Hearting Animation.

I don't let anyone escape knowing me without disclosing love of cartoons.
It could be more than what it is, but it IS a pretty big part of my aesthetic, because it has driven my desire to create. The idea that every piece of a moving picture at one point had to be drawn is a big deal to me. With newer animation rendered digitally or stop motion techniques is super fascinating too, and full-length cartoons combine the aspect of storytelling and writing that touches my heart.

This post is pretty early on this year, but I felt like just throwing some fun things out for readers, (like a batch of cartoons!) and save the serious posts about goals and organizing for a little later in the week... or month... or whenever I get around to editing those thoughts. I could go on for days on my favorites and I'm leaving several out... but here's a sampling.

Cartoons and animation worth viewing for inspiration or just giggles:

Inspiration and Giggles: Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies- 75 originals of these were made, and one received an Academy Award. They will not be politically correct, this is back when mermaids were topless, stereotypes were present,  and a lot of soap opera drama happened on the farm or under the sea.
I recommend the classic Old Mill or Flowers and Trees.. a few of these will show cameos of more classic characters from newer Disney (fun trivia- the original voice of Donald Duck was Clarence Nash- an Oklahoman!)



Still want more Disney but want to amp it up? Check out the release of this previous Salvador Dali collaboration- it's amazing!


Get MEGA-Inspired. The works of Andrew Thomas Huang.
Check out the Solipsist. Shared with me and if people made stuff like this every day and delivered it to my screen, I might be forever distracted with inspiration fairies. More recently he's done music videos for artists like Bjork. They are all fascinating and quirky.


 in film:

Warp the mind and read this if you haven't: Scanner Darkly (2006) - a notable cast in a film based on Phillp K. Dick's 70's work about future drug culture and designed addiction. The cast members could be notable because in this Linklater-directed flick they are fitting and the animation concerning the technology of the "scanning" is beautiful and no less than trippy.

Inspiration, Entertainment, and embracing legacy: American Pop created by Ralph Bakshi. The evolution of music in a flowy rotoscoped style. I love so much music so this is one of my favorites in Bakshi's catalogue, and the nomadic feel of the characters finding their place resonates deeply with me too. A very underrated piece of cinema, and animation-wise, it has great humanity and colors, and Bakshi's notable stylistic elements.

----
Well, that's a list to get you started. I've left off some cartoons I want to include but even online versions of good quality clips are hard to find... Maybe I will start a Pinterest board just for these :)

Any special cartoons or animations that inspire you while you create? Perhaps you make some of your own? Let me know in the comments below!











Comments