Friday, February 18, 2011

Animating Limited Characters by Victor Navone

There's a great post at Victor Navone's blog about Animating Limited Characters, with examples and ample explanations. Very cool!

And thanks to the post I finally know who animated the shot above (Shawn Krause). I always liked that head move at the end of it, it's very nice and subtle, but works so well with the tone and the audio delivery.

Thanks Le Roy for the tip!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Animation Mentor Newsletter - February 2011



This month's newsletter features:

- Feature Films: How four Graduates landed their dream jobs
- Online Campus Tour: Sneak Peek into Animation Mentor!
- Short Film: Head Over Heels by Frank Abney
- Toothless Treats: Extras from Our SitDown with DreamWorks Animators

Rango impressions

As the release date inches closer, more and more impressions from people are trickling in and so far it's still very positive, which is very exciting! We're all very proud of this movie and dare I say, from a biased corner of course, that I liked the movie too (which is nice for a change, since I don't always like the movies we work on as a whole). :)

Can't wait to hear back from the audience and movie critics, but until then, I'll enjoy quotes like these:

... But possibly the biggest star of the movie is the animation itself, which is nothing short of stunning.
...

Really, there’s a whole lot to love about this movie. The voice-actors are top notch, the animation is superb, the character designs are stand-out, and its story is good old-fashioned western fun.
...


You can read the whole thing here, just note that there are spoilers!

And this podcast (at 51:15) is just crazy over the top in terms of being positive (although I disagree with their non-Rango comments). And language wise it's NSFW. :)

[update]
Oh, here's a not so positive review. Nope, it's not a cutesy movie, not every animated movie is just for kids. :)

The Thomas Beale Cipher

The Thomas Beale Cipher from Andrew S Allen on Vimeo.



This is pretty cool, thanks Louaye for the tip!

Mo'Sam Experience

Mo'Sam Experience from Mo'Sam on Vimeo.



Cool style!

You May Now



Check out this great short which was done in one day (4 days including post and sound). Nice work Dan and Dane and thanks for sending this!

Cars 2 character line up


There isn't too much footage out there yet, but if you want to check out lots of Cars 2 characters, head over to stitchkingdom.com. Thanks Le Roy for the tip!

The Saga Of Biorn

The Saga Of Biorn from The Animation Workshop on Vimeo.



Thanks Will and Jesper for the tip! And yes, the 2:30 mark is awesome! :)

Draw your Timing by Cameron Fielding

BigWings from Cameron Fielding on Vimeo.

There's an interesting post about drawing out the timing of a character. Head over to Cameron's blog to find out more about it. Thanks Le Roy for the tip!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hoodwinked Too: Hood Vs. Evil

In 3D!



That's quite an improvement visually compared to the first one.

More Rango News

Since I worked on it I'm a bit I'm biased but I haven't seen it in finished form, so I don't really know how the movie will shape up, but it was definitely a blast to work on, so it's great to see another positive review (as always, beware of Spoilers). A good quote from the person who saw it:

"I don’t even want to call it a family film, though I’m sure it would play well amongst parents with older children. Instead, I would much rather just call it what it is: a western, and a damn fine one at that."


The AICN boards say it's a studio plant, and with sentences like:
"It’s smart, it’s dark, and above all, it’s dangerous."
it could be. I mean, who writes reviews like that? :)
If anybody out there has been to preview screenings, drop a comment!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Rango - first review


And hello! The first review for Rango is in and it's positive! Watch out for spoilers though. Very curious what other critics and especially the general audience will think of the movie.

Superman Classic - by Robb Pratt



Found at Cartoon Brew, there's a cool animated Superman sequence including making-of, called "Superman Classic". Love it!

Despite the awesome 3D work out there I still miss 2D...

2011 Annie Awards


Congratulations to all the winners! Head over to Cartoon Brew for the whole list of nominees and winners.
Here Brad Bird's awesome speech (at the 4:30 mark):