Analysis

Why Does Internet Explorer Have an Animated Mascot?

1 Comment / Analysis /

OK, all jokes aside, Microsoft has been making a big push of it’s Internet Explorer browser as of late for no particular reason other than it can. While it’s running TV commercials here in the US aimed at convincing consumers that IE really is a better browser, over in Asia, it’s taking a different tack and given it a mascot instead.

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Why Does Internet Explorer Have an Animated Mascot? Read More »

Who Needs Animators? Type Your Animated Film With Plotagon Instead!

3 Comments / Analysis /

Oh dear, we appear to have come much closer to the end of days as far as animators and storyboard artists are concerned. A company called Plotagon has released an eponymous software program that can create animated content from a written script. Is animating as a career doomed???

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Who Needs Animators? Type Your Animated Film With Plotagon Instead!Read More »

Who Needs Animators? Type Your Animated Film With Plotagon Instead! Read More »

Animating Dumbing of Age

1 Comment / Analysis, Comics /

A while back, I attended the first-rate comic event that is the Small Press Expo (SPX) here in Maryland. It was a blast of a time even if I had to literally run around every single table and still manage to miss Alissa Harris in the process. Afterward, I wrote this blog post analysing why certain comics that I saw and/or read on the day and later were worthy of being animated. Here’s one I missed

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Animating Dumbing of AgeRead More »

Animating Dumbing of Age Read More »

Why Is Common Sense Being Ignored in Animated Features?

2 Comments / Analysis /

Budgets for animated features have been rising consistently for the past decade or so. While large blockbusters at the end of the 20th century struggled to top $100 million, today’s efforts often top 3.5 times that! This rapid rise has been accomplished mainly thanks to the superb commercial performance of animated features at the box office. So why then is common sense missing from the production process of such films?

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Why Is Common Sense Being Ignored in Animated Features? Read More »

Three More Animated Kickstarter Campaigns to Compare

2 Comments / Analysis /

A while back, I did a comparison of three, quite different Kickstarter campaigns for animated projects. Today, we’re taking a look at three more. Again, they’re all quite different but all hope to raise enough money to fund the production of top-quality animation. They are: Bee & Puppycat, Dead Meat and Morph.

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Three More Animated Kickstarter Campaigns to CompareRead More »

Three More Animated Kickstarter Campaigns to Compare Read More »

Keeping Fans On-Track: An Adventure Time Cautionary Tale

Analysis /

Over on Indiewire, Eric Kohn has written a very interesting (and comprehensive) piece on Adventure Time and how the show has grown far from its simple roots by expounding in all sorts of weird and nuanced directions. What Kohn touches on, but does not completely explore, is why the logical, complimentary relationship that should exist between creators and fans has gotten somewhat out of step and why that’s a thing that should be a concern.

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Keeping Fans On-Track: An Adventure Time Cautionary TaleRead More »

Keeping Fans On-Track: An Adventure Time Cautionary Tale Read More »

DreamWorks Are About Much More Than Their Features

1 Comment / Analysis /

Scott Mendelson is quite prolific on the animation front this weather. First he qualified his statement that American feature animation is, for all intents and purposes, a genre. Secondly, he’s written a rather substantive piece (again for Forbes) on DreamWorks Animation and their “complicated legacy”. Is he right though? Here’s a look at why DreamWorks legacy is actually about much more than their films.

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DreamWorks Are About Much More Than Their FeaturesRead More »

DreamWorks Are About Much More Than Their Features Read More »

As it Turns Out, Boys DO Watch Female Characters on TV

Analysis /

It’s oft rumoured that boys have a certain amount of disdain for shows with female leads. The reasons are vague and revolve around concepts of masculinity and accepted social norms. However, such rumours are exactly that: rumours. As it turns out, boys do watch shows with a female lead, and they’re doing it in greater numbers than you would believe.

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As it Turns Out, Boys DO Watch Female Characters on TVRead More »

As it Turns Out, Boys DO Watch Female Characters on TV Read More »

Five Comics From SPX With Animated Potential

5 Comments / Analysis /

This is the companion piece to last week’s post about pitching and how comics could play a bigger role for animation studios looking for new ideas. SPX from the previous weekend was a great experience and although I had to whoosh by everything in one day, it proved a productive and rewarding test of my theory. To prove it, here’s five comics (and a few honourable mentions) by independent artists that contain plenty of animated potential given the right resources and effort.

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Five Comics From SPX With Animated PotentialRead More »

Five Comics From SPX With Animated Potential Read More »

Why The Practise of ‘Pitching’ Ideas Has To End

2 Comments / Analysis /

Pitching as an exercise is found in many corners of life. From thesis ideas to why you need a bigger garage, there is always an element of selling involved in order to see an idea come to fruition. Within the animation industry, pitching has long been the route by which many ideas get turned into actual animation. TV shows and feature films are pitched constantly either to studios or by studios. it. It’s an annoying practice that hasn’t necessarily evolved much or kept pace with technology. Here’s why it should done away with.

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Why The Practise of ‘Pitching’ Ideas Has To EndRead More »

Why The Practise of ‘Pitching’ Ideas Has To End Read More »