Richard Williams!

Last night I had the lifetime opportunity to meet the man himself and hear him speak. Tony White, one of Richard's former assistants and directors (Pink Panther Strikes Again, Hokusai) is an instructor over at Digipen in Redmond now, and was able to get Richard in town for a free presentation. Richard gave us previews of a number of segments from his new dvd set and shared some awesome stories about his experiences with Milt Kahl, Art Babbitt and Ken Harris, and the pearls of wisdom he learned from them. After, he signed some books (The Animator's Survival Kit, for those that don't know) and took some pictures for us fanboys and fangirls. It was an incredible experience to meet someone who's had such a huge effect on my animation education.

For more info on local animation events, check out 2dornot2d.org

180 Turn Final

AAUUUUUGGGGHH! RIP Bill Melendez

Holy Moly I am a bad blogger, I really need to post some, ya know, WORK up here.

However, I felt compelled to write a few words. If there's a character that's as close to my heart as Mickey Mouse, it has to be Charlie Brown. So naturally, the Peanuts animated specials were incredibly influential to me. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was a revolutionary achievement in animation and television history. Nobody could have brought the Peanuts to life but Bill Melendez, or provide the instantly recognizable voices of Snoopy and Woodstock. Mr. Melendez passed away today at age 91 and the animation world has lost another legend. Thankfully, he left a lifetime of work we can appreciate and learn from.

Alright, enough words. WORK to come soon.

180 Turn Blocking

Just waiting on my crit, polish to come soon!

Waaaaaaaaallllllll-E

It's time for me to add my voice to the choir of praise for Wall-E. I finally got to see it this weekend. Twice. It's every bit as good as you've heard. It's right up there with The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Of course, Nemo is a masterpiece in its own right, and I could watch Monsters Inc. every day and still be entertained. It's so hard to pick my favorite! Well anyway, the point is, Wall-E is a magnificent film and Presto is unbelievable. I won't ruin a second for you. Do yourself a favor: stop reading this ridiculous blog post and go see Wall-E. Then see it again : )