The AnimWatch Blog

Any moron can talk about the merits of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short, or whine about the seemingly random quality bar by which we select nominees. So rather than air the issue of who won what award, I think we ought to dwell instead upon who wore what and who attended which parties. Because, isn’t that the point of this wonderful, magical night?

Let’s hear it for Kaspar (The Danish Poet) with his neckerchief and beret. It takes some real moxie to carry off that look, Danish or no. Someone should tell The Little Match girl that the Waif Look went out of fashion too long ago to try to stage a comeback. Not fashionable at all, I’m afraid. Maestro was looking quite smart in his simple black and white tux, but then simplicity is always best. No tarting it up with red vest or dressing it down with jeans for our wooden bird. He’s class all the way.

At high profile gatherings such as this, nudity in the name of a protest has always been an attention getter, and this year was no different. Scrat (No Time for Nuts) showed up in the altogether in his bid to point up the naked terror of mankind on the brink of extinction due to Global Warming, something he knows a bit about. And the alien from Lifted is voicing his support for illegal alien equal rights legislation by showing up au naturel. At least we didn’t have Wallace (Wallace and Gromit) showing up sans-coulottes like we used to every year Aardman was nominated.

But of course the After Parties were the real event, and I was fortunate as a member of the press to be invited to the most exclusive. We partied until dawn, the animated characters and I. I’m more than a little proud to tell you I drank the alien right under the table, but then, he really can’t hold his liquor, can he? I’m not even sure he’s legal, to tell you the truth.

Like all good things, it eventually had to come to an end, and in the warm splash of a Hollywood sunrise, we all hugged and said our goodbyes. With heads full of fond memories and arms weighed down with trinkets - there’s nothing quite like expensive gift bags showering down on the already rich to let you know that this was truly a Wonderful, Magical night - we set off back to our Regular Lives, knowing we would probably never be together in the same way ever again.

Now, if only I can remember where I left my pants.

This is a real nice film. I’m a big fan… a man and his bear, and gallons of Vodka.

New film profile going up. Read it HERE.

There’s a new feature article going up at AnimWatch in a few moments, on Michel Gagné. Read the feature HERE.

He’s also the mastermind behind such greats as the Insanely Twisted Shadow Puppets and Prelude to Eden. In addition, he’s a super nice guy and a tremendously talented artist.

We’ve all been there. A couple gets married. They’re nice enough people, individually. But somehow, not a match. You know, the guy who usually winds up with the lampshade on his head marries the quiet mousy type. And we don’t think, “Wow, opposites attract.” We think, “Wow. How long do you think this is gonna last?”

And that’s how I felt when Dreamworks and Aardman hooked up. Nice companies, both. I like different things about them separately. But they are so… different… from one another, that I couldn’t honestly see them together forever. I mean… did anyone expect it to last? Dreamworks seems to be all about pop culture, sex appeal, self-referential humour, and potty jokes. Aardman seems to be all about a sort of quiet, Northern British humour with tea and crackers, and demands a certain amount of patience and intelligence of its audience.

But now that it’s over, I wonder who will get the honour of distributing the Aardman films? I have to say I liked the Aardman films that came out before the merger much more than I have liked what they’ve done since. Some things Nick Park has said in the Directors’ Commentaries on the films have given me the impression that Dreamworks assisted Aardman in areas of story arc and so on. I have to wonder if that’s the ingredient in those meals that put me off?

Reading between the lines of this article, I believe that is the case. Aardman spokeman Arthur Sherriff said, “We always knew that America would be a hard task for us. We’re a very English company. We embrace the international market, but we think part of our strength is our English sense of humour, and we want to continue with that.”

Chris Neuhahn is announcing the next chapter in the Vacant Planet series.

I’ve finally started work of Chapter 2 of Vacant Planet. It has been a very busy two years since A Curious Bit of Scrap. I’ve written a book (with the help of Josh Book), and worked a whole mess of hours. I work at Nickelodeon now, and things have settled down a bit . . . only a bit.

The Birth of Balbar Yog will have several new characters and new environments. Here are two of the new bots:

Those of you who have been with us for some time may remember the great Vacant Planet thread we had at the old Forum. *snif* Oh how I mourn its passing at times. Still, good to see Chris is back on the horse again and continuing the series despite the rigors of his Nick schedule.

For anyone who wants a bit more info, Chris’ Vacant Planet site is HERE and the original Vacant Planet AnimWatch Profile is HERE.

We’ve got another new profile up at the site - Joy Kinematics by Mario Ucci.

It’s a dark tale of recovery and depression, told well through the use of strong and shockingly effective symbolism. (Caution, there’s some male frontal nudity on this one, so those of you squeamish of naked CG characters may want to avert your eyes.)

Read the profile HERE.
Discuss it in the AnimWatch FORUM HERE.

Run for the hills, folks… you’ll be up to your armpits in HUMANS!!!

New profile HERE. Forum discussion HERE.

These three artists are very talented, and they have a very unusual approach to their Art. And they have something to say. Browse through the Three Legged Legs website for more incredible work.

There’s also a nice place on the forum, already warmed up for you, to chat about the article.

See you there!

Yeah, I know. Yet another animation blog. How is this one different? Glad you asked.

This blog comes to you direct from AnimWatch.com. We profile the student, slogging away on his thesis film. We profile the talented amateur, knocking away on his film til the wee hours. We profile the bleary-eyed industry professional creating a personal film in his spare time just for the love of it. We profile the indie artist with limited funds but a lot to say. And we profile the occasional major studio film that breaks the mold.

In short, we profile excellence of one form or another. And you’ll not only hear about the films and the people who make them. You’ll even hear from the people themselves. Think of AnimWatch as one big DVD Extra without the DVD, one big happy, ever-growing Special Feature… a weekly dose of behind-the-scenes goodness.

And the blog? Think of this blog as an added Special Feature for AnimWatch. You’ll get news of updates, upcoming interviews, What’s Hot at the AnimWatch Forum, and occasional musings on the state of the Art and Industry from yours truly (that’s Steve Ogden, for those of you who don’t know).

Until next time, see you at

AnimWatch!