Connect With Fans, but By All Means, Maintain A Distance

Analysis /

Fans and fandoms are recurring themes here on the blog, and for good reason. They form an essential, and ever more critical part of a successful cartoon or animated feature. They are marketers, advocates, customers, and above all, appreciative individuals. However, fans have long been held at length by studios, and for good reason as the latest Steven Universe drama unfolds.

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Connect With Fans, but By All Means, Maintain A Distance Read More »

Why Producing Content is Like Opening a Restaurant

1 Comment / Analysis /

How can animation be even remotely similar to opening a restaurant? One is extremely risky, is enormously susceptible to changing tastes, is faced with intense competition and….well, I suppose they’re not so different after all, are they? So if you’re producing animated content, what lessons can you learn from a restaurant and can you use them to drive success?

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Why Producing Content is Like Opening a Restaurant Read More »

Animation is Finally a Commodity. Now What?

3 Comments / Predictions /

It took long enough, but animation is just about everywhere you, and (among younger generations at least), is immensely popular. Many have long looked with envy at Japan with its ubiquitous anime and pined for a similar scenario in western markets. Their prayers may have been answered, but the reality is far from expectations. Animation has become a commodity, and with that it has lost its special place in the minds of consumers and fans alike. The question is, what happens now, and where does the industry go from here?

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Animation is Finally a Commodity. Now What?Read More »

Animation is Finally a Commodity. Now What? Read More »

Remember Inside Out?

11 Comments / Misc. /

Minions guffaw

Seems like ages ago that everyone was gushing over Pixar’s latest hit, doesn’t it?

Now Minions is the movie on everyone’s lips. The hit of the land! A tremendous opening weekend! Almost $400,000,000 grossed worldwide!!! Illumination/Universal does it yet again! Can nothing stop them???

Wait, what’s that you say?

They’re working on a Wreck-It-Ralph sequel!?*

Well if they don’t call it Super Wreck-It-Ralph someone should be fired.†

Etc. etc.

* MovieNews | John C. Reilly confirms at Galway Film Fleadh that he’s signed on for Wreck-It Ralph 2 – entertainment.ie

† As quipped by Redditor /u/lpjunior999

Frozen contributed to my disillusionment with animation last year.

Inside Out is the catalyst this time around.

The cranial dynamo ran out of steam, and it’s no easy task to get it spinning again.

Ideally you shouldn’t have to start rebuilding a passion from scratch, and yet here we are.

With that in mind, the focus now is on creating something new,  and in order to do that, you can’t focus on the old.

Remember Inside Out? Read More »

Thirteen and Out: Why Concise Series Runs Will Become the Norm

8 Comments / Business Models /

If the thirteen episodes mentioned in the title seems a bit short, just imagine how the Simpsons would be viewed today if the original order was all that was made. Would it still be viewed as a classic, or be relegated to a footnote of television history? Regardless of what would have happened 25 years ago, the future is pointing inexorably towards series runs of a predetermined length and story structure.

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Thirteen and Out: Why Concise Series Runs Will Become the Norm Read More »

Great TV is Like Punk Rock, But Our Screens Are Filled With Adult Contemporary

6 Comments / Analysis /

Great TV is everywhere nowadays, at least that what everyone is telling me. Creators are pushing boundaries, genres are being stretched, and cultural barriers are falling. If only it were all true! Great TV is like Punk Rock in more ways than one, and what is on our screens nowadays isn’t inspiring me to get a leather jacket, or a mohawk.

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Great TV is Like Punk Rock, But Our Screens Are Filled With Adult ContemporaryRead More »

Great TV is Like Punk Rock, But Our Screens Are Filled With Adult Contemporary Read More »

The Podcast Episode 4: The ‘Impotents’ Webseries and Kickstarter

Podcast /

Impotents

This month I chat with Jeff Cooper and Grahaeme Cowie of Smoking Doors Productions about their animated webseries Impotents and the Kickstarter campaign their currently running to get it made. Besides spilling the beans on the series itself and what we can expect, we discuss why they chose Kickstarter and how much planning and effort goes into running a campaign. If you’ve ever been curious about it, you’ll want to have a listen.

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