Animation

Memorable Moments From The Simpsons: Then and Now

1 Comment / Animation, The Simpsons /

Everyone knows The Simpsons isn’t what it used to be, but besides the lower bar for jokes, there has been a fundamental shift in many of the memorable moments of the series too.

The picture below is perhaps a wee bit biased (no mention, for example, of the death of Homer’s mother), but it is nonetheless an indication of just how much the show has changed. The latter series’ emphasis on guest stars as the center of attention only highlights how subdued guest stars were in the earlier seasons; Tom Jones was a plot device not the plot itself.

I can’t speak for the character analysis at the top seeing as I gave up watching new episodes almost two years ago, but it is nonetheless disheartening to see the degradation of the family. When characters in kids TV shows have more depth than the show that set the gold standard, that’s a huge sign of trouble.

Anyway, click through to embiggen the gory detail.

 

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Updating Old Animation To Modern Standards

Animation /

The video above is a sample of what I’m talking about. It’s basically the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2 game remade in full, glorious, widescreen high-definition. It’s very much a fan project, but it could have uses in animation. There are plenty of older properties out there that could benefit from an overhaul.

Which ones do you think could be done?

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UPDATED: The Wall Street Journal On Gender And The Legend Of Korra

Animation, Nickelodeon /

Updated at the bottom.

Via: The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal is the straight man of American journalism. It’s supposedly “above the fray” of other news organizations that would rather concern themselves with celebrity gossip than real news. Of course all that is less true now that the Journal is owned by the same person whose made a killing muckracking others, but that’s beside the point.

What IS the point is that they currently have a very nice write-up of the new Nickelodeon series Legend of Korra. (The direct link to the WSJ is here, but for the proles among us, I recommend going to Google News and searching for “The Next ‘Airbender’ Gets Older, Wiser and Adds a Feminine Touch” in order to get the full text).

While the article provides a good overview of the new series and its origins in Avatar: The Last Airbender, what makes it stand out is the deceleration that while this series is more girl-friendly than the original, male viewer numbers won’t be affected:

According to Nickelodeon, the median age of “Avatar” viewers is 12.8 years old, and the audience is roughly 65% male and 35% female. Mr. Konietzko said Nickelodeon tested the new series and young boys readily accepted the show’s female hero. “You can’t say it’s gonna fail when there aren’t that many things to point to in animation like this,” Mr. Konietzko said. “Luckily, Nick was brave enough to let us do it.”

Now in fairness to Nickelodeon, they’ve been a bit more progressive than others when it comes to the whole matter of female-led shows with the likes of My Life as a Teenage Robot being a great example. The paragraph above flies in the face of conventional traditional “wisdom” which states that boys won’t watch a show with a female lead. While I think  that is pure bunk, it nonetheless was on Disney’s mind when they altered their film from Rapunzel to Tangled.

Perhaps the best indicator of things to come though, is in this quote, which sums up very nicely the current trend in movies:

“Korra” has been in the works for years, but Mr. DiMartino said that with the success of “The Hunger Games” movie and the coming Pixar film “Brave,” which both feature strong female leads, “The time is right in the cultural zeitgeist for all these female heroes to come out.”

I can’t wait to see them when they do  🙂

Update: Megan over at Forever Young Adult has written a very enthusiastic post about the series that did a good job of confirming that I should catch this show. On top of that, she had this to say about Korra herself.

Guys, Korra is a kick-ass heroine to be reckoned with. She’s strong, brash, and stubborn. But she’s also kind-hearted, fun and brave. You will love her almost instantly. Plus, when was the last time you saw a show that had a non-white 17 year old girl (albeit, animated girl) as its lead? And when was the last time you had a YA girl as a lead in something that wasn’t (at least originally) exclusively marketed toward YA girls?? It sounds so pathetic, but THIS IS THE SHOW I’VE BEEN DREAMING OF. This is the kind of show you should watch with your daughters AND sons because it’s important for them to have an awesome young woman to look up to and emulate and/or admire. And it’s great for us olds, because I know I always want to read about/watch cool ladies, 24/7/365! Also, look at those guns! You should watch the show for her guns alone.

While it comes close to going over the top, it is nonetheless a great description of the main protagonist and why there is so much to like about her. I certainly hope we see more series like this one promises to be.

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2Day in Animation Launches

Animation /

Being a fan of the fine art of parody, it is only fitting that I pass along news of a new website called 2Day in Animation. Taking a cue from world-renowned news source, The Onion, 2Day in Animation is filled with almost-true stories within the animation industry at large. Headlines include:

Banks on High Alert after Hoodwinked 3 Finance Attempt

Exec Miraculously Rescued from Unscheduled MIPtv Pitch Meeting

and

Teletoon Gives Series to Mediocre Animator Just To Shut Him Up

All these headlines are or course backed up by a full story.

Let’s give ‘Bob’ a show of support and willingness to laugh at ourselves by following and reading this new source of faux animation news.

 

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5 Reasons The 1970s Animation Malaise Wasn’t So Bad

1 Comment / Animation /

The 1970s and early 80s is often seen as the malaise period of Western animation. Disney hit a rough patch after Walt died and the likes of Action for Children’s Television (ACT) had cut all of the fun out of the TV shows. This left animated content in a very stale place, despite all of the trippy happenings in the rest of cultural society.

Things weren’t so bad though, here’s a few reasons why the dearth of good quality animation in the mainstream was actually a blessing in disguise:

1. It meant the more off-the wall stuff stood out even more, and meant that artists were forced to use their independent works for real creative expression. It also meant that by the time the Simpsons came around in 1989, audiences were well prepared and hungry for something new and exciting.

2. Even the crappy TV shows had fans and they kept kids interested in animation. Many of today’s great animators grew up watching the tripe peddled by Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears yet they’ve gone on to create some truly memorable shows.

3. It reinforced the creative side of the business. This is especially true of the early 80s, when making TV shows of toys was all the rage. Unfortunately, those severely limited creativity on the part of the producers, and it shows! Thankfully people like Fred Seibert took notice, and began the move back to creator-driven shows to astounding success.

4. It kicked off some very long-running franchises. Scooby Doo has been around since forever. How many people has that kept employed over the years? OK, sure it isn’t the greatest show ever made, but when you figure that it has kept people busy since 1969, you realise that it really does have a staying power that even the Flintstones can’t match.

5. It allowed others to fill in the vacuum left by Walt Disney. Yes, Walt was pretty much the be all and end all of animated films for a long time, even after his death. But it was only after he had departed this world could other people begin to fill in the gap. After a few years you had the likes of Don Bluth step up and attempt the grasp the mantle from what had by that stage was a studio well on the way to becoming the faceless corporation it is today.

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Character Sundays: Dogbert

Animation /

Via: Panels on Pages

Way, way back in the late 1990s, I remember the Dilbert animated show being on TV in Ireland. The schedule was erratic and I don’t believe anything after the first season was ever shown. Nonetheless, I found it to be an extremely funny show with a great cast of characters. one of whom we will look at today: Dogbert

Dogbert is Dilbert’s pet dog, but he is so in only the most symbolic sense. Dogbert is driven and power-hungry. He is always up to something and it always seems to involve controlling people. Buying laws in Congress to enact Dogbert Day? Check. Gaining control of Dilbert’s company? Check.

On a basic level, he is an anti-hero. He does what he wants and is willing to let others do the tough work for him. Dilbert is often at the sharp end of this, but Dogbert is shown time and again as looking out for his owner and often helping him in inadvertent ways (such as blasting him with a laser cannon just so that he would put an approved stamp on his own machine).

Within the TV series, Dogbert adds a dose of reality and rationalism to an otherwise crazy universe, even if it is for his own personal gain. He doesn’t display a lot of emotion beyond wagging his tail when happy, but this simply elevates the fun, as everyone else around him engages in hyper-emotional ways.

As a character, Dogbert is not overly complex, but he does act as a catalyst to deepen an otherwise shallow cast of characters who inhabit the rest of the show’s universe.

 

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How Animated Films Were Made In 1940

Animation /

With much thanks to Mike Lynch for posting this the other day.

What you see below is a pseudo-commercial/training film produced by “Cartoon Films, Inc.” for the purposes of showcasing the latest engine technology. In reality, it was Jam Handy of Detroit who produced the film, and although there is much mechanical detail, there is also a good overview of how animated films were made in 1940.

Of course it’s not Disney-esque in stature, but it does give a good account of what many smaller studios that churned out shorts and commercials would have been like. It’s astonishing to think that such an operation has been entirely replaced by the computer!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlWl2dXUCF8

 

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Dan Santat on Breaking Into The Business

Animation /

Dan Santat is a cool guy. Besides creating the Disney show The Replacements, he’s also a full-time illustrator with many books (both personal and c-created) to his credit. He recently talked with Rob Sander’s over at the Picture This! blog about his creative process and how he got his start in the business. Here’s the really important part:

Rob: What three things have you learned that illustrators breaking into the picture book biz need to know?

Dan: First of all, I have to start off by saying is that I hate networking and meeting art directors and trying to solicit my work. Personally, that experience for me feels like it’s less about wanting to get to know someone and more about trying to get something from someone for work and the whole experience feels insincere. I took the route of trying to expose myself as much as possible on the internet. Share your work with every site you can, and be consistent. So, my first piece of advice would be that if you’re not working on a paying job then just keep working to grow your presence on the internet. Just keep making art and be consistent about it. It’s that simple.
Second, you should share that work. Post it on your blog or Tumblr account be consistent about posting something every week. It’s the consistency as much as the quality of the work that keeps people coming back to see what you’re doing.
Third, I would advise a person to really focus on their art not for the sake of making a buck, but instead to fine tune your style until it really speaks about how you think and do things. If every illustration you do is money driven and you constantly find that you’re asking yourself, “Can I sell this?” then you’re not being true to yourself and your work is suffering because of it. When you constantly worry about being able to make a decent career in the arts many folks tend to rely on imitating the big names out there who are making a big splash with their work. More often than not, their own work suffers because it is derivative.

While Dan is primarily an illustrator, the quote I’ve plucked could be equally relevant to animators, especially those just starting out or are still in school. It’s funny how a lot of what Dan says is common sense, but is still overlooked by a lot of people.

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World Of Motion By Colin Hesterly

Animation /

As a civil engineer, I happen to take a liking to all things transportation-related, so it should come as no surprise that I like this short by Colin Hesterly. World of Motion is:

a tribute to man’s various achievements in transportation and technology.

But that’s not all, Colin is quite the designer as well, check out those below, as well as a few more of his animated spots.

 

 

http://vimeo.com/colinhesterly/mission

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Animation Magazine on “What Animation Means To Me”

Animation /

Animation Magazine turns 25 this year, and as part of the festivities, they’ve asked a bunch of people within the industry to reply to the phrase “what animation means to me”.

They’re all good responses, but the one by Hans Perk stood out the most to me:

Since my 14th year, animation has always been first priority. All other events, including personal, have evolved from my first interest, and I have never regretted it. I have had the good fortune to have my work be my hobby and to befriend my heroes. Who could ask for more?

Sometimes its good to get a wee reminder of why we indulge our interests.

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The Adventure Time Season 1 DVD: Already Past Its Sell-By Date?

7 Comments / Animation, Cartoon Network /

Finally, after 652 days (or 1 year, 9 months and 13days), the Adventure Time Season 1 DVD will be released on July 10th, 2012. While this is good news, is the idea of DVD boxset already past its sell-by date?

First though, a clarification; I ‘m not referring to the content. We all know Adventure Time is awesome and has maintained a great level of success since its debut. No, I’m talking about the very notion of a DVD boxset itself, and in this case, the almost egregious delay between the end of the 1st season and this release.

Oh sure, we’ve had the odd DVD featuring a handful of episodes, but we’ve had to wait well over a year for the complete boxset. Why is this so? The answer is as maddingly simple as it is annoying, release windows.

Release windows: wherin studios/networks attempt to extract the maximum revenue from one source before permitting another one to supplant it. Much the same as why DVDs must come out after the theatrical run, DVDs of TV shows are only permitted to be sold well after the network has eeked all the ad revenue it can from the season.

That’s not to say the episodes won’t be broadcast, they will, but they won’t command near as much revenue in the perpetual reruns that they do when they fresh. Hence the lag, which persists despite the fact that two additional seasons have been broadcast since and the 4th began last night.

So that’s left me asking, just why do season boxsets continue to exist, and why, oh why, has the idea of a delay not been beaten to a pulp by now?

Consider the following points:

  • Internet streaming is on the rise (Cartoon Network themselves stream the latest episodes)
  • As a sub-point, the incredibly internet-savvy generation that are precisely whom Cartoon Network are targeting have probably already downloaded the torrents already (as if the fact of Frederator leveraging the internet as a promotional tool isn’t an indication enough of this already)
  • Boxsets are costly to make and distribute. I’d wager the profit margin on DVDs isn’t near as high as it was)
  • TV shows depend on regular viewship. Leaving more casual fans in the cold causes them to move onto other things as they are starved for new episodes.
  • Just think, all this time, Cartoon Network could have been making even more money through boxset sales. Advertising revenue is one thing, but it doesn’t evaporate when boxsets are released.

Now in fairness, a year and some change isn’t too bad. Some series have to wait much longer. Some are never released at all, destined to languish in the archives forever.

Thankully though, the rise of the internet and its associated services like Netflix have meant that TV shows are making it online quicker than ever before (Portlandia comes to mind, as does Futurama). Animated shows deserve similar treatment, not being trotted out over a year after the iron was struck.

The Adventure Time Season 1 DVD boxset is the last of a dying breed. I’m willing to wager that we won’t see a fourth season boxset come 2014.

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