The Minuscule series of animated shorts are fantastic. Not only are they very well-animated and combine live-action and CG animation seamlessly, but their plots are well-written and overall, they’re very funny. To me, they prove that animation can still be wonderful, not depressing and disgusting, like much of the so-called animation we see on TV these days, or for that matter, in recent years. Enjoy these fantastic cartoons, and spread the word!
Go see Happy Feet (2006). It’s a wonderful and entertaining movie. The animation’s great, the message is inspiring, and there isn’t one dull moment. C’mon, haven’t you ever wanted to see a penguin dance? It’s hilarious! I like the message of the movie as well: if we just do our best with what we have, we’ll get our point across and get what we need. It’s also nice that the movie touches upon environmental awareness. We humans are like pigs in the way we use the environment. Seldom do we stop to think about the consequences of our behavior on nature and other species. This movie serves as a clear reminder of that problem, and it’s a good message for the kids to hear. Robin Williams is great in his three, yes three roles as Ramon, Lovelace and Cletus. As an added bonus, the other cast voices are well known names as well: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving and, posthumously, Steve Irwin, the “crocodile hunter”.
A wonderful video from the late 1930s, a newsreel, has been posted to YouTube. It depicts Fleischer studios in action, making a Popeye cartoon. In this age of computer animation, when things work differently, it’s a real treat to see animators in action, drawing for a change. Golly, cartoons were sure hard to make! We, as spectators, can’t possibly imagine the incredible amount of work that goes on to produce a 7 or 8 minute cartoon, but this video does a pretty good job of setting us straight on that subject. This is why old cartoons are still relevant. The sheer amount of work it took to make them qualifies them as works of art. We should do our best to preserve them and share them with generations to come.
[via Cartoon Brew]
I recently found out about two videos, both found on YouTube. The first, called I Can Only Imagine – Mercy Me, is a wonderfully inspirational video showing the amazing willpower of two people, a father-son team, who compete in triathlons. The catch is that the son is completely disabled, and the father carries him all the way through each leg of the competitions.
The second is called Fast Film, and is a stop-motion animation mash-up made with paper cutouts and live action from past movies. Must see both!
Raoul Pop 