will have one of these:
David is a former online instructor of mine at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He was also kind enough to write me a reference letter for CalArts. This is the fifth website he’s put together (that I’m aware of) making him one of the most underrated animation bloggers out there. All his blogs are great. Here’s two more you should check out:
I don’t know when this is from, or who put this together for Disney, but it looks like a bench mark or guide for artists to aim for when applying. This is still extremely useful today, so I thought I’d post it. I don’t know if Disney or Pixar have recent “Sample Portfolios” like this for today’s artists, but I’d love to see one.
Eric Darnell was in town for last night’s Siggraph event in Vancouver. It was a nice Q&A setup that I haven’t seen out of Siggraph yet, which was nice for a change. Eric brought a lot of his early work from CalArts and PDI. I remember being entertained by his short, Gas Planet, when I was a kid. YTV would air it frequently; this was all before Toy Story and computer animation was anything more than primitive shapes performing awkward movements. Watch Gas Planet below:
Eric also showed us his experimental animation work he did for a music video while he was at CalArts, and some tests for a Penguin/Beatles feature Dreamworks had in the works (which was axed). They never forgot about doing penguins in CG, and that’s where the penguins from Magagascar originated from.
The highlight of the evening was his stories about the trials and tribulations of directing, the pyschology behind being the boss, and taking on that roll. I found it surprising that he was given his directorial debut on Antz by default, becuase nobody else really had any computer animation experience at the time. What a position to be thrown into. Obviously he landed running and hasn’t stopped, but it blows my mind that Katzenberg took that chance on the strength of Gas Planet alone.
I’m pretty impressed with the new Pinocchio Blu-Ray. Watching this film on a big screen is amazing. The color and picture are absolutely beautiful. I can’t help but think that this is how the film was intended to be viewed; the technology has finally caught up with the artistry. There’s a excellent review here, constrasting the image and sound quality differences between this new version and the limited edition DVD I bought years ago. What a difference!
Restoring DVDs like this makes them an experience again. I don’t feel like I’m watching something old anymore, and I can get lost in the story and beautiful art. I can marvel at the painted backgrounds, and crisp character animation. I’m taken back, without feeling like I’ve been taken back. Look at the beautiful color in the image above! That’s how it was supposed to look.
CineExplore is another Blu-Ray feature I’ve just discovered that I’m totally geeking out on. What a treat for people like me. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s basically a deluxe commentary track. You get visuals (production art, maquette turn-arounds, interview clips, etc) while you watch the film and listen to (and watch) the commentators. It’s a big deal for animators. Buy the Pinocchio Blu-Ray, you won’t be dissapointed. I’m really looking forward to the new Fantasia Blu-Ray.
Check out this re-review of the Phantom Menace. I have to say I feel the same way about the film now, and I felt the same way about the film ten years ago. Here’s a quote from the article:
That’s why it can be enlightening to look at a movie again after some time has passed — say, 10 years, if you like round numbers and meaningless milestones. The movie has stayed the same, but the viewer (“that man,” as Warshow put it) is different. Your tastes, preferences, attitudes, and philosophies evolve over time, sometimes becoming more firm, sometimes shifting slightly, sometimes reversing altogether. Everything about you, from your personality to your life experiences, plays a part in how you perceive a movie. It’s unreasonable to think you’d feel exactly the same way, in every respect, after another decade of living has altered you.
I’m sure this stuff is widely available on the internet already, but it’s worth posting if you haven’t seen it yet. These are fantastic life drawings by Glen Keane. They were obviously done when he was developping the look of Pochahontas. He makes it look so easy. I love this one:
I’m not a fan of Robert Rodriguez as a filmmaker. I very much enjoyed Sin City (2005), but I consider that more the vision of Frank Miller than Rodriguez.
While I don’t think Rodriguez has written a good story yet, he has (or maybe had) an increcible will to succeed that’s nothing short of inspiring. I recommend his book, Rebel Without a Crew, to any aspiring filmmaker. I love reading about people that don’t talk, and just do. I love it when people challenge convention, and break “rules”. It’s so inspiring when they succeed, and Rodriguez did in the biggest way.
This book is his personal journal of his process of conceiving, writing, raising funds, shooting, editing, and selling his first feature film, El Mariachi (1992). He did it in two weeks, with next to no money or crew, at the age of twenty three. He did it all by himself, and ended up a millionaire with several film deals. All because he wasn’t focused on the money; He was doing what he loved. How cool is that?
The spirit and ambition of his writing infects you to go forth and create without limits. It teaches you lack of money only means more creativity is needed. It’s a fast, and inspiring read. Check it out.
