Channel Frederator Blog

Santi Agustí is one talented animator! His retro, poptastic animation “Fco Aragon” combines cool music with colorful animation and we couldn’t be happier to feature it here on Channel Frederator.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Santi Agustí: I studied animation at Pompeu Fabra University, in Barcelona, with a masters degree in animation and focus on Maya, (in 2003)

CF: What has influenced your style the most?

SA: Uh… well…I really don’t recognize a clear style in my animations/illustrations… but I like a lot of Eastern European animations (and their dark stop motions!), as well as UPA films, experimental avant garde filmations, old textures, listening to some Avishai Cohen, Soil & “Pimp” Sessions, Krautrock, minimal and drone music…so maybe it’s a mixture of all that (or probably anything that’s reflected in my drawings and animations.. :-p)

CF: What is this film, “Fco Aragón”, for?

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Recent animation graduate Bianca Beneduci’s film “Popped” features some slick traditional animation and cool, retro inspired backgrounds. Here she tells us about the artists she’s bonkers about, and the inspiration for her film.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Bianca Beneduci: I took the classical animation program at Vancouver Film School - graduated at the end of last month.

CF: Is there a particular teacher who really helped you with your work?

BB: Well, all of them helped a lot, they’re all really great. But I guess I have to point out one of them, Moose Pagan. He played a really big part during the whole process. Excellent mentor, I feel like I’m a very lucky student.

CF: What has influenced your style the most?

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In 1952, the Tex Avery directed a short Rock-A-Bye Bear premiered. The short, written by Heck Allen and Rich Hogan featured a simple premise: Spike has a job running a house for a hibernating bear, who insists on quiet. Tex was strained by the amount of work, so he left MGM shortly after completing the piece (the film was actually completed in 1950, but not released until two years later due to the backlog of cartoon shorts).  In Tex’s absence, his unit was directed by former Walter Lantz director, Dick Lundy.

Tex returned to MGM in 1951,  where he took back his animation unit. He went on to direct eleven more cartoons. Most of these had a similar look to the UPA cartoons that were gaining popularity at the time. In March 1953, MGM closed down Tex’s unit, believing that 3D films that were quickly taking theaters by storm would end the [Read more…]

This is a real project.

When supervillain Tan-Gu invites the world’s most notorious bad guys to his island fortress to compete in an Olympic-style tournament of evil, the fate of the free world hangs in the balance. For the Anti-Evil Task Force there’s only one man who can stop Tan-Gu and save mankind: Kung Fu Magoo!

This feature length film stars the beloved Mr. Magoo and his 12 year-old nephew Justin as they dodge giant robotic spiders, ninjas on jet skis, and Tan-Gu’s mutant “Beasteens” (half animal, half teenage girl!) — and that’s before the Evil-lympics even begin! With competitions like the 100-meter Destructive Rampage, Laser Cage Wrestling, and the Evil Egg and Spoon Race, Justin must work double-time to help his uncle stay in the competition and avoid danger at every turn.

I haven’t seen the film, but I can’t imagine Mr Magoo doing Kung Fu. It sounds like someone [Read more…]