Bad Girls ~ Disney Ladies

Disney Ladies are bad



- TAE

Happy Scooter

Happy scooter

Yeah. Grickle does it again. This one is weird.



- TAE

Comment of the Week - clockworkmeltdown

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
-----------------------------
clockworkmeltdown (On Ed Price - Tax Laugh)

ha ha...i cant stop laughin...5 stars and a vote from me!!
rock on-space
-----------------------------

Disneyland - the CA theme parks make more money the closer they are to it

Based on older stats from before 2K, the CA theme parks make the most money directly corresponding to how close they are to Disneyland:



1 - Disneyland
2 - Knott’s Berry Farm
3 - Universal Studios Hollywood
4 - Six Flags Magic Mountain
5 - Sea World


DCA opened in 2001. My guess is that DCA is the new #2:



1 - Disneyland Park
2 - Disney California Adventure
3 - Knott’s Berry Farm
4 - Universal Studios Hollywood
5 - Six Flags Magic Mountain
6 - Sea World



- TAE

Space Wolf

"Deep in the deepest parts of the galaxies there are mysteries lurking. Around the next corner or planet, who knows? You could come face to face with a Space Wolf!"

Grickle knocks another one out of the park!



- TAE

Day off.

"Everyone needs a little time to themselves. A day off, to recuperate and reflect."



- TAE

The History of Animation 9 - Winsor McCay: The Centaurs (1921)

From:
http://www.centaur.org/mccay/

"Winsor McCay, sometimes called "America's Greatest Cartoonest", was a pioneer in animation in first part of the 20th century. Back when Movies were still new, McCay was doing true "Motion Pictures." He was most famous for one of the first animations seen by the public Gertie the Dinosaur and for the cartoon strip Little Nemo in Sumberland.

"The Centaurs is fragments from the animated film that most likely was never seen in public. It was made around 1918-21 which is 20 years before Fantasia (1940), the most famous Centaur animation sequence."




"This is only fragments of the original because most of the footage is lost forever due to nitrate deterioration in a Long Island gararge. Upon opening the cans of 35mm film, most of what was found was powder. What little survived is still a wonder.
The Centaurs was originally a was full motion animationed 35mm film, displayed at 18-20 fps."

----------------------------------------

This is our last blog on Winsor McCay.

Filmography
- Little Nemo (1911)
- Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist... (1911)
- How a Mosquito Operates (1912)
- Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
- The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918)
- The Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1921)
- Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Pet (1921)
- Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Flying House (1921)
- Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: Bug Vaudeville (1921)
- Gertie on Tour (1921)
- Flip's Circus (1921)
- The Centaurs (1921)
- The Midsummer's Nightmare (1922)

Winsor met a tragic end, where his newspaper editors squeezed him and controlled him. As a result, he had to stop doing cartoons in 1922, and the next 13 years of his life were devoted to illustration, comics, and retirement.

Winsor was an animation enthusiast. He loved to draw. However, he lacked the business background that put Pat Sullivan (Felix the Cat), Walt Disney (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit), and Max Fleischer (Koko and Betty Boop) on top. He could have taken Nemo and Gertie into mass production, but he decided to do his work himself and felt like more of an artist and a performer than business man.

- TAE

Death Defying

"It's that "never say die" attitude, so popular among the youth of today."

Another hit from Grickle.



- TAE

Disneyland anticipated the popularity of the Disney Princesses

Disneyland anticipated the popularity of the Disney Princesses.



That’s why they turned their Fantasyland Theater into the Princess Fair. You can spend half the day there with coloring activities, making crowns, waiting in line to get to the Princess Garden (where three Disney Princesses are ready to give your child personal attention), a story time where a princess reads a story (she sits on the throne down in the castle area), and a show where they teach your children how to have royal manners, single dance, and then do a may-pole dance. Three princesses are in that performance.



So if you wanted to personally visit all the princesses, you could literally stay there the whole day. They’ll have Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan, (and maybe Pocahontas?).



Plus they make good business out of it too, with an entire wing dedicated to merchandise, princess garb, swords, shields, and getting your daughter made up, haired up, and dressed up like a princess (all of this stuff costs). Plus there’s food and bathrooms.



They should expand this concept into an entire park. The big thing missing here is that it’s no good for boys. They tried to include boys by putting men in the show, giving directions specifically just to the boy (to bow and stuff), and selling swords/shields, but they really failed in this area. None of the princes are there, and if they wanted to really attract boys, they would concentrate more on the “Disney heroes” as well as the princesses.




Side note: they made Tom Sawyer’s Island into Pirate’s Lair (home of Jack Sparrow) and do a Jedi training (with Darth Vader and Darth Maul). So that’s where most of the boys are at. =^)






- TAE

The Last Duet on Earth

Grickle knocks another one out of the park. The trick is to wade through the build up to get to the story. This is great! It should be played before movies.

"In the future, music will be the only thing that matters anymore."



- TAE

Comment of the Week - distorteddogmac

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
-----------------------------
distorteddogma (On Ed Price - Tax Laugh)

Ed's beard (sporting one myself)
Be Well.
-----------------------------

Yes Or No

Yes, Japanese grunts are hard to understand. =^)

This one is from Erik. It gets funny again at the end.



- TAE

Chimpy Chimp

This was made by Erik to look like the old 20's cartoons. However, it's done in Flash. =^)



- TAE

Question: What font are you using for the WWW subtitles?

Question for the Emperor: What font are you using at the beginning of the Who Would Win videos (episodes 7-9) for the subtitle text that says who is fighting?



That's the "Cracked" font.

- The Emperor

Zelda: Heart for the Hero

Yes. Link has been silent for way too long.



- TAE

The Legend of Zelda - a Wii Adventure

Wow. Somebody made a 3D Zelda parody cartoon about the Wii controller. And it's good.



- TAE

The best time to go on the new Finding Nemo Submarine ride at Disneyland

When is the best time to go on the new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland?



Friday is better than a Saturday, but not very good. Thursdays or Wednesdays are usually pretty good.

My recommendation would be for you to be at the gates when they open and rush to the ride (or to go during Fantasmic). It’s not a Fast Pass ride, because the lines will diminish probably end of this year (or by next year).



We got a 45 minute wait for Finding Nemo on a Thursday the week after New Years (one of the deadest times of the year) when everything else we went on was 5-10 minutes. So by what I hear, we cut the line time down by more than half of what most people are experiencing.

I think the only way you’ll get 30 minutes or less on a Friday is in the first ten minutes of park opening or during Fantasmic.

Basically, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is like the Fantasyland rides (Snow White, Pinnochio, etc.) only in small tight spaces and with their latest video projection technology (very little animatronics in this one). Definitely worth a ride for the Submarine atmosphere, the visuals, and a few gags.


So I’d save Finding Nemo for first or last.

- TAE

The History of Animation 8 - Winsor McCay: Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend (1921)

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_of_a_Rarebit_Fiend

"Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend was a newspaper comic strip written and drawn by Winsor McCay beginning in 1904. It was McCay's second successful newspaper strip, after Little Sammy Sneeze secured him a position on the cartoon staff of the New York Herald newspaper. Rarebit Fiend was published in the Evening Telegram newspaper, which was published by the Herald at the time. The editor of the Herald required McCay to use a pseudonym for his work in the Telegram to keep it separate from his Herald strips, so McCay signed all of his Rarebit strips as "Silas", borrowing the name of a neighborhood garbage cart driver."



"McCay intended his Rarebit Fiend strip to be an amusing morality play, meant to comment on the dangers of overindulgence.[citation needed] It focuses on various people who have a passion for various foods - often, but not always, Welsh rarebit. Each strip features a different protagonist known as a Rarebit Fiend (who is rarely named in the comic strip, and who changes from strip to strip) in the course of strange dreams and nightmares. Upon awakening, the protagonist blames his dreams on eating the rarebit, or whatever other food he ate, thus exacting the price for their folly."



"McCay's famous character Little Nemo — who later had his own strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland — first appeared in Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend within the first year of its existence. Unlike Rarebit Fiend, which was intentionally created for an adult reading audience, Little Nemo was intended for children. McCay went on to write and draw Little Nemo for the New York Herald."

"McCay produced four hand-drawn animated movies based upon his Rarebit Fiend, all within the same year (1921):
- The Dream of a Rarebit Fiend
- Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Pet
- Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Flying House
- Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: Bug Vaudeville"


Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend - Bug Vaudeville:




Trivia:
"Film pioneer Edwin S. Porter had earlier produced a movie version of Dream of the Rarebit Fiend in 1906, though this is not considered to be a true "animated film" but rather an early exercise in trick photography."


Here is the 1906 Dream of the Rarebit Fiend:




From the description:
"May Thomas Edison, Edwin S. Porter, Carl Stalling and Raymond Scott forgive me for this act of irreverent impudence. I was puttering around in my film restoration lab late one night when I tripped and dropped this film in a vat of Warner Brothers cartoon music. Sometimes, film restoration work isn't pretty! This film was originally made in 1906, based on Winsor McCay's comic strip of the same name. It was Edison's blockbuster of the year."

Adam- Aardman creations

"from the creators of wallace and gromit, chicken run and so many others, BRINGS YOU ADAM a spoof of the creation of life"

Adam was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated short in 1991. It was directed by Peter Lord, the co-founder of Aardman Animations. He's produced most every Aardman animation:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0520485/maindetails



- TAE

Highest Grossing 3D animated movies of all time

So this is not taking into account inflation (that’s another thought altogether, and should probably include the older 2D films).

Blue – DreamWorks
Red – Pixar/Disney
Black – Warner Bros.
Green - Fox

Worldwide (In order of how successful in combined foreign and domestic)

(1) Shrek 2 - $919 M worldwide, $441 M US

(2) Finding Nemo - $865 M worldwide, $340 M US

(3) Shrek 3 - $798 M worldwide, $323 M US

(4) Ice Age 2 - $652 M worldwide, $195 M US

(5) The Incredibles - $631 M worldwide, $261 M US

(6) Ratatouille - $620 M worldwide, $206 M US

(7) Madagascar - $533 M worldwide, $194 M US

(8) Monsters, Inc. - $525 M worldwide, $256 M US

(9) Toy Story 2 - $485 M worldwide, $246 M US

(10) Shrek - $484 M worldwide, $268 M US

(11) Cars - $461 M worldwide, $244 M US

(12) Happy Feet - $384 M worldwide, $198 M US

(13) Ice Age - $383 M worldwide, $176 M US

(14) Shark Tale - $367 M worldwide, $161 M US

(15) Bug’s Life - $363 M worldwide, $163 M US

(16) Toy Story - $362 M worldwide, $192 M US

(17) Dinosaur - $350 M worldwide, $137 M US

(18) Over the Hedge - $335 M worldwide, $155 M US

(19) Chicken Little - $314 M worldwide, $135 M US

(20) Polar Express - $303 M worldwide, $179 M US



Domestic (In order of how successful in just the US)

(1) Shrek 2 - $919 M worldwide, $441 M US

(2) Finding Nemo - $865 M worldwide, $340 M US

(3) Shrek 3 - $798 M worldwide, $323 M US

(4) Shrek - $484 M worldwide, $268 M US

(5) The Incredibles - $631 M worldwide, $261 M US

(6) Monsters, Inc. - $525 M worldwide, $256 M US

(7) Toy Story 2 - $485 M worldwide, $246 M US

(8) Cars - $461 M worldwide, $244 M US

(9) Ratatouille - $620 M worldwide, $206 M US

(10) Happy Feet - $384 M worldwide, $198 M US

(11) Ice Age 2 - $652 M worldwide, $195 M US

(12) Madagascar - $533M worldwide, $194 M US

(13) Toy Story - $362 M worldwide, $192 M US

(14) Polar Express - $303 M worldwide, $179 M US

(15) Ice Age - $383 M worldwide, $176 M US

(16) Bug’s Life - $363 M worldwide, $163 M US

(17) Shark Tale - $367 M worldwide, $161 M US

(18) Over the Hedge - $335 M worldwide, $155 M US

(19) Dinosaur - $350 M worldwide, $137 M US

(20) Chicken Little - $314 M worldwide, $135 M US



Of the top 20 3D animated films:

Disney/Pixar – 10
DreamWorks – 6
Fox – 2
Warner Bros. – 2


Total 3D animated films:

Disney/Pixar – 13
· Also: Meet the Robinsons, The Wild, Valiant
DreamWorks – 9
· Also: Bee Movie, Antz, Flushed Away
Fox Films – 4
· Also: Robots, Everyone’s Hero
Warner Bros. – 4
· Also: TMNT, The Ant Bully
Sony – 4
· Open Season, Monster House, Surf’s Up, Final Fantasy
Paramount – 3
· Beowulf, Jimmy Neutron, Barnyard
Weinstein – 3
· Hoodwinked, Doogal, Arthur and the Invisibles
Artisan – 1
· Jonah
Lions Gate – 1
· Happily Never After
Universal – 1
· Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything
Rocky Mountain – 1
· Ten Commandments (2007)
IDP – 1
· Kaena

That's all.

- TAE

Comment of the Week - mommasoto

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
-----------------------------
mommasoto (On Ed Price - Tax Laugh)

Hilarious! Very well done and funny! Definitely worthy of winning! Best one! Good luck!
-----------------------------

Princess and the Frog: First Shot

Princess and the Frog – First Shot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_and_the_Frog



"The Princess and the Frog is an upcoming animated feature film currently being produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It will be the first traditionally animated (2-D) feature film in Disney's animated features canon since 2004's Home on the Range. It is being directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, with songs and score composed by Randy Newman. Anika Noni Rose is providing the lead character, Tiana.

"The film, which began production under the working title The Frog Princess, will be an American fairy tale musical set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age, and Tiana will be the first black Disney Princess."

Gertie's Return : Lego Stop Motion

"My first attempt at stop motion. A bit of a tribute to Winsor McCay's Little Nemo and Gertie. Hope you enjoy.
Created using a nikon d200, adobe photoshop and adobe after affects."



- TAE

Question: Where did you go to school, and what do you recommend?

Question for the Emperor: Where did you go to school, and what do you recommend?

-----------------------------

Yup. So, there were lots of animators on FVB, and we all graduated from DigiPen or Art Institute of Seattle. Most are now working for vg companies.

So, I don't recommend an art institute or JC. Some universities are good, and there are colleges that specialize in just 3D animation, like DigiPen in WA (geared more for games) and Ringling in FL (geared more for animated films). There's also a good online school, Animation Guru (not certified yet, but soon).

What animation comes down to is... what can you do? The portfolio speaks much louder than the degree.

That's why we offer an internship program. It's unpaid and work from home, but if you do the work, you'll actually learn faster than if you paid someone at a college.

So if you're interested, let me know, and we'll hook you up.

Thanks!

- The Emperor

Valentine Cartoon 14: My Funny Valentine - Rabbit's Heart

"A little Valentines Day e-card from me to you(tube.) The song is Elvis Costello's version of "My Funny Valentine.""

WARNING: Cartoon violence



- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 13: A Valentine Cartoon for Nat

"A Valentine's video for my girlfriend. I hope you enjoy it, chérie!"




- TAE

Bunny (Academy Award Winning Animated Short)

It was created by Blue Sky, the people who made, "Ice Age."

A neat little animated short about a bunny and a moth... music by Tom Waits.

This was an Academy Award winning short. Directed by Chris Wedge.



- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 12: Disney's dogs and cats (Pluto and Goofy) - Wake me up before you go-go

Features:

- Pluto
- Goofy
- Fox and the Hound
- Figaro (Pinocchio)
- 101 Dalmations
- Lady and the Tramp
- Oliver and Company
- Mice and Lucifer (Cinderella)
- Aristocats
- Pete
- Tigger
- Mr. Toad's crew

Comment of the Week - vlogolution

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
-----------------------------
vlogolution (On Ed Price - Tax Laugh)

good job!! :) we gave you a thumbs up!

ugh....taxes.....uh-oh....i just puked in my mouth a little bit....damn irs.
-----------------------------




- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 11: Walt Disney - Donald's Valentine Dollar (1999)

1999? Must be from the MouseWorks TV show.



- TAE

Rammstein - Ich Will (Disney's Winnie the Pooh version)

I believe this is Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh Puffalump movie.

Someone edited Winnie the Pooh Bear into this classic techno song.

The History of Animation 7 - Pat Sullivan: Charlie Chaplin, Master Tom, & Felix the Cat (1914-1919)

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Sullivan_%28film_producer%29

"Felix was the most popular cartoon character in theatres until 1930, when Sullivan's distributors cancelled his contract because of his refusal to move towards sound films."

Feline Follies (1919):


Yes, Master Tom kills himself at the end!

The following information is from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_the_cat

"On November 9, 1919, Master Tom, a character resembling Felix, debuted in a Paramount Pictures short entitled Feline Follies. Produced by the New York City-based animation studio owned by Pat Sullivan, the cartoon was directed by cartoonist and animator Otto Messmer. It was a success, and the Sullivan studio quickly set to work on producing another film featuring Master Tom, The Musical Mews (released November 16, 1919). It too proved to be successful with audiences. Paramount producer John King suggested that the cat ought to be renamed to "Felix", after the Latin words felis (cat) and felix (luck), which was used for the third film, The Adventures of Felix (released on December 14, 1919)."

"This is newfound footage of a 1914 Chaplin cartoon by Pat Sullivan, creator of Felix The Cat."

Charlie Chaplin at the Beach (1914):


Charlie At the Circus (1918):



-------------------------

IN COMPARISON TO DISNEY:

The producer suggested "Felix" from "feline" and the Latin for "luck." Essentially this was "Feline, the Lucky Cat," which is a similar name and concept to Disney's "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" almost 10 years later. Disney couldn't get Oswald up to snuff to compete with Felix, but Mickey Mouse's second cartoon did the trick when Disney pioneered sound and "musical animation."

Sullivan was already having some limited success before this with his Charlie Chaplin cartoons. He'd also been trying a bunch of other cartoons that weren't catching on enough to continue the characters.

The truth is that Pat Sullivan was successful, and Felix was a side project he had his animator, Otto Mesmer do, in 1919 (it got Sullivan much more successful). Mesmer based Felix on the Charlie Chaplin cartoons they were already doing (He was the animator on those as well). In fact, Felix met Charlie in a 1923 Felix cartoon, Felix in Hollywood.

Sullivan released many films before 1919, including his Charlie Chaplin cartoons...

- Over the Rhine with Charlie (1918) (producer) [Director]
- How Charlie Captured the Kaiser (1918) (producer) [Director]
- Colonel Pepper's Mobilized Farm (1917) (producer)
- Doing His Bit (1917/II) (producer)
- A Barnyard Hamlet (1917) (producer)
- A Good Liar (1917) (producer)
- Hammon Egg's Reminiscences (1917) (producer)
- Box Car Bill Falls in Luck (1917) (producer) [Director]
- Monkey Love (1917) (producer)
- Seven Cutey Pups (1917) (producer)
- Duke Dolittle's Jungle Fizzle (1917) (producer)
- Young Nick Carter Detectiff (1917) (producer)
- A Pesky Pup (1917) (producer)
- Cupid Gets Some New Dope (1917) (producer) [Director]
- Them Were the Happy Days (1917) (producer)
- Twenty Thousand Laughs Under the Sea (1917) (producer) [Director]
- A Barnyard Nightmare (1917) (producer) [Director]
- Boomer Bill Goes to Sea (1917) (producer) [Director]
- A Good Story About a Bad Egg (1917) (producer) [Director]
- Inbad the Sailor (1917) (producer) [Director]
- The Love Affair of Ima Knut (1917) (producer)
- The Tail of Thomas Kat (1917) (producer) [Director]
- A Day in the Life of a Dog (1917) (producer)
- Fearless Freddie in the Woolly West (1917) (producer) [Director]
- Boomer Bill's Awakening (1917) (producer) [Director]
- The Trials of Willie Winks (1917) (producer) [Director]
- Sammie Johnsin Slumbers Not (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin and His Wonderful Lamp (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- The Trials of a Movie Cartoonist (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin's Love Affair (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin at the Seaside (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin Minds the Baby (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin in Mexico (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin Gets a Job (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin Magician (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin Strong Man (1916) [Director] [Writer]
- Sammie Johnsin Hunter (1916) [Director] [Writer]

Sullivan stopped all other cartoons in 1919. By the time that Master Tom got his name changed to Felix, all Sullivan's studio did was Felix cartoons.

Pat Sullivan was the Disney of the 1920s. Walt Disney lost Oswald because he asked for $2,500 (which would be worth $29,422 in 2006) instead of $2,000 (worth $23,537 in 2006). (Mintz countered by telling him to take less money, and had hired his animators from under him. Disney didn't let himself get squeezed. He finished his Oswald contract while getting his other animators started on Mickey Mouse.) Pat was making Felix cartoons for $12,000 during this time (which would be worth $141,226 in 2006).

We used the Purchasing Power aggregator to find out what money was worth:
http://www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/

However, Disney soon overtook Sullivan. Sullivan was too slow to embrace sound and color, while Disney pioneered them and capitalized on them.

- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 10: Kim Possible's Monique & Wade - My Funny Valentine

"After watching the Kim Possible episode 'Cupid Effect', I just HAD to do a video for it. So... here is the product of my excitement over the Wade & Monique couple."

Song: My Funny Valentine
Sung By: Chaka Khan



- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 9: Who Killed Cock Robin? (Disney 1935)

Cupid did. Cupid shot Cock Robin. 07:26

This is a Disney Silly Symphony from 1935.

"Robin is crooning to a Mae West-like Jenny Wren when he is shot with an arrow. A court is convened; a variety of jailbirds are brought to the witness stand, but nobody knows a thing. The judge owl repeatedly sings/asks "Who killed Cock Robin. Jenny comes to court, and just as the judge is ready to give up all the witnesses, Cupid shoots an arrow and confesses to shooting, but not killing, Robin,at which point Jenny revives him."




The judge is an owl. Classic.

04:50 - Harpo Marx charicature!!! Awesome! It would be like Disney tossing in a Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler charicature into one of its shorts today.

The style still has Disney's touch from the late 1920s.

- TAE

Comment of the Week - SamusFreek1

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
-----------------------------
SamusFreek1 (On Ed Price - Tax Laugh)

5/5!! Roflolmao!!!! Awesome!! "In Mime, of course". Flaming Grade-A!
-----------------------------




- TAE

The History of Animation 6 - Max Fleischer: Out of the Inkwell, Koko the Clown (1915,1919-1921)

Update: We found more information about Koko that we wanted to include. See the "NEW SECTION" below. We also added many more images, including this first picture. Originally posted on 2/4/08. Reposted on 2/12/08.
------------------------------------

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Inkwell

"Out of the Inkwell was the title of a short experimental film that Max Fleischer independently produced in about 1915-1916 to demonstrate his invention of the rotoscope as a means for achieving realistic movement by animated characters. His younger brother Dave Fleischer dressed in a clown costume to provide the model for an animated clown."


Koko the Clown - The Cartoon Factory:


"Out of the Inkwell was also the title of a series of 13 silent animated short films produced by Max Fleischer for the Bray Studio between 1919 and 1921. They featured The Clown (later known as Koko the Clown) and a little dog named Fitz (later known as Bimbo), and were notable for their use of combined live action and animation."


Koko the Clown - The Cure:


From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_the_Clown

"Koko the Clown is an animated character created by animation pioneer Max Fleischer. It is disputed whether the character's name is spelled "Koko" or "Ko-Ko" as it varies between films."



"Koko was created when Max Fleischer invented the rotoscope, a device that allowed for animation to be more lifelike, by tracing human movement. To test out his new invention Fleischer photographed his brother, Dave in a clown suit. After tracing and animating the footage, Koko the Clown was born. Using this device, the Fleischer brothers were able to secure a contract with the John R. Bray Studios in 1919 to produce their own series called Out of the Inkwell. Aside from the use of the rotoscope, the new series also offered a combination of live-action and animation. The films usually were centered on Max Fleischer as the creative cartoonist who would always have to keep Koko in check. Koko would often slip from Max's eye and end up either going on an adventure of some sort or pulling a prank on his human superior. The series became very successful and in 1921, Fleischer Studios was born."


Koko the Clown - Modeling:


"A colorized Koko appeared in Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

------------------------
NEW SECTION:

"Koko the Clown came along after Winsor McCay had proved, with Gertie the Dinosaur, that animation had artistic and commercial possibilities — but before Otto Messmer's Felix the Cat proved it was capable of fielding a breakout hit.

"J.R. Bray's Paramount Pictograph film magazine was a pioneer in the animation business. It was delivering cartoons to theatres on a dependable basis within a couple of years of Gertie's debut. Many of animation's early moguls got their start at Bray — men like Paul Terry and Walter Lantz. Max Fleischer was among Bray's most illustrious graduates, contributing an innovative little series called "Out of the Inkwell". Koko (sometimes spelled "Ko-Ko") was its star, debuting in a one-minute 1916 outing called, simply enough, Out of the Inkwell.

"Koko was the first toon to be rotoscoped, with Max's brother, Dave, acting out the Clown's part for animators to trace. The character wasn't rotoscoped all the time, however, as the process proved not quite the labor saver Max, who invented it, had hoped it would be.

"Koko was also the first to mingle on-screen with the real world — starting with his emergence, at the start of each cartoon, from a photo of an actual inkwell. The Disney outfit made quite a name for itself doing the same sort of thing, from the clever experiments of the early 1920s "Alice" comedies to the incredible sophistication of Roger Rabbit — but it was Koko who did it first.

"When the Fleischers moved out of Bray and formed their own studio, Koko remained their star. In fact, he continued to star in new cartoons for the remainder of the silent era. Even when sound came along, and the same studio's Betty Boop eclipsed him in fame, he continued to appear frequently as one of Betty's supporting characters. He was used less frequently in that role as the 1930s wore on, tho, and by the middle of the decade he was practically gone. But not quite — he managed to stagger to the screen as late as 1949, in the Famous Studios Screen Song Toys Will Be Toys, in which a doll in his image (as well as one of Popeye) came to life.

"Possibly Koko's best-known role was as back-up to Betty Boop in Snow White, which came out March 31, 1933 (more than four years before the Disney version). In it, the Clown lip-synchs to Cab Calloway's "Saint James Infirmary", while morphing into various objects mentioned in the song. Since Koko was mostly a silent star, it's one of the few classic-era cartoons in which he had any voice at all.



"Koko got a new lease on life in 1955, when Paramount Pictures, which by then owned the old Fleischer Studio's assets, sold his cartoons to television. The silent ones were of little use in that venue, but his 1930s appearances with La Boop were quite viable — at least, as long as black and white cartoons were broadcastable, after which he faded into limbo again.

"Koko's last gasp came in TV's 1961-62 season, when a new series of "Out of the Inkwell" cartoons was made for syndication. In this one, character actor Larry Storch, whose animation credits include a couple of minor Looney Tunes characters of the 1960s such as Cool Cat and Merlin the Magic Mouse, provided the Clown's voice — and those of most other characters. Koko had a female counterpart, Kokette, and a dog, Kokonut. Max Fleischer, still alive and pushing 80, was said to be displeased with the quality of its animation. Today, it is mercifully forgotten.

"Koko's old films, however, remain — dated, seldom seen, and compared to modern technology, more than a little primitive. But they can still be found in video bargain bins and out-of-the-way cable stations, and are still cherished by those who love creativity in cartoons."

From:
http://www.toonopedia.com/koko.htm

For even more info, Finding Ko-Ko:
http://www.inkwellimagesink.com/pages/articles/findingKoKo.shtml

------------------------

Koko is to Max Fleischer as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is to Walt Disney. Check out Who Framed Roger Rabbit to spot the colorized Koko!

Out of Koko's cartoon, the dog Fitz was born. Fitz evolved into Bimbo, who later got his own series. Bimbo's girlfriend was created. Her name was Betty Boop. She eventually got her own series. She became as popular as Mickey Mouse and gave him a run for his money. Fleischer also started doing licensed animations with popular characters from comics: Superman and Popeye. Fleischer was making feature length animations about Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin, and he did the Snow White version of Betty Boop. He could have given Disney a run for his money, but he lost it all due to torn relationships (specifically with his brother; Walt and Roy’s business benefited from their relationship) and bad business decisions, the same ingredients that stopped Windsor McCay.


- TAE

The various stages in making the Pixar short, Geri's Game

Take a look at this image:



1. It all starts with character designs.

2. The storyboard phase happens, where they draw out the framing of each shot.

3. This is turned into the animatic, where they time out each shot.

4. While that's going on, they begin sculpting the head in clay.

5. The head is then scanned into the computer for the model.

6. The model is created in 3D.

7. The model is textured (colors, texture, bumpiness, etc.).

8. The model is rigged (bones are put into it).

9. While all that is going on, the set is also being modeled and textured.

10. The animation tests begin (showing him without the jacket and without the body).

11. Effects like the cloth are added.

12. Final lighting.


We're adding this to animation tips just as a general tip of how to go about animating a larger production. For example, you may be tempted to skip the storyboard. I wouldn't do that if you're telling a story.


- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 8: Disney Ladies feat Anastasia (Rescue Me)

This is the oldies version of "Rescue Me"

- TAE

Question: What software do you use to edit and work in?

Question for the Emperor: What software do you use to edit and work in?

-----------------------

We usually go a little big on the resolution... 640 x 480. We use Premiere and sometimes Final Cut (depends on who is doing the editing).

We then run it through Windows Movie Maker on the PC to get the file size down. That's the secret. You can get a 120 meg file down to 35 megs or so using WMM. If you've got a Mac, iMovie works, but the results aren't quite as amazing.

Who Would Win 7; edited in Final Cut:


Also, I'd say use a good cam, but if you're mostly editing, not shooting, then that doesn't matter. We use Premiere (PC) and Final Cut (Mac). After Effects has better tools than Premiere, but it takes longer to learn, and you can do all the same stuff with Premiere (just usually not as quickly and easily).

Hope this helps. If not, ask more questions! =^)

Email Commercial; edited in Movie Maker:


We do use Photoshop and Premiere together... depends on what you're doing. No need to use Photoshop if you aren't animating or doing still images.

We export from the editing software at 640x480 and use a Microsoft compressor (out of Premiere).

Then into WMM. We "Save to the computer" and do just use the "highest quality" first option. We only lower the quality for videos we attach in emails. We haven't tried NTSC, because we don't think it will make the quality better.

Making of the MGM Logo; made with Anim8or and edited in Movie Maker:


Anim8or is good for easy to use 3D software. You should only use if if you want to create a basic 3D model or animation. It can't do the really cool stuff, but it's free and easy to use. For the cool stuff, you'll want to learn Blender, which is free and hard to learn, but it can do anything. Go to www.Blender.org for that.

- The Emperor

Valentine Cartoon 7: Disney Ladies - S.O.S (Rescue Me)

Movies:
Aladdin
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Little Mermaid
Pocahontas
Anastasia (20th Century Fox)
Hercules
Tarzan


Music:
S.O.S (Rescue Me) by Rihanna

Lyrics:
Lalala lalala la la lala la Ohhh
You know... I've never felt like this before
Lalala lalala la la lala la Ohhh
This feeling's like.. so real

I'm obsessive when just one thought of you comes up
and I'm aggressive just one thought of closing up
You got me stressing, incessantly pressing the issue
'Cause every moment gone you know I miss you
I'm the question and you're of course the answer
Just hold me close boy 'cause I'm your tiny dancer
You make me shaken.... I'm, never mistaken
But I can't control myself, got me calling out for help

S.O.S. please someone help me.
It's not healthy... for me to feel this
Y.O.U. are making this hard,
I can't take it, see it don't feel right
S.O.S. please someone help me
It's not healthy... for me to feel this
Y.O.U. are making this hard
You got me tossin' and turnin' and can't sleep at night

This time please someone come and rescue me
'Cause you on my mind it's got me losing it
I'm lost, you got me lookin' for the rest of me
Love is testing me but still I'm losing it
This time please someone come and rescue me
'Cause you on my mind, it's got me losing it
I'm lost, you got me looking for the rest of me,
Got the best of me, so now I'm losing it

Just your presence and I second guess my sanity
Yes it's a lesson, it's unfair, you stole my vanity
My tummy's up in knots so when I see you I get so hot
My common sense is out the door, can't seem to find the lock
Take on me you know inside you feel it right
Take me on, I could just die up in your arms tonight.
I'm out with you, you got me head over heels
Boy you keep me hanging on the way you make me feel

S.O.S. please someone help me.
It's not healthy... for me to feel this way
Y.O.U. are making this hard,
You got me tossin' and turnin', can't sleep at night

This time please someone come and rescue me
'Cause you on my mind, it's got me losing it ('Cause you on my mind)
I'm lost, you got me lookin' for the rest of me
Love is testing me but still I'm losing it
This time please someone come and rescue me (someone come and rescue me)
'Cause you on my mind got me losing it
I'm lost, you got me looking for the rest of me,
Got the best of me, so now I'm losing it

Boy, you know you got me feeling open
And boy, your loves enough with words unspoken
I said boy I'm telling you, you got me open
I don't know what to do it's true
I'm going crazy over you,
I'm begging

S.O.S. please somebody help me.
It's not healthy... for me to feel this way
Y.O.U. are making this hard (are you making this hard for me, baby?),
You got me tossin' and turnin', can't sleep at night

This time please someone come and rescue me (someone rescue me)
'Cause you on my mind, it's got me losing it
I'm lost, you got me lookin' for the rest of me
Love is testing me but still I'm losing it
This time please someone come and rescue me
'Cause you on my mind got me losing it ('all of the time)
I'm lost you, got me looking for the rest of me,
Got the best of me (best of me), I'm losing it

Lala lala lala lala Ohhh
Ohh ohh lala lala lala lala
Oh oh

Burger King Kids Club commercial: Out of the Inkwell (1992)

"The animator scares me a lil, but I admire his dedication. I miss these guys!"



So this is an interesting commercial that was inspired by the original Max Fleischer animations of Koko the Clown.

- TAE

Comment of the Week - Firestrait

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
-----------------------------
Firestrait (On Ed Price - Tax Laugh)

and this is the type of genious that made me subscibe to you. great job guys :D
-----------------------------




- TAE

Superbowl XLII " Wall E " Commercial!

"I heard he goes to infiniti, but not beyond"



From the comments:

"This will be once again a great movie from Pixar... even better than Ratatouile!!"

"Can't believe they had the robot give himself "pleasure" with a vacuum cleaner and some parents group didn't go ballistic."

"Is it me or does Wall E look like Number 5 from the film "Short Circuit?""

"Its R.O.B. from super smash bros brawl! he has his own movie!!!"
(Note: ROB was an NES controller first (and then in Star Fox 64).)

"I love Buzz's facial expressions when he says "Wall-E. ... Nope, never heard of him!""


---------

This is just Pixar reminding us who they are, and that's why you should see the movie. It's a good trick, and I'm sure the movie will be amazing. But it's a cheap shot. =^)

- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 6: Cupid Not Helping

"'Zis is my scientifique analyzis of how lurve affect us all. Not for queasy stomach people."



- TAE

The Henchmen Discuss the Smurfs (from Venture Bros)

The Monarch's Henchmen "wear winged costumes, answer to a super villain and live in his secret hideout. In other words, they're pro fanboys, living the dream."

This is ironic because the Smurfs are owned by the same company that does this cartoon... Warner Bros.

- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 5: Love is Blind

This is an animation that opens the movie, One Crazy Summer, starring John Cusack.



- TAE

Question: Why the name Fruits VS Bugs?

Question for the Emperor: Fruits vs Bugs is a great name, but what about a name like "B.U.G.S" (You know, like S.W.A.T)? Also, are any more of them coming soon?

-------------------

Fruits VS Bugs Part 1:


Interesting thought. B.U.G.S. takes itself a little more seriously. The original title was Agents of the Spirit, but after we got ownership, I made the title more straightforward and silly. It has a "Snakes on a Plane" kind of feel (which is both good and bad). =^)

Fruits VS Bugs Part 2:


Honestly, we're currently concentrating on getting Fruits VS Bugs distributed on cell phones. The next step is trying to get it distributed on video. So we probably won't for awhile just due to a business decision. However, we're still moving forward on other animations.

Thanks!

- The Emperor

Valentine Cartoon 4: Carving a Heart

Cupid the Stupid: Carving a heart in a tree isn't without consequences.



- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 3: Liquid Cupid

Two Kangeroos are need of some Liquid Cupid.



- TAE

Comment of the Week - jweinrub

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
-----------------------------
jweinrub (On Ed Price - Tax Laugh)

Oh my god dude! That was friggin' hilarious!!!!
-----------------------------




- TAE

Live Out Loud

"Example of Kinetic Typography created by Johnny Lee"



- TAE

Valentine Cartoon 2: Cupid Gets His Man (1936)

"Another quality Van Beuren studios cartoon that is now in the Public Domain. Van Beuren was finished when it's distributor (RKO) switched from Van Beuren to Disney in 1936. "



Apparently the cupids are fascist. Also there's a blackface gag at 01:53. That wouldn't make it in animations nowadays. Black people weren't able to defend themselves back in 1936. Mean whiteys!

Enjoy!

- TAE

2008 Oscar nominees (video clips)

This has been a very artsy-fartsy year for animated shorts.



Last year, the nominated animated shorts included Lifted (from Pixar, played before Ratatouille), a Scrat cartoon (from Ice Age DVD release), and the Matchstick Girl (from Disney). This year it’s all artsy animations.



Fortunately, the nominated animated films for 2007 include Ratatouille, Surf’s Up, and Persepolis (done in black and white). So here’s hoping that Brad Bird gets his second Oscar.


Oscar Showcase – view clips from nominated Short Films and Feature Animations. Click “Short Films” or “Feature Films” in the menu at the top of the page.

http://www.awn.com/oscars08/



Enjoy!