Newest Animation/Live Action Venture

This brand new live action/animation Independent short film seems very intriguing!

I hope we get to see "Animated American" up here in Canada as soon as possible!

For more information, check this link from Cartoon Brew:

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/animated-american

A Taz Tale With No Name

Here is yet another story from "Golden Comics Digest" featuring "The Tasmanian Devil and his tasty friends: Beep Beep and Wile E. Coyote"!

Toons Around Town

I've always seen cartoon characters around Winnipeg used in various forms of advertising over the years.
Here are some snapshots which I was able to gather over some time now.
Bugs Bunny is used to plug this companies' signs and banners:Panchito Pistoles from The Three Caballeros has been handing out glad tidings for years on the window of this local music shop...Seems that Popeye the Sailor is being used to promote big "muskles":And now here is another infamous Preston Blair swipe, the Canadian chain "Giant Tiger" has a logo that looks very similar to a design used in Mr. Blair's animation book:I always assumed that this bird was also a Preston Blair swipe, but it is nowhere in the book. I know I've seen this design somewhere...does anyone have a better idea?

Horton Ninja Anime

I hate to spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn't seen Blue Sky's Horton Hears a Who yet, but this scene had me in tears when I first saw it.
This traditionally animated scene came out of nowhere soon after Horton goes out on his quest of protecting the speck and it's so fast and hilarious....enjoy!
Wish they were making more animated features like this!

Wowsers! More Gadget in '09!

According to the current issue of Animation Magazine, DIC Entertainment is going to be reviving their bionic crime fighter for a brand new show to premier in early 2009.Inspector Gadget has had many spin-offs and reincarnations since the original show began in the early 1980's. (Gadget Boy, 2 live action films, Gadget & the Gadgetinis, a CGI feature...)The new show will have many of the original characters intact such as Penny, Brain, Chief Quimby and Dr. Claw. Complete with klutz comedy but with more of a darker edge.
The series will have a design style that will lean more towards anime and the direction will be more cinematic with unique camera angles and dramatic musical cues.If all goes smoothly, Inspector Gadget will be hitting airwaves with 52 half-hours next spring!

Classic Caballeros Collection

Disney Home Entertainment just released a double-feature on DVD last week which has both "Saludos Amigos" & "The Three Caballeros"!
The two films were inspired by a trip which Walt Disney himself and his crew of artists took to South America and Mexico.And keeping with the theme, here is a story which features one of the characters introduced in Saludos Amigos, Pedro the plane, teaming up with that flying elephant Dumbo...

DMT Open House Today

Thought I would give my peers a plug by informing you, dear readers, that May 1st is Red River College's Digital Multimedia Technology course's Open House night!
http://www.dmt-openhouse.com/
It is our chance, the graduating students, to give the public and industry an inside look at what we can accomplish with the skills we've learned over the past 2 years.
So if you're going to be in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada tonight or tomorrow, come check us out!

Forgotten Warner Bros Star?

I came across an interesting book at the local Dollar Store, included with the Looney Tunes Big Face Books run in 2000, there was a new story called "Peter Cottontail: In Hot Water".
Could this story have been a proposed pilot for an upcoming Warner Bros star? The designs are clearly inspired by the classic Looney Tunes look, (I like Fausto's Daffy cane head).
The copyright mentions, "Peter Cottontail, characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros 2000".
I wonder if there were any other Peter Cottontail stories produced?

Foggy Devil

Straight from the pages of Golden Comics Digest No. 10, May 1970 comes another weird Looney Tunes crossover.
Foghorn J. Leghorn and the Tasmanian Devil star in "The Frightful Appetite".

Cartoon Network Shorties

In the earlier days of Cartoon Network, when they actually played classic cartoons, there were mini cartoons, called Shorties, that would play during commercial breaks.
These Shorties would put the classic Hanna-Barbera characters into modern situations using various animation techniques.





And an Adult Swim promo that just cracks me up...

Jetson Animation

Hanna Barbera's The Jetsons have been used in various ad campaigns over the years and here are a few I've found recently. Including the recently released TUMS ad!
(I guess it's safe to say I'm a Jetsons' fan due to the many Jetson-related posts I've had recently, oh well....)

Earthworm Jim Revival?

It has been announced that Interplay is partnering with franchise creator Doug TenNapel to bring life back to the classic Earthworm Jim with a new game, animated series and feature film.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18353
http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/04/new-earthworm-j.html

The original animated series ran for 2 seasons during the 90's as part of the KidsWB line-up.

Happy Earth Day!

Here's the classic 1971 Earth Day poster featuring Pogo and Porkypine written and illustrated by Walt Kelly!

NYC Goes Looney

The Centennial Tribute show, "Tex Avery, Michael Maltese: Putting Looney in the Toons" will be appearing at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science during it's usual "Monday Nights with Oscar" series on May 5th.
http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/8219John Canemaker will be hosting the special event that showcases both the animator/director and writer who were both born in 1908.

Jetson Heartburn

Launching today is a new TUMS Quikpak campaign from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare.
The new "instant-dissolve antacid powder" is hoping to re-energize the classic TUMS brand by giving it a fresh look by featuring the family of the future: The Jetsons!
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080421/nym023a.html?.v=3
Look for the new 30 second spot on a national network or cable channel today!