Lee Corey was by our New York office to pitch his short called Loyd & Floyd. Lee’s studio has lately been concentrating on animated content for mobile phones. He was his usual friendly self, and I must give him personal thanks for his patience in letting my 10 year old son sit through his pitch and give target audience notes.
Thanks to Lee for his kind permission to post some of his storyboard.
Sometime next month there’s going to be an announcement of the third season of the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival (nee Nicktoons Film Festival and Nextoons) in August 2006. We’ll keep you informed.
The logo was designed (and redesigned and redesigned) by our pals Michael Uman and Luis Blanco at Interspectacular. The one on the top right is the final.
They’re moving in for number 2.
Manny & Alan aren’t the first and they won’t be the last of this season’s creators to try for a second short. Yesterday they came by with the unique sci-fi comedy Dogstar.
Everyone better hurry, we’re down to the wire.
Our blog was messed up when I originally posted this cartoon, so it’s out of sync for January, but it might be the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while. At least if you know any Jews; my mixed marriage family found it hilarious.
Created by Robert Smigel for Saturday Night Live, the creative team also includes director David Brooks, writer Julie Klausner (creator of the very funny Cat News), and my high school bandmate, saxophonist Bruce Kapler.
I promise, we’ll re-post it at the appropriate time next year.
We’ve started 21 shorts in this season of Oh Yeah! Cartoons, and I met 9 of the 15 creators in their pitches over the last year or so (that’s 60% for the mathematically inclined). I only mention this statistic to counter the impression I sometimes leave on this blog that I’ve known everyone forever. I love meeting and working with new people; it’s the lifeblood of how I do what I’ve done for my working life.
Now, the other side of this startling fact is that once I become a fan of someone it’s great to work with them over a long period of time, through various phases and ebbtides of life. I try to be a loyal collaborator; I think it has served everyone well.
All of which leads to my full disclosure that I’ve worked with Alan Goodman for 35 years, and now he’s making his first Oh Yeah! cartoon with Nickelodeon New York animator and comic book artist Manny Galan. I won’t bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say that I met Alan in college radio, did my first moving picture work on his student films, was partners with him for several years, and he’s my brother-in-law. Along the way he’s been a journalist, ad writer, TV series creator, and my most constant creative confederate.
I’m thrilled beyond description that Alan and I have found another great way to work together.
Photography by Elena Seibert. Hand coloring by Candy Kugel. See, I was too skinny once.
Frequent, careful readers of our Frederator blogs might recognize Steve’s name as our most frequent fan commenter. Turns out he’s also a hopeful cartoon creator, and because he lives north of New York, he came to my office to pitch his short Moonlife for Oh Yeah! Cartoons, before we’ve greenlit all 39.
Thanks Steve for kind permission to post your artwork.
I got into the cartoon business at Hanna-Barbera in 1992, and soon started making short cartoons modeled on the great theatrical shorts of the 20th century.
Our first 48 shorts were called What A Cartoon! and debuted in 1995 on Cartoon Network as World Premiere Toons.
And, you ask, why am I telling you all this? Well, finally after 10 years I’ve gotten it together to post video captured images of most of these shorts. Who’s there? Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCraken, Dave Feiss, Pat Ventura, Van Partible, Bruno Buzzetto, John Dillworth, Joe Barbera, Bill Hanna, Miles Thompson, Jerry Reynolds, geez, the list keeps going…Ralph Bakshi, Butch Hartman, Robert Alvarez…
We’ve posted a batch of beautiful title cards from the third (and final) season of My Life as a Teenage Robot.
As with the first two seasons, the series was created by Rob Renzetti, art directed by Alex Kirwan, and the cards themselves were stunningly designed by Joseph Holt.
As you can see (again), there’s a reason this series is revered by cartoon and design fans around the globe.
As some of you know, I love posters, and if you’ve read this blog regularly, you might also know I’ve been extremely concerned about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the complete devastation and abandonment of one of America’s richest regions.
So this site had to catch my eye sooner or later. Several of the country’s graphic designer have created amazing hurricane relief posters, with the entire revenues going to victims of the tragedy.
So buy some posters. You like design or you wouldn’t be reading this blog. You can enjoy them and contribute at the same time. Thank you for your attention.
Herb Scannell resigned from Nickelodeon today.
Herb has been one of the most important and unsung heros to today’s animation industry. His passionate vision moved us from the nadir of the 80s to the creator driven, unique films our industry enjoys today. He championed John K, Gabor Csupo, and Jim Jinkins at the beginning of Nickelodeon’s run of original animation. He built the largest animation studio dedicated to television since the heyday of Hanna-Barbera. He fostered the creative envirnoment that brought us Spongebob.
Herb Scannell made Frederator possible. No… Herb Scannell invented Frederator. When the rest of the world saw us as nothing special, Herb encouraged our unique approach against all naysayers.
I wasn’t sure whether to label this post “My friend, Herb Scannell” or “My Leader, Herb Scannell,” because he certainly has been both. But, I’d have to favor ‘friend’; for the last 40+ years he’s always been there for his great family and everyone he knows as a great and loyal person.
Herb Scannell is a man of unwavering passion, stunning vision, and most of all, a leader with a heart. The world is lucky to get him back.
