The Animation Podcast

Author: Clay

  • Show 024 – James Baxter, Part Two

    James Baxter

    “That’s probably the hardest part, I think, is to be able to capture that lightening in a bottle and, you know, to be able to take that moment of inspiration and for the next week or two weeks maintain that spontaneity.”

    Part two of the interview continues with James Baxter, supervising animator of Belle, Rafiki, Quasimodo, Spirit, and director of the animation for Enchanted. The conversation goes in to deeper detail regarding the technical aspects and processes James applies to his animation and acting – a must-listen for any animators looking to improve their workflow and craft. This is part two of a three part interview.

    [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/animationpodcast/AP024.mp3]

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  • Show 023 – James Baxter, Part One

    James Baxter

    “I think the thing that came to me quickest was probably the understanding of how things move… It took me a lot longer to try and conquer things like good communication and character and drawing and expressions and acting and the really important stuff.”

    James Baxter is one of the most talented animators working today. As a supervising animator at Disney and Dreamworks some of the characters he brought to life include Belle, Rafiki, Quasimodo, Moses, and Spirit. On the CG side, he also served as a supervising animator on Shrek 2 and Madagascar. James’ latest work was creating all the animation sequences for Enchanted at his studio, James Baxter Animation. This is the first part of this interview.

    [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/animationpodcast/AP023.mp3]

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  • Listen to The Animation Podcast on your iPod Touch or iPhone

    Get your fingers all over The Animation Podcast.
    If you’ve got an iPod Touch or an iPhone, direct Safari to:

    http://animationpodcast.com/iphone

    In case you haven’t subscribed in iTunes already and find yourself out on the road, needing some animation love, you’ll find a simple page there with all the shows laid out for you.

  • Show 022 – Dale Baer, Part Two

    Dale Baer

    “When things get down and people get scared and they get nervous, are they’re running around, like, saying, ‘What’s happening? The world’s coming to an end,’ it’s just part of the – that wierdness of this business.”

    Dale Baer came to Disney’s as an animation trainee in the late sixties, when the era of the Nine Old Men was coming to a close. He has worked for Filmation, Disney, Ralph Bakshi, and at his own studio, Baer Animation. Dale has been back at Walt Disney Animation Studios since The Emperor’s New Groove and his credits include supervising the characters of Yzma, Slim from Home on the Range, and Wilbur from Meet the Robinsons. Dale recently finished animating on the latest Goofy short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, and he’s currently working on the upcoming film The Princess and the Frog. This is part two of a two part interview.

    [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/animationpodcast/AP022.mp3]

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  • Under a little construction…

    I threw the switch and changed the layout of the site. As I expected, some things got pretty thrown out of whack! It all seems functional now, but I’ll be fiddling with it to get it the way I like.

    I should point out a few new things around here:
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  • Stuart Ng sketchbook printing tips

    Stuart Ng always has a must-see booth at the Comicon filled with domestic and import sketchbooks and art books. His website has been redesigned and I noticed a pretty useful page filled with tips on making and selling your own artist sketchbooks. The tips are not about HOW to draw the pretty pictures – that’s up to you. Instead he details many practical tips that can help you make decisions regarding design, binding, content, printing and more. If there’s an expert on this, it’s Stuart, so it’s worth a read.

    While you’re there, don’t miss the regular part of the store. There are tons of books (and sketchbooks) for sale that may inspire you to create your own.

    Stuart Ng sketchbook tips

  • Show 021 – Dale Baer, Part One

    Dale Baer

    “It was like going to Mount Olympus and meeting the Gods. It really was. And I was scared to death.”

    Dale Baer came to Disney’s as an animation trainee in the late sixties, when the era of the Nine Old Men was coming to a close. He has worked for Filmation, Disney, Ralph Bakshi, and at his own studio, Baer Animation. Dale has been back at Walt Disney Animation Studios since The Emperor’s New Groove and his credits include supervising the characters of Yzma, Slim from Home on the Range, and Wilbur from Meet the Robinsons. Dale recently finished animating on the latest Goofy short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, and he’s currently working on the upcoming film The Princess and the Frog. This is part one of a two part interview.

    [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/animationpodcast/AP021.mp3]

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  • Sloooow dancing reference?

    Here’s a little something that may be of interest to animation types who like motion analysis. David Michalek films actions in super high speed (at 1,000 frames per second) and then uses computer interpolation to slow it down even more – like 5 seconds plays in ten minutes. Click the image for a sample. That’s the only clip I found online. In this clip, check out how the feet react when they push off and land back on the floor. Subtle, but cool to see.

    Slow jumpHe’s had an exhibition in New York and if you’re in L.A. from September 17 through 26 you can see the outdoors show for free at the Music Center of Los Angeles. (Click here for details.)

    If you’re wondering about the process, here’s a page on the Apple site describing it. There’s also an article on Wired.com.

    If you look at the Performers page of his site, you’ll see that the show promises to include some very interesting clips to watch. This one may just be too interesting to pass up.

  • Show 020 – Ray Harryhausen

    Ray Harryhausen

    “I’m proud that we’re leaving a trail of inspiration, instead of desolation.”

    For over 50 years, Ray Harryhausen single-handedly animated the most captivating stop-motion creatures in movies such as Mighty Joe Young, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, Jason and the Argonauts, and of course, Clash of the Titans. He’s an animation legend and inspiration to countless animators and filmmakers the world over. This is a one part interview.

    [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/animationpodcast/AP020.mp3]

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  • One of a kind Glen Keane skateboard deck

    This seems like just the thing many listeners of the podcast would love to own. Past guest of the show, Glen Keane has donated his talents to the ESPN V Foundation by creating a one of a kind skateboard deck featuring a treesurfing Tarzan. It’s up for auction for eight more days. As of now, there’s only one bid for $100. Pretty cool for one lucky bidder and the proceeds go towards research to cure cancer.

    Click here for the link.

    Glen Keane skateboard deck