fantastic

you animation types may have already found this on cartoon brew earlier, but i just learned that the trailer for fantastic mr. fox is out today. find it here.



i had a chance to visit the production last year during my trip to england, but this is the first animation i have seen. i'm really looking forward to seeing this in the fall.

DVD!

coraline is now out on DVD! buy it here, or here.



as far as i know, laika sent all of the coraline crew members a parcel like the one above sometime last week. inside that handsome wrapper is a copy of the 2 disc coraline dvd. thanks fellas! this is the version of the DVD that has the most extras and bonus features. apparently the blu-ray has even more stuff, but i don't own a player. does anyone know if the shorts from the website are on the blu-ray? if anyone knows the scoop on the additional features, fill me in. as for this edition, i really enjoyed watching the bonus features and seeing so many crew buddies get a little bit of screen time. if you pay close attention to the puppet making doc, you just might see someone you know! (ahem)

ughhh

man, i really hate coding. i'm trying to get my portfolio updated and... its frustrating. i could go on and on, but i won't. the good news is that i should hopefully have fresh new portfolio up in the near future.

i'm also on the verge of finishing up a project that i've been just very slightly working on for a long long time. its almost ready to show.

i've decided to post a little bit of personal memorabilia from the coraline production in honor of the dvd release this tuesday. neil gaiman came to visit the studio a couple of times and signed stuff for us on both occasions. i got him to sign my copy of the coraline book on his first time through, so when he came back i had to scrounge for something for him to sign. so i improvised. i think it worked out well. i got him to sign my sketchbook and a test casting of miss forcible. that's what i had to look at all day for several months, by the way.



also, this may be of interest to any of you who are planning to attend san diego comic-con this week:

Friday, July 24
10:30-11:30 Coraline— Visionary director and screenwriter Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman discuss the making of the LAIKA/Focus Features 2009 breakout animated hit film Coraline. In celebration of Universal Studio's Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD release of the critically acclaimed stop-motion film, Selick and Gaiman will be joined by lead animator and LAIKA CEO/president Travis Knight, producer Bill Mechanic (CEO of Pandemonium and producer of Dark Water and The New World), character fabrication supervisor Georgina Hayns (Corpse Bride), and voice talent Keith David (Crash). Panelists will offer an in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpse at how this astonishing and suspenseful adventure—the first stop-motion animated feature originally produced in stereoscopic 3D—was painstakingly brought to life. The panel is moderated by IGN movies/DVD editor-in-chief Eric Moro. Room 6A

maybe you can corner george and try to get her to explain how they made those crazy head mechanics on corpse bride. if you do, tell her i sent you!

pandering

well, i feel a little awkward mentioning this here, as it feels a little too much like tooting my own horn... but some of you may be interested. marc spess of animateclay.com recently included an interview with me in the 3rd edition of his "secrets revealed" e-book on stop motion. hopefully i don't come across like TOO much of a jackass. the publication is a great overall resource. marc covers pretty much every aspect of making a stop motion film and includes insight you can use both in your garage and on a big budget feature. the new edition also includes interviews with anthony scott, kathi zung, justin rasch, and brad schiff.

you can buy it here

while on the topic of telling you how you should spend your money, i highly recommend you go see the new film moon.