Animation

I’ve noticed, it’s quite sad. I do wonder why we’re losing so many of them :/

You're right, it's heartbreaking to see so many Japanese animation veterans passing, especially the recent losses of Kōzō Shioya (Majin Buu) and Masako Ikeda (Galaxy Express 999) within just a couple of months but as we mourn these legends, let's also celebrate them!

Sarah, i just saw your post above, re Tupuia etc.. Sorry for slow reply. I was totally side-tracked and stressing over this copyright issue.

Tupuia is well-remembered here in Aotearoa for his assistance to Captain Cook. And for being a strong connecting link between the tropical Pacific Islanders and our Maori. It is said he could understand the Maori languages as it was only a few hundred years of separation between their two Pacific cultures.

I sometimes kayak around a tiny island chain called Poroporo which some believe was named after Borabora. near Tahiti, half an ocean away from here. Not the only language similarity.

In my kayak, I also visit the very island beach where archaeologists have digs sometimes because they believe it may be one of the earliest landing places for some of the great canoes who brought the ancestors to this land.

I am fascinated by the whole Polynesian ocean-navigation thing. The fact they were using magnificent sailing canoes to confidently criss-cross the open ocean that covers half the globe at a time when most Europeans were too scared to go out of sight of land (in case they sailed off the edge of the world,) just blows me away.

I have often taken my students to the resting place of the great Tainui canoe which is buried at Kawhia on the west coast of the Waikato region. I could talk forever about that sacred place. It was a wonderful way to let those children feel and understand the worth of their ancestral cultural heritage.

The lost Polynesian sailing skills were touched on in the animated Moana movie but a story about actual navigators (wayfinders) who guided them - the great Polynesian minds that knew how to use stars, currents, birds etc to find their way in the open sea is always something I yearn to read, (or view) so I'm excited about your work with this.

I too have navigated the South Pacific in a little wooden boat, under nothing but sail, but I at least had a sextant to help me find lines of position in the open sea. It was decades ago, when compasses and sextants were our most advanced navigation technology. We used to joke that to get from Fiji to New Zealand, after you'd dropped your sextant overboard, you just sailed south as far as penguins but not as far as icebergs and then turn left! For ancient Polynesians there might have been a grain of truth in that.

A word of caution, many Maori were somewhat insulted by the way the Moana movie portrayed their demigod Maui as a buffoonish character. Maui was known to be a trickster but not a buffoon like that. A lot of Maori culture was used (and somewhat mis-used) in that movie. But I loved that the main over-arching theme of that story was to bring back the great and ancient seamanship tradition of the Polynesian people, so I personally forgave Moana everything.

Our own live action kiwi-made movie "Whale-Rider" had a similar theme of helping the people return to the sea, though perhaps it was not the main theme (and as with Moana, navigation was not part of it). I think it really was the main theme of Moana.

Thank you Tui! The fact you took the time while also dealing with that Ai video nonsense is amazing and appreciated. The point about the Maori perspective on Maui in Moana is exactly the kind of thing that I was looking for even though I am not dealing directly with the deities.

As part of my research I came across a great book I would highly recommend to you, We, the Navigators The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific 2nd edition by David Lewis, edited by Sir Derek Oulton published by the University of Hawai'i Press.

Animation is such a powerful storytelling medium. It’s great to see more opportunities for writers in this space. The demand for original animated content is definitely growing. Thanks for sharing this resource!

Thanks Sarah. I'll look up that book.

I checked those pirate video animations this morning and saw this comment where they had been,

"Video unavailable - This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Tui Allen"

So thanks to YouTube! They acted fast.

A tropical cyclone Vaianu is due to hit us here exactly when our next meeting is on. The weathermen are being quite hysterical in their warnings about it and telling us to prepare for floods, landslides, powercuts and evacuations. I'm in a tiny isolated settlement in the wilds of the eastern Bay of Islands. We often get power cuts and our roads can easily be blocked by slips and fallen trees that can cut our little community off. Hope I'm not ordered to evacuate during the meeting. But if I don't turn up at all, it will likely be because the power is out.

Primal by Genndy Tartakovski. Telling an entire season without any dialogue.

Seeing folks mention the opening of UP makes me want to go rewatch it tonight. But, I haven't seen enough love for the Spider-Verse movies and how they've pushed the artform forward both visually and story-wise.

Wes Ambrecht Spiderverse definitely deserves high praise. Between that and Mitchells and the Machines, Sony finally broke the Playdough mold that sunk the animation art form.

Wes Ambrecht, I'm SO glad you said Spider-verse, because the first one is my favorite movie. I watched it 6 times while it was in theaters, and I don't go more than a few months without putting it on.

I'm gonna go with the impact that the cloak-ops scene in "Ghost in the Machine" had on me. It was a truly profound sequence, watching the footsteps in the water made by an invisible opponent.

This is a very in depth and character driven story. I can see it being done in Anime Style along the line of stories like "The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity", "The Dangers in my Heart" and "Your Lie in April".

What are your plans going forward?

Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it.

My goal is to develop Elara the Painter into an animated feature film or possibly an animated series, depending on how the story evolves. I am currently focusing on strengthening the story, characters, and overall world.

I am also open to collaboration and discussions with creatives or professionals who might be interested in helping bring this project to life.

Thanks again for your feedback, it truly means a lot.

Absolutely. Personally, people think I'm a kid when I watch an animated film. Like, "He's an idiot! What's he watching? Stupid stuff!" But I don't care. I see animation as a source of inspiration for creating my own manga. And besides, these days, all the kids are crazy about it. If you think animation is lame, I recommend you go see "GOAT." You'll change your mind.

Josiah Cosgrove I think it depends on the person and how much knowledge they have about the industry and what consumers like. I think for the average person it may seem silly and dumb but for those who are educated and understand the history of animation and where it is headed the statement becomes obsolete.

From my experience I've come across countless individual who simply aren't educated in animation and simply don't know any better.

animation is not a genre

Kevin Jackson Thanks, I appreciate it. It’s actually about animals living like modern humans, but grounded in real behavior and character-driven humor. Glad it stands out.

Oh my gosh, this is fantastic! Love the elements of dark humor and the rap battle influence - very creative! You should email our success team and see if there are any execs who’d be interested in this concept: successstage32.com

Thank you, Amanda Toney I really appreciate it! :)

Daniel Danitto thanks for sharing! I agree with Kevin Jackson I think it has chance within animation. I think it would be refreshing to see something different in the space.

Cyrus Sales , thank you very much, I really appreciate it. Glad it comes across as something different. That’s exactly what I’m aiming for - something more grounded and character-driven, not following a typical formula.

Not seeing anything

Hey Michael Dukumor ! Looks like you posted something but it's not showing on our end. You mind reposting with the content again, would love to see what the series is about.

Hi Alex, great to meeting you. I am also a 2D animator and writer. Are you using Moho? I recognise some of the brushes.

Alex Pinto pleasure to get connected! I highly recommend checking out the jobs section. People post jobs there and you may be able to find some work or others to collaborate with.

I'm all about 2D animation, with a strong preference for 80s to 2000s anime feel. If I could get Studio Madhouse to animate any of my projects, I'd be in Heaven.

Wow, Studio Madhouse is amazing Banafsheh Esmailzadeh I admire their anime style! I’m definitely going to binge more of their work; is there a specific project of theirs that inspires you most?

Same Dwayne Williams 2~ I love that they did CLAMP’s animes so Cardcaptor Sakura and Clover, and what I saw of X. Of course their work on Satoshi Kon’s stuff is also wonderful, like Millennium Actress, and Redline is one of my absolute favourites. Their work on NANA is also gorgeous. If I had to choose between them I’d say Redline is my favourite example. Every single frame is pure art.

Thanks for sharing those, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh I just checked out Redline, and it looks amazing! Definitely something I’d spend time diving into. I appreciate you putting me onto that. :D

You’re welcome, Dwayne Williams 2~ enjoy Redline!

Bob Harper Thanks for sharing! I'm in Texas but hopefully someone on here is able to take advantage of the opportunity.

I was checking on the website and it has some online courses, but I didn't get if it's going to have a virtual access or something, since I live in Chile.

Sunday's event is completely virtual.