Channel Frederator Blog

These Gatorade spots are great. They have a feel similar to Disney’s Jungle Book. The new commercial campaign is from TBWA\Chiat\Day, and features a young Tiger Woods, learning how to be the best player he can be. Colonel the Grizzly Bear is based on Tiger’s own father, Earl. His voice is provided by Samuel L Jackson.

The commercials also features original music composed by Boosty Collins of Parliament Funkadelic fame, and includes voiceovers by Tiger’s swing coach Hank Haney and caddie Steve Williams.

The quality of these spots is amazing. I really like the way the characters look and move, and they do a very nice job of capturing the feel of a young boy learning about life.

-Floyd Bishop

This interview with director/animator Dean Kalman Lennert talks about his short film “Dear Anna Olson”. The inspiration for the film is quite an interesting story in and of itself. While walking through the woods, Dean happened to find a note tied to a balloon. When completed, the film will have an estimated 23,000 drawings.

To learn more about the film, or to donate toward its production, be sure to visit the official site: http://dearannaolson.com

 Look for an upcoming audio interview with Dean right here on the Channel Fre

It may contain spoilers…

-Floyd Bishop

This piece was done for the Winter ‘09 Production class at the Art Institute of California, San Diego.

-Floyd Bishop

Tom Sito reminded everyone via Facebook that today would have been Milt Kahl’s 100th birthday.

Though he started as an assistant, Milt was eventually responsible for many of the toughest assignments, which were many of the human characters from the Disney films. His skill as a draftsman was key to his mastery of animation.

What really set Milt and many of the other animators of that time apart from so many people in the industry today is the way they mentored young artists with tough love. If something didn’t move or look the way it should, Milt would let you know it for sure. Here’s Brad Bird’s take on Milt Kahl.

What an incredible talent and supporter of the craft. Great work combined with a great work ethic and the willingness to pass on the craft is what being a great animator is all about, and Milt Kahl had that in spades. Happy birthday, [Read more…]

Super talented voice actor Maurice LaMarche has declared March 22nd to be International Talk Like William Shatner Day. The best thing about it is the video where Maurice shows the process he goes through in getting his imitation to be so good.

I really enjoy seeing videos like this. As an animator, you watch a lot of behiond the scenes stuff from different films and shows and such, and you start to see a pattern of how artists work. For some reason, the process that voice actors go through to arrive at their character voices

On this day in 1934 (March 16th), Disney won an Oscar at the 6th Annual Academy Awards for his short Three Little Pigs. The short beat out another Disney short, Building a Building, and Walter Lantz’s The Merry Old Soul.

The short’s original song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,” written by Frank Churchill, became the anthem of the Great Depression.

I hope you all find yourselves in brick houses.

-Floyd Bishop

With the release of The Watchmen this weekend, I thought this would be a good post. Alan Moore, writer of The Watchmen graphic novel (as well as V for Vendetta) talks about his personal opinions of The Watchmen, as well as life as we know it.

The documentary is from 1987, but it gives a pretty good insight into the writer’s take on things.

I have not read the comics, but I am told that the film is a pretty good translation, despite the slightly altered ending.

-Floyd Bishop

I saw this video today while looking at animated shorts on YouTube. I was really impressed with the way the colorful characters move. The way their blobby bodies mimic people in long robes is brilliant.

Does anyone know anything about this piece, or where it came from? It looks to be part of a larger anthology type film.

-Floyd Bishop

January 30th, 2009. The Annie Awards. Animation’s big awards night was no disappointment to this happy fangirl.

Host Tom Kenny kicked off the ceremony with a musical spoof “I Want my Annie” featuring the incredible Andy Paley Orchestra (seen monthly at Hollywood’s M Bar in the Thrilling Adventure and Supernatural Suspense Hour) and a cameo by fellow Thrilling Adventurer, actor David “Gruber” Allen as the devil.

At the reception after the awards Mr. Kenny gave me major kudos on my vintage dress. So he wins everything on my ballot. But if you want to know how all those other awards went down…

Of the recipients Dreamworks Animation garnered the most awards with 15 total wins, the majority of which were for this year’s animation ass-kickers, television program Secrets of the Furious Five and the feature film Kung Fu Panda. In addition to winning Best Picture, Kung Fu Panda also took Best Animated Video Game, Best Direction for an Animated Feature, Storyboarding [Read more…]