Channel Frederator Blog

This clip is of 24 year old Kseniya Simonova, a Ukrainian artist who won Ukraine’s Got Talent 2009. She uses a giant light box and sand to illustrate (and sometimes, real-time animate) the invasion of the Ukraine during WWII, set to haunting, dramatic music. I love a good Britney Spears impersonator, but this is incredible.

-Bailee DesRocher

Hey there, Channel Frederator Fans!

We want you to help us throw down for our 4 year anniversary with a slew of fantastic films for one big, bad episode! We’re looking for 4 second animations of what you think the Fredbot would do to celebrate his Happy 4th!

Upload your film to the submissions page. Please type “4 SECOND FREDBOT BY (your name)” in the title box. Best file size and type is 640×360 .mov Done and done!

Deadline is October 12th!

If you have other films you’d like featured on Channel Frederator, check out this article! We can’t wait to show your work, and in addition to interviews and hype for you - with our new format there’s cash available to anyone that gets their work shown!

Woo!

Wallace and Gromit are hosting a new interactive museum exhibit called “A World of Cracking Ideas”. The inventive journey is a collaboration between Aardman Animation, the London Science Museum, and the (British) Intellectual Property Office. Kids and their parents (and anyone else who pays £8.00 admission) can explore “all kinds of clever and quirky exhibits as they are taken on a tour of 62 West Wallaby Street, Wallace and Gromit’s famous terraced home”. Some of the pair’s own great gizmos will be on display, including the Tellyscope II, the Piella Propellor and the Blend-o-Matic.

For more info, use your patented keyboard to click here and here.

In honor of the exhibit, an article from Mental Floss compiles some interesting (and cheesy) Wallace and Gromit trivia.

And you can view a short Nick Park interview, where he explain why he can’t manage to throw out cardboard tubing.

—Anne D. Bernstein

A pair of Quay Brothers events are approaching, so keep them in mind if you are fans of the identical twin animators of creepitude. For more on Stephen and Timothy, click here.

Thursday, April 2nd at 6:30 at The School of Visual Arts Theater, 333 West 23rd Street. FREE!: A discussion of the work of The Brothers Quay, moderated by faculty member Thyrza Goodeve.

And down in Philly…

February 27 – April 9: An exhibition of sets from Brothers Quay films at the Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, 333 South Broad Street. There will be a closing reception on Friday April 3, from 5 to 7:30 with The Quay brothers in attendance. Need a date? Bring your favorite decrepit, detached doll head.

—Anne D. Bernstein

Richard “Dicko” Mather, who likes to party hearty, is throwing a arty cartoon party:

Dicko’s Cartoon Riff Raff Roundup Festival!

It’s an animation contest at Matchless Bar in Brooklyn, to be held on Friday, March 6th at 9ish. The winner gets a $100 bar tab. Woo hoo! Dicko says “The crowd will pick the winner and I am not eligible to win.” We call that transparency. Matchless Bar is at 557 Manhattan Avenue (at Driggs).

To experience just a bit of the oddness that is Dicko, Watch The Adventures of Sawboy Buck below…and you will be singing the saw song whether you like it or not!

—Anne D. Bernstein

Coming up in NYC… the chance to see two passionate and animated innovators in person.

Tuesday night at 7 at YIVO (15 West 16th street) Danny Fingeroth chit chats with the irrepressible Harvey Pekar of American Splendor fame (and some exciting appearances on The David Letterman Show). SECRET PASSWORD FOR REDUCED ADMISSION: At the door, say the word “Harvey” for $10 ticket (regularly $15).

Tuesday, March 3rd at 6:30 at The Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd) meet David Polonsky, the illustrator and art director of Ari Forman’s Waltz with Bashir. Polonsky will discuss the techniques that were used to make this unique animated documentary. The talk will be accompanied by clips from the film. A Q and A session will follow and a book signing for the release of a graphic novel based upon the film. $10 members, $15 non-members. No secret password, as far as I know! RSVP to kevin@societyillustrators.org

After the jump, a clip of Harvey Pekar on The David Letterman Show in his more excitable days. He’s mellowed since then (?) Or not. We shall see tomorrow… [Read more…]

Another great group show is coming up in Los Angeles (it seems there’s always one going on!): LA MYTH at Meltdown Gallery opens this Friday night from 7-midnight. The show will be up until February 21st. “Over 50 industry artists gather together to share their Mysterious Creations, Urban Legions and Tweaked Visions of LA Mythology.” The gallery is located at 7522 Sunset Boulevard.

Above, a sneak peek of Jorge R. Gutierrez’s mythical and unattainable perfect burrito.

See this page for a full list of artists.

—Anne D. Bernstein

You’re just in time for the secret password, and it’s not Swordfish! Tomorrow night (Tuesday, February 3rd) Danny Fingeroth will be interviewing the fascinating and fearless cartoonist and writer Jules Feiffer at YIVO at 7 PM (15 West 16th Street, between 5th and 6th.) $10 tickets are available at the door if you whisper the word “Explainers”. Actually, I think you can say it in a normal tone of voice, if you so choose. This is quite a deal, as advance tickets are $25.

Learn how an angst-ridden, impoverished Jewish guy from the Bronx became an acclaimed cartoonist, playwright, animator, screenwriter, novelist, and author of children’s books, earning himself a Pulitzer Prize, an Obie, and an Oscar along the way. With pop culture critic and historian Danny Fingeroth. Q&A to follow.

For more info, go to the YIVO events page.

—Anne D. Bernstein

New York Comicon (February 6-9 at The Javits Center) has posted most of its schedule and here are some top events for animation addicts. (Just my own personal picks. Complete schedule here.)

Friday 3:15-4:15: WILDBRAIN: Head of Creative Bob Higgins, CMO Mike Polis, and some artists showcase W!LDBRAIN’s animation work, including Yo Gabba Gabba!

Friday 4:45-5:45: SUPERJAIL: Christy Karacas and Stephen Warbrick, the creators and executive producers “speak about the most intense, violent, and complicated jail in the universe.”

Friday 8:39-10:30: WONDER WOMAN: Big screen premiere. Panel with Bruce Timm and some stars after the film.

Saturday 1:45-2:45: MARVEL ANIMATION: Iconic heroes; you know the drill. Wolverine and Iron Man become Nicktoons. A Black Panther show for BET. Thor is awarded his own animated series. Get yer hype here!

Saturday 1:45-2:45: ROBOT CHICKEN: Can you believe this is up against the Marvel event? The weird folk (I mean, cool people) will be in attendance.

Saturday 4:00-5:00: J.J. SEDELMAIER: With Howard [Read more…]

The 8th Annual San Francisco Sketchfest kicks off on January 15th. This year there are some animation-related events sure to please. You can see the complete schedule and buy tickets to all the laugh-inducing festivities here.

January 15th at 8 PM: Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Tour 2009: $25

January 16th at 8 PM: TV Funhouse Live with Robert Smigel, Dino Stamatopoulos and Doug Dale featuring the Anipals and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: $30

January 18th at 2 PM: Sunday with Moral Orel Panel with Dino Stamatopoulos and Scott Adsit: $15

January 31 at 8 PM: Cartoon Dump with Frank Conniff and special guests Andy Kindler and Mary Lynn Rajskub $20

If only I had deep pockets and a plane ticket in hand because there are lots of other incredibly rare ocassions that I would hate to miss, include a performance by The State (and, on another night, an interview with the group hosted [Read more…]