Pixar’s “Up” leave you hanging for more flying house action?Then you’re in luck!
Check out this 1921 short “Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend,” by the self-proclaimed “inventor of animated drawing” Winsor McCay.In fifteen minutes, it tells the story of a debt-plagued man who decides to solve his problems by… outfitting his house with a propeller and flying it to the moon.What could possibly go wrong?
For early animation it is really surprisingly beautiful and entertaining.Check out the flying house zipping through an astronomically accurate view of the solar system around eleven minutes in.Of course, the astronomical accuracy is tossed aside when it’s time for the Man in the Moon to chase down our heroes with a giant fly-swatter…
The good folks and muppets at the Jim Henson Co. just announced a new stop-motion animated feature called “Monster Safari,” based on a short from the studio Screen Novelties. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story concerns “what happens when the Earth’s monsters come out of hiding and a pair of bumbling crypto-zoologists spring into action to save them from a ruthless big-game hunter.”
And if that weren’t awesome enough… the feature is being scripted by Craig Zobel and Matt Chapman, creators of Homestar Runner.
Please say this means the “bumbling crypto-zoologists” will search for a particular dragon-like creature with a beefy arm and consummate V’s. Because the only way to deal with a “ruthless big-game hunter”? Is to burninate it with fire.
Check out a great gallery of images from the original short here: http://www.screen-novelties.com/news/2006/10/monster-safari-short-completed.html
...in which we learn of the unlikely immortality of the b-tracks from “Hello, Dolly,” thanks to animated robots...
Eagle-eyed viewers of last night’s Tony Awards (all three of them) caught a surprising nod to animation during the Broadway community’s annual celebration of cheesy tourist-fare.
A lifetime achievement award was presented to Jerry Herman - composer of “Mame,” “La Cage Aux Folles,” and that musical the high school drama club did in 10th grade - while slides showed the titles of his big numbers. And in an unlikely twist, the tune “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” was credited as being “from Hello, Dolly! and WALL*E.” Really?
Must be Broadway trying to ride some Pixar coattails. Of course, the fifty-year-old tune isn’t originally from WALL*E. But the film’s adorable robo-Casanova did learn his moves from an old VHS of “Hello, Dolly!” It seems the trash compactor himself was originally supposed to present Jerry Herman’s award, as part of Disney's Living Character Initiative, but Wall*E was mysteriously cut from the broadcast. He was probably getting drunk backstage with Liza Minelli.
Additional fun fact! Jerry Herman knew last year that he’d licensed some of his songs to Pixar. But he had no idea the extent to which they were being used. Until he sat down and watched WALL*E. [HuffPo]
Can you imagine? Not only you have the surprise of your fifty-year-old songs - and not the most widely-remembered in your songbook - turning out to be a major plot point in this fantastic little robot movie, but also? That this fantastic little robot movie says your fifty-year-old songs are going to OUT-LAST CIVILIZATION.
Amazingly, there is yet more animation news out of last night’s Tony Awards.The broadcast featured a production number from the stage musical version of “Shrek”...Which looks every bit as awful as you probably already guessed.
Somehow they’ve managed to suck all the charm and individuality out of the original Shrek by turning him into a guy in a green rubber fat suit.Although you gotta give Lord Farquat credit for dancing on his knees.
But between this clunker and last year’s damp “Little Mermaid,” it seems this is the age of Painful Musicals Based On Excellent Cartoons That Shoulda Been Left Well Enough Alone.Stay home and watch the SouthPark musical instead.Steven Sondheim said it was the best musical of the decade.True story.
Step out of that Suicide Booth – “Futurama” is back!
Comedy Central has ordered 13 new episodes of the best cartoon scifi sitcom since Jane Jetson finally stopped that crazy thing, reports Collider.The original series ran on Fox from 1999 till 2003, before going into the cryogenic freezer until four direct-to-dvd specials in 2007.
Here’s the great thing about being an animation fan:our canceled masterpieces can actually be revived.First Family Guy, and now Futurama – and of course The Simpsons has been the walking undead for about a decade.No amount of boycotting and dvd-sales will ever get Firefly back on the small screen (sigh), but all animated shows need is a butt-load of cash and they're good to go - actual actors get old and busy and stuff, but Fry and Bender are just where we left them.
Read it and weep, Browncoats! (Dear Santa: Firefly The Animated Series maybe pls?)
In celebration, here is a completely arbitrary list of some fantastic Futurama clips. Starting with, appropriately enough, Futurama's explanation of why actors are so darn pesky for staging revivals...
