I have not made any changes to these posts.

After watching this show I feel that when stop motion is done correctly it can add depth and shadowing that otherwise could not be achieved. When done differently it can afford cheap laughs due to the characters ability to fall apart and interact with the real world, much like Mr. Bill.

After watching The PJ’s it is apparent that this claymation is done well. It is not overly done to the point where you lose the quirkyness of claymation, yet it has fluidity. Having this sort of claymation lends the medium to create its own shadows giving it more personality and realism. It also allows fine wrinkles within faces to be displayed giving faces more personality which is key to letting one relate to the character.

The other use of claymation is Mr. Bill. Although this animation is not anywhere close to the same quality as most other claymation, it still serves a purpose. It is strictly comedic and used for shock value. This allows for a cheap laugh on a cheap budget. Allowing Mr. Bill to interact with the world around him allows him to get injured in zany ways, many of which would be horrifying if it were a real person.

It does not take great technique to make an animation successful. Rather it takes knowing your audience and correct application to bring in the viewers.

I commented on Megan’s Blog and Scott’s Blog

The Italian graffiti artist Blu uses the public streets as his canvas. He is known for his large works of art that stretch across public walls and buildings often depicting strange images and creatures. Although he is a 2D graffiti artist he has made several creations he calls Muto meaning “dumb” in Italian. In these creations he uses stop motion in order to have his creations crawl across the walls and streets, often displaying somewhat disturbing abstract images. By using stop motion and general surroundings, Blu is able to take a 2D image and turn it into a living breathing entity that has character and personality.

The fluidity of the animation in this video is amazing. To think that it is all done in chalk and every movement is the result of several pictures taken is astonishing and undoubtedly time consuming. This being compared to the old chalk drawings of J. Stuart Blackton show how far animation has come and the abstract ideas of current artists (Blackton animation shown below). Many people also view graffiti as needless vandalism. Although that may be true in some cases, this displays the technical aspect of it and how artistic one must be to truly bring the medium to life.

The stop motion does not only bring the images to life but it also allows them to interact with the environment. This is shown at time 1:56 as the humanoid image crawls under the barred window. This is again shown too much greater extent at time 2:18 when the three-legged robot kicks the log off the wall. This sort of interaction gives the drawing a lot of personality resulting in a more realistic feel.  

Finally, with the fluid movements, interaction with the surroundings, and flow from one image to the next, one thing brings it all together. This one thing is the sound effects used. Each being has its own sounds that correspond to their specific actions. This gives each character depth and gives the feeling that they are actually moving around in the environment as their feet rustle on the ground. If this animation was silent it would still be impressive but it would not feel as though the images were alive, walking the city streets.

I commented on Megan’s Blog and Brittany’s Blog.

This week I will be taking a look at a Michelin Tire commercial featuring a sad stretch of road. This commercial shows a bunch of animals that have been run over and sadly sit on the road not able to move. This commercial is kind of creepy, but underneath its creepy exterior it is a good animation. The actions, activities and even the screams of the animals are set to music. Because of this, I feel that this animation is a very modern throw back to the old days of animation that were set completely around music. Also, the animal movements and use of squash and stretch add to this feel as well without taking away from the technical aspects of the animation.

The animation starts by showing the animals that have been hit by cars and are now stuck to the road. This is a very creepy scene. In this scene there is an animal that is playing a harmonica that sinks up with the song playing in the background. Also, as the rabbit walks he is bouncing up and down to the music much like Steamboat Willie. This allows the beat throughout the commercial to have more emphasis. Finally, the scream of the rabbit, rather than being just a scream, adds a haunting note to the music. This allows the main character to become part of the music, much like older cartoons.

Not only did the use of music give this animation an older feel, but the animal movements did as well. As the rabbit makes his way to the road coming down the embankment, there is extreme squash and stretch, reminiscent of older animations such as falling off a cliff. Also, as the car screeches to a stop the road ungulates and causes a wave off into the distance. This is an example of extreme exaggeration.

Although containing aspects of older animations, this animation has a unique modernness. It does this through its use of slow motion and rain effects. The rain and background has a very realistic look to it while all of the characters look very cartoonish. This adds to the creepiness and depressive nature of the sad stretch of road. Also, the slow motion effect is done very well. During the slow motion you can see the rabbits uvula moving in his mouth without a close-up. I thought this was a good touch in increasing the intensity of the situation.

ETA I commented on Megan’s Blog and Chuck’s Blog.

This animation, even though it is done simply, it is beautiful. It is about a kid and his dog. Life has got the kid down and has made him fearful to leave his house. Through all of the terrible mishaps the dog has been there to try to help. At the end it is finally the kids turn to help his dog as he is blown away in the heavy wind. Although I love the story this animation tells, I feel that it is the backgrounds and simple grainy animation that makes this cartoon stand out.

Many animators would want their creation to look crisp and run smoothly. This animation however, seems to take on the characteristics of an old home video. This is done by limiting the amount of animation put into each character and repeating their movements. This causes the animation to clip along. This home video look gives the depressing moments the true feeling of painful past memories. The animation is coupled with the use of a gusty wind sound effect and a haunting black and white color scheme, reminiscent of the video from The Ring.

Using the color scheme and haunting sound effects give this animation not only the feel as if you are watching a home video, but it also feels like a bad dream. This is amplified by the oblong building shapes and drastic contrast between the black objects in the foreground and the light of the background. The contrast used reminds me of the Scary Story books (picture below).

In the end the ominous wind and sound associated was harnessed in order to send all the dogs back home. This turns the bad dream into a good one. It then shows the kid willing to walk his dog showing that the fear of the world had been lifted. Although the fear and anxiety had been lifted from the boy, the contrasts, wind and flickering animation persists. This shows that even though the boy is out in the world again, the uncertainties and dangers of the world are still present.

I commented on Megan’s Blog and Brittany’s Blog.

Courage the Cowardly Dog was and still is one of my favorite cartoons. There are many things that are great about this series. One thing that allows this series to stand out is the quirky story lines. They were always abstract and unexpected. Also, the use of music for each character and whimsical architecture give this series an appeal that I feel is unparalleled. This said, I feel that it takes a variety of characteristics (music, unique animation, story line) to make a good animation great.

Having just one characteristic will make a good animation but leave the audience wanting more. Courage the Cowardly Dog fills all of the characteristics. First I will start with the whimsical architecture. All of the buildings and door frames are slanted and off kilter. This gives the background visual appeal keeping the viewers interest. Although the backgrounds are interesting, they do not draw too much attention from the foreground, allowing the story to be followed without distraction.

Another aspect of this series that causes it to rise above others is its use of music. For the creepy looking people they get creepy, ominous music. In this episode Fred gets a creepy, slow lullaby to make sure that the viewer knows that he is in fact freaky Fred (the name of the episode). For Eustace, the old man, he gets a country tune with banjos and fiddles, playing up his southern slapstick nature. The music not only plays a role in character development but also plays a role in conveying the mood of the scene. This is shown during the hamster scene. It was meant to be a happy scene with a cute hamster, therefore happy music was playing in the background.

Finally, the one thing that really makes Courage the Cowardly Dog great is its story lines. This story in particular is great. It is about a deranged barber and his compulsory need to shave anything with a lot of hair. Although his needs are not violent, the music and the way he tells his stories make it seem as though he is a murderer. This is due to the fact that the way he tells his stories is very similar to Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was known for his suspenseful writing and ability to captivate the reader. Fred’s narration does all of these things, adding to his deranged obsession.

With great music, creative architecture and phenomenal story telling Courage the Cowardly Dog covers every aspect that makes an animation great. When all of these criteria are met the animation is able to draw the viewer’s attention, keep that attention and have them coming back week after week expecting something great.

I commented on Megan’s Blog and Chuck’s Blog.

The animation that I will be looking at this week is about a Kiwi. The kiwi is a endangered flightless bird native to New Zealand. In this animation the bird is working on something not known by the viewer. At the end it become apparent that the bird was nailing trees to the side of the cliff so that it could jump off, experiencing flight. I feel that the animation is able to convey the point that you should follow your dreams no matter what the cost. Also the use of sound track is able to take animations to the next level emotionally.

After seeing how long it took the bird to nail one tree to the cliff and seeing the amount of trees attached to the cliff it is obvious that it took the bird a long time to complete his flight simulation course. This shows that the bird had a true desire to fly and worked long and hard to complete his goal. On top of working hard he was even willing to give his life for his dream. This shows that once he had accomplished his goal he had completed his so-called “bucket list.” He had done everything he wanted to do in life and had nothing left to live for. This completeness allowed him to die in peace.

Watching the bird fly through the air made me feel happy for him. As he got closer to the ground he started to flap his little arms so he could feel like a real bird. Then the sound track started playing and the happiness felt turned into a bitter-sweet kind of emotion. I felt happy for the bird but knew he was going to meet his end soon. This emotion was amplified by the simple, yet sad music.

Another passing thought may be that this animation is saying that humans are not causing the extinction of this species. Instead, these birds are jumping off cliffs trying to fly. This would mean that these birds are stupid and deserve to die. Anyway you look at it I like this animation and feel that it is creative and filled with different emotions all tied together nicely with a haunting soundtrack.

eta: I commented on Megan’s Blog and Chuck’s Blog.

Blog post #6 is of Popeye and his war efforts against the Japanese.

Blog post #7 is about a Kablaam cartoon Prometheus and Bob that touched on the subject of evolution.

This weeks post is about Prometheus and Bob. The cartoon was a short segment on a Nickelodeon show called Kablaam. I always liked these cartoons thinking that they were the funniest part of the entire show. Usually they dealt with simple concepts such as farming or building something, but this episode in particular deals with a more complex subject, evolution. Evolution vs. intelligent design was and still is a controversy in society. I feel that  Prometheus and Bob was able to touch on evolution vs. intelligent design all while disguised as a kids cartoon, showing that animation can be used to express viewpoints and reach audiences that are usually unreachable.

This episode was about a machine that could either evolve or devolve anything put inside. It started out with an angry wolf like creature that evolved into a domestic dog. It also showed a monkey being evolved into a human. This is a very touchy subject that many parents try to protect their children from. These same parents may also let their kids watch cartoons not thinking that this is something that would be discussed.

The concept of evolution vs. the concept of intelligent design is a hot topic within school systems and whether one, the other or both should be taught. With this in mind I found it shocking that the cartoon would have this subject matter in it. As a kid I loved the cartoon and regardless of what I believe in I never thought twice about it. Even now I still find it funny, but now knowing what I do about the debate on this subject, this Nick show could be viewed as edgy.

To add to the edginess, Prometheus evolved into an alien and the monkey when fully evolved was a floating brain. This challenges the biblical teaching that we are all created in God’s image. The machine itself also implies that aliens are our true creators and the ones behind evolution. All of this is probably over the heads of kids watching the show, but it does make a stand and chooses a side on the issue.

I commented on Megan’s blog and Chuck’s blog.

The movie I have chosen for my special post is Nine. This movie is about a scientist who created nine rag dolls in order to save what is left of life on earth following the take over of machines. Each of the dolls have unique physical attributes and characteristics allowing them to compliment each other. Although the purpose of this movie seems to be to warn of over production causing machines to take over, I feel that the underlying meaning is to show that everyone is different and these differences are what make us great.

With each doll being different and having a unique number it is easy for the viewer to pick out the differences that make each doll an asset to the group. When looking at dolls 2 through 9 it is apparent what they offer the group. Some of them can invent useful items, others collect data, and a couple of them are great fighters. Number 1 seems to do nothing but hold all of the dolls back, impeding the progress of the mission. In reality his cautious nature kept them all safe until the entire group was assembled with the arrival of number 9. Number 9 is able to convince the rest of the members that they must fight in order to fulfill their purpose.

So the dolls, on top of having different characteristics, also act as a spectrum of personalities. These personalities range from cautious to adventurous and serious to curiously fun. This spectrum allows them to use each others strengths to accomplish different goals in different situations.

This movie is a very interesting movie. I say this because within the movie’s creepy imaginative appearance, is the moral that everyone is different and these differences make us great. Having a corny moral like this seems out of place in the movie, but is a characteristic of Tim Burton animations. Other morals of Burton’s movies include the true meaning of Christmas (Nightmare Before Christmas) and follow your heart and look at the inner beauty within people (Corpse Bride).

I commented on Megan’s blog and Chuck’s blog.