"Burning Safari" by Goeblins

Here is one short that had me laughing the whole way! The also included a few "making of" videos, as well. Very interesting to see how the shots were all put together.

Burning Safari from Florent de La Taille on Vimeo.

Making of Burning Safari from Florent de La Taille on Vimeo.

Making of Burning Safari, Florent de La Taille from Florent de La Taille on Vimeo.

Must See CG Shorts

In the recent issue of 3D World magazine, they have an article listing the 100 CG shorts you must see. Here are just a few from their list:

#91) "Pixels" (2010) by Patrick Jean


PIXELS by Patrick Jean from ONE MORE PRODUCTION on Vimeo.

#52) "Azureus Rising (2010) by David Weinstein ...and one of my personal favorites


AZUREUS RISING from David Weinstein on Vimeo.

#36) "Fallen Art" (2004) by Tomek Baginski


Fallen Art from short clips on Vimeo.
#24) "Alma" (2009) by Rodrigo Blaas - I heard recently that this short is being extended into a feature film project.


Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

#61) "Oktapodi" (2007) by Gobelins L'Ecole de L'Image - In one of my classes at Animation Mentor, we analyzed this film practically frame by frame. It was quite interesting to really study a film like that.


Oktapodi from oscardodo on Vimeo.

A Day in the Life at WDAS

This is the type of place I'd love to work at!

"Today's work day has been postponed on account of we have to shoot a music video. Everyone must attend."

YES!!!



I did recognize a couple of faces. The great Glen Keane was singing along and I think I saw a fellow graduate from Animation Mentor that I met at graduation.

Conan get Animated

On one of the latest Conan shows, Conan got animated. His show is recorded on the Warner Bros. lot so he decided to visit the Warner Bros. Animation building just a few feet away. He starts off by talking to Peter Girardi, Head of Warner Bros. Animation. They discuss actual not-so-popular DC heroes and villains.

Then around marker 4:50, he decides to get animated by an actual Warner Bros. animators. He sits down with none other than Bruce Timm. For those that don't recognize him, he is the creative talent behind some of the best WB animated TV series like "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Justice League".

Merry Christmas from Simon's Cat

Disney's "Prep & Landing - Operation: Secret Santa"

Last year's "Prep & Landing" short was an amazing success. It was Disney's first new holiday special in year. Then I heard there was a new Prep & Landing for 2010! Oh, the joy!! Then I finished reading the article that said it was NOT a full length special but a 7 minute short instead. Boo. Oh well, animated shorts are better than no animated shorts at all. Enjoy!

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" on DVD

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" was finally released on DVD this past Tuesday. It tells the story of the Disney Animation Studio from 1984 to 1994. It starts off with the entrance of Michael Eisner and Jeffery Katzenberg into the Disney studio and the coming of the second Renaissance of Disney animation. It is so interesting to hear the story behind the story. From the outside, everything seemed so great and amazing. This finally reveals all the hard work that turmoil that went on behind closed doors. The long hours the animators put in, the early Sunday morning meetings, the hirings and firings that happened in an instant.

The great thing for me is to hear from the people themselves their love for animation. These artist worked day in and day out to create something wonderful. Unfortunately, there was a price they were paying. Many of them had to put their families and lives outside of the studio on hold in order to keep working. But they managed to make it all work, and for that I thank you.

This film is very special to me because it was during this time that I discovered I wanted to be an animator. I followed Disney animation before this but not an intently as I do now. I remember hearing about the title change of "Basil of Bakerstreet" to "The Great Mouse Detective." I remember wanting to see "The Rescuers Down Under" in the theaters, but never did. Didn't see "The Black Cauldron" in theaters but did see "The Care Bear Movie" and "An American Tail." (Not proud to admit that). It wasn't until I saw "The Little Mermaid" on VHS. I may have heard of it but don't recall wanting to go see it in the theaters. I was at home with my parents and a couple of friends and we sat down and watched "The Little Mermaid." I just remember  after watching it that THIS is what I want to do. I was completely blown away by it all. The story was amazing, the songs were incredible, and the animation was out of this world. From then on I started buying any and every book I could find on animation. I bought an auction catalog from a comic book store that had reprints of original art work from "The Little Mermaid." I filled my sketchbook with drawings of Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian. I bought the Preston Blair books on animation and built my first drawing table. From there I started making my own animated test of simple walk and run cycles. Several flipbooks, animation tests and hundreds of "art of" books later, I still have the same passion and enthusiasm for animation as I did right after watching "The Little Mermaid."

"Rio" Trailer 2

The new trailer for Blue Sky's "Rio" has been released and it looks amazing.

"Meet Buck" by Team Cerf

Meet Buck from TeamCerf on Vimeo.

This is an animated short by Team Cerf. It has a very interesting design and look, almost like a moving oil painting.

"Buck is an ordinary guy. Well...if you except the "deer head" thing. And today, Buck is gonna spend this cool Sunday afternoon with his girlfriend who's so happy to see him (she's pretty much always happy). But when Buck find out that her father is not the sympathic and tolerant guy he excpected, the Sunday afternoon turns really bad."


Here is another short from the same team.



Salesman Pete from Salesman Pete on Vimeo.

"Arthur Christmas" from Aardman