Martha Sigall – Living Life Inside the Lines
Looking for a great story from an animation legend? Look no further than Martha Sigall’s “Life Inside the Lines: Tales from the Golden Age of Animation”. Martha started as gopher at Leon Schlesinger’s Pacific Art and Title when she was only 12 years old. She started painting animation cels when she was 15. This was a job that women were sometimes allowed to do in the animation studios of the 1930s. Certainly, none were allowed to be actual animators. From an interview at Comicon.com:
…in the very early days of animation, almost everything was done by men. Men even did the inking and the painting. It wasn’t until the early ‘30s, at least in Hollywood, that women started doing these jobs. There was very much gender discrimination in the business at that time. Women were not allowed in the Animation Department, Layout, Story, and Camera departments. There were some women in the Background Department, but it really wasn’t until World War II, when the men left for the service, that women were accepted into these other departments.
In “Living Life Inside the Lines“, Martha provides an insider’s view of the glory days of Warner Brothers animation:
She recounts her wild and wonderful experiences with the Warner Bros. cartoon crew, working and laughing all day with the animators, partying all night with the Looney Tunes gang on the bowling and baseball teams, and participating in weekend scavenger hunts. She was president of the in-house “Looney Tunes Club,” co-wrote the company gossip column, and performed in the company’s theatrical troupe.
This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in animation history. The book is widely available. Get your copy now.
[tags]Martha Sigall, Looney Tunes, Life Inside the Lines, 2D animation[/tags]
Austin 2006 Flashforward Film Festival Finalists
Our favorite flash animator, Chris Georgenes, is one of the finalists in the cartoon category in the Austin 2006 Flashforward Film Festival. Dimples liked all of the finalists. When flash animation is done well, it’s nearly as good as some of the best hand-drawn animation. Unfortunately, most of it looks like the frozen figures with moving lips that dominate the Cartoon Network. The winners will be announced in September 2006. You can vote on-line for the people’s choice award here.
[tags]2D animation, flash animation, flashforward film festival[/tags]
The Triplets of Belleville – A 2D Animated Masterpiece
It’s time to return to an animation style that pleases the dimpled team. While talking about Disney is necessary since they’re the big dog, their animation style is not pleasing to us. We prefer less predictible and more interesting 2D animation story-telling. Our favorite animated theatrical feature in the modern era is “The Triplets of Belleville“. It is simply spectacular. The dog, Bruno, in “Triplets” is one of the greatest animated characters in all of animation history. This is not hyperbole. There’s not one false twitch in Bruno in the entire movie. Never before has a canine character been so believably animated. Bruno was brilliant. This is a list of the awards won by “Triplets”:
2004 Academy Award Nominee – Best Animated Feature Film, Best Song
2003 Telluride Film Festival
2003 Toronto International Film Festival
2003 Boston Film Festival
2003 Chicago International Film Festival
2003 AFI Film Festival
“Triplets” is the brainchild of Sylvain Chomet. It took five years for Chomet and his team to complete “Triplets”. From a BBC interview on the objective of the movie:
I wanted to do things in animation that hadn’t been done before. It’s a very rigid medium in what people think it should be. It’s always got to be for kids. It should bring good feelings, have bad guys and good guys, and end with a moral. But this means there are lots of subjects and things you can’t show, like someone smoking a cigarette for example. With “Belleville”, the aim was to go against that, and do something that wasn’t aimed at kids. It’s great that kids can enjoy the film, but it freed us up to go in directions that the animated movie hasn’t gone in before.
He succeeded in creating a masterpiece. In the same interview, Chomet comments on the use of CGI animation:
It was mainly to get rid of all the boring stuff. Objects, for example, always take a very long time to animate because they don’t change as they move. We used CGI for the cars, the bicycles, the boats and the trains, and it meant the animators had more time for enjoyable elements like the character acting.
This is exactly how CGI should be used. CGI is for the “boring stuff’.
“The Triplets of Belleville” is widely available on DVD. It should be part of every animation lover’s video library. Watch “Cars” and then watch “Triplets”. It’s a world of difference. “Cars” comes across like a soda cracker and water. “The Triplets of Bellville” is a feast.
[tags]Triplets of Bellville, 2D animation, Sylvain Chomet[/tags]
Disney Must Read This Blog – Return to 2D Animation
The dimpled one thinks Disney is listening. John Lasseter is keeping his promise to bring back hand-drawn animation to Disney. The word is out that 3D CGI is not a sure ticket to big box office. It’s commonplace. Moreover, it’s not as pleasing to the viewer as traditional 2D animation. Disney is showing some foresight and placing a bet on the revival of 2D animation. From Reuters:
Walt Disney Studios has reunited with the directors of its box office disaster “Treasure Planet” as part of a plan to get back into the decidedly unfashionable business of traditional animation.
The new project, “Frog Princess,” will put a female spin on the classic fairy tale, according to sources.
It will be overseen by John Musker and Ron Clements, who left the studio shortly after “Treasure Planet” bombed at the end of 2002, grossing just $38 million domestically.
This is the right thing to do but, is this the team to do it? Dimples is skeptical.
[tags]2D animation, Disney, John Lasseter, Little Mermaid, Frog Princess[/tags]
Gee Whiz Isn’t Enough – Story and Character Make the Movie
Dimples isn’t the only person ranting about the state of animation. Others are noticing that most of the CG 3D animated movies released this year are boring. From Roger Moore and the Orlando Sentinel:
So Cars is still chugging along, lifelessly sucking in the suckers who need a good snooze while their kids nap between jokes. It’s no Nemo, though. Or Monsters, Inc. Or Incredibles.
Ice Age 2 does boffo business, for a movie with nothing to recommend it.
Over the Hedge is funny, and does swell, but no better than Madagascar.
And Monster House opens at number 2 at the box office.
Ant Bully opens Friday.
And Barnyard a few days after that. And then there’s Open Season, Happy Feet and Flushed Away.
Before the end of the year.
So many computer animators. So little…magic. Delight. Excitement.
CGI cartoons are everywhere. They’re ranging from OK to bad, from Over the Hedge to Monster House to Cars to Ant Bully to Ice Age to Hoodwinked, from best to worst. Thus far this year.
Any single Looney Tune’s short cartoon has more magic than all of this year’s CGI cartoons combined. There’s no style. There’s no magic. There’s no story. There are no memorable characters. Is there a single Bugs Bunny from all of the CG animation created so far? No. There is no Bugs Bunny.
Roger Moore continues:
CGI cartoons are everywhere. They’re ranging from OK to bad, from Over the Hedge to Monster House to Cars to Ant Bully to Ice Age to Hoodwinked, from best to worst. Thus far this year.
That means the novelty has at long last worn off. They’re not automatic hits.
We’re looking at the downhill side, the downward slide of CGI.
There’s a rush to cash-in on CG animation. In that rush, studios have dumped alot of talented people. They’ve forgotten story telling and character in their rush to the box office ATM. Like the gold rushers, they may find themselves with little more than a shovel of dirt. Finally, from Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel:
I am guessing that the day will come when Disney second-guesses its Pixar purchase and wishes it had the help on hand to make another Little Mermaid.
[tags]animation, CG animation, CGI animation, Disney, Pixar[/tags]
Disney’s Refugee Camp – Tom Hignite’s Miracle Studios
Where do all the animator’s go when they leave Disney? One place they’ve gone is Tom Hignite’s Miracle Studios in, of all places, Wisconsin. Dimples has nothing against Wisconsin. Actually, we prefer it to California but this is off topic. Last week, Disney announced another layoff of 650 employees. Some of the people leaving are animators but most of the great animators have already left Disney. Whether or not you appreciate the Disney style, you can’t deny that the animation knowledge base at Disney was greater than all of the other animation studios combined. From The Times:
Troy Gustafson, a Disney employee for 12 years, said he had mixed feelings, of sadness and anger, and did not want to see hand-drawn animation die out: “It’s a talent. It’s a skill. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Obviously, Dimples couldn’t agree more. Hand-drawn 2D animation has a style and spontaneity that cannot be duplicated by the plastic puppet faces from CG 3D animation. The good news is that Tom Hignite has gathered a small group of animators in his new studio and they’re working on a hand-drawn animation theatrical feature about a character called Miracle Mouse. From Tom Hignite after a tour of the Disney studios as reported in The Times:
“I wondered where the animators were. There weren’t any artists behind the desks. They were in the midst of deciding to close the studio down.”
He continued, remarking on the difference between hand-drawn and CG animation:
“It’s not better or worse — but the advantage of hand-drawn imagery is that it looks more human, more artistic. The human touch is so evident.”
Dimples agrees and Dimples would say it is better. It looks “real”.
On Dec. 2 of this year, Miracle Studios promise a 30 sec taste of their 2D animation. We can’t wait.
Dimples would be remiss if we didn’t include a section in this story about Tom Hignite. Who is Tom Hignite? The publicity photo at the top of this story would lead you to believe that he’s an animator. He’s not. He is the owner of “Miracle Homes”. He’s a housing contractor and, apparently, an over-the-top Christian. Dimples assumes that’s why he names everything “miracle”. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Hignite acknowledges he had relatively little experience in animation when he began planning a studio. It took about a year of research before he could start looking for artists, he said.
His home-building business, which he also began with little experience, started in 1993 with two home sales. Last year, it sold 220 houses with a total value of about $42 million.
Hignite said he got into the business by selling a home he built on a lot that had been given as barter to his father. Hignite then quit his job as advertising manager for a boat dealer and started building houses full time.
Hignite said he drew the Miracle Mouse character, which has appeared in promotions for his home-building business for several years.
Some observers say the hard hat-donning Miracle Mouse looks a lot like Mickey Mouse, but Hignite said the character is unique, and he doesn’t think it infringes on any Disney copyright.
Miracle Mouse looks like Mickey Mouse and the opening page on Miracle Studios’ web page looks like the opening to Disney. This is not a good thing. Mr. Hignite may have carried too much baggage from the world of suburban sprawl into the world of theatrical animation.
[tags]2D animation, Disney, Tom Hignite, Miracle Studios[/tags]
Outlaw Animation – Cutting-Edge Cartoons from the Spike and Mike Festivals
This is a must have book for your animation library. Outlaw Animation is a history of the first 25 years of the Spike and Mike Festival. The book is authored by Jerry Beck and Todd MacFarlane. The festival started as a barely noticed add-on to rock concerts to the premier showcase for new animators. Nick Park and Peter Lord of Aardman of Wallace and Gromit fame started here. Other notables include John Lasseter and Mike Judge. Besides being a wonderful compendium on the development of the modern indepedent cartoon, “Outlaw Animation” is a well told slice of history from 1977 to 2002. There are pictures galore including stills, behind the scenes shots and posters. Get your copy from our Animation Shop.
[tags]Outlaw Animation, Spike and Mike, Jerry Beck, Todd MacFarlane, animation festival, underground cartoons, 2D animation[/tags]
Gitanjali Rao – Printed Rainbow
Dimples profiled animation rising star Gitanjali Rao a short time ago regarding her marvelous win at Cannes for her animated short “Printed Rainbow”. Dimples has bemoaned the absence of a website for Gitanjali Rao and/or her movie. Finally, a webpage is available for “Printed Rainbow” here. While there is still no way to view this movie on-line, the new webpage has several stills from the movie. Perhaps, if we keep talking about this film, someone will provide a trailer. Dimples will continue to keep hoping.
[tags]Gitanjali Rao, Printed Rainbow, Cannes, 2D animation, animation awards[/tags]
Mumbai International Film Festival 2006 – Animation Winners
The Mumbai International Film Festival in India focuses on documentary, short and animated films and is ranked the largest festival for these film categories. Animation is booming in all of Asia and one would expect this festival to be a showcase for new talent. Curiously, the judges declined to award a first place prize for animation deciding that no film at the festival merited that award. The “Second Best” animation film or video award was shared jointly by “Home Delivery” directed by Elio Quiroga from Spain and adapted from the Stephen King short story of the same name and “Boond” directed by Kavita Singh from India.
“Home Delivery” has been to numerous festivals winning many awards over the last few years. Naturally, as a Stephen King piece it’s an ideal story for film. Here is a summary:
Jenny, on the island of Deer, Maine, is a sleepy provincial and miserable town. Life in this coastal town will be savagely affected by the arrival of a plague that infects the whole planet: the dead are rising from their tombs and devouring the living. That which seemed impossible is happening. Zombies have invaded earth. Maddie, a young woman incapable of making her own decisions, lives a placid and grey existence alongside her husband Jack, an illiterate and brutal lobster fisherman. Due to a terrible accident at sea, the mariner will die, swallowed by the waves. But the plague which runs rampant throughout Earth will also affect Jack, who will return from the dead and rise from his watery grave to visit his beloved wife.
Here are two stills from the 2D animated short, “Home Delivery”:
Kavita Singh’s animated short, “Boond”, is a tribute to a friend who died from lung cancer and, like “Home Delivery”, this film has won multiple awards at other festivals. Like other award winning animators profiled on Darling Dimples from India, Ms. Singh does not appear to have his own homepage and Dimples couldn’t find a single image from his movie to display here and that’s just plain crazy.
In summary, “Home Delivery” is great and you can see it at the link provided above. “Boond” is probably great, too, but we don’t know where to find it on-line. If you do, please let us know.[tags]MIFF, Mumbai Film Festival, 2D animation, Home Delivery, Boond, Elio Quiroga, Kavita Singh[/tags]
Leigh Hodgkinson – Animator, Writer, Director
Times, they are a changin’. Women animators are breaking down doors with imagination and fresh perspectives. Leigh Hodgkinson is one of those women.
Have you seen “Cars”? The best thing you can about it is that it wasn’t all bad. A great technical feat? Yes. Enthralling? No. Did you see the special Disney show where the animators and director of “Cars” were interviewed and profiled? Dimples did. Did you see any women? Dimples didn’t but then Dimples was bored and didn’t watch the whole show. Movies are made better when made from multiple perspectives. Cars came from a boy’s perspective and it was ho hum as far as story and character were concerned. Hollywood needs more women animators, writers and directors. Dreamworks, as discussed in the previous post, has just hired the very talented Scottish animator Sharon Colman. Dimples thinks Hollywood needs to make a return trip to the UK and take a look at the work of Leigh Hodgkinson. She tells great stories with great characters.
From the BBC:
In 1995, after completing an art foundation course, Leigh went to University in Hull, leaving with a first in graphic design. 1999 saw her starting a post-graduate course at the National Film and Television School in Animation Direction where she made two short animated films, “Excess Baggage” and “Novelty”. “Novelty” has since toured the world at countless festivals bringing home numerous prizes and awards including the 2002 British Animation Award for Best Creative Use of New Media.
Leigh has been a very busy woman in the intervening years. She’s a working animator and director who has proven herself to be extremely accomplished at developing characters and telling stories in many different animation styles. Her film Moo(n) was selected for Sundance in 2004. A great selection of her films is available on her web page and at Slinky Films.
Here is an example of her drawing style from “Moo(n)”.
Move over Tim Burton. It’s creepy cool 2D animated delight.
[tags]Leigh Hodgkinson, 2D animation, Moo(n), Stalk, animator, director, writer[/tags]