This week I bring you a very special interview with DON BLUTH (Dragon’s Lair, Secret of NIMH, American Tale, Land Before Time). His Indie GoGo campaign to make a sizzle reel for a “Dragon’s Lair” movie pitch closes this Friday, January 15, so if you want some of the perks like autographs, tutorials, animation cells, a masterclass, and more you should check out the page!

We talk about his time at Disney and decision to leave, his thoughts on sequels, CGI, the current landscape of animation and the internet, the importance of not dumbing things down for kids, and a bunch more stuff. We also took some of your questions so thanks to those of you who submitted!
Check out the Indie GoGo campaign by clicking the image below and enjoy the show!

Listen for animatronics, dog sneeze, cgi and hormones, Gary’s playboys, and death… this was a fun episode!

Please Rate & Review us on iTunes

Also be sure to check out Don’s Website and definitely like him on facebook!

And you can now check us out on SoundCloud!

Topics & Timestamps:

Check out more of your hosts:

Stephen Brooks
Rob Yulfo

Preorder Stephen’s Animation Tutorial Book:

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
 Subscribe on SoundCloud 
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Interview with Don Bluth – Dragon’s Lair the movie, Secret of NIMH, and his departure from Disney – Episode 115 of the RubberOnion Animation Podcast appeared first on Artiholics.

Elliot Cowan is the indie animator and filmmaker behind the new movie “The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead & Roundhead.” We got to talk to him for 2 hours about everything from trends in big-budget animated films, the current state of art schools and the double-edged sword of making a feature-length animated film virtually by yourself. You listeners submitted so many great questions too and we get to all of them! You might be surprised what he thinks about the animation process and the Pixar movies Up and Cars.

Listen for animation mumblecore, “thanks Rob, shutup,” the grumpy animator theme song, how you pronounce Cowan and why it’s that way, and indie animators as home brewers.

Please Rate & Review us on iTunes

Check out Elliot’s Website, Blog, and definitely like his film page on facebook!

And you can now check us out on SoundCloud!

Topics & Timestamps:

Media Referenced During this Episode:

“Brothers in Arms” Boxhead & Roundhead series animated short (@43:20)

The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead & Roundhead trailer

The Boxhead and Roundhead behind the scenes production diaries

“The Death of Spider-Man” for Cartoon Hangover (@1:00:57)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFTIVWFLWRE

Other videos of Elliot’s you should see:

Check out more of your hosts:

Stephen Brooks
Rob Yulfo

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
 Subscribe on SoundCloud 
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Interview with Indie Animator Elliot Cowan, creator of “Boxhead & Roundhead” appeared first on Artiholics.

It was an interesting week to be a kid. While we’ll start seeing Sesame Stret on HBO, “The Lion Guard” is coming to the small screen in a beautifully animated new series and Stephen saw a family-friendly animated short collection in a local theater, featuring the works of nine animators from around the world. If you happen to be an “adult-kid,” the red-band trailer for “Hell & Back” was posted and the Hollywood Antitrust lawsuit is back in play… OK, this week’s theme is stretched a little bit but it did lead to some VERY interesting discussions! There was technical talk over “The Lion Guard” animation style, social discussion over “Sesame Street” on a premium cable channel, and a bit of budget talk regarding the recommended reading this week (see below).

Annotations:

 
“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” trailer/sneak-peak

 
“Hell & Back” (2015) Red Band Trailer

 
“Candy Power Dorothy” animated short by Joe Yoon Hoon (this week’s Recommended Viewing)

 
Rob Yulfo’s “Creepy Paddington” trailer parody (referenced at 1:29:30 in this episode)

 
Stephen’s favorite Harut episode, “You Give Job” by Hayk Manukyan (referenced at 1:35:15 in this episode)

 
“Monsters University” movie review by Stephen & Rob (referenced at 1:44:13 in this episode)

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Sesame Street on HBO, Hollywood Studios’ Antitrust Lawsuit in play & Disney’s THE LION GUARD appeared first on Artiholics.

We finally got to see what Chris Farley’s SHREK would’ve been like in an early story reel which surfaced this week. His passing in 1997 was a big shock to us so there’s a lot of discussion surrounding this topic this week. But that’s not all because there’s a “Bob the Builder” reboot with a new character design who looks… symmetrical, a new Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show coming to Netflix which is 2D (!) and the rights have been secured to make a Dungeons & Dragons movie. That last story also contains the skit this week is Stephen reading excerpts from Ice-T’s description of his experience recording the D&D audio book (starting at 1:03:24)… so enjoy that! There are technical discussions as well surrounding the new Windows 10 and a blog post which tried (and failed) to properly compare the budgets of live-action VFX to that of fully CG Animated Films. The questions this week comes from a listener wondering if we’re going to CTNx this year, which ticket we bought, and if that’s right for her. This is another 2hr podcast so let us keep you entertained while you trudge through the middle of another work-week!

Annotations:

 
Chris Farley as Shrek from early story reel before his passing

 
Stephen’s favorite Chris Farley SNL Sketch “Colombian Coffee Crystals”

 
“Bob the Builder” reboot trailer

 
Explainer video for Disney’s Hyperion renderer

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Chris Farley SHREK early story reel surfaces, Windows 10 released, and a new D&D movie announced appeared first on Artiholics.

TMNT is getting a 2D animated special from Titmouse Inc, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” Disney XD series shows some serious action with its new trailer and Chinese animation shows it’s on the rise in a big way with “Rock Dog.” There were also two passings we mention this week: wrestler and actor “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and animation historian and reporter John Culhane. In other news, apparently there’s a PEZ candy movie coming (not PES the animator… which would be fascinating and wanted). Also, Stephen is back from traveling and as such is in front of a nice sounding mic instead of the patchwork sounds of the tablet you heard for the last few weeks. Enjoy the crisp cool sounds of jet lag!

Annotations:

 
Disney XD’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” teaser trailer

 
The “Deadpool” trailer for the trailer

 
Chinese produced “Rock Dog” film trailer

 
Behind the Scenes for “Henry,” the Oculus Rift VR animated short (from Rapid Fire’s first story at 1:26:21 submitted by Chris Guido)

 
The Homestar Runner animated short about Flash’s demise (from Rapid Fire’s fifth story at 1:44:02 submitted by Andrew Kaiko)

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post PEZ candy movie greenlit, TMNT gets a new 2D special and China’s ROCK DOG made for western audiences appeared first on Artiholics.

While there weren’t a lot of media type animation stories (except for The Good Dinosaur trailer which is covered), that didn’t stop this episode from turning into one of the more interesting ones filled will discussions over the roll cartoons play in a child’s development, the nature of copyright in the internet age, why the Surface Pro 4 is a sign that Microsoft is doing more for the creatives of today than Apple… oh and there’s an Emoji movie being developed… which ALSO turned into an interesting discussion over public domain stories! We also field a question about if these two 2D (hand-drawn) animators would/will ever dabble in 3D (computer modeling). Enjoy the last week of “Stephen’s traveling audio” because next week I’ll be back in the office and I’ll be crystal clear!

Annotations:

 
“The Good Dinosaur” trailer

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post The Good Dinosaur trailer, Fat cartoon characters inspire overeating, and Sony making an Emoji movie appeared first on Artiholics.

With Stephen and Rob taking on this episode alone with only their wits to guide them, stumble they do into a discussion about how and when to charge for your animated content thanks to a Vanity Fair interview of Don Hertzfeldt. We also field a question at the end about whether a listener should go into Freelance, move to a different city for a salary job or both. It’s an all your-stories episode this week so strap in for the shoutouts and name drops!

Annotations:

 
“Kung Fury”

 
“Cosmos Laundromat” pilot trailer

 
“Texas Rising” main titles by King and Country

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Oscar Nominee Don Hertzfeldt’s comment on selling animation online, Audience question about going Freelance or Salary Job appeared first on Artiholics.

The PIXELS trailer was the most popular conversation topic on the RubberOnion facebook page this week, so we lead with that. At the end we discuss the internet as a creative spawning ground and how traditional media fits in AS WELL AS addressing a question to me (Stephen) about being a freelance animator. We also talk about the ATTACK ON TITAN live-action teaser, INCREDIBLES 2 plot, and the announcements of a California Raisins movie as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt starring in and producing a Fraggle Rock film. Also Rob went to an underwear party in Williamsburg (which, as a sentence, isn’t that weird because it ends with “in Williamsburg”). So enjoy the discussion and feel free to join in below in the comments section!

Annotations:

 
PIXELS trailer

 
FROZEN/THE THING mashup claymation short by Lee Hardcastle

 
ATTACK ON TITAN clips (from Japanese talk-show, complete with distracting overlays)

 
ASTROBOY Reboot teaser

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post First footage from “Attack on Titan,” Video Games attack Earth in PIXELS, and how to get into Freelance Animation appeared first on Artiholics.

Are you ready for this?! Biiiiig week! Stephen gives a crash course in understanding the basics of character design while discussing a viral post about how all Pixar women look the same, the crew talks about Bob Iger’s choice to “absolutely prohibit” smoking in Disney films rated PG-13 and below, Genndy Tartakovski announced his departure from the “Popeye” movie, Tim Burton is named as the director for an upcoming live-action “Dumbo” remake, and a healthy selection of brand new trailers! With nine stories to cover coming in UNDER 1hr 30min we move a brisk pace this week. Enjoy and let us know what you thought in the comments section!

Annotations:

 
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 teaser trailer

 
THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO! trailer

 
Demo of WETA Workshop’s miniatures for THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

 
INSIDE OUT trailer #3

 
Picture taken @2:30 of this episode (in the intro) to show Rob’s growing “crazy hair”

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Blogger claims sexism in Pixar character designs, Disney bans smoking from its movies appeared first on Artiholics.

This week we have a very special interview: Alan Becker, creator of the hit “Animator vs Animation” stick-fight series joins us to talk about his experience with Kickstarter, what happened when his first short went viral, and how he actually does the things he does! There’s a lot of really great stuff here for young and old animators from the Indie scene, especially when he starts talking about when and how he had to navigate the murky waters of a viral hit. And be sure to check out his work embedded below!

Annotations:

 
“Animator vs Animation 4”

 
Behind the scenes video

 
His Flash tutorials

 
“Animator vs Animation 3”

 
“Animator vs Animation 2”

 
“Animator vs Animation 1”

 
“If Water Had Eyes”

 
Spirited Away MineCraft project

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Interview with Alan Becker, creator of viral “Animator vs Animation” stick-fight series appeared first on Artiholics.

The Emmys happened! They’re a thing! We talk about the winners and our love for “Bob’s Burgers” as well as the Every Simpsons Ever marathon happening on FXX (whatever THAT channel is…). The great Lord/Sir/Mr. Amazing Richard Attenborough passed away and we honor him, but then he honors us right back by giving us maybe the greatest transition we’ve ever done (divined through Pat, who’s back this episode)! And don’t say we never did anything for you, because we read another email exchange between a major company asking for free work and an artist who just won’t take it anymore (emphasis mine)!

Annotations:

 
Pat Ryan’s character, “Robot Standing Upright Comedian”


 
Goodbye, Sir Richard Attenborough

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Every Simpsons Ever marathon and Bob’s Burgers won an Emmy appeared first on Artiholics.

Rob and Stephen saw the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2014) film… and have some words. We break it down and compare it in depth with other iterations of the franchise such as the 1990 movie, the 1987 cartoon series, 2003 cartoon series, and the original and new IDW comic book! Also, in true RubberOnion fashion… we do our own rendition of a beloved song. Listen for it! So what did you think of the movie and our review?

Annotations:

 
An interview with Pablo Herman (the Visual Effects Supervisor at ILM) about the design an animation process of the Turtles

 
Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 2014 Versus 1990 appeared first on Artiholics.

Stephen was traveling to and from the UK this week, and thus is sick and jet-lagged. We recorded this after midnight so Pat is attempting to be quiet. That leaves Rob to be the energetic & most eloquent of the three. So we talk about the Simpsons/Family Guy crossover, new “Big Hero 6” stills, and by popular demand we talk through the story behind the financial failure of “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return.” Enjoy our sleepy drunk, low, and sickly sensual voices speak to the tune of animation stories.

Annotations:

Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

And please Rate/Review us on iTunes
… and Rate/Review us on Stitcher while you’re at it! (=

The post The Financial Failure of “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return,” The Simpsons/Family Guy crossover, & the “Cinderella” teaser appeared first on Artiholics.