Open Season Quick Review

It's funny that "Open Season," to my knowledge, did not employ any of the motion capture technology found in Sony's other animated release from this year, "Monster House," yet seems far more alive.

Centering around a domesticated bear, named Boog, (Martin Lawrence) and an overly-hyper deer, named Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), "Open Season" entertains with a good mix of toilet humor (the riding a bike line is a real winner), and tender moments. The acting is great, and the visuals are, at times, stunning. Even the sometimes annoying Kutcher and Lawrence come off as very likeable and appealing characters.



Where the film falters a bit is found in the fact that the plot seems to be all over the place at times, hopping between the domestication of Boog, the love interest of Elliot, the inner struggle of the game warden not wanting to let go of Boog, the rebellion against the hunters, the journey home, and so on. It seems that the creators would have done better to narrow their focus a bit and save some of the other stuff for a sequel, should one ever see the light of day.

Overall though, "Open Season" is at very least worth the price of a matinee ticket, and head and shoulders above some of the recent 3D releases.

One Call's Bloody Commericals

Imagine, if you will, the Happy Tree Friends doing TV Spots for a broadband company, and you'll get an idea of what the commercials from Bug are all about.



I can only imagine if these spots aired in the States, and the number of groups that would come out protesting the horrible treatment of CG Gophers (he's a gopher, right?).

"It's only a matter of time before kids see these commercials and think it's okay to give gophers coffee and attempt to force them to set up underground networks," they'd say.

And they'd be right...

One Call TV Commercial #1

One Call TV Commercial #2

Bug Website

RE-Animation Blog

Bick's Pickels Spot

A nice little commercial can be found on the 3dm3.com forums for Bick's Pickles (say that 5 times fast), from the same company that brought us those awesome Robin Hood commercials with the two kids sitting at the table talking about cookies and such.



To be honest, I think my favorite part is the kid. He's more of a cartoon than the alien reporter ever could be. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure by the way he chews on it that he hates pickles in general.

I'm pretty sure I could be arrested for that last sentence.

Thanks to the always marvelous RE-Animation Blog for the heads up on the commercial.

Blick's Pickles "Offspring" Commercial

Richard Rosenman Advertising and Design

RE-Animation Blog

Open Season Declared on IMAX

"Open Season" is fairing quite well in the land of Warren Miller and documentaries about British Columbia Cariboo mating patterns, as it pulled in $1.45 million in it's opening weekend in IMAX theaters.



Now while that may not initially sound like much, $1.45 million translates into a $22,000 per-screen average, which is pretty impressive.

Or is it?

I really have no idea, but $22,000 per-screen sounds like a lot to me, and people tell me it's a lot, so frankly it must be.

I guess I should just be glad that people aren't telling me that eating 6 month old mayonnaise is a good idea.

AWN Open Season IMAX Article

Mike Walling Interview

All around cool guy, mentor at Animation Mentor, Animator for "Open Season," and former "10 Quick" victim right here on Bleeding Pixels, Mike Walling, was interviewed by the folks over at Strut Your Reel recently.



A couple of big [pieces of advice] were keeping things simple, clear and graphic. Simplicity is always more in animation. I think the biggest AHAA moment I had was some advice I got from my supervisor about thinking graphic. He showed me that every frame is a pose so keep them all looking appealing from a graphic stand point. In other words, don’t let the computer do too much of the inbetweening.

Strut Your Reel's Mike Walling Interview

Barnyard DVD Cover

DVD Active has updated their "Barnyard" DVD release info to include the box art for the film.



Lots of info on the extras, including the all new "Kevin James Shower Time" short.

Okay... I lied about the short, but there is still lots of good info on the DVD release.

DVD Active's Barnyard DVD Info

Site Upgrades

So Blogger, which this fine blog is hosted on, has made some updates to their site, which allow for some cool new features. The tradeoff is that for the next day or so, while I get things ported over to the new system, you may see some wonky things here on the site, such as content missing from the right bar there.

Stick with me, as the news stories should continue to roll in from time to time. My hope is that I won't lose too much in the way of my old info, and that the site will be better for it once I'm done.

You can already see the changes sneaking in now, such as the "Labels" tag put under each story. I went back and added labels like this to my last 50 posts, so that now you can click on one, for example "Sony," and it will bring up all of the Sony articles that have been published on the blog.

Pretty sweet.

The Art of Open Season

Everyone should head out to their local bookstore and pick up "The Art of Open Season."





What makes it so good you ask? Well... it's all of the amazing art and concept work for "Open Season," with none of the Martin Lawrence or Ashton Kutcher!

That's worth the price right there alone, if you ask me.

The Art of Open Season on Amazon

The Character Design Blog

EDIT:

Though the cover for the one posted on Amazon is the one shown below, they are in fact the same book. I would imagine just different printings.

Fartbot

Floyd Bishop, one of the animators on "Ice Age," has started up a company called Bishop Animation, which provides animation for TV, film and videos, among other things. As a sample of his company's amazing talent, he created a robot.

That farts.



Swing on over to the official site to see some of their work,

Fartbot Short Animation

Bishop Animation Website

Bishop Animation Blog

RE-Animation Blog

Sugar Rush

If you guys have 2 or 3 minutes to spare, I really don't see how you could spend it better than watching Guillermo Careaga's "Sugar Rush."



We've all felt this way in the gym. The difference is that I wind up with my head stuck in the vending machine slot, since my gym shorts don't have pockets, and I never have change to buy the candy bars. So there I am, head stuck in the slot, yelling at the poor boob who works at the gym about the fact that they probably shouldn't have chocolate candy bar vending machines at the gym.

Guillermo Careaga's Site

Sugar Rush Short

The New York Times Scares the Pants Off of Animators

The New York Times has published an article spotlighting the recent struggles that some 3D animated films have had at the box office recently.



This summer’s “The Wild,” from the Walt Disney Company, proved anything but for moviegoers, bringing in only $37 million at the domestic box office. The bigger disappointment was “The Ant Bully,” produced by the actor Tom Hanks and distributed by Warner Brothers Entertainment. That movie’s powerful ant wizard could muster only enough magic to garner $27 million.

By contrast, the debut of “Open Season,” the tale of a defiant grizzly bear and feisty mule deer who battle hunters, brought in $23 million over the weekend for Sony Pictures Entertainment, putting it in first place. But only the coming weeks will tell whether it will be widely embraced by moviegoers.

It's an extensive, and often scary, article for someone like me, who has dreams of being an animator, but it really isn't anything we haven't heard before. Heck, even this idiot managed to write an article about a similar topic, that still holds true in light of the NY Times piece: If companies choose to make quality animated films with solid stories and characters, they will find an audience, and they will turn a profit.

In any case, I've decided on a new dream... I'm going to become a professional body waxer. My first class start next week, so I'm off to buy wax and paper strips.

Wish me luck!

The New York Times Animation Article

What's In A Name

Today I decided to change the name of this here blog to "Bleeding Pixels." The reason for this is simply that I didn't want it to carry my name any longer as I am totally ashamed of this blog and the work I've done on it over the past 5 months.

Actually, the real reason is that the focus has shifted off of me and squarely onto the world of 3D Animation where it belongs, so there was no sense in having my name on it at all. Nothing is going to change, and it will sill be updated on weekdays as I find things to post. There also shouldn't be any need to update your shortcuts or links, as the actual URL will remain the same.

ONWARD!

Open Season Opening Weekend

It looks as though "Open Season" brought in around $23 million this weekend, and took the number #1 spot at the box office.



Here is what Box Office Mojo had to say about the opening:

The influx of computer-animated movies in 2006 has lowered the bar for the format. Whereas before, Open Season's $23 million opening would be considered weak compared to the format's pre-2006 average of $40 million—Shark Tale consumed $47.6 million on the same weekend in 2004—it now seems solid after the recent low returns of Everyone's Hero and The Ant Bully among others. Sony Pictures Animation's next feature is the penguin mockumentary Surf's Up on June 8.



It really is quite amazing to think about the fact that "Shark Tale" brought in $47.6 million on its opening weekend, despite being beat up on by critics. I really thought that "Open Season" would also open in at least the $30 million, if not $40 million, range, but it didn't come close. If other films that have opened at this range are any indication, "Open Season" will probably wind up grossing between $70-$85 million at the box office. Nothing to scoff at, but certainly not up to the level of CGI films in recent years.

The true test is going to be when an established franchise, such as "Shrek the Third," or a film by like Pixar's next film "Ratatouille" is released. It will be very interesting to see if films such as those can hit the mark set by CGI films to this point, in terms of box office revenue.

Cars Are Real!

As if you didn't already know it, the automotive cast of "Cars" are actually quite real. Don't believe me? Check this out:



If you need further proof, swing on over to Animated News for even more exclusive shots of Sally and the gang at the Food Lion Auto Fair.

It's only a matter of time before "Maximum Overdrive" becomes a reality...

Animated News' Exclusive Cars Article

Open Season Diaries

Animation World Network has posted the first of nine exclusive artist diaries for "Open Season" over at their site.



I'll be taking in the film either this weekend, or at the very latest, next weekend for sure. Once I've done that, I'll feel confident in keeping a bear in my garage with only a TV to keep him from pulling my face off with his giant bear paws.

Animation World Network's Open Season Diaries

Surf's Up Trailer

You need to go watch it now.



Right now.

The water is absolutely amazing.

Surf's Up Trailer

EDIT: Here's a few more screen grabs from the trailer, but believe me when I say you have to see it in motion. That above the water shot from the sky where you can see the coral below the green water looks 100% real.

Shot Breakdown for Everyone's Hero

Animator, Justin Barrett, has posted a really neat little series of videos on his blog, showing what went into animating one of the characters from "Everyone's Hero," from the blocking right through to the final rendering.



It's great to see just how much work goes into making one very quick shot like this one.

Justin's Hero Breakdown

Screen Grabs from Upcoming Cars DVD

From the folks at Ultimate Disney (in no way affiliated with the Ultimate Warrior), come a bunch of new screen grabs from the upcoming "Cars" DVD.



Follow the link below to see more grabs, including storyboard shots and concept art.

The Link Below

The Ugly Duckling and Me Website

I had seen little to no info regarding the upcoming film, "The Ugly Duckling and Me" up until today when The Re-Animation Blog posted a link to the Official Site



Lots of clips and trailers from the film by following the link.

The film actually looks like it's going to be decent, which is a surprise, as it's coming from a relatively unknown company. Or at least it's unknown to me. Which is sort of like your grandma telling you that Paris Hilton is relatively unknown to her.

Take that as you will.

The Ugly Duckling and Me Official Site

The Re-Animation Blog

Open Season Movies

Lots of clips and music vids of Open Season over on Yahoo Movies today.



I'm really excited to see this film, even though it stars Martin Lawrence and Ashton Moore. As much as I find wrong with their live acting attempts, I think their voices should lend themselves pretty well to animation.

I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that Open Season will have the biggest opening weekend for an animated film since Cars, and will wind up grossing $100 million domestically.

Of course, if I'm wrong, then I'll blame it on my dog, since he's the one who tells me what to write on my blog.

Yahoo Movies' Open Season Page

Shrek the Third Poster

IMP Awards has posted the snazzy new poster for Shrek the Third:



I would think after two extremely successful films, Donkey could get some nice new teeth, but from what I understand, most of his money goes to paying for fire damage on his home.

Get it? See... he's in a relationship with a dragon. That's comedy gold.

Pixar's Lifted!

According to the Laemmle Theaters website, Pixar's next short film is going to be called "Lifted."



To celebrate, here is the info on the short that I lifted from Laemmle's Site:

A bumbling young alien student from a distant world tests the patience of an increasingly weary instructor as he attempts a first-time abduction of a innocently slumbering farmer in Lifted, the comical latest short film from Pixar Animation Studios.

From the sounds of things, it will begin screening sometime next month!

Laemmle Theaters Lifted! Info

Barnyard DVD Details

DVD Active has brand new details on the upcoming Barnyard DVD release.



Extras will include an all-new "Barnyard Bob" music video, a "Mud" music video, a feature on Kevin James' hilarious method acting techniques, seven deleted scenes, three DVD-ROM games and a THQ Barnyard demo game, and much, much more.

For more details, swing on over to DVD Active.

DVD Active's Barnyard DVD Details

Arthur and the Invisibles Posters

IMP Awards now has a total of 5 posters for Arthur and the Invisibles, including the one below:



I think the little white flower kid is the one that makes my eyes swell shut in the Spring.

My first Mentor is Ray Chase

I'm going to keep my Animation Mentor posting separate from this blog from now on, so after today, if you'd like to check my progress at the animation school, please head over to 3Dave's Animation Mentor Blog. If you ever forget the link, you can always find it in the right hand column of this blog, down towards the bottom, under my avatar.

That being said, I just found out this morning that my Mentor for my very first quarter at Animation Mentor will be Mr. Ray Chase!



Ray's credits include Jimmy Neutron and The Ant Bully, and I couldn't be more excited to be working with him.

Ray's Site

Animation Mentor

A Real Wild One

I must say I was surprised by the following news from The Hollywood Reporter:

Buena Vista Home Entertainment snagged the top two spots on the national DVD sales chart for the week ending Sept. 17 with the theatrical underachiever "The Wild" and a season two DVD set of television's hot "Grey's Anatomy," both new arrivals in stores last week.



Of course the shocking part would be that "The Wild," which was seen as both a commercial and critical flop took the #1 spot in DVD sales, and not the fact that season two of "Grey's Anatomy" took second. I've never seen GA, but I think the lead character (also in Old School) is a very attractive woman.

That being said, who would have thought that The Wild would come out on top? On one hand, it's good to see that a 3D film is sitting on top of the sales chart, but on the other hand it worries me that executives will look at it and say that quality doesn't matter and anything in 3D will sell...

Of course the article makes no mention of numbers sold, and the film really had no competition, short of some new TV to DVD releases (go buy season two of The Office right now), and the original Star Wars re-re-re-re-releases, so it could simply be a matter of it ranked #1 by default.

Frankly, I have yet to see the film, and may enjoy it. It's sitting next to my TV at home right now, so maybe I'll take a run through the jungle tonight.

How many got the CCR reference?

John Lasseter to be Honored

According to The L.A. Times:

Animator honored: John Lasseter ("Toy Story," "Cars") will receive the 2006 lifetime achievement award from the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television during the school's Outside the Frame Festival on Oct. 9. Lasseter oversees animated films at Pixar and Disney Animation Studios.



Now I'm not sure if John went to the school or not, but I would have to assume that he did. If that is the case, then the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television should do two things:

1) Apologize to John for taking so damn long to honor him. I know it's a lifetime thing, but if the graduated from my school, I'd be giving him an award ever 5 minutes. Then, if I ran out of awards to give him, I'd give him an award for taking all of my school's awards.

2) They should shorten their name.

Congratulations to John on a well-deserved award.

Animation Mentor Classes Begin Monday

Updates have been a bit sporadic as of late, but that really isn't due to lack of effort on my part. I continue to scan all of the major 3D news sites and magazines each day, as well as YouTube, hoping to find a neat little short or two to share with you. Frankly, there just hasn't been much. Keep checking back, because while the posts may have slowed down, as long as there are things to post, I'll try to get them on here in a timely fashion.

I'm always looking for submissions, so if you have something you think belongs on this blog, email me at davesj [at] gmail [dot] com, or add a comment and I'll get it posted!

On a much more personal note, my first quarter with Animation Mentor begins this Monday!



I couldn't be more excited if I tried. While I have mixed emotions over the fact that I'll have little to no social life for the next 2+ years, I couldn't be more thrilled for the opportunities that could arise from this training.

I signed in last night and set up my profile. Upon doing so, the first thing that I noticed is that, while the school is still very much in it's infant stages, the site is very well-designed. There are places to chat, post your work for critiques, get help, view and comment on the work of others, and connect in just about any way you can imagine.

Should be a lot of fun!

Forgot To Mention

I forgot to mention that I'm out on a short vacation. I'll be back at the computer tomorrow (9/20/06) and updates will resume at that time.

Sorry to all those who checked in yesterday and were greeted with nothing but an utter lack of updates. If you will send me a postage paid box and $300 to cover shipping and handling, I'll get you a nice gift to make up for it.

See you tomorrow.

Everyone's Hero Swings Into Theaters Today

Everyone's Hero hits theaters today, hoping to knock one out of the park.



Now while the combo of Whoopi and the Yankees would normally be enough to make me burn down every theater showing the film, I must say that I'm actually looking forward to seeing "Hero" this weekend. The models really appeal to me and the animation looks to be pretty good. I can't speak much on the story, but I'm sure I'll at least enjoy the film somewhat.

Of course, it's only pulling in a 50% currently on Rotten Tomatoes, so who knows... maybe only half of me will like it.

Official Everyone's Hero Site

Rotten Tomatoe's Collection of Reviews for Everyone's Hero

CG MPB&S FYI

Also from the fine folks over at Coming Soon today is the report that the Lion King's Rob Minkoff is developing a 3D version of Mr. Peabody and Sherman.



The bespectacled dog Mr. Peabody and his adopted pet boy Sherman were introduced in 1959 in a series of short segments as part of "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show." Together, they had more than 90 adventures, jumping into Peabody's "WABAC Machine" to travel back in time.

Coming Soon's Mr. Peabody Article

One More Who, From Me To You!

Coming Soon has another shot from the upcoming Carrey/Carell "Horton Hears a Who" film.



This is a really stunning shot, because it feels like it's in 2D, straight out of the book, yet is a fully rendered 3D still taken from the film.

I can almost smell the elephant poop.

Scrath that... I have something on my shoe...

Coming Soon's Horton Article

Bunnies

While I normally don't post CG from videogames, Matt over at Pile of Shame sold me on this one.

I think I played a Rayman game back on the Jaguar (stop laughing), but I really don't know much about the franchise at all. Seems funny though, and as Matt pointed out, they do a fine job of mixing live action and CG at the end of the clip.

Thanks, Matt!

Horton Hears a Who!

For those of you who have yet to hear, USA Today is reporting that Jim Carrey and Steve Carell are teaming up for a 3D adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who!" via the folks over at Blue Sky Studios.



Chris Meledandri, head of 20th Century Fox's animated division, says that Horton will not employ any live action, though it will use computer-generated animation by Blue Sky Studios, which also did Ice Age.

"I certainly was aware of some fan criticism that had occurred" with the live-action films, Meledandri says. "But this will be all animated, and true to the style of Ted Geisel. I think our (animation) and our artists will transport an audience into this man's imagination in a way that hasn't been done before."

I couldn't be more happy about this news. I love Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, and think they'll bring a lot to the characters. I'm excited to see what Blue Sky does with this one.

USA Today First Look At Horton

Hunting Short

Here's a nice little short called simply, "Hunting."

My only beef with it is that I'm not sure why a modern looking man in glasses exists in the same universe as cavemen. Other than that, it's very well done.

Love the grass.

The Wild On DVD Today

Disney's The Wild released on DVD today.



Now you can take home the magic that has managed to pull in an overall score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film will be presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Extras will include five deleted scenes, a "Real Wild Child" music video, Eddie Izzard Unleashed: Voice-Over Blunders & Blooper Reel, and a Meet Colin The Rock Hyrax feature.

EDIT: I like that they "NEW!" on the cover. You'll notice that most DVDs don't put things like "NEW!" on their covers. So why might The Wild do this, you ask? Maybe so that parents don't think "My kid already owns Madagascar."

Box Graphic and DVD Info Courtesy of DVD Active

Read the Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Monster House DVD Info

DVD Active has posted the cover and details for the upcoming Monster House DVD.



Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially announced Monster House, which will be available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats just in time for Halloween on the 24th of October. Retail price for each will be $28.95 and $38.95 respectively. The DVD edition will be available in separate widescreen and pan & scan versions. Extras for the DVD version will include seven featurettes...

See what I did there? I purposely cut off the rest of the details so that you would have to go to DVD Active's site and read the rest.

DVD Active's Monster House DVD Info

Nate Wragg Interview on Character Design

Character Design has a new interview posted with Pixar Character designer, Nate Wragg.



First I usually have an idea of what I want before I start sketching. You know, say I want to draw a Viking, ill I have that in mind before I put the pen down on the paper. Then if a Viking is what I’m shooting for, ill go and get some reference. Ill try and find as much as I can on the subject or idea. The thing about photo reference, is that there are so many details you might over look, that are actually very true to the type of character that you’re going to be creating. For example, I’m sure that not all Vikings wore hats with horns and big bear skin coats, they may have had other ways of dressing, different kinds of weapons, it’d paying attention to those detail that will give you a more accurately styled character, and give you new ideas to play around with. So once I’ve got that stuff covered, and explored I then start to scribble around. I’ll try and explore different shapes to help me push the design in a unique way.

Nate Wragg Interview

Animated News

Swedish Open Season Poster

IMP Awards has the new Swedish Open Season poster up.



Until I saw this poster I didn't even know there was a female character in the movie. At least I think that deer to the right is a female. At least I think it's a deer.

The Making of Cars

Because I know you're like me and can't get enough of John Lasseter and Pixar, here is a "Making of Cars" video that's up on YouTube right now. Don't expect anything technical as far as exactly what tools they used or anything, but it's still worth a quick look.

Can I just tell you that when I grow up I want to be John Lasseter? I mean it. From the wacky shirts to the office full of toys, I want to be John. Oh... and I want to marry Bonnie Hunt. Not that she's married to John, but she's in the movie, and that made me think of it. I'd still totally want to be married to my wife, but I'd like to have Bonnie around, just because she seems like a lot of fun. Speaking of fun, I'd like Richard Simmons to attend my wedding to Bonnie, because he seems like a real hoot.

That's rather weird, isn't it?

I should stop now.

Watch the video.

John Lasseter Audio Interview

Maximilian Schonherr has an interview up with John Lasseter that was conducted on September 6th.



Questions include the design decisions that lead to the eyes on the vehicles in Cars, John's hand-drawing skills, and whether Pixar has ever considered making a more "experimental" film.

Maximilian Schonherr's Interview with John Lasseter

Meet the Robinsons Artwork

The fine folks over at Jim Hill Media have posted some artwork for the film Meet the Robinsons.



Between shots like these and Pixar offering advice on this film now, resulting in its delayed release, I am growing more and more excited to see how MtR turns out.

Jim Hill Media's Robinsons Shots

Happy Feet Notes from George Miller

There is an article up on the USA Today site with some notes from the man behind the film, George Miller.



From the article:

Happy Feet uses both computer and stop-motion animation to tell the story of misfit Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), whose lack of singing ability hampers his search for a mate. Instead, he has a knack for tap.

I had no idea that stop motion was used. I wonder if there will also be a scene where they film a chicken in the extreme foreground to make it look really huge as it tries to eat the Penguins. I'm not knocking stop motion, I'm simply saying that they should use all of the film tricks the industry has to offer.
George Miller Article on USA Today

International Flushed Away Poster

IMP Awards has the first look at the Flushed Away international poster:



It's got a nice James Bond feel to it, though I've never seen James drive a battery powered mixer through the water in any of his movies before. It may have happened, I just may have been out getting a popcorn refill or something.

Everyone's Hero Articles

Dark Horizons and Coming Soon both have articles up on the upcoming Everyone's Hero film.



I actually had no idea that Christopher and Dana Reeve were involved in the project before they passed away.

From the Coming Soon article:

You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate the last project Christopher Reeve worked on before he passed away. According to William H. Macy, who voices a character in 20th Century Fox's computer animated film, Everyone's Hero, "It's so pure and clean and it's about keep swinging and don't give up."

Reeve and his wife Dana took on the job after their son loved the story so much that he couldn't come to dinner one night because he wanted to finish reading. The next morning, Reeve called writer Howard Jonas and said he wanted transform the bedtime story into a film and that he wanted to direct.

Coming Soon's Everyone's Hero Article

Dark Horizon's Everyone's Hero Article

minuscule - The ladybug

This is why you don't mess with a ladybug:

Thanks to the fine folks over at Cartoon Brew for bringing this cute litle short to my attention.

IGN Visits Open Season Set

I guess you still call it a "set" for an animated film...

In any case, IGN swung by Sony Pictures Animation the other day to get the scoop on the upcoming Open Season.



Creator Steve Moore stopped in with producer John Carls to talk about the project.
"I always had this secret desire to get into entertainment as a writer," says Moore. "In the Bleachers opened some doors for me. It introduced me to John Carls (Moore's producing partner)… When I'm working with my cartoons, my head is in the trees… John said, 'Come out of the trees and look at the forest,' and he had spotted the potential for a movie based on these characters."

IGN's Open Season Article

Viva Pinata!

Sometimes you are working on a project and you don't even realize what exactly it is until you take a step back.

Case in point:

I run a blog about 3D Animation or 3D Cartoons as some might call them. All the while at my day job I've been working on a game called "Viva Pinata," which also happens to have a 3D Saturday morning cartoon that began airing this past week. However in all this time I never thought, "Hey... I should post about the 3D Cartoon for the game I'm working on!"

I'm dumb.



It's a great little cartoon, with some decent animation done by the folks over at 4Kids TV. Check out the first "webisode" here, which you can also download (along with 3 others) on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

I can't really speak about the game too much, as it's still in development, but you'll be able to get your hands on it soon enough. Until then, make sure you check out the cartoon with your kids this Saturday!

4Kids TV Viva Pinata Site
Viva Pinata Website