The Post on The Good (not Great) Dinosaur

Is 'The Good Dinosaur' the least imaginative Pixar movie? [in print as PIxar falls into the tar pits of dino story cliches].

By Stephanie Merry November 28 2015: C1, 4
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/11/27/is-the-good-dinosaur-the-least-imaginative-pixar-movie/

Arlo and Forrest Woodbush (aka: The Pet Collector) in "The Good Dinosaur." (Disney/Pixar)

Scientific accuracy is overrated: A paleontologist reviews Pixar's 'The Good Dinosaur'

By Rachel Feltman
Speaking of Science blog November 25 2015 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/11/25/scientific-accuracy-is-overrated-a-paleontologist-reviews-pixars-the-good-dinosaur/

Pixar’s ‘Sanjay’s Super Team’ takes a gamble on Hindu theme

By Anne Marie Hankins | Religion News Service November 18 2015
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/pixars-sanjays-super-team-takes-a-gamble-on-hindu-theme/2015/11/18/c1cc7258-8e31-11e5-934c-a369c80822c2_story.html

DC-area band Exit Vehicles has just released an animated video

They tell ComicsDC:

We released our debut album STAGES in July 2015, and the first of a few music videos was released November 1st, this one for our song Module.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwkWPYiz9Qs

We felt the story for this could only really come across well if a cartoon was made from it, so we contacted a mutual acquaintance whose stuff we liked, Michigan-based artist Matt Rasch. Matt agreed to animate and direct for us in his unique style (http://mattraschart.tumblr.com/). It's just a whimsical cartoon about a monkey rocketing across space and back, and we think it's plenty of fun.

Exit Vehicles - Bandcamp website: https://exitvehicles.bandcamp.com/

Bio:

Exit Vehicles are a DC indie rock four piece who formed in mid-2013 as a project between twin brothers Brian and Adam Polon. After being in several bands and releasing several albums apart, the brothers felt it was finally time to try something together, and quickly sketched out 50 original songs on bass and guitar. The twins met drummer Jacob McLocklin (also in DC's indie/pop/rock outfit Cake and Calculus), and recorded 30 tracks with variations on Soundcloud under the project name The Debuggers (the three bandmembers all work in the DC computer/tech sector). The brothers found singer Brian Easley (a recent DC transplant via Austin and Chicago) through the Internet and began playing a show every month across DC for the next year under the name Exit Vehicles, their homage to science, space, technology, and NASA. Easley is a combat-disabled veteran.

Exit Vehicles recorded STAGES, their first LP, at the Lighthouse Recording Studio in Del Ray, Virginia with Peter Larkin early in 2015. The ten track album is a tribute to the Polon brothers' intricate and complex songwriting, McLocklin's dazzling drumwork, and Easley's visceral lyrics and wiry vocals. The album was also produced by Peter Larkin at The Lighthouse in Del Ray, and mastered by Dave Harris at Studio B in Charlotte, NC. The band's earlier 2014 EP offering – which Natan Press of The Deli Magazine described as "Aggressive yet melodic, progressive yet tight, a solid post-punk rhythm section drives a clean alt/indie sound reminiscent of the best in the city's history" – was recorded at Inner Ear Studio in Arlington, Virginia by Don Zientara. Exit Vehicles only play every month or two around DC, so be on the lookout for the next show! They play next on Saturday, December 12th, 2015 at Iota Club and Cafe in Arlington, VA.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exit.vehicles
Twitter: https://twitter.com/exitvehicles
Instagram: https://instagram.com/exitvehicles
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/exit-vehicles

Obituary for anti-Saturday morning cartoon crusader in the Post

Peggy Charren, 86: Longtime advocate for better children's TV [online as Peggy Charren, advocate for improving children's TV programming, dies at 86]

 

By Matt Schudel
Washington Post January 24 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/peggy-charren-advocate-for-improving-childrens-tv-programming-dies-at-86/2015/01/23/e5085916-a323-11e4-903f-9f2faf7cd9fe_story.html

"Why can't children's television be more like a good children's library, with lots of diversity," she said in 1983, "and less like the comic-book rack in the local drugstore?"

The Post reviews latest Planes cartoon

'Planes: Fire & Rescue' movie review

By Jen Chaney  Washington Post July 17 2014

Express on The Lego Movie

‘The Lego Movie’ Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks

BY KRISTEN PAGE-KIRBY

[Washington Post] Express February 7 2014 p. 15

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2014/02/07/lego-movie/

The Post reviews The Lego Movie

‘The Lego Movie’ review: Toy-themed ad­ven­ture celebrates creativity

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Picture - The plastic gang’s all here to save the day: from left, Unikitty (voiced by Alison Brie), Benny (Charlie Day), Emmet (Chris Pratt), Batman (Will Arnett), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) and Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks).

By Michael O’Sullivan, 

Washington Post February 7 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-lego-movie-review-toy-themed-adventure-celebrates-creativity/2014/02/05/ba3d6b26-8cff-11e3-95dd-36ff657a4dae_story.html

Jan 18-19: Little Mermaid Jr. on stage in Arlington

The Little Mermaid Jr.

Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
Book by Doug Wright
Based on the Hans Christian Andersen Story and the Disney Film produced by Howard Ashman & John Musker and written & directed by John Musker and Ron Clements

http://www.encorestageva.org/on-stage/20132014-season/

January 10-19, 2014
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre
125 S. Old Glebe Road Arlington, VA 22204

Splash into this classic story of Ariel, the mermaid princess, who wishes to live in the world above rather than the ocean floor. To explore life on land, Ariel disobeys her father, King Triton, and makes a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula. Ransoming her singing voice, she must convince Prince Eric that she is indeed the girl who rescued him or risk losing her voice forever. Sing along to your favorite songs and watch as Ariel, with the help of her friends, tries to break Ursula's curse and win the heart of the Prince. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Warner Bros.' Sylvester in the Naval History and Heritage Command

This is probably in storage down in the Navy Yard. Sylvester was into body piercings earlier than most Americans apparently.

Accession, 2010-96-1
Plaque, Ship, USS Alameda County, AVB-1
24" Diameter x 0.5 "H.
Wood, Paint.

Plaque, Ship, USS Alameda County.
The USS Alameda County was redesignated an Advance Aviation Base Ship in 1957. Prior to that the Alameda was originally designated a Tank Landing Ship LST-32. The Alameda was decommissioned in 1962.

Collection of Curator Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command.

PR: Southern Maryland Comic-Con is THIS SATURDAY!

Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend Card Gaming at Southern Maryland Comic-Con! High Tide Games will be hosting Magic The Gathering & Fluxx Tournaments through out the day at Southern Maryland Comic-Con! Check out the event page for more details right here! Important Info Southern Maryland Comic-Con THIS SATURDAY, Nov. 9 10 am - 6 pm Capital Clubhouse 3033 Waldorf Market Pl Waldorf, Md 20603 Admission is $10 at the door or online at: www.somdcon.com/tickets Kids 10 & Under FREE Our Friends' Upcoming Events: "I Know That Voice" with John DiMaggio Friday, November 8 http://press.org/events/voice Washington, DC Shoff Comics & Sports Card Show! Saturday, December 7th http://shoffpromotions.com Tysons Corner VA Dead Body Road #1 Release Signing with Justin Jordan Saturday, December 14th http://www.thirdeyecomics.com Annapolis, Maryland Awesome Con 2014 April 18-20, 2014 http://awesomecondc.com Washington, DC

Southern Maryland Comic-Con is THIS SATURDAY!  Guest Update Unfortunately, Olivia Olson had to cancel her appearance at the Southern Maryland Comic-Con. So, we called up our friend, voice acting legend Jim Cummings, and he agreed to come to Waldorf on short notice! Jim has appeared in almost 400 roles, and is often associated with Disney. He is best known for voicing Darkwing Duck, Tigger, Pooh, the Tasmanian Devil, Urdnot Wreav from Mass Effect, and Dr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog. He has performed in numerous animated Disney and DreamWorks movies including Aladdin, The Lion King, Antz, The Road to El Dorado, Shrek, and The Princess and the Frog. He has also provided voice-over work for video games, such as Kingdom Hearts, Icewind Dale, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, and Splatterhouse. Jim is one of the most talented voice actors in the world. Schedule 10am - Doors Open 11am - Fluxx & Magic: The Gathering Tournaments (run all day) 12pm - TBA 1pm - Q&A with Jim Zub, writer of Samurai Jack and Skullkickers 2pm - Q&A with Jim Cummings, legendary voice actor 3pm - Carolyn & Joe Show Podcast 3pm - Kids Costume Contest 4pm - Insane Ian Concert 4:30 - Costume Contest Kids Remember, kids 10 and under get in FREE! We will also have all-day kids art stations, kids superhero training obstacle course, a kids costume contest, and more!! Tickets are on sale now at somdcon.com/tickets. Jim Zub! Jim Zub is also coming to Southern Maryland Comic-Con! We are so psyched about our Samurai Jack exclusive, we were (somehow) able to talk the writer of the Samurai Jack comic book, Jim Zub, into coming to the con! This is huge! You may also know Jim from his Image Comic, Skullkickers. We will also have Samurai Jack cover artist Bryan Turner from Identity Comics Studio at the con, they will both sign your bo

Lou Scheimer's obituary in The Post

Filmation animation studio founder Lou Scheimer's obituary ran today in The Post.   It's a wirestory.

Peter Beagle's appearance at AFI

From guest blogger Bruce Guthrie

Peter Beagle's appearance at AFI/Silver last night went well.  He did Q&A and signing after a screening of "The Last Unicorn".

The audience, which had been raised on the book and/or cartoon, saw beyond those and loved every minute of the movie.

Unusual for a film screening, almost everyone at the sold-out 7:15 screening stuck around for the Q&A.  (This was in Theatre II which holds about 250 people.)  The audience was mostly adult although an earlier 4 pm screening had been added and that was apparently more kid-centric.  A lot of questions were about the story or the subsequent pieces in the same universe, but there were also a large number dealing with the other things he had written.  He was enjoyable to listen to and his publishing partner, Connor Cochran, filled in details and interesting subtexts.

The line of fans when I left during the signing around 10 looked like it would go on for at least an hour.  I found both Peter and Connor to be very personable and approachable and enjoyed myself considerably despite my lack of familiarity. 

Pictures are up on http://www.bguthriephotos.com/graphlib.nsf/keys/2013_08_12A_Beagle

--
Bruce Guthrie
Photo obsessive
http://www.bguthriephotos.com

__._,_.___

__,_._,___

1976 Dental Health campaign

In 1976, the American Dental Association sponsored a National Children's Dental Health Week. This advertisement shows a cartoon done by animation shop Rick Reinert Productions and is from U.S. Navy Medicine (February 1976).

Awesome Con - a couple or three Sunday pictures

Phil LaMarr, Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo.



Cuddles and Rage webcomickers, aka Liz and Jimmy Reed.



Animation voice actor Phil LaMarr talking to Carolyn Belefski.

Seth MacFarlane in today's Examiner

In today's Washington Examiner (February 22, p. 20), there's an Associated Press interview by Sandy Cohen, in which Seth MacFarlane is asked about doing both his animation voice work and his Academy Award presenter jobs.

The article is also excerpted in the Express, which leaves out the animation question.

Superhero contest answers, Escape from Planet Earth, and the Walking Dead in today's Post

Style Invitational Week 1009: What's in a name, plus the winning super- (and not-so-super-) heroes.
By Pat Myers, Washington Post February 17 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/style-invitational-week-1009-whats-in-a-name-plus-the-winning-super--and-not-so-super--heroes/2013/02/14/98cf38d0-7413-11e2-aa12-e6cf1d31106b_story.html - and don't forget that Bob Staake has done the illustrations for this contest for around a decade. The honorable mentions seem to only be in the print edition, and include my neighbor Larry Yungk's Bleeperman.

'Escape From Planet Earth' movie review
By Michael O'Sullivan, February 15 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/escape-from-planet-earth-movie-review/2013/02/15/a8079568-779c-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html

and for the record:

McIntyre, Gina / Los Angeles Times.  2013.
Steven Yeun 'the heart' of 'The Walking Dead'.
Washington Post (February 17)

Bambi wants YOU

Disney's Bambi "Protect Our Forest Friends" by preventing wildfire poster, in Skyline, Falls Church, VA.

Feb 13-18: Disney on Ice returns

Disney on Ice: Treasure Trove - A Live Celebration of Disney's Animated Gems! will be at the Verizon Center from February 13-18th. $20-$75 for tickets. Save $5 with "Examiner" offer code.

Madagascar 3 voice actor article in today's Express

Page-Kirby, Kristen.  2012.

The Man Behind Melman: Schwimmer adds life to the giraffe in the third 'Madagascar.'

Express (June 8): 27

online at http://www.expressnightout.com/

Meet a Local Animator: Neil Dittbenner

Neil Dittbenner was one of the local animators* at Gigacon at the Art Institute of Washington (which is actually in a lovely facility in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington) this past January who kindly answered my usual questions.

Mike Rhode: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

Neil Dittbenner: I am a Flash animator at Latman Interactive. I also do freelance work for animation studios in the D.C Metro area.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I enjoy experimenting with different mediums but, my tool of choice is Flash.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in Kansas City on May 31, 1986

Why are you in the Washington sphere now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I moved to the area as a teenager and then attended The Art Institute of Washington. After school I stayed in the area working  as a subcontractor and freelance artist.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

Lots of television as a child and BFA from The Art Institute of Washington in Media Arts and Animation.

Who are your influences?

I'm a huge fan of Jim Smith and John K. They had a pretty big influence on my style and taste in humor.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

I'm happy with where my life is heading right now. The path I choose may have been bumpy but it lead me to the right place in the end so, I don't think I would do-over or change anything.

What work are you best-known for?

I did some freelance work for PBS Kids through a local studio called Karptoons. It was a great project and the end results were really creative and fun.

What work are you most proud of?

I have a side project about carnivals, magic, and love that I'm working on that I'm pretty excited about. My personal projects give me a great sense of accomplishment.

What would you like to do  or work on in the future?

I'm really happy with the jobs I'm working currently but, I'm hoping to work on children's books or web comics in the future.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I find that just taking a break from art for a couple minutes lets your brain relax. Once I'm relaxed ideas seem to come more easily because I'm not forcing creativity.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

The Internet is becoming the center of entertainment for a lot of people. It's cheaper and easier to watch things on Netflix and Youtube than it is on cable and with a lot of newer televisions becoming Internet capable online content is growing more important. I think short online animations are a good bet for the future.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I think my favorite thing about DC has to be the National Zoo. It is a great place to sketch and people watch. Plus it's totally free which is a major plus.

Least favorite?

High cost of living and traffic are really awful here. I could easily live without either of those.

What monument or museum do you take most out-of-town guests to?

The Natural History Museum is always a big hit with out-of-town guests. The dinosaurs and animals never get old.

Favorite restaurant?

The Burger Joint chain is fantastic.

Do you have a website or blog?

www.dittbenner.com and these are some other goodies to check out www.latman.com, and www.Karptoons.com

 *Since he's an animator, you should definitely check out his website to view his cartoon work.

Meet a Local Animator: Todd Churn

Todd Churn was one of the local animators* at Gigacon at the Art Institute of Washington (which is actually in a lovely facility in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington) this past January who kindly answered my usual questions

Mike Rhode: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

Todd Churn: I am an animator that makes cartoons move.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

On my free time... a little bit of both depending what mood I'm in.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born as a mid-late 80's baby in Richmond VA.

Why are you in the Washington sphere now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

Currently I live in Arlington but my current job is a commute over in Maryland. I am the lead animator for Latman Interactive, a mobile gaming company.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

The Art Institute of Washington.

Who are your influences?

I really enjoy a lot of the work Chuck Jones produced from Looney Tunes to The Dot and the Line. He could make some of the funniest facial expressions on a cartoon character.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

If I could, I would jump back in time to tell my younger self in kindergarten to start on art... right away.

What work are you best-known for?

I have been given the great privilege to animate a duck for my current job at Latman Interactive. Basically, in our past games the duck runs into massive conflictions with a meddling goose.

What work are you most proud of?

Not too long ago I did a really fun gig through a sub contractor, Karptoons. We made these awesome music videos for PBS Kids and it was really cool to see it broadcasted on tv when we finished.

What would you like to do  or work on in the future?

I know a great group of animators around the area and I hope that one day, we can start create fun short films for people to see.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

If I feel like I've been burnt out on my daily schedule, I try to watch real low budget films on Netflix. They may not have the awesome effects, but they manage to be incredibly imaginative with some of their stuff. Whether it's believable or not is another case, but it seems to free up my art block pretty well.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

Well drawn 2D animation is something I believe will stick around until the end of time, no matter what other new dimension people manage to bring into the market.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

If I ever want some reference or information about something I want to illustrate, I just hop onto the metro rail to the National Mall and I'm set.

Least favorite?

Traffic.

Favorite restaurant?

Dunkin' Donuts.

Do you have a website or blog?

You can see the work I post on my blog at: http://dotanimations.blogspot.com/

*Since he's an animator, you should definitely check out his website to view his cartoon work.