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Goodbye 2011… Hello Awards Season!

Dec 31st, 2011
by rodney.
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As we wish you all a happy, healthy, and creative New Year in 2012, it’s time to start thinking about what we’re going to award from 2011! Besides the Oscars and the Annie Awards (which many of us follow closely), for Furry Fandom it’s time to start thinking about the annual Ursa Major Awards, the anthro-fan’s answer to the Hugo Awards ™ from science fiction fandom. Nominations for 2011 are open to any and all, and they open on January 12th. If you visit the Ursa Major Awards web site, you’ll find the Recommended Anthropomorphics Reading and Viewing List for you to peruse, listing some of the many interesting items of anthropomorphic interest that came about in 2011.  Like what?  Well… movies like Rango, Rio, Puss in Boots, and Kung Fu Panda 2… TV series like Thundercats, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic… books and stories by authors like Kyell Gold, Alflor Aalto, MCA Hogarth, and Paul Kidd…  plus comics, games, artwork, and a brand new category for Best Anthropomorphic Web Site. All this and much much  more! But remember: An item does NOT need to be on the Recommended List for  you and your friends to nominate it for an Ursa Major Award. It just needs to be Furry! [Check the web site for how the Ursa Majors define that!] After the the nominations are tabulated, the voting will begin this spring — followed by the Ursa Major Awards presentation at CaliFur in Southern California this June.  Remember, last year more than 1,000 fans world wide took part in the voting.  Help to make that number even bigger in 2012!

image c. 2011 ALAA / Heather Bruton

The Werewolves are Coming — Next Year!

Dec 11th, 2011
by rodney.
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The 2012 Werewolf Calendar is available for order now, with delivery available before Christmas. This year’s roster of 13 artists includes Balaa, Blotch, BlackPassion777, Goldenwolf, Kyoht, Wolf-Nymph, Khaosdog, Johis, Myenia, Thornwolf, Synnabar, Vantid, and Kyndir. “The werewolf is often seen as a dangerous man beast, a man corrupted by the temptation of his primitive unsecured urges, let loose to prey on his fellow man. This is the werewolf that undoubtedly dominated today’s popular media and while we here at the Werewolf Calendar embrace this vision with an open eager heart, this is not the Werewolf we wish to bring to you our audience. We wish to bring to you instead the inner animal, an animal that is not unlike the human, harboring the same emotions and sensibility that man has coveted as being alone in having for millenia on end. Here is the werewolf that is regal, or that is bedraggled from his trials of survival, or adorned in ceremonial garb to celebrate his being, or that is wandering alone in search of something, or surrounded by loving packmates, or is engaged in a teeth gnashing territorial dispute, or at last howling fiercely at the moon beneath which both man and wolf were born together.” Visit the Werewolf Calendar web site to find out more about the calendar project, preview the artwork, and order your copy.

image c. 2011 by Goldenwolf (from a previous calendar, not 2012)

The Annie Awards Are Announced

Dec 9th, 2011
by rodney.
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On December 5th nominations were announced for the annual Annie Awards, presented by the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA). These are the Oscar Awards of animated cartoons, people, and every year their prestige in Hollywood circles seems to increase. As usual the nominations for 2011 included several films and TV series of interest to furry fandom — as well as a few of what are likely to be considered glaring omissions. Taking their cue from the Oscars themselves perhaps, this year the Annie Awards have no less than 10 nominees for Best Animated Feature Film, up from the usual 5 of years past. Notable anthropomorphic films up for the honor include A Cat in Paris, Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rango, and Rio.  Nominees for Best Animated Special Production (i.e., direct-to-video or DVD) include Adventure Time: Thank You, Ice Age: Mammoth Christmas, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters, and Prey 2 — but not, interestingly, Dreamworks’ Gift of the Night Fury. Among the nominees for Best Animated Television Production for Children are Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and Penguins of Madagascar. Conspicuous in their absence perhaps: My Little Pony — Friendship is Magic and the reboot of Thundercats. What’s up with that? The Annie Awards will be presented at a gala Hollywood ceremony on February 4th, 2012, at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. You can find out more about the Annie Awards, including the full list of nominated productions and people, at the Annie Awards web site.

Anthroview

Sep 27th, 2011
by rodney.
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Anthroview is a brand-new furry-themed magazine created by long-time fan Summercat. According to the web site it’s “dedicated to providing reviews and articles relevant to the Furry Fandom” and “will be reviewing artwork galleries, stories, animations, comics, costuming, games – anything and everything made for the furry fandom by the furry fandom”. Issues are going to be available in both electronic and traditional print formats. The first issue will be premiering this week at Antheria in California. Flayrah has an interview with Summercat discussing his plans and aspirations for the new magazine.

Kiss Me, I Speak Latin!

Sep 7th, 2011
by rodney.
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The artist known as Kamui (apparently also known as Flossalot) has put together a collection of text t-shirts that announce to the world which non-human animal you identify with — by their scientific names. “Kiss Me, I’m Vulpes Vulpes” means red foxes, for instance. The “Linnaean Tees” collection includes a very wide list of species, and if your favorite isn’t there, the creator also offers to do custom one-offs. They’re all available as t-shirts or hoodies, in a wide variety of sizes and colors. You’ll find the collection at Red Bubble.

How to Train Your Live Dragon

Aug 15th, 2011
by rodney.
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Word has come out that a new stage show based on Dreamworks Animation’s award-winning How to Train Your Dragon film will be coming to Melbourne, Australia next March. The show features brand new characters, a brand new plot, and most interesting of all, full-sized free-walking audio-animatronic dragons. Here’s a quote from The Brisbane Times: “(There will be) at least 24 dragons for a show that will include acrobats and aerial artists, projections and flying creatures. The five-tier set will be backed by a 60-metre screen and the action will unfold on 1000 square metres of stage studded with projectors to provide an immersive experience”.  There’s already a YouTube video of a press presentation that was recently held to advertise the show. It shows one of the dragons (a Deadly Nadder, in this case) interacting with a human.

 

A Fur-Suit Movie from Europe

Jul 1st, 2011
by rodney.
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The European furry fans known as EZ_Wolf and Shay have produced what they claim to be the first full-length feature film starring fur-suit characters. Bitter Lake is more than 60 minutes in length, and it’s scheduled to premier at Eurofurence in August. The fantasy adventure was written and directed by Shay, with production design by EZ_Wolf and original music by Fox Amoore. The fur-suits were created by Clockwork Creature Studios. The film’s web site features character studies, the story background, creator information, and a trailer for the film.

 

Tom & Jerry Live on Stage

May 31st, 2011
by rodney.
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In Argentina (of all places!) the brand new stage musical Tom and Jerry Live recently premiered at the Teatro Lola Membrives in Buenos Aires. From there, the producers plan to take the show on tour through Chile and Peru for the rest of 2011. According to them, “Under the direction of Leandro Panetta, Tom, Jerry, Spike and the gang go on stage, recreating classic cartoons with songs, chases, jokes, games and stunts. Tom and Jerry travel from opera to medieval times, then run and chase from the living room into the garden. Actors, dancers, singers and acrobats on stage guide to the public in this magical world where Friendship is always the result of each and every encounter persecution.” Cartoon Brew says that the production is based on specific cartoon shorts, including The Two Mouseketeers, The Cat Above the Mouse Below and the Gene Kelly sequence from Anchors Aweigh.

 

image c. 2011 CartoonBrew.com

The 2010 Ursa Major Award Winners

May 17th, 2011
by rodney.
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The winners of the 2011 Ursa Major Awards — for the best in anthropomorphic media, as decided by the fans — were announced on Friday, May 13th at Morphicon in Columbus, Ohio.  From the Ursa Major Awards web site: “More formally known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Award, the Ursa Major Award is presented annually for excellence in the furry arts. It is intended as Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom’s equivalent of the Hugo Award ® presented by the World Science Fiction Society, mystery fandom’s Anthony Award, horror fandom’s Bram Stoker Award, and so forth. Anyone may nominate and vote for candidates for the Awards. These Awards are decided by the fans, not by a committee”. More than 1,300 fans from around the world took part in voting for their favorite furry and anthropomorphic media in ten categories. In reverse order, the winners for 2010 were:

 

Best Anthropomorphic Game: Disney Epic Mickey, Developed by Junction Point Studios.

 

Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration: The cover for Shadow of the Father (by Kyell Gold), illustrated by Sara Palmer.

 

Best Anthropomorphic Magazine: Heat #7

 

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip: Housepets! by Rick Griffin

 

Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story: Twokinds by Tom Fischbach

 

Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work: FurPiled #4 by Leo Magna

 

Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction: Bridges by Kyell Gold (released as a novella by FurPlanet Books).

 

Best Anthropomorphic Novel: Shadow of the Father by Kyell Gold, published by Sofawolf Press

 

Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work or Series: Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention, created by Aardman Animations.

 

Best Anthropomorphic Feature Film: How to Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, released by Dreamworks Animation.

 

Visit the Ursa Major Awards web site to find out more about the nominees in each category, and also how to participate in the awards yourself.

 

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