tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56625707588704650552024-02-06T19:57:07.290-08:00Zach's Cartoon Ramblings"Now occasionally coherent!"Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-38090747046456890252010-01-26T16:04:00.000-08:002010-01-26T16:18:52.880-08:00New Drawings!!!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44837576@N02/">New drawings on Flickr!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44837576@N02/4305204348/" title="IMG_0052 by zscottcole, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2744/4305204348_6e622362b9.jpg" width="425" height="300" alt="IMG_0052" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44837576@N02/4305243462/" title="IMG_0015 by zscottcole, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/4305243462_1782c37beb.jpg" width="425" height="216" alt="IMG_0015" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44837576@N02/4305204118/" title="IMG_0050 by zscottcole, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4305204118_0cf15a6f13.jpg" width="300" height="425" alt="IMG_0050" /></a>Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-75099160276899729762009-05-11T13:23:00.000-07:002009-05-11T13:32:16.916-07:00Sita Sings the BluesThe first animated film to be animated entirely by one woman since Lotte Reiniger's <span style="font-style: italic;">Prince Achmed </span>in 1926 is now available to watch online for free. Actually, I'm not sure if Lotte Reiniger animated the whole thing herself, but that's not the point. This is so cool!<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PfS2p1vFics&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PfS2p1vFics&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-24839303498628780682009-05-03T15:04:00.000-07:002009-05-03T20:27:23.676-07:00Robert Zemeckis Revisits Roger RabbitSo, I loved <span style="font-style: italic;">Who Framed Roger Rabbit</span>. Oh, it was perfect: Brilliant performances by Christopher Lloyd and Bob Hoskins, the first appearance of fanboy favorite Jessica Rabbit, and of course, Richard Williams' animation (it's Williams' most well-known and well-received film to date).<br /><br />When I attended one of Richard Williams' presentations at Portland Community College, he mentioned that he had been talked to about making a <span style="font-style: italic;">Roger Rabbit</span> sequel, but didn't like the idea. Apparently, this is no big deal for Robert Zemeckis, because he has the power of mo-cap.<br /><br /><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:377557" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="configParams=type%3Dnetwork%26vid%3D377557%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A377557%26startUri=mgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A377557" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" base="." width="512" height="319"></embed><div style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center; width: 500px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.mtv.com/movies/trailer_park/" style="color: rgb(67, 156, 216);" target="_blank">Movie Trailers</a> - <a href="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/" style="color: rgb(67, 156, 216);" target="_blank">Movies Blog</a></div><br /><br />Remember when Richard Williams went to Robert Zemeckis and famously said "I'll be your pencil"? I don't, because I was born the year <span style="font-style: italic;">Roger Rabbit</span> came out, but that's beside the point. It really feels like he's acting as though Richard Williams can be replaced.<br /><br />The original Roger Rabbit was great because they did the animation the old fashioned way, no digital technology. The film took place in the 40's, and the animation was done to fit that. This film was proud of the fact that it had no digital animation in it, and scoffed at the way anyone else combined live action and animation. There's no way mo-cap technology could re-create the brilliance of the effects seen in the original film.<br /><br />But more importantly, and this is something that <span style="font-style: italic;">cannot </span>be disputed: Richard Williams can never be replaced by any technology. He's Richard Williams. He animates on ones, decides he wants to do it differently, and then does it over again, and that's just business as usual.<br /><br />The point is, any sequel to <span style="font-style: italic;">Roger Rabbit </span>will never be as good as the original, the same way the sequel to Gary Wolf's original book was not as well-received as the original novel, <span style="font-style: italic;">Who Censored Roger Rabbit? </span>However, Zemeckis has realized that sequels to movies from the 80's (<span style="font-style: italic;">Indiana Jones, Rocky, Rambo, etc.</span>) are all the rage now, and Zemeckis has four of the most popular films of the 80's. I guess he thought three <span style="font-style: italic;">Back to the Futures </span>was enough.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-23474390172895415452009-04-18T03:15:00.000-07:002009-04-18T03:32:30.153-07:00Preston Blair rip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4SCfDPkjOy6sJloe7_vebrqhz1Gli-h5bjZ0r97mIOFgOhqb_KsX5Kxv_apZLH8v6g6GL2sN1jhqlPrBMsM64IsuGv9DH5vYtIEJ26AHIvChXX6g18Ia0BZAmOeqdSnfNkIFZ7VRKqE/s1600-h/blaircompare.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4SCfDPkjOy6sJloe7_vebrqhz1Gli-h5bjZ0r97mIOFgOhqb_KsX5Kxv_apZLH8v6g6GL2sN1jhqlPrBMsM64IsuGv9DH5vYtIEJ26AHIvChXX6g18Ia0BZAmOeqdSnfNkIFZ7VRKqE/s320/blaircompare.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325973166717770082" border="0" /></a><br />Preston Blair... his elusive rip-offs lurk everywhere, if you look hard enough. Heck, just about every high school sports team with the name "The Bulldogs" has used Preston Blair's dog as their mascot.<br /><br />This one is particularly bad, but not the worst I've seen. Aside from making the mouse look less appealing overall, notice how the line of action is no longer implied. His ear looks like it's behind his shoulder, too.<br /><br />OK, so it's just a mascot for a pest control company in SE Portland, and I shouldn't expect anything fancy. And, to be honest, you have to look closely to actually see the similarities. Maybe I'm stretching it?<br /><br />However, when I saw this on the side of a truck, I instantly thought of Preston Blair. Actually, I took the picture with my cell phone almost a year ago. I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">really lazy</span>...Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-35379378134655237482008-12-17T11:59:00.000-08:002008-12-17T12:01:46.472-08:00Rankin/BassYeah, I just posted about it on LJ, because, I dunno, why not?<br /><a href="http://checkeredgeek.livejournal.com/41177.html?mode=reply">http://checkeredgeek.livejournal.com/41177.html?mode=reply</a>Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-78843567404959019442008-11-12T15:46:00.000-08:002008-11-17T21:45:22.927-08:00RIP Emru<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/emrutownsend.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 301px;" src="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/emrutownsend.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm sad. I've never even met the guy, but I'm sad. The most unbiased, logical and articulate animation critic and enthusiast has passed away. Will there ever be another guy like him? I find that when many critics and bloggers write about animation, they can sound biased, inconsistent, occasionally difficult to understand... Emru wasn't like that. I remember his <span style="font-style: italic;">Wall-E </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Kung Fu Panda</span> reviews being very well thought out, while others were either blindly praising or bashing said films. I won't name names. I loved that his main complaint about <span style="font-style: italic;">Kung Fu Panda </span>was the abundance of fat jokes. He is, after all, a panda. Who else would have thought of that? This was a guy who was thoughtful. Yes, thoughtful. Not fueled by anger against Adult Swim or Seth MacFarlane, just a thoughtful person who knew a lot about animation.<br /><br />Emru Townsend was an expert on a wide variety of animation. I mean, this encompasses the likes of Looney Tunes, The Nine Old Men, Frederick Back, Norman McLaren, <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Rock and Rule</span>, Ralph Bakshi, Aardman, anime and manga, animation installations, and just about anything related to animation, comics, cartoons, etc. Part of the diversity of FPS Magazine was due to the diversity of its contributing writers, but Emru himself had such a wealth of knowledge on the subject, he could have written the whole damn magazine himself. I'm not saying he should have, I'm just saying he knew a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot. </span><br /><br />I'll still check FPS every day like I normally (try to) do, but Emru <span style="font-style: italic;">was </span>FPS Magazine. It's still a great publication, one of the best out there. I know for a fact that Tamu, Kino Kid, and the whole FPS Staff are going to keep the website running strong.<br /><br />Well, anyway... he will be missed. One more thing though. For those of you who donated bone marrow in reaction to Emru, keep donating when you are able to. If you didn't donate, but wanted to, you can still help save someone's life. Visit <a href="http://healemru.com/">Heal Emru</a> for more information.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-78297519039930040652008-10-07T22:29:00.000-07:002008-10-07T22:30:16.025-07:00whoa...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0YHCiC7IIg8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0YHCiC7IIg8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-78181480057320066272008-10-02T17:08:00.001-07:002008-10-02T18:00:58.366-07:00SchoolWell, I'm in school now. I'll be juggling that with my own personal creative time, practicing my drawing skills and following Preston Blair and John K's lessons. I've already started, but I'm slow and a perfectionist. I need to stop over-thinking things. Hell, I might even start going to the zoo to draw animals. Maybe that's too pretentious. I should probably stick to drawing my girlfriend or my cat for a while.<br /><br />I'm taking sculpture though, which should be good. I've always loved sculpture, and I feel like it will be a good skill to develop. I'm also taking photo, which I'm mostly clueless about, but it's also a good skill to have.<br /><br />Oh, and thanks to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/06668171465801333811">Jenny Lerew</a> for the comment on my last post! I'm pretty happy that someone from the industry has looked at my blog-- and who worked on cartoons I grew up on! She also corrected me on one of my many embarrassing and pretentious Cartoon Brew comments. I've said some stupid things in my time, but I've never been corrected so warmly.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-61299632720860044912008-08-26T21:59:00.000-07:002008-08-26T22:27:37.187-07:00On LazinessI love my girlfriend. I bought her a book of Dan Decarlo pin-ups. She loved it so much, she got me this book:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.popimage.com/content/images/reviewcole1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.popimage.com/content/images/reviewcole1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole, Published by the good folks at Fantagraphics.<br /><br />I'll talk more about Jack Cole later, but right now, all I have to say is that he's really inspired me to get off my ass and do something. The guy had almost no art background, other than a mail-order cartooning course. This reminded me of John K's cartooning course, so I figured I should take action.<br /><br />Here's another thing that motivated me to stop being lazy:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WApcUBcVMos&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WApcUBcVMos&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br />And then of course, <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/procrastination">this Brew post</a>...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UXziurFkQxM&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UXziurFkQxM&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-31275052228373579492008-08-21T12:50:00.000-07:002008-08-21T13:05:42.536-07:00Turns out I was stupidUpon looking at <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/tarsems-the-fall">Cartoon Brew's recent post</a>, and finding the <a href="http://www.lauenstein.tv/">Lauenstein brothers' website</a>, I now realize that I was in fact being stupid. According to their website, they worked on a number of commercials involving the characters from <span style="font-style: italic;">Balance. </span>I've looked on their website before, so I don't know why I didn't notice this before.<br /><br />They don't actually list the Sega CD commercial on their website, but this is probably because it's not really worth mentioning. The commercials they do mention are for MTV and several PSA's, which are more impressive than a promotional video for a video game console that failed miserably.<br /><br />I was watching a tape of <span style="font-style: italic;">Liquid Television </span>recently, and saw the sequence with the <span style="font-style: italic;">Balance </span>guys, and was even going to post about it... but then I read the CB post... so, yeah.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-68870250884611559572008-07-16T18:36:00.000-07:002008-07-16T19:00:51.864-07:00Balance and Sega-CD adSo, here's something I've been meaning to talk about for a while, even before I started this blog. It's been bugging the hell out of me.<br /><br />I saw the Oscar-winning German animated short film <span style="font-style: italic;">Balance</span> (1989) when I was about nine. It was one of those shorts that really got me into foreign animation, and also helped to show me what the medium of animation is capable of.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJWT3p7uM6Y&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJWT3p7uM6Y&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />While watching videos on YouTube, I stumbled across this (the part I'm talking about comes in after 45 seconds) :<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mhBEZMe_1i0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mhBEZMe_1i0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The similarities can't be denied. The look of the characters, their actions, the object of interest that is in front of them... well, you be the judge. It's worth noting that this is the European Sega CD commercial, and this may have something to do with it. I really have no idea if the two are related, or if it was a work of plagiarism. I can't find any info about it anywhere, and yet I feel like I'm being stupid by wondering. Hopefully I'll figure this out...Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-82585894383015954312008-07-02T22:48:00.000-07:002008-07-02T23:00:51.589-07:00Worst. Birthday Present. Ever.<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014775/">This movie</a> is coming out the day after my birthday. Wonderful. It should be a double feature, right after <span style="font-style: italic;">Space Chimps. </span><br /><br />They should just stop making movies. Now. Like, everyone should just stop making movies. They all need a movie time out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj10lXyg-2Q">Here's the trailer</a>, if you dare, although I strongly suggest <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS3GiMoAkYA">the much more entertaining version</a>, which accurately shows how most (not stupid) people, including myself, felt about the film.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-79005746999014882212008-06-17T23:08:00.000-07:002008-06-18T00:15:58.681-07:00AFI's Top 10 Animated Films - Disney Dominates<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpkGg3cHBO9oPJibqBWuO09VPJLZ34risEhO9aQyOxKyF5G_N4GPEzvCQnxuIRJD-Gu0k5sEUf515fJTLfftkhE2Pl7uwLXVWQr5EwBrKEZpslZt3191I2qY4uGlyE80DGF5V0kVf1r4/s1600-h/afianimation.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpkGg3cHBO9oPJibqBWuO09VPJLZ34risEhO9aQyOxKyF5G_N4GPEzvCQnxuIRJD-Gu0k5sEUf515fJTLfftkhE2Pl7uwLXVWQr5EwBrKEZpslZt3191I2qY4uGlyE80DGF5V0kVf1r4/s320/afianimation.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213111076027619106" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So I was watching AFI's 10 Top 10 on CBS. They had a good lineup of gangster movies, romantic comedies, epics, westerns, etc. It was a little slapped together, but that's sort of to be expected, and I personally think top 10 lists are kind of flawed anyway.<br /><br />However, I shrugged at their list of animated films. <a href="http://www.afi.com/10top10/animation.html">Here's the website if you're interested.</a><br /><br />1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs<br />2. Pinocchio<br />3. Bambi<br />4. The Lion King<br />5. Fantasia<br />6. Toy Story<br />7. Beauty and the Beast<br />8. Shrek<br />9. Cinderella<br />10. Finding Nemo<br /><br />First off, as many people will also point out, animation is not a genre, but an art/medium/craft. Second of all, what's with all the Disney/Pixar, and why is <span style="font-style: italic;">Shrek</span> the exception? And finally, why is <span style="font-style: italic;">Shrek</span> placed above <span style="font-style: italic;">Cinderella</span>?<br /><br />The segregation of animation and live action is really part of American culture, viewing it as children's entertainment, etc. It's also to make room for more live action films in the other categories, since live action does dominate in film history. However, if we're looking at Disney animation, those common labels of "for the kiddies," fairy tales, and the like are actually true.<br /><br />Disney <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>animation and cartoons in the mind of many Americans, it can't be helped.<br /><br />The list seems to have been put together by film enthusiasts. It includes classic directors like Cukor, Wilder, Hitchcock, and even includes a few silent films. So you'd think they would have at least included<span style="font-style: italic;"> Nightmare Before Christmas </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">Who Framed Roger Rabbit</span>. Maybe <span style="font-style: italic;">Wizards </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">Fritz the Cat </span>even, but of course, surrounded by so much Disney, it would feel creepy to TV audiences.<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>You sure as hell wouldn't see <span style="font-style: italic;">Allegro non Troppo</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Coonskin</span>, or <span style="font-style: italic;">The Thief and the Cobbler </span>on there.<br /><br />Like comics, animation will only be truly understood and appreciated by nerds. It's a fact I've come to accept. I'm actually quite proud to be a nerd. It's not like I ran into Platform screaming "excelsior!" But, of course, if everyone in the world loved Wizards and Allegro non Troppo, I'd be sick of them and not want to watch them anymore. So it works out in the end.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-33472044848796124832008-04-10T01:40:00.000-07:002008-04-10T02:25:36.540-07:00Emru, Monsters vs. Aliens, Comics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurjOwDym4nwsN_1LKCb6pK35-Ev1XZuWSqkQd1pQ1SvEs-C7oTzmSvSvLIXuinhuTd89F3nOVcTOvfjiEMfJCP-sqOZ4Z0kkAUalPkzD_pU-yHo3R-TBaAJeuhj0KaR3_JjiBTWv4sb4/s1600-h/placeholder.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurjOwDym4nwsN_1LKCb6pK35-Ev1XZuWSqkQd1pQ1SvEs-C7oTzmSvSvLIXuinhuTd89F3nOVcTOvfjiEMfJCP-sqOZ4Z0kkAUalPkzD_pU-yHo3R-TBaAJeuhj0KaR3_JjiBTWv4sb4/s320/placeholder.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187541460025808946" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Before I start the post, I just want to remind whoever might be reading this to visit <a href="http://healemru.com/">HealEmru.com</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So I went to a forum recently. We'll just call it "the fight club." On it, I made the following post, and I thought it was interesting to hear what random people had to say about this. I kind of got the idea from reading <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/my-favorite-animated-films">this post on Cartoon Brew</a>. Just want to hear what casual animation fans had to say.<br /><br />The post:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielsh9vMM2_GsAKtPzHzV7N1MtHTaiQH_EAhIGhCuHI9EfMwECqC2Gy62l0pICbz_v7q1sWvuKXv_21-oVZlrsYLMnaeT51lj4OPgg-CxCv9q_OKed-zLoOSZR5AIS49sK0sV169xPKUQ/s1600-h/monstersaliens.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielsh9vMM2_GsAKtPzHzV7N1MtHTaiQH_EAhIGhCuHI9EfMwECqC2Gy62l0pICbz_v7q1sWvuKXv_21-oVZlrsYLMnaeT51lj4OPgg-CxCv9q_OKed-zLoOSZR5AIS49sK0sV169xPKUQ/s320/monstersaliens.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187534519358658594" border="0" /></a>So here's a CG movie that isn't Shrek 5 or a crazy animal adventure. It's called Monsters vs. Aliens...<br /><br />Anyone got anything to say? I think it looks pretty cool... and it doesn't creep me out like every character in the Shrek movies.<br /><br />Comments on the post:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"just another piece of shit im gonna hate and everyone is going to love"</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Reply: "You must have a miserable life."<br /> Reply: "</span>no i just dont like pixars work"<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span>WE MUST CAPTURE THAT GIANT WOMAN FOR..... RESEARCH"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Goddamn viral marketing..."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"It'll either be really awesome or fall flat on its face. There really doesn't seem to be an in-between for this movie."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I'm sure it will be filled with random humor and pop-culture references, thus making it a huge hit at the box office."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"That fish monster is going to have the voice of a wacky black comedian and he'll be making American Idol jokes left and right."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"So Mirage, Grey Matter, Bloo and the dog from Johnny Test team up to stop a giant chipmunk and the Blue Angels."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span><span>Other forum users replied to the aforementioned comment saying things like, "i cant unsee it!" Upon further inspection, it's true. That's what it looks like. And I'm really sad that I actually know what the dog from Johnny test looks like.</span><span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br />I thought the response was interesting, and worth posting...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETGQnwtyEjxvkg5FmoHJDRYJi_CqzJEM2kEJGZ-FUGk-g7DSkEFcP_s-a78pFGn-FDHbo4qwumlQHbMRkG-R4_jB8qw1VGkVA6jdeqnHvvt-FdSTXxy4m5WfWck9aW4NSV4gb53uqrT8/s1600-h/scott_mccloud.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETGQnwtyEjxvkg5FmoHJDRYJi_CqzJEM2kEJGZ-FUGk-g7DSkEFcP_s-a78pFGn-FDHbo4qwumlQHbMRkG-R4_jB8qw1VGkVA6jdeqnHvvt-FdSTXxy4m5WfWck9aW4NSV4gb53uqrT8/s320/scott_mccloud.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187544346243831874" border="0" /></a>On another note, I'm enrolled in a class called Understanding Comics Art, taught by Diana Schutz, Editor in Chief for Dark Horse Comics. It's a very informative class, and I'm having a lot of fun.<br /><br />The great part is that we get to read comics for homework, including <span style="font-style: italic;">Understanding Comics </span>by Scott McCloud, <span style="font-style: italic;">Last Day in Vietnam, </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Maus</span>, among other great works. Diana knows the medium of comics inside and out, and was even a good friend of the late, great Will Eisner.<br /><br />What's crazy is that this is a community college class. Yeah...Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-51677752521182302612008-04-04T04:22:00.000-07:002008-04-04T04:34:19.681-07:00Heal EmruI don't have any traffic on this blog.<br /><br />I've posted an important message on my old blog.<br /><br />Maybe there is some embarrassing high school stuff on there, but that's not the point.<br /><br />Since this is an animation-related blog, if you're reading this at all, you should know who Emru is.<br /><br />If not, go to <a href="fpsmagazine.com">fpsmagazine.com</a>, <a href="healemru.com">healemru.com</a>, or <a href="http://checkeredgeek.livejournal.com/">my blog post</a>. This is <span style="font-style: italic;">very </span>important. He has an amazing website called FPS Magazine. He has been diagnosed with leukemia. Go to the given links and get information on what you can do.<br /><br />If people actually read this blog, I would have made this message more like the one on <a href="http://checkeredgeek.livejournal.com/">my livejournal</a>...Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-69424523261272218682008-03-14T01:51:00.001-07:002008-03-22T15:03:08.617-07:00New Website...brain soup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrun8MUHw34k0D2TS6Teq_koqhD9utFq5gapF6m_P8Ha59_AaJ4ZNizFyBEcJdQ7scud22y5skGV22XskUJQs0G_FRQX7o2iEQ6X8LoPy2X5HF0xPgFXKP6b_G4-Y72TP1v-5nUo2YUU/s1600-h/zachlogo.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrun8MUHw34k0D2TS6Teq_koqhD9utFq5gapF6m_P8Ha59_AaJ4ZNizFyBEcJdQ7scud22y5skGV22XskUJQs0G_FRQX7o2iEQ6X8LoPy2X5HF0xPgFXKP6b_G4-Y72TP1v-5nUo2YUU/s320/zachlogo.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177517581193978930" border="0" /></a><br />I've just completed my website, 'brain soup,' which can be found here: <a href="checkeredgeek.freehostia.com">checkeredgeek.freehostia.com</a><br /><br />It showcases some of my artwork, animation and embarrassing film projects from high school. The website should expand over time with more of my creative... things...<br /><br />Some of the design is a little inconsistant, and there are some mistakes, which I hope to fix soon.<br /><br />There are also things I say that I will probably change later, if I'm not too lazy. I said some things about Jim Tyer's animation being "just plain weird," which I don't think does it justice, so apologies to any Tyer fans out there-- I was in a hurry. Also, I'm not so sure about putting my work from high school in there... it's a little embarrassing.<br /><br />Whatever the case, I have a website now... only thing to do now is get an actual domain name... and unfortunately, brain soup isn't the most original name out there.<br /><br />But hey, it's a start.<br /><br />I guess I should get a domain some day...Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-48155515795298372412007-12-01T05:50:00.001-08:002007-12-01T05:52:33.998-08:00Not cartoon related<a href="http://www.marksinfinitesolutions.com/default.asp">Infinite Solutions with Mark Erickson</a><br /><br />I find this website amazing... just... amazing...<br /><br />I'll say it again...<br /><br />Amazing.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/brdmnUBAS00&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/brdmnUBAS00&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-40302096639400702972007-11-24T14:03:00.001-08:002007-11-24T14:04:33.380-08:00Ugly Drawings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv_JGq75aLJ_48UESxwzcntMao7ZVNheJ1xKibdOD7c82K-txZKHp3_xuSMykaMNfuEr5AANeac-VDQbLYJJDMS-pa6_VGPaSb53C_RychjFxqD1ITHxjYo1Ib7hHLg1mqLzj2vsgmY4/s1600-h/zachdrawing.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv_JGq75aLJ_48UESxwzcntMao7ZVNheJ1xKibdOD7c82K-txZKHp3_xuSMykaMNfuEr5AANeac-VDQbLYJJDMS-pa6_VGPaSb53C_RychjFxqD1ITHxjYo1Ib7hHLg1mqLzj2vsgmY4/s320/zachdrawing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136531106028150754" border="0" /></a><br />But they're my ugly drawings.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-72140275055684675122007-11-20T12:48:00.000-08:002007-11-20T13:13:53.117-08:00uhhSo, the reason no one reads this blog is simply because I don't put it out there at all. I don't post it in my Cartoon Brew comments, and I don't give the address to my friends. I think the next step, really, is to get my creative stuff on here as soon as possible. Maybe I'll seem like less of a loser.<br /><br />So, I've been listening to some of the 50's production music that was used for <span style="font-style: italic;">The Ren and Stimpy Show. </span>This makes me super geeky.<br /><br />Which brings me to the main point of this post: my love for cartoons and my love for music. I really don't know which is more important in my life, especially when the two go so well together. Carl Stalling and Raymond Scott are two of my biggest heroes, as well as Sammy Timberg and the other people involved in the music for the Fleischer studio.<br /><br />And how can you not like the Cab Calloway Betty Boop cartoons?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4h-KnBpEKJA&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4h-KnBpEKJA&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />My interest in cartoons and music goes together very well, but I'm starting to think music is more of my primary interest, although it has switched back and forth.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-62264361892699500922007-11-16T13:43:00.000-08:002007-11-16T14:05:58.409-08:00A New PostHey, a new post!<br />I decided I might as well continue this blog, just as a record of my animation research. You know, to help me deal with my obsession. It's not really going to be a place to showcase my own animation for the time being, mainly because I'm busy with college and all the post-high school crap. I could come up with more excuses... my animation stand is covered in DVDs... my camera sucks.<br /><br />Anyway, I wanted to post about one of my new favorite animators, Milton Knight. He's worked for Ralph Bakshi, as well as DiC. Now, up until now, I've disregarded everything made by DiC, with the exception of John K's <span style="font-style: italic;">New Adventures of Beany and Cecil</span>. Well, I was doing some research on Jim Tyer, and somehow I stumble upon this guy named Milton Knight.<br /><br />The guy has worked on the pilot for <span style="font-style: italic;">The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog</span>, which doesn't sound impressive at first, until you see what he did with it. Things worth noting: 1) Gary Owen's voice can be heard (voice of Space Ghost and Powdered Toast Man). 2) Ed Love, who worked on Tex Avery's <span style="font-style: italic;">Swing Shift Cinderella</span>, also worked on this show. My mind has been blown!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m66U1gcDuD0&rel=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m66U1gcDuD0&rel=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />It's very fitting that he ended up directing episodes of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat.<br /><br /></span><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QjAPiJS8iyg&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QjAPiJS8iyg&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Anyway<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>, I think this guy is great.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-53022641262577316922007-07-31T00:41:00.000-07:002007-07-31T01:13:07.675-07:00Animation Conversation... Overwhelming.First I saw <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/events/overheard-in-san-diego"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">this.</span></a><br /><br />That almost made me cry.<br /><br />Then I remembered watching this:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k8Ss4voCwzI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k8Ss4voCwzI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Where a kid from the 80's talks about how great Transformers was... oh god... (for the record, I like his videos most of the time).<br /><br />So I drowned myself in Flip the Frog and Bugs Bunny.<br /><br />Then I saw <a href="http://uncleeddiestheorycorner.blogspot.com/2007/07/asbergers-and-tourettes-syndrome.html">this.</a><br /><br />Then I thought, "Aren't all these animation-related people nerds too?"<br /><br />I was also kind of sad that people still don't understand autism.<br /><br />I love the animation blogger community, and I check Cartoon Brew all the time. But all these blogs get overwhelming.<br /><br />There's nothing wrong with being a nerd, it's just better if you're a nerd about cartoons from the 40's, and not cartoons from the 80's. Those 80's cartoons were bad, and kids from that generation can't give them up.<br /><br />All these animators and animation-related people are nerds themselves, and that's okay!<br /><br />And I also thought about how Jhonen Vasquez and JR Goldberg made a book together, and how weird that is. But that's something else I should talk about elsewhere.<br /><br />But... wow, I'm tired, and I just had to type this all out...<br /><br />I should go to bed.<br /><br />All these opinions...<br /><br />In the 40's, they didn't have blogs or political correctness... or something...<br /><br />OK, I'm starting to sound like Seymour, from Ghost World... sort of... who is also a nerd.<br /><br />OK, I REALLY have to go to bed now!<br /><br />...so many scattered thoughts...Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-25154889669984239632007-06-27T01:01:00.000-07:002007-06-27T01:16:54.202-07:00Change, Platform Animation FestWell, last time I posted, I was a very different animator wannabe. I'm really not sure what I was thinking. I've changed now...<br /><br />I'm currently attending the Platform Animation Festival, and it's just great. I got Jerry Beck to sign my first edition copy of his Looney Tunes guide that he co-wrote with Will Friedwald. When I told him I'd had it since I was eight, he said, "that's maybe the scariest thing I've ever heard."<br /><br />I saw several animators there such as Bill Plympton and Will Vinton (his mustache is hard to miss). My animation teacher, Sharon Niemczyk introduced me to a few professional animators, and I got some good advice. People seem to keep telling me I should go to CalArts. Guess I'd better make a portfolio...<br /><br />So far, everything is great. I got to see films by Mark Kausler and Nick Cross. Kausler's "It's the Cat" was brilliant. Hand drawn and painted, and a great tribute to his favorite animation.<br /><br />Nick Cross's film was very funny. There weren't many people at the theater, but this cartoon had the best reaction, I think. It was great.<br /><br />So, yeah, I think it's going well. I hope it goes on every year here in Portland forever.Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662570758870465055.post-91437754397989180122006-11-30T13:33:00.000-08:002006-11-30T13:56:13.658-08:00Okay, Guys, I'm Serious Now!<span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">Okay, so I'm a short, geeky cartoonist wannabe. I live for cartoons. I love film too, but unfortunately, I reserve so much time for watching animation that there are a lot of movies I have not seen. A friend once criticized me for never seeing the movie <em>Snatch</em>. Another yelled at me for not seeing <em>Apocolypse Now. </em>It was hard to explain, for some reason, that I'm just too obsessed with watching cartoons and studying animation. Just the other day, I went to a used video store and bought <em>American Pop</em>, some old Betty Boop cartoons (some of the weirder ones, actually), and a crappy $5 DVD of Felix the Cat, as well as some very obscure cartoons by Van Beuran, a short lived studio in the 1930s. I had no real reason for getting these DVDs, other than to add to my collection. Also, my girlfriend loves music, so I thought she'd like to see <em>American Pop</em>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;">The point of this blog is for my... "art," if you're going to call it that. My animation teacher actually said to me, when reviewing one of my essays, to capitalize the word. I think her point was it made it look more important.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">But I'm not going to take myself that seriously. I'm just going to post about my current projects and my weird ideas. I did some of that on my LiveJournal blog, but I'm sort of abandoning it, since I've had it since eighth grade, so there's some teen angst crap in there that I'm kind of embarassed about. But there's also some stuff in there about my frustration with people who don't get that animated and live action films are equal, such as Hunter S. Thompson's wife, who didn't want Ralph Bakshi doing her husband's movie, since she wanted it to be live action. Think about Ralph Steadman's art coming to life on-screen... Johnny Depp and Terry Gilliam did a fine job as usual, but I think using elements of animation in the film would have made it more interesting, especially with all the halucinations going on. Bakshi's rotoscoping technique would have been ideal. Ironically, Terry Gilliam used to do the animated sequences for Monty Python's Flying Circus, as well as their movies. Funny how that works out.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://galletas.blogia.com/upload/20060517053725-de-payaso-empezo-en-bisabuelo-y-acabaron-triunfando-y-todo.jpg" border="0" /><br />Here's a little article:<br /><a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A101797">http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A101797</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Whoa, I got kind of off topic there... um... I was gonna' talk about my other post where I discuss my purchas of a 16mm copy of <em>Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs</em>, directed by Bob Clampett<em>. </em>I explained why I bought it for it's historical significance, and it's legendary animation that made it what many critics call Bob Clampett's "masterpiece," and it is something to behold... unless you just can't keep the historical context in mind and not be offended. I don't blame you either, but these films still need to be preserved, because they're part of history.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Alright, that's my first post. I promise that future posts will be more focused. In the meantime, go see my pencil test for the project I'm working on... oh, I need to upload more of those...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Here it is: <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ozyg6kstzRc">http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ozyg6kstzRc</a></span>Zach Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011352521665205305noreply@blogger.com0