The Inkling Chronicles

Animaticus Foundation for 2-D Animation

This looks interesting. 

The  Animaticus Foundation

They have a forum set up , but not yet very active, so needs some people to sign up over there and get conversation started.

2-D or Not 2-D Forum: a place to discuss all issues relating to traditional 2-D Animation in a digital world.

Here is their Vision Statement:

The Animaticus Foundation is a non-profit organization, founded in 2006 by award-winning animator and author, Tony White. The Foundation is dedicated to the 'advancement', 'education' and 'evolution' of the traditional, hand-drawn animated artform in the current digital age. Coinciding with the publication of Tony's new book, "ANIMATION from PENCILS to PIXELS ~ Classical Techniques for Digital Animators", and the release of his new animated film homage to the great classical moments in animation history, "ENDANGERED SPECIES", it is hoped that The Animaticus Foundation will reflect a perceived, growing need for traditional 2D animation that increasingly speaks to a modern digital world.

The Animaticus Foundation is dedicated to the following objectives…

• To encourage and promote the existence of original, innovative traditional   hand-drawn animation that will establish a new following in a contemporary age;
• Offer a series of inspiring workshops for young students and seasoned professionals alike.
• Create innovative, ground-breaking films that will advance and evolve the expression of traditional hand-drawn animation, eliciting justifiable respect from modern audiences.

The Animaticus Foundation believes...

• That traditional, hand-drawn animation is an artform in its own   right,embracing all the inspirational and creative skills of Mankind… storytelling, drawing, sound, color, movement and dramatic art.
• That the future of traditional animation is achieved by the upholding of the classical skills of the artist and the universal principles of movement, as defined by the great master animators of the Disney 'golden era' ,but then applying these through technical innovations.
• That the existence of the Foundation will support an awareness of traditional animation and encouraging its expression in all aspects of life regardless of racial, cultural, political, religious, ethnic or geographical values.
• That it will inspire integrity and diversity in the art, expression and production of all traditional, hand-drawn animation, built from the grassroots upward.
• That it will ultimately provide opportunity, resources and scholarship for motivated animation students, filmmakers and producers of traditional animation in the future.

The Man Who Planted Trees

   
Frederic Back's masterpiece of animation.  I do not have the words to begin to express my admiration for Mr. Back's accomplishment. This is one of my very favorite films.

Someone has posted it on Google Video and I've linked it here, but I am going to urge you after you have watched it to buy the DVD !  The DVD is "The Man Who Planted Trees - Deluxe Edition" , which is  the complete collection of celebrated works by one of the most acclaimed animators of our time, Frederic Back.

This tribute to Frederic Back contains 9 animated short films, fully digitally remastered for the first time, featuring Academy Award Winners The Man Who Planted Trees and Crac!, and the Academy Award Nominated film The Mighty River.

SPECIAL FEATURES on the DVD: Interviews with Frederic Back, Interview with Jean Giono (author of the book The Man Who Planted Trees, interview with Hubert Tison (executive producer of the film The Man Who Planted Trees, Frederic Back biography, interactive menus, photo galleries, lists of Festivals and Awards, and more! 

 

Tissa David : an appreciation

[photograph by John Canemaker. click to see larger]

"She knows perfectly well why she does something.  She's an artist, that woman."

- Dick Williams

"I'm a loner. I always was. It's a disciplined life in a way.  But I think anyone who does any kind of creative work has to have discipline", says Tissa David, in the small apartment on New York's upper East Side where she lives and works.

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So opens the chapter in John Canemaker's book "The Animated Raggedy Ann & Andy: An Intimate Look at the Art of Animation; It's History, Techniques, and Artists" titled  "Tissa David -- The Lonelieness of the Long-Distance Animator" .

Animator/director Michael Sporn, who has worked closely with master animator Tissa David ,  posted a series of animation roughs by Tissa on his blog today and it made me remember how much Tissa's drawings have inspired me over the years.   Here is the link to the  drawings on Michael's blog :

Drawings from Tissa David walk cycle from the Hubley's film  "Upkeep".

Here is a Quicktime movie of that walk cycle:

View Tissa_WalkCycle.mov (39.9K)

As I mentioned in my comment on Michael Sporn's blog , one of the reasons I enjoy Michael's blog so much is because of the sense of history there (especially in his featuring of East Coast animation artists and studios).  Michael Sporn learned much of his craft from Tissa David,  who learned from Grim Natwick, who stretches back almost to the very beginning of character animation as we know it.
(You'd have to  go back to Winsor McCay to get back much before Natwick) .

There is a concise biography of Tissa David on Michael Sporn's studio site, listing some of the major work she has done as an animator. Tissa's most recent animation was in 2005 for Michael Sporn's film "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" ,which I have mentioned a couple of times previously.

 

I have been inspired by Tissa David's animation and drawings since my teenage years when I was blessed to have found a copy of Canemaker's book on the making of "Raggedy Ann & Andy" . Whatever the merits of the finished product,  "Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure"  was an important film in that it showcased the talents of certain veteran animators (featured among them : Tissa David , Art Babbitt, Emery Hawkins)  as well as gave a break into animated feature films to many up and coming animation artists  of the then younger generation , such as Eric Goldberg, Dan Haskett,  Tom Sito, Chrystal Russell-Klabunde, Gian Celestri, Michael Sporn , and many others. .  (actually Sporn had been working professionally in animation , mainly for John and Faith Hubley, since the early 70's , but for many of these younger artists Raggedy Ann was their first or one of their first professional animation jobs, and a golden opportunity to work alongside of and learn from veteran animation artists.  Tom Sito posted some of his memories about the  Raggedy Ann  crew on his blog , here .)   

Here are a few of Tissa David's beautiful animation roughs from Raggedy Ann & Andy.  (I highly recommend the book as one of the best chronicles ever of the making of an animated film, if you can find a copy of this long out-of-print book) . 

[click on the images to see them larger]

Just because, that's why...

Check out these links if you like this sort of thing (I sure do) :

Music in Bob Clampett's Cartoons

Directing and Animating Cartoons to Music : Musical Timing Rediscovered