4creative, the in-house creative agency for all Channel 4’s brands, just posted a series of riveting and insightful compilations from the broadcaster’s excellent Self Portraits series featuring interviews with top directors and actors revealing their influences and favorite filmmaking moments. [Watch]
Just when you thought mainstream hand-drawn animated features had died completely, director Sergio Pablos releases this stunning teaser for “Klaus.” Currently in development thru his SPA Studios in Madrid, the film promises bold and innovative lighting choices, beat-perfect story telling and extraordinary character work. [Watch]
Vancouver’s Image Engine handles the majority of the VFX work in Neill Blomkamp’s new robot-coming-of-age feature called “Chappie” featuring an exceptionally emotive CG hero plus the genius casting choice of the decade: Yo-Landi and Ninja from Die Antwoord as the criminals who abduct him.
[Watch]
Back in May, Portland animation studio LAIKA announced it was spinning off its advertising division LAIKA/House to focus on feature films.
The new independent entity, branded House Special and lead by president Lourri Hammack, CD Kirk Kelley and MD of strategic operations Al Cubillas, are off to a promising start completing the end credits of LAIKA’s Boxtrolls and this acerbic in-house CG short called “A Tale of Momentum & Inertia.” [Watch]
Designer/animator/storyteller Eve Weinberg and her Brooklyn studio NeverOddorEven (it’s a palindrome) transforms the dry history of climate science into compelling motion in one of three clips she directed this summer for “Disruption,” a doc sponsored by 350.org.
“The film was intended to do two things: Inform viewers about the science and history of climate change and get people out to the march on Sunday Sept 21st. Now that the march is over, we’ll re-cut the film to make it feature length and distribute it through a channel like Netflix (fingers crossed).” [Watch]
Director Genndy Tartakovsky‘s animation test for Sony’s upcoming Popeye feature pushes the physical comedy he brought to Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory and Hotel Transylvania to a crazy new level with some of the snappiest timing and extreme exaggeration since Tex Avery.
Tartakovsky’s revealing intro and the BTS scenes of him cracking up his team as he narrates animatics are also well worth your time. [Watch]
