Christmas Greetings from Animan

A dear friend and Animan follower sent me this wonderful and very appropriate Christmas card, and so I had to share it with you!

And inside, was this:

Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!

An Interesting Twist on Disney Characters

Some time ago, I stumbled upon this site which contained some very well-drawn Disney-style art.
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a10300313/alt-disney-illustrations-tom-ward/

I was first attracted to this picture, because I found it to be very affirming and uplifting.

I don't have a cell phone (I prefer e-mail), so I find these next pictures kind of funny.

The next one is a little disturbing. It's very jarring to see Ariel, the Little Mermaid, turn into the logo for Starbucks.

The fun of Peter Pan was having him fly in through the window.

I can sympathize with Jasmine, but I wish I was there with Aladdin and Genie. . .

It appears that Alice just can't get on board with her new diet.

The last ones bring up animal issues, and they're very disturbing, to say the least.

It's very interesting to see these well-known animated characters in a whole new way. 

Ending this post on a more positive note, here's one of my favorite pieces of Disney publicity art.

Removing the Loincloth

A friend and follower of the Animan saga sent me a request to remove the loincloth from the photo I colorized last time. So here it is. I've changed some of the colors.

Please note that I usually do not take on commissions or requests, because otherwise, I wouldn't have enough time to create my Animan films.

By the way, there's a new free Animan video--Animan Bonus 3. You can download it here:

Animan Bonus 3 download page

Animan Enhances an Old Picture

The other day, I had some off time, and so I got my iPad and started searching for some midcentury art or photos that I could have some fun with. I can't remember where, but I found this rather mysterious photograph.  One thing that struck me was how dressed-up the family is.

I suspect that there must have been a contest of some sort, where the winner would receive a visit from an actor who plays Tarzan, dressed in jungle attire. And of course, the photographer came along to commemorate the occasion with a photo, and he probably suggested that the lucky winner of the contest reach out to touch Tarzan's G-string. Lucky kid! (If it were me, I'd never wash my hand again...)

So you know me; the minute I saw this, my devious little mind started concocting a deliciously naughty storyline. In order to help the word balloons stand out, I took the liberty of colorizing the photo (below). For those of you who simply hate colorized anything, you may feast your eyes on the picture above, in glorious black and white (minus the dialogue).

ANIMAN, Where ARE you?

I want to apologize to ALL of you, my friends in Animan's World! So, WHAT HAPPENED?

Well, Blogspot is set up so that when new comments come in, they appear in my e-mail. Then I click on them, and approve them for publishing in this blog.

But during the past few months, I got NO comments in my e-mail. I thought, "Well, I haven't made any new films yet..., maybe that's why people aren't commenting. I can't blame them for losing interest. Oh, well......"

Then yesterday, Blogspot sends me an e-mail, asking me if I still want to receive comments for this blog. WTF?

Of COURSE! I never said I didn't!  But, I had been super busy, and neglected this blog for 6 months, and that was the kiss of death. I'm VERY sorry, Friends.

Just now, a comment for this blog came into my e-mail box, so I came here to approve it. But what I never expected to find is also here: millions and zillions (well, almost) of comments from everyone, dating back 6 months! O M G, what a lot of backtracking I have to do---I eventually want to answer as many as I can. It might take several days (or more). But I wasn't forgotten--people WERE writing to me--even if I had no idea they were. I'm so happy to find that out.

Those comments were addressed to the "DD3 is Here at Last" post. I have posted a part of them just now, but haven't answered any yet. You see, at the moment, I'm watching over the DD4 orders coming in, making sure that everyone gets their movies. Some people have problems downloading, so I go send them a Dropbox link where they can download it. I need to mechanize this process, because I have to stay up all night in order to answer them quickly, and it's tiring!

By the way, many of the comments I saw asked about where to buy Animan movies. Please go to mranimanstudios.com and check out the site!

So, I plan to:
1. Answer the comments I added to "DD3 is Here at Last"
2. Add more comments to that list
3. Finish answering them all

My deepest and most sincere apologies to all of you in Animan's World. I am not ignoring you on purpose---I just wasn't getting your comments in my e-mail, so I thought my fan base had dwindled down to nothing. I never take anything for granted.

Thank you for being patient and loyal. I am in your debt.

Animan

DD4 Big Uncle John

Recently, I have been receiving e-mails from friends and fans asking if I'm all right, or even if I'm alive!  Yes, I am very much alive!

One of the Animan Freebies is "Bonus 2"--

http://mranimanstudios.com/product/animan-bonus-2/

and it has always been very popular--especially the last half, featuring "Uncle John and his nephews, Jake and Zeke". So, I wanted to make it into an Animan movie--I made the characters a little more interesting-looking, and changed the location to Uncle John's cabin by the lake.  

So, I'm happy to say that I have just finished the newest Animan Movie, DD4 Big Uncle John. It is available at: http://mranimanstudios.com/product/drippin-dad-4-big-uncle-john/

Please review the page on downloading http://mranimanstudios.com

For some reason, this cartoon took an unusually long time to put together. I did a lot of thinking, planning, and changing before I finally got the film I wanted to make. My apologies to everyone for making it such a long wait between Animan movies. I'm hoping that this new Animan adventure will be an exciting one for you!

DD3 is Here At Last!

"DD3--The Filipino Professor" is Animan's 3rd Drippin' Dad video, and is now available for pre-order.

English Version:

http://mranimanstudios.com/product/drippin-dad-3-the-filipino-professor/

Spanish Subtitled Version:

http://mranimanstudios.com/product/drippin-dad-3-the-filipino-professor-preorder-esp/

Another Great Restaurant

This is A Bica do Sapato, a stylish restaurant serving Mediterranean dishes and sushi. It has an extensive terrace with wonderful views of the Tagus River.  My friends took me here my third night in Lisbon, and the food was just marvelous! And another reason I love this place--it's got a retro mood just like my movie "Twist Party"! No wonder I felt at home the moment I walked in the place.

Random Photos in the City

 This is the roundabout at Areeiro, just a few minutes' walk from where I was staying. It's a convenient location, thanks to the metro station here.

 Portugal is known for its "azulejos" (blue painted tiles), but these are more colorful, and rather unusual.

 Who needs poles for street signs, when you can just announce them on the corner building?

 This building looks similar to the house Rudolph Valentino lived in, in the olden days of Hollywood.

 The Portuguese have a creatively playful approach to the way they present their pavements.

Statues designed with those beautiful blue skies in mind...

Pizza at the Bullring

The next night, one of my friends brought me to a very impressive building; the Campo Pequeno bullring in Campo Pequeno Square. (photo by Felix König) After its renovation, it re-opened as a multi-event venue in 2006, designed to be used for various events apart from bull fighting. It hosts a range of live acts and has seen many famous bands perform there.
First,  we went into the underground shopping area to have a look around, especially in the bookstore.  Then, we came back up, and I found that there are several restaurants in this bullring. We went around to the back, and there was a pizzeria there. There, I had what must be the most wonderfully delicious pizza ever baked on this planet.  Even now, I'm getting goosebumps, just remembering! It became one of the top 3 dining experiences in my life!
We ate here, under the roofed area, right next to the park. Best pizza on Earth!

And here below, is a shot of the top of Campo Pequeno by Ricardo Liberato.

Another Portuguese Goody

Here's a photo of actress Vivian Vance (left) with the cast from Lucille Ball's television show.

And here she is again as a fishwife in Portugal, once upon a time.

Super Interesting Homes in Lisbon

When I left "Mesa do Barrio" with my friends, the sun was just about to begin setting. We walked through the area surrounding the restaurant, and I was amazed at the houses in that area. I didn't have my iPad with me to take pictures, so I went back the next day, during the afternoon.

 One thing I especially noticed was the different colors of the homes. Such hues as strawberry pink, peppermint blue, and cafe latte beige were some of them.

In any case, I have never seen such houses in my life, but I really enjoyed taking a good look at these! I wonder what they look like inside....

My Trip to Portugal in Detail

During my trip, I tried to upload photos to this blog just using my iPad, but of course, it wouldn't work! (Drat the luck!)  But I'm home again now with access to my computer, so I'll put photos in where I originally intended to.

My first evening in Lisbon, two dear friends took me to a dreamy restaurant, "Mesa do Bairro" (The Neighborhood Table). There were 2 doors, the left for wine connoisseurs (?) and the right for restaurant diners. The wine was super delicious, the meat was amazing and the bread, olive oil, garlic, etc. transported me to a Portuguese heaven in my mind! Since I didn't bring my iPad to the restaurant to take pictures, I'm instead relying on photos I found on the web. In the picture below, that strange-looking red thing on the table is the napkin. Even THAT was folded in a surprising way!

Unlike Japan, there were no children present to whine (wine?!) and cry and turn a spectacular dinner into a screamy night to remember, and that pure adult atmosphere was a real luxury.  In spite of the very classy and ritzy mood of the place, the price was way lower than I had imagined. I left the restaurant walking on air, thanks to the smooth wine, the fabulous food, and my wonderful friends, who went out of their way to make sure it was a special experience that I would always remember. More pictures and details about the trip on upcoming posts to Animan's World!