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The
Nicktoons Film Festival
Launches Sunday:
The Frederator and AniMag Co-Pro Showcases Talented
Animators Worldwide
Hundreds
of cartoons from around the world were received during The
Nicktoons Film Festival call for entries, a co-production
of Frederator Studios and Animation Magazine for Nicktoons.
The first episode of the on-air portion of the competition
launches Sunday, October 24 on the Nicktoons cable channel
at 10:00 p.m. (EST) and 7:00 p.m. (PST), with a repeat at
1:00 a.m. (EST) and 10:00 p.m. (PST). The films featured in
Screening Number: 1 are: Charlie and Chunk by
Eric Fogel, creator of MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch;
Timmy’s Lesson’s in Nature, from Mark Simon
and his A&S Animation, Inc. studio; It Could be Worse
from California Institute of the Arts grad Zach Horn;
Childhood Trauma #17 from U.K.-based Michiel De Kraker;
Lucky Penny from CalArts grad David Gerhard; and
The Manly Bee from the shorts program of Canadian-based
Nelvana, Ltd. and animator/director Steve Daye. All films
are in competition for a $10,000 Grand Prize which will be
announced during the last episode of the season. The Fest’s
Grand Jury members are John
Kricfalusi, Eric Goldberg
and Gabor Csupo.
The
Nicktoons Film Festival: Screening Number: 1
Airdate
& Time: October 24, 2004, 10:00 p.m. (EST) and 7:00 p.m.
(PST), Nicktoons
Film
#1: Charlie and Chunk (Length: 3:30; Stop-Motion,
Clay)–This film shows us what happens when a wild and wooly
young fellow declares it’s "10-Year-Old-Boy-Day"
and enlists his "large clay friend" to ride along.
Created by Eric Fogel (MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch),
this smart short is a stop-motion fan’s dream and reminds
us all of the inherent pitfalls of childhood imagination–how
it can land you and your best pal in unexpected territory real
fast. (For more info on Fogel’s work visit www.animotionunlimited.com.)
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Film
#2: Timmy’s Lessons in Nature (Length: 5:30;
Traditional 2D)–Filmmakers Mark Simon and Travis Blaise
describe their leading man as a bit of a moron and Timmy’s
Lessons definitely prove them right. Timmy’s Lessons
is actually a series of 13 one-minute shorts and we’ve
selected the first three for your viewing pleasure. Watch Screening
Number: 1 to find out why you shouldn’t play with snakes,
how to truly mess-up a cowtipping encounter and what not to
do when coming across a rabid animal. (For more info on work
from A&S Animation, Inc. and House of Blaise Productions,
visit www.funnytoons.tv.)
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Film
#3: It Could Be Worse (Length: 5:32; Traditional
2D)–A student project of Zach Horn’s while studying
animation at CalArts, It Could Be Worse tells the story
of a sleep-deprived woman who tries everything–and we mean
everything–to get her husband to stop snoring. Horn says
he came up with this short while feeling stressed out over school.
His mantra was "no matter how bad a situation may be, it
could always be worse," and this film depicts his wisdom
in grand and hilarious style. Horn says he also experimented
with sounds instead of dialogue for Worse, using a great
deal of playful gibberish to create the storyline. (For more
info on the work of Zach Horn visit www.zachhorn.com.)
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Film
#4: Childhood Trauma #17 (Length: 3:00; CG created
in Softimage: XSI)–Okay, nobody likes making that first
big jump off the high-dive at the city pool, but it doesn’t
help having Dad record the whole event on video. Michiel De
Kraker’s super-charming short encapsulates this sinking
feeling perfectly and provides a great cartoon payoff at the
end. Michiel, who lives in London and animates on commercials
for One Post, says his girlfriend actually came up with the
idea. De Kraker decided it was especially good since the set-up
for the cartoon required only one background–the blue sky.
"That meant I could really concentrate on the animation
of the two characters." (If you want to contact Michiel,
you can reach him at mdekraker@hotmail.com.)
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Film
#5: Lucky Penny (Length: 4:30, Traditional 2D)–David
Gerhard, another talented CalArts grad, brings us the story
of a quiet neighborhood and one really stressed-out guy. Lester
has had it with the lack of common decency displayed by his
neighbors and to his wife Lucy's dismay, he confronts one of
them. (You can view David Gerhard’s portfolio at www.davidgerhard.com.)
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Film
#6: The Manly Bee (Length: 5:00; Animated in Flash)–
Created by Steve Daye for Toronto-based Nelvana, Ltd., The
Manly Bee tells the story a legendary superhero returning
to save his fair city from the forces of evil after a 50-year
hiatus. He has, however, absolutely no recollection of ever
being a celebrated crime fighter. Viewers will enjoy Daye’s
2D Flash animation style–lots of old-time comedy–and
truly unique character designs. If you dig a comic book flair
and washed up superheroes that appear to walk in the shoes of
UPA’s Mr. Magoo, then The Manly Bee is a must. (You
can find out more about Steve Daye’s work and other shorts
created by Nelvana by e-mailing funpak@corusent.com.)
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