tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18651542430313316492024-03-08T18:01:13.870-08:00FLiPFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.comBlogger530125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-34156158123667199952024-01-18T09:31:00.000-08:002024-01-19T20:33:12.578-08:00The Twelve PackI recently had a freelance job designing labels for Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Company of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. When they opened in 2014, I soon became a Thursday regular, getting to know owners Jamie Queli and Seth Dolled, and bartenders Ryan, Kai, and Marysia - who challenged me to spell her name (It took months to figure out). They were always so kind and welcoming, often FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-46060166695598788122023-11-26T14:57:00.000-08:002023-11-26T19:20:40.175-08:00"I'm Marty." Meeting Marty at Nickelodeon. In January of 2017, Nickelodeon had just finished construction on a brand new, shiny building at the corner of Olive and Lake in Burbank. To celebrate this massive undertaking, they threw a huge wing ding, with Big Wigs from New York and celebrities I'd never heard of. Amidst the VIP's, I hob-nobbed with fellow common artists, enjoying the FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-36575012957082530052023-08-12T10:55:00.002-07:002023-08-12T13:48:13.579-07:00The Basement at Gimbel'sGimbel's department store, Philadelphia, 1905. When the calendar turns to August, my mind always goes to the back-to-school days of childhood - to days when summer boredom mixed with creeping anxiety about the impending school year. On the plus side, there would new Saturday morning cartoons. On the minus side, another year of to St. Mary Magdalen School, sadistic nuns, and Fr. FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-13036290152219000982023-05-28T16:43:00.015-07:002023-06-05T17:58:53.849-07:00The Legend of Bill MooreBill Moore, 1981. Photo by Chris WahlThursdays at CalArts were brutal. Getting to class early to pin our assignments on the long crit wall, we'd wait to be slaughtered by the old man. Upon his arrival, the room would go silent. He would casually stroll along the wall, surveying FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-42028036768861078112023-05-14T16:41:00.001-07:002023-05-14T19:29:24.383-07:00Godspeed, Allen StovallMay 8th marked the latest premature loss to our hunched and goofy community with the death of Allen Stovall at the age of 69. He was a veteran visual effects animator on features such as "Cats Don't Dance" and "Hercules". He always carried a gentle, mellow vibe, with a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile on his face. We first met in 1987 while doing 7-Up commercials at Duck Soup FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-56806150894763219182023-05-07T13:42:00.005-07:002023-05-08T16:53:50.105-07:00Recipes for Pie - The Throwing Kind Natalie Wood gets served in "The Great Race"On a primal level, what's funnier than a pie in the face? Pie fights were ubiquitous in the early days of film comedy. But take a close look at those pies - they're not like Mom's. They had a texture to them that stuck to a face long after impact, giving the actor plenty of time to mug. As a youngster, I always FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-1544462432302018502023-04-13T09:54:00.000-07:002023-04-13T09:54:10.094-07:00PeaceTime: A Soaring Eagle I am quite pleased to present my new short, "PeaceTime: A Soaring Eagle". It's the second of what I hope to be a series of such guided meditations for children. I collaborated once again with Jess Lakin, who improvised the meditation in Ian Rees' recording studio. From her recording, I came up with visuals and animated it using Adobe Animate. Being a spare timeFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-15954543760986701262023-03-02T17:46:00.000-08:002023-03-02T17:46:53.239-08:00One for the AgeismThere comes a day when, sitting for a haircut, we get a long look in the mirror and see one of our parents looking back at us. Horrified, we look away. But forced to sit in there, we steal glances; that little eyelid sag, the onset of a jowl/turkey neck combo. We're aging. Like farting in an elevator, we can't escape it and hope to God no one else notices. &FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-4484857114934903512022-11-14T08:14:00.000-08:002022-11-14T08:14:06.658-08:00Bob the Dragon The 1983-84 school year at Cal Arts was my favorite, and my student film that year, "Bob the Dragon" is a reflection of that. I was a junior that year when Hal Ambro came to teach animation. Hal was a top notch animator, his work dating back to "Snow White". Here he was, the man who animated the owl in "Bambi", at our disposal. Thank you, animation gods! I would take my FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-87644232151021971762022-10-03T08:28:00.000-07:002022-10-03T08:28:27.531-07:00From My Project Graveyard: The Owl & the Pussycat In 2001, producer and dear friend Leslie Hough called about developing a feature pitch for "The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-Cat", a children's book by Monty Python's Eric Idle, based on the poem by Edward Lear. The audiobook version includes original songs Idle wrote with his "Spamalot" collaborator John DuPrez. There was a whimsicality aboutFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-14193939304271005012022-09-12T07:37:00.002-07:002022-09-12T18:29:32.724-07:00The "No A-hole" Policy* I got a call from Mona Gurgley, a recruiter from Upstart Studios, feeling out my interest in working for The Next Really Big Deal in animation. They have big plans, BIG plans. So big, they're secret. But she could tell me this much - all they needed to pull off their big plans was a crew full of top tier talent. Sounds like a big plan! &FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-82741209999683748492022-08-30T20:02:00.009-07:002022-08-31T09:18:55.896-07:00So Long, Eggman I first learned of Ralph Eggleston's death in James Baker's wonderful tribute post. I didn't know he'd been ill, so it came as quite a shock. I first met Ralph at CalArts in 1983. He was a 17 year-old incoming freshman. I was a know-it-all junior with no interest in the freshmen. However, it didn't take long for Ralph's name to get bantered about FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-36381600565083234822022-05-01T20:13:00.004-07:002022-05-02T06:31:12.238-07:00PeaceTime for the UkraineOver the past year, I have submitted my children's meditation short "PeaceTime: A Royal Frog" to dozens of film festivals all over the world. In early April, a festival in Moscow accepted it, and wanted me to send a screening copy. Given how things have gone out there in the last few months, I opted to blow it off. While doing yard work a short time later, it struck FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-79461772418575464552022-04-25T14:20:00.001-07:002022-04-25T14:20:49.616-07:00The List of 1982Program for the 1982 show, designed by Fred Cline.Forty years ago this week, I took part in my first CalArts Character Animation Show. Through the course of the school year, I had managed to fool myself into thinking I was good. But seeing my film next to those of Dan Jeup, Chris Sanders, Kelly Asbury, Bruce Smith, Rob Minkoff, and a couple dozen other better skilled FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-64327810113222725012022-02-21T09:08:00.000-08:002022-02-21T09:08:39.397-08:00Diversion con Rinones!In my last post, Fun with Kidneys!, you heard about the new informational short I produced for the non-profit Renal Support Network, featuring the animated Kidneys Neff and Nuff. Pleased with the results, Lori Hartwell at RSN asked to have it dubbed into Spanish. Actor and comedian Sandra Valls was brought in to translate the script and to do the voice of Neff. She, in turnFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-64849768268277268242022-01-06T08:44:00.000-08:002022-01-06T08:44:56.531-08:00Fun with Kidneys!How does one make the subject of kidney disease entertaining? That was the challenge when Lori Hartwell approached me about making a short educational film for her non-profit Renal Support Network (RSN), an organization she founded in 1993 to help those with kidney disease manage their care.
Lori wanted to make an animated version of their illustrated booklet "Share Your Spare", FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-69076516368098561422021-12-14T09:13:00.000-08:002021-12-14T09:13:15.089-08:00The Sinking of A-113S.O.S. to all CalArts Alum on land and sea! If you're looking for an end-of-year charitable donation and want to support the arts (yes!), consider the CalArts animation programs. I started giving a few years ago, in appreciation for the student aid that provided a lifeboat to start my career in animation. And even though my donations are not Earth-shattering, I always get a FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-91960858604406005372021-10-12T18:38:00.002-07:002021-10-12T20:16:22.792-07:00Sweet Dreams, Katie Kathleen Quaife, one of the best 2D effects animators that ever lived, passed away in her sleep last week, way too young. I first met Katie in the late eighties, doing commercials for Duck Soup Produckions in Santa Monica. We would work together again on the feature Rover Dangerfield, on which she headed the effects department. Katie was the adult in the room full of goofyFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-70568151788148608182021-09-22T09:26:00.001-07:002021-09-22T12:10:28.311-07:00Jill Daniels' Art in the BAGAwesome art director Jill Daniels has personal art on display now at the Baldwin Avenue Gallery, a.k.a the BAG in Sierra Madre. Between her art show, her day job, and her Emmy's work on the Academy (whew!), she answered some questions for FLiP. Jill, 2nd from left, at her gallery reception. FLiP: How did you first discover painting, and who were your earliest influences?JillFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-25683325499952820872021-09-09T21:40:00.013-07:002021-09-13T12:17:45.729-07:00The Freshman CalArts I.D., 198140 years ago this week, my journey in character animation began. I've been thinking about it recently, like looking through a dusty box of memories in the attic. I went to CalArts right out of high school, sight-unseen, putting full faith in my decision to become an animator; a decision not exactly met with enthusiasm back home in southern New JerseyFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-19692684382324632832021-05-05T13:41:00.001-07:002021-05-05T13:41:44.311-07:00The Ogre, the Mogul, and Me By Kirk WiseWas it the incessantly farting ogre that first tipped me off? Or the flat plywood sets that looked like a poorly-lit episode of H.R. Pufnstuf, minus the whimsy and imagination? Perhaps it was TV funnyman Howie Mandel, capering and lisping his way through his role as a glitter encrusted genie? I suppose if I had to choose, I’d say the penny dropped when the head of the productionFLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-75679498996457115282021-04-17T14:42:00.003-07:002021-04-17T14:48:49.634-07:00LinkedIn Coyotes My old pal Jeff texted me last week, asking if I'd heard of a certain boutique animation studio, one that Wile E. Coyote might hire to make his commercials. Jeff had applied for a marketing director position at this studio through a post on the LinkedIn site. He was then contacted via e-mail, congratulating him for getting the job, and when could he start.Surprised by the FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-43203945345511962422021-04-10T20:28:00.001-07:002021-04-10T20:40:28.357-07:00For Ralph's SakeHere's a brilliant short that is bound to make you question your choice of eye drops. Produced by the Humane Society International, "Save Ralph" features the voice of Taika Waititi as Ralph, a laboratory rabbit who tries to be positive about his job while sporting visible scars of the torture he has endured in the name of product testing. The resulting film is both darkly FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-57822751341985289732021-04-03T14:23:00.000-07:002021-04-03T14:23:07.470-07:00Introducing....PeaceTimeAfter two years of working in fits and starts, I am very pleased to present "PeaceTime: A Royal Frog". I got this idea a while back (2017-ish?) as an answer to the loud and obnoxious programming that is fed to kids, ad nauseum, through 24-hour cable and streaming video - yes, the stuff that pays my mortgage. I wrote the idea down in a sketchbook and let it ferment. At FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1865154243031331649.post-63925035482358381012021-02-17T21:23:00.005-08:002021-02-17T21:31:41.997-08:00And Now, A FLiP Editorial CartoonSince the election ended, I've had this idea rolling around in my head. Rolling, rolling, in perpetual motion. The only way to stop it was to let it out. It has been a very long time since I've done caricatures, something I prided myself on back in my school days and early career. Finding that place in my mind that interprets someone's looks into odd shapes was like finding a long FLIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453434761455870721noreply@blogger.com1