Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

- The thing about the internet is that more and more and more sites keep coming. Many of them are routine, but some are special. The problem is that you have to pass through the ordinary to find the special, and usually a site/blog is special because the person who put it together is special.

There are three new-ish sites that I’d like to comment on. The first two are artist sites; the third is more commercial._________________________________________

- Veronika Soul is a brilliant artist who has had quite a career in animation. Her films have been screened at MoMA, Lincoln Center, the Film Forum, Pacific Film Archive, and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. She has also been a graphic designer for print and broadcast media.

I first saw Veronika’s work at Ottawa’s Animation Festival in 1980. She had codirected a short, Interview, with Caroline Leaf. This was quite an unexpected and daring film, at the time, and it involved resetting our gears. (It’s well worth viewing if you can.) The film followed the festival circuit back then, and I got to see it another half dozen or so times. It kept opening larger and larger the more I’d seen it. ___________________ A still from Interview

I next met up with Veronika when she moved to New York. For a while she worked with R.O.Blechman‘s Ink Tank, and I was surprised to see how well she thrived in the commercial environment. I was impressed. Veronika eventually left the City for a few years, but now she’s returned and has trumpeted her arrival with this brand new site.

Go to Veronika Soul Design to visit. I ended up spending quite a bit of time perusing when I first toured it.

- For some time, I would rush to Jim Hill Media every Tuesday to see if there was a new article by Floyd Norman. Stories about Sword In The Stone, Sleeping Beauty or The Parent Trap mixed with more current films Mulan or Toy Story 2.

Now Floyd has taken to his own blog, Mr. Fun, and the joy is that new commentaries are posted daily. Hopefully, this will continue, because I can’t get enough, and I suspect the same will be true for you.

The reason to go to Floyd Norman‘s site is obvious. He was one of the fine artists who grew in the Disney system through the last half of the 20th Century. He contributed animation, assisting, story development and much art
(as well as sweat) to many feature films. He was a participant in the end of the last great
generation of artists who worked there – working with the so-called “nine old men.” He also bridged to the last big spurt of energy that produced many a fine 2D film under Eisner’s realm. Floyd has been deservedly named one of the Disney “Legends.”

Stories out of the mouths of the people who lived it are the most precious, and Floyd has many great stories that give a real indication of how the studio worked during its heyday. He also knows how to write well so the stories are told clearly and succinctly. ___________This cartoon comes from Floyd’s book,
This is a good blog.___________________________“Son of Faster Cheaper.”
___________________________He has several great gag books that can be bought here.

- I’m not sure if I’m the last one to the party, but I just located two AWN sites. AWN TV offers a number of QT animated movies. Lots of shorts are featured. I didn’t have the time to spend there, but when I do, I’ll watch a couple of the films.

Of more interest to me is the Animation Blogspot. It took a while for me to initially load it, but I was surprised to see all the writing/posting on view. A free blogging service, it offers lots of blogs for viewing. Some I did read include:
____The Animation Pimp, Chris Robinson‘s blog
____My Animation Journal, Maureen Furniss‘ blog
____Larry’s Toon Institute, Larry Lauria‘s blog.
There are many more.

I spent some time with Chris Robinson, the “Animation Pimp” as he harshly reviewed the Oscartoons and gave some thoughts on NFB today and “Madame Tutli Putli.” Chris has a very opinionated style, and I don’t always agree with him. However, I sure want to hear what he has to say. I pretty concur that the year’s best film was missing from the Oscar nominees. Koji Yamamura’s “Kafka’s a Country Doctor” is as brilliant as “Mt. Head.”

There seems to be an enormous wealth of material on AWN, and you have to keep digging and digging to dredge up some of it. I have to admit, I haven’t gone too deep and maybe I should. Lotsa stuff; little time.___________________________________________

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