Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you “Darth Mater” a one of a kind Star Wars and Cars Die Cast Mashup from Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Mattel. Tell me you don’t want this now. Alright, everyone put your pocket books down for a minute. There’s only one… Read More »Darth Mater Strikes Back – Die Cast Tow Mater Star Wars Mashup
Some very sad news to impart tonight. Jenny Lerew and a host of other animation sites are paying tribute to Ollie Johnston, who died today at the age of 95 in Sequim, Washington. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Ollie was the last… Read More »Ollie Johnston, last of Walt’s Nine Old Men, Disney Animator dead at 95
Gina Keating of Reuters writes about Disney using hand-drawn "two-dimensional" a.k.a. "traditional" animation. Hand-drawn animation, out of fashion in the computer age, experienced a rescue worthy of a fairy tale on Thursday, when Walt Disney animators announced they would bring back the art form to the big screen. "We will be bringing back hand-drawn (two-dimensional)… Read More »Disney Open to Multiple Animation Methods
When Michael Eisner came on board as CEO of the Walt Disney Company one of the first decisions he made about the future of Animation at the company was to send John Lasseter and his Computer Generated Animation experiment packing. Disney may not have liked… Read More »Found: An Important Moment in Animation History
The shockwaves from Pixar Animator and Story man Joe Ranft’s death continue to spread across the internet and the world. Searches on his name now rank number 3 on technorati and reflections on how Ranft’s work and life continue to be posted. Ranft’s death is immensely sad news for the creators and fans of animation… Read More »Joe Ranft: the legacy…
Tributes, remembrances, and eulogies for the late great Joe Ranft are pouring in. I’ll try and link to as many as I can here:
Pixar Animation Blog: "Joe Ranft is remembered as a jovial, encouraging mentor who made
working at Pixar a joy. He will be missed incredibly but his characters
and work will serve as a wonderful legacy."
Cartoon Brew: "Joe was the finest of the new generation of animation story tellers. I
was lucky enough to work with Joe at both Disney and Pixar, and he
always amazed me with his ability to tell a story. What a terrible loss
for all of us who love animation." – Floyd Norman
LaughingPlace.com: Rhett Wickham has a moving essay, "Not since the late Bill Peet has any one story artist made such consistent, significant contributions to animated film, and his presence leaves an immeasurable void in the industry, particularly at Pixar, where he enjoyed the undying respect, admiration and love of his peers.
Enrico’s PhotoJournal: "We are all hit hard by this sudden news and we’re all beyond sadness here
at the studio. Joe’s contribution to Animation has been immense and far reaching. He taught and mentored a whole generation of creators, I can’t even begin to describe how dearly he will be missed."
Tara’s livejournal: "I’d never seen an entire company come screeching to a halt the way it did today. It was sobering, though also sort of beautiful. I’m sure Joe would have been pleased to know how loved he was. He probably would have said something funny in his "Heimlich" voice.
Tirade: "Joe is the very best story man ever and the best human being I’ve known
in animation. He is mentor, friend and inspiration to all of us who do
this job."
James Baker: "Whereas many people that I have worked for elsewhere lead by making you feel that you are inadequate and have a long way to go, Joe had a way of making you feel smart and capable, and as a consequence his crew wanted very much to rise to the level of his confidence in them."
Maverix Studios: "He was the great story guru and heart of Pixar Animation Studios . It is truly impossible to summarize the influence Joe has had on all of us in the animation and film industry. Our hearts go out to all of his family and friends….we’ll miss you Joe."
Animated News: "In a statement released Wednesday, Pixar said ‘Joe was an important and beloved member of the Pixar family, and his loss is of great sorrow to all of us and to the animation industry as a whole’."
Hollywood Reporter: "Born in Southern California in 1960, Ranft was a classmate of director John Lasseter’s at the California Institute of the Arts in the 1970s. After two years at CalArts, he joined Disney in 1980. He joined Pixar in 1992."
Jim Hill Media:"here was a guy who was still operating at the top of his game. Who was rabidly pursued by virtually every major animation studio in the business. Not just because Joe was a top storyman. The type of guy who could wade into a truly troubled picture and quickly help to turn it around. But because Mr. Ranft was sweet & funny & kind & great to hang around with"
[ttags: pixar, disney, animation, joeranft, ranft, death, obituary, tribute, emeryville ]
Animation World Magazine has compiled a growing list of touching tributes to the animation legend Frank Thomas. This archive includes transcriptions of speeches given by John Lasseter and Andreas Deja as well as Leonard Maltin’s interview with Ollie Johnston from the company’s tribute to Frank Thomas, which took place at the El Capitan Theatre.
The Incredibles, a review
Theatrical Release: November 5, 2004 / Running Time: 115 Minutes / Rating: PG
Pixar has been batting 1000 with their animated feature films until now. Without being formulaic, the creative minds in Emeryville have managed to hit upon the recipe for fantastic success with each new release. The Incredibles is the least formulaic feature yet and likely to be the most successful.
Not content to stand on their successes of the past, Pixar brought in the team from the new classic animated film, The Iron Giant. Director Brad Bird and his team of storytellers and artists admittedly had little to no experience with computer generated animation, Pixar’s specialty. This meant they had no idea of the limits of the media and were able to push the boundaries of CG animation to new and exciting places.