'Ice Age 3' Progression Reel

A decade ago, my animation instructor told the class that the industry standard for animation delivery is about 4 seconds per week. Knowing that animation takes a lot of work, I received the information well and never really wondered why. On Animation has uploaded a progression reel of Ice Age 3 done by Jeff Gabor that illustrates the necessary steps needed to pull off a scene. The clip is extremely thorough and one can see the progression as the days go by. According to the information on the clip, it states:

"The reel demonstrates the entire process of completing a production shot from rough poses to blocking, splining, and polish. The shot was created working 7 days a week during "crunch". Some days represent 16 hour workdays while others are only 3 hours on a Sunday."

It was extremely helpful and educational to see the progression of creating a quality animated scene.

'Tarzan Meets Jane'

Disney's 'Tarzan' has long been a favorite animated feature of mine. I was in my 2D animation class that year it was released and thus had high expectations of the movie. The story was a little too simple for my taste (I was expecting it to have longer build-ups and bigger climatic ending). However, the animation, art direction and cinematography was jaw-dropping. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, with camera angles flying around as if it was a motion feature film and Tarzan gliding down the vines of the trees like a roller-blader.

As I browsed through YouTube, I found clips on the 'Tarzan Meets Jane' scene. They had the storyreel, the clean up and the final clip of the scene to show the progress.There's also a clip of Glen Keane, the supervising animator of Tarzan, where he talked about the animation tests that they carried out to prepare for the film. It's just beautiful to see how they brought the animation to life

'I Love Sky' by RG Animation Studios

'I Love Sky' is simply hilarious. The main protagonist is a polar bear who seems to be unlucky in everything that he does. RG Animation Studios is responsible for the creation of great animated shorts that can be enjoyed by anyone across the globe due to the non-existent of any dialogue whatsoever. The comedic ingredients can be seen throughout all the animated shorts, and the creative talents behind those ideas are definitely not short of it.

The studio also has a blog page that contains a number of short that they did. Enjoy your time there.

'The Subway Time' by Dongzhen Li

'The Subway Time' is a sweet little animated film that I came across today from animation blog. The story, though simple, is something I can buy into. The animation are lacking in quite a few areas as the timing and spacing are off. However, the overall quality and atmosphere is very pleasing. While watching, it reminded me a lot of Tekkon Kinkreet the animated movie. The artist also provided the making of his short film which was a treat. I found myself enjoying the making as much as the movie itself, if not more.

'Distraxion'

'Distraxtion' is a short film done by Mike Stern during his studying years in Animation Mentor. He is currently an animator at Dreamworks. The film has a simple premise which I believe many people can relate to. The animation is simply breathtaking. Federator blog has interviewed him, which you can read it all here.

'Alma' - A Fantastic Creepy Short Film

'Alma' definitely took us by surprise with its atmosphere and storyline. When I saw it at L.A. Siggraph, I was first blown away by quality of the animation. But what came next something that I could not forget - a simple but creepy story.

'French Roast'

'French Roast' is a short film that started out from school, continued through a studio and headed into numerous festivals, including the Academy Award for best animated short film category. The story is simple but captivating, and the technical aspects are amazing, down to the little details. There's not only 1 or 2 readings, but layers of it. Every time I watch it, I just found myself marveling at the details that the artists have added into it. It makes the film that much more fun to watch. Be sure to visit their production blog page for more information about the film.

'Lost and Found' - A Beautiful Film For All Ages

'Lost and Found' is a beautiful film adapted from the best selling book by Oliver Jeffers. Unfortunately, the film isn't shown to the public. Only a trailer version can be found. I was lucky enough to have watched it and those who have watched it too agreed that this film is truly beautiful.

The DVD is not available in North America. To get your hand on it, you'll need to go through Amazon UK. Be sure to check if your DVD player can play multi-region DVDs prior to buying it.

'Father And Daughter' - Powerful and Emotional

Father and Daughter is a film that's very emotional. Despite not having a single dialogue, the film conveyed the story very clearly. After watching the film, I wanted to cry. That's how powerful the film is.

'Fly'

'Fly' is a hilarious film that's definitely not the norm coming from Aardman Studios. The story is very simple and it's based in one location. However, the scenes helped to build up the pace. I found myself laughing towards the end of the film.

After watching the film, I saw a message in it: "Sometimes, things are simpler than it seems." Only if I could see that in real life, and clearly, that message was for me.

'Sintel' - Durian Open Movie Project

Sintel, Blender foundation's third project, is coming along nicely. The latest clip shows the main character with her dragon pet. The results are beautiful. I have been following this short film's progress since it was first announced. The early takes weren't impressive, but they were very encouraging, especially to those who are interested in making their own 3D short films. As time passes, their progress became better and better. Now that the film is almost done, the quality has gone way up. And knowing that the project uses all open source programs, it really inspired me greatly. I can't wait to see the finished film.

For more information about the project, visit the durian open movie website.

'How To Train Your Dragon' - A Great Film On Multiple Levels

'How To Train Your Dragon' is an absolute blast to watch. Having no expectation prior to the viewing, the movie took me for a ride that I haven't felt for a long time. There's humor, excitement, romance, relationship between father and son, between friends, between human and dragon, and most importantly, there's emotion and a few unforgettable scenes. Not only is the story well written, the score is beautiful and the 3D is amazing. I've seen it twice and I can't wait for the home version to be released. It's just that good.

Click here to view CG society's production focus article of the movie.