Post #50, One Year Anniversary

I can't believe I have been blogging for a whole year. It doesn't seem that long.
For this anniversary I wanted to show you something special.
I am an artist myself and selected these old life drawings and three still drawings from a few years ago. I hope to post more artwork in the future.

Chuck Jones

Like most of you I am a HUGE fan of Chuck Jones. He turns 103 today.
As one of the most celebrated director in the history of animation, Chuck Jones' masterpieces starring the Warner Bros. cast of characters, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Pepe Le Pew, Wile E. Coyote, and the Road Runner (among others) have taken their rightful place among America's most cherished cinematic treasures. Jones' razor-sharp eye for character movement, his legendary sense of timing, and his beguilingly irreverent wit have combined to create some of the classic cartoons of all time, including these classic films released by Warner Bros.: Bully for Bugs, Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century, Duck Amuck, Rabbit Seasoning, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, Robin Hood Daffy, A Scent of the Matterhorn, and Feed The Kitty.
In a career that spanned over 60 years, Jones made over 250 animated films, won three Oscars as director and in 1996 an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, and was nominated for six others. Among the many awards and recognitions, one of those most valued was the honorary life membership from the Directors Guild of America.
During the Golden Age of animation Jones helped bring to life many of Warner Bros. most famous characters—Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig. The list of characters he created himself includes Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Marvin Martian, Pepe le Pew, Michigan J. Frog and many others. He also produced, directed and wrote the screenplays for “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” a television classic, as well as the feature-length film “The Phantom Tollbooth.” In addition, Jones was a prolific artist whose work has been exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide.
Jones often recalled a small child who, when told that Jones drew Bugs Bunny, replied: “He doesn’t draw Bugs Bunny. He draws pictures of Bugs Bunny.” His point was that the child thought of the character as being alive and believable, which was, in Jones’ belief, the key to true character animation.
Born on September 21, 1912 in Spokane, Washington, Jones grew up in Hollywood where he observed the talents of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and worked occasionally as a child extra in Mac Sennett comedies.
After graduating from Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles (now California Institute of the Arts, or CalArts) Jones drew pencil portraits for a dollar a piece on Olvera Street. Then, in 1932, he got his first job in the newly emerging and fledgling animation industry as a cel washer for former Disney animator, Ubbe Iwerks. It was at Ub Iwerks that he met Dorothy Webster, to whom he was married in 1932.
In 1936 Jones was hired by Friz Freleng as an animator for Leon Schlesinger (later sold to Warner Bros.). Jones admired and revered Freleng for the rest of his life, saying, “No one except Tex Avery had as perfect a sense of timing as did Friz Freleng.”
In 1937 his daughter, Linda, was born. When he directed his first film, The Night Watchman, Jones became the youngest director at Warner Bros.
He worked with and for directors Tex Avery and Bob Clampett until the early forties when they left the studio, and for the remainder of his years at Warner Bros. he worked in parallel with directors Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson. He remained there until the animation department studio was closed in 1962.
During those years, sometimes referred to later as the Golden Years of Warner Bros. animation, arguably some of the most enduring cartoons ever made were produced; most of them still enjoying worldwide recognition daily.
When Warner Bros. closed, and after a very short stay at the Disney Studios, Jones moved to MGM Studios, where he created new episodes from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. While there, in addition to The Phantom Tollbooth and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Jones established his own production company, Chuck Jones Enterprises, in 1962 and produced and directed nine half-hour animated film specials for television including Rudyard Kipling’s Rikki Tikki Tavi, Mowgli’s Brothers, and The White Seal.
In 1965 he created and directed perhaps his most abstract work the acclaimed animated short film The Dot and the Line, which was devoid of any of his famous and familiar character stars -- and won an Academy Award that year for Jones.
After the death of his first wife, Jones met and married the love of his life, Marian Dern, who remained his best friend, lover and companion for the rest of his life.
In the late 70s Jones and his daughter, Linda, pioneered a continuing art business featuring limited edition images created by Jones depicting scenes from his most enduring cartoons. He continued to support his daughter’s business, generously making appearances, drawings, and paintings, in addition to signing countless editions of images, which continue to delight collectors and fans worldwide.
One of his films, the Wagnerian mini epic, What’s Opera, Doc? was inducted into the National Film Registry for being “among the most culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant films of our time.”
In recent years, Jones’ work has been honored at film festivals and museums throughout the world, including a one-man retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His autobiography, Chuck Amuck, appeared in 1989. Chuck Reducks: Drawing From the Fun Side of Life, his follow-up to the first book, was published in 1996.
In 2000, Jones established the Chuck Jones Foundation [now the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity], designed to recognize, support and inspire continued excellence in art and the art of classic character animation. The Center’s vision is to inspire the innate creative genius within each person that leads to a more joyous, passionate, and harmonious life and world. The Center for Creativity is dedicated to re-invigorating the creative spirit through art classes, exhibitions, lectures, and film festivals, all of which spring from the material in the Chuck Jones archive. Jones was a determined saver and his writings, art, and other ephemera from a nine-decade life, along with his philosophy of guiding and nurturing instruction, form the basis of the programs offered.
Director Peter Bogdanovich once explained the enduring appeal of Jones’ work: “It remains, like all good fables and only the best art, both timeless and universal.”
Chuck Jones died at the age of 89 in February 2002, but he leaves a legacy of brilliance, comedy, joy, color, and laughter that will live on forever.

A fine piece of art by Eric Goldberg

Genndy Tartakovsky's Super Cartoony CGI "POPEYE" Animation Test by Sony: My Opinion



It has been one year since Sony released an exclusive animation test of Popeye, a film Genndy Tartakovsky was going to direct after Hotel Transylvania, on YouTube. Around the same time I started this blog, I was going to write a review on the test footage. Due to other blog posts, my personal life and how long this review was, news eventually broke out that Tartakovsky was leaving the Popeye project and moving on to a different film based on an original idea he had. Ever since, I stopped working on this post. I hate missing deadlines. However, I put a lot of work, love and analysis into this, I wanted to finish it. Although Popeye is still in development, I hope Tartakovsky would return to it after Can You Imagine?. This review is in written as if Genndy was still working on it while finishing up Hotel Transylvania 2 (don't forget to see it next week):

It’s no surprise I like the classic Popeye animated cartoons and comic strips.
When I first saw Genndy Tartakovsky’s take on Popeye, I was awestruck. I actually cheered out loud. This is the best 3D animation I've ever seen!
Finally, a modern animation director with a passion and point of view to bring this character to the present day audience - with today’s sensibilities, yet retaining the classic elements from the Segar comic strip and the old Max Fleischer cartoons.
The project is a very personal one for Tartakovsky, who avidly watched old black-and-white Popeye cartoons when he first moved to the U.S. from Russia as a child. Then, when Tartakovsky went to film school, he had the good fortune to be instructed by Gordon Sheehan, one of the animators working at Max Fleischer Studios from 1935 to 1940, when Popeye was made.
"The reason I do animation is to laugh at movement"...THAT right there, is why he is the key to his animation success. If you can make me laugh with movement, I'm sold. He seems extremely passionate about Popeye and I believe that will make it work...hopefully not too many suits interrupt.
Genndy makes his style work brilliantly and likes to approach animation his own way, but I don't want to make it sound like the ol' John K. mindset that "animation must be cartoony".
That being said, he is VERY good at making me laugh with movement and I think this test is great.
I'm in the minority, I think, who LOVED Hotel Transylvania and the movement is just brilliant in that film. Even the typical "dancing scene" didn't bother me because it was so much fun.
I prefer how Genndy seems to think about animation to what John K. seems to profess. John K. is what I would call a zealot; he has extremely particular beliefs about what is and is not valid in cartooning, what is and is not valid in short-form comedy, and he derides those who feel that there is room for all different kinds of animation and storytelling. I doubt many of the "actors with pencils" who worked on Disney features had the kind of contempt and disrespect for John K. or Ren & Stimpy that John K. seemed to have for them or their films.
I get where John K. is coming from. He got his start in animation during one of its lowest points; the 1980s "product placement" half-hour toy commercial era. Working on stuff like Mighty Mouse, that pushed the boundaries of what was commonly green lit for production made him all that much hungrier for "old school" slapsticky, character-driven cartoons. And I share his distaste for the push toward writer-driven rather than artist-driven TV shows. But there is room out there for all kinds of animation. Genndy seems to appreciate both funny action with strong "takes" and visual gags, as well as having an overarching plot, character development, and all that "fancy stuff" that John K. seems to feel interferes with the natural purity of "funny cartoons." I'll take Genndy's mix over John K.'s purity.
The clip, Genndy tells us, is only a test – not part of the film, and the designs aren’t final. So any internet nit-picky-negativity is moot. Wait... wait, where's the pipe?! Really, Genndy? And Popeye's recognizable tattoos?!?!?! Ugh...This is an outrage!!!!!!!! Where's the spinach when you need it? I can't handle this! Why are so many people complaining?? Jeez it's Popeye! What more do you want??
...This is a test animation....Calm down and take a chill pill. This is a test footage that was produced to get the right look and cartoony feel that combines the Segar, Fleischer and Tartakovsky sensibilities. Tartakovsky promised to make the film “as arftul and unrealistic as possible” — and it looks like he delivered. The director of this movie is a good person who used to watch Popeye as a child and has wanted to make a Popeye since he was young. Also he is a skilled director; he made movie greats such as Hotel Transylvania and great cartoons such as Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack. So watch the movie before judging it man. Stop looking for what isn't there and start looking at what is: Fun.
That, and marvelous design - and exaggerated cartoony movement. Genndy has cracked the code – he’s perfected what Pixar, Dreamworks, Blue Sky and Sony Animation itself have inched towards for years: the perfect melding of cartooning with computer graphics.
And it works!
Cartoony is better than "photorealistic" CG all the time. I love anything that pushes CG somewhere new and limitless, and he's doing it PERFECTLY.
And Popeye is the perfect character to demonstrate its possibilities. With the rich mythology of Elzie Segar’s comic strip serial – with its numerous characters, situations and exotic locales – combined with the Fleischer’s screwball animation sensibility and cinematic embellishments (including the continuing use of Spinach, hilarious fight scenes, a memorable theme song and Jack Mercer’s enduring “voice” for the character (though originated by William Costello aka “Red Pepper Sam”)) – there is much great material to mine.
I knew that was Tom Kenny voicing Popeye as soon as I heard him. That is pure genius.. PLEASE KEEP HIM AS THE VOICE ACTOR.
What was that teleporting cat thing? That's Eugene the Jeep. He appeared in the cartoons in the early 40s or so, either just before or just at the start of World War 2. He could teleport, walk on walls and ceilings, and phase through any object. He could "Go anywhere and do anything" Rumor has it that it's partially because of that that the car was called a Jeep, because like Eugene, it could "Go anywhere and do anything".
Let us not forget: Popeye was America’s first super-hero before superheroes were invented. The biggest comic strip character during the depression, Popeye became the number one animated cartoon star – topping Mickey Mouse – in the 1930s.  When the cartoons went to television in the late 50s, Popeye became the number one kids TV cartoon star of the baby-boomer generation.
Why? Why is a middle aged, grizzled, tattooed, pipe-smoking, muscle-bound fighter so popular with kids, adults - and Olive Oyl?  Everyone has their own answer for that. For me - as he did during the depression, World War 2 and the mind-blowing 1960s – Popeye represents the common man, the outcast, the other – one who speaks with his wits and his fists, and comes out on top despite insurmountable obstacles.
We identify with him and want to be him. He’s not handsome or a cover model – he’s us. And, as the Fleischer cartoons and Segar strip recall, he’s great to watch in action and doesn't hesitate to speak his mind (mostly through hilarious ad-libbed mumbles). In short, he’s a real man – warts and all.
Making movies from books, comic strips or old animated series is nothing new. But only semi-recently has it been done with the proper respect to the source material. And when it is – it pays off big for the studio, the filmmakers and most importantly to the public. Genndy attached to Popeye may be the greatest Hollywood match making since Joss Whedon took on The Avengers.
I’m not always a proponent of reviving classic cartoon characters.  There have been some tragic misfires - Mr. Magoo, Dudley Do-Right or Yogi Bear anyone? For a minute, I was thinking it's about time someone made a well-executed Calvin and Hobbes movie, but then I thought Watterson wouldn't allow to make a Calvin movie because he probably doesn't want his works to end like GARFIELD. Need I say more? But popular cartoon stars from the past are now part of American culture, our film history and literary legacy. The great ones don’t deserve to simply live on only in reprint volumes. Their stories must be told again and again and kept alive. Like Zorro, Robin Hood or Superman.
Some classics are better off left alone, but this ain't one of them, and I'm glad they're trying to bring him back. I dunno about you but that entire animation was respectful of the original.  Similar movement, similar humor, no vast changes to body type... if the actual film remains the same it should be a faithful new entry. I was smiling the entire time watching the clip, so if they made a whole movie like that I certainly couldn't complain. That being said, I'm eagerly awaiting Sony's next original film (as in not a reboot or sequel), whatever it ends up being. (please be Medusa please be Medusa please be Medusa!)
I'll admit, I was pretty skeptical of the idea when it was announced but this video really sold me on it. Really wish that they'd put this out before Hotel Transylvania 2 but oh well! That said, does anyone else feel like they've made Popeye a little cutesy? Can't help but feel his voice and his design are a little less gruff then they should be.
Genndy's Popeye clip has gone viral, garnering over 1M views and 95% thumbs up from YouTube viewers worldwide. It made YouTube's top 10 most popular videos over the weekend.
"I'm kind of hoping that the reaction from animation fans will be so loud and so strong that Sony will be eager to put Popeye into production," Tartakovsky said in an interview with the Huffington Post. “That way, once we finish working on Hotel Transylvania 2, we just move on over and begin working on Popeye. And then have that film out in theaters in a year or two.”
This is supposedly an origin story, so maybe it's a younger him I think. He does seem to have more hair than he should. No pipe? No tattoo? No Spinach? I suspect they will address all those questions and hopefully be there in the final product. Removing Popeye's tattoos is like giving Jessica Rabbit a breast reduction surgery. Plus, no one protested Captain Haddock's booze in Tintin. I don't care if you shouldn't "show kids how to smoke" - he doesn't need to smoke from it or anything. He could just have it in his mouth... he can even blow bubbles from it for all I care. Just bring back his tattoos (those was one of the iconic ones) and give him his pipe. Along with the funniest action-packed reboot an American icon ever received. I trust Genndy’s vision on this – and I think you should too.  That’s my “Toot-Toot” cents.
Hooray, it's actually becoming a true movie!
For the love of GOD, complete Samurai Jack's story !!!! Samurai Jack movie when, Genndy? WE NEED A CONCLUSION TO SAMURAI JACK, GENNDY!!!

The Academy Sets to Celebrate 20th Anniversary Tribute to 'Toy Story' October 1st

Oscar winners John Lasseter (Disney-Pixar CCO) and Ed Catmull (Disney-Pixar president) will participate in a live panel discussion celebrating the 20th anniversary of Toy Story - the world’s first entirely computer-animated feature film. The creative duo will take the stage - on Thursday, October 1st, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Actor-director Jon Favreau will moderate the panel, which will also feature additional guests to be announced.
Twenty years after they collaborated on the game-changing, multi-Academy-Award-winning film, director and co-writer Lasseter and executive producer Catmull (who also created the digital animation program that made Toy Story possible) will share behind-the-scenes stories about the challenges they faced as they imagined, invented and problem-solved their way into motion picture history.
Pixar Animation Studios, founded in 1986, was at the vanguard of the computer animation revolution that blurred the lines between art and technology. Toy Story was the company’s first feature film, after years of creating revolutionary software, animated logos and television commercials with Lasseter and Catmull leading the way. The film earned Oscar nominations for Original Song, Original Musical or Comedy Score, and Original Screenplay (the first for an animated film); Lasseter shared in the screenplay nomination as well as received a Special Achievement Award for his inspired leadership of the filmmaking team. Catmull went on to receive an Oscar for his contributions to RenderMan, the software that was instrumental to the creation of Toy Story and the countless computer-animated films that followed.
Tickets for "Toy Story: 20 Years of Being an Animation Game-Changer" are $5 for general admission and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at oscars.org starting today.  The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

Toy Story: 20 Years of Being an Animation Game-Changer

Watch: Animation Icon Glen Keane Demos 3D VR Drawing of Ariel and the Beast on the Future of Storytelling Summit

Animation legend Glen Keane has become an unlikely evangelist for bridging the gap between traditional drawing and new technologies.
Over nearly four decades at Disney, Glen Keane animated some the most compelling characters of our time: Ariel from The Little Mermaid, the titular beast in Beauty and the Beast, and Disney’s Tarzan, to name just a few. The son of cartoonist Bil Keane (The Family Circus), Glen learned early on the importance of holding onto your childhood creativity -- and how art can powerfully convey emotion.
In 2012, the 38-year former veteran Disney animator launched his own production company, Glen Keane Productions, in order to explore new ways to bring animation to life. His first independent project was the Oscar nominated animated short film Duet produced by Google’s Advanced Technology group and available via app for Google and Motorola's interactive storytelling initiative Spotlight Stories last year. Now, for his next experiment, he’s embracing 3-D virtual reality drawing tools, the subject of a new short, Step Into the Page, featuring some of his best known characters, as shown in the video in the player below:

This new, five-minute original clip is created as a promo to coincide with his upcoming appearance at the fourth edition of the invitation-only Future of Storytelling (FoST) Summit that takes place October 7-8 in New York City, with additional Google Spotlight Stories filmmakers still to be announced. The annual Future of Storytelling Summit is always a fascinating event for the insights it offers into the evolving technology and art of storytelling.
The Summit gathers leaders in communications, media, entertainment, and advertising to explore the evolution of storytelling from all angles: creative, technology, critical, formal and financial. Glen is a featured speaker at the summit and is sharing his views on the potential of animation and storytelling with respect to virtual reality technology.
Instead of a paper and pencil, Keane draws life-sized versions of Ariel and Beast in the short with an HTC Vive headset and the 3D painting app called Tilt Brush, (which is now owned by Google). Rather than just being static on a page, he's able to walk around his characters as if they were fully three-dimensional. While drawing in 3-D space is not a new technology, it’s novel to see someone like Keane, who is considered a master of hand-drawn animation, play around with the tools.
For details on the summit, visit its website at www.futureofstorytelling.org.

Glen Keane Demos VR Drawing for Future Summit

China’s Original Force Animation Announces New LA Studio, Makes Int'l Film Production Move and Launches With 3 Animated Features; "Duck Duck Goose" Coming First

Original Force, one of China’s leading, most successful and well-established digital animation service studios with a roster of TV and video game clients including Disney, DreamWorks Television, Sony, Tencent, Activision and Electronic Arts and backed by Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings, has launched a new U.S. based motion picture division and initiated moves to enter the global production scene on its first three animated feature films. Harley Zhao, President and Founder of Original Force, publicly unveiled the features at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles.
To support the company's expansion to Hollywood, Original Force has appointed two of the industry's most respected animation production veterans Sandra Rabins and Penney Finkelman Cox as co-presidents and opened a new production office in Culver City. Rabins and Finkelman Cox were instrumental in the launch of DreamWorks’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s animation branches.
While this is Original Force’s first foray into producing their own features, the studio is hardly a newcomer to the animation world. Founded in 1999 by Harley Zhao, Original Force has become a CGI leader creating high-quality state-of-the-art animation and currently employs over 1,000 people at its offices in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. Original Force made its first foray into Hollywood as the lead animation studio for DreamWorks Animation’s Dragons: Riders of Berk, a television spinoff of DWA’s 2011 Academy Award-nominated feature How to Train Your Dragon. The studio also does a lot of video game work, and has created in-game animation and effects for titles including Grand Theft Auto V, Need for Speed: The Run, League of Legends, and The Sims 3.
One of the most accomplished and successful executive teams in the industry, Rabins and Finkelman Cox have overseen such beloved animated films as Shrek, Prince of Egypt, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Open Season, and Surf’s Up, among others. At Original Force, they have already tapped an accomplished team of veteran artists, writers and filmmakers for their inaugural slate.
First out of the gate, the studio is currently in production on Duck Duck Goose. The film will be directed by Chris Jenkins, who produced DreamWorks Animation’s recent hit feature Home and prior to that had worked as an effects animator at Disney in the 1980s and ’90s. Jenkins wrote the script with Rob Muir (Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue). Finkelman Cox and Rabins are producing the feature along with Viola Chen.
After he’s grounded by an injury, a high-flying bachelor is saddled with two wide-eyed orphans as they come face-to-face with the dangers and beauty of the outside world in the funny and touching animated feature, Duck Duck Goose. Our free-wheeling hero, Peng, rejects the community of his tight-knit flock of geese in an attempt to live life on his own terms. But after he narrowly rescues two young ducklings, Chi and Chao, from an eccentric but deadly cat named Banzou, the two latch onto the Goose like a surrogate father; and with a paralyzing winter on the horizon and the departure of both their flocks, Peng agrees to look after the ducklings out of fear his injury might be discovered by Banzou, and other predators who would prey on a goose who cannot fly. The makeshift trio embarks on a beautiful and dangerous journey through mountains and lakes, bamboo forests, marble caves and deep river valleys to get back to their respective flocks. On the way, Peng must learn to care for the two ducklings despite his independent attitude, all the while evading the hungry and relentless Pallas Cat, who’ll stop at nothing to claim the ducklings he feels entitled to. Peng’s biggest challenge is learning to shed his selfish ways and become the responsible “parent” no one ever thought he could be, including himself.

“There is no one more talented, skilled or experienced in leading animated films than Sandy and Penney,” said Original Force founder and president Harley Zhao in making the announcement. “Each has had an extraordinary career and their track record co-running DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures Animation has given them a completely unique perspective on building a contemporary animation studio from the ground up. They have a love and respect for great stories and relatable characters that is incredibly infectious and which drives our production philosophy. Original Force is proud to have two partners with such impeccable credentials guiding our film team.”

Key Original Force Animation staff (l. to r.): Sandra Rabins, Bob Bendetson, Harley Zhao, Chris Jenkins, John Eng and Penney Finkelman Cox

“When Harley approached us with this unique opportunity, he told us he wanted to build a new creative home for the world’s best storytellers, writers, directors, animators, digital artists and designers,” said Finkelman Cox. “Original Force Animation is a true global operation with a world perspective and whether you are an established filmmaker or an emerging artist with a distinctive and fresh new voice, we want you to think of our company as a new destination where your best work can be nurtured and flourish.”
“Harley has organically grown his business from a small start-up of four to a thriving world-class animation services and production facility that is operating in five cities with a talented team that is nearly 1,000 strong,” said Rabins. “After years of successfully working as a studio-for-hire, Original Force is creating its own content and global IP and we believe we have an inaugural slate that will resonate all over the world.”
Original Force has also announced being in the early stages of development and pre-production on two other features, with the goal of releasing one CG-animated feature approximately every 18 months. OldZilla is directed by Bob Bendetson (a producer on ALF, Home Improvement, and The Simpsons) and co-written with veteran TV sitcom writer Art Everett (Married… With Children). A parody of kaiju and assorted vintage monster movie cliches, the film is about an aging monster who attempts to rally other monsters at a retirement home to terrorize Atlantic City one final time. (The film includes a real estate developer named Ronald Rump…get it?)
King Saurus, the self-proclaimed “Lord of the Stomp,” is unwilling to admit Father Time is nipping at his heels. He wears a scale toupee and spends his days watching newsreel footage of his past destructions. Finally, he leaves his cave and moves into Fading Fast (a senior community in the Bermuda Triangle built exclusively for the “vintage” Chinese monster). The place is run by Miss Petfarkin, a monster who’s obsessed with order and rules. King Saurus is stunned by the listlessness of his fellow behemoths and attempts to liven things up. He ultimately convinces Icarose and Birdy, an old married monster couple, to travel with him to Atlantic City to interrupt the grand opening of Rump Mart, the mega-store of mega-stores. This one last attempt at terrorizing ends up biting these senior citizen behemoths in the butt when Ronald Rump, the tyrannical owner of Rump Mart, brings in King Saurus’ old nemesis, the elderly Chinese monster hunter, Dai Anu. Anu, along with his daughter and granddaughter, arrives in America in order to battle and finally defeat the Lord of the Stomp. The film is produced by Finkelman Cox and Rabins.
QQ Speed, a co-production project with Tencent Holding Limited, based on a popular Chinese online racing game of the same name, will be directed by John Eng (co-director of Rugrats Go Wild); the thrilling action-adventure motion picture concerns a brother-and-sister racing team who risk everything to protect a family legacy.
After legendary racer John Speedman dies during the high-stakes Super Speed Cup 500 race, his son Matt raises his younger sister, Orange, and keeps the doors of famous Speedman garage open. Fourteen years later, Orange has grown into a willful 19-year-old with her father’s passion for fast cars. With the business in trouble, foreclosure seems inevitable until Orange decides to enter the Super Speed Cup 500 and vie for enough cash that would solve their financial woes. At the wheel of her father’s prototype car, Orange is guided by an experimental computer that speaks with John’s voice, personality and racing experience, giving the young woman her first chance to bond with the father she barely knew. But in order to win, she will have to defeat not just the other drivers, but her father’s old rival, Munikula and his son Tristan.
In addition to the three in active production, other films announced in active development include Where The Mountain Meets The Moon based on the Newberry Honor Book by Grace Lin; and Riding Giants, to be adapted by Greg Johnson from his original manuscript.
Original Force is also animating the upcoming Ratchet & Clank feature, a co-production with CNHK, Rainmaker Studios and Blockade - based on the popular Sony Playstation sci-fi/adventure game, in production. Ratchet and his robot pal Clank go back to their roots in this fun and action-filled origin story about the two unlikeliest heroes in the Solana Galaxy. When the pair discovers a nefarious plot to destroy every planet in the galaxy, they enlist a team of colorful warriors known as The Galactic Rangers to stop the evil Chairman Drek from carrying out his deadly plot. Along the way, they learn the value of true friendship, what it really means to be a hero and the importance of knowing yourself. Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Rosario Dawson, Sylvester Stallone, Bella Thorne, James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye and Jim Ward are doing voices.
Marketing expert Peter Adee, formerly president of marketing at Universal and MGM, is consulting with Original Force on the launch of their initial releases.
There is a growing trend for Chinese studios to bring aboard Americans as producers and directors. Mandoo Pictures’ upcoming Rock Dog also boasts an American director, Toy Story 2 and Surf’s Up co-director Ash Brannon.
The Chinese feature animation industry business is rapidly booming over the last few years and the country now produces more animated features than the United States   — in 2013 Chinese animated films totted up about $250 million, which doubled to about $500 million last year and is expected to reach $900 million this year. 2015 has so far seen the unprecedented success of Tian Xiaopeng’s CG family film  Monkey King: Hero is Back, which went on to become the highest-grossing animated feature in Chinese box office history, surpassing every American animated movie ever released in China. Produced by Zhejiang HG Entertainment, the flick has grossed $139 million so far, which is over 50% more than the now No. 2 toon, Kung Fu Panda 2.

WATCH: Richard Williams' Trailer for 'Prologue', New Short Film Begins Its LA Screening at Laemmle Royal on Friday

Sunday morning, award-winning animation legend Richard Williams (The Thief and the Cobbler, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) released the first look at his new, long-awaited six-minute animated short film Prologue. The hand-drawn film, which first debuted at Annecy in June, is a feat of animation mastery; as he has done throughout his illustrious career, Williams pushes the craft in directions that few others dare to venture.
In the preview traler below, the three-time Oscar recipient Dick Williams explains the impetus for Prologue, interspersed with footage from the finished film, and shares his vision on what he's trying to achieve:

In the film, which was conceived as part of a larger project that Williams jokingly refers to as, “Will I live to finish this?,” Prologue depicts a war incident of 2,400 years ago where Spartan and Athenian warriors are locked in a gory battle to the death while witnessed by a little girl. The dialog-free project utilizes natural sounds to complement the intense animation. Williams — who is best known for his work as animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, unfinished feature The Thief and the Cobbler and Academy Award-winning A Christmas Carol adaptation — has worked on the film for a many years in between other projects. It was begun in Canada, continued in west Wales and finally completed this year at the Aardman studios in Bristol, U.K.
The film’s well-received U.S. premiere took place this weekend at the Telluride Film Festival. Prologue, directed by Williams, will begin its Oscar qualifying engagement run beginning this Friday at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles. It will play from Friday, September 11th (beginning at 1 p.m.) through September 17th. It'll screen once a day - but no show times for the matinee screenings or which film its playing with have been announced yet. When I find out more information I will post it in the comments below.
“I’ve gone back to 1900 and drawn each shot on a new sheet of paper. Then it’s polished with state of the art technology. It has taken over 6,000 complex animated life drawings to create this film,” said Williams. Inspired by the works of Kurosawa and silent films, the short breaks animation convention and innovates with movement and space to achieve a dramatic, masterly effect.
Also of note, Imogen Sutton, the producer of Williams’ latest film and longtime collaborator (not to mention his spouse/wife), will be speaking at a Women in Animation event in Burbank tomorrow. More details about how to attend the event can be found on the WIA website.
Click below for a hi-res version of the film’s poster, provided by Richard Williams:

Disney TV Animation Solidifies Exec Ranks with Key Hires and Promotions; Eric Coleman Upped To Sr. VP

Eric Coleman

Following up Disney Television Animation’s most successful year ever, the company has made several key executive appointments to help further the content development pipelines at Disney Junior, Disney Channel and Disney XD.
In recognition of the bold innovation going on at TVA, Eric Coleman has been named Senior Vice President, Original Programming and General Manager, Disney Television Animation; in addition, Jonathan Schneider has been promoted to Vice President, Strategy; Aaron Simpson has joined the company as Vice President, Development; Shane Prigmore has been appointed to the role of Vice President, Creative Affairs; and Bonnie Lemon has joined the company as Vice President, Production.
“Through Eric's selfless leadership and firm grasp on every aspect of storytelling, Jonathan's extraordinarily collaborative style, and Shane's incredible artistic talent, the TV Animation team, led by some of the most innovative minds in the animation industry today, is poised to continue delivering the highest quality creative content,” said Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, in making the announcement. “We're thrilled to welcome Bonnie and Aaron to our Production and Development teams to expertly manage the complexity of TVA's productions, both in development and on air, as we continue to expand our content slate.”
Eric Coleman, who has spearheaded the revival of the division since joining from Nickelodeon in 2008,  will lead the TV animation studio as it embarks on a diversified slate of programming. He will continue to lead Disney's animated television development, casting and music for series seen on Disney Channel and Disney XD. Coleman has spearheaded the development of the Emmy and Annie Award-winning Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts and Gravity Falls and new series Star vs. The Forces of Evil, which with its recent premiere became Disney XD's number-one most watched animated series debut ever in Total Viewers. Coleman, who was previously senior v-p of original series for DTVA, will continue to report to Marsh.
In addition to Coleman’s promotion, two new execs have joined the company and two other people have been promoted. Coleman and crew will be called into service for the studio’s forthcoming series, including The Lion Guard, Elena of Avalor, Tangled, DuckTales, Mickey and the Roadster Racers, and Pickle & Peanut.

Clockwise from upper left: Shane Prigmore, Bonnie Lemon, Jonathan Schneider, Aaron Simpson.

Here are the new Disney TV Animation appointments:

• JONATHAN SCHNEIDER has been promoted to vice president of strategy. Schneider, who joined Disney Television Animation in 2010 as Director, Development and most recently served as Executive Director, Development, will now be responsible for developing and implementing strategic direction and optimizing business operations across the television studio. He will continue to report to Coleman.
• AARON SIMPSON has joined the company as vice president of development. Simpson joins Disney from Mondo Media where he served as Head of Development and executive-produced Fusion TV sketch series Like, Share, Die. He has also produced animation for Warner Brothers, Kids WB, Jib Jab and Sony, and is founder of popular animation websites Cold Hard Flash and Line Boil. In his new role, Simpson will oversee all development activity, both long and short form, manage the development team and work closely with current series in order to ensure a smooth transition of each property from pilot to production. He will report to Coleman.
• SHANE PRIGMORE has been appointed to the role of vice president of creative affairs. Prigmore, who joined Disney Television Animation in 2014 to develop and act as Co-Executive Producer and Creative Director on Tangled, the TV studio's upcoming series based on Walt Disney Animation Studios' acclaimed feature film, will now provide creative input across multiple departments including development, current series and production to spearhead the TV animation studio's efforts to further expand its roster of world-class artists. An Annie Award-winning character designer, Prigmore's credits prior to Disney include The LEGO Movie, How to Train Your Dragon, Coraline and The Croods. He will report to Coleman.
• BONNIE LEMON has joined the company as vice president of production. Lemon joins Disney from DreamWorks Animation where she most recently served as production executive on feature films including Kung Fu Panda 3 and The Penguins of Madagascar. In her new role, Lemon will manage both in-house and outside productions across the Disney Junior slate, streamlining the process from development through post production. She will work closely with key executives, department heads and creative teams and will report to Lisa Salamone Smith, Senior Vice President, Production for Disney Television Animation.

Disney Television Animation is an industry leader in the production of quality animated properties across Disney-branded channels and platforms worldwide with hit series, including the Emmy Award-winning Phineas and Ferb and Sofia the First, the Emmy-nominated Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Wander Over Yonder. The television studio's recently announced upcoming series include The Lion Guard, Elena of Avalor, Tangled, DuckTales, Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Pickle & Peanut and Future-Worm!, as well a Haunted Mansion TV special.

Disney Television Animation recently added ‘The Lion King’ spinoff, ‘The Lion Guard,’ to its upcoming lineup.