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Weekly Weblinks: Part Deaux

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This post is really should have been done earlier, but school and work aside, there just wasn’t time until now. I am always on the lookout for new and exciting blogs to follow as well as interesting posts to share and without further adieu, here’s a few I came across this week.

Blogs

Bleeding Pixels

The blog of Dave Johnson, who provides regular updates on the goings on in animation with some personal commentary. One to follow.

The Cartoon Cave

Written by Pete Emslie, one of the old-school cartoonists of this world. it contains tons of awesome sketches and illustration among posts on old comics and animation. Worth reading for the pictures alone but Petes personal take on things makes it all the better.

Posts

Hanna-Barbera, the Missing Theme Park

Lisa K. Berton takes a look at Hanna-Barbera’s attempts to enter the lucrative themepark market and how their presence has been declining as of late.

Animazing Amation: The Secret of Kells

A review on the Late to the Theater blog, which focuses on films available through instant streaming that reinforces everything that has been said about this film and how excellent it is. Worth reading and serves as a great reminder that The Secret of Kells is available in Netflix.

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Weekly Weblink: Chuck Redux

1 Comment / Animation, Website /

Via: Chuck Redux

The name Chuck Jones should be one that is instantly recognizable. Literally millions of people have seen his name appear on the screen before several minutes of madness and hilarity begins. He was much more than a superb director however, and that’s where this blog come in.

Co-written  by Robert Patrick and Chuck’s grandson, Craig Kausen, the blog is a fantastic resource for anything and everything created by Chuck.

There are of course, loads of Warner Bros. stuff, like model sheets, storyboards character analysis and the like. There are also the special edition cels that Chuck created in later years after the Warner Bros. studio shut down. In addition to all of that, there is also plenty of news on Chuck Jones-related events, personal stories, interviews, letters, paintings, long tales and the perpetually exciting Image of the Day, as exemplified above.

All in all, the blog is perhaps the best resources on the web when it comes to the life of one of the world’s greatest animators, and it is a huge credit to his legacy that such time and effort is put into making it such a wonderful resource for all to use.

The blog is updated regularly and is always a delight to read.

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Weekly Weblink: Eclectic Micks

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Admittedly, when I first heard of Eclectic Micks, the first vision that popped into my head was a pub band along the lines of Mungo Jerry. I guess I was a bit off because it’s something much better, a colection of awesome, Irish artists!

I must have been visiting the wrong circles because the blog has been around since 2009 with the basic concept that there is one topic per week with each member posting their work on the designated day. Naturally as one would expect, the level of quality is extremely high and with such a group of talented folks, that is not surprising in the slightest.

Last week’s topic was The Secret of Kells (so you can see how I discovered the site) and as you can see below from this one sample, you are guaranteed not to be disappointed if you follow them.

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Go Visit the Animation Backgrounds Blog!

Animation, Website /

WB Road Runner BackgroundA sooooooper short post today because I highly recommend checking out the (now sadly on hiatus) Animation Backgrounds blog that’s chock full of original backgrounds from just about every era of animation that you can think of. It’s only after being reminded about it (by Eoghan Kidney and the good folks at Caboom) that I went back for another glance through and was thoroughly amazed by the quality of some of the stuff on there. It is well worth checking out and with three years of posts to dig through, you know there’s lots of fantastic posts just waiting to be discovered. 🙂

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Have A Free Minute Today? Go read Letters Of Note.

1 Comment / Animation, Website /

If you have some free time today (and it’s Friday so no excuses) you should head on over to Letters Of Note. It’s a fascinating site that posts letters sent in reply from famous people. The letter above comes from Richard Williams (who wrote The Animator’s Survival Kit) and mentions how important it was during the production of Who Framed Roger Rabbit that the animated characters eyes were looking directly at the human at all times.

Amongst all the letters is the animation category, which features letters from Walt Disney, John K, Ward Kimabll and so on. Some of the them are from kids asking questions, others such as the famous one from John K. deal with animating skills. Yet others are office memos sent around the studio.

They are all well worth the small amount of time you spend reading them, if not for the advice or historical aspect if for the sheer joy alone of reading them.

On a related note is the Letterheady Tumblelog, which features famous letterheads. There are only a few based on a search for “animation” although that does not preclude more being included under different categories. It’s another great site which I recommend you check out as well.

Below is the letterhead for Chuck Jones.

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Cartoon Brew 3.0 is Here!

Animation, Cartoon Brew, Website /

Folks in love with animation have numerous places to congregate on the web. However, none seems to rally the people like Cartoon Brew. It’s hard to believe that it’s been around for over six years now and my how it has changed.

The site started off as mostly a news/opinion blog co-authored by Jerry Beck and Amid Amidi. Why they decided on calling it a "Brew" I do not know, however it is fair to say that both gentlemen bring some really contrasting posts and commentary that is always welcome.

Over the years, the site has undergone periodical redesigns and updates that have helped keep things looking fresh. However, it is with this latest version that the Brewmasters as they are affectionately called, have upped the ante.

Their latest efforts have hit the right spot alright. The site has garnered a community of sorts over the years with a pool of regular commentors (yours truly included) but besides the daily posts and the odd competition, there wasn’t really anything about to serve the sites community bar a serious discussion in the comments.

All that has changed however! With the latest update, the site now boasts many more features designed to pull Cartoon Brew even close to the center of the animation universe on the web. There is now a series of rolling industry headlines, a series of top posts, and of course, the obligatory latest tweets. These are taken from the Brew’s animators directory that encompasses a wide range of folks from the community. We are promised that the list will change as appropriate. Is there a possibilty that I might get on there one day? Perhaps, a man can dream can’t he? Anyway, the list is a fantastic place to see the various happenings and goings on from folks in the industry.

In addition to these changes, the commenting system has been upgraded to allow threaded commenting and ratings too! The threaded commenting adds greatly to the idea of the site as a community. No longer will I seem to be replying blindly to other posts; I can now engage in discussion!

Two other items of note include the repositioned CBTV (currently in the midst of a so-far fascinating student film festival) and the surprise addition of CB Live! Of course, the Brewmasters have always been forthcoming in publicising events that they either organize or are attending, but this section is specifically for events organized and branded as Cartoon Brew-related. This is perhaps the biggest indication so far that the site does indeed have a real, living community of fans outside the web. I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of events are in the pipeline, especially any on the East Coast.

Much lauded, Cartoon Brew continues to garner the type of following that only such hard work and dedication from its Brewmasters can bring. Version 3.0 will certainly continue the site’s growth as a center for news, commentary and informed discussion on all things animation that remains unparalleled on the net.

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