ASIFA-Hollywood: The International Animated Film Society

Comic Con Booth

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:05:00 +0000

Jerry Beck brought over a great booth display for this year's Comic-Con. The volunteers pitched in and set it up to see how it looks. (Yogi and Boo Boo just happened to be in the neighborhood...)
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Event: May 17- Animation Book Look

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:28:00 +0000

The 2nd annual Animation Book Look is the place to be. Creative Talent Network and Van Eaton Galleries present appearances by well-known visual and literary artists, as well as several "undiscovered" animation authors. This years' event will bring a large number of artists/authors representing over seventy-five books, ranging from children's books to artist's sketchbooks, from illustration to fine-art, and from How Tos to History Ofs. Join The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive at the Book Look along with Jerry Beck, Martha Sigall, Tom Sito, Rik Maki, Tony White, Willie Ito, Jim Smith, Amanda Visell, Stephen Silver, Maureen Furniss, Jon Gibson, Mike Kunkel and dozens more on Saturday May 17th, 2008 from 1:00pm-6:00pm.

VAN EATON GALLERIES
13613 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818-788-2357

Animation Book Look is FREE and open to the public. For a List of Authors and Books visit the website. You may pre-order signed and dedicated books online starting May 1st. If you have any questions, please call Van Eaton Galleries at 818-788-2357.

(via Cartoon Brew)

Event: Van Eaton Galleries Needs Volunteers

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:17:00 +0000

We got this note in from our friends at the Van Eaton Galleries...

We are currently looking for around 25-30 volunteers to handle various jobs at the upcoming "Animation Book Look". Cashiers, runners, artist helpers, book buddies and artist lounge coverage. Janeen will be conducting interviews on Sunday the 27th between 12noon-5:00pm at the gallery. We need to get people ASAP. Any help is appreciated. They would need to be able to come to a training class on May 9th in the evening and they would need to be available from 11am till after 8:00pm on the show date May 17th. Thanks so much!

Sincerest Regards,
Nicole Aguilar
Events Coordinator/Gallery Administrative Assistant

Van Eaton Galleries
13613 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Ph: 818-788-2357
Fx: 818-788-2368

ASIFA-Hollywood Mini Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:26:00 +0000

A group of video production students from Cal State Northridge interviewed animation historian, Jerry Beck and Antran Manoogian, the president of ASIFA-Hollywood about the art of animation. Check it out!
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Archive: The Origin of the Golden Book Style

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:58:00 +0000

Illustration: Gustaf Tenggren and the Genesis of the Golden Book Style
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March 22: Art Deco In Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:58:00 +0000

Art Deco Society of LA Kicks-off New Lecture Series With Fascinating Look at "Art Deco in Animation".

Join the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, and American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday, March 22, for the first of a new series of lectures highlighting the Art Deco movement's influence in the creative and design arts. David Pacheco, Walt Disney Art Classics creative art director, will offer details the history of Art Deco design in the art of film animation using original production art and film clips from the Archives of the Walt Disney Studios, Fleischer Studios and others. A special focus of the presentation will be on the deco stylization of Walt Disney's "Fantasia" (1940), along with examples of animation from various Max Fleischer short cartoons including Betty Boop and Superman.

Mr. Pacheco, a Disney artist/animator and former art director for Disney Publishing, is currently the Walt Disney Art Classics creative art director, where his extensive knowledge of Disney animation has helped translate beloved Disney characters from two-dimensional drawings into gallery-quality artwork and three-dimensional porcelain sculptures. In
addition, Mr. Pacheco is renowned for his knowledge of the history of animation, as well as the catalog of famous characters created during the industry's early golden age. This lecture, first presented at the 2006 Queen Mary Art Deco Festival to great acclaim, has been revised and expanded with additional rare footage for this series.

Tickets are $5 for members of ASIFA-Hollywood, ADSLA and American Cinematheque. Regular American Cinematheque prices apply for the general public and students/seniors and may be pre-purchased at www.fandango.com, or purchased on the day of the event at the door.

The Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood.

Additional information on the theater and American Cinematheque can be found at http://www.americancinematheque.com/egyptian/egypt.htm.

The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to the awareness and preservation of Art Deco as a major design influence of the 20th Century. Visit our website for information on preservation projects, upcoming events and membership:

For more info, see... www.adsla.org
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Event: Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:43:00 +0000

OSCAR NOMINATED ANIMATED SHORTS

Thursday March 6 - Thursday, March 13
Screens nightly at 10:00 PM Egyptian Theater
(3/6 in Rigler Theater; 3/7 - 3/13 in Spielberg Theater)
Magnolia Pictures. Total running time: 85 min.

Josh Raskin's "I Met The Walrus" (Canada, 5 min). In 1969, fourteen-year-old Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon's hotel room with his tape recorder and persuaded him to do an interview. Chris Lavis' and Maciek Szczerbowski's "Madame Tutli-Putli" (Canada, 17 min). A timid woman boards a mysterious night train and has a series of frightening experiences. Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse's "Meme Les Pigeons Vont Au Paradis" ("Even Pigeons Go To Heaven"), (France, 9 min). A priest tries to sell an old man a machine that he promises will transport him to heaven. Alexander Petrov's "My Love" (Russia, 27 min). In nineteenth-century Russia, a teenage boy in search of love is drawn to two very different women. Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman's "Peter & The Wolf" (United Kingdom & Poland, 27 min). A young boy and his animal friends face a hungry wolf in Prokofiev's classic musical piece. (All films have English subtitles if in another language.)

Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA

Tickets: $10 General / $8 Students & Seniors / $7
American Cinematheque Members
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Event: Afternoon of Remembrance

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:27:00 +0000

The Animation Guild, ASIFA Hollywood and Women In Animation present

AN AFTERNOON OF REMEMBRANCE
a non-denominational celebration of departed friends from our animation community

Renee Alcazar - Roger Armstrong - Dick Arnall - Warren Batchelder - Max Becraft - Pat Boyd - Sheila Brown - Erica Cassetti - Harvey Cohen - Alberto De Mello - Greg Drolette - Walker Edmiston - Ray Erlenborn - Natatcha Estebanez - Becky Fallberg - Mary Lou Ferguson - Ben Ferrer - Lu Guarnier - Ed Hansen - Terry Harrison - Florence Heintz - Dave Hilberman - Dick Hoffman - Steve Krantz - Ryan Larkin - Carol Lundberg - Celine Miles Marcus - John Marshall - Roberta Gruetert Marshall - Tom O'Loughlin - Henry Ortiz - Brant Parker - Nicole Pascal - Charles Nelson Reilly - Will Schaefer - Charlene Singleton - Ken Southworth - Art Stevens - James Street - Iwao Takamoto - Aleksandr Tatarskiy - Caren Terry - Jim Thurman - Elbert Tuganov - Al Wilson - Jack Zander

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Food and refreshments, 1 pm - Memoriams, 2 pm
Hollywood Heritage Museum (Lasky-DeMille Barn)
2100 N. Highland (across from Hollywood Bowl), Hollywood
The Afternoon is free of charge and is open to all; no RSVPs necessary.

Today At The Archive: The Animation Business in Boy Comics 1942

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:59:00 +0000

The Animation Business in Boy Comics 1942
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Call From The Family of Emru Townsend

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:48:00 +0000

Emru Townsend, Editor of Frames Per Second Magazine is suffering from leukemia and is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. None of his relatives are a match, so he is relying on outside donors. We are writing to ask you to help us encourage members of the animation community to join a bone marrow registry. Hopefully, we can help find a match for Emru.

Because tissue types are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity. As an Afro-Canadian, Emru Townsend will be most likely to match other African, African-American or Afro-Canadian donors. So please urge anyone in your circle with this racial background to participate.

Tamu, Emru's sister, has created a Facebook group. You can join here.

We've also posted information about upcoming drives in Seattle, Northern California, Southern California and New York areas on our blog.

35th Annual Annie Awards Winners and Nominees

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:52:00 +0000

Winners in bold. For more information, see www.annieawards.org.

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature

Winner: Ratatouille - Pixar Animation Studios
Bee Movie - DreamWorks Animation
Persepolis - Sony Pictures Classics
Surf's Up - Sony Pictures Animation
The Simpsons Movie - Twentieth Century Fox

Best Home Entertainment Production

Winner: Futurama "Bender's Big Score" - The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Doctor Strange - MLG Productions

Best Animated Short Subject

Winner: Your Friend the Rat - Pixar Animation Studios
Everything Will Be OK - Bitter Films
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Shorty McShorts' Shorts "Mascot Prep" - Walt Disney Television Animation
The Chestnut Tree - Picnic Pictures

Best Animated Television Commercial

Winner: Power Shares Escape Average - Acme Filmworks
CVS Watering Can - Acme Filmworks
Esurance "Homeowners" - Wild Brain
Idaho Lottery: Twister - Acme Filmworks
Oregon Lottery "Alaska" - Laika/house

Best Animated Television Production

Winner: Creature Comforts America - Aardman Animations
Jane and the Dragon - Weta Productions Limited & Nelvana Limited
Moral Orel - ShadowMachine
Robot Chicken Star Wars- ShadowMachine
Kim Possible - Walt Disney Television Animation

Best Animated Television Production for Children

Winner: El Tigre - Nickelodeon
Chowder - Cartoon Network Studios
Little Einsteins - Disney Channel
Peep and the Big Wide World - Discovery Kids
The Backyardigans - Nickelodeon

Best Animated Video Game

Winner: Ratatouille - THQ, Inc.
Avatar: The Last Airbender "The Burning Earth" - THQ, Inc.
Bee Movie Game - Activision
Transformers: The Game - Blur Studios

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Animated Effects

Winner: Deborah Carlson - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Gary Bruins - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Ryan Laney - "Spider-Man 3" - Sony Pictures Imageworks
James Mansfield - "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater" - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Jon Reisch - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios

Animation Production Artist

Winner: John Clark - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Michael Isaak - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation
Hyun-Min Lee - "The Chestnut Tree" - Picnic Pictures
Natasha Liberman - "Growing Up Creepie "Creepie & The Candy Factory" - Taffy Entertainment LLC, Telegrael Teoranta, Discovery Communications Inc., SunWoo Entertainment, Peach Blossom Media
Jim Worthy - My Gym Partner's A Monkey "Meet the Spidermonkeys" - Cartoon Network Studios

Character Animation in a Feature Production

Winner: Michal Makarewicz - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Dave Hardin - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Alan Hawkins - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation

Character Animation in a Television Production

Winner: Eric Towner - Robot Chicken - ShadowMachine
Elizabeth Harvatine - Moral Orel "Nature 2" - ShadowMachine
Monica Kennedy - El Tigre - Nickelodeon

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Carter Goodrich - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Sylvain Deboissy - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation

Character Design in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Jorge R. Gutierrez - El Tigre "Fistful of Collars" - Nickelodeon

Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Brad Bird "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Ash Brannon & Chris Buck "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Chris Miller & Raman Hui - "Shrek The Third" - DreamWorks Animation
Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi - "Persepolis" - Sony Pictures Classics
David Silverman - "The Simpsons Movie" - Twentieth Century Fox

Directing in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Seth Green "Robot Chicken Star Wars" - ShadowMachine
David Hartman - Tigger & Pooh "Turtles Need for Speed" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Raymie Muzquiz - Squirrel Boy "Gumfight at the S'Okay Corral" - Cartoon Network Studios
Howy Parkins - The Emperor's New School "Emperor's New Musical" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Gary Trousdale "Shrek The Halls" - DreamWorks Animation

Music in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Michael Giacchino - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Olivier Bernet - "Persepolis" - Sony Pictures Classics
Danny Elfman, Rufus Wainwright & Rob Thomas - "Meet The Robinsons" - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Rupert Gregson-Williams - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation
Amy Powers, Russ DeSalvo & Jeff Danna - "Disney Princess Enchanted Tales" - DisneyToon Studios/Walt Disney Video/Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Music in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Alf Clausen & Michael Price - The Simpsons "Yokel Chords" - Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox
Evan Lurie, Robert Scull & Steven Bernstein - The Backyardigans "International Super Spy" - Nickelodeon
Drew Neumann & Gregory Hinde - Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure - Cartoon Network Studios
Shawn Patterson - El Tigre "Yellow Pantera" - Nickelodeon
James L. Venable & Jennifer Kes Remington - Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends "The Bloo Superdude and the Magic Potato Power" - Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Harley Jessup - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Doug Chiang - "Beowulf" - Paramount Pictures
Marcelo Vignali - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Ted Mathot - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Don Hall - ‘Meet The Robinsons' - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Denise Koyama - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Sean Song - "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" - IMAGI Animation Studios
Nassos Vakalis - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production

Wnner: Steve Fonti - Family Guy "No Chris Left Behind" - Fox TV Animation/Fuzzy Door Ben Balistreri - Danny Phantom "Torrent of Terror" - Nickelodeon
Aldin Baroza - The Replacements "London Calling" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Dave Bennett - Tom and Jerry Tales - Warner Bros. Animation
Productions
Roy Meurin - My Friends Tigger and Pooh "Good Night to Pooh" - Walt Disney Television Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Ian Holm - Voice of Skinner - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Janeane Garofalo - Voice of Collette - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Julie Kavner - Voice of Marge Simpson - "The Simpsons Movie" - Twentieth Century Fox
Patton Oswalt - Voice of Remy - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Patrick Warburton - Voice of Ken - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Eartha Kitt - Voice of Yzma - The Emperor's New School "Emperor's New Musical" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Scott Adsit - Voice of Clay Puppington - "Moral Orel" - ShadowMachine
Madison Davenport - Voice of Sophianna - "Christmas is Here Again!" - Easy To Dream Entertainment
Tom Kenny - Voice of SpongeBob - SpongeBob SquarePants "Spy Buddies" - Nickelodeon
Eddie Murphy - Voice of Donkey - "Shrek The Halls" - DreamWorks Animation

Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Brad Bird - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David, Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder & Jon Vitti - "The Simpsons Movie" - Twentieth Century Fox
Don Rhymer and Ash Brannon & Chris Buck & Christopher Jenkins - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud - "Persepolis" - Sony Pictures Classics

Writing in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Ian Maxtone-Graham & Billy Kimball - The Simpsons "24 Minutes" - Gracie Films
C.H. Greenblatt & William Reiss - Chowder "Burple Nurples" - Cartoon Network Studios
Gene Grillo - Back at the Barnyard "Cowman and Ratboy" - Nickelodeon
Christopher Painter - Squirrel Boy "I Only Have Eye For You" - Cartoon Network Studios
Tom Sheppard - My Gym Partner's A Monkey "The Butt of the Jake" - Cartoon Network Studios

WINSOR McCAY AWARD WINNERS (career contributions to the art of animation)

John Canemaker
Glen Keane
John Kricfalusi

JUNE FORAY (significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation)

Jerry Beck

UB IWERKS (technical achievement)

Jonathan Gay, Gary Grossman and Robert Tatsumi - the creators of FLASH computer software

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT ANNIE AWARD

Edwin R. Leonard - promoting the Linux open system for animation in animation studios and gaming software development

CERTIFICATE OF MERIT

Marcus Adams
Joseph Baptista
Steve Gattuso
Jon Reeves
Gemma Ross
Woodbury University

Eddie Fitzgerald at the Annie Awards
Cold Hard Flash Goes to the Annie Awards
Grand Masters Of Flash: An Interview With The Ub Iwerks Award Winners
Harvey Deneroff: Annie Awards Make History

If you have pictures, post them and EMAIL us a link and we will add it to this list.
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Feb 8: The Annie Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:33:00 +0000

THE ANNIE AWARDS
Animation's Highest Honor
Friday, February 8th, 2008
Royce Hall, UCLA
Westwood, CA
Champagne Reception 5:00pm
Ceremony Begins 7:00pm
After party to follow

For more info see the Annie Awards Website
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Today At The Archive: Big Boy and the Power of Licensing

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:13:00 +0000

Comics: Big Boy and the Power of Licensing
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Today At The Archive: Rhapsody of Steel

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 06:16:00 +0000

Eyvind Earle and Maurice Noble collaborate on John Sutherland's The Rhapsody of Steel
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Screening/Panel: Persepolis Jan 10th

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Sony Pictures Classics & ASIFA-Hollywood
invite members and a guest to a special screening of...

Sony Pictures Classics
PERSEPOLIS

Nominated for Four Annie Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Music Score)

Thursday, January 10th at 7:30 PM
Laemmle Sunset Five Theaters
8000 Sunset Blvd. (at Crescent Heights)
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Note: please Park underneath the building.

Q/A after screening with co-writers and co-directors
Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud.

Members Only / RSVP Required
See your email for RSVP instructions. If you did not receive the email announcement, contact membership@asifa-hollywood.org to have your email address added to the list. Most ASIFA-Hollywood communications go out via email. It is vital that you keep your address on our list up to date.

Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, presented at the 2007 Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals, and the Closing Night Film at this years upcoming New York Film Festival, Persepolis is the poignant coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl that begins during the Islamic Revolution. We meet nine-year-old Marjane when the fundamentalists first take power forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands; follow her as she cleverly outsmarts the social guardians and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden, while living with the terror of government persecution and the Iran/Iraq war; then on to Austria as a teenager, where ! her parents send her to school in fear for her safety and, she has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape.

Marjane eventually gains acceptance in Europe but finds herself alone and horribly homesick, and returns to Iran to be with her family, though it means putting on the veil and living in a tyrannical society. After a difficult period of adjustment, she enters art school and marries, continuing to speak out against the hypocrisy she witnesses. At age twenty-four, she realizes that while she is deeply Iranian, she cannot live in Iran. She then makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her homeland for France, optimistic about her future, shaped indelibly by her past.

Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud co-wrote and co-directed the film, which is produced by Marc-Antoine Robert and Xavier Rigault of 2.4.7. Films, and executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy of The Kennedy/Marshall Company in co-production with France 3 Cinema, Franche Connection Animations and Diaphana Distribution; in association with Celluloid Dreams, Sony Pictures Classics, Sofica Soficinema and Sofica Europacorp. Rated PG -13. 95 minutes.

Panel: Technology and the Future of Character Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:30:00 +0000

The Future of Character Animation:
What Do New Technologies Mean To Artists?

This panel is designed to address the changes that advances in animation technologies are making to how animation is produced and what that means to animation artists. Performance capture techniques are here to stay, but it has also been repeatedly shown that more traditional means of bringing characters to life still have a major role to play in animation production.

What does all of this mean to the artists, performers, actors and technologists who must work together? How do studios, directors, producers, and supervisors decide which techniques will bring their vision to the screen? It is our hope that this panel will creatively enlighten us with discussions of real solutions and guidelines for the individuals who do and love animation.

Moderator:
Frank Gladstone, Gladstone Film, Inc.

Panelists (Schedule Permitting):
Ken Duncan, Duncan Studio (3D Key Frame Animation)
Don Hahn, Disney (2D Hand Drawn Animation)
Steve Chiodo, Chiodo Brothers (Stop Motion Animation)
Dave Barclay, Perform FX (Puppet Capture Technology)
Michelle Papandrew, Cartoon Network (Flash Animation)
Ken McDonald, Sony Pictures Imageworks, (Motion Capture)

Saturday, January 19th, 2008
11am - 1pm
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Ince Theater
9050 W Washington Bl
Culver City, CA

Visual Effects Society Members: Free
ASIFA Members, Students & Union Members: $10
All Others: $20

RSVP Required: Call VES at 818 981-7861

Archive: The Top Ten Topics Of 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:27:00 +0000

As the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive completes its second year in operation, it's time to review the accomplishments of the past year. Here's a countdown of the ten most important subjects we've covered in 2007. See if your list matches mine. Click on the links to read more on the topic.

THE TOP TEN TOPICS OF 2007

NUMBER 10: MILT GROSS

Milt Gross is one of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived, but most of his work has been out of print for many years. He was a master of both words and images. His books Nize Baby, Dunt Esk, and De Night In De Front From Chreesmas are classics of ethnic New York dialect humor. His masterpiece, He Done Her Wrong, which Gross described as "The great American novel- and not a word in it- no music too", tells a story entirely in funny pictures... Read More

NUMBER 9: CULTURAL LITERACY

Zutty Singleton, Cootie Williams, Zoot Sims, Bubber Miley, Papa Jo Jones and Dizzy Gillespie weren't just guys with funny first names... they were some of the most creative individuals who ever walked the earth, working in the greatest new artform from the past 100 years... Jazz. And they weren't the only ones worth studying. The 20th century sparked an explosion of creative expression in the fields of filmmaking, music, the performing arts and dance. All of these have a direct relation to your work as an animator... Read More

NUMBER 8: CARTOON WRITING

One of the principle catalysts for discussion on the net is John Kricfalusi's blog, All Kinds of Stuff. A series of John's posts on writing for animation created a wave of comment across the "blogosphere". A prominent cartoon scriptwriter vehemently disagreed with John's opinion that cartoons should be written by cartoonists. But when he was asked to name his favorite golden age cartoon writer, the scriptwriter was unable to come up with a single name... This isn't particularly surprising because THERE WERE NO CARTOON SCRIPTWRITERS prior to 1960... Read More

NUMBER 7: MODERN ANIMATION

Amid Amidi's great book, Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation stirred up a recent revival of interest in 1950s stylized animation. Just about every animation related blog had posts dealing with the subject. Back in May, a firestorm of controversy erupted around a fascinating series of articles on John Kricfalusi's blog, All Kinds of Stuff. The informed and impassioned arguments on both sides of the issue spilled over into Michael Sporn's Splog and Amid's Cartoon Brew... Read More

NUMBER 6: MILTON CANIFF

Milton Caniff has been referred to as "The Rembrandt of the Comic Strip", and oft by himself as "an Armchair Marco Polo", but in fact this whirlwind of a comic strip innovator and writer was essentially a sincerely nice man who loved to draw. He created and drew Terry and The Pirates from 1934 to 1946, which set the standard for the adventure comic strip. He raised the bar with Steve Canyon, which unlike Terry, he owned lock stock and barrel from the first daily strip in January 1947 through to June 1988, the final installment published shortly after his death. Caniff worked rain or shine, seven days/strips a week for 54 years, even from his hospital bed, the deadlines never ended... Read More

NUMBER 5: ORIGINALITY vs RIPOFFS

Ethics may not be the first subject that comes to mind when you think of the challenges facing cartoonists, but it's an important issue. I addressed the students who read this site and gave them some useful advice on thinking for themselves in an article titled "Chaplin's Shadow"... Read More

NUMBER 4: ADVICE FOR CG ANIMATORS

In 1914, Max Fleischer invented the rotoscope as a time and labor saving way of producing animation. He soon came to realize that although the device was a great aid in effects and technical animation, it was a poor substitute for character animation...

In 1986, engineer Ernie Blood developed motion capture techniques as a time and labor saving way of producing animation. A decade and several mocap features later, many CGI animators are coming to the same realization that Max Fleischer and his staff had more than a half century ago. Read More

NUMBER 3: CLAIR WEEKS

The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the family of Disney animator, Clair Weeks. Weeks was a missionary's son, born in India, who moved to America in the early 30s and ended up working as an assistant animator on Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Weeks went on to work on Bambi, Cinderella and Peter Pan. He eventually returned to Bombay, India to establish the animation community there... Read More

NUMBER 2: GRIM NATWICK

Grim Natwick is undoubtedly one of the most influential animators who ever lived. His career spanned the entire history of animation- from its earliest days in New York to Richard Williams' Cobbler and the Thief in recent times. He animated in every style, but was able to maintain his own personal flavor, regardless of whether he was animating for modern studios like UPA or cartoony ones like Fleischer. If one had to define the single element that set his animation apart, it would have to be that his characters always seemed to have a genuine spark of life... Read More

NUMBER 1: CARLO VINCI

The history of animation is populated by scores of remarkably talented animators. But Carlo Vinci was much more than just an animator. "Legend" is a word that has been overused in recent times, but when applied to Vinci, it's perfectly apt. Carlo Vinci left behind a lot more than just classic cartoons. He left behind a legacy that will inspire and enlighten artists for generations to come... Read More

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Merry Christmas From Your Friends At ASIFA-Hollywood

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 03:21:00 +0000

Disney Studios Christmas Card 1938

Here's a special Christmas treat from Archive supporter, Eric Graf...
I Was A Teenage Reindeer
Featuring Jim Backus and Daws Butler! / 1.8 MB / MP3
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Archive: Who's The Fairest One Of All?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 01:13:00 +0000

In honor of the 70th anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the family of Clair Weeks donated a treasure to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Read about it...
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Get Your Message Out To The Entire Animation Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:57:00 +0000

Advertising space is still available in the 35th Annual Annie Awards program book.

The Annie Awards will take place on Friday, February 8, 2008, at UCLA's Royce Hall, in Los Angeles, California.

The Annie Awards provides one of the most innovative platforms for animation partners to participate in these high-profile awards and market their goods and services, or to congratulate this year's award nominees and recipients. There's no better way to reach 10,000 animation industry insiders- from top studio brass to production executives, animation artists, students and fans of the art form- than in the pages of the annual Annie Awards program. A glossy keepsake chronicling the evening celebration and the year's winners, the program offers a range of ad options. For those looking to support the event and highlight their businesses in an even larger way, sponsorship packages offer myriad high-profile benefits.

Proceeds from the Annie Awards will benefit the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archives.

For further information, please visit www.annieawards.org

The deadline to receive advertising artwork is January 18, 2008.

To reserve space, contact ad@asifa-hollywood.org
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Guess Who's Fifty Years Old Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:48:00 +0000

Guess Who's Fifty Years Old Today!
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Annie Award Nominations Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:44:00 +0000

See the full list of Annie 2007 nominees
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Sheridan Alumni Get Togethers

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:37:00 +0000

To: Graduates from Sheridan College, Oakville Canada - Animation Program*

Plan to attend Sheridan's Animation alumni reception in California. Mark the following dates in your calendar and come celebrate our 40th anniversary with Dr. Robert Turner, Sheridan President and CEO; Michael Collins, Dean of the School of Animation, Art and Design; Angela Stukator, Associate Dean, Animation; members of Sheridan Executive; the Sheridan alumni relations team and your fellow Sheridan alumni.

*January 29th, 2008 *
Location: DreamWorks Animation SKG
1000 Flower Street, Glendale, CA 91201
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Special Guest Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Chief Executive Officer and Director

*January 31st, 2008 *
Location: Canadian Consulate General Residence, San Francisco
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm

To attend either event, please RSVP to alumnievents@sheridanc.on.ca by January 14, 2008. Please indicate whether you'll be attending the Glendale or San Francisco event, plus the program and year you graduated from Sheridan. Include your full contact details so we can reach you with further details (name, mailing address, and phone number).

Contact Deborah O'Malley at 905-815-4078 or email deborah.omalley@sheridanc.on.ca for more information.

Today At The Archive: CGI Animators Should THINK Like Artists

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:26:00 +0000

WHAT CAN AN ILLUSTRATED BOOK THAT IS NEARLY A CENTURY OLD TEACH SOMEONE WORKING IN COMPUTER ANIMATION?

Click To Find Out!
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Screening: TMNT TIME CHANGE

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Worth) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:55:00 +0000

Warner Bros. Pictures, Imagi Animation Studios
and ASIFA-Hollywood Invite Members And A Guest
To A Special Screening Of

TMNT
Saturday, December 1st, 2007
1 p.m.
AMC Burbank 16
125 East Palm Avenue
Burbank, California

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

See your email for RSVP instructions. If you did not receive the email announcement, contact membership@asifa-hollywood.org to have your email address added to the list. Most ASIFA-Hollywood communications go out via email. It is vital that you keep your address on our list up to date.

This invitation is for ASIFA-Hollywood members only and space is limited. Reservations are taken on a first come, first serve basis.
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