LAIKA: “Joe Blow”
If you can’t find a Valentine, blow one up. Director Mark Gustafson, known for his ground-breaking stop motion commerical Nissan “Toys,” offers his take on store-bought love. Nelson Lowry, who Art Directed on Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride”, adds a gritty touch to the production. Gustafson has a killer resume and evidently a few Clios, Emmys, and Cannes medals decorating his office. “Joe Blow” premiered (appropriately) in New York’s Museum of Sex.
Formerly called Vinton Studios (of “California Raisin” commercial fame), the newly named LAIKA is a force to be reckoned with in the commercial and film industries.
I was failry familiar with their commercial characters (M&Ms being one of my favorites!), but watching “Joe Blow” has given me new appreciation with the way LAIKA is able to meld fabulous stop motion and CG with unique storytelling.
Thanks to everyone!
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On March 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Some (not so) interesting facts about LAIKA. 1. My old friend Drew Takahashi –co-founder of the famous Colossal Pictures in San Francisco, the company where all the Wild Brain people came from– named and designed LAIKA. 2. Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, bought LAIKA from Will Vinton, because his son is an animator there, and he thought it was an interesting place. 3. Thanks for your film LAIKA.
On March 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Did you ever think, perhaps, that children might view this site?
On March 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
We understand that it’s difficult to accomodate everyone when it comes to the internet, which is why we represent the films intended for our older audience members in a tasteful, factual and appropriate manner. Let me know what you find distasteful about the post so I can understand what I might do to make things more agreeable for you.
On March 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Child-specific search engines (e.g., AskJeevesKids - ajkids.com and yahooligans.com), combined with parental controls, provide increasingly effective filters for a child’s online viewing experience. Also, I think there may be an impression that cartoons are just for kids. There is a growing trend for adult-oriented animation. There is Explicit rating on Channel Frederator. Clearly, this is a site for a more mature audience.