Stuff We Love

Now that your Spring Cleaning is done, we trust you’ve cleared up some room on your shelves for more awesome art books and must-have home video sets — or more room in your rooms for more shelves! Either way it’s good news, because after a brief hiatus we have quite the backlog of recommended titles to keep your doorbell ringing with deliveries all month long.

Early Man back their valley from Lord Batman Ninja JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) with char acter designs by Afro Samurai creator on Gotham’s Rogues Gallery under the Mary and the Witch’s Flower kids’ classic The Little Broomstick brings to life brave Mary’s adventures at the Endor school of magic. The beautifully animated debut from Stu came to NorAm via GKIDS, with an English dub featuring Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent. Bo sives “Creating Mary and the Witch’s Flower Paddington 2 bear from darkest Peru returns to delight home audi Whishaw) sets his heart on a beautiful ing Brendan Gleeson) and unfurls the schemes of disguise master Phoenix nee Paul King directs once more for Peter Rabbit Potter’s mischievous hero Will Gluck’s take, the feud en) and Mr. McGregor lates over the affections of turing Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki and Daisy Rid Flopsy Turvy mini Honorable Mentions: If all the amazing buzz hasn’t convinced you about Black Panther Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay le Rick with Rick and Morty S3 cartoon fans can snag The DePatie-Freleng Collection: Misterand The Dogfather on DVD or BD from Kino Clas Maya the Bee: The Honey Games Yona Yona Penguin

on Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep diving back into the world of animated shorts other artists and writers, but you sometimes doing a TV show,” says Snowden. You can’t al ways do what you want to do, but for a short, it’s our own thing – although we did consult

Fine agrees. “It’s fun to add little touches that makes the characters come alive, like Dr. Fran

One of the challenges on Animal Behaviour characters were different sizes. We had to get some crazy angles to make it work, and we’re angles for the shots.”

Of course, we have to ask them the golden question about the delicate art of working says Snowden. “I do more of the designs, and that we talk about. We usually agree on the general things.”

found a wonderful way of living and working together harmoniously. “We met each other in tell us that they could never work with their wives or husbands, but we think it’s quite fan Pig as a young girl, is also an artist.)

but at the same time, you can get tired of see ing the same CG look, that’s why it’s so great The Breadwinner When we came out with Bob’s Birthday, The Simpsons was huge, and our short became a

don’t lose sight of the story and characters,” he

Snowden adds, “Show everything with a sense of humor. Don’t get bogged down with and stick with it.”

had to have the kind of human qualities — like the rounded mouth of a baby — that would mouth.

“I think the hardest thing for our effects art right, because it can’t be too wet or too full or not full enough. So, we had my mom come in one could see how they’re made and how they ing her cooking, and my mom was

Shi gave the animators oodles tion that leaned into a more “car toony” style. The director was after a look that was organic, squishy and round. Things needed to look like they’d been handmade, and the surroundings needed to give the audience a sense of warmth.

My Neighbors the Yamadas. Shi ture through seemingly ordinary moments in the lives of his charac ters. And this led her to document the lives and habits of many Chi nese matriarchs living in the neighborhoods near her. The direc ments that conveyed the world she

“I was excited to show every de tail of what a Chinese immigrant home would look like, what kinds of things would be common for them to have, how they would set too, and I loved her aesthetic. She also understood the details of a Chinese immigrant household, and and Oakland for reference. I was fortunate to

for scenes like this where there’s a lot of great and car chases and everything else.”

credibles, there have also been huge boosts in the most ambitious moments in animation. And it’s a good thing, too, because Bird wanted

gy was barely there,” says Bird. “There were some things we had to let go of because we couldn’t quite do them, and the lighting was not quite there, either. This movie is a much bigger scale movie and the lighting is more

Based on the manga by Waki Yamato, this meets the handsome Shinobu and discovers their families are falling in love. But war with Russia is on the horizon, calling her Shy Norimichi and over the same elusive classmate, Nazuna. But Nazuna, mother’s decision to remarry and leave their countryside the clock and give them a second chance to be together. But farther away from the real world – until they risk losing sight of reality altogether.

John Lasseter, originally set to direct, announced at her absence from the third movie and setting Woody and Buzz Inside Out. Folsom took over writing duties from Rashida Jones and Will MacCor soundtrack.

heard that, let’s try something else.’ But that’s

Songs, of course, are a traditional element of score — the instrumental music — and its soundtrack, The Shape of Water score for Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Isle of Dogs, cuts for Isle of Dogs contains leitmotifs from classical score.

“I read some strange things,” he says. “I read me. It’s real, existing, licensed music from some

Working once again with director Wes Ander The Grand Budapest Hotel and the animated Fantastic Mr. Fox where we would try and create a magic imagery taiko drums as the basis of the instrumentation, a very strange combination of instrumentation.”

the orchestra for Isle of Dogs is larger than the one Anderson. “If we go back to Fantastic Mr. Fox, there and to the visuals, and the music had to match that,” he notes. “We reduced the orchestra to a minimum. There was only one single instrument in each section. Isle of Dogs, though, is colored by the achievement Wes had in Grand Budapest Hotel, where he showed his obsession about frame, of his characters within the frame. The quality of the animation [in Dogs way, and not be as restrained as we decided to do on Mr. Fox.”

taiko drummers are actually seen on screen, which you know what’s coming before and after. I need

nominee) Bruno Coulais, scoring the French/Lux White Fang offered animated realistically and do not talk — or even think out loud — and even their human counter dialogue in White Fang

Coulais — whose animation credits include Song of the Sea Coraline and The Secret of Kells ements in creating the score for White Fang. “The in a more conventional way, while the Irish tradi shout,” Coulais says. “The music creates, in contrast we are not in real realism, the music has an es

Isle of

On a younger skewing show like Muppet Babies the audience to consider. “You can make

Which is not to say the music can’t still be sical language, and at the same time water can be even more intricate than live action. “You tend to be able to use a lot more notes throwing more instruments and more orches tral notes at stuff to make it have that sort of animation, orchestral feel that we all relate to. Live action these days tends to be going more sadness within about three seconds, and it’s

Just as an art director will create a visu always the world in which the story is taking acters inhabit a world with electricity. “If there

unique range of musical in series. Kief er describes himself and Basichis as “voracious consumers of has a side gig as a DJ), which

8Fighting for Female Visibility. One of the big highlights of this year’s events is the Women in Animation World Summit

Among the animation industry movers and shakers scheduled for the Summit are Julie Ann Crommett Solène Azernour Skylanders Academy), Hélène Leroux Back to the Moon), Bin-Han To Revolting Rhymes), Fawn Veerasunthorn Wreck-It Ralph 2), Mark Osborne The Little Prince), Eric Beckman Anthony Leo The Breadwinner), Carlos Saldanha Ferdinand), Shuzo Shiota tures), Bonnie Arnold How to Train Your Dragon trilogy), Vicky Jenson Shrek), Dorota Kobiela Loving Vincent), Nora Twomey The Breadwinner), Vanessa Morrison Mireille Soria Cara Speller dios). For more info, visit www.womeninanimation.org.

Finally, we have Droners, which is a great vites viewers to dive into the world of drone warming. I would mention freedom of creation and ex entertain young viewers while also contribut the challenges of the world ahead. The big challenges are delivering to our cli creative talents around the world and also the world — together with Dominique Bourse, in France and Richard Goldsmith in the U.S., last four decades. I feel that today’s world has before. All of this is thanks to the evolution of technology, the talent of animators and story tellers around the world, the schools which have and to whom we contrib hensive and immersive stories. taught me about how to deal with creative is sues, synergies and always look at the bigger me that content is always the key. I don’t think there is a secret for creation of kids’ and fam ily entertainment and bring ing kids and families together in a world that is very often Of course, use all what technology brings to us today, mixing it with human talent to create great storytelling for the small or big screen. me as someone who, during ways tried to do his best to offer useful contributions and always tried to learn from others, but I will let them be a most of all, I would like to work with those that will contribute to bringing values to chil dren as they grow in a global world. As Fed UNESCO, told me when I organized UNESCO’s bring children of the world together through are global in values, so that they get to know each other for the future, this will be a giant passion. Passion for creation, for telling stories, uniting children and families. This is what has

I women through the ages, you might want to show them Rocío Álvarez’s brilliant short, Simbiosis Carnal

“The idea was to celebrate sexuality in a free way, far from conventions,” some books about sexuality and history, and I realized how female sex uality was ‘discovered’ and hidden many times throughout history. I tried to include that fact, and also include our animal origin and current world

A homes in Trevor Jimenez Weekends walking from his mom’s home to his dad’s car, based on the feeling “When I shared it with friends, it started these interesting conversa at my dad’s.”

Jimenez, who has worked as a story artist on Coco, Finding Dory, The Lorax, Rio and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and is listed as a creative consultant on the TV series We Bare Bears,

S attraction for manga and anime fans. Today, though, I am visiting as Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion.

remains the heart of Tezuka’s world. As soon as you get off the Yamanote line train, you are welcomed by Astro Boy wonderful mural featuring all the famous Tezuka characters, while the

lobby is full of Tezuka merchandise, and even the stairs and corridors are decorated with colorful illustrations.

gathered under one roof, together with Tezuka Osamu’s old workroom.

before his untimely death,” he says.

When we arrive at the studio, we are told to leave our shoes at the assorted Tezuka goods.

served here. Tanaka is kind enough to show us some of the original

make original works anymore. “Right now, we are hired by other studios to work on their titles, following their instructions,” he says. “We take care of drawing, animation, storyboarding, coloring — but we don’t do

a book written by Tezuka in his child hood called Our Earth of Glass. The basement is home to an “Animation the table where Tezuka worked. Out side, there are imitations of the hands and feet of several characters from Tezuka, while inside the entry hall, a furniture greets visitors. Fans can also ga and a beautifully designed room

I rins titled O Kaiser. Today, Brazil’s animation sector has grown mercial industry. The country’s many animation studios have gar nered international contracts from countries around the world Boy and the World. O Kaiser larger each year.

wide recognition working in the U.S. — including Carlos Saldanha, Rio and Ferdinand were huge hits for Blue Sky. heavyweights.

states Belli Studio founder Aline Muxfeldt Belli.

ing to bolster Brazilian content on television, the government re India and Germany, more recently the U.K.” — but Brazilian studios

Challenges remain for the booming sector. While Jonas Brandão tion industry is still very fragile,” he says. “There are not many stu Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre.” Belli adds, “Fundraising is not an easy task … we have to meet several Brandão remains concerned about handle subsidies.