Friday, November 24, 2017

Monday, November 20, 2017

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

I've been a terrible mother



The cat's cat is losing his kitten teeth and I have not been teaching anyone proper oral hygiene. I feel awful.

Monday, November 06, 2017

ANIMATION B.C. (Before Cuphead): A look at retro 30's-ish animation

While probably a pointless article to bring to the masses via this blog, I felt given the success of a certain video game which cribs its makeup from a medium so dear to my heart, I felt it was only necessary to highlight noted attempts at replicating animation's early Golden Age of the black & white and the emerging color era, the 1930's.

The first on the chopping block is an underground effort from director Whitney Lee Savage (father of Adam "Mythbusters" Savage) and designer Milton Glaser, calling attention to what we already knew of a losing battle...


We forward a couple years and sample an ad touting a soft drink, using nostalgic, rubber-hosed characters and a familiar tune with re-written lyrics.  It can only inspire thirst for the Uncola!  You can thank Yellow Submarine for having opened those floodgates to this look!


Inspiration for a simplier time can also be had in Sally Cruikshank's "Quasi and The Quackadero" from 1975...


Though I question why I bring this in here, I'm reminded of a moment in the 1984 feature "Johnny Dangerously", where a film reminding of the dangers of pre-marital sex is bluntly explained.  The animation comes around the 45 second mark (as brief as it is, I loved it)!


Forwarding another 15 years, we come to this clever music video for the Squirrel Nut Zippers, with keen attention to the proper Fleischer bounce in every frame!  Think of this as a nice stepping stone of what may follow!


Probably not very memorable, this video for Wilco, featuring some of the clunkiest animation that makes one wish its source material deserved better!


At the height of the Presidental electrion of 2008, comes this plea for change, "Brother, Can You Spare A Job?"


From 2011, comes this public service announcement in which a frisky feline reminds us how life isn't like it is in cartoons!


Possibly the most anticipated work of all time was 2013's filler to Disney's Frozen, "Get A Horse!", with its pulse on the modern era as traditional and CG animation clash to produce a unique blend of whimsy and fun!


And lastly, a little number based on JAY-Z's latest album!


In closing this article, let me leave you with something we could've had, but they always take it away from us.  :-(

Thursday, November 02, 2017