Wednesday, August 13, 2014

They Don't make them like they used to.

The one thing you have to respect about animation is the craftsmanship that goes into it. It is truly a art form that should be respected like fine art.  The fact we as animators are able to take one image and another and another and bring it to life is amazing.

Yes the art form has gone through many many changes for technology reasons and financial reasons. Big Corps decided to get into the act and use this art form to buy the masses.  Cars, food etc etc.  No way am I knocking that, it's what is keeping me alive.  

But take a step back at the pioneers of this art form. Tex Avery , Ward Kimbal, Chuck Jones , I Works, and Ralph Bakshi and many others.  They bled and died for me to have a place in making cartoons. In my opinion Jonathan is right up there with them because of his style and approach to this art form. Whether it was on purpose or not he did something here that is rarely seen. .

I don't know if he knew at the time he was showing the masters there is not just one way but a way.  Think about it . Animation on cels with no rough paper drawings.  That in itself is mind boggling to me. It take great drawing skills and being very sure of ones self to pull this off.

Plus animation straight ahead not using key frames. Just animation from the heart.  To me it's brings life into the cartoon. Where your going is like life. What the out come is at the end is the same as life.

I think that is what I saw in Witch's Night Out. It's is a very honest cartoon and every frame has a life to it.  The cartoon sings. We plan on keeping this concept to our new productions in the future and blending in with the time as well.  Who knows. Our path is so open with promise and excitement
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Now that it has been fully restored you can see what I'm talking about. It's a great film and deserves to be honored in art and animation classes around the world.  AND IT WILL!  

2 comments:

  1. Hi from Adam (halloweenspecials.net). Just got my DVD and I'm blown away by how crisp everything looks - it's especially noticeable in the backgrounds, where I'm seeing things I never could before. I'll have a review up on the site very soon. Can we talk a bit? email staff AT smartalecksguide.com

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    1. Thanks so much . We to were blown away at the remaster! It was allot of hard work. You helped in this fight my friend. You and many fans like myself in keeping the word out there. Now it will be enjoyed by many generations to come. Jonathan will be getting in touch with you soon. I have him running around like a rock star right now in a slow pace. He is 77 after all lol. But we are very very excited for you to talk with us. I will keep you posted.

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