For fans of computer animation, two new books have hit the shelves: The Art of Pixar Short Films by Amid Amidi (hardcover, from Chronicle Books) uses essays, interviews, and artwork to take a look at Pixar’s groundbreaking shorts, from Andre and Wally B and Luxo, Jr. right up through Presto and Your Friend The Rat. Meanwhile, Imageworks by Michael Goldman (also hardcover, from Insight Editions) takes a look at the history of Sony Imageworks Studios, which brought us not only animated films like Open Season, Stuart Little (well, partly animated!), and Surf’s Up, but also the mad special effects on films like Spiderman and more.
April, 2009:
Happily N’Ever After… the sequel?
Although it didn’t exactly burn things up at the box office (in terms of cash OR critical acclaim), evidently 2006’s Happily N’Ever After did well enough on DVD world-wide to rate its own direct-to-DVD sequel, Happily N’Ever After 2: Snow White’s A New Bite at the Apple (yes that’s the title). The new film is directed by Steven E. Gordon and Boyd Kirkland, and is being released to stores by Kickstart Productions this April. Furry fan favorites (?) Munk and Mambo return, this time trying to assist Snow White while the mighty wizard is, once again, out of town.
For Sesame Street fans
Following in the foam rubber footsteps of Sesame Street Unpaved by David Borgenicht comes Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis (published by Viking). This massive (384 pages!) hardcover book was created by former TV Guide writer Davis after an extensive interview with Joan Ganz Cooney, who oversaw production on this world-famous educational TV series for more than twenty years. Some of the stories from the development of the series in 1968 are priceless: Maurice Sendak bored at a seminar on children’s TV, entertaining himself by drawing X-rated cartoons; and Jim Henson, whos long hair, beard, and sandals had producers worried that he might be a Weatherman terrorist. Stories like that abound.
Stone Rabbit Books
Stone Rabbit is the name of a new character (and a new full-color soft-cover graphic novel series for young readers) created, written, and illustrated by Eric Craddock. Stone Rabbit is a bored little bunny living a humdrum existance in the sleepy little town of Happy Glades… until the day when he discovers a Time Portal of Doom under his bathroom rug! In Stone Rabbit Volume 1: B.C. Mambo, our hero finds himself stuck in dinosaur days, trying to find his way back home. In Volume 2: Pirate Palooza, our time-hopping hero runs afoul of the dread pirate Barnacle Bob.
Don Bluth’s Animation Tutorials
Animator and director Don Bluth (Secret of NIMH, The Land Before Time, Titan AE) has a new web site, www.donbluthanimation.com. It not only features background information on Don and his crew’s many film projects, but also Don’s latest passion: Teaching would-be animators the ropes of the business. Several tutorials are available on the site, matching up with a series of how-to books that Don has released over the past few years. That includes character design concepts, backgrounds, in-betweening, and more, as well as how to work with modern computer graphics assistance.
New Disney 3D — from 2D!
Word has come down the pipe that Disney/Pixar will be revisiting some old favorite animated movies and re-releasing them in the new (and very popular) True 3D format. First up is a double-feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, coming this October. That’s to be followed by a special True 3D version of the 2D classic Beauty and the Beast, to be released in February of 2010.
The Return of Milikardo Knights
Matt Henry, also known as Cutter McCoy or El Badjah, has decided to revive his black & white furry science fiction comic book series Milikardo Knights. Originally published in 1997 by Steel Badger Studios (with illustrations by Freddy A-Son, Richard Bartrop, and Steve Adelsee), the story involves an elite multi-species team of interplanetary fighter pilots battling to save their homeworld from the forces of a corrupt planet-stealing corporation. Currently, El Badjah is re-working the story and looking for interested artists. Visit www.myspace.com/elbadjah to find out more.
