LAIKA’s fifth film, “Missing Link,” will be directed by Chris Butler (“ParaNorman”) and cast will include, Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. It is set to open in the spring of 2019.
LAIKA describes the latest project as a “globetrotting comedy-adventure bursting with humor, heart, and a profound message of acceptance and finding one’s place.” Read more here.
BENT’S ROB SHAW COLLABORATES WITH ARTIST AMANDA VISELL FOR HONDA’S ICEBERG
In support of the launch of the 2018 Honda HR-V, Northern California Honda dealers partnered with Baker Street and Bent Image Lab to produce four millennial-focused broadcast spots for their “#Adulting” campaign. With this demographic in mind, Bent Director Rob Shaw envisioned a stylized production featuring the functional attributes of the latest Honda line. To inspire the millennial mind, the art direction and actor’s performance in this socially-driven campaign would be both playful and versatile. Continue reading... “Bent Collabs With Vissel for Honda’s Latest Millennial Campaign”
“Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA” is a “brand new “ exhibit and behind-the-scenes interactive look at LAIKA’s creative process, that promises to take the visitor inside the world of animation. LAIKA’s artistry and technology illustrate how the feature films, “Coraline”, “ParaNorman”, “The Box Trolls” and “Kubo and the Two Strings,” were made. “Through behind-the-scenes photography, video clips and physical artwork from its films, visitors will be immersed in LAIKA’s creative process, exploring the production design, sets, props, puppets, costumes, and world-building that have become the studio’s hallmarks. Continue reading... “The LAIKA Experience – At The Portland Art Museum – “Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA””
WORLD PREMIERE OF “North Of Blue” BY INDIE ANIMATION QUEEN – JOANNA PRIESTLEY
Acclaimed Indie animation queen Joanna Priestley has jumped off the deep end of the image pool into a luscious, mind bending, abstract animated feature film that will premiere at the Hollywood Theatre (Portland, OR) on September 21, 2017 at 7 PM. North of Blue (60 min.) began in the mysterious winter landscape of the far north where Priestley was filmmaker-in-residence at the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture in Dawson City, Canada. Continue reading... “World Premiere Of North Of Blue By Indie Animation Queen – Joanna Priestley”
HouseSpecial took home the award for Best Picture at the We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival held on August 17-20, 2017 in Baker City, Oregon. Aaron Sorenson wrote and directed the winning stop-motion film, Jailbreak, which was shot in black and white. The story follows the daring escape of a desperate prisoner fleeing his nightmarish cell in pursuit of sweet punishment. The design is German Expressionist-inspired, but with a decidedly adult twist.
“Everything about Jailbreak is perfect – beautifully shot, perfect timing and hilarious. Continue reading... “HouseSpecial’s ‘Jailbreak’ Takes Best Picture at the We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival”
Netflix has given Oregonian, Matt Groening, a 20-episode order for a new animated comedy, “Disenchantment.” The adult fantasy comedy is about “life and death, love and sex, and how to keep laughing in a world full of suffering and idiots, despite what the elders and wizards and other jerks tell you,” Groening told Variety.
Matt Groening was born and raised in Portland, then moved to LA in the 1980’s to work at a newspaper. It was there that he began drawing a comic strip called “Life in Hell.” Continue reading... “Netflix Orders New Show, “Disenchantment”, From Matt Groening”
Design Lab Director Solomon Burbridge crafted two :15 second energetic, stop motion spots for the 2017 Keno “Bulls Eye” campaign in collaboration with the creative team from Pollinate.
Burbridge guided his team to blend visual influences from classic musical dance numbers of Busby Berkeley with contemporary motion art.
The first thing you notice is the energetic, playful feeling of the spot, syncopated to a driving club beat:
“I approached this with our animation team as a collaborative affair. Essentially, we became an improv troupe of pencils, collectively searching out a non-linear (but parse-able) way to promote fun and elevate everyday objects into graphic motion art,” says Burbridge. Continue reading... “BENT Design Lab hits ‘Bulls-eye” with stop motion animated TV spot for Oregon Lottery”
Tickets are now on sale for the 2017 NW Animation Fest in both Portland (May 10-14) and Eugene (May 19-21). Don’t miss out, there is a huge and diverse offering of animation work to see. Continue reading... “NW Animation Fest 2017 Kicks Off May 10th In Portland, & May 19th in Eugene.”
WATCH the first 5 cartoons on Vimeo.
The recently-launched SmashTheHive Studio in SE Portland has just debuted its first production —the “My American Waistline” animated comedy series. This fearless, unapologetic and politically-incorrect collection of bite-size shorts leaves no muffin top unturned or moob unchafed in its unsparing quest to expose America’s fixation on over-eating, under-eating, ripped abs, apple bottoms and surgical enhancement.
The project is the brainchild of SmashTheHive founder and award-winning sound designer Jason Edwards, whose credits include ten independent features, numerous animated shorts and three major network television series. Continue reading... “#OregonMade Animated Comedy Series Turns America’s Obsession With Weight & Body Image Into Morbidly-Funny Cartoons”
Don’t miss out! Get an exclusive look at how animation gets made in Oregon, from the studios of Portland’s indie animators to the heavyweights in the stop-motion animation industry. “Oregon’s Animation Magic: An Oregon Art Beat Special” premieres tonight, April 27, at 8 p.m. on OPB TV and online at the same time at opb.org/animation.
Explore more of “Oregon’s Animation Magic” on OPB’s special series page, here: http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/series/animation/
