Hornswiggle’s loyal companion is BIRDSDORF, an Oxpecker (Go on… Google that!).
Oxpeckers are known to “climb around on the bodies of large mammals, feeding on ticks and other parasites - and on cattle earwax”.
Oxpeckers are also known as “Tick birds”. However, Birdsdorf’s ticked-off attitude is evident because being attached to Hornswiggle can be very dangerous.
King of the Jungle! Lord of the Wilderness! Commando of the Congo!
With an appetite and ego the size of Africa!
Zan-Tar is Hornswiggle’s personal hero - and the villian of our piece. Zan-Tar is well known as a friend to all jungle animals. But it seems he likes the jungle animals a little too much - he likes to eat them.
However, his appetite for Rhino-stew is about to get the better of him…
This week HORNSWIGGLE is being storyboarded by my old friend Tom Sito.
I met Tom almost exactly 30 years ago - sheesh! - at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He was working on his student film and I watched over his shoulder in awe of his talents. Tom went on to work for Dick Williams, Filmation, Disney Feature Animation (Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, etc.), Dreamworks and Warner Bros. Not to mention he was head of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Union (now known as The Animation Guild) and has just written a book on the history of the screen cartoonists labor movement.
The photo above shows (left to right) Tom Sito, Rich Arons and me (Jerry Beck) going over some artwork for HORNSWIGGLE.
I’m just back from Ottawa and rarin’ to get my head back into HORNSWIGGLE’S universe.
Lots more to show you and talk about later.
The beautiful image above is by Frederick Gardner, the super talented designer who won a Emmy award two weeks ago for his role as Background Key Designer on The Powerpuff Girls. I’m delighted he’s helping us define Hornswiggle’s world.
To be continued!
I will be be in Ottawa the rest of the week at the International Animation Festival. I will be screening vintage PINK PANTHER cartoons (at the BYTOWNE CINEMA on Friday morning and Saturday afternoon) and a program of the WORST CARTOONS EVER (Saturday night 7 & 9pm at BARRYMORES) - as well as my book signing party at CHAPTERS BOOKSTORE (Saturday at 5pm). If you are in the area, please come by and join the fun.
Ladies and Gentleman… here he is.
My project is in it’s earliest phases of production. Character designs are still being worked out. Eventually through this blog you will know and see everything. All will be explained.
But for now - here’s the first look at our lead. Isn’t he cute?
Have a great weekend!
Before I introduce our star - HORNSWIGGLE - I must tell you about the director of my film: Rich Arons.
That’s his picture posted above.
Rich was one of the main directors on TINY TOONS and ANIMANIACS and a producer/director on one of my favorite WB shows, FREAKAZOID. In fact, Rich directed the Freakaziod episode containing my good buddy Leonard Maltin.
He is now a partner in G7 Animation (aka Gang Of Seven Animation), a new studio in North Hollywood which is currently in production on a revival of “Biker Mice From Mars”. More about the folks at G7 in a future post, as they are handling the production chores on HORNSWIGGLE.
As for Rich, he knows how to make a classic cartoon comedy - and that’s what I was looking for in a director for my film. For HORNSWIGGLE we are aiming for a cross between vintage 40s Looney Tunes and 50s era [Read more…]
Welcome to the OH YEAH! Cartoons blog for HORNSWIGGLE. My name is Jerry Beck and I’ll be your host.
The photo above was taken exactly eleven years ago when I was an executive at Nickelodeon… (more about that later). In the interim, I’ve written five books on animation history, produced several small animation projects you haven’t heard of - and several classic cartoon DVD compilations you have.
I also co-produce the animation blog CARTOON BREW and my personal website CARTOON RESEARCH.
I love cartoons. After high school, I attended the School of Visual Arts (in New York) for several semesters in an effort to become a great animator - but instead I ended up on the other side of the business. I realized that everyone who passionately loves cartoons becomes an artist or animator. But animators needed friends on the other side of the fence, and I thought I could help fill that role. [Read more…]
