This is a 1951 Russian animation of an 1833 fairytale poem written by Alexander Pushkin that is based upon the classic Grimms tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was directed by Ivan Pyetrovich Ivanov-Vano, known as the ‘patriarch of Soviet animation.’
You can read Pushkin’s The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights
The film is in Russian so you can use the YouTube settings to turn on English subtitles.
Okay, I have no idea what this is but it was submitted to my Vimeo short films group and I like it. It has a goofy look and it just makes me laugh even though it’s in French. It actually appears to be the work of a graphic designer named Fred Aujas. Here is how his web site describes this little film:
Outrageously Ferocious and vulgar !
A trashy animated series worthy of the great grindhouse films of the 70s.
I mean seriously this thing should just go straight through to a full-blown TV series. Right now.
The artist has a very cool web site.
Thank you to Rob Smart.
Here’s the first animated version of a Tintin story from 1947. It was directed by Claude Misonne. I am very worried by the billboards around Los Angeles for the new Spielberg film. They are just horrifically ugly. That cannot be a good sign for the movie.
I like this fast-paced and funny little cartoon about a driving emergency in outer space. The characters are expressive and silly. The ‘I have to pee urgently’ walk is hysterical. The computer animation has that nice cartoony/drawn look that always catches my eye. Neil Stubbings directed the film for LeMob Animation. Via Neatorama.
MATURE CONTENT AND LANGUAGE:
Matt Ellis draws and writes ‘The Man of Many Shades‘ which is a comic noir about a guy named Happy who’s trapped inside some kid’s drawings and uses his private eye investigation skills to find a way out.
Very cool set up for a comic. You can read the whole thing for free online.
Here’s a wonderful glimpse into the animation techniques that were pioneering at the time of Disney’s first feature-length animation, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ You get to see some shots of Snow White being drawn and photographed, sound effects being recorded, and people arriving at the premiere. You also get a good dose of the Disney sexism in which all women who work on a film are referred to as ‘pretty girls.’ It’s basically an advertisement for the film, but it’s a good one.
‘Light Up’ is a short animation by Aveline Stoquart and David Duvieusart. Students at the Haute École Albert Jacquard in Namur, Belgium also worked on the film. A girl who is into astronomy lives in a totally starless world. One evening she sees something new and gets into her little flying machine to investigate. I love the scene in the little plane. It’s a very simple charming little story, gently told and well-animated.
In 1955 The American Council to Improve Our Neighborhoods produced this animation to encourage people to get together and work hard to rebuild and clean up impoverished neighborhoods and slums. Its focus on individual effort, painting old garage doors, and forming groups seems hopelessly naive, but it does at least make an effort to encourage people. The production actually has quite an impressive audio track and I think that’s Ray Walston voicing the Devil. The film calls itself: ‘a film dedicated to the purpose of better living in homes and neighborhoods for… All Americans.’
The Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog has a post about Winsor McCay’s early animation efforts from 100 years ago. This is a film that features the cartoonist impressing his skeptical artist friends with moving characters from his great comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland.
The actual Nemo animation starts at the 8:15 mark. Enjoy!
Thanks to Short of the Week for the tip.
Egor Zhgun presents a cartoon news report on the revolutions rocking the Middle East. Some of these revolutions, though coming from noble intentions, are failing miserably. Egypt has rid itself of a dictator only to be taken over by a barbaric military that conducts organized rape and torture of men and women who seek to engage in any further protests. Egypt is now a military dictatorship. It is sheer stupidity to believe otherwise. I won’t go visit the pyramids any time soon because I don’t want to be raped by Egyptian soldiers.
While visiting Your Daily Cartoon, I watched an animated film by Hungarian painter György Kovásznai. I liked the calm mishmash of drawing styles and quiet humor. The 1965 film is called Mesék a m?veszet világából (Tales From the World of Art). It has no subtitles but is pretty easy to follow, taking a bemused look at several kinds of art. The first part is an action movie, the second is a theatrical piece, the third is a piano recital.
This one is called Várakozni jó (Waiting for Good). It’s about a traffic jam with a truck that suddenly opens its back doors and explodes into a 1969 rock & roll jam. The wild sketchy ever-changing animation style is more psychedelic than most commercialized sixties psychedelia could ever be.
This one is Gitáros fiú a régi képtárban (Boy Guitarist of the Old Hits) from 1964. It’s simply a guitarist playing and dancing his way through artworks by old masters presented in a very avant-garde fashion. Understanding the art is one thing, but the person who can truly enjoy it is far ahead in the game.
An episode of Sticks by the Brothers McLeod for BBC Comedy.