tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86519332012-01-27T20:09:10.611-08:00First and foremost, this site is a lot of opinion and baseless comments. This is a place for <b>my</b> view on the world of animation. There is bound to be some fact, some rumor, but probably mostly a whole lot of opinion.Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.comBlogger2381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-87869631004046142802011-07-21T20:47:00.000-07:002011-07-21T20:47:16.669-07:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these.  A lot has happened and I'll try to touch on a few of them. Digital Domain seems to be making a big push to expand.  Not only have they announced the opening of a large studio in Florida (You can guess the reason for that location.  It certainly wasn't because of the talent base!) to do features.  They also seem to be opening studios in several

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-22724003556496243852011-07-20T08:34:00.000-07:002011-07-20T09:12:17.966-07:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I've been away doing other things. I wouldn't say I burned out on animation, but I came close. It was in my best interest to step away before it got any worse.During my time away, I worked with another startup. Completely unrelated to animation. The sad part, while I was away, I wouldn't say I lost interest in animation. But it wasn't in the front of my

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-71716137001774446402011-07-14T14:13:00.000-07:002011-07-14T14:20:35.197-07:00

Don't have much time at the moment. I'm busy doing useless things.Did you guys see the latest Arthur Christmas trailer? Wow that sucked big ones. Don't bother doing a search on it. Save your time for something more interesting. Like taking a dump.Heard some rumors about a couple of CG features getting funding. The studios are not ones you've heard of before. Portions of it will possibly

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-7647207892094480832010-03-19T10:16:00.000-07:002010-03-19T10:50:45.966-07:00

A new teaser came out for Megamind. Amid over at Cartoon Brew has some hate for it. He doesn't seem to be much of a fan of DWA, so I'm not surprised.IMO, the teaser is okay. The character design is interesting, but is a little bland. Reminds me of the Great Gazoo from the Flinstones. The animation however, is pretty nice. I like it. I don't know what to expect from this movie, but it is a

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-90936348091293975522010-03-18T08:59:00.000-07:002010-03-18T09:09:25.560-07:00

It was only a matter of time. Reel FX has been doing outsource work for other studios for quite some time. They did a lot of Open Season 2, and are doing most of Open Season 3. They've done bit parts on a few other studio films. While the work on these projects haven't been all that great, the studio is capable of nice stuff.An announcement came yesterday that they have $35 million to make

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-40526724554870633042010-03-15T14:24:00.000-07:002010-03-15T14:40:29.494-07:00

Lost interest in this blog. I'm back for another post. No promises for when the next will come.ImageMovers shuts down its Novato studio. Sorry for the people working there, but I'm not sorry to see the company go. Now, if only we could get Zemeckis out of animation for good."Princess-Frog" came and went. Yawn.Pixar releases promo still for its new short that will play before Toy Story 3. Has

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-14033468233743267982009-12-16T12:25:00.001-08:002009-12-16T12:26:30.087-08:00

Roy died this morning at the age of 79. Thoughts go out to his family.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-49243635951050530472009-12-15T09:19:00.001-08:002009-12-15T09:23:58.976-08:00

Disney's re-entry into 2D w/ Princess and the Frog came up with around $27 million. It opened at #1, and despite it not having the totals of a Pixar movie, I'd have to bet that the execs at Disney are pleased.The budget for this film was lower than the 3D films produced at either Pixar or Disney. So, $$ expectations are lower. While at first glance, it almost seems like a disappointment, the fact

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-22331503766131816382009-12-09T21:10:00.000-08:002009-12-09T21:20:28.510-08:00

Last night, Prep and Landing aired on ABC. This was a Christmas themed special made at Disney. Unlike much of the animated content made especially for TV these days, this was feature quality. Or at least very close. The lighting, texturing, and animation were all top notch. Even the story was enjoyable (albeit predictable).There seemed to be a surge in Holiday themed animation this year.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-13336595643886864242009-12-04T09:16:00.001-08:002009-12-04T09:34:13.867-08:00

Here we go again. A lapse between posts. I give up. I can't do this at a consistent pace. I'd apologize if there was anyone actually reading this blog.Seems that DWA has been talking about an upcoming film of theirs. The Guardian will star Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Frost.Click on the image for a bigger version (stolen from Cartoon Brew). I know ripping on DWA is the fashionable thing to do, but I

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-23616572327290697142009-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:002009-11-16T13:57:29.767-08:00

Visit the link above to see a new CG muppet short. You may be surprised to hear that I wasn't completely disgusted by it. While it doesn't look real close to the muppets we've all come to love, it does have a nice feel to it.And when you compare it to other kids animated product (as a parent, I've had to sit through plenty), it actually has a pretty high production value. Take a look and let me

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-78998531892720255412009-11-16T13:44:00.000-08:002009-11-16T13:51:46.864-08:00

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I missed the DreamWorks MvA Halloween special a few weeks ago. Lucky for me, the networks are already thinking about Christmas and DWA has a second tv special about to air.Tomorrow night, the Madagascar Christmas special will take place. Hopefully I can remember to watch this one. And shortly, Disney will have their own called Prep and Landing.I love

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-6159985380264343512009-11-16T13:06:00.001-08:002009-11-16T13:43:03.800-08:00

Another trailer came out for Despicable Me a week or two ago. For those living under a rock, this is a film through the new animation arm of Universal called Illumination Entertainment. The actual animation production is being done at Mac Guf Ligne, a studio in France.I really enjoyed this trailer. It was well done on all fronts. Upon reflection, the first trailer was pretty good as well, but

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-70542485547618379902009-11-03T10:21:00.000-08:002009-11-03T10:36:19.407-08:00

This trailer came out a few days ago and for the most part, I liked it. However, a couple of things threw me off. First of all, the character "Hiccup" seems to have a voice that is hinging on the side of boring or even worse, annoying. Seems like an odd choice. I can't really put my finger on it, but something rubs me the wrong way. Second, I was a little disappointed with the dragon character

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-76877772223653391692009-10-27T09:30:00.000-07:002009-10-27T09:44:17.341-07:00

During my downtime, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs released. I was actually surprised the movie did as well as it did. Congratulations to SPA. I still haven't seen the movie. Many of my friends ask how I can be in this business and not go to see every animated film when it releases. There are many reasons. Everything from having a wife and kids (too young to go to the theater) to spend

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-85624378713342475212009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:002009-10-27T09:29:55.418-07:00

I haven't seen this movie. And judging by the box office, not many others have either. From what I understand, Gatchaman is next up to bat. I think Imagi is asking for another bomb. Sadly, the best business move for them would be to try and replicate the type of stories that typically make animated movies successful. From a creative standpoint, I'm all for variety, but from a pure business/

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-14708161234320474282009-10-27T09:14:00.000-07:002009-10-27T09:15:55.452-07:00

Oh yes, this old man has joined the Twitter revolution. Follow my tweets (okay, now I sound ridiculous) here: http://twitter.com/Staloren

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-31877120455127065292009-10-26T22:45:00.001-07:002009-10-26T23:12:16.501-07:00

It's 10:45pm on a Monday. I can't sleep. After writing the previous post, I decided to take a trip around the internet.In my travels, I stumbled across Cartoon Brew. And low and behold, there was a post about the closing of the San Fran version of Wild Brain. And in that post was a mention and link to this crappy blog you are reading now!I can't say for sure, but I'm almost positive Cartoon Brew

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-6370904874701418692009-10-26T22:11:00.000-07:002009-10-26T22:17:53.771-07:00

While watching TV on Monday night, we were bombarded by advertisements for Disney's upcoming "Christmas Carol". Now, 30 seconds isn't much time to judge a movie, but it looks incredibly awful.Anyone who reads this blog knows I'm not a fan of motion capture. But even with the motion aside, this doesn't look very good at all. The characters are not pleasing to the eye. The lighting and textures

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-54880836489954010302009-10-21T10:14:00.000-07:002009-10-21T10:23:57.221-07:00

I was somewhat surprised a few months ago when I heard that Wild Brain, in San Francisco is shutting down. Everyone was either laid off or quit. Even the partners that owned the studio went elsewhere! There is only a skeleton crew left.How did this happen? Well, I cannot say for sure. But the rumor going around is that when the previous CEO left, they brought in a woman to run the company. She

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-32167724936781114792009-10-21T09:57:00.000-07:002009-10-21T10:12:43.422-07:00

After a long absence, I'm back. I needed some time away. But, here I am, back again to ruin your day.Seriously, I just wanted to do other things. And it has been hard to muster up the energy to post anything at all on this awful excuse for a blog. I can't imagine anyone still visits, so I'm probably typing at absolutely no one. Which is good. I can say anything I want.I used to wake up

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-91254227523711283032009-07-16T16:46:00.000-07:002009-07-16T16:59:13.206-07:00

Looks like our friends over at Universal's animation arm ("Illumination Entertainment") have put out their first trailer for Despicable Me. MacGuf Ligne is doing the actual work on this thing and I must say, it looks decent.The animation, modeling, texturing, and lighting are pretty well done. No uber cloth simulations or fancy schmancy technical achievements (in the trailer that is), but it

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-39049993026253098952009-07-02T10:24:00.000-07:002009-07-02T10:31:26.339-07:00

Back from the dead, Ollie the Otter shows up at Cannes. Okay, maybe not the whole film, but a snippet to try and lure $$. If you recall, this is the film and company (CritterPix) that I bashed numerous times on this blog in the past. I've got to commend them for getting a promo done and getting it to Cannes (not the festival mind you!). However, it still looks like ass. And unfortunately, the

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-44722191847373942262009-07-02T10:17:00.001-07:002009-07-02T10:22:59.976-07:00

I was really looking forward to see SPA pump out another nice animated film in Cloudy w/ A Chance for Meatballs.After seeing the second trailer that was recently released, I'm starting to think that won't happen. What an ugly film this has turned into. The art direction looks horrible. Everything looks muddy. Poor lighting choices. The animation looks okay, but seems to have taken a step

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-14219035295850105212009-06-11T20:20:00.000-07:002009-06-11T20:31:18.279-07:00

Sorry for the extended absence. I've been busy with something I haven't done in what seems like ages. Picked up a pencil and started animating. At first, it felt extremely foreign to me. However, after a week of trying to get back into the groove, it started getting familiar. I still have a ways to go before I finish up, and I'm in no hurry. This is a nice change of pace.Come back soon,

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-73384108847341333542009-04-14T17:45:00.000-07:002009-04-14T17:55:10.889-07:00

I'm a big fan of good CG work. I'm also a big fan of good traditional work. What I'm not a fan of is when a good looking traditional animated product goes CG and looks crappy in the process.Take Chester Cheetah for instance. Have you seen the CG version of him in the last year or so? U-g-l-y! How about Tony the Tiger. Another mistake. The list goes on.The hot chick from the Esurance

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-75291949363711914492009-04-09T17:07:00.001-07:002009-04-09T17:22:55.091-07:00

I haven't really had much motivation to come and blog. No, it's nothing that you did. Really. You've been swell. It is just that there are more important things in life. Like. Life!Even though I'm not posting, I'm still thinking about what to say here in my next post. The problem is, when I actually sit down and start typing, I've forgotten all the things that I wanted to say.Lucky for you, I did

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-28084042035962757362009-03-19T09:15:00.001-07:002009-03-19T09:52:30.352-07:00

Been a while, huh? What else is new. You should be used to my lack of posting by now. Hopefully, the three people that still visit this site will get some lunch time reading fodder out of this.First off, SPA released a trailer for "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs". You can find it on the website of the same name. The low resolution trailer absolutely sucks. Why do companies release them like

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-92119011115159773752009-02-22T12:37:00.000-08:002009-02-22T23:03:18.024-08:00

I don't think I have the patience to sit through another Oscar ceremony. Maybe I'll change my mind at the last second, but something tells me that cleaning my toe nails is a better alternative.My feelings about the best animated film category hasn't changed. Wall-E will probably win. But in my eyes, KFP deserves it.The first 20 or so minutes of Wall-E was very enjoyable. I loved it. But after

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-76607383859840658602009-02-09T22:26:00.000-08:002009-02-09T22:32:19.339-08:00

On its opening weekend, Coraline pulls in just under $17 million. I guess that isn't too terribly bad for a film showing on 2,300 screens. However, if I were to make a $70 million animated film and only made that box office, I'd be disappointed.I'm not sure what this means for Laika's future.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-49423519500005637972009-02-09T22:20:00.000-08:002009-02-09T22:25:49.638-08:00

I've decided to try something new. If you'd like to geek out, follow "Staloren" on twitter to see what moronic clever things I have to say about the animation industry.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-73358847662865167602009-02-06T16:14:00.001-08:002009-02-06T16:19:11.061-08:00

San Francisco based "The Orphanage" has called it quits. These guys have been creating effects for films, television, and commercials for quite a while.I'm not sure we can blame it entirely on the economy or what. My guess is that it has a lot to do with studios underbidding everyone else in order to get work. It is amazing how little money the big effects companies bring in these days. One

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-65245706368871672292009-02-06T16:09:00.001-08:002009-02-06T16:13:25.151-08:00

Laika's first entry into animated features has opened. I'm normally pretty snarky (I love that word) when it comes to the company, but I'm hopeful that the film will do well. Unfortunately, my gut instinct is telling me that Coraline will stink it up and do very poorly this weekend. It just doesn't have the wide range appeal or push behind it to be considered a success. Especially since the

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-37516707590124155472009-01-31T21:36:00.001-08:002009-02-04T09:07:22.085-08:00

Congrats to DreamWorks and the Kung Fu Panda crew. They steamrolled the competition at the Annies with 15 wins. Pixar's Wall-E? Nothing.Good to see that I'm not the only one that thinks KFP is the better movie. Although I expect Wall-E to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. I have my fingers crossed that KFP takes it as well.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-35702964511962535642009-01-28T10:47:00.000-08:002009-02-04T09:07:32.456-08:00

Since my last post, more has been said about Imagi. Lets try to put a simple timeline of events together. These are made on assumptions from the recent articles and quotes from the president of US based Imagi.1) Imagi makes TMNT.2) Imagi goes into production on Astro Boy and development on several others.3) An auditor discovers that Imagi is running out of money and won't be able to finish Astro

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-64632033202182862102009-01-26T09:10:00.000-08:002009-01-26T09:26:19.413-08:00

It has been reported that Imagi has had many financial issues the past several months. First they ran out of money trying to finish Astro Boy. I'm not sure if they went over the production budget, or too much was spent on the prepro of other films. Whatever the case, they ended up looking for a cash infusion to take care of matters. It sounded like they were pretty desperate, and for many months

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-38456160547930151142009-01-26T08:52:00.000-08:002009-01-26T09:10:07.321-08:00

Originally, this post and the next one were combined into one. Because I ended up writing more than I anticipated, I decided to break them into two posts. Unfortunately, that means this one will be short.Wall-E did not get a nomination for Best Film. Thank goodness someone has a head on their shoulders. I'm pretty sure it will win Best Animated Film, however I'm hoping it won't. Kung Fu

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-53496393387185435572008-12-29T11:48:00.001-08:002008-12-29T11:54:24.547-08:00

Variety had a list of the Top Ten world wide money makers in 2008. At #3 is Kung Fu Panda with $632 million. Wall-E is at #8 with $507. Madagascar and Horton are slightly down on the list at #11 and $14 respectively. I find the world wide grosses to be the best barometer of what the public wants to see.As usual, it is a good year for animation. Most of the other Top 10 are heavy effects

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-41721853435922364942008-12-18T22:15:00.001-08:002008-12-18T22:28:48.203-08:00

I just finished watching Horton Hears a Who on DVD. This was the second time I've seen this movie. While it probably isn't my favorite animated film of all time, it was very enjoyable.A few things stood out. First off, the lighting and textures are absolutely beautiful. Blue Sky really outdid themselves. I honestly think that some of the shots are better lit in this movie than any other CG film

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-57628366323112680402008-12-18T08:52:00.000-08:002008-12-18T08:59:06.357-08:00

How could I not comment about the Delgo disaster? The film took 10 years to finish and a reported $40 million or so. The opening weekend was a complete failure and one of, if not the most poorly performing films in that many theaters.So what happened? I haven't seen the movie. And honestly, I have no interest in it. However, I have a feeling the number one problem was story. It just did not

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-25900723328617087092008-12-17T15:48:00.001-08:002008-12-17T15:54:07.121-08:00

No, I'm not talking about our military. I'm talking about the visitors to this blog. There is nothing that seems to tick off the general animation industry more than saying something bad about a Pixar film.My dislike for Wall-E has possibly created the most comments of any of my posts. Congratulations. This is what I love, causing people to get pissy and say what's on their mind. Good for

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-68178410000952513052008-12-17T15:40:00.000-08:002008-12-17T15:46:36.327-08:00

I knew it would happen sooner or later. Today, it was announced that Laika is laying off 65 (or 75 depending on your source). It seems that Jack and Ben has been shelved and those working on it are getting the axe.When Coraline completely wraps, we may see more pink slips. This is par for the course in the animation industry. The difference is, since this company is on its own little island up

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-8702162816948763152008-11-23T15:29:00.000-08:002008-11-23T15:35:32.165-08:00

I wasted another 2 hours of my life watching the Wall-E DVD release this weekend. In my mind, this film is Pixar's worst.To think that Disney is trying to push this into the Oscar's best film category blows my mind. What did I miss? This shouldn't even be nominated for best animated feature. On the bright side, the Presto short that was featured before the film and is now on the DVD is one of the

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-23069575528764256142008-11-23T15:27:00.000-08:002008-11-23T15:29:09.668-08:00

The title says it all. Sad results for over 3,600 theaters.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-85666504870805364522008-11-17T08:34:00.000-08:002008-11-17T09:12:29.616-08:00

This Facebook short animation project went live today. I browsed around the interface and found that technically, it was put together rather well. And yes, I signed up for Facebook just to check it out. You can view the animatic and download assets quite easily. Not shabby for a glitzy site such as this.Unfortunately, the story itself sucks. This is what happens when an executive one day

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-60048386551241339562008-11-16T19:20:00.000-08:002008-11-16T19:42:10.737-08:00

Variety had a mention of Illumination Entertainment's upcoming CG film "Despicable Me". This studio is the animation arm of Universal. From what I understand, they'll be doing pre-production work in LA and outsourcing the animation work elsewhere. Something similar to what Imagi is doing with their films. I'm not sure who will do the production work, but they do have a relationship with

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-45389135186973444082008-10-29T11:22:00.000-07:002008-10-29T11:44:56.778-07:00

Over the weeks, I've been talking with a lot of people who've suggested that we are in a pretty slow animation period. Maybe it has something to do with the economy, or something to do with the time of the year, or even perhaps how many new youngsters have come into the field and overloaded the few positions that seem to be available. My take is that it is a little bit of everything.Now that Bolt

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-63051904996934897422008-10-14T11:51:00.000-07:002008-10-14T12:10:19.170-07:00

So much for writing something in "the next few days". Better late than never, I suppose.By now, everyone has heard that Glen Keane is off Rapunzel. I'm not sure I believe the email statement from Catmull that was on AICN. Rumors say that Lasseter just didn't think Keane was cutting it as a director. To save face, or to be nice, however you want to look at it. A health issue excuse was pulled out

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-8668340602149778742008-10-02T09:21:00.000-07:002008-10-02T09:23:39.242-07:00

New posts have been few and far between. Now that I'm back from a short needed vacation, I'm hoping to find some time in the next few days for some posts. There are no shortage of topics to be covered. Hopefully I can pull something out of my ass that is worth reading. Stay Tuned.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-21517292422811359642008-09-20T11:36:00.001-07:002008-09-20T11:45:08.259-07:00

I've had a couple of emails asking the same question, so I may as well answer it here, just in case more are thinking the same thing...It was just recently announced that Steven Spielberg and another have started a new studio that will allow him to leave the control of Paramount. The deal is a reported $1.6 billion company that will produce 6 features a year. Spielberg is interested in making

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-75369798113438726572008-08-15T08:54:00.001-07:002008-08-15T09:15:40.434-07:00

Regarding "the studio" I've mentioned on this blog... If you recall, on 7/8 I said that if nothing happens within a month, I am giving up and accepting that this thing will never happen. Well, here we are more than a month later. Have I given up?Pretty much. I know the guys are still working on it and I've heard they are closer than ever. However, my skepticism has risen so high that I'm

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-74923668870055501712008-08-15T08:47:00.000-07:002008-08-15T08:53:53.317-07:00

I was browsing websites recently and came across a mention of "Mass Animation" over at cg-Char. And, since someone mentioned it in the comment section of another of my useless posts, I decided to write something about it.Frankly, I think this is a brilliant idea. Tapping into the vast amount of animators around the world to animate a short for free? Picking and choosing which shots get

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-24799588851449069482008-07-22T08:56:00.001-07:002008-07-27T19:58:21.677-07:00

Let's all give a big congrats to Space Chimps for that $7 million opening. I hate to kick something when it's down. But, given all the flak I've received via private email for my knocks on this movie, I think it is well deserved. Those in charge at this studio just don't get it. On every movie they release, they can't resist the urge to advertise "from the makers of Shrek". How long are you

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-90039267315989694702008-07-08T08:41:00.000-07:002008-07-08T09:28:31.495-07:00

Hello everyone, welcome to Tuesday. Prepare yourself for another of my posts that hits on several topics with little structure. Let's get to it!From out of no where, comes a short blurb over at awn.com about CritterPix studios! I was sure that these guys died and fell off the face of the planet. They are showing remarkable tenacity as they continue to keep us entertained. Check my previous posts

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-7486891960090298642008-06-25T18:28:00.000-07:002008-06-25T18:54:18.473-07:00

Laika has been mentioned in an article or two the last few days. They're advertising their slate and announcing a new studio is being built even further away from civilization.I love talking about Laika. More so, I love trash talking Laika. The reason being, many of the guys that work there are sure to lash out. I think that many of them and maybe the whole studio have underdog syndrome. This

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-6938562482759317492008-06-19T18:24:00.000-07:002008-06-21T11:08:15.304-07:00

Congratulations to DWA for how well Kung Fu Panda is doing in the box office. The opening weekend was a good one. I was just a tad off in my guestimate. Oh well, I guess you can't win them all. Besides, if I were that accurate with box office opening weekends, I'd make my million on the Hollywood Stock Exchange and wouldn't be writing this lovely blog.I'm not going to bother guessing what

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-47333167621600972202008-06-03T13:18:00.000-07:002008-06-03T13:49:34.437-07:00

I'm back! Okay, so I didn't really go anywhere. Real life has just interrupted my blogging efforts. So, what's going on in the animation world? First off, Kung Fu Panda comes out this weekend. It's going to be a good one. Be sure to check it out. I think this is probably the best DWA film yet. Whether the average joe will feel the same way, I don't know.I predict a $38 million KFP opening Just

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-40048399314187517242008-05-05T09:20:00.000-07:002008-05-05T10:14:44.904-07:00

Over the months I've been talking to quite a few project to project freelancers. Whether they work on features, commercials, direct to video, whatever. They seem to all have commented on the lowering of their wages.While those with steady studio gigs may not see their rates fall all that much, those that work from job to job are getting hit hard. There are a number of factors going into this.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-68773251365678714532008-04-10T19:01:00.000-07:002008-04-10T19:12:24.264-07:00

The new trailer for Space Chimps is super fantastic. I take back all negative things I've said about this film previously. I don't know where my head was. Check it out! You won't be sorry.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-41139156345439549072008-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:002008-04-09T10:28:54.930-07:00

The behemouth that Disney/Pixar are, they released a list of animated movies that will be coming out from now until 2012.And what a list it is.First thing I noticed is that now Disney owns Pixar, the almighty dollar has superceeded Pixar's stance on doing sequels. I'm speaking of Cars 2. The original movie was pretty lackluster and they are doing a sequel of it? If you claim that it is anything

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-59252235742792260912008-03-18T09:01:00.001-07:002008-03-18T10:31:37.473-07:00

I've been getting quite a bit of emails lately from individuals or groups trying to get animated television series off the ground. More specifically, they are asking what to have ready in order to enhance their project's chance of getting traction.I'm not an expert in television animation. However, my vague knowledge gathered over the years combined with knowing how and why investors invest leads

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-50637294694342521942008-03-18T08:54:00.000-07:002008-03-18T08:57:52.180-07:00

Just wanted to take a second and congratulate Blue Sky for Horton's $45+ million opening. With the recent spate of lower performing animated films, this was needed.I have not seen the movie yet, but hope to get a chance soon. The visuals look great along with the animation. I don't want to expect too much out of the story or I may go in with too many high hopes.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-20764343173469033732008-03-14T16:24:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:41:07.769-08:00

Hi ho, hi ho, off to work we go... That has been my theme for the last few months. I've tried to find enough motivation to write for this damn blog, but I really couldn't muster it. Until now.Here we are in March and the CG films are about to begin. Horton Hears a Who opens today! I have to say the film looks awfully pretty. This may call for an actual trip to the movie theater. I'm hoping for an

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-81811453593647363982008-01-17T20:31:00.000-08:002008-01-17T20:51:47.007-08:00

Yes, I'm still alive. If you've come to this blog for any length of time, you'd know that I can go a really long time between posts. I'm probably not the laziest blogger, but I'm in the running.What's going on? Well, not a whole lot. I've been trying to lay low and enjoy the Winter. Well, enjoy California's version of Winter anyway. Los Angeles is so incredibly pretty this time of year. Really!

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-3633961284011609122007-12-21T08:02:00.000-08:002007-12-21T08:04:50.649-08:00

Pixar and Blue Sky have both shown new trailers for Wall-E and Horton Hears a Who respectively. Both look nice. I was originally questionable about Horton, however, after seeing this trailer and a few other goodies, I'm more optimistic!Pixar doesn't deserve as many kudos. You only expect goodness from them. So, this is only normal.Check Quicktime.com for the Horton trailer and Rotten Tomatoes for

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-22958822917599435792007-12-21T07:55:00.000-08:002007-12-21T08:00:24.841-08:00

I just heard that the Daily Show and the Colbert Report will be going back on the air despite the WGA strike. Comedy Central needs shows I guess.Speaking as a complete outsider to this whole strike. This sounds like a huge blow against the WGA. I mean, basically someone (by someone, I mean writers and everyone else responsible for these shows!) is crossing the lines and saying a big F-YOU to the

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-55335931641357132832007-12-21T07:38:00.000-08:002007-12-21T07:55:05.652-08:00

About a month ago I was tasked with budgeting a would-be CG feature slate. It is a draining process coming up with how much one of these things is supposed to cost. How many people? How much will those people get paid? How long will it take? How many machines, workstations, telephones, chairs, paperclips... You get the idea. The list is insane. By default, you are pretty much required to

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-88801120817852302332007-12-09T14:33:00.001-08:002007-12-09T15:29:42.701-08:00

This past Friday my wife and I were invited to New York for a dinner in Manhattan. It was attended by roughly fifty very wealthy individuals. It was put on by a Wall Street group to try and lure investors to place some of their money with them. My invitation came courtesy of a contact I made in Los Angeles almost seven months ago as a thanks for a connection I made for him. He even went as far as

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-51262626464223947782007-12-03T13:46:00.000-08:002007-12-03T14:49:33.846-08:00

My head has pretty much been buried in my work lately. However, a few days ago I came up to breathe and spoke with a friend. We somehow got on the subject of budgets and he hit me over the head with something I found pretty insane.He told me that DreamWorks Bee Movie was close to $300 million when all said and done. I've yet to talk to anyone else about this to confirm or deny. However, if true,

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-22927335983203748172007-12-03T13:24:00.001-08:002007-12-03T13:44:56.985-08:00

What makes the writers so special that they deserve better treatment than practically everyone else in the filmmaking process? Shouldn't all of those important to a production be treated the same? I realize writers are an important part of any show, but so are many other people.Companies and studios should compensate people for their work. However, I'm in the group that believes that if you are

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-51073122355079627842007-12-01T10:09:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:41:08.160-08:00

I'm sure everyone has read that New Line has acquired the rights to distribute and market Ilion Studios' upcoming CG film "Planet 51". For those of you out of the mix, Illion is located in Madrid and began production on a (reported) $60 million feature a couple of years ago. Signing this deal is big for them. Congrats to the people over in Spain. I fully support this company because it was

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-21910723600078328992007-12-01T10:03:00.001-08:002007-12-01T10:09:37.445-08:00

With all my Shrek bashing, I forced myself to sit down and watch Shrek the Halls on ABC a few nights ago. Funny enough, I enjoyed the show. The story was more interesting and even the animation was better than the latest feature. Who woulda thought?The budget for that special must of been enormous, when you compare it against the usual animated television projects. It was basically feature

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-41735082347257793632007-11-25T18:07:00.000-08:002007-11-26T06:29:38.462-08:00

After my Bee Movie comments that I hope to post soon, I'm sure going to sound like a DreamWorks hater. Fact of the matter is, I've always pulled for DWA, but they're really trying hard to change that.I watched Shrek the Third over the weekend and all I have to say is, "WOW". What a piece of crap. The story was almost unwatchable. I really tried hard to like it, but it just was difficult. Maybe

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-72038048059431567922007-11-20T07:47:00.000-08:002007-11-20T08:52:02.798-08:00

Let's take a moment to brainstorm about how the average person could make their own profitable animated film. Okay, well maybe that is a bit oversimplification. However, for the sake of discussion, let's talk about micro budgeted animated films.What exactly would be the definition of a micro-budget-animated-film? Well, I'm not sure that there is an accepted one out there. For now, let's pretend

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-74857079091583617732007-11-18T10:33:00.000-08:002007-11-20T08:53:33.408-08:00

I watched Meet the Robinsons last night and was reminded how behind the eightball Disney is at the moment. I was disappointed when the two came together, because I wanted to see the mouse turn the corner themselves without Pixar's involvement. However, after watching MTR, I'm not sure how soon that would of happened, if ever.MTR was visually acceptable. In fact, I thought the lighting was really

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-84632402914739012352007-11-17T10:00:00.000-08:002007-11-20T08:54:58.268-08:00

With all of the terrible animated movies out there getting made, you would think that getting funding to put one of these together is easy. To the contrary, it is extremely difficult and time consuming. Most never are successful. The days of money flying around left and right for CG features has died out.DreamWorks, Blue Sky, Disney, and Pixar (last two being the same now) are set. They have the

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-75086603867718473042007-11-17T09:45:00.000-08:002007-11-20T08:55:38.402-08:00

Articles have surfaced that Sony Imageworks and SPA are going up for sale. Or at least a portion of them. This obviously is a result of a shortage of cash. Surf's Up and Open Season didn't do as well financially as expected. Their for-hire work on various films have slowed to a trickle. The company needs money to stay afloat. Layoffs have already happened and you can only assume more will take

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-54590436371251654972007-11-06T01:10:00.001-08:002007-11-20T08:53:58.201-08:00

I won't pretend to know all the details regarding the writer's strike. I'd just like to say thanks. Nothing like an excuse for more reality shows.I've caught myself going over to the TAG union blog several times a day to get an update on the whole thing. I just cannot seem to fall asleep at night until I've read the latest. (sarcasm) What's my opinion on the whole union thing? Bleh. I'm not much

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-61148314413548285422007-11-06T01:00:00.000-08:002007-11-06T01:25:08.823-08:00

I'd like to take credit for the website's new look. But really, all I did is select a new template. However, I was smart enough to add some items to the left hand column.Be sure to answer the poll questions that will rotate here and there. And of course, check out my "Current Mood". My wife says I turn on a dime. I'll try to reflect that here in the blog.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-59613435951570571062007-11-04T22:28:00.001-08:002007-11-04T23:34:04.352-08:00

The latest film from DWA received a little over 39 million this opening weekend. Not bad. I forgot to put up my prediction for its debut, although I could lie, I'll be honest and say I would of guessed a little lower.I'm surprised it did this well. I haven't seen the movie yet, and probably will wait for a DVD release, but congrats are in order. Seinfeld was a good show, Seinfeld the person...

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-16817304505523337382007-11-04T22:16:00.001-08:002007-11-04T23:28:29.426-08:00

Click on the title for a link to a story that appeared in the New York Times on Halloween. In short, it says that not only Sony Imageworks, but SPA are possibly up for a partial sale.I'm not sure what to make of this. If you can believe what is written, I guess Sony is looking for some financial relief. For years, Imageworks has been having a more and more difficult time keeping afloat with the

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-49019662758835202502007-11-04T19:51:00.000-08:002007-11-06T01:07:44.152-08:00

I'm in the process of writing an article about financing animated films. The idea for this came about as I viewed the teaser trailer for Space Chimps a few days ago. As I sat watching this teaser, I wondered to myself, how, how, I mean HOW! could this project get backing? Watch it for yourself and let me know if I'm insane for thinking this was a waste of someone's money.I'm glad that the folks

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-1054098665218924272007-10-28T18:49:00.000-07:002007-11-04T23:28:48.170-08:00

There is a brand new teaser for Kung Fu Panda. Click on the link above to check it out.Visually it looks good, the story seems funny, however, I can't seem to get Karate Kid out of my mind.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-54981285880235784352007-10-22T23:34:00.000-07:002007-11-04T23:31:07.590-08:00

Now, I haven't seen Bee Movie yet on the big screen. However, I have seen plenty of clips from it off the internet. Is it me or are the DreamWorks animated films looking worse and worse? (Link above provides clips from the film)I'm not talking story or animation. The animation looks decent enough and I can't really speak for the story since I haven't seen it yet. However, the character designs,

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-74144619523079278422007-10-18T23:37:00.001-07:002007-10-18T23:47:31.967-07:00

Remember that film/company I brought up many moons ago? You know, the one in Marin County (outside San Francisco) making an animated film called "Ollie the Otter"?Well, I love to tell you "I told you so", but I told you so!It looks like it has died. This probably happened quite a while ago, but I'm just now finding out about it after a visit to their webpage. Of course I could totally be wrong.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-77727514873049559782007-10-18T23:21:00.000-07:002007-11-04T22:27:08.676-08:00

Since I just read that Surf's Up is the number one DVD out there right now, I guess this is a good time to post something about it.First things first, this movie is 1000 times better than that sham of a film called Happy Feet!Now that that is out of the way... While I may of had some problems accepting an animated mockumentary, it was enjoyable overall. The character designs (especially Big Z and

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-33472000095295052492007-10-10T16:22:00.000-07:002007-10-10T16:28:04.952-07:00

Did this TV cartoon series really deserve an animated feature film version? Evidently someone thought so! According to Variety, Warner Brothers is making a CG version of this classic (hah).My questions is, will this be done at WB or farmed out to another studio? My guess is that it will be farmed out. If anyone has any insights, please share via the comments.This movie will be directed by

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-7752545414375202182007-10-10T09:03:00.000-07:002007-11-04T22:27:23.944-08:00

I rented TMNT the other day and finally got a chance to view it. Much to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. The story didn't really hold me, but visually and animation wise, I thought it was pretty well done for a medium sized budget production.Since I'm usually a bitter person with nothing but bad things to say on this blog, I better come up with something terrible. How about, the rat character

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-31877724931483558522007-10-09T17:23:00.000-07:002007-10-09T17:35:35.736-07:00

I can't believe July was my last post. Time really flies. I'll avoid dispensing with the excuses and just say that my interest in keeping up this blog has diminished.After I'm done with work, all I want to do relax and spend time with the family and then go to bed. I'm drained.On top of that, even after months of not saying anything, I have no clue what to even write about. After saying all of

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-60373944250830424992007-07-19T14:09:00.000-07:002007-07-19T14:48:34.308-07:00

Cartoon Brew linked to an article on Phil Knight (Nike) and his son Travis over at Laika. What an interesting read. Do yourself a favor and check it out.For those out of the loop. Laika used to be Will Vinton Studios. They did all of those great Claymation/stopmo projects over the years. Travis Knight, Phil's son, had been working at Vinton as an animator. At some point, the company needed

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-7695279821561519362007-07-12T16:53:00.000-07:002007-07-12T16:59:46.166-07:00

I recently received an email from an Indian animation company that made a few startling claims. Did you know that Pirates of the Caribbean, King Kong, Lord of the Rings, and a few other big productions had their CG outsourced to India?That was news to me too. I suppose they think that they will get a few clients by making outrageous claims. I really don't have anything to say on the matter.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-90665081843706419402007-07-12T16:44:00.001-07:002007-07-12T17:00:46.192-07:00

I'm not one to praise a studio or a film, especially one that has so many fan-boys. However, after seeing Ratatouille last week, I have to post something.Although I think the story is good, it is not great. It kept my interest and I was entertained. What really impressed me about this movie was everything else. The character design, the lighting, the texturing, the animation, and the effects were

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-70125166639861399092007-07-09T14:46:00.000-07:002007-07-09T14:50:05.022-07:00

Once again, I talked about making a part 2 of an article and then ran out of steam. I’ll try to get through this and not cop-out completely.When a studio makes a film, there are an infinite number of places they can get funding. However, a source that many don’t know about is the film fund. These things act almost like a mutual fund where many investors pool their money together to buy a lot

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-88258874332521909462007-07-01T20:35:00.000-07:002007-07-01T20:59:44.293-07:00

I wrote another article that was posted over at CgChar. You can see it here. In a nutshell, it is an easy way to see what others are making at various studios without relying on polls or sneaking a look at someone's paycheck.Part 2 of "Financing Animated Films" is coming soon. Sorry for the delay. Been very busy.Ratatouille had its opening weekend. Pulled in an estimated $47.2 million weekend.

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-61813743945578780752007-06-23T11:57:00.000-07:002007-06-23T23:56:32.070-07:00

By now, everyone has heard Sharon Morrill has been removed. It has been published on just about every animation website. However, there doesn’t seem to be anyone telling the whole story.I must preface the following by saying it is all rumor. I’m hearing much of this information second and sometimes third hand. Take any of this with a grain of salt because it is probably 100% false. Not many of

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-72351370923021179792007-06-17T11:29:00.000-07:002007-06-17T11:33:46.530-07:00

Now that Box Office returns for animated films are coming down from stratosphere like heights, reality is setting in for many studios. The days of money being thrown around left and right have slowed. Those that missed the boat during the frenzy are going to have a harder time making a go at it.When decent films like Surf’s Up and Meet the Robinson’s aren’t getting a lot of attention from

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-84496080928348289172007-05-29T09:32:00.000-07:002007-05-29T09:44:15.764-07:00

Near the end of June, Ratatouille opens. As usual, the look of the film is pretty impressive. Leave it to Pixar to keep pushing the visual boundaries. I'm on the fence on how I think the general populace will accept it. I think it will do okay, but nothing near Shrek numbers.Weinstein continues to try and dominate the animated feature world by making an agreement with the [sarcasm] animation

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-14897311712300478272007-05-29T09:00:00.000-07:002007-05-29T09:49:09.408-07:00

Here we go again, another long pause between blog entries. There is no shortage of things happening, I've just been too lazy to post.Meet The Robinson's came and went without much fanfare. It performed okay, but I can't imagine it was considered a success inside the walls of Disney. More people laid off afterwards. Blah blah blah. Nothing exciting.I read an interesting couple of comments

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-4289272288421817872007-05-08T09:10:00.000-07:002007-05-08T09:39:11.596-07:00

It has taken me a while to get this thing out. Between work and the fact that I couldn’t decide on how to best present this… Well, you get the point. I’ve written and re-written the post at least seven times now. The sad part is, it is pretty watered down from my initial version, I’ve just decided to be extra careful. I doubt I could do any harm, but in order to be on the cautious side...

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8651933.post-29387750286703120392007-05-02T09:38:00.000-07:002007-05-02T09:47:25.710-07:00

It appears that LA Times published an article about the Sony Imageworks relocation. Or partial relocation, whatever the case may be. It provides a little more information regarding where the studio would go and how many people would end up there initially. Anyone that comes here regularly knows that I hate outsourcing. When a US based business ships their stuff overseas to get it done on the

Stalorenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14183710208542251484noreply@blogger.com2