Animation Nation

Another impressive and entertaining animated short by Ireland's Giant Creative has come to our attention thanks to ANer spencerzc via the Forums. You may recall their previous film 'The Last Train' which was posted here on AN's homepage on December 19, 2011. Now enjoy 'The Artists' directed by Sean Mullen. The Forum topic is here.

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The fine art of architectural illustration is something I admire. I've known several oustanding artists who are legendary in their skills and vision, and who came into animation from this discipline, usually as background designers, prop designers, and visual development artists. 

Check out Global 3D Arts and some of the samples of their work. They're based in Hays, Kansas, the geographical heart of the USA. From their renderings, to their scale models, and their walkthrough / flyby animated videos, this is a company of highly skilled professionals. Below is just one example of what they do. You can find more at the Forum topic.

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Another new member to the AN Forums has brought to our attention their showreel. This is the work of K. Hermann who I'm pretty sure is an African based talent. Lots of beef for the time that it runs, exhibiting a unique look and feel that's emerging on the worldwide animation scene through this artist. Enjoy...

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Here's a new trailer that came our way for a 4:40 short animated movie in progress called 'The Chase' directed by Phillipe Gamer of Space Patrol. Cool crash and burn effects and an interesting character causing all the mayhem. The official website can be found here, and there's a Facebook page as well. The Forum topic is here. Enjoy the video...

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It's amazing what you can do with the simplest animation techniques, basic software and a concept rooted in absurdity. Case in point, Wondercat! YouTube's latest animated sensation. Can't make sense of it? Don't let that stop you from enjoying the show. Here's the most recent episode. You can see more Wondercat videos here.

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Another project brought to our attention by a new member to the Forums. Koo Koala Productions is a student film crew involved in an ambitious final year endeavor at Ryerson University in Toronto producing their final massive project. It's a stop motion film, 5 minutes in length, at 24 frames per second and they're video documenting the effort and the film making process.

You can follow how they made their Burton-esque puppets, or designed their sets, or found voice actors, or see many other things involved with the evolution of the film by going to the Kool Koala website. You can also check out their Facebook page by following this link to "The Meek, the Mad, and the Misinformed". Here's the Forum topic and a look at one of their videos explaining the set construction process...

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Here's another animated video by a member of AN who recently joined the Forums. Gus Hughes did a great job with this unusual short film entitled "Bus Stop Boogaloo" in which a man attempts to save an elderly lady from a faulty pacemaker. Events conspire against him, causing the situation to spiral out of control. Here's the link to the filmmaker's website and also to the Forum topic. 

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Check out this great Flash film produced in the Classical Animation Program at Vancouver Film School. Some making-of material at the filmmaker's website.

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A unique and intriguing film has come to our attention. It's called "The Panda Rabbit" and originates from the mind and skills of Randy D. Rosario. It's a mixture of live action, puppetry, animation and stop motion. The project started out as a poem but evolved into a 6 minute short film that was completed in a year.

The Panda Rabbit is hybrid animal who is not liked by the normal pandas because he is different. All he wants is someone he can talk to and the only friend he has is his television, but over time it possesses him. The Panda Rabbit was shot entirely with a 7d, and edited / animated on Adobe After Effects.

Take a look at The Panda Rabbit and feel free to visit the film's supporting sites, including the film's website and Facebook page. Here's the link to the Forum topic. Enjoy the video...

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The animation that comes from Nasa and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California is nothing less than astounding. Take a look at this film highlighting the latest mission to Mars, the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity which was launched late last year on November 26 and is expected to land on the Red Planet in August, 2012. It's difficult if not impossible to distinguish this animation from reality. Indeed, if this footage was shown in an era prior to CG animation, I'm sure viewers would be convinced they were seeing the real thing as many would be even today.  For more info on the Mars Science Laboratory visit this link.

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