Tuesday, December 30, 2014

THE BOXTROLLS - Time Lapse End Credits

The Boxtrolls animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

THE BOXTROLLS - Time Lapse End Credits


"The Boxtrolls" was one of the top animated films of 2014. Here, in what appears to be a very subtle and informative bit of campaigning for the various awards for which "The Boxtrolls" has been nominated, including the Annies and (we'll soon see) the Oscars, is a very informative video. It is "The Boxtrolls - Time Lapse End Credits" shows the work required to film a single scene of a top stop motion animated film such as "The Boxtrolls."

The Boxtrolls animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

I'll leave it at that, the video speaks for itself. My bet is that "The Boxtrolls" is sure-fire Oscar bait in the Best Animated Feature Film category, which this year is wide open, with no clear favorite.

The Boxtrolls animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

This film is an interesting little time-lapse piece of art itself.

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In fact, I think that this little video is one of the best shorts of the year. But it's not nominated by itself. ;)


2020

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

'Hermès Noel,' A Takeoff on Rudolph

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"Hermès Noel," A Takeoff on Rudolph.

Hermès Noel from Hornet on Vimeo.

This is a cute (and subtle) ad from Hermès called 'Hermès Noel.' It is brilliantly done by director Peter Sluszka (who goes by the name 'Hornet'), with all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a truly top animation shop.

Perhaps the most brilliant thing about this animation is that it tells a complete tale in exactly one minute. You won't even notice that it is only one minute when you are done, you'll just be like, wow, that was really cool. But that's difficult to do - tell a story in one minute. Can't have any fat on the bones of something that short. And they manage to do it here.

It is a stop motion animation that is a slightly different take on the classic 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tale. The way they work the scarf in - you knew there was going to be a scarf, right? - just shows how good these guys really are.


2020

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Rabbit and Deer, Hungarian Animated Short

Rabbit and Deer animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Rabbit and Deer, Hungarian Animated Short.

Rabbit and Deer (Nyuszi és Őz) from Péter Vácz on Vimeo.

We keep saying that animation is an international field of endeavor, and 'Rabbit and Deer' (Nyuszi és Őz) from Budapest, Hungary is more proof of that.

'Rabbit and Deer' is a 16-minute animation from a final-year student at a Budapest University, Moholy-Nagy University of Arts ('MOME').  Péter Vácz showed the animation in 63 countries at 300 festivals - that probably took as much work and aggravation as making the darn thing - and won 120+ awards for it. This included top awards at American festivals in Nashville, Arizona, and Atlanta, Georgia.

You may want to watch the animation and decide if all this acclaim is deserved. You have to hand it to Péter in any event - producing a polished product and then also getting it out to the world in order to find an audience requires two completely separate and unique talents, and he apparently possesses both of them. It's not like Budapest is considered any threat to Hollywood, but with more talent like this, someday it might be.

The video is amusing and has a nice background score of what I imagine is music with a Hungarian flavor. Since the extent of my knowledge of the music of eastern Europe pretty much begins and ends with 'The Third Man,' well, the music sounds as if it comes from Hungary at least. And the music is quite good, along with the animation. It is a light, effervescent animation designed to delight the eye, and it definitely succeeds. The juxtaposition of hand-drawn animation and stop-motion enhances the plot quite nicely.

Incidentally, the enduring symbol from this film is a Rubik's cube. Did you know that the Rubik's Cube was invented by a Hungarian? Ernő Rubik.

Synopsis:
Rabbit and Deer are living happily and careless until their friendship is put to the test by Deer's new obsession to find the formula for the 3rd dimension. After an unexpected accident, Deer finds himself in a new world, unknown to him. Separated by dimensions, the two characters have to find the way back to each other.
From the web page:

CREDITS:
Writer Director and Designer: Péter Vácz
Co-Director and Animator: Attila Bertóti
Edited by: Judit Czakó
Music and Sound Design: Máté Hámori, Mahdi Khene
Photography: Gábor Garai
Voices: Adrienn Mórocz, Dániel Czupi
Animation: Attila Bertóti, Péter Vácz
Set design: Kata Müller, Móni Kovács, Kati Egely
Production: MOME, Budapest (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design) mome.hu/
Budapest, 2013

2020

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Iraqi War Animation

Iraq War animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Iraqi War Animation.


This is a moving animation about a real-life military event.

Just to summarize, in August 2005, Marine Lance Cpl. Travis Williams and his 1st Squad of the 3rd Platoon went on a mission. They loaded up in a lorry and set off.

It was a rescue mission in Barwanah, Iraq. The vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb of unknown origin shortly after departing.

It was a 12-person squad. Only Williams survived because he was moved out of the vehicle at the last moment. Three other soldiers also died, making a total of 14 fatalities from the incident.

Travis narrates this animation of what it means to be at war, and to suffer casualties, and the difficulty of coming to terms with surviving while all the others were dead. He recorded this in 2013 and is still putting his life back together at home in Missoula, Montana.

Iraq War animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

This is a StoryCorps production. According to the youtube page, funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in partnership with POV.

It was directed by the Rauch Brothers, with art Direction by Bill Wray. The producers were Lizzie Jacobs, Maya Millett & Mike Rauch, with animation by Tim Rauch. The audio was produced by Yasmina Guerda & Nadia Reiman.

Music (Open): Fredrik
Label: The Kora Records
Publisher: House of Hassle

Music (Close): Christopher Bowen
Label: MovieScore Media
Publisher: Christopher Bowen

2020

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Flashback: Disneyland Canteen 1961

Disney Canteen

This is a shot from the Disneyland cafeteria in 1961. Kind of a 'behind the scenes' shot of what it was like to be working there back in the day.

From time to time, I like to just throw a random shot out there like this to shake things up. The films are a fantasy product, and they always will be our main focus. However, there also is a reality behind them which is good to keep in mind.

Aside from the furnishings (this 1961 canteen looks kind of threadbare for a major operation, almost like a high school cafeteria), the current Disneyland cafeteria probably doesn't look all that different. Love the guy with the 1950's version of a futuristic spacesuit. Snow White? She could walk out there today and do her job. Some things never change.

2020

Friday, December 5, 2014

Some Walt Disney Gifs

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Walter Elias "Walt" Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) would have been 113 today, so, in honor of his birthday, let's glance at a few moments of his life and then gone on about our business.

Some might wonder, why bother? After all, Walt Disney wasn't perfect. Nobody is perfect. People can find things about him that they don't like. And they are perfectly justified. Why remember him at all?

Well, during his lifetime, Walt Disney received four honorary Academy Awards and won 22 Academy Awards from a total of 59 nominations, including a record of four in one year. That gave him more awards and nominations than any other individual in history. He never made a big deal about it, and was working hard on his next movie even during the last week of his life when he knew he was in imminent danger of death and could barely breathe. But that's not why we remember Walt Disney.

He won seven Emmy Awards and gave his name to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the U.S., as well as the international resorts, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. But that's not why we remember Walt Disney.

Disney also created in whole or in part various unforgettable fictional characters, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. But that's not why we remember Walt Disney.

Walt Disney created out of nothing some of the greatest films in Hollywood history, animated or not, at great personal risk. In the process, he employed at good wages thousands of skilled artists who otherwise would have had no outlet for their skills. But that's not why we remember Walt Disney.

We remember Walt Disney because he was a good person.

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2020

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

'The Peanuts Movie' Trailer

Peanuts movie animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

"The Peanuts Movie" Trailer.


All right, here's a question for you: what did you think about the 'Peanuts Movie'? You know, that one everyone saw?

Think about that one.

Ok, I can tell you what you thought about it: you didn't. Because there never has been a 'Peanuts' movie.

That's right - in the 60 years that 'Peanuts' has been the most popular comic strip, an American classic, achieving iconic status among all cartoon characters, there never has been a 'Peanuts' movie. did scads of television specials and even a Broadway play or two, but not one film.

Well, that is about to change, because Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang will make their big-screen debut in 2015.

I bet nobody figured back in the '60s when the Peanuts characters were used as the names of lunar spacecraft that it would take until 2015 for the characters to hit movie theaters, but, well, it finally is happening.

Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang from Charles Schulz's timeless "Peanuts" comic strip will be making their big-screen debut in a CG-Animated Feature film in 3D. Blue Sky, one of the top animation houses, is doing it.

It's set for a Christmas release next year.

2020

Annie Award Nominations Announced

Annie Awards animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, has announced the nominations for its 42nd Annual Annie Awards. The Annies recognize the year’s best in the field of animation.

The Annie Awards were created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray. While not at the status level of the Oscars or even the Golden Globes, the Annie Awards are eagerly sought by those in the industry because they only choose among animation projects.

There are eight films nominated for Best Animated Feature. There are no real surprises, the only semi-surprise would be the inclusion of  'Cheatin',' but it probably has no chance against the big studios (now watch me be proven wrong). This category is pretty much the only one that people outside the industry notice:
  • Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Animation Studios), 
  • Cheatin’ (Plymptoons Studio), 
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation SKG), 
  • Song of the Sea (Cartoon Saloon/GKIDS), 
  • The Book of Life (Reel FX), 
  • The Boxtrolls (Laika/Focus Features), 
  • The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures),  
  • The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Studio Ghibli/GKIDS).
Otherwise, the nominations are not too surprising. Someone dropping in from Mars and having missed the last twelve months might be slightly surprised at how poorly some highly touted sequels did - 'Rio 2' and 'Penguins of Madagascar' spring to mind, for instance - and also at the weak showing overall by DreamWorks Animation. However, that effect is pretty subtle, because the DreamWorks banner was upheld nicely by 'How to Train Your Dragon 2.' That one mildly underperforming sequel (by some measures) makes their year appear to be a lot better than it really was with disasters such as 'Mr. Peabody & Sherman' and what already appears to be a weak showing from 'Penguins' as well.

'The Lego Movie' nabbed a top nomination, but otherwise, the nominators were unimpressed. In terms of the shorts, the voting looks to narrow down between 'Coda' and 'Feast,' with 'Coda' the quality favorite but 'Feast' benefitting from the Disney machine (though that didn't help its short entry last year). 'Duet' is a fantastic short, but doesn't seem to have grabbed the Zeitgeist this year.

Otherwise, the year is wide open, at least as compared to 2013 (with 'Frozen') and 2012 (with the weak but pc-favorite 'Brave.') This may be in large part due to the fact that Pixar did not release any films in 2014 since their releases often dominate the awards season.

Favorites? Look for 'Big Hero 6' and 'Coda' to eke out wins. But 'Big Hero 6' is a very, very weak favorite; while Disney hasn't said it is underperforming, the lack of positive headlines about it since its release speaks volumes. While not a disappointment, 'Hero' is not a game-changing world-beater like 'Frozen,' either - but then, what is? 'Coda,' a huge fan favorite, suffers from being a foreign entry, but it has enough support to mount at the very least a strong challenge to whoever wins. The Irish should be smiling.

The winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31st, 2015 at UCLA’s Royce Hall at 7:00 pm.

Annie Awards animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
'Frozen' was the big winner last year
The Annies are recognizing video game animation more and more, which is a nice bow toward the real world. Video game animation is in many ways the cutting edge of the entire field, with all due respect to CGI and its constant development (which, incidentally, is almost as old as the Annies themselves if you go all the way back to 'Westworld').

According to ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone:
“We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony. We added a new category to the mix – Best Character Animation in a Video Game – bringing the total Annie categories (including Juried awards) to 36. The Annies are a true celebration of the best talent in the animation industry, from big studio features to indie films, television series to internet shows, games, shorts and student films alike, as well as a wonderful group of juried award recipients again this year.”

Annie Awards animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com


#1 Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cheatin'

Plymptoons Studio

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Song of the Sea

GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon

The Book of Life

Reel FX

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

The LEGO Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

GKIDS/Studio Ghibli


#2 Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Voyager Pictures LLC

Dawn of the Dragon Racers

DreamWorks Animation

How Murray Saved Christmas

Universal Television

Polariffic

Bent Image Lab

Toy Story That Time Forgot


Pixar Animation Studios

#3 Best Animated Short Subject

Coda

62 George Street

Duet


Glen Keane Productions

Feast


Walt Disney Animation Studios

Inside Homer - The Simpsons Couch Gag (Episode #549)

Acme Filmworks

Me and My Moulton


National Film Board of Canada

Silent

Moonbot/Dolby (Creative Artists Agency)

The Dam Keeper


Tonko House LLC

The Raven 


Moonbot Studios

#4 Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial

Citizen M: "Swan Song"

Stoopid Buddy Stoodios

Flight of the Stories


Aardman Animations

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham


Plastic Wax

#5 Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children

Doc McStuffins

Disney Channel / Disney XD

Peter Rabbit

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Tumble Leaf


Amazon Studios

Wallykazam!

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Zack & Quack

Zodiak Kids

#6 Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For a Children's Audience

Adventure Time


Cartoon Network

Gravity Falls

Disney Television Animation

Legend of Korra

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Over The Garden Wall


Cartoon Network

Wander Over Yonder

Disney Television Animation

#7 Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Archer


FX Networks

Back To Backspace


Cartoon Network Studios

Bob's Burgers

Bento Box Entertainment

Rick and Morty


Starburns Industries, Inc.

Mike Tyson Mysteries


Warner Bros. Animation

Regular Show

Cartoon Network Studios

The Simpsons

#8 Best Video Game

Forza Horizon 2

Microsoft - Turn 10 Studios

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Ubisoft

Child of Light

Ubisoft

#9 Best Student Film

After School

Junyi Xiao

Dead Over Heels

Jose Matheu

El Coyote


Javier Barboza

Frog's Legs

Katie Tamboer

My Big Brother

Jason Rayner

Tiny Nomad


Toniko Pantoja

Achievement Categories

#10 Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production

Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Michael Kaschalk, Peter DeMund, David Hutchins, Henrik Falt, John Kosnik

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

James Jackson, Lucas Janin, Tobin Jones, Baptiste Van Opstal, Jason Mayer

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

DreamWorks Animation

Fangwei Lee, Krzysztof Rost, Jihyun Yoon, Robert Chen

Penguins of Madagascar


DreamWorks Animation

Mitul Patel, Nicolas Delbecq, Santosh Khedkar, Yash Argawal

The Book of Life

Reel FX

Augusto Schillaci, Erich Turner, Bill Konersman, Chris Rasch, Joseph Burnette

The Boxtrolls


Focus Features/Laika

Rick Sevy, Peter Vickery, Kent Estep, Peter Stuart, Ralph Procida

The LEGO Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Christian Epunan Hernandez, Danielle Brooks, Raphael Gadot

#11 Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in a Live Action Production

Edge of Tomorrow

Sony Pictures Imageworks

Steve Avoujageli, Atsushi Ikarashi, Pawel Grochola, Paul Waggoner, Viktor Lundqvist

Noah

Industrial Light & Magic

Raul Essig, Karin Cooper, Rick Hankins, Owen Calouro

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Sony Pictures Imageworks

Charles-Felix Chabert, Daniel La Chapelle, Spencer Lueders, Klaus Seitschek, Chris Messineo

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Weta Digital

Areito Echevarria, Andreas Soderstrom, Ronnie Menahem, Christoph Sprenger, Kevin Romond

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Industrial Light & Magic

Michael Balog, Jim Van Allen, Rick Hankins, John Hansen

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Digital Domain

Jeremy Hampton, Daniel Stern, Edmond Smith III, Hiroshi Tsubokawa, Daniel Jenkins

#12 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Toy Story That Time Forgot

Pixar Animation Studios

Don Crum

Toy Story That Time Forgot

Pixar Animation Studios

Carlo Vogele

Toy Story That Time Forgot

Pixar Animation Studios

Ken Kim

Tumble Leaf

Amazon Studios

Michael Granberry

Tumble Leaf

Amazon Studios

Teresa Drilling

Wander Over Yonder

Disney Television Animation

Justin Nichols

#13 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Fabio Lignini

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Steven "Shaggy" Hornby

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Thomas Grummt

Penguins of Madagascar

DreamWorks Animation

Ravi Kamble

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

Travis Knight

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

Malcolm Lamont

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features

Jason Stalman

#14 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Weta Digital

Daniel Barrett, Paul Story, Eteuati Tema, Alessandro Bonora, Dejan Momcilovic

Guardians of the Galaxy

Framestore

Kevin Spruce, Dale Newton, Sidney Kombo, Chris Mullins, Brad Silby

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Weta Digital

Eric Reynolds, David Clayton, Andreja Vuckovic, Guillaume Francois, Gios Johnston

#15 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Video Game

Assassin's Creed Unity

Ubisoft

Mike Mennillo

Don't Starve: Console Edition

Klei Entertainment Inc.

Child Of Light

Ubisoft

Alex Drouin

#16 Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Disney Mickey Mouse

Disney Television Animation

Andy Suriano

Wander Over Yonder

Disney Television Animation

Benjamin Balistreri

Welcome to the Wayne

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Zac Gorman

#17 Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production

Big Hero 6


Walt Disney Animation Studios

Shiyoon Kim, Jin Kim


Mr. Peabody & Sherman

DreamWorks Animation

Timothy Lamb, Joe Moshier


Penguins of Madagascar


DreamWorks Animation

Craig Kellman, Joe Moshier, Stevie Lewis, Todd Kurosawa


Rio 2

Blue Sky Studios

Sang Jun Lee, Jason Sadler, José Manuel Fernandez Oli


Song of the Sea

GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon

Tomm Moore, Marie Thorhauge, Sandra Anderson, Rosa Ballester Cabo


The Book of Life

Reel FX

Paul Sullivan, Sandra Equihua, Jorge R. Gutierrez


The Boxtrolls


Focus Features/Laika

Mike Smith

#18 Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Adventure Time

Cartoon Network

Yuasa Masaaki, Eunyoung Choi

Archer


FX Networks

Bryan Fordney

Bob's Burgers


Bento Box Entertainment

Jennifer Coyle & Bernard Derriman

Disney Mickey Mouse

Disney Television Animation

Aaron Springer

Gravity Falls


Disney Television Animation

Rob Renzetti

Over The Garden Wall

Cartoon Network

Robert Alvarez, Ken Bruce, Larry Leichliter

The Simpsons

The Simpsons

Matthew Nastuk

Wander Over Yonder

Disney Television Animation

David Thomas

#19 Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Big Hero 6


Walt Disney Animation Studios

Don Hall & Chris Williams

Cheatin'


Plymptoons Studio

Bill Plympton

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Dean DeBlois

Song of the Sea

GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon

Tomm Moore

The Book of Life

Reel FX

Jorge R. Gutierrez

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

Anthony Stacchi & Graham Annable

The LEGO Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Directors; Chris McKay, Co-Director

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya


GKIDS/Studio Ghibli

Isao Takahata

#20 Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Disney Mickey Mouse

Disney Television Animation

Christopher Willis

Dora and Friends: Into the City!

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Peter Lurye, George Gabriel, Chris Gifford

Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

Jam

Jay Vincent, Michael Kramer, Jeppe Riddervold, Erin Chapman

Marvel's Avengers Assemble


Dynamic Music Partners

Lolita Ritmanis, Kristopher Carter & Michael McCuistion

Tumble Leaf


Amazon Studios

Nathan Barr & Lisbeth Scott

#21 Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production

Cheatin'


Plymptoons Studio

Nicole Renaud, Composer

How to Train Your Dragon 2


DreamWorks Animation

John Powell, Jónsi

Mr. Peabody & Sherman


DreamWorks Animation

Danny Elfman

Song of the Sea


GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon

Bruno Coulais & Kila

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya


GKIDS/Studio Ghibli

Joe Hisaishi



#22 Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey


Voyager Pictures LLC

Kara Vallow, Brent Woods, Lucas Gray & Andrew Brandou

Disney Mickey Mouse


Disney Television Animation

Joseph Holt

Mickey Shorts

Disney

Narina Sokolova

The Powerpuff Girls

Cartoon Network

Kevin Dart, Chris Turnham, Jasmin Lai & Elle Michalka

Turbo FAST

DreamWorks Animation

Antonio Canobbio, Khang Le, Mark Taihei, Howard Chen & Brandon Cuellar

Wander Over Yonder


Disney Television Animation

Alex Kirwan, Chris Tsirigotis, Alexander Duckworth, Janice Kubo & Francis Giglio

Zack & Quack

Zodiak Kids

Erez Gavish

#23 Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

DreamWorks Animation

David James, Ruben Perez, Priscilla Wong, Timothy Lamb & Alexandre Puvilland

Song of the Sea

GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon

Adrien Merigeau

The Book of Life


Reel FX

Simon Varela & Paul Sullivan

The Boxtrolls


Focus Features/Laika

Paul Lasaine, Tom McClure & August Hall

The LEGO Movie


Warner Bros. Pictures

Grant Freckelton

#24 Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Disney Mickey Mouse

Disney Television Animation

Heiko Drengenberg

Gravity Falls

Disney Television Animation

Luke Weber, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Neil Graf & Steve Heneveld

Legend of Korra

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Joaquim Dos Santos

Star Wars Rebels


Disney Channel / Disney XD

Nathaniel Villanueva & Douglas Lovelace

The Simpsons


Film Roman

Brad Ableson, Matthew Faughnan & Stephen Reis

Toy Story That Time Forgot

Pixar Animation Studios

Louise Smythe

Wander Over Yonder

Disney Television Animation

Mark Ackland

#25 Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production

Big Hero 6


Walt Disney Animation Studios

Marc E. Smith

How to Train Your Dragon 2


DreamWorks Animation

Truong "Tron" Son Mai

Planes: Fire & Rescue


Disneytoon Studios

Piero Peluso

Rio 2


Blue Sky Studios

John Hurst

Rio 2


Blue Sky Studios

Rodrigo Castro

The Boxtrolls


Focus Features

Julian Nariño

The Boxtrolls


Focus Features/Laika

Emanuela Cozzi

#26 Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Disney Mickey Mouse

Disney Television Animation

Bill Farmer as the voices of Goofy and Grandma

Fairly Oddparents

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Carlos Alazaraqui as the voice of Crocker

Robot Chicken


Stoopid Buddy Stoodios

Seth Green as the voice of Robot Chicken Nerd

#27 Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

Henry & Me

Reveal Animation Studios

Cyndi Lauper as the voice of Nurse Cyndi

Rio 2

Blue Sky Studios

Andy Garcia as the voice of Eduardo

The Boxtrolls


Focus Features/Laika

Sir Ben Kingsley as the voice of Archibald Snatcher

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

Dee Bradley Baker as the voice of Fish


#28 Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Disney Mickey Mouse

Disney Television Animation

Darrick Bachman

The Powerpuff Girls


Cartoon Network

Dave Tennant, David P. Smith, Chris Mitchell & Will Mata

The Simpsons


20th Century Fox

Rob LaZebnik

The Simpsons

20th Century Fox

Tim Long

Toy Story That Time Forgot

Pixar Animation Studios

Steve Purcell

#29 Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Big Hero 6


Walt Disney Animation Studios

Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson & Jordan Roberts

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Dean DeBlois

Song of the Sea

GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon

Will Collins

The Boxtrolls


Focus Features/Laika

Irena Brignull & Adam Pava

The Lego Movie


Warner Bros. Pictures

Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

#30 Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production

Disney Mickey Mouse


Disney Television Animation

Illya Owens

Dragons: Defenders of Berk


DreamWorks Animation Television

Ernesto Matamoros

Family Guy


Super 78

Mike Elias

Toy Story That Time Forgot


Pixar Animation Studios

David Suther, Bradley Furnish & David Condolora

Turbo FAST


DreamWorks Animation

Todd Raleigh & Doug Vito

#31 Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Feature Production

Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Tim Mertens

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

John K. Carr

Planes: Fire & Rescue

Disneytoon Studios

Dan Molina, Mark Keefer & Karen Hathaway

Song of the Sea


GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon

Darragh Byrne

The LEGO Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

David Burrows, Todd Hansen, Doug Nicholas, Jonathan Tappin & Courtney O'Brien-Brown

Juried Awards

The Winsor McCay Award - For Lifetime Achievement

Didier Brunner, Don Lusk and Lee Mendelson

The June Foray Award - for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation

Charles Solomon

The Ub Iwerks Award – for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation

DreamWorks Animation's Apollo Software

Special Achievement Award - recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation.

The Walt Disney Family Museum

2020

Saturday, November 29, 2014

'Shaun the Sheep Movie' Trailer 2

Shaun the Sheep Movie animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

"Shaun the Sheep the Movie" – The Second Teaser Trailer.


Aardman Animations has a new teaser trailer out for its upcoming major feature-length animated film 'Shaun the Sheep the Movie.' Shaun is a character from the television series that premiered in 2007. Shaun is your typical anthropomorphic oddball 'black sheep,' and Aardman is your typical amazing stop motion animation outfit, so be prepared for a very entertaining time.

Shaun the Sheep Movie animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Studio Canal (G.B.) and Relativity Media (U.S.) will distribute the film to theaters next year - February 6th, 2015 is the date for the USA and Great Britain, other dates vary.

Shaun the Sheep Movie animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

'Shaun' comes from Aardman, Great Britain's top animation studio and the creators of 'Wallace & Gromit.' and 'Chicken Run.' The film is Aardman Animation, co-written and directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzack.

Shaun the Sheep Movie animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

From the youtube page:

From Aardman, the creators of Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep The Movie is coming to cinemas worldwide in 2015! In this new trailer, watch more of Shaun and The Flock’s hilarious adventures in the Big City as they search for the missing Farmer!

When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for! Shaun’s mischief inadvertently leads to The Farmer being taken away from the farm, to the Big City…

Join Shaun, Bitzer and The Flock on their hilarious, action-packed, big-screen adventure as they make plans to rescue the missing Farmer. A story about how we sometimes forget to appreciate the things we have in life, and the people who love us. Shaun the Sheep The Movie introduces us to two new Aardman characters; Trumper the animal warden who rules the city’s animal shelter with a rod of iron and Slip, an inner-city orphan dog who helps Shaun save the day.

2020

Friday, November 28, 2014

'Hello Kitty' Anniversary Stop Motion Animation

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Hello Kitty x TADO 'Pomme Party'

Hello Kitty x TADO 'Pomme Party' from wearetado on Vimeo.

This is a cute Hello Kitty stop motion animation from TADO that was commissioned by Sanrio and the Japanese American National Museum. It commemorates Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary. TADO did the whole job in two months in its offices in Sheffield.

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This was done using wooden figures, which required quite a bit of craftsmanship to create the final puppets. The final product looks awesome! Quite a professional job.

Hello Kitty animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Others involved in the project were Alex Veitch (lighting advisor), Nick Hunter (wood-wizard) and Ben Ridley (music and sound design).

From the webpage:

Commissioned by Sanrio and the Japanese American National Museum to commemorate Hello Kitty's 40th Anniversary. Stop motion animation using hand made wooden puppets. Our first adventure into the world of stop-motion magic.
Special thanks to Sanrio USA, Japanese American National Museum and Jamie Rivadeneira / Japan LA.
Made in Sheffield, UK.
© TADO and Sanrio 2014. Hello Kitty and Sanrio characters used with the kind permission of Sanrio USA.

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Hello Kitty animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Hello Kitty animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

2020

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Hollywood Supports the Boys in Uniform

animated shorts from World War II worldwartwo.filminspector.com

Anybody who is a fan of Warner Brothers' Merrie Melodies or the Disney shorts of the past should find something to like about this compilation. The shorts are amazingly well done and still surprisingly funny.

This is a terrific assortment of Hollywood's animated shorts from World War II - and one from much later on the same subject. We have Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck from Warner Brothers, and others all urging you to save that cooking fat to help the boys in the trenches.

animated shorts from World War II worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Der Fuhrer gets it on der cranium.
It's kind of uncanny how live-action films from the period appear creaky, dated, and old, while animated shorts which deal with period themes appear fresh and practically new. The jokes are surprisingly sophisticated and assume an informed audience, with plenty of clever puns and subtle word-plays. Of course, there also are very broad stereotypes of the Germans and Japanese that would be considered offensive today, but there was a war on, you know. And, just between you and me - those wartime shorts which would now be considered the most offensive are the funniest of the lot.

animated shorts from World War II worldwartwo.filminspector.com

The whole point of the wartime shorts was to help sell war bonds, as they make abundantly clear from time to time. So sit back and enjoy the work of the legendary Chuck Jones (in a 1957 training film) and other animation legends as they support the troops.



This compilation features some of the best propaganda-themed cartoons of the World War II era. Some of these were considered so scandalous for the time that they were actually censored in one way or another - see if you can spot which ones (it should be fairly obvious). Some are color, some have Superman or Daffy Duck or Popeye or other characters you may recognize. And these were done by the top talents of the day, there to help the war effort.

Thanks for watching!


2023


Thursday, November 20, 2014

NASA Animation on Asteroid Bennu Mission

Osiris-REx NASA animation animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

NASA released this superior educational animation about the origins of the Solar System. This is in preparation for various asteroid missions that the space agency has in mind over the coming years rather than doing something useful such as returning to the Moon or visiting Mars.

Specifically, this animation is about the asteroid Bennu. NASA has a plan to send a probe to it, 'Osiris-REx.' To be truthful, I keep an eye on NASA missions, but this one completely slipped by me. Apparently, Osiris-REx is a precursor to a later mission to actually capture an asteroid and put it in Moon orbit.

So, yet again, we get to wait years while NASA twiddles its thumbs and spends umpteen billions of dollars sending a probe to a big chunk of rock which all its sophisticated detectors and gizmos and drills and cameras will reveal to be, what do you know, a big chunk of rock. And that's if the whole thing works and isn't a total fiasco like the Philae disaster (I know, the ESA claims Philae is a huge success, which it certainly was relative to if it had blown up into a billion pieces before actually reaching its destination).

As usual with NASA videos, this one has quality animation, soothing music, and reassuring narration. The Osiris-REx mission is due to take place by 2018, but you know how deadlines in this field usually fare...

Osiris-REx NASA animation animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com



Credit: NASA Goddard

2020

Batman vs. Superman, Lego Style

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Batman vs. Superman, Lego Style.


Here we have a short stop-motion animated film from BrickNerd Studios. It is a confrontation between Batman and Superman called, appropriately, "Batman vs. Superman." It is done using Lego bricks.

I know what you're thinking. 'Oh no, not another one.' Yes, these fan superhero shorts do get redundant after a while, and you kind of wish this kind of talented animators would us their superior skills for good (like, something that isn't just a throw-away?) rather than evil ('OMG not ANOTHER fan superhero confrontation animation.').

Yes, everywhere you turn on youtube there is another one, and the Lego genre is all but played out except by the big studios. But 'Batman vs. Superman' is done quite well, in a professional way. The stop motion animation by Tommy Williamson is seamless, the wit is sardonic, and the music by Kevin Macleod echoes the pompous strains of superhero flicks that we all know and love. You must sympathize with the animators, they probably secretly want to do 'My Dinner with Andre' but they know where the hits are.

'Batman vs. Superman.' And if you know where the shark repellent reference comes from, you're a true Batman fan.

Batman vs. Superman animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

From the youtube page:

November 19, 2014
BrickNerd Studios is proud to present Batman Vs Superman

Batman and Superman square off (for some reason) in this stop-motion animated short.

Produced and directed by Tommy Williamson

visit us at www.bricknerd.com/studios
follow @thebricknerd
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thebricknerd

Big shout out to poster designer Paul Lee

2020

Friday, November 14, 2014

Philae Lander Animations

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
The Philae lander.
There is a lot of animation and many images being generated by the Rosetta Probe and the Philae Lander, so I have collected the details about its landing here for convenience.

The European Space Agency reported that the Philae lander from the Rosetta probe that we have been following the past few months successfully landed on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The above photo is what it would have looked like to someone on the surface as it arrived.

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Above is a picture that was taken from the lander itself as it approached the surface. The photo is from 40 meters above the surface.

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

This last animation shows three photographs taken from the Rosetta spacecraft which is hovering above the comet. The first photo shows the surface of the comet before the lander got there. The red circle indicates where the lander was headed. The second photo shows the area after the lander made its approach. The new dark spot within the red circle presumably is dust kicked up from the lander. The third photo shows a green box where the lander is believed to have touched down. Comparing this animation to the photo above, you see the same boulder that is very close to where the lander set down (good thing it didn't actually hit the boulder!).

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com
A photo of the comet from Rosetta, which remains in orbit.
It appears the landing was a complete cock-up. Not only did the lander touch down about a mile from where it should have, but it apparently wound up on its side, with only two of its three legs touching the surface. That may be why the solar panels are having trouble, with only one operational at all, and that one receiving less than 2 hours of light during the 12 hour day. That is insufficient to power the lander to perform its scientific duties, though there may still be ways to use it anyway for some purposes. Of course, if it is on its side, there won't be much it can do anyway.

Below, the red area shows where the lander was headed, and the blue area shows where it wound up due to bouncing about. Naturally, there can't be much gravity on the comet so the lander wouldn't stay put until it was good and ready. Technically, it should be tethered to the comet because of the lack of gravity. Note the cliff near the blue triangle.

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

The ESA says that the lander now has some problems with power generation. This is because apparently there is a cliff over on the left of the animation that is barely in the frame in the lower left-hand corner. This cliff puts the lander into the shade. Without lots of sunlight, the Philae Lander will not be able to do much as the batteries do not hold much of a charge

Below are excerpts from the press conference.


Below is a first look - a composite of six photos - showing what the surface of the come looks like.

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Below is an animation from Rosetta of the lander descending.

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

In the following frames, you can't really see the lander, but NASA or ESA or whoever is doing this research assures us that there is evidence of Philae bouncing and then apparently coming to rest in these shots.

Philae lander Rosetta Probe animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

Finally, here is an ESA animation of the whole landing process as they would like it to have gone. Apparently, they did get some work done, including drilling a hole but only for the 60-hours of time that was in the battery.


From the youtube page:

"Published on Nov 12, 2014
Animation video of Rosetta Mission for landing on a comet: Philae Lander.
Rosetta’s deployment of Philae to land on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

The animation begins with Philae still on Rosetta, which will come to within about 22.5 km of the center of the nucleus to release the lander on 12 November 2014.

The animation then shows Philae being ejected by Rosetta and deploying its own three legs and follows the lander’s descent until it reaches the target site on the comet about seven hours later. The animation is speeded up, but the comet rotation is true: in the time it takes for Philae to descend, the nucleus has rotated by more than 180º (the comet’s rotation period is 12.4 hours).

The final steps of Philae’s descent towards the comet are shown as seen by a hypothetical observer close to the landing site on the comet.

Finally, the animation shows Philae landing on the comet. Because of the comet’s extremely low gravity, the landing gear will absorb the small forces of landing while ice screws in the probe’s feet and a harpoon system will lock the probe to the surface. At the same time, a thruster on top of the lander will push it down to counteract the impulse of the harpoon imparted in the opposite direction. Once it is anchored to the comet, the Philae Lander will begin its primary science mission, based on its 64-hour initial battery lifetime. The animation shows a number of science instruments in action on the surface.

Acknowledgment: The background image of the sequence showing Philae closing in on the landing site was taken by Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera (ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA) on 14 September 2014 from a distance of about 30 km.

Philae was provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.

Acknowledgment: The background image of the sequence showing Philae closing in on the landing site was taken by Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera (ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA) on 14 September 2014 from a distance of about 30 km.

Philae was provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.
Video and images by ESA and NASA."

2020

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Cold War History Animation

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Cold War History Animation.


Above is a quick animation showing the course of the Cold War.

history Cold War animation animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

This fellow rudthespud likes to post his own little summaries of world history. While his choice of material is broad, it isn't really comprehensive, so don't throw away your textbooks just yet. However, it should give you a feel for all the buzzwords you need to pass just about any test on the subject he covers. It might also fill a gap in your knowledge here and there - did you know what year NATO was formed? The Warsaw Pact? Find out by watching the video. He also makes a real mistake here and there - mis-spelling 'détente,' for example - but that just shows how difficult these things are to put together.

history animation animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

This animation covers the post-war period, which was the beginning of the nuclear era. This period devolved from a forced alliance between the Soviet Union and the western powers into armed neutrality. Neither side was too excited about continuing the relationship past the common goal of defeating the Axis powers and thus was born the Cold War.

These historical animations are of interest to history buffs. I previously have posted history videos about World War I and World War II, among other topics. These also allow me to pad the index with all sorts of important names and events, so it's all good. Anyway, you probably know everything that's in the animation, but it is quick and bouncy and the animation is fun.

history animation animatedfilmreviews.filminspector.com

The animation was made by Manny Man and narrated by John D Ruddy.

2020