Animation: I Got Opinions

Collaborative animation from Watermark for the Greg Johnson single, ‘I Got Opinions.’ I don’t usually post music videos, but this was just kind of cute. Very colorful and full of imagination. It features the work of eight illustrators.  I like the clever ways it finds to move from one illustration style to another.

I found this at Cartoon Brew.

Animation: The Forest

David Scharf made this lovely animated film called The Forest. A young girl uses her imagination in a world that doesn’t fit her well. She resists being drawn into the ordinary life she sees around her for as long as she can.

The animation is beautiful and the film has a dark, smokey look. It’s a story told simply and with a delicate touch.

I found this via my favorite film site, No fat clips!!!

Animator Nina Paley Releases Source Files for Sita Sings the Blues

Animator Nina Paley, who single-handedly made the feature film, Sita Sings the Blues, has released all of the Flash animation source files (.fla files) that make up the entire film.  She’s giving away the building-blocks of the entire film!  That’s like a traditional animator giving you all the drawings.  Paley has given the files a Creative Commons License which means animators can use her art and animation techniques in full or in pieces for their own projects as long as she is credited.

Sita Sings the Blues is a musical, animated personal interpretation of the Indian epic the Ramayana.

Animation: Pigeon Pilfer

Animator Michael Stevenson of San Fransisco State University made this claymation cartoon. It’s short and sweet. Clay animation is very difficult to do well and this animator does it brilliantly. He gets a lot a character out of his clay and the film has a wonderful gentle humor that is very European in its flavor.  The entire film was shot frame-by-frame with a digital SLR camera.  There’s a behind-the-scenes web site where you can see photos of the film’s set.

Animation: Gumms

Anton Bogaty’s new film is Gumms.  It’s not intended for young children – mature subject matter.  A cartoonist works for a bubblegum manufacturer making those little comic-strips that go inside the wrapper.  He’s looking for an idea.  Bogaty uses interesting techniques in his films.  He seems to edit them together almost as if he were just making a storyboard.  The drawing is deceptively simple.  The animation is minimal.  But it all adds up to some of the most interesting films being drawn.  Really nice troubling work.  This Bogaty is an artist.  I like him.