Missing Halloween

     Today is Halloween! And for this day, what better way for this blog to celebrate than to discuss an animation about Halloween?

     In Mike Inel's cutesy world, "Missing Halloween", a boy establishes an unlikely friendship that soon escalates and leads to a shocking discovery. The animation was overall amazing, and the color scheme helps set the mood early. I admire the animator's choice of art style. While it contrasts the mood of the story at the beginning, it delivers an effective punch at the end. Below is the animation for those who are interested in watching it.

Animator of the Month: Hayao Miyazaki

For October's Animator of the Month, it is none other than the man, the legend, Hayao Miyazaki!

Born in Tokyo on January 5, 1941, Miyazaki started his career as an animator in 1963 by working for  the Toei Douga studio. He did not go unrecognized for his work as a prolific animator who could propose a festival of ideas. After Toei Douga, he went onwards to work at the A Pro studio (1971) and Nippon Animation (1973). He directed "Future Boy Conan" in 1978 and then directed "The Castle of Cagliostro" in 1979. With the success brought from the next film he released, "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (1984), Studio Ghibli was founded.

At Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki contributed to many award-winning films such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. He has inspired many animators like myself in his works that are filled to the brim with creativity. 

Paperman

     Through letters, notes, art, and poems, paper has always been used as a form of media to express love. However, in "Paperman", it seems that it has another way to express it. Following the life of a middle-class citizen in 1940s Manhattan named George, he tries to get the attention of a girl named Meg who he met on an elevated train platform. The short film was directed by John Kars, a former Disney animator. While it may seem reminiscent of Disney's 2D films with its smooth animation, it was made entirely with CGI. Despite this, the animation team had a software that enabled them to help give it that 2D feel. It's the first Disney short film to receive an Academy Award since "It's Tough to Be a Bird" in 1969.

     Below is the film:

Paperman and 2D Animation

     "Paperman", the short film that was shown before "Wreck It Ralph" in theaters, took the Internet by storm. People were fascinated by its charm and revolutionary techniques with the combination of 2D and 3D animation. Many were surprised to find out the film was actually 3D despite giving the illusion of being 2D. With special software, the people behind it were able to apply strokes and paint to the CGI models ("final line advection"). By applying them onto the keyframes of the animations, which are the frames that present the basic movements, they were able to add a 2D feel to the work.

     For a better look on how they did it, the video explaining it further in-depth is below:

The Blue & the Beyond

     Charlie, who is the co-lead of this film, loves to delve deep into his imagination. His blue book brings out the best of him and he wouldn't have it any other way. Sadly, he is the only one like this in his world until he found someone just like him. In this film, The Blue & the Beyond, standing out is frowned upon. This society makes everyone think the same and see the world the same with the same red book. This film is successful at giving the message that being yourself and never forgetting who are you, albeit indirect. Through determination, being your own individual is better than being an addition to the crowd. Youri Dekker's approach and style was a creative take on this type of conflict, and the characters were charming enough to stand out on their own.

     Below is the video:

Control Bear

     Imagination is always something that has been cherished by both the young and old. With it brings out the creativity in us and ideas that can solve problems too difficult to manage. In this surreal short film, Control Bear, a girl's imagination takes her on a journey to another world. The style is similar to that of Studio Ghibli's since one of the former animators (Yojiro Arai) part of it worked on this animation. From my view, the video seems to be giving the message that "anything can happen if you make your dreams into a reality". The art was charming, and you could really feel that sense of wonder from the child upon watching the film. 

     Below is the video for those who are interested:

Red

     There have been many different versions of the classic story of "Little Red Riding Hood". From "Hoodwinked" to this short film simply titled "Red", fairy tales have been altered. This version features a little boy dressed as a wolf and the classic girl in a red hood. She is terrified of him at first, but their relationship takes a turn when she judges something else by its appearance. The animation is adorable and sketchy, which seems to match the mood the film aims for. Below is the video for those who are interested!

Alright, Alight

     Brought by Jason Keyser and others from Brigham Young University Center, Alight centers on two beings, one made of fire with the other being of water. Upon meeting, they immediately become curious of each other, quickly coming to the realization that they cannot touch each other. As shown, interaction between the two results in steam and confusion. While it may seem just a simple tragic tale, it is actually much deeper than that. This short film demonstrates the destruction of the elements as a result of humans. The moving building represents human activities and it crushing the water character, Aquanna, demonstrates the action of human activities misusing the water that we already have. While some others might have different opinions on the message, that is mine for this film. For being done in Flash, the animation is smooth and very clean. I loved how they added effects to the characters as it highlighted their designs. The special effects were well made as well, and I recommend for anyone giving it a watch (shown below).