Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and Partizan Productions were behind this series of Serenading Unicorn music videos. This one features Culture Club’s Do You Really Want To Hurt Me. It’s all part of a promotional campaign for Juicy Fruit. The campaign was initiated by Evolution Bureau.
Sebastian Baptista and Nico Casavecchia directed this animated tribute to the 2009 film Where The Wild Things Are. They used puppets and then compositing to recreate a scene from the first act of the film where young Max tells his mother a story about a young vampire. This is titled Buildings & Vampires.
You had me at “Terry Gilliam and puppetry.” Gilliam, one of the founders of Monty Python (and a damn-fine animator too), is Exec Producing this project, which is still hunting for funding. The director is Tim Ollive, who was an animator on The Meaning of Life, and he has set puppets (with CG mouths?) against a composited world of steampunkery in the 1800s. 1884: Yesterday’s Future is a bit rough around the edges, I would say – the voice acting is a bit wobbly, the puppetry a bit jerky, and the storytelling could use a kick in the pants – but they surely have my attention. Hell, it’s test footage, so we’ll cut them some slack. The project was developed by Peculiar Pictures and Steam Driven Films.
Adam Miller’s BBC puppet series Mongrels started airing on the BBC back in June. Aimed at adults, the series has received mixed reviews. I haven’t seen a full episode yet, but this clip below seems quite promising. The show, which was 5 years in the making, follows the lives of dogs, cats, pigeons and other city animals.
Fellow NYer’s, Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, a dynamic duo of the NY animation scene, have shared with us and the rest of the online world their latest short, Something Left, Something Taken, a dark comedy inspired by a trip to San Franciso, which was in production for about 2 years and 3 months, in between commissioned work and done at night and on weekends.
I had the pleasure of seeing it several times already, and I can’t say enough good things about it. The style is fresh, the animation is amazing and full of clever subtleties. But I think what gets me excited the most is getting to see all the making of material on their blog. They’re certainly not shy with their creative process and it’s shows just how much pride and enthusiasm they have for even for the tiniest details.
The film has already received a number of achievements, and I am sure will continue to do so in the coming months, so check their site for updates, as well as the full list of credits for the film. Also check out some of their other work, including Electric Car which recently took home a 3rd place award at the ASIFA East International Film Festival. Congrats Max and Ru!
Mother’s Day is on Sunday and JibJab has provided you with a digital gift option that you can preview below. It’s the creation of JibJabber Devin Bell – a cast of puppets offer a tribute to mom in the form of a reggae-inspired song. Check out some behind-the-scenes photos at the JibJab blog, and here’s Musical Kitchen:
Following up on their amazing Bohemian Rhapsody cover (that won the Lineboil Best Animated Music Video of 2009 award), the Muppets take on the classic Stand By Me by Ben E. King. This one isn’t award worthy, and kids might find it horrifying, but it’s got a giant, angry bunny in and it’s Easter weekend – so watch it!
