The Nicktoons Film Festival continues this Sunday, Jan. 9, with Screening 12–a selection of seven shorts that deal with those creatures we have trouble communicating with–animals and accountants. This is the final screening of films in competition before our awards show next week. A co-production of Frederator Studios and Animation Magazine for Nicktoons, The Nicktoons Film Festival airs on the Nicktoons cable channel Sunday nights at 10 p.m (EST) and 7 p.m. (PST), with a repeat at 1 p.m. (EST) and 10 p.m. (PST). The films featured in Screening 12–The "Fun With Animals and Accountants" Show are: Rockfish from Tim Miller and the famous Blur Studios; The Tribe from Italian filmmaker Stefano Buonamico; Bath Time from filmmaker Carlos Fernandez Puertolas; Harold Rosenbaum Chartered Accountant Extreme: Ledger Lad Liquidation from Canadian studio Nelvana and filmmaker Matt Ferguson; Minue from CalArts grad Rami Kim; and a set of Ape Escape shorties from director Yorifusa Yamaguchi, Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
The Nicktoons Film Festival:
Screening 12–The Fun With Animals and Accountants" Show
Airdate & Time: January 9, 2004, 10 p.m. (EST); 7 p.m. (PST), Nicktoons
SPECIAL FEATURE: BONUS FESTIVAL PREMIERE FILM, NOT IN COMPETITION
Film #1: Rockfish (Length: 8:30; 3D animation completed with Discreet’s 3dsmax)–Co-founder of the very busy Venice, Calif.-based CG house, Blur Studio, writer/director Tim Miller says the following about the creation of his sci-fi actioner, Rockfish: "Our intent was to combine a comic book aesthetic with the spirit of a Saturday matinee thriller. The story is an adventure tale similar to The Old Man and the Sea with the twist of a sci-fi desert setting. The film is about a hard-working guy who is an exterminator taking care of creatures that are attacking miners. This scene is a snapshot of a larger story, a feature film that we are currently developing.” (To learn more about Blur Studio, its work on game cinematics, special venue rides and the 40-minutes Tim directed on Disney’s Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas DVD-release, go to www.blur.com.)
Film #2: The Tribe (Length: 2:30; Flash 2D animation)–Filmmaker Stefano Buonamico brings us a few life lessons on how not to behave in a group in his stylish and wacky film, The Tribe, produced at Italian house Gordo. In this short, four gorillas fight over a squirrel they’ve treed. As is the case with all mammalian relations, basic instinct wins. (To find out more about Stefano Buonamico, go to www.gordo.it)
Film #3: Bath Time (Length: 1:30; 3D animation)–There is one universal dread every dog owner must face, the ominous challenge of the "bath." In this fun little ditty, filmmaker Carlos Fernandez Puertolas’ hero pulls out all the stops in a vain quest to stay dry. We really like the character design, the CG lighting and shading and the comedic timing on this one. (To contact Carlos, drop him a line at charpuertolas@mail.com.)
Film #4: Harold Rosenbaum Chartered Accountant Extreme: Ledger Boy Liquidation (Length: 5:00; Flash)–Matt Ferguson has been an animator since the age of twelve, when his first film, Cluck N’ Cook, aired on Canada’s YTV. Matt says he’s been addicted ever since. A Sheridan College grad, Matt has served as a senior animator on popular Nelvana preschool shows such as The Backyardigans and Miss Spider’s Sunnypatch Kids. In his Harold Rosenbaum Chartered Accountant Extreme series for Nelvana, though, Matt’s humor is way over the heads of the little ones. In this episode, Harold is trying to capture the X of Evil in an elaborate tax trap after the X’s thugs kidnap Harold’s sidekick–Ledger Lad. For the safe return of Ledger Lad, the X demands a bar of platonite–the last element needed in the creation of a giant sound wave weapon. Will Harold give in to the X of Evil’s evil demands? Tune in and see. (For more info on Matt Ferguson or the Funpack shorts e-mail funpak@corusent.com.)
Film #5: Minue (Length: 2:50; 2D animation)–Okay, maybe the judges aren’t the biggest cat lovers, but how could we not love Rami Kim’s little gem about a cat and his girl? Says Kim, "I made this film when I was in my third year at CalArts in 2003. It was shown in the ‘Producer’s Show,’ which is a showcase for the character animation department and in the student selection at the Zagreb Animation Festival in 2004. I came up with this idea when I met my friend’s huge cat. He is so big and he eats a lot like the character in my film. Minue is a story about the friendship between this huge cat who only eats and sleeps and a little girl who only wants to play with him. (To see more of the work of Rami Kim, check out http://www.ramiskim.com.)
Film #6: Ape Escape (Length: 5:00; CG)–This is our last batch of Ape Escapes, little one-minute, fun-packed adventures of a boy and his crazy apes. We’d spend more time describing them, but we’d spoil the punchlines. Let’s just say if you like fart jokes, monkeys and wacky music, you won’t want to let these little shorts get away. All of our Ape Escape shorts were directed by Yorifusa Yamaguchi and come to us from Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment, courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
