Here is the Hans Christian Andersen story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, as told by the Toei Animation Company in Japan. It’s a limited animation in a sort of anime style that tells the story quite well.

Here is the Hans Christian Andersen story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, as told by the Toei Animation Company in Japan. It’s a limited animation in a sort of anime style that tells the story quite well.

Wow! Look at this. Manifestations is a film by Giles Timms at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. He made this with Flash, TVPaint, and After Effects. The imagery is beautiful and layered. I always like colorful fuzzy things with lots of darkness and transparency. The film seems to be about a little non-human character who is in love with a human and goes across a world and through many battles both modern and ancient to find his love.

This is a very comical excerpt from Disney’s Mars and Beyond science show from 1957. It lays out the standard plot line and character types from a typical pulp science fiction story.

Animator Alex Bland made this homage to science fiction movie posters of the 1950s. It’s as if one of those old graphic Hollywood posters came to life with ray guns, flying saucers, robots, police cars and fleeing pedestrians.

Noteboek is one of those films that illustrate what personal filmmaking is. It’s an artist’s hand-made, direct expression. Evelien Lohbeck is the performer and animator in this little gem. There’s something a little Chaplin-like in her clever tricks with drawings and food. I love the part where she’s reflected in the drawing in her notebook. This is really excellent and gently humorous work.

Takeuchi Jaijin made this film by photographing the action in stop motion then photographing the photos again in his room. He makes the action seem to take place all along his walls, countertops and floors. I love the way the boy dives into the filled sink and swims across! The photo animation technique reminds me of the photo collages of artist David Hockney.
Thanks to David Pescovitz at BoingBoing for posting this.

Our roll of poetry for National Poetry Month continues with an animated poem by Maurice Kilwein Guevara. His poem has two Spanish-speaking women planning to speak only English as they enter a Sears store. It’s funny on the surface but it’s also a serious look at how people try to avoid being themselves in order to convince others that they are not stereotypes to be feared.

Here’s another animated poem. This one is by Kwame Dawes who grew up in Jamaica and now lives in South Carolina. I like the way the poet is unafraid to show pleasure in the language of the poem. This seems to be a happy poet.

For National Poetry Month, here’s an Emily Dickinson poem rendered as a beautiful animation with a reading by actress Blair Brown. This is part of the Poetry Foundation’s series of videos known as Poetry Everywhere.
Here is the complete poem for you to read:
I started Early – Took my Dog –
And visited the Sea –
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me –And Frigates – in the Upper Floor
Extended Hempen Hands –
Presuming Me to be a Mouse –
Aground – upon the Sands –But no Man moved Me – till the Tide
Went past my simple Shoe –
And past my Apron – and my Belt
And past my Bodice – too –And made as He would eat me up –
As wholly as a Dew
Upon a Dandelion’s Sleeve –
And then – I started – too –And He – He followed – close behind –
I felt His Silver Heel
Upon my Ankle – Then my Shoes
Would overflow with Pearl –Until We met the Solid Town –
No One He seemed to know
And bowing – with a Mighty look –
At me – The Sea withdrew –
German toymaker, Playmobil, has a new Egypt play-set out that has been one of the highlights of the 2009 Toy Fair in New York City. It includes a giant pyramid with secret traps, treasure chamber, tombs and removable walls. But what is really great about this whole thing is that the company has produced a series of animated films based on the play-set’s characters. It’s a wonderful adventure in a fanciful ancient Egypt. You’ve got to see this. Here’s part 2 of the film. Here’s part 3.

Marvel.com is posting all the original Spider Man television episodes for free viewing. They originally aired in 1967 on ABC. They are actually very good. Highly recommended. This is the first episode.

I’ve found a fantastic online 3D animation service called xtranormal.com. You choose characters and settings, then you write your little script and choose facial expressions, movements, camera angles, and sounds. When you’ve put it all together in a simple list, you press a button and in a few moments you have a movie! I think it’s very well done.
I’ve made a little movie called Awkward Office Moment 1.

Betty Boop stars as Cinderella in this 1934 cartoon from Fleischer Studios. This was Betty Boop’s only appearance in color.

Nicole Mitchell made Zoologic in 2007 and it won the 2008 Student Academy Award. It’s a humorous story of an overzealous zookeeper who meets his match in a penguin and gorilla who lead a comic revolt against him.
