Animation Nation

Here's an impressive project in progress by a new member on the AN Forums. Hauke Scheer posted this in the Gallery along with production stills from the video. Check out Mechawhales, an interesting and unique action adventure concept.

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Here's a real gem. It's the Disney lot in Burbank back when the studio was brand spanking new in 1941. Years prior to the digital production age, the process of sound design was all hands on. Take a look at what they went through to generate sound effects on an animated film seventy one years ago. The Forum topic can be found here.

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If you've been following AnimationNation over the years, you may recall the activity we had as a result of the late Roy Disney's battle with Michael Eisner from 3002 into 2005 over the control and destiny of the Disney Company, and then finally culminating with the merger between Disney and Pixar. One of the things Roy Disney was fighting for was the preservation of the studio's legacy with the production of traditional hand drawn animation. The movement he started was called SaveDisney. 

During that time in Wisconsin in the upper Midwest of the US, Tom Hignite took Roy's mission to heart and embarked upon the formation of Miracle Studios which has been dedicated towards continuing classic hand drawn animation. His project and lead character, Miracle Mouse, is an offshoot of Tom's primary business as a home builder. Tom's been a supporter of AnimationNation for many years and we appreciate and enjoy his participation with the site, as well as his commitment to bring the miracle of an animated Miracle Mouse to families everywhere.

Here's a promotional video that Tom's produced. To see Tom's comments and a further explanation of what he's up to, follow this link. 

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We heard from Bent Image Lab in Portland, Oregon. They've just completed a project for Coca-Cola that was directed by Carlos Lascano.

The spot was created in cinema stereoscopic 3D using a very innovative, highly technical production technique that has never been seen in Cinema Stereo 3D before. They combined emotive live action eyes with stylized 3D CGI animated characters. The process was a difficult challenge and they did a great job with this feat. “The Spirit of Euro” features the craziness of soccer fans during the Euro Cup. You can find more info along with stills from the commercial here. Enjoy the fine animation...

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Let's celebrate our first celebration of St. Patrick's Day on AN's new homepage format through a charming animated short. From the "Give Up Yer Aul Sins" series from Monster Entertainment Distribution, "The Story of St. Patrick" in which a little school girl's audio track from the 1960s is used to tell the narrative. You can also head over to the Forum topic for a couple of unique St. Paddy's Day videos to go green with.  

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Hello friends, happy to share this with you as an AN exclusive. Thanks to the one and only Chance Raspberry, we're able to showcase video of the great Ralph Bakshi from an appearance yesterday, march 15, 2012 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The occasion being the 35th anniversary of the release of his landmark animated feature film "Wizards" in 1977. You can find the Forum topic here where Chance has left his remarks regarding the video. Enjoy the historic moment...

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iAnimate.net has announced their new Games Workshop series, slated to begin in May 7, 2012. A leading online school for animation training, iAnimate.net has developed a curriculum that includes top professional animators from different gaming studios as instructors for their Games Workshop program . They'll share the knowledge, experience and techniques they've used to create many of the most thrilling games in the market. Students will learn the principles of animation and also the lingo, process and workflow needed to work at a professional level in video game development. For more info follow this link.

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This past January 19th I featured a trailer for "The Chase" here on AN's homepage. Happy to report that it's now in the can and available for everyone to view in its entirety. Directed by Phillipe Gamer of Space Patrol, check out the incredible job they did on this film. The official website for The Chase can be found here, and here's the Facebook page as well. The Forum topic is here. 

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The sad news came in over the weekend that we lost one of the great artists of our time. Moebius has passed away at age 73. There's more info on the Forums. In 2010 at the annual CTN eXpo in Burbank, John Musker of Disney Studio fame conducted an interview with Moebius as he was the featured guest at the event. Here it is in its entirety...

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In the first ever game announcement from space for a video game, NASA astronaut Don Pettit on board the International Space Station gives us a lesson and a look at how gravity affects objects in orbit thanks to the Angry Birds franchise. We also get a sneak peek at the next Angry Birds game on the way. Forum topic is here.

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