Legend Quest - Netflix

Stumbled on Legend Quest on the Animation Scoop website. Netflix is putting out this new series from Anima Estudios. Looks like fun so far. The style and characters look like they took some inspiration from Gravity Falls and Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

(copyright Anima Estudios & Netflix)

The plot revolves around Leo, and his new friends as they challenge the evil schemes of Quetzalcóatl.

The story takes place in 18th century Mexico where Leo has encountered ghosts and demons as a child, and now must do so again with his new friends: Don Andrés, who is the ghost of an old conquistador, Teodora, who is a actually a hologram of a girl somehow transported from the 21st century, and Alebrije, a magical creature based on Mexican folk art.

Looks like it has a lot of fun and action, I hope it does well.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1381414425/

http://www.animationscoop.com/netflix-legend-quest-full-opening-titles/

https://mic.com/articles/166148/netflix-s-legend-quest-is-enjoyable-for-adults-and-reminds-latino-kids-that-they-matter#.V6O5uCxbl

Imagining Zootopia--Part 1:Legacy

Here's another youtube channel. Let's enjoy this again until it gets pulled down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eQgypYsA5U

Making Of Zootopia

copyright Disney

Zootopia Documentary

courtesy of Cartoon Brew.

UPDATE: Sorry folks, this video was pulled.

Zootopia meets Pixar Presto mashup

Sorry, with all the death and destruction going on in the world, I could not resist bashing this together.

(copyright Pixar and Disney)

UPDATE:
Happy Easter!

Wander Over Yonder Season 2

Disney XD - Wander Over Yonder ID from Golden Wolf on Vimeo.

Wander Over Yonder Season 2 Trailer at Comic-Con

 Looks like they are turning up the heat on Wander Over Yonder. There's a lot more action, and the new super villain is a girl. We also get to see some male Zbornaks.

I like the MST3K tribute with He-Man thrown in, and Sylvia as Gigantor. According to Disney XD, new episodes will be begin Monday, August 3rd.

                               

(artwork copyright Disney)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg00b_nz8PE&feature=youtu.be

Symbicort Grandpa Wolf by ffake Animation

I wondered who did this TV ad. It was ffake Animation up in Portland.

 http://web.ffake.com/ 

The  animation is nifty, and the characters have a lot of classic appeal, even though the meds they are promoting seem kind of gruesome.

Symbicort Grandpa from FFAKE Animation on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/106622307

Wander Over Yonder - The Liar

Here we see Sylvia in "Loch Ness Monster mode" as she rescues some little Tiki guys. They are trying to escape from an erupting volcano which is about to blow it's top. She swims away frantically as giant flaming boulders rain down from Mount "Krak-yer-big-toa".

(Spoiler Alert) 

Having reached the mainland, Sylvia thinks the excitement is over and heads to a beach side bar. She's unable to relax when she sees that Wander has gone back to rescue a momma bird and her chicks.

In a tree.

Right over the mouth of the volcano.

Sylvia can only mutter to her drink: "Wait for me, tiny umbrella".

 (copyright Disney)

The action really begins as they struggle to rescue the family of birds from the volcano. When Sylvia says trying to save the birds is impossible, Wander chastises her with "I smell a big pile of  'can't do-do'".

The running gag is the momma bird keeps biting them to protect her young. (She thinks Wander and Sylvia are attacking her chicks.) The bird also delivers an electric shock which illuminates their skeletons. 

One baby bird runs off ("Gary") and hides in a hole in the side of the hill. Naturally, Wander and party pursue, and only to fall into some caves underneath the volcano.

 I kept wondering who the Liar was in this episode. It turns out that it's Wander. He swore that no one would die this day. Instead, it is Wander who turns out to be the Liar when they become trapped. 

Fortunately, Sylvia does not succumb to despair. She notices the hazards they faced before, and gets an idea. She makes a literal leap of faith, and takes them to safety riding one of the giant flaming boulders as Mount "Krak-yer-big-toa" finally blows itself to bits.

Their boulder crashes back on the beach, which also knocks over the bar. Fortunately, one of the little Tiki guys brings Sylvia her drink, complete with little pink umbrella. But before she can take a sip, she gets shocked by the birds one more time, only this time they jump on her out of gratitude.

Wander compliments Sylvia on her bravery and ingenuity.

Sylvia smiles and walks away, saying: "I never doubted it for a second".

With her back turned, her smile turns into a grimace of worry.

Thanks again to-

http://wandernews.tumblr.com/

Guardians of the Galaxy - Animated Series

(Updated 10-12-14)
Hope this is a real scoop, it looks good.

First, via email from a friend,
Then, a post on Facebook,
Now, through the Animation Guild blog,

 http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/newer-marvel-animation.html

Next, the Hollywood Reporter...

 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/guardians-galaxy-animated-tv-series-739981

So don't tell anybody!

 "Bigger blasters?"

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

Sorry about the small size, had trouble with the embed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLAU6jF0qwY#t=10

Godzilla and Ultraman - The Amazing World of Japanese Special Effects

(copyright NHK and Tsuburaya Productions)

Godzilla and Ultraman - The Amazing World of Japanese Special Effects

It's fun sneaking around "backstage". I missed the beginning, but in Godzilla and Ultraman - The Amazing World of Japanese Special Effects  they displayed their techniques for making miniatures that went back to traditional Japanese gardens. And just good old forced perspective. The host was a westerner who seemed to love Tsuburaya, and even was allowed on a miniature set to pose with Ultraman Victory(?) The special effects people added the classic energy beams coming out of his hands to blast a monster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-vdH86F6ZQ

They also talked to the pyrotechnics guy about his wiring set ups. He had something like the western studios have, sort of an electric xylophone. He could "play" the device so the squibs would go off with the proper timing. They also talked about Manga, and a car commercial using Tsuburaya's techniques where the car has to outrun giant monsters on a twisting canyon road.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/special/201408.html

I don't know if they will run this again, hopefully it will appear on the net somewhere. It's always great to see "old friends"!

http://www.kcet.org/shows/nhk_special/godzilla-and-ultraman---the-amazing-world-of-japanese-special-effects.html

http://io9.com/5939043/behind-the-scenes-godzilla-photos-were-charming-absolutely-ridiculous

Cartoon Sidekicks (or the Big Dumb Buddies who take all the abuse)

This is an addendum to the horse and rider entry. Plus I'm feeling nostalgic again.

I've also noticed the design elements such as the differences in sizes, shapes and height. Plus the different color scheme of the characters, and how they relate to each other. Most sidekicks seem to have less detail as well.

(Credits going clockwise) Super Chicken and Fred (by Jay Ward and Bill Scott); Beany and Cecil created by Bob Clampett, Tom Terrific created by Gene Deitch, and Rocky and Bullwinkle (Jay Ward and Bill Scott again).

Cartoon Horse and rider - Wander Over Yonder

I've become a big fan of Wander Over Yonder. and noticed over the years how the cowboy, or adventurer theme comes back to TV animation every now and then.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder?from=Main.WanderOverYonder

Wander Over Yonder seems to have some roots in these old shows.
Wander is the hippie-cowboy who rides his alien "Zbornak" named Sylvia.
Sylvia serves as his horse.
In most of these shows, the horse is very often the reluctant companion,
or, after a misadventure, is the one who usually says "I told you so."

(copyrights clockwise from upper left: Terrytoons, Filmation, Jay Ward Productions, & Disney)

Starting in the upper left, we have The Adventures of Lariat Sam from Terrytoons in the early 1960's. Lariat Sam was produced by Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo). Lariat Sam's horse was Tippy Toes, a fussy horse who wore a bowler hat with a white dickie and bow-tie. While Lariat Sam relied on his lasso instead of a gun, Tippy Toes often took the brunt of the jokes in the show's physical humor.

Then in the 1980's, there was BraveStarr with his cyberhorse 30-30 by Filmation. 30-30 could use his bionic limbs to transform from a four legged horse to a person that stood upright. 30-30 was large, strong, had a short temper, liked a good scrap, and seemed to be a weapons expert. (He even talked to his gun "Mary Jane" in one episode.) But it was BraveStarr who saved the day in overcoming the villians with the right amount of reasoning, insight and directed power. 30-30's direct confrontations with opponents never seemed to end well.

Going back to the 60's, there was Dudley Do-Right. As a Mountie in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Dudley was far from being the sharpest knife in the drawer. His horse, simply called "Horse", was the only one to notice when things were going wrong. Horse was also the only cartoon horse that I know of who could not speak.

Which brings us back to Wander Over Yonder. Wander is a good-natured alien meddler who travels from planet to planet with his best friend Sylvia, who also happens to be his "Sapient Steed".

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SapientSteed

Sylvia is the more grounded "straight man" to Wander, and the voice of reason in contrast to his impulsive need to bring help and fun across the entire galaxy. She also gets more than her fair share of physical punishment from their enemies, and just by trying to keep Wander out of trouble. It's amazing she still stays with Wander with all the abuse she has to put up with.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Another show that was kind of obscure was Luno the White Stallion: I actually only saw one episode while on a car trip to Florida while passing through Atlanta. From then, I was hooked. It took me years to find some episodes on VHS. Luno was another version of Pegasus that symbolized travel, adventure, and magic. Luno and Tim could fly back in time to classic storybook adventures.

(original copyright Terrytoons)

Hey, the Aquabats liked him enough to put him in a song:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpmwW68FOJU
www.theaquabats.com

While not a TV show,  I have to bring up the Magic Pony by Soyuzmultfilm. CFPL TV 10 in London, Canada would drift over Lake Erie to northeast Ohio. The CBC brought me an extra range of children's shows in addition to the U.S. networks in the 1960's.

 (copyright Soyuzmultfilm)

To my knowledge, the Magic Pony was never shown, but I loved the full animation Soyuzmultfilm put out. The boy in this story learns the dangers in telling tall stories, and gets more than he bargained for when he accidentally captures the queen of the magic horses.

Disney Fantasia Ostrich Ballerina meets Wander over Yonder Sylvia

Still trying to get back in my groove after my trip to Canada...

Here's another quick mashup of Wander over Yonder's Sylvia, and the Ostrich Ballerina from Disney's Fantasia. The potential for calamity here must be astronomical. I wonder how long Sylvia would put up with "Mademoiselle Upanova's" haughty attitude...

Probably a whole 2 seconds I would think...

(All artwork copyright Disney Corp., strangely enough.)

Enjoy!

Tove Jansson

I stumbled across a copy of "Who will comfort Toffle" while on an expedition to Hi-De-Ho Comics in Santa Monica last week. I had seen some of the Moomin books before, but it never quite clicked in my head that it was all written and drawn by Tove Jansson.

 

Anyway, there were some interesting characters in Jansson's work, besides the Moomins. Earnest, yet surreal at the same time, Jansson's characters grapple with the mysteries of life, along with the humdrum chores that go with it. And also some very strange neighbors:

 

from

http://www.drawnandquarterly.com/blog/2006_11_01_archive.php

Something about the work made me feel young again, as corny as that sounds. It took me back to when I was little, and all ladies were lovely, mysterious giants.

(all artwork copyright Tove Jansson)

Sorry I didn't find these books sooner. But it made sitting on the 405 with an overheating radiator worth the trip.

www.tovejansson.com

Wander over Yonder - Sylvia

Okay, this will get me in trouble: I gave Wander's dino-horse-friend Sylvia a "makeover", and turned her into a torch song singer. From what I've seen of Sylvia's character, I'm sure she would hate it.
Maybe it's her sister, or a close cousin. For what it's worth, someone on deviantART liked another one of my Sylvia drawings SO much, he gave my makeover a makeover.

http://brandonultimate.deviantart.com/art/Sylvia-the-Zbornak-in-a-one-piece-Swimsuit-441460045

Ain't the internet grand?

(artwork copyright Craig McCracken/Disney Corp.)

Here she is with some slapdash Photoshop coloring. I picture her here singing "What's new"

(With apologies to Craig McCracken and Linda Ronstadt)

Ernest and Célestine - Prejudice is Manufactured

Finally saw Ernest and Celestine. I can't say I loved it completely, but it was still a good team production from France, Belgium and Luxembourg. I had been feeling run down from work, but Ernest and Celestine had already left the Valley/LA area. I had to drive down to Long Beach to see it, but it was worth it. The version I caught was in English. Oh yes, spoiler alert for folks who haven't seen it yet.

(Artwork copyright-)

• La Parti Productions
• Les Armateurs
• Maybe Movies
• Mélusine Productions
• StudioCanal

http://ernestetcelestine-lefilm.com/
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/feature-preview-ernest-et-celestine-62824.html
http://cinema.jeuxactu.com/video-conference-de-presse-ernest-et-celestine-9797.htm

In their world, mice fear being eaten by bears. Lauren Bacall  lends her voice to "The Grey One", the elderly matron mouse who runs the orphanage where Celestine lives. "The Grey One" reinforces their fears by telling the mouse children horror stories about the bears. In their initial meeting, Ernest attempts to eat Celestine, but only because Ernest is literally the starving artist. I think. Celestine brings Ernest back in line with a quick smack on the nose, sort of the way Dorothy did with the Cowardly Lion.

My feeling is that their prejudices are manufactured: Bears are portrayed as voracious monsters, and mice are shown to be greedy little parasites that would run amok. This seems to benefit the bears who dominate the surface, but the mice seem to be trapped underground. This obviously gives control to the leaders on both sides, and keeps each population subdued. After being underground all her life, Celestine is struck by the beauty of the surface world after the snow finally melts.

I like the matter of fact way in which one bear father runs a candy store, and his wife runs a "tooth boutique" across the street. Creative destruction is good for business it seems. However, the bear couple forbid their cub from eating candy. They have a little racket going, and they don't want their son being one of their victims. Strangely enough, getting new teeth is just like buying a new flash drive for the bears. Just plugin and go!

The emphasis on the mice children gathering teeth from the bears left me squirming in my chair a bit. The mice need replacement teeth, since chewing and gnawing is the only way to build and maintain their infrastructure. Dentistry is big business, and William H. Macy did a sublimely insidious job as the voice of the head dentist in the English dub. Most mice children are expected to become dentists, since so much of their population spend a lot of time in the chair!

I did like the open line, freehand artwork and the watercolor art style. All the animation was done on Cintiqs with good old Flash. With all the expensive overhead, and dependance on cutting edge technology and software, the production of Ernest and Célestine is a refreshing return to what makes us love animation. They still used current technology, but the story, design, color and character  animation make Ernest et Célestine a nice little gem.

Space Jam 2 - update

Too much up in the air. No one can confirm if LeBron is in or out. If it means jobs in Los Angeles, that's fine. But there must be a way to give Bugs and Daffy relevant exposure without turning them into second bananas to celebrities who will become quickly outdated.

(My cleanup of Taz for a Kool-Aid commercial, Taz copyright Time/Warner)

Story ideas: Have Bugs take on world hunger, organic foods and factory farming? Put Daffy Duck on Wall Street? (He should have gone there years ago after Chuck Jones turned him into a whiny, greedy, little backstabber). Have Elmer Fudd confront the NRA? The sky's the limit, but remember the grief Brad Bird went through with the Iron Giant.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/warner-bros-developing-space-jam-2?utm_source=asDaily_newsletter&utm_medium=sailthru_newsletter&utm_term=Blogs%3A%20asDaily%20V2&utm_campaign=Blogs%3A%20Animation%20Scoop%20Daily%202014-02-22

Update:

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/space-jam-sequel-is-in-the-works-96410.html

Christmas coffee at Coffee Fix

Well, these sketches didn't turn out the way I had hoped. But I wanted to show my female superhero characters relaxing at the Coffee Fix over on Moorpark and Whitsett.

Coffee Fix is very pleasant, quiet and feels very homey. This is probably because of the old store front it's in.

Cubcake, Boffette and Lady Cobra take a break from Christmas shopping.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-fix-studio-city?nb=1

Cute Stuff - Part IV - Adorable Dynamic Damsels look development

Here is some further ruff cleanup and color for the Adorable Dynamic Damsels-

And a 60's style color design.

More coloring in Photoshop

Someday I'll get this done. But beyond my personal satisfaction, I don't know if there is any market for these characters. Cubcake (the squirrel-girl) is sort of the team's hot-head, and has hit or miss magic powers. She is also the team gearhead and hot rod driver. Jet Puffin, with her power suit, has the genius of Tony Stark, but is more of the "mom" of the group. Lady Cobra is the real mystic of the group. She works as a librarian. Her coils are strong and dexterous enough to handle most of the volumes.