Thursday, November 26, 2015

Einstein's Theory of Relativity - Animated

Albert Einstein theory of relativity animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Einstein's Theory of Relativity - Animated

And now for something completely different.

One of those never-noted but significant dates in history is 25 November 1915. Aside from some fighting during World War I, this was the date that Albert Einstein published his General Theory of Relativity.

Einstein's theory is still difficult to understand. This animation aims to make is simple.

A lot of talent went into this. It was animated by award-winning animator Eoin Duffy, who worked with filmmaker Jamie Lochhead. That voice you hear may sound familiar - it is the star of Doctor Who, David Tennant. Some of the basic science was supplied by science communicator Anais Rassat. And all in three minutes!

#Einstein100 - General Relativity from Eoin Duffy on Vimeo.

Albert Einstein theory of relativity animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

A short film celebrating the centennial of Einstein's theory of General Relativity.

JAMIE LOCHHEAD - Writer / Producer
EOIN DUFFY - Design / Animation
DAVID TENNANT - Narrator
WESLEY SLOVER - Sound Design
ANAÏS RASSAT Writer / Science Outreach / Communication
A WINDFALL FILMS production for the SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL

2020

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Shortlist for 2016 Animated Feature Film Oscar

Oscars animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

It is time to start thinking about the 2016 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

The 88th Academy Awards are coming up, and the process already is underway to find out the winners - even though 2015 still has over a month to go, and several contenders haven't even been released yet.

It is impossible to handicap this race at this time, but some guesses are in order. "Shaun the Sheep Movie" is my own sentimental pick, and "Minions" is so popular ($1.15 billion) that it is one of the favorites, along with "The Good Dinosaur" (not yet released, but sure to be a holiday hit). I was not impressed by "Inside Out," but it also will get a lot of consideration simply due to how much money it made ($840 million). After that, "Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet" is my choice for a dark horse slot, though nobody saw it.

Five films out of these 16 will be nominated.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Anomalisa
The Boy And The Beast
Boy And The World
The Good Dinosaur
Home
Hotel Transylvania 2
Inside Out
Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet
The Laws Of The Universe – Part 0
Minions
Moomins On The Riviera
The Peanuts Movie
Regular Show: The Movie
Shaun The Sheep Movie
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water
When Marnie Was There

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 14, with the Oscars telecast set for February 28 on ABC hosted by Chris Rock.

2020

Oscar Shortlist 2016 Best Animated Short Film

Oscars animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Below is the shortlist for the 2016 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14, 2016, and the 88th Oscars will take place on February 28, 2016. The process of selecting films is already in motion. The second round of voting commences on 30 December 2015, and the results will be announced on 14 January with other nominees.

While there is no clear favorite, any entry by Pixar such as "Sanjay's Super Team" is likely to get serious consideration. There are two National Film Board of Canada entries, and it always does well, too.

Five films will make the next cut.

The shortlisted animated short films:
  • “Bear Story (Historia De Un Oso),” Gabriel Osorio, director, and Pato Escala, producer (Punkrobot Animation Studio) 
  • “Carface (Autos Portraits),” Claude Cloutier, director (National Film Board of Canada) 
  • “If I Was God…,” Cordell Barker, director (National Film Board of Canada) 
  • “Love in the Time of March Madness,” Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano, directors (High Hip Productions and KAPWA Studioworks) 
  • “My Home,” Phuong Mai Nguyen, director (Papy3D Productions)
  • “An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, director (California Institute of the Arts) 
  • “Prologue,” Richard Williams, director, and Imogen Sutton, producer (Animation Masterclass) 
  • “Sanjay’s Super Team,” Sanjay Patel, director, and Nicole Grindle, producer (Pixar Animation Studios) 
  • “We Can’t Live without Cosmos,” Konstantin Bronzit, director (Melnitsa Animation Studio) 
  • “World of Tomorrow,” Don Hertzfeldt, director (Bitter Films)
The 10 shortlisted films for Best Animated Short Film were chosen by members of the Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation Branch from among 60 qualifying films.

Disney is by far the leader in wins in the category, and the company has won two of the last three years, with “Paperman” in 2013 and “Feast” earlier this year. It does not have an entry in the race this year for the first time in several years.


2020

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos (2015): A Surprise Mexican Hit

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

Mexico is often overlooked as a source of animation, though I have written about it once or twice before. There are no borders when it comes to animation; it just requires skill, dedication, and creativity. Released in early September 2015, a satirical CG-animated film from Mexico titled "Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos" ("A Rooster With A Lot Of Eggs") became a surprise hit at the U.S. box office.

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

As reported on 14 September 2015, the 3D animated feature film in Spanish film opened in 10th place in the U.S. with a domestic gross of $4.8 million. To date, two months later, it has grossed over $9 million in the States and an unreported amount - probably a lot - elsewhere, including Mexico and Spain. Not too shabby for a film most Americans had no idea existed. The total was earned at only about 400 U.S. cinemas nationwide, too, which makes the size of its surprise hit even more unusual. In fact, it is the first Mexican animated feature to open in the United States with a limited theatrical release and is paving the way for others.

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

The film was produced for about $5.3 million and distributed by Pantelion, a partnership between Lionsgate Entertainment and Grupo Televisa. It already is a financial success. It was a smash hit in Mexico, where it opened on 21 August and held the top spot at the box office for three weeks. Additional international releases are scheduled for Russia, Europe, and Latin American.

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

It really shouldn't have come as much of a surprise, though. The property has a relatively long history in Mexico, where it is quite popular. The marketing there includes a successful website, merchandising and a pair of 2D animated features. In fact, its origins are from the website, not vice versa, which makes the entire process even more unusual. The site, "Huevocartoon," was created by brothers Rodolfo and Gabriel Riva Palacio — who wrote, directed and produced "Un Gallo" — as a satirical site somewhat similar to The Onion. The uniqueness came from portraying the satire in the form of eggs. Just as in America, "Huevos" has the slang meaning of "balls," and you can conclude for yourself why a satirical website would choose that particular image, and why the titular character might have a lot of them.

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

The first cartoon appeared in 2002, and it was an immediate success. As Rodolfo has said:
“We were expecting to have around 6,000 visitors in the first six months, but what happened is that immediately everybody loved the idea of making a society with eggs and we had around 3 million visitors to our website in just two months, which was crazy!”
The brothers quickly formed a company, Huevocartoon Productions, to put out a successful line of merchandise.

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

Videocine, a division of Televisa, approached Huevocartoon about doing a standard 2D animated movie. "Una Pelicula de Huevos" ("A Movie about Eggs") came out in 2006, followed in 2009 by "Otra Película de Huevos y un Pollo" ("Another Movie about a Chicken and Eggs"). Both were hits in Mexico — Riva Palacio says the first movie was the second-highest-grossing Mexican film of all time when it was released. Its success was exceeded by the sequel.

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

The release of the first two films was limited to Spanish-speaking markets. The next step was to go global. Videocine, Pantelion and the government provided funding to make the project a possibility. The brothers had to learn how to do CGI, and then production took about 2½ years and involved 120 artists. Much of that time went into developing the story. The expense was always an issue, so the company developed its own software.

Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos animatedfeaturefilms.filminspector.com

The talent is primarily from Mexico, where there is growing interest in animation, though the brothers themselves studied in the U.S. Pantelion was formed by Televisa and Lionsgate in 2010. It was a new direction for Lionsgate, which does not have much animation experience and is more known for its teen dramas like "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent." The brothers’ relationship with Televisa and its Videocine division opened the door for the deal with Pantelion. The film was targeted at Spanish-speaking markets in the United States due to cost factors. However, there is an English-language version of the movie that likely will get a home-video release. And, yes, there is a sequel on the way.

2020

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Dragons: Race to the Edge

Dragons Race to the Edge animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
"Dragons: Race to the Edge."
"Dragons: Race to the Edge" is a prequel to "How To Train Your Dragon." More adventures from Hiccup, Toothless and the Dragon Riders. The series, from DreamWorks Animation and Netflix, stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, and Zach Pearlman.


2020

"Kung Fu Panda 3" coming on January 29, 2016

Kung Fu Panda 3 animatedfilmrevies.filminspector.com

"Kung Fu Panda 3" is directed by Jennifer Yuh and Alessandro Carloni, and the English voice cast stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, J.K. Simmons, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Jackie Chan, and Lucy Liu. It follows the continuing adventures of Po, voiced by Black, who is an unassuming hero. The film opens simultaneously on January 20, 2016, in China and the US.




2020

"DinoTrux," A Great Netflix Animated Series

Dinotrux animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
"Dinotrux."
"DinoTrux" now is available from Netflix. It is a popular digital series from DreamWorks Animation.

From the DreamWorksTV website:
Welcome to a world of giant creatures that are half dinosaur, half construction vehicle and all awesome in DREAMWORKS DINOTRUX! Meet Ty Rux, a massive Tyrannosaurus Trux, and his best friend Revvit, a razor-sharp Reptool.  Together, the Dinotrux and Reptools join forces for the first time ever to build a bigger, better world and battle back against the biggest and baddest of them all: D-Structs, who threatens to wreck everything they’ve built.
Each DinoTrux episode is only five minutes long. It doesn't take much to bore kids, so these are bite-sized episodes designed for little kids who may get antsy. The show is on Netflix.


The cast includes Ty-Rux (Andrew Francis), a friendly T-Trux (combination Tyrannosaurus Rex and megaton excavator); D-Structs (Paul Dobson), a ruthless T-Trux who doesn't like nosy visitors; Revvit (Richard Ian Cox), a miniature "reptool" who is good at fixing things; Skya (Ashleigh Bell), a combination brachiosaur and crane; Ton-Ton (Matt Hill), an Ankylosaurus dump truck; and Dozer (Brian Drummond), a Triceratops-bulldozer with an attitude who must learn to get along. It is from the book by Chris Gall.


DinoTrux toys, incidentally, should be available at Toys 'R' Us.

Dinotrux animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

2020

Monday, October 26, 2015

Global Cooling Animation

cooling animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Let's face it, you don't hear much about global cooling these days, right? This clever animation is both informative and cautionary. It is well worth watching by anyone interested in the environment.


I think that you will agree that the animation's conclusions are unassailable.

2020

Sunday, October 25, 2015

"Strange Alloy" - The Future, Buddhist Style

Strange Alloy animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
"Strange Alloy."
"Strange Alloy" (2015) is an odd short film that is both beautiful and philosophical. It was created in two months by director Loïc Bramoullé. It has great animation, but I just want to add - and I don't usually say this about shorts - but it has a great sound. Just because it is odd, incidentally, doesn't mean that I don't like it. I do.

"Strange Alloy" is just unusual.

Strange Alloy animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

The landscapes are from Myanmar. Bramoullé did the animation work back in his Paris studio.

Strange alloy - indy very short film from liok on Vimeo.

The script is about the future, but the conclusion is based on Buddhist philosophies. Now, just how often do you get to view a sci-fi animation with a Buddist slant? I didn't think so. And, before you find that too odd or alien to a bother with - it is not heavy-handed. It simply asks a question with an answer that is both obvious and indisputable.

Strange Alloy animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

The film also is odd because Bramoullé released a "making of" a film about "Strange Alloy" that is longer than the film itself. If you like animation, it is worth watching, but sometimes the mystery of animation is best left behind the scenes. Your call.

Strange alloy: making of from liok on Vimeo.

I like to give exposure to good animated works and their creators, especially if they are of fine quality but unlikely to reach a wide audience. I only post films that I think are worth your time. Hope you enjoyed it.

Original music by Thomas Barrandon (soundcloud.com/thomasbarrandon)
Mix & sound design by Resonant Step (resonantstep.com)
Alien voice (sound design) by Morgan Hammel (morganhamel@gmail.com)
Creature design, sculpt, surfacing: Loïc Bramoullé
Rig: Vincent Donaz, Daniel Quintero
Animation: Vincent Donaz, Daniel Quintero, Benoit Vincent, Aurélie Vigneron
tracking, lighting, rendering: Rachad Meya, Loïc Bramoullé
Color grading, compositing: Vivien Ebran, Loïc Bramoullé
Matte paintings: Loïc bramoullé
Cloth simulation: Caroline Lobato
Particules & flares: Niels Prayer
Produced with the support of SupaRésidence ©

Strange Alloy animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

2020

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Watch A Star Entering A Black Hole

star black hole NASA animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Black Hole.
Watch A Star Entering A Black Hole.


NASA is more into animation these days than it is into manned space flight. If it weren't for the ISS, that would be pretty much all NASA does in that regard - animation.

Fortunately, the animators are not earthbound. Here is a clever animation of a star being drawn into the gravity of a black hole. First, intense tidal forces rip the star apart, flinging stellar debris outward at high speed. Then, the greatest mass of the star descends towards the black hole, causing a flare.

These types of videos kind of lose their impact due to the scale of our screens. Seeing some little thing gobble up some other little thing is not inherently impressive. However, for those into these things like me, just imagine the sun that you see overhead on clear summer days somehow coming afoul of one of these things. That stable star that keeps the entire solar system alive would get ripped apart like the one in this video. And it wouldn't take too long, either.

Source: Nasa Goddard.

2020

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Monty Python And The Holy Grail: Lost Footage

Terry Gilliam Monty Python and The Holy Grail animatedfilmrevews.filminspector.com
Terry Gilliam.
Terry Gilliam, who did the animation for Monty Python, narrates some lost footage from the original "Monty Python & The Holy Grail." It's interesting to fans for several reasons:
  1. It's lost footage!
  2. Some of the footage is quite good!
  3. Some of it isn't, but it's lost footage!
  4. Terry Gilliam talks!
  5. Terry Gilliam talks good!
  6. Terry Gilliam gives some insight into his animation process!
  7. Terry Gilliam talks!
Okay, it helps if you are a fan. But some of the footage is right up there with what made it into the film. He's an amusing chap, and really does show you how and why it was done.

This is all in service of some 40th-anniversary products which, if you're a fan, you know all about anyway, and if you aren't, well, you couldn't care less anyway. If you miss this chance, don't worry, you'll get another chance to buy something from them in ten years for the 50th anniversary.


2020

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

MH17 Shoot-Down Animation

MH17 Malaysian Airlines animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

MH17 Shoot-Down Animation.



Malaysia Airlines flight 17 crashed on July 17, 2014, in Eastern Ukraine. That is an area in which Russian separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government authorities. Speculation ever since has been that it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile of some kind, most likely by the separatists. Another theory is that whoever shot the missile thought that it was a plane carrying Vladimir Putin, who indeed was aboard another flight that day.

The Dutch Safety Board has been running the investigation because most of the 298 passengers on board were of Dutch nationality. It has concluded that a missile shot down the plane. It has released an animation of the crash that assumes a “path of the missile” that it is assumed downed the plane. It is important to remember that this is all hypothetical, and just because there is a very smooth animation, does not make it fact. Basically, there are three versions to this incident: the Ukrainian version, the Russian version, and this version.

According to the report, a Buk surface-to-air missile exploded less than a meter from the cockpit of the Malaysian Airlines flight. That killed the crew instantly. The front of the plane then broke off, and the rest of the plane had no chance.

While there is broad agreement about some aspects of the incident, some details of the investigation are disputed.

The official probe into the crash has found that the crash could have been avoided. The airspace should have been closed due to the danger in the area.

The report did not conclude who fired the missile, which is of great political significance and unknowable from the wreckage alone. Instead, it only examined what actually happened, and where. It identified a 320-square kilometer area where the assumed missile launch most likely took place. That area, according to many sources, was under rebel separatist (i.e., Russian) control at the time of the crash, but that is disputed. Additionally, the report contends that the missile most likely was launched from a particular village named Zaroshchenskoe.

The Russians dispute only part of this. They claim that that village was under Ukrainian government control at the time, not Russian separatists. In July, Russia vetoed a UN security council resolution to establish an international criminal tribunal to investigate the airliner’s destruction. They called it politically motivated.

2020

Saturday, October 10, 2015

"Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!" Coming Soon

Marvel Animation Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight! animatedfilmreviews.filmiinspector.com

Joe Quesada, who is in charge of Marvel, and Marvel president of television and publishing Dan Buckley gave guests at the recent New York Comic-Con preview of coming events. It looks exciting!

Marvel Animation intends to release an upcoming full-length animated holiday film called "Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!" It will include Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Captain Marvel and, best of all, Santa Claus. All of them, apparently, will battle Loki and Ymir.

Santa will even have his own superhero costume! It is, of course, family-friendly and "told in a Marvel way."

Marvel Animation Age of Ultron Revolution animatedfilmreviews.filmiinspector.com

Two New Television Shows

They also said that there will be two new Marvel animated shows that will air on Disney XD in 2016:
  • Avengers: Ultron Revolution,
  • Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister Six
In Avengers: Ultron Revolution, there will be a group of mini-series featuring the core Avengers team as well as appearances from Ant-Man, Black Panther and Ms. Marvel, among others.

In Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister Six, also debuting in 2016, there will be appearances from Iron Spider, Scarlet Spider, and Miles Morales.

Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Animation animatedfilmreviews.filmiinspector.com

"Guardians of the Galaxy" will be back for a second season on Disney XD. It will have its own Cosmic Mix Volume 1 music release coming out on 16 October 2015. The mix will feature songs from the animated series.

Guardians of the Galaxy airs on Disney XD, Saturdays at 9:30/8:30 Central.

2020

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Fishing Train

Fishing Train animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
"Fishing Train."
"Fishing Train" animated short.

Fishing Train from Fishing Train on Vimeo.

"Fishing Train" is a cool little animation from Kevin Phou and the folks at Supamonks.

"Two mercenaries go on a very special fishing trip."

Very colorful, a fun ride.

Fishing Train animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

The others involved:

Vincent Gibaud : Concept Art, Background Design, Story Board , Layout, Animatique vincentgibaud.tumblr.com/
Alizée Laffitau : Animation 2D/Fx, Chara-Design, Layout Animation alizeelaffitau.blogspot.fr/
Maimiti Chave : Compositing, Concept Art maimitic.blogspot.fr/
Luca Strano : Modélisation 3D lucastrano.blogspot.fr/
Camille Gomes : Chara-Design camillesketchbook.tumblr.com/
Alexandre Monge : Animation 2D/3D alexanimationm.blogspot.fr/
Maxime Gridelet : Animation2D/Fx maximegridelet.blogspot.fr/
Yann Leroy : Compositing leroyyann.com/
Musique :
Benjamin Gex-Fabry
bonogex.com/

Fishing Train animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

2020

Battlestar 2019 Viper Launch

Battlestar Galactica Viper launch animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Viper launch.
Battlestar 2019 Viper Launch.


This is a cool rendering by Randal R of a Viper launch from a Battlestar Galactica reboot. Oh... full screen, please. Thank you.

Battlestar Galactica Viper launch animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Apparently, this is a snippet of a much larger work. I think it's a very good job. I will admit that I am a fan of the original Battlestar - I know, fans of the new one are shaking their poor heads at the number of times they've heard that - but this is worthy.

It's just a cool little thing, but the detail is very good. He keeps updating it, so I have the latest Youtube version that I could find above.

Battlestar Galactica Viper launch animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Battlestar Galactica Viper launch animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Battlestar Galactica Viper launch animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

2020

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

International Space Station (ISS) Animation

The ISS space.filminspector.com
The ISS.
This is a great animation from the Ted-ed people about the International Space Station, more commonly referred to as the ISS.


As anyone who has followed this blog knows, the space agencies (NASA, ESA, etc.) have become quite adept - some would say slick - at creating animations of space flight. Sometimes these efforts are quite spectacular, and other times, well, a bit fanciful. However, for true geeks like me, there's nothing better than a well-produced space animation.

Animation to represent space flight is nothing new, as Wernher von Braun was working with Walt Disney to create such videos back in the 1950s. They remain perhaps the best way to bring the grandeur of space down to the human level. Tien Nguyen narrates.

If that video intrigues you, here is another fine animation that features the ISS.


2020

Sunday, July 19, 2015

The Flintstones: Behind the Scenes

Yabba Dabba Do!

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
"The Flintstones."
The early 1960s were an interesting time in the animation field. Walt Disney had just ended his Silver Age run of unparalleled classic animated feature films, but all was not well in the industry. "Sleeping Beauty," truly one of the great animated films of all time, had just crashed at the box office, and Walt briefly considered shutting down the entire money-losing animation department.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Joe Barbera leading a script reading. Both Bill Hanna and Barbera were craftsmen who got involved with the production.
Someone talked him out of it, but he looked for any way that he could to cut corners. One of his old-time colleagues, Ub Iwerks, came up with a new Xerographic form of animation. This was practically a new art form which, while slightly less artistic than previous hand-drawn animation, was also much cheaper to produce. Since "Sleeping Beauty" had undercut the animation department's finances even as the television and theme park businesses were booming, Disney had to make hard decisions.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
The life-sized cutouts were very real and helped to create the proper mood for the voice actors.
To save the studio, Walt ultimately fired many of the pen and ink girls who had colored in his films over the years, some since the 1930s. This halved the cost of making animated films and kept the animators employed at least.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

From then on, while Disney animated films were still the best in the business, the quality of the animation suffered. If you look carefully at Disney films after "Sleeping Beauty," beginning with "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" in 1961, you see faint black lines around all the characters - that is the Xerographic effect.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
An Inker working on Fred. This would later be sent out to be colored in.
However, television animation had been developing throughout the 1950s, and by 1960 it was ready to burst forth with one of the most iconic animated classics of its own. This one would ultimately come to rival even the great Disney epics in popularity and enduring fame and influence.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Merchandising was a huge for television animation. Here, Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound roll off the line, to be sold under the Avon brand.
Hanna-Barbera Productions, led by producers Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, created "The Flintstones" for television. It featured the voices of Alan Reed as patriarch Fred Flintstone, voice legend Mel Blanc as his buddy Barney Rubble (and many other characters as well), Jean Vander Pyl as Fred's wife Wilma, and Bea Benaderet as Barney's wife Betty.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

The show became a huge hit, airing in prime time and spawning all sorts of continuations, sequels, spin-offs or whatever you wanted to call more of the same thing.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Bill Hanna oversees the production of the soundtrack. Notice the clock about to strike noon, almost lunchtime, got to get the work done.
For the industry, though, the show meant one thing: jobs. One of the little known facts of the early animation industry is that most of the grunt workers were women. Disney may have fired most of his staff, but they were not unemployed for long. Many left the Disney Ink and Paint Department in tears only to find a new need for their services at Hanna-Barbera, the studio known for the Tom and Jerry cartoons.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Mel Blanc and Alan Reed.
Hanna and Barbera sweetened the pot by offering the ladies the chance to work from home, where they could just as easily paint in the cels as they could at the studio. This was a savvy move on their part because Hanna Barbera was not a hugely successful studio at the time.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

It was located in a dumpy, windowless, one-story brick building (which still exists) at 3501 Cahuenga (before they move down the street a couple of years later). Employees affectionately called it "The Bunker." It could barely fit 50 employees, so having the ladies work from home both induced them to sign up and also gave them a place to work. Compared to this first building, the later Hanna-Barbera Studios buildings were lavish.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Joe Barbera and family at home in the Hollywood Hills.
Sometime around the very start of the show, around September 1960, photographers from Life Magazine took these shots for the November 1960 issue.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
A story meeting, apparently for Harebrain Hare and Lippy the Lion, being led by Hanna and Barbera. In attendance are Warren Foster (standing), Dan Gordon, Alan Dinehart, Michael Maltese, and Alex Lovy.
These shots are just a small sampling of the 850 photographs taken by Allan Grant. All of the photographs survive.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
A cel painter trying to hurry things along.
This was the "Mad Men" era, and you can see from Joe Barbera's office that Japanese prints were in fashion, along with pearl necklaces and tight skirts.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Joe Barbera in his office, amused by something being read to him by his secretary Maggie Roberts. He and Hanna previously had been nominated for two Oscars, in 1955 and 1957, but not too many animators were beating Walt Disney at Awards time during the '50s.
Maggie Roberts, pictured above and below and then secretary to Barbera, became his assistant and later led unsuccessful efforts in 1997 to preserve the Hanna-Barbera building after Time Warner bought out the studio by conferring Landmark status upon them.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
The Hanna-Barbera Studios on Cahuenga.
However, in 2004, a plan was hatched by the Los Angeles City Council to save the three buildings, which had been designed by Beverly Hills architect Arthur Froehlich and did have some unique attributes.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

After forty years at 3400 Cahuenga Boulevard, the Hanna-Barbera lot was closed and studio operations were moved into the same office tower as the Warner Bros. Television Animation division in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, adjacent to the Sherman Oaks Galleria. The old crew, including Joe, Bill, secretary Maggie, and many, many others returned for one last "class photo" in 1997.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Cameraman Frank Paiker, a longtime veteran of the business, shooting a scene. He is using what was known as a Rostrum camera.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Several inkers working from one of their bedrooms.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Bill Hanna grilling some steaks.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Animator Carlo Vinci mimicking what he is working on.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
Joe Barbera reviewing some sketches by Ed Benedict.

The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
The studio bowling team heading out.
The Flintstones animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

2020