Animan's All Stars Are Here Now!

The All Stars Movie is finished, and it's on sale now in the Animan Shop! This movie is a full 15 minutes of fun. Part One is the daytime story, and Part Two is the nighttime. You get both parts when you purchase this movie! Animan divided the movie into 2 parts to keep the file size smaller, without sacrificing picture or sound quality.

As always, if you have any problems with credit cards or downloading, please be sure to contact Animan through the Selz shop. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving to Friends of Animan!

Animan has many friends all over the world in many, many countries. Certainly, many of them know that at this time of year in the U.S., people celebrate Thanksgiving, by eating a wonderful dinner of turkey and other goodies. It's a time to count our blessings.

Animan gives endless thanks for:

1. Being able to make friends with so many wonderful guys all over the planet

2. Friends who buy the movies, and help support Animan as an artist (Hip Hip Hurrah!)

3. The warm messages I receive from so many of you, from so many countries

4. The technology that makes all these miracles come true

Animan is also grateful to those of you who are protecting the Animan business by reporting illegal postings of the cartoons. This is a good opportunity to improve conditions for artists trying to establish themselves on the internet, without having their stuff ripped off over and over. Thanks to all of you who are helping Animan! 

By now, everyone is wondering--"But what about the All-Star cartoon??!!!?"

Animan is working 8-10 hours a day, putting it together. The video will be 15 minutes long (WOW!)--so it's a monumental task, making sure it's as good as it can be. Keep your eye on this blog for further news. One thing is certain--Animan will make the November 30 deadline!

The Trailer for the Animan All-Stars video is ready!

Have a peek at the upcoming Animan video!

Click here to go to the Animan Shop and get your free copy

You'll find the new trailer in the upper left-hand corner of the Animan Shop page.

Animan is hoping to have the complete video finished by November 30. 

How's the Next Video Cumming?

The All-Star Video is still in production. Animan never realized what a big undertaking this would be!  A couple of roles for supporting actors are also mixed in--like this barbecue cook. To keep up the suspense, a couple of major characters have been removed from this picture--all that's left of them are the little blue and yellow dots! They'll be in the finished movie, though!

ANIMAN'S FAVORITE 3D MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Animan is super tired of the typical movies they make nowadays: helicopters crashing into buildings, car chases on bridges, mass destruction, psychopathic meatballs killing innocent people by the thousands, gangsters with machine guns, etc. Science fiction that is as yucky as it is strange. Just the same old hat with a brand-new face. Ho-hum.

Animan's favorite movie of the year is PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS

So, WHY does Animan love this movie?

1. It's got a great premise, and great characters (kids who are half-bloods: half human and half Greek god)

2. The characters set out on a classic-style quest that takes them to unexpected places and beings. It's a REAL honest-to-goodness adventure.

3. Greek mythology is a giant world in itself, and this film deals with some of that in an entertaining way.

4. Animan is fascinated by the centaur!

5. The actor who plays the half-blood cyclops (Douglas Smith) is cute as a button!

6. It's fantastic in 3D!

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS trailer

Unfortunately, this film is not doing well at the box-office, which often happens with Animan's favorite movies. Today's audiences want stories about the modern world's drug culture, automatic weapons in the wrong hands, and anything that crashes, burns and snuffs out lives. There are already thousands of such movies available everywhere. But Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is cool in its own way. It has integrity and sincerity, stylish design, some cool animation and characters I want to see more of! Call me a foolish dreamer, but I'll be very unhappy if they don't make a series of sequels to these movies.

This is Animan's #1 favorite movie of the year, 3D or not! It's high-quality adventurous entertainment. Definitely worth admission price. Animan is planning to go back to the theater and see it again.

Who are the "Animan All Stars"?

The title of the next video will be "Animan's All Stars", and here they are!

These are Animan's most popular boys, and they'll be returning to the silver screen to make a comeback together. Animan is still working hard on this one to make it as good as possible. All these guys are very different types, and doing the different styles of drawing all in one video has proven to be pretty time-consuming.

So just when is this masterpiece scheduled to be ready? At the latest, the last day of November. Of course, if things go smoothly, it may be finished a few days before that!  

Happy Halloweenie!

Tonight is the night when witches fly on their brooms. Cats and bats are all around. Goblins and ghosts are behind every corner. And who wouldn't love to snuggle up to a ghost like this one on a night like this?

Animation Magic

Look what Animan found on Ebay: Popular Science from September 1944!

And inside is an article about Walt Disney's animated feature in production at the time, "The Three Caballeros". This article explains how the Disney animators were able to make Donald Duck dance the samba with Aurora Miranda (Carmen Miranda's sister). In some scenes, she acted, danced and sang in front of a projected image. In other scenes, the animators added drawings of Donald Duck and José Carioca in front of her. You can watch it here.....

And then read all about it here!

"Can I view these on my iPhone if I don't have a computer?"

"Can I buy this and watch it on my iphone?"
Animan received this message today. And here's his answer:
"Thanks for asking. I don't put my cartoons on my own iphone, but a lot of guys do. I'm not sure how they do it, though. I'm going to post your message on the latest post on this blog, and see what the other guys say!"
So, if you're watching Animan vids on an iphone, how do you do it? Share the secret with all of us! Thank you!

   An actual frame from "Animan's All-Stars", if you can believe it!

When When When?

Animan always knows when his cartoons are taking a super long time to get completed, because fans start asking "When?"  Animan doesn't mind, actually. It would be a sad world indeed if nobody cared at all. So, to those of you who DO care, Animan says "Thanks Guys, and hopefully sometime in November". Here's another background from the Palm Springs pleasure palace. Oh, if only this inflatable lounge chair could talk, what stories it would tell!

Eleanor Audley (1905~1991) the Ultimate Disney Villain

When Walt Disney made "Cinderella", Eleanor Audley went before the microphone and provided a chilling voice for the stepmother, filled with authority. And then, she went in front of the cameras to act out the role, so that the animators could incorporate her movements and mannerisms. And, they used her face as a model for the stepmother.

                                Copyright Walt Disney Pictures               Photo from The Dick Van Dyke Show

A few years later when Disney made "Sleeping Beauty", the same technique was used for Maleficent. Here is Eleanor acting the character out for the Disney cameramen. Her peculiar tilt of the head, and ways of using her hands can be seen incorporated into the animation of her characters. Both the stepmother and Maleficent wore large rings, which also reflects Eleanor's taste in jewelry!

The Scene of the Crime

Animan video sales are at an all-time low. Is it because of the U.S. money situation, or is it because Animan's "fans" keep uploading his stuff to free video sites without Animan's permission? It's probably a combination of the two.

This background is the Animan version of a Palm Springs hotel for guys. I've been to Palm Springs twice and want to go back again. 

Life Imitates Art (again!)

This is Leonor Alcácer, who plays the part of the bored housewife Laura Costa in the Portuguese soap opera, "Os Nossos Dias", which can be seen here: http://www.rtp.pt/play/p1305/e129244/os-nossos-dias

This wonderful actress has nice, high cheekbones, and an interesting way of scrunching up her face when she's angry at her husband, which reminded me of "Cruella deVille" in the Disney feature "101 Dalmations".  After adding the black and white hair and the fur coat, sure enough, she seems to look like the animated version (at least Animan thinks so).

It's Background Time!

Here's another background from the upcoming All-Star video. In case you've forgotten, the players will be Bill from "Twist Party", Coach Fokker from "Sex Ed", Coach Ben, Larry the Lifeguard, José and Escamillo from Carmen, Nooky Man and Axel the black dude from "Super Hero", Lex, and Lieutenant Commander O' Reilly from "G.I. Bananas". 

Will the Real Maleficent Please Cast a Spell?

In 1959, Disney Studios made "Sleeping Beauty", and the evil fairy "Maleficent" was a major character in it. Now, a live-action film about Maleficent is being made, with the alive-and-well Angelina Jolie in the starring role. I think she's a marvelous actress, but I really don't know if she's the Maleficent-type.

In 1962,  Mexican actress Maria Félix starred in the motion picture, "La Bandida".  Does she look more like Maleficent than anyone else does? I'll let you judge for yourself!

Two More Animan Illustrations

Today's illustrations were made for eco-friendly articles. The first is for a hybrid car which produces magical, green exhaust fumes! Who wouldn't want one of these?

Next, we have a factory which is investing in Father Earth.

While You're Waiting...

Animan is hard at work on the upcoming video, but it's all secret, and there's not very much that he can show here. So, as a change, I thought it would be interesting to post some illustrations I did for an in-flight magazine some years ago.  

The first one is for an electric bike that makes going uphill a breeze.

The next illustration is my favorite, "Slime into Oil". People ask me what software I used to make it, and they're surprised to find that I used my animation software!

513,024 Total Page Views!

Amazing, but true! Animan is happy and proud that his rather conservative-looking little blog has attracted this much interest in such a short time. Through it, I have become acquainted with thousands of the kindest, nicest, most warm-hearted people on Planet Earth. One thing we all have in common, is that we all like to have fun, even if we're all a little naughty! 

As long as there is an Animan, there will always be an Animan's World. May it be a place where all our dreams can manifest more clearly, and where magic and fun are always a possibility.

Animan is looking forward to the next 513, 024 page views with great anticipation!

As always, my thanks to all of you, Animan's Friends.

What's Happening in Animan's World

Hi guys. Here's a background from the next cartoon, The Animan All-Star Video.  I have only finished a little bit of it. Why is this video taking so long to complete?

1. There are 10 Animan characters, all with completely different faces. Everybody knows what they look like, so I have to make sure they look right. I feel the pressure!

2. And, my computer broke down a couple weeks ago, and that delayed everything! It's working again and all my data was rescued.

3. Animan always tries to make each new video better than the last, and this one is no exception. And when there are more drawings involved (for more intricate action), it tends to make the production process move snail-slow. Oh well, Animan is up to a challenge!

Recently, the weather has been awful where I'm living, and there's not much chance to get out and get some exercise.  So, when I'm not drawing, I'm sleeping. I seem to be in sort of a mild depression/slump. I can't figure out why--life is going fairly well. Maybe we all have to go through a slump sometime, and it's my turn. I'm sure Animan will be his old, naughty self very soon.

Dropbox and iPads and Rollerball Cat

Many of Animan's friends are using iPads to watch their Animan videos, and sometimes ask me questions about the downloading. This morning, Animan received this message:

Animan,

Good to hear that your "Animan Shop" is doing well!  You deserve it!  Congrats!!

I wanted to share something with you that I read regarding Dropbox.  Since I have a subscription to Maclife and Macworld, I read an article about Drop box sharing files using the iPad.  There is a Drop box App, it is on the Apple app store.

Dropbox.com/mobile  the middle icon has the iPad.  I hope that you may be able to use this information for buyers that are interested in using dropbox to download your toons using their ipad.

I hope this helps!

Good Enough to be True

Good news! This morning, I received my 4th payment from Selz and an e-mail explaining the payment schedule. I shall spend today re-setting up The Animan Shop.

So, just WHY did Animan freak out, when it seemed that all was lost? Well, when I was very young, I was living in a foreign country, and had to teach English to keep from starving. It was strictly forbidden by immigration laws to do that. Driven by hunger, I still dared to go to the "English school", run by two Americans, and one of them was a minister! What I didn't know, was that they NEVER paid their teachers.

When they didn't pay me, my friends said, "Oh, they will! Just give them the benefit of the doubt!" So, I kept working. When I finally left them, I had worked several months, and they owed me over $3,000. They did this to other foreign students who were teaching for them, and who didn't dare complain to the authorities. If they did, they'd also be arrested.  It was a tough lesson, but I learned it.

When things start to happen in a similar way, a loud alarm goes off in Animan's head, accompanied by a flashing red light. WARNING! Can't help it.

In matters of business, it's always good to watch out for little signs of trouble. That way, they can be dealt with while they're still small.

I have chosen to delete yesterday's DISMAL post. In response to it, I received wonderful, uplifting and loving comments. Although they will not be posted, they will STAY in my e-mail inbox, so that I can go back and read them again and again! Thank you Friends of Animan, for your kind outpouring of understanding!