Enjoy.

sakari singh

wired

joey ahlbum

brad gake

diego poveda

george pfromm II

Today I was lucky enough to attend an advanced screening of the upcoming Dreamworks film “Kung Fu Panda”. I went into the film trying to keep an open mind. Everything I had seen from the film made it look like a fun film, but I’ve been burned before. This film delivered and then some. It kept me involved and entertained from the opening sequence right through to the end credits (and there is a small bit of animation after the credits… stick around for it).

It’s hard to believe this is the same studio that released “Shark Tale” just a few short years ago. If you remember the promotions for that film, they really promoted the heck out of the all star voice cast. Angelina Jolie and Jack Black, two “Shark Tale” alum appear in this film, but this time the voices seem to fit the characters very well.

Don’t judge the film by its marketing.

The action sequences in the movie were exciting and fast paced. If you enjoyed “Samurai Jack”, then you will really enjoy this film. Many of the action sequences have you feeling out of breath and just blown away by the amount of raw energy exerted by the characters on screen. The poses, timing, and acting choices are all stellar. There are several times in the film where a single pose or facial expression will get a laugh. In my opinion, the animation crew on this movie has managed to out perform any of the other Dreamworks films to date. Animation fans will be wanting to frame by frame this movie.

The character design is marvelous. They really come alive, from their shape and surfaces to the voices and actions. I was impressed by the level of malleability of the characters, with a range of facial expressions and flexible poses not often seen in CG.

Everything from the sets to the props are great to look at, full of tiny details, but all in support of the aesthetic look of the film. The lighting made you feel like you were in peaceful Chinese valley, or a dark isolated prison cave, depending upon the sequence. After leaving the screening, I went directly to the book store and purchased the Art of Kung Fu Panda book.

I was really looking forward to this film, and I wasn’t disappointed. Each department in the Dreamworks pipeline plussed the work of the department before it, just as it should be with any great animated film. In my opinion, “Kung Fu Panda” is right up there with “The Incredibles”. For me, the worst part about today’s screening was the fact that I’ll now have to wait until June 6th to see it again.

Do not miss this film.

Four and a half Fredbots out of five.

-Floyd Bishop

A forum post from Lenny Boudreau’s Channel Frederator RAW:

Is there money to be made making web animations? We all know that the people at the very top of the game are making enough money to pay high price call girls $2000 an hour JUST to drive them around in their limousines, but what about the rest of us?

How many of you do this for a full time living, part time to supplement a “day job”, for occasional chump change, or simply as a hobby? I fall in the “occasional chump change” category. Nothing I do is commissioned. I make animations and videos, post them on certain sites that pay a royalty, and then three to six months later I get a check or a PayPal payment for two or three hundred bucks (minus those PayPal fees).

I think of it as supporting my habit. I guess it’s not bad. I could be spending a crap load more on golf clubs and golf course fees every year. Plus, creating web content means I get to be around my kids more often than if I golfed. My kids love helping out with voice acting or suggesting silly jokes for use in my videos.

What avenues are there? Mobile content. Online greeting cards. AtomFilms. Anything else out there I should look at.

What are you guys doing?

Lenny

So Nick aired “Cheese & Crockers” - not “Land Before Timmy” -  this afternoon. Let’s guess that “Land” will be shown tomorrow. Sorry for the switch. Clearly the work of anti-fairies.

– Eric

New episode today at 5:00 p.m. on Nick.

– Eric

I’m going to be spreading some essays and art like pollen around the flower field that are the new Fredblogs for the next few days. I thought it would be fitting to start with Team Frederator, starting with the head honcho: Fred Seibert.
Take it away Fred!
-Jeaux

Fred Seibert
Cartoons have always made me happy. Gee, I think they make everyone happy.

Crusader Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Tom Terrific, Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Pinocchio,  Ren & Stimpy, Beavis & Butthead, Adventure Time, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Everyone has their own list, but it all adds up to happiness, doesn’t it? I mean, why cartoons? What other choice do we have?

Eric Homan
Why Cartoons? Because I’ve got a disbelief demanding to be willingly suspended.
When I was a kid, my whole world (i.e. whatever spewed out of the boob tube) was one big cartoonish stew of unreality, but it wasn’t due to animation alone. Sure, there was Huck Hound being chased by a giant potato, but the live-action shows I was watching weren’t that much less ridiculous and broad.
I watched Arnold the Pig testify in court, Uncle Martin struggle with whether to return home to Mars, Herman and Lily celebrate their 100th anniversary, and Maxwell Smart best a tribe of angry Indians terrorizing the nation’s capital with a giant arrow.
I can’t name too many live-action shows airing today where those plotlines would be even remotely acceptable.
And I miss that.
At the risk of sounding like an old man with rose-colored glasses, our live-action shows used to be more cartoony.
(I guess you could counter, today, our cartoons are more live-actiony.)
So, “Why Cartoons?”
Well, they’re my number one TV source for those far-fetched, implausible, and preposterous stories I’m so eager to believe in.
Now, if only the Law and Order crew moved to a pineapple under the sea…

Carrie Miller
The CFA staff really debated and thought long and hard about our essay topic this year, and actually, “Why Cartoons?” was one of the first ideas to come up.
We quickly turned away from it, declaring it too vague. After about one million other ideas later, we circled back to “Why Cartoons?” and took another view on it.
We thought about the wide variety of answers and thoughts we would get on this topic and finally decided that “Why Cartoons?” really was the best.
Unfortunately, when I sat down to write this essay, I was really stumped.
I mean, I love cartoons.
I wouldn’t work in any other industry. But why cartoons?
My passion for cartoons didn’t necessarily start in front of the Saturday Morning TV shows. I mean, come on. I was a kid in the ’80s, so there wasn’t a lot to go on.
Then, many years later, along came this little show called The Powerpuff Girls.
Those ruff & tuff girls were so cool. Then, I was hooked on Dexter’s Laboratory, then it was Samurai Jack.
All of these shows hit while I was in college and truly inspired me.
Somehow, God knows how, I ended up here at Frederator Studios. It was at Frederator I realized it wasn’t cartoons I loved. I mean, cartoons are great, but what I really love are cartoonists.
Cartoons are great because great people work on them. Beyond being some of the most creative and amazing artists I’ve met, cartoonists are just such wonderful people. I’ve never met one who isn’t goofy in some way or another.
They don’t take life too seriously, they’re always laughing, and their brains just plain work differently than other humans’. In addition, when you’re talking about cartoons, you’re not usually talking about one cartoonist. You’re talking about an entire TEAM of these goofballs.
Layout artists, storyboard artists, background painters, character designers, animators, and more all have a hand in the finished product you watch on TV. The final cartoon is a beautiful combination of these personalities and talents.
These are the people who make it worth while for me to come to work every day. If I were producing a documentary, or a live action show, I just don’t know that I’d really love what I do.
I truly love working with cartoonists, and that is “Why Cartoons”.

Scott Moschella
The influence of cartoons on my daily life is undeniable. I was raised on a steady diet of cartoons, both the saturday morning and weekday afternoon varieties. Their stories and characters have become a part of me along with their sugary theme songs. Which is fitting because I was also raised on a steady diet of sugared cereal. The random things that I say and do on any given day usually have a hint of wise ass, thanks to Bugs Bunny, and a tinge of idiocy, thanks to Daffy. And I’m always ready to do a horrible rendition of the Duck Tales theme song… ooooweeeeoooo!

Why cartoons? Simply because I don’t think the human race will ever invent a better way to tell a story than cartoons. In cartoons, there’s no limits or special effects budgets. You can cast any actor in any role and you can put them in any situation in any place. Anything is possible. If you can imagine it, you can put it in a cartoon.

And now that I’m a little bit older, I can appreciate all the time and work and love that goes into them which makes them so special - things like background art, sound design and spot-on comedic timing. I love cartoons and would hate to imagine life without them.

Jeaux Janovsky
24 frames (Why oh Why Cartoons?)
A poem writ by Jeaux Janovsky (Beat Cartoonista)

cartoon ink runs thru his veins
cartoon thoughts inside that brain
cartoon movement fuels his limbs

24 frames per second

four fingered fat hands waving goodbye
porkpie hat held oh so high
bulbous nose honking and a blowing
Straighten up that bowtie, seams are a showing

24 frames per second
outta this town

Why Cartoons?
It’s the only life he knew.

Why Cartoons?
It’s the only one he’ll choose.

“All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.”- Walt Disney

What better way to get my feet wet with this cool new blogging platform than with a post of my good friends Nick and Monty, AKA the Gross Brothers.
Every episode would begin with the brothers recounting their latest exploits to their freinds who listen with a mixture of awe and skepticism to these “Tales Beyond Belief!”
joey ahlbum

I found this “making of” video today. It’s more of a publicity piece, highlighting the voice talent, but  it does show some footage that hasn’t been in the trailers before.

One of the coolest things about this film is the fact that Ian McShane plays the part of Tai Lung, the Snow Leopard (the bad guy… or is he?)

You might know Ian McShane from his role as Al Swearengen from HBO’s “Deadwood”.

“Kung Fu Panda” will be in theaters June 6th.

-Floyd Bishop