Animation is a widely accepted and integral part of the film industry, yet the birth of animation is relatively recent. In fact, the animated feature film is actually less than a century old! How did animation transform from simple series of drawings to the breathtaking scenes we see in films today? Humble Beginnings Early Animation […]
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Five Films Featuring… Spring!
As pleasant as the recent snow has been, it’s safe to say that most of us are ready for spring time to hit. It’s time to trade snowball fights on the quad with picnics in the sun and walks in the park. Warm breezes, blooming flowers, cherry blossoms, and the sweet sound of birds chirping […]
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Top Ten Adult Animated Shows
Family Guy Family Guy debuted in 1999 and quickly became known for its cutaway gags and takes on American culture. Set in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island, the show centers on the unique Griffin family, made up of Peter and Lois, the father and mother of two teenage children and a highly intelligent, […]
Continue readingBernardo Bertolucci and Stephen Hillenburg
This week saw the death of two artists, giants in their respective fields. On Monday, Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci died at age 77. Bertolucci rose to fame with the 1973 release of Last Tango in Paris, a controversial film that was earned an X rating after extensive cuts. One of these scenes depicted a middle […]
Continue readingRandom Movie Monday — Mushi-Shi: The Complete Collection
It’s a rainy Monday, so here’s a DVD that’s appropriately atmospheric: DVD 12000, Mushi-shi: The Complete Collection. Here’s our summary: Between this world and the next, there is a point where it becomes impossible to distinguish between plant and animal; between life and death. It is a place man was never meant to tread. It […]
Continue readingRotoshopping Is Creepy And Cool
There’s a really specific look to rotoshopped movies that sits right in that uncanny valley for animation. They’re just slightly too real, and so they look really creepy. The two films best known for this, A Scanner Darkly (HU DVD 2416) and Waking Life (HU DVD 364), are just unbearably creepy. So what is rotoshopping? […]
Continue readingEnjoy Some Lovely Stop Motion
This insanely cool video by Renana Aldor and Kobi Vogman explains the process of Lost-Wax casting. The video was made for the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and you can read more about it here: http://directorsnotes.com/2016/05/02/kobi-vogman-renana-aldor-hadrian-bronze-casting/ If you’re now in the mood for fantastic stop motion films, check out Kubo and the two strings (HU DVD […]
Continue reading10 years of LAIKA
Over the weekend, I was completely blown away by LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings (HU DVD 13637). As an animation studio, LAIKA creates some of the grandest and unique worlds in film. Kubo is an incredible accomplishment, and an example of the offbeat humor, powerful storytelling, and, of course, artistic prowess LAIKA has come to […]
Continue readingBefore there was Sailor Moon…there was The Dull Sword
As highlighted on Hyperallergic, the National Film Center of Japan’s National Museum of Modern Art has uploaded a ton of early Japanese animation to mark the centennial of Japan’s oldest known animated film. You can see all the films here, and the very oldest–a 1917 work discovered in an antique store in 2008!–is The Dull Sword […]
Continue readingTake a vacation to the worlds of Studio Ghibli
Ghibli films are notoriously immersive and transporting. From the forests of Princess Mononoke, to Yubaba’s bath house in Spirited Away, the worlds of Studio Ghibli are complex, beautiful, and utterly real. How is this feat accomplished? Here’s one take: Even if you’re not an anime fan, after watching Asher Isbrucker’s video essay, you might be inspired […]
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