Monday, March 12, 2007

Some Shameless Plugs...


See that list on the right side? Right under "Check out these sites too:"? Well they're there for a reason.

These are great sites, blogs & forums that you should definitely take some time to check out (even if you have already).

First off is A. Film. L.A.:
Hans Perk's site is a great & reliable source for you animation buffs out there (especially Disney ones). From Classes & Lectures to Video clips (complete with clicktracks for timing purposes), this website is a very helpful & informative reference for those who enjoy studying animators & they're work. He along with Michael Sporn have recently posted the complete animator drafts for Pinocchio, which has been a great guide for understanding & knowing who did what on such a classic animation masterpiece. It's definitely worth checking out.

For those who are even remotely interested in cartoons, you probably have Cartoon Brew on your Favorites list. For those who haven't, go check it out ASAP. It's so great that simple complimentary words couldn't possibly give it justice.

Chippy & Loopus is probably one of the most hilarious & dynamic comics I've ever read. John Sanford is a fantastic & very talented artist, & it definitely shows in his work. He's been in the animation business for a long time now, from years working at the Mouse House to now being a story artist over at PIXAR. If you like foul-mouthed gorilla-kicking bunnies, dim-witted chain-smoking wolves & if you absolutely HATE boba, you'll love Chippy & Loopus!

WDCC Duckman's Inside Report may not be a site about animation or cartoons themselves, but it's got fantastic art relating to it. It's a fully blown-out guide to Walt Disney Classics Collection sculptures (which I happen to be an avid collector myself). This site has the lowdown on some of the most extravagant & beautifully detailed sculptures ever to idolize those classic Disney moments. Not only are they great on your shelf, but they also make great maquettes for animation reference. They just posted pictures of the 2nd Quarter Release sculptures last week, so check 'em out. I'll comment on my WDCC collecting on a future post.

Goober Sleave is a fantastic site. Run by Kevin Langley, it is a superb site for info about classic animation, especially the work of Tex Avery. He just recently posted model sheets, backgrounds & even a video of the classic Avery short "The Cuckoo Clock". It's definitely worth viewing.

Oddly named "I Don't Know", this blog belongs to my good friend, Jose Portugal, who is a fantastic artist & a fellow high school student. He & his brother Leandro are probably one of the most talented artists I've ever known in my life. They can churn out the most intricately-detailed sketches in minutes. Although he hasn't updated his site very much, it's worth seeing. (While you're at it, urge him to update more often!)

John K. (the creative yet somewhat demented mastermind behind Ren & Stimpy, the Ripping Friends & the Goddamn George Liquor Program) has a great blog called "all kinds of stuff". Although very critical to today's animation (which he is mostly right about), he has a lot of great animation information to share with the world. While your at it, check out his new flash-animated ads for Raketu on his site as well as Youtube.

Mark Mayerson's blog, Mayerson on Animation, is definitely worth stopping by. Along with film news & marketing strategies, he posts mostly about classic animation & cartooning alike as well as great recommendations for cartoon-related books & films. He also uses Hans Perk's & Michael Sporn's animation drafts to make easy & fun to read animator identification mosaics for classic Disney shorts as well as the pre-mentioned Pinocchio drafts. Go check it out!

The Opportune Universally Forum, run by my good friend Sam, is a great message board worth viewing. You can talk about Anime & Manga, Politics, Religion, Video Games, Music, T.V., World News, & of course, Animation. You can also post your own fan art, rant about any subject imaginable & be part of your own roleplaying adventures. I am an administrator on the board (my name there is FantasiaMan), so feel free to sign up & post away!

Last, but not certainly least, is Thad K.'s Animation I.D. blog. He is great at identifying who animated what, especially on classic Looney Tunes & MGM cartoons. He uploads videos of these great cartoons with an onscreen visual guide of the animators on each film, as well as short snippets of classic animation. Like all the other blogs I've mentioned, check it out now!

Well, that's enough ass-kissing for one night. If I missed anybody, I apologize. I'm only human you know. As I add more favorite sites on my links list, I'll talk about them & how great they are on future posts. Night!

1 comment:

John S. said...

Thanks for the plug, Michael! Nice to be mentioned in such auspicious company!