Help Out The Daver

If I were you, I wouldn't want to help me out simply based on the fact that I just referred to myself as "The Daver."

However if you still feel so inclined, I could really use some help tracking down a Wacom Cintiq 21UX tablet. I know there are some artists that frequent this blog, and I thought you might have a line on where I can purchase one. I'm not looking for a deal, I'm just looking for one period. Every place I look tells me it will be anywhere from June to August before they're available, and I could really use one now for a side gig that I have.

So far I've checked Craigslist in every major city, eBay, Froogle, and Yahoo!, all with no luck.

If you've got a line on one, drop me a line at davesj [at] gmail [dot] com.

Thank you!

UPDATE: I got one! Luckily for me a local store had one left, and I snatched that sucker up!

Surf's Up Clips on Yahoo!

I know I'm a bit late on this one, but I was on vacation, so get bent.



Yahoo! Movies has posted 8 new clips from "Surf's Up," which hits theaters tomorrow. The clips are actually really funny, and make me want to see the film even more than I already did.

Readers of this blog know that I was a huge fan of "Open Season," and I hope that "Surf's Up!" pulls in bigger numbers at the box office, because I think the Sony Animation group really does have the ability to bring a lot to the animation table.

Surf's Up Clips On Yahoo!

NEW: Discuss this post on the BP Forums!

The Bleeding Pixels Forums Are Up!

Frankly I have no idea if these will get used or not, but... forums!



I hope you folks decide to use these, as they took me at least 15 minutes to set up, and I'd hate to see all of that hard work be for nothing.

In all seriousness, I hope you stop by and chat. I promise to do my best to keep it a very positive and relaxing place to hang out at and discuss the world of animation and beyond.

Swing by and let me know what you think!

The All-New Bleeding Pixel Forums!

Kaelou

I have no idea what happens in this short, but it still made me laugh out loud.



Think of a French "Happy Tree Friends" in 3D, and you'll have some idea as to what "Kaelou," from Derniers Films by the Cube Creative Company, is all about.

I think the duck's white blood is actually more disturbing than red blood is.

Kaelou Short

Oops... forgot to mention.

I'll be taking a short leave from the blog, as I'll be on vacation from Thursday through Tuesday. Blog updates may resume as early as Monday though, so check back early next week!

In the meantime, go check out "Shrek the Third" or "Pirates" or "On Golden Pond."

Take care.

Surf's Up On AWN

Animation World Network has created a new site, dedicated to Sony's upcoming "Surf's Up!" with pictures, interviews and more.



The first interview is up right now with Producer, Chris Jenkins, and upcoming interviews are scheduled with members of the cast, Directors, and an animator or two, among others.

Gnarly!

AWN's Surf's Up! Page

FJORG!

Okay, this is an awesome animation demo reel.



It was created for the FJORG Animation contest and here is what the author had to say about it:

Yesterday we finished our submission to SIGGRAPH's "FJORG!" competition; the guidelines indicated each team of 3 was to submit a demo reel less than 2 minutes in length showcasing the animation abilities of the team. We decided the best way to stand out among the submissions would be to create a short film satirizing demo reel conventions.

It works so well because it does exactly what it set out to do, which is to be funny.

And this post works so well because it does exactly what I set out to do, which is bore you with too many words, when all you really want is the link.

FJORG! Animation Demo Reel

Shrek the Third - The Review

After watching "Shrek the Third" this weekend, I've officially written off the critics when it comes to CG films, and you should too.



I'm not as big of a Shrek fan as some others may be. I ranked the first 2 films 10th on my personal "Dave's Top 10 Animated Films of All Time That He Can Remember" list. So if my math serves me correctly, I've got 9 other CG films I'd choose to watch over those two.

What's my point?

The point is that I'm not just some Shrek fanboy (sounds creepy), and I understand the films have their faults. That being said, for "Shrek the Third" to be pulling an overall score of 43% over at Rotten Tomatoes is utterly ridiculous.

The first two films ranked in the high 80s to low 90s, so I walked in expecting a huge drop in quality, which there simply isn't. The visuals are stunning (though the human models creep me out), the animation is great, and the performances are what they've always been, which is to say consistent. The film was funny in spots, touching in others, and exciting throughout.

The bottom line is that if you liked the first two films, or if you're just a fan of animation in general, you'll find something to enjoy in "Shrek the Third." Is it original? Not really, but I'm tired of originality being the only measuring stick for critics. If something is entertaining, then it's just plain entertaining, and isn't that why we go to a film like "Shrek the Third" in the first place?

While a 43% isn't quite the travesty that the 32% score for "TMNT" (or the 66% for "Meet the Robinsons" was for that matter) was, when coupled with "Shrek the Third" having the third biggest box office opening of all time, even beating out the two higher-rated prequels, it proves that critics are even more irrelevant than ever before.

Go see it.

Dave's Top 10 Animated Films of All Time

Shrek the Third on Rotten Tomatoes

Emily is Here!

Imagine if Roman Dirge's "Lenore" were to be animated in 3D and you'd have some sort of an idea of what to expect from "Emily."



Now imagine a man in his underpants, with a Cheeto stuck to his forehead and way too much back hair, sitting on a couch and playing Xbox 360, and you'd have some sort of an idea of what to expect from me on a Saturday afternoon.

Shrek the Third Opens Today

Ogre fans are already lining up to see Dreamworks' latest "Shrek" offering, "Shrek the Third," which opened in theaters all over the place today.



Critics aren't exactly in love with "The Third," as the film has only managed a score of 43% over at Rotten Tomatoes, compared to an 89% for the first film and an 88% for the second.

I have to wonder how much of this low rating is that the bloom is officially off the rose for CG films. It will be interesting to see if the film really does compare that poorly to the first two, of critics are just lashing out at pretty much anything CG at this point.

Swing by a theater this weekend and decide for yourself!

Shrek the Third Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Bee Movie Trailer

Moviefone has the exclusive first showing of the brand new trailer for Dreamworks' "Bee Movie" in a variety of HD formats.



The trailer looks good, but I had a bit of a "been there" feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watched it. First of all, it's about insects. Second of all, it's about an insect wanting to break out of the "norm." Finally it's about an insect making love to a human woman.

At least I think it is. Totally like this DVD my buddy had in college.

In any case, the trailer is up, and it looks funny. I especially like the window gag.

Bee Movie Trailer at Moviefone

Respire, Mon Ami

This has to be one of the most disturbing, funny, charming and down right disgusting shorts I've seen in a very long time.



Really nice touch with the leaves blowing around as the kid gives the severed head mouth-to-mouth.

Yeah... you read that right.

Really well done.

Respire, Mon Ami Short

I Am Heavy Weapons Guy

How awesome is this game going to be?

I'll tell you how awesome...

Really awesome.

I Want to Be Shrek

Well... I don't, but if I wanted to, I'd head over to the site where they're casting for the new Shrek Broadway play.



My favorite part of the casting call has to be the following:

DONKEY: 20s – 30s. A performer with a contemporary, urban edge and great humor. Joins Shrek on his journey to capture Princess Fiona. Seeking unique performers especially from slam poetry, comedy, Hip Hop worlds or clever actors with great comic skill.

Of course it never mentions that you have to have four legs and giant teeth. Not only that, but when you think of Eddie Murphy, do you think of anything close to "slam poetry" or "Hip Hop worlds"? There was a time when you might have, but I certainly don't think of that when I think of the character of Donkey.

I'll be interested to see how they pull this one off. Are they just going to have a guy in his Donkey suit walk around on two legs and recite slam poetry?

Shrek Casting Call

You know it's a slow news week when...

... I post an article about the recall of Shrek headbands.



From what the recall notice says, apparantly on some headbands a wire has poked through the fabric and caused injury. In one reported case, the wire even killed an entire village somewhere in South America. Other reports claim the wires are simply getting drunk and squatting in abandoned apartment buildings.

Either way, the headbands have been recalled, and you should send any you have back. First of all, you wouldn't want the wire to come loose and poke your brain, and second of all, unless you're a Solid Gold Dancer, people really don't wear headbands anymore.

Shrek Headband Recall Notice

Vinyls Attack

One more short film for today, called "Vinyl's Attack."

vinylsattack

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I totally dig it right up to the point where the 45 records start to fall and the Herbie Hancock kicks in... after that, it sort of loses me.

Fake Lactaid Commercial

I have to warn you on this one... it's not for the squeemish.

Hey I totally warned you... don't blame me.

The twisted mind behind this animation is Tyson Ibele, and his portfolio can be found below.

Tyson Ibele's Portfolio

New Ratatouille Podcast "Parlez-Vous Francais?"

The latest podcast based on Pixar's "Ratatouille" is now up for your viewing pleasure.



In this one, you get to hear a bunch of people complain about their horrific trip to France, in which they were forced to consume tons of amazing food and wine and take motorcycle tours of the city where all the guys giving the tour did was say things like, "There is the Eifel Tower."

That must have really sucked eggs.

In all seriousness, great podcast as always, and I have to wonder if they'll wind up rolling these all together for the bonus features on the DVD.

Ratatouille "Parlez-Vous Francais?" Podcast

New Commercial From Bug

UPDATE: Thanks to Sam over at The RE-Animation Blog, we now have a new link to view the commercial at that may work a bit better. Just be aware that it's 17MB and the download isn't exactly blazing fast.

All this being said, I was finally able to watch the commercial, and though it is very similar to the Coke vending machine commercial released a few weeks back, it's still totally worth your time. Great animation, and some really nice eye candy.

Bug One Call Commercial

From what I've been told, there is an awesome new One Shot commercial from Bug.



Of course I actually haven't been able to confirm its "awesomeness," due to the fact that installing the latest version of Quicktime has prevented me from watching any movies created using Quicktime.

However our good friends over at The RE-Animation Blog give it their stamp of approval, and that's good enough for me... especially on a slow news week like this one.

Bug One Call Commercial

RE-Animation Blog

Slow News Day = Crappy Animation from Dave

It was a slow news day yesterday and today, so I figured I'd go ahead and post my own animation from my most recent project at Animation Mentor, since it's almost identical to what you'd find in a Pixar or Dreamworks film anyway.



A couple of things I want to make clear about this animation:

1) The walk up at the start of the 'mation is far too fast. We had a frame limit, so I really sped things up to fit it all in. I will be slowing this down some if the piece is ever included on any demo reels.

2) The guitar pops towards the end of the animation. This is my own dumb fault, as I made an adjustment to the animation with the guitar's visibility turned off, and then rendered out the scene before checking the animation with it turned back on. I'll be fixing this and posting an updated link later in the week.

If you folks have anything to say, good or bad, drop me a comment and let me know. I'm still learning, so critiques are always welcome.

UPDATE: The link below is now the updated version. The walk is still fast, but the pop at the end has been fixed.

Guitar Zero Animation

Linguini a la Carte

The latest "Ratatouille" Podcast is now up.



This one focuses on the main human character of the film, and actually has a ton of new footage in it.

For more info and links, swing on over and visit our good friends at Upcoming Pixar.

And by "good friends," I mean, "the people who run that blog that's a lot better than this one that we stop by every morning and try to steal news from."

Upcoming Pixar's Ratatouille Podcast Info

Berkeley Breathed's Non-Opus Opus

According to Jim Hill Media (via Animated News), Berkeley Breathed is set to work with Gore Verbinski (Pirates Trilogy) on an animated version of his book "Flawed Dogs."



Why For? Because -- as author Berkeley Breathed explained this past Friday night on the first stop of his "Mars Needs Moms!" book tour:

"Gore's sick of pirates. If I wrote a scene that had to be shot on water, he'd run the other way."

And Breathed? He's in a really good position to know Verbinski's mindset these days. Given that Berkeley & Gore are now working together to try & turn Breathed's 2003 children's book, "Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound" into a CG film for Walt Disney Pictures.

Not only that, but Breathed claims to be working with Robert Zemeckis on adapting his brand new book "Mars Needs Moms!" to the big screen as well.

Now while this is all fine and dandy, my ultimate question is:

Where in the hell is the Opus movie?

Don't get me wrong... I love Breathed's childrens books, but I think we can all agree that his most cherished piece of work has to be that little short, fat, flightless water fowl. The fact that there was talk of the film (Wildbrain had even done some animation tests), which built my hopes up, and then killed the project, only made me want it more.

Breathed often seems like a child actor who doesn't want to be known for the role that made him famous. When he returned with his "Opus" Sunday strip, it almost felt like he was forced into it, rather than really wanting to come back just to further explore this great character.

Now with the film shelved (for now) in favor of his other book adaptations, it may be a long time before Opus hits the big screen.

Which is a shame.

Exclusive AOL Shrek Trailer

At the risk of turning this site into nothing more than an unofficial "Shrek the Third" blog, I need to let you all know that there is an exclusive trailer for the film up over at AOL.



You can swing on over to AOL to check out the trailer below, and make sure you tune in next week for all "Shrek the Third," all the time! If I can't find "Shrek the Third" news, I'll just make it up!

Exclusive Shrek the Third Trailer on AOL

Shrek the Third Clip at Yahoo!

Yahoo! has posted a new clip from Dreamworks' "Shrek the Third" on their site.



The above image is not actually taken from the clip, which you'll know after watching it, because there are no dead frogs in the image.

Shrek the Third Clip at Yahoo!

Green and Lean

CG Society has a great article on the technology behind "Shrek the Third."



Many new characters were created for the third installment, and the ten-year-old models from the first Shrek were rebuilt. Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and any character from the first film needed a complete upgrade while maintaining the familiarity of the first film’s characters. Shrek and Fiona were also required to don the garb of royalty, including high heels and a cinched waist, something the original models were not prepared to handle.

Taking the opportunity to include subtle improvements, Modesto and Cutler added additional resolution to the case used for the muscles and face to improve the control of the skin over the eyes and between the brows. They also increased the muscle resolution on the face in order to add more control to the mouth and eyebrows, and added details like the folding bags of skin over the eyes, sliding skin over the jaw area, and dimples.

And by "great," I mean "extremely boring to most people."

However for those of you who do get bored reading these types of things there are lots of pretty pictures to go along with it.

Green and Lean Article at CG Society

Over the Profit Margin

According to Animated News, via Yahoo! Finance, Dreamworks' profits rose thanks to stronger-than-expected sales of the "Over the Hedge" DVD.



Yahoo! Finance reports that DreamWorks Animation received an unexpectedly higher first-quarter profit due to higher-than-expected DVD sales for Over The Hedge and other library titles.

This is great news for Dreamworks, and for animation in general. I think there needs to be at least two big players on the market to continue to push each other. Dreamworks and Pixar have a history of quietly competing with each other, and in my opinion it can only further the overall quality of their respective output.

It's just like back in the day when you had the WWF and the WCW, only with far less lubed up men in facepaint.

More from Animated News

Ratatouille 9 Minute Preview

UPDATE: The clip is now available for download in various sizes (including HD) from this location.

Go now.



It says a lot about Pixar's ability to create endearing characters that I was more concerned with him getting out of the kitchen than I was with the fact that a rat has probably crawled through the onions and carrots that get served to me at restaurants.

9 Minute Ratatouille Clip With Intro By Brad Bird