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The House of the Big Blue Bear

Hitting up the Los Angeles Comic Con recently, we stumbled across the Boffo the Bear Show — created by Mark DeCarlo, starring himself as the motion-capture blue ursine. We’ll let show producer Joe Kozdra describe it: “Boffo the Bear is a household name in the 21st Century after having a huge career in show business spanning a number of decades no one really knows for sure since he’s been in everything you can think of, knows anyone you can name, and knows the answer to everything …er, at least he thinks he does. After a life time being on camera, behind a microphone and signing autographs, Boffo has decided to settle down by taking complete control and starting his own talk show with celebrity interviews, game shows, and special segments that gives everyone something to enjoy”. Fun fact: Well-known voice actor Rob Paulsen is a frequent guest. Take a look at the blue bear’s YouTube channel.

image c. 2021 by Mark DeCarlo

The 2021 Annie Awards

The Annie Awards for 2020 were presented on April 15th — in an on-line virtual ceremony, of course. Presented each year by the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA), the Annie Awards are considered to be the Oscars of animation. Surprising no one, Disney/Pixar’s Soul was the big winner of the night, taking home seven Annies including Best Feature Film. (And hey, it’s got some anthro elements to it as well!). Wolfwalkers did quite well also, taking the award for Best Independent Feature back to Ireland, as well as honors for Production Design, Character Design, Directing, and Voice Acting (for Eva Whittaker as Mebh the wolf-girl). Cartoon Saloon, which created Wolfwalkers, also took home the award for Best Sponsored Production (eg “best commercial”) for their environmental PSA There’s A Monster In My Kitchen. Magic Light Pictures won the Best Special Production award for The Snail and the Whale. Over in the TV awards it was a good night for furry stuff, as Primal won for Best General Audience TV Series, Adventures of Paddington won for Best TV Production For Preschool, and Hilda won for Best TV Production For Children — as well as two other awards. Some single awards of note for furry fans include Looney Tunes for Best Storyboarding, Shooom’s Odyssey for Best TV Production Design, and Amphibia for Best TV Character Design.  All in all it was another good night for furries in the world of animation. Visit the Annie web site to see all the winners.

image c. 2021 Disney/Pixar

Be Part of a Furry Film

Hello everyone! Belated Happy Easter to you all, and we hope you’re staying healthy and safe. While we’re at it, we’ll send you to take a look at Previews’ special feature for today, Five Favorite Comic Book Bunnies.

And now for something completely different, we need to tell you about a current Kickstarter campaign. You’re probably aware (and if you’re not you should be!) of Tracy Butler’s award-winning graphic series Lackadaisy. Well now there’s a Kickstarter up to finance the very first Lackadaisy animated short film. The campaign has already surpassed its goal (by leaps and bounds!), but you can still get some cool tie-in products if you contribute. Hurry though! This is the final week before the campaign ends. Act meow!

image c. 2020 by Tracy Butler

Big Foot to the Fore

The back-up series from the well-known Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles comic has broken out on its own now. The Sasquatch Detective full-color one-shot was written by Brandee Stilwell with art by Ron Randall and Gus Vazquez. “Before Tonya Lightfoot became Los Angeles’ most decorated detective, she was a wee sasquatch roaming the Appalachian mountains, fed a steady diet of tennis and golf (as both of her parents are pros at the local country club) and CSI episodes. But her idyllic life of pranking campers and squatching around the local golf course hits a bump in the fire road when Bigfoot hunters come to the dense forest. Would Tonya back down in the face of adversity? Not yeti! But experiencing this abominable anti-sasquatch sentiment gives her the determination to leave her home behind-she heads to the dangers of the city. After all, it’s hard to fight un-conscious bias, but crime is something America’s sassiest sasquatch is ready to tackle.” The one-shot features the original Snagglepuss material plus a whole new story. Look for it on the shelves.

image c. 2019 DC Comics

Put A Pug In Your Life

And another studio making the rounds again. This time from France. We learned about TeamTO in 2014 thanks to their feature film Yellowbird. Now they’re back with a television and on-line project that’s getting a lot of press, called Take It Easy Mike. “Described by TeamTO as ‘Tom & Jerry meets silly pet videos’, it turns on Mike, a refined pug with boundless energy and sophisticated tastes who’s dead-set on seducing the neighbor’s lovely dog Cindy. But his best laid plans go awry – thanks to the inopportune appearances of a bunch of trouble-makers: Freddy and Mercury, raccoons; Fluffy the cutest kitten; and a turtle trio – all causing unforeseen twists and turns.” But that’s not the reason this no-dialogue project is turning heads. “…One of the show’s stars – and what really sets it apart and has certainly got TV networks and TeamTO excited – is its photo-realism, fruit of TeamTO’s decade-long push to improve the quality, costs and speed of its physical animation.” Could not find any footage on line though, so it seems as if we’ll have to wait ’till 2018 to see what it’s like.

Image c. 2017 TeamTO

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Saturday Morning on the Printed Page

Looks like we might have to wait a while for this one, but it might well be worth it. The Pink Panther Cartoon Hour Special is a one-shot full-color comic headed our way this June. Here’s what the publisher has to say: “Did you grow up watching The Pink Panther on Saturday morning cartoons?  We did!  This awesome new special brings back Pink and all his pals in brand new comics!  Welcome back the Texas Toads, Misterjaw & Catfish, The Ant and the Aardvark, and many more!  Now grab a bowl of cereal and rush to the comic shop to enjoy that nostalgic mix of hilarious hijinks again!” It’s brought to you by S.A. Check, Adrian Ropp, Bill Galvan, and the folks at American Mythology.

image c. 2017 American Mythology

In Between the Birdy Movies

In anticipation of the upcoming Rio 2 movie (coming to theaters this April), this month Papercutz Publishing begins a new series of Rio trade paperbacks, with Volume 1 filling in the gap between the first movie and this one. Rio: Snakes Alive is a 64-page full-color comic book written by Stefan Petrucha (Power Rangers) and illustrated by James Silvani (Darwing Duck). There’s a preview up at Bleeding Cool. “The first volume… catches up with Blu and Jewel, the last surviving Blue Spix Macaws, as they raise their kids in the Blu Bird Sanctuary near Rio de Janeiro. When the sanctuary is threatened by financial trouble, Blu and the gang embark on a quest deep into the jungle to find an ancient treasure that may save their home.”

image c. 2014 Papercutz

image c. 2014 Papercutz

Llama, Llama, Llama, No Duck

Somehow, another cultural meme has passed us by (we admit it), but evidently this is a Very Important Llama: “Polka Spot has traveled the world as a fashion model, pop superstar, movie star, magazine editor, diplomatic problem-solver, and general global icon. She goes where no llama has gone before. Her life in pictures is worth a million words. And every one is massively important.  In the rare moments that Polka Spot has any down time, she lives at home with Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, better known as The Beekman Boys, on their farm in Sharon Springs, NY. The Beekman Boys, who will be competing in the Amazing Race on CBS this season, wanted to feature their popular llama from their show that will start airing on the Cooking Channel later this month.  Bluewater Productions is giving this larger-than-life personality a brand new comic series titled Polka Spot: My Life in Pictures. The all-ages comic was co-written by Bluewater President Darren G. Davis, Michael Troy and the Beekman Boy himself, Brent Ridge. Polka Spot’s vibrant art was created by talented artist, Bernat.” Following all that?  We really didn’t either. But, you can find out more at 1st Comic News. Bluewater Productions will bring us Polka Spot #1 in full color this October.

image c. 2012 Bluewater Productions

Goodbye Gobo

Muppet fans around the world were recently saddened by another loss: Jerry Nelson, who had one of the longest careers of anyone in the world of Jim Henson’s Muppets, passed away on Thursday the 23rd at the age of 78. He was best known by legions of children around the world — including many who are now adults — as the voice and puppeteer of Count von Count, the beloved Sesame Street character who loved to count things as much as he loved to laugh maniacally. He was also the voice of the seldom-seen mammoth-like Mr. Snuffleupagus, Herry Monster, and Robin — Kermit the Frog’s young nephew.  More recently he was the voice and hands behind Floyd Pepper, bass player for The Electric Mayhem on The Muppet Show and subsequent movies. And after that, he brought to life Gobo Fraggle, the leader of the band of colorful characters on Fraggle Rock. So far, there’s no word on how Mr. Nelson’s passing might affect any plans that Jim Henson Productions (or their current owner, the Walt Disney Company) might have for a Fraggle Rock movie. As for Mr. Nelson… as Floyd Pepper might say, Rest in Peace my man.

image c. 2012 Jim Henson Productions