Computer Animation Arts

Chuck Jones: Extremes and InBetweens. A Life in Animation Documentary You all know the animation work of 'Charles (Chuck) Jones'. He wrote, produced, and/or directed many classic animated cartoon shorts starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, Pepé Le Pew, Porky Pig, Michigan J. Frog, the Three Bears, and a long list of other Warner characters. He animated and edited theTom and Jerry cartoons and directed, anaimted, and produced the 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' (1966), 'Horton Hears a Who' (1970), and the 'Phantom Tollbooth' (1970). Chuck Jones was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three times. He won for the cartoons For Scent-imental Reasons, So Much for So Little, and The Dot and the Line. "Bonus: Chuck Jones - The Evolution of an Artist" by Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting)

 Who is Weird Al Yankovic? For those of you who are not familiar with the music of 'Weird Al', he is a extremely talented music artist and musical comedian who has been creating comedy songs and parody songs of contemporary artists for over 40 years. Including, recreating and performing in parody versions of the contemporary music videos. Starting in the 1970's he has created over 150 parody songs and sold more than 12 million albums. Creating parody songs such as ' Eat it -1984' (Beat it by Michael Jackson - 1983), ' Armish Paradise - 1996 ' (Gangsta's Paradise by Colio - 1996), and ' Smells Like Nirvana -1992 ' (Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana 1992). However, in this post we are looking at two of Weird Al's songs 'Don't Download this Song' and 'Word Crimes'. Both of which were visualised using animation. "Don't Download this Song" - 2006 'Don't Download the Song' is a comedy song which captur...

"A Portrait of Tex Avery" "Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator and director, known for producing and directing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His most significant work was for the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, where he was crucial in the creation and evolution of famous animated characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel, George and Junior, and Chilly Willy." - Wikipedia

"Wish List" by Directed and animated by Andrew Griffin with illustrations by Scott Garrett, Wish List is funny, quirky and a bit dark in places.

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" by William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg “Mr. Morris Lessmore" was awarded the Oscar® for Best Animated Short Film in the 84th Academy Awards® in 2012. Inspired in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, "Morris Lessmore" is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation), award-winning author/illustrator William Joyce and Co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a hybrid style of animation that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is old-fashioned and cutting edge at the same time.

Peter Ellenshaw - Matte Painter and VFX Pioneer (Documentary) by VFX Geek Peter Ellensaw started work at Walt Disney Studios beginning with their first completely live action feature film, Treasure Island (1950). He went on to work on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Mary Poppins (1964), for which he won an Academy Award. He retired after his work on The Black Hole (1979), but contributed matte paintings for Dick Tracy (1990). His son Harrison is also an Academy Award-winning effects designer. After Peter Ellenshaw retired from the film business, he dedicated his life to his passion for painting. Numerous works were created, of both Disney and non-Disney themed subjects, which have been highly collected. He was named a Disney Legend in 1993.

"Space Stallions" by Graduates from the Animation Workshop, Denmark "As darkness is covering the multiverse, far away in the galaxy of the wild stallion, a spark of hope is born. Guided by the light of Mother Mustang, the Space Stallions must defeat the Demon of darkness, Destructo." Created in 2012 as a graduation film by students at the Animation Workshop, Denmark, Space Stallions is a beautifully observed parody of 1980s animation as exemplified by He-Man and She-Ra (see below).