Way Out from Way Back

Even more way out commercials from way back, featuring some of the most famous animated characters.

1. Tony the Tiger and Tony Jr.




2.Underdog and Cheerios



3. Snap, Crackle, Pop, Rice Krispies!



4. Frankenberry and Count Chocula



5. Frito Bandito for Fritos

Remember When?

Remember when you were young and they used to have really neat and funny characters to sell products? More than mere merchandise representatives, but characters that seemed bigger than the products they were selling.

While doing some research I came across these really neat old commercials.

1. Sugar Bear (not the best quality but still neat)



2.Cap'n Crunch



3. Trix Rabbit



4. Post Cereal Characters
An actual show featuring all of the Post cereal mascots from the time.

Cartoon Modern

I have been wanting to mention for some time a relatively new book that has been released on the animation styles of the 1950's, Cartoon Modern, by Amid Amidi. It seems like there are relatively few books on the art of animation, and almost no books available on the art form outside of major studios, like Walt Disney, and Dreamworks. So when a book like this is created it is quite a big deal. Being a big fan of the simple stylized animation from that time period, a book like this is pure gold, featuring lots and lots of artwork, a studio by studio breakdown of work and artists, and a nice overall history of the animation industry of the time period.
Definitely a must have for any animation professional, and highly reccommended for anyone who loves cartoons.

"Between the classic films of Walt Disney in the 1940s and the televised cartoon revolution of the 1960s was a critical period in the history of animation. Amid Amidi, of the influential Animation Blast magazine and CartoonBrew blog, charts the evolution of the modern style in animation, which largely discarded the "lifelike" aesthetic for a more graphic and often abstract approach. Abundantly found in commercials, industrial and educational films, fair and expo infotainment, and more, this quickly popular cartoon modernism shared much with the painting and graphic design movements of the era. Showcasing hundreds of rare and forgotten sketches, model boards, cels, and film stills, Cartoon Modern is a thoroughly researched, eye-popping, and delightful account of a vital decade of animation design. " (description from amazon.ca)

Cartoon Modern on Amazon.ca

You can also read more of Amid's reviews and writings on animation on the following two blogs,
Cartoon Modern, and Cartoon Brew, as well as in Animation Blast Magazine.

Nightmare in 3D !

Until I get some more artwork scanned in I would like to tell everyone, or remind some of you, about the re-release of Tim Burton's, A Nightmare Before Christmas, in 3D!

Yes, although not originally filmed in 3D, the folks over at Walt Disney, have made a 3D version of this film which will be hitting IMAX theatres on October 2oth. Apparently you even get to keep the glasses, NEATO!

During filming of Nightmare, animator Joel Fletcher decided to take some 3D stereo photographs or the animation setups. You can check out some the photos HERE

To accompany the 3D release, Disney is also releasing a 2 CD set with original music, as well as cover versions of the Danny Elfman songs, by artists such as, Marilyn Manson, Fiona Apple and Panic! At The Disco. You can read more about the album HERE, and listen to some of the songs on the MYSPACE page.


The official A Nightmare Before Christmas website


You can watch the new trailer right HERE.

Hats Off to Monsters !

Hey in case you haven't seen the Gruesomestein Monsters, you now can see all the wonderful and funny episodes over on their blog. Special thanks to some annonymous guy who posted them to YOUTUBE so that the world could finally see them, (otherwise they might be locked away in the Nelvana vaults FOREVER!) and enjoy the art of the funny. The series was created by two really swell guys, Riccardo Durante and Mark Ackland. The characters are really funny and the art is super cool, Hats Off to Monsters!