I was really saddened to hear of the death last week of Oliver Postgate, one of the most legendary figures in British animation. For anybody who grew up in this country in the seventies or eighties, the classic show that Postgate co-created with collaborator and friend Peter Firmin are likely one of their most treasured memories. They made just thirteen episodes of Bagpuss (old saggy cloth cat-puss) back in the seventies, yet they seemed to be permanently on TV at least into the late Eighties when I would have got the chance to see it. Years later it is regularly voted the most loved Children's programme in polls, and is still available on DVD and showing on satellite TV. If you don't know Postgate's work, or even if you do, you can see some of his finest moments here or here

Bagpuss has a really personal resonance with me, even to this day. Lovingly hand-made in a shed only a few miles form where I live, I even got a visit from the real Bagpuss at my primary school (sadly I can't remember if it was Postgate or Firmin who visited with him, seeing as I was just a nipper at the time). Today the original old Cloth cat has a permanent home at the local museum in my hometown. However the loss was felt all over the country by many different people, and I've heard tributes from as different sources as animator Nick Park and Screenwipe host Charlie Brooker. Rest in Piece Mr Postgate, you'll be sorely missed.

ice ice baby....

Regardless of what you think of the finished films (and I enjoy them personally) you'd have to be missing some vital organs not to enjoy the teaser trailers for the Ice Age movies. Featuring the lovable and unlucky saber-tooth squirrel Scrat, the trailers stand alone as animated shorts that bring to mind the classic Chuck Jones old school of animation. My point here being that the Ice Age 3 trailer is now online, and you should watch it. It's a hoot. Link

toon times

If you wanted proof of how animation is becoming more important in Hollywood, then you might look to the number of live-action directors are getting involved. Last week John Boorman, best known for directing Deliverance released information on his first foray into the medium, a new CG adaptation of the Wizard Of Oz. It's occurred to me before that an animated version of that particular book could work, so I'm looking forward to finding out more. It's going to be more faithful to the book than the old musical version and the concept art is just gorgeous, so consider me thoroughly interested.

Meanwhile, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy 2 director Guillermo Del Toro will be writing and producing a dark stop-motion take on Pinocchio (he'll be too busy with the Hobbit to direct) and Danny Boyle (28 Days Later director) has just co-founded an animation studio named Treat studios. It's certainly an interesting time to be an animation fan.

Panda Power

The general noise from critics about Kung-Fu Panda was that it was surprisingly good. Personally I was won over as soon as I heard the title, but then I am basically an overgrown kid. I finally got to see it this week (on beautiful shiny Blu-ray) and I loved it. Unless something unexpected happens, I expect it to battle Wall-E for the best animated film Oscar next year (and most probably lose). Gorgeous as it looks though, my favourite thing about it is the beautifully stylish 2d animated segments that open and close the film. I personally could have watched a whole film like that, but unfortunately that would have been too risky a prospect for the studio. Thank god Pixar have insisted that Disney bring back 2d animations. Maybe if they succeed, it will see other studios following.

Fear(s) of The Dark is an animated anthology based around a horror theme, that has come out of nowhere to suddenly be one of my most eagerly awaited movies of the rest of the year. It's due a UK cinema release in the next couple of weeks, but probably on a very limited release, so it may not come anywhere near me. Fear(s) consists of a number of sequences animated by different directors in different styles, and it looks ace. I like anthologies, and it's really refreshing to see a non-anime animation for adults that isn't a comedy. Thanks to more than a decade of The Simpsons, South Park and other shows, I think that only the really closed-minded still believes that animation is a medium only for children, but the idea that animation can tackle more than the funny? It's an area where the Japanese are streets ahead, but here in the west (or more accurately the English speaking world) this is the next barrier for art of animation to overcome.

You can see the trailer for Fear(s)..... here

Monkey Magic

The BBC has started advertising it's coverage of the Beijing Olympics that starts in a few weeks. I know before anyone says something- sport isn't something that gets much of a mention in this blog- (quite rightly!) but I'm only mentioning the ad because of the form it takes. For anyone who hasn't seen it- it's an animation and a smart one at that- and one involving monkeys. Brilliantly it's based on the Chinese Monkey King legend (a.k.a. Journey To The West) that's best known as the inspiration for a couple of Japanese series Dragonball and the 70's cheesefest live action series aired in the UK as Monkey. It also has a visual style reminiscent of Gorillaz/Blur front man Damon Albarn's Monkey Opera. Most of this will go over the head of most of the mainstream audience, but it's cool that they've produced something that will bring a smile to the face of those in the know.

Check out the ad here

EDIT// Um ....yeah it turns out Mr Albarn and his Gorillaz cohort, comic artist and Tank girl creator Jamie Hewlett are actually the creators of this ad- which explains the similarity. I didn't know that when I originally posted but of course it seems kinda obvious with hindsight :-) There's an interview with the guys in UK Tv listings mag Radio Times, complete with four collectible covers designed by the genius Hewitt.

It's hard to believe that South Park celebrates 10 years on screen this year. Who would have thought that the crude and foul-mouthed antics of Stan, Kenny, Kyle and Cartman would still be on air a decade after it started? It's had a particularly odd history here in the UK, where it originally had a coveted Friday night prime time spot on one of the big terrestial channels and became a bit of a cultural phenomenon. The merchandise was massive and the nation was flooded by 1o year olds (who shouldn't have been watching) wearing the T-shirts and shouting "Oh My God! They Killed Kenny!". The conservative press had a field day about this latest filth from a Foreign Land (worse than that, America even) that was corrupting our youth. That didn't stop it launching a Number 1 Single and Movie though. However the novelty wore off - possibly due to a dip in quality from the second series on, but I've never been brave enough to go back and check... Ans so it's time slot got later and later and these days it's not on terrestial TV at all, and has found a new home on satellite and cable. However those in the know will tell you that it long ago got over it's quality dip, got back on form and is in fact is better than ever. It still knows how to cause a fuss (witness the contreversy over the Tom Cruise episode) and the incredibly juvenile humour disguises the fact that it's actually one of the Smartest satires on TV- albeit one that primarily works through the medium of toilet humour. So if you're one of those who gave up on it years ago. why not give it another try? Bet you'll be glad you did...

I was pleased to see Beowulf open in the US at number one in the box office. Not in this occasion because I think it looks good (although I do) but more as to what it represents. If Hollywood thinks there is a market for animation that is aimed at an adult audience and covers more adult themes (although sadly Beowulf was apparently turned from an original intended R-rating to a PG-13) then hopefully we'll see more. As an animation lover, I want to see animation films that tackle stories more challenging than a delightful caper about a talking squirrel. At least every once in a while. However as a cynic I do think that the days of seeing this happen in mainstream Hollywood are a long way off, if indeed they ever happen at all. Anyway I look forward to getting to check it out for myself. As a side note there's been debate over whether Beowulf should be allowed to compete for the Best Animated Film Oscar, as some people don't think it's really animation. Well it sure doesn't look like live-action to me!

All Children of the 80's it's time to rejoice! The single greatest cartoon series from the 1980's is to be finally released on DVD. Yep, comeFebruary 2008 (in the UK- US release, coming later), Fabulous Films will be releasing the Mysterious Cities Of Gold! Hooray!! For the unitiated MCOG was a Japanese/French Co-production about a young boy called Esteban who searched for the titular Cities in South America. Shown on the BBC in the UK (and Nickelodeon in the States) but unavailable since, the series has taken on an almost mythical quality and has become something of a Holy Grail of retro cartoons. And it had a awesomely catchy theme tune Basically It's the Citizen Kane of 80's cartoons.

Gradually over the past couple of years, most of the classic cartoons from the era such as Dogtanion, Ulysses 31 and Count Duckula have been released on DVD, but the 80's cartoon connoisseur has been asking, just when will MCOG be joining them? So you could say I'm pretty excited. Not very much is known about the release details (such as if it will be a boxset, or available separately) but it doesn't really matter, I'll be getting it anyway!

Meanwhile, those of you who like their animation a bit newer, shinier and more adult might want to check out the trailer for the feature-length return of Futurama. To quote the Professor - Good News Everyone!

This week I found out there's to be an animation festival in my home town. This kind of thing happens all the time if you live in a major city like London or New York but it's not the kind of thing you really expect in my neck of the woods. But while this should be good news, note that I said I found out this week. The catch? The festival is in November- and submissions for entry into competition close this Monday. Nuts!

If I'd had more time I could have made something for it, or at least made some modifications to some of my existing works, but it's a bit late. How could this have passed by under my radar? Hopefully it will be a success and will run again next year. In the meantime I'll have for trying to get something else on TV! Anyway I'm not bitter, so if you're in the South East of England you might still be interested in checking it out!

OK, so it currently looks like the Uk's first dedicated anime channel Anime Central, will be launching on Sky channel 199 from this coming Thursday ( September13th) from 9pm. To begin with it appears the same six shows will be showing each night showing in 3 hour blocks which will then be repeated (so the same episodes will be shown between 9-12, 12-3 and 3-6am). Of the initial crop I can recommend Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (an awesome sci-fi, even if I have no idea what's going on half the time) and Full Metal Alchemist, but the other shows should all be worth a look too!

Over on 195 (Propeller TV) the Anime network is now on between 8-10pm 7 days a week. Series premiers are on Saturday and Sunday but Monday to Friday are showing catch-ups, so if you're a late comer, you might still be able to get a clue what's going on. I recommend anybody who's yet to do so to try out some anime- there's a whole lot more to it than Pokemon!

Animation fans should check out the trailer for Beowulf- it looks like it's going to be worth seeing. I became intrigued by the idea when I discovered that Robert Zemeckis was producing this as his third CG motion-capture effort in a row- following the saccharine Polar Express and the utterly ace Monster House. I was certainly interested to see them tackle a more dramatic, serious story. Then I found out my favourite author the god-like Neil Gaiman was writing the script.. and my anticipation glands went into overdrive. And the trailer gives plenty of other reasons to check it out- the excellent Brit actor Ray Winston gets a rare leading role, and there's even a flash of cgi booby in the international trailer- you sure don't get that from Pixar! In all seriousness, it's great to see someone using animation to tell a more grown-up story as we in the west are almost completely lacking in quality animation for adults (outside of the usual comedies). There's so much more potential in animation than merely fart jokes and swearing (although those things are great, obviously). Anyway take a look-see at the trailer here.

P.S.- if you need another reason to watch it- it has a dragon in it. Has to be good right? (Lets just ignore Eragon, Dungeons and Dragons, Reign of Fire and the other countless bad movies with dragons in... )

It's about a week now until the Simpsons Movie finally hits cinemas. I'm so keen to see it, that it just about edges out Transformers as my most eargerly awaited film of the moment. It's really cool the way they've managed to keep plot points secret and I can't wait to see what they have in store. I'm not one of those people who insist the Simpsons has lost it. It's still the funniest and smartest adult animation to come out of the US, and anyone who 's thinking 'Family Guy' should be ashamed of themselves... Homer's still the Daddy! I have faith that the team won't let me down, in fact don't be surprised if this turns out to be the family's finest hour!

Brilliant UK animation studio Aardman Animations has recently come clean on their current slate of titles- the first I've heard since they announced a distribution deal with Sony. Mixing their traditional claymation style with Flushed Away-style CG, we can look forward to a selection of tiles, including a (non Wallace and Gromit) new film from the genius Nick Park. Although mentioned in the announcement as almost an afterthought, I was particularly excited by the prospect of Aardman co-founder Peter Lord's project- Pirates! Not just for the obvious reasons either- it's based by on a series of books by Gideon Defoe- once of which was the ace comedic novel Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists, a book I greatly enjoyed. In fact a couple of times I found myself thinking "this would make an awesome movie!". The fact that it'll be animated, and by one of the World's greatest animation studios (Part of the 'Holy trinity' that also includes Pixar and Japan's Studio Ghibli), well that's just icing on the cake. It would have been really expensive to make live action, that's for sure!

In other animation news the Web's greatest animator Weebl (aka Jonti Picking, Creator of Weebl and Bob) has got a doozy of a commission, creating animation for Seasame Steet! Well done Weebl! I've thought for a long time global stardom (beyond the web) beckoned for him, and it looks like it's on it's way. Why not celebrate by watching his latest strange creation Cat Face? He's got a big Cat Face dont you know?

At long last the seventh episode of Happy Bunny is now here on the interweb. The reason for the delay? You see this episode features a character based on a real person, and I wanted to make sure the lady in question was the first to see it! This episode features Claire Bear who is inspired
by Mopizo's Biggest Fan as a Big Thank You for all her support( and just for being generally fantastic -if you're reading this, it's all true! x x x). It's also a Big Thanks to all Happy Bunny's fans, (this originally being his 2nd birthday special) that sees the poor bugger get a little bit or luck at last- and also redresses the balance a little for those of you of the female persuasion!

Following the end of the deal with Dreamworks, Aardman animation have signed a 3 year deal with Sony to distribute their films. For fans it doesn't matter who is distributing the flicks, as long as A) they give them a decent release and (more importantly) B) they don't interfere with the way they do things. Seeing as Aardman a savvy bunch and could probably pick and choose who they did business with, I'm confident they would have gone for the best option.

Speaking of Aardman, the studio's first forray into CGI animation hit DVD in the UK this week. Having feared the worse I finally saw Aardman's Flushed Away. Despite being made on computer rather than by claymation, it holds on to the studio's trademark charm and wit. Some people weren't exactly bowled over by it, but it's my pick of 2006's bumper crop of animated movies. Aardman on an off day is still better than anything else out there. Besides, any movie with Jean Reno playing a frog (called Le Frog) can't be bad right? Sir Ian Mackellen puts in a stonking performance as the bad guy (bad toad?) too. Can't wait to see what Aardman does next.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres has launched it's offical website. Check it out if only to see the awesome picture (that presumably they are going to be using for the poster) showing the team rendered in a proper movie poster stylee. And the new trailer is up there too.

Details are finally emerging about the eagerly awaited return of Futurama. The DVD movies that have been promised, and the new episodes commissioned for Comedy Central appear to now be one and the same, creator Matt Groening has revealed. The 4 ninety minute movies will also be divided into 16 episodes for TV. We'll have to wait until 2008 to see exactly how this will work (probably even longer here in the UK!). Fortunately we've got the Simpsons Movie to look forward to in the meantime!

UK types, who have yet to sample the genius that is the films of Japan's Studio Ghibli, there's the chance for even you non digital types to set this right. And I suggest you set your videos/sky plus/tivo/pvr becasue they really are worth your time (and are on at a time where most of you will be at work/school/college/asleep ) the first one is Kiki's Delivery Service on tomorrow (monday) on channel for at 9.55am, and 3 other Ghilbi flicks are showing in the morning this week too- two of which are stone cold classics (My Neighbour Totoro and Laptua: Castle In the Sky) and one (the Cat Returns) still worth a watch!

A couple of very different developments in the world of animated cinema over the past few days. Firstly Dreamworks animation and UK based Aardman animations have decided to end their partnership (or as certain UK based sources would have it Dreamworks have cruelly dumped poor old Aardman). Both sides are keen to point out the split was amicable and that they are simply working towards different goals (who knows if this is really the case though). In Dreamworks case this is probably the goal of making shit-loads of money- they recently announced plans to up their output to one original production and one sequel a year, and the slow process of stop-motion films that take 5 years to make probably doesn't fit in with this. I also wonder if it has anything to do with Flushed Away failing to making the Oscar shortlist (bet DW wouldn't have wasted any time taking all the credit for that!). Generally I think this shouldn't harm Aardmans' future at all in the long run- they shouldn't have problems finding a new distributor- and it shows how they are nor prepared to compromise or Americanize to please the studio. For that I truly respect them.

In a very different piece of news adverts for Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie somehow caused a major security alert in Boston. Sigh. The world truly appears to have gone mad sometimes. On a brighter note you can now view the trailer for the forthcoming film itself- the wonderfully titled Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres. And you should It's the colon that makes it for me...