ASIFA-Hollywood: The International Animated Film Society
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Voice actors play a very big part in the animation world, as we on the board are so often reminded by Margaret Kerry-Willcox (Tinker Bell model, voice actor and Clutch Cargo Lips supreme). Since 1928, when Steamboat Willie changed the way we experience cartoons, voice and the people that create it have had a whole lot to do with toon culture.
It is fitting that ASIFA-Hollywood`s top award goes to one of the great voice actors. Arnold Stang is one of the greatest of those people that voice our cartoons and dreams.
Starting in the 40`s he has played them all; Top Cat in Top Cat, Cherchy LaFemme in I Go Pogo (great stuff), the bird in Lyle Lyle Crocodile, Nurtle the Turtle in Fred Ladd`s wonderful Pinocchio in Outer Space, Herman in all the Herman and Catnip cartoons, and the Henpecked Rooster (one of my favorites) in The Henpecked Rooster, Arnold Stang has a wonderful and very impressive list of voice acting credits.
But Arnold Stang is not just another pretty voice, he is also a face actor. In It`s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Arnold plays Ray, one of two garage mechanics who have to fight Jonathan Winters.
Arnold Stang (Center), shown here with the live action alter ego of his Top Cat
second in command (Marvin Kaplan - Choo Choo), fights a maddened
Jonathan Winters. We`re going ta have ta kill him!
Everyone knows his characters, his voice, and his face but few out there in the general public know his name. He is a character actor, character actors don`t get no respect but they do get to work a lot. In 1970, Arnold Stang teamed up with some other guy named Arnold as one of the only good parts of the low budget bomb, Hercules in New York.
Arnold Stang is a show business animal. In fact he is a whole zoo of animals, a cat, a mouse, a turtle or two, birds, fish. His Internet Movie Data Base entry goes on for pages. He is a character actor with a lot of characters and a lot of character.
Arnold Stang is one of this year`s Winsor McCay award winners. Congratulations Arnold, I`m looking forward to seeing you January 30th at the Alex Theater.
Next time, I will be looking at the third of this year`s ASIFA-Hollywood Winsor McCay winners, animator and director Don Bluth. Until then, keep animated.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Winsor McCay Award Recipients
When young Water Disney, bankrupt and down to his last $50, climbed onto that first class train from Kansas City to Hollywood, he took a roll of film with him.
I don`t think that there is anyone who has looked, even casually, at the life of Walt Disney that could doubt that Walt was going to succeed, no matter what. When times were worst he was at his best.
But it didn`t start with a mouse, damn it, it started with a little curly headed girl named Virginia Davis.
When Margaret Winkler agreed to distribute the Walt Disney Alice in Cartoonland Comedies, she insisted on the same quality and the same actress. The quality meant talking Ub Iwerks into moving to Hollywood, the same actress meant talking the parents of the young star into relocating to tinsel town.
The Disney studio may have hired other little girls to play the part of Alice in later years but there is only one true Alice from Cartoonland. She is still with us, thank god, a bridge back to the very first days of the Disney Brothers Studio.
She is one of this year`s Winsor McCay Award recipients. I am deeply proud to have been on the committee that chose to bestow this richly disserved award on the lady who launched a 1,000 toons.
The other McCay recipients are famed actor and cartoon voice Arnold Stang and animator Don Bluth. I will be talking about these two worthy Award Winners in a later blog after I re-watch Hercules in New York and the Secret of NIMH and play a few rounds of Dragon`s Lair.
For now, here is a link to a short clip of Virgina Davis as Alice:
GO ASK ALICE
When young Water Disney, bankrupt and down to his last $50, climbed onto that first class train from Kansas City to Hollywood, he took a roll of film with him.
I don`t think that there is anyone who has looked, even casually, at the life of Walt Disney that could doubt that Walt was going to succeed, no matter what. When times were worst he was at his best.
But it didn`t start with a mouse, damn it, it started with a little curly headed girl named Virginia Davis.
When Margaret Winkler agreed to distribute the Walt Disney Alice in Cartoonland Comedies, she insisted on the same quality and the same actress. The quality meant talking Ub Iwerks into moving to Hollywood, the same actress meant talking the parents of the young star into relocating to tinsel town.
The Disney studio may have hired other little girls to play the part of Alice in later years but there is only one true Alice from Cartoonland. She is still with us, thank god, a bridge back to the very first days of the Disney Brothers Studio.
She is one of this year`s Winsor McCay Award recipients. I am deeply proud to have been on the committee that chose to bestow this richly disserved award on the lady who launched a 1,000 toons.
The other McCay recipients are famed actor and cartoon voice Arnold Stang and animator Don Bluth. I will be talking about these two worthy Award Winners in a later blog after I re-watch Hercules in New York and the Secret of NIMH and play a few rounds of Dragon`s Lair.
For now, here is a link to a short clip of Virgina Davis as Alice:
GO ASK ALICE
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Tom Answers Questions After Class
Tom Sito is this really cool guy. He`s beautiful and I love him! He has been everywhere in the animation world and worked on everything and knows everyone. When we get together we talk about things that happened before either of us were born. Or at lest before I was old enough to remember.
There is real historical fact and then there is history book fact. We like to talk about things that never made it into the history books. Last Monday night Tom talked to my Cal State Fullerton history of animation class about the things that never make it into books but happened none the less and formed the animation world as we know it.
Pat Sito (also very much in the animation business) looks on as Tom Talks
Tom and his wife pat came the the long drive in to Fullerton from the real animation world to the south land of OC and talked the night away.
The stories flowed and the student's jaws dropped. I took notes. A good time was had by all.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Tom Sito talks to my students after class
Last night Tom Sito Addressed my Cal State Fullerton History of Animaiton Class on the business of animation and the animation strikes. Thanks Tom. The students and I learned a lot of details and facts about a subject never really looked at in the history books.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Real Bodies, Real People, Real Heroes,
Pixar Character Design Strikes a Cord
I have talked about the joys of being the chair of the short animation Annie category. Let us now look at the pains. As the chair I have to keep my opinions on short animation to myself until after the judges meet. Even after that it would not be proper for me to say publicly that I like this one or do not like that one.
That hurts because I have looked at them all and have very strong feeling on the subject, which I must keep to myself. To have such a fine soapbox and not get to use it.
That brings me to my subject for tonight, character design. I have nothing to do with the judging of this category. I therefore feel free to shoot off my big mouth. Brad Bird and the people at Pixar have given us real middle age people with real bodies. Bless you. I am tired of looking at starving children in Star Watch.
Elastic Girl has a housewife butt and Mr. Incredible has a gut. Not since My Big Fat Greek Wedding has Hollywood given us such realism. After seeing the movie my 14 year old daughter asked me:
If she is Elastic Girl why can`t she just pull it all in?
Good question, my only answer is that then she would be plastic, just like most of the other actresses in Tinsel Town.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
INCREDIBLES animators, Dave DeVan and Mike Venturini with Monsters Inc.
director Pete Docter - Photo Jerry Beck
One of the many benefits of membership in ASIFA-Hollywood is the screenings. And we are right in the beginning of the award session and that means screenings and more screenings.
November 5th, opening day, was the ASIFA screening of the Incredibles. I won`t go into a review of this movie here but I will say that I can`t wait to see it again.
The screening was held in the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills with Pete Docter, director of Monsters Inc, and Incredibles animators Dave DeVan and Mike Venturini in attendance.
Spontaneous applause broke out quite a few times during the movie, as the audience was wowed with one unbelievable action scene after another. But the movie is so much more than just action.
The movie was followed by a lengthy question and answer session with Docter, De Van, and Venturini. And yes, the 2-D rumor was asked about and Pete Docter did not count out a possible 2-D Pixar film. But then he didn`t say that they were doing one either.
After the Q & A there was a buffet and a lot more talk. I found myself starting to line up panels for next year`s San Diego Comic Con. Can`t I wait until the Annies are over? I guess not.
larry@agni-animation.com
Long on Short Animation
Tex Blaisdell, my teacher friend and mentor, always use to say
Never ink the splash page first, or you will never be able to get through the boring pages later!
I have never found it harder to follow this sage advice as this last week. I have mid-term grading and lesson plans and a good deal of video editing to do. But as the Nominating Chair Person of the Short Animation Annie category I`ve also got 2 big boxes filled with some of the hottest short animations of the year. And I want to go right for the splash page.
Short animation is the heart of animation. It is like the tide pools of the ocean. You can see just how healthy the industry truly is by studying the health of the short animation tide pools.
Short Animation is the place where animators learn their craft and show their souls. It is a personal medium not needing crews of thousands and MBA middle managers. And it is a type of animation that runs on obsessive love of the very process of animation itself and a whole lot of heart.
I have gone through every single enter and checked that they play. I have checked the paperwork and the labels. I have filled up my head with this year`s best from festivals, the Internet, and gaming trying to get ready for next week`s judging.
It is not going to be easy for the judges, trying to nominate the 5 best of the best. But I think that they will have the same joy in seeing that the field on animation is alive and well and living in the hearts and souls of the practitioners of animated shorts.
P.S. all images are copyright the respective owners.
Never ink the splash page first, or you will never be able to get through the boring pages later!
I have never found it harder to follow this sage advice as this last week. I have mid-term grading and lesson plans and a good deal of video editing to do. But as the Nominating Chair Person of the Short Animation Annie category I`ve also got 2 big boxes filled with some of the hottest short animations of the year. And I want to go right for the splash page.
Short animation is the heart of animation. It is like the tide pools of the ocean. You can see just how healthy the industry truly is by studying the health of the short animation tide pools.
Short Animation is the place where animators learn their craft and show their souls. It is a personal medium not needing crews of thousands and MBA middle managers. And it is a type of animation that runs on obsessive love of the very process of animation itself and a whole lot of heart.
I have gone through every single enter and checked that they play. I have checked the paperwork and the labels. I have filled up my head with this year`s best from festivals, the Internet, and gaming trying to get ready for next week`s judging.
It is not going to be easy for the judges, trying to nominate the 5 best of the best. But I think that they will have the same joy in seeing that the field on animation is alive and well and living in the hearts and souls of the practitioners of animated shorts.
P.S. all images are copyright the respective owners.
