TECNOTOON :::ANIMATION PRESS:::

Friday, September 26

Tecnotoon support NASA´s science mission!

TECNOTOON received a printable certificate from NASA and have it name recorded on a microchip that will become part of Glory, the spacecraft.

The Glory satellite two major goals are:

Collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon in the Earth's atmosphere and climate system. It will enable a greater understanding of the seasonal variability of aerosol properties.

Collect data on solar irradiance for the long-term effects on the Earth climate record. Understanding whether the temperature increase and climate changes are by-products of natural events or whether the changes are caused by man-made sources is of primary importance.

Glory is scheduled for launch in June 2009 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Glory will orbit as part of the Afternoon Constellation, or "A-Train," a series of Earth-observing satellites. The A-Train spacecraft follow each other in close formation, crossing the equator a few minutes apart shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time each day. The A-Train orbits Earth once every 100 minutes.

TECNOTOON`s name will be in the sky for ever!

Visit our webpage in 2D/3D y VFX

Friday, November 21th.

THE ONLINE
ANIMATION
COMMUNITY

You've entered Tecnotoon.com, the amazing online animation community where you can watch funny cartoons and even learn how to make animation creations. So - wait a minute, we're always throwing around terms like "animation," and "cartoons" - what do they mean?

"Animation"is a broad and all-encompassing term, including CG animation, machinima, stop motion, 2D animation, 3D animation, funny animation, not so funny animation, vintage cartoons, funny cartoons - all of it. To "animate" is, essentially, to bring life to an inanimate object, so the term animation is pretty flexible, while a "cartoon" refers more to the still-panel drawings in newspapers or to 2D funny animations - classic cartoons like Betty Boop, Popeye, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, etc.

We want to help animators develop and grow - from professionals to those just getting their feet wet. We created this online animation university as a forum where fellow creators can contribute ideas and suggestions on animation skills: drawing, cartooning, writing, story-telling, and animating.

Please feel free to ask any question and discuss any answers within the dynamic Tecnotoon community. Of course, if you can't find an answer, please don't hesitate to contact us - we're always psyched to hear from you!

Friday, August 8th.

Tecnotoon animation tips!

Light Tables!

Whether you're drawing 2D animation for cel painting or doing the preliminary pencil work to be scanned in for a computer animation, a light table is one of the most important tools for frame-by-frame animation that you'll ever own.

Animation planning!

Using a storyboard will help you organize your animation, and match you mental visualizations of scenes with the written script. If you use a storyboard you'll find that you'll be able to plan your animations more cohesively with clear marker points to show progress, and you'll save yourself a lot of time and trouble when struggling to make the entire thing come together from beginning to end.

THE ANIMATION
WORK PROCESS

Daily Practice

Study through observation and research, draw, mentally visualize actions, draw, practice thumbnails until you arrive at a solid ability to shorthand your character, draw, draw, draw. As you gain experience through your drawing, you can allow your subconscious to search for various entertainment and expression possibilities. The more you practice the more you may learn about your character. This added knowledge may help in your approach to the storytelling and characterization.

Research

Be sure to focus on the basic principles of animation that are called for in the scene you are animating. Take notes in the lecture classes, follow along with the demonstrations yourself. Review your hand outs on the assignment and as questions if you're unclear about anything. Look for examples of the action you're doing in animated films, live action, and in real life. Act out the action yourself and analyze what your body is doing. Ask someone else to do the action and watch how they interpret it. Incorporate the basic principles involved into your research and your understanding of the action desired.

Visualize

We all have the ability to mentally visualize something. It isn't something that creates a solid image inside our head, rather it is more like something you can't quite grasp, it's almost there but not really, sort of like a ghost.

When you close your eyes and think about something, let's say Bugs Bunny standing cocky, chewing on a carrot, you should be able to almost see it as a negative image. Since your eyes are closed all you see is black. Any image will have a white line to it. If you practice doing this visualization exercise, you will get better at it over time but it does take concentrated practice.

The best time to do this is when you're all by yourself without any distractions and you can close your eyes and shut out the outside world for about 5 minutes.

Can you think of any time during your day that you can do this? You might say that you don't have the time, you're just too busy, however, you , like most other humans do spend about 5 minutes a day in the bathroom sort of just sitting around... if you know what I mean.

This is the perfect time to practice your mental visualization exercises. Mentally visualize the action and assess the entertainment value of your approach.

How could this action be best staged?

Analyze

If the scene has dialogue, get a cassette of the soundtrack and listen to it for the emotional range required. Act the scene out to get a feel for what you want to do in the scene. Begin drawing your thumbnails.

Thumbnails

Thumbnail sketches are a way of shorthanding your drawing. It's far better to spend a few minutes doing these quick rough sketches to break down the action taking place rather than a lot of time drawing the character animation full sized only to find out that the animation posing doesn't work. It's time that could be better spent.

Sketch to solve staging, action, and sequencing problems. Arrive at a plan for your keys.

After listening to the soundtrack, decide whether to play with it or against it. Usually, there are five major poses in the average scene - sometimes more, sometimes less. In analyzing the dialogue of a scene, listen for the emotions in the delivery of the lines. Be sensitive to the slightest nuance in the delivery as this can make a huge difference in the outcome of your character's acting. Also listen for the specific rhythm of the delivery.

It is the animator's job to be purely analytical at this point. It is crucial to analyze the forces necessary to visually capture the energy of the delivery.

Focus on the silhouettes of each pose. Analyze the overall path of action through which the character moves in that scene and draw the path on the same page as the thumbnails.

Study the exposure sheets and see where the major accents are. Block out only the major accents on the sheets.

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Whether you dream of becoming an animator or VFX professional, we'll help you get ready for your future. If you are ready to take the first step toward your new career, please contact us today.

WORLDWIDE PRESS BULLETIN

LILI CHIN AND EDDIE MORT, THE AMAZING DUO WHO CREATED ¡MUCHA LUCHA!.

Tuesday, March, 31th.

TECNOTOON MX AND MUCHA LUCHA CREATORS...TOGETHER!

Dama Samano, Hector Arellano, Raul Macias, Lili Chin and Eddie Mort

Today Lili and Eddy demonstrates different BG elements at varying the distances from the Camera. Lili prefer to animate lip sync the "manual" way, but Auto Lip Sync feature program is still pretty cool and can help save time or if you want to have basic lip sync without detailed attention to consonant sounds etc. Let´s see!

Multiplane BG set up from LILI CHIN AND EDDY MORT

Dama Samano, Hector Arellano, Raul Macias, Lili Chin, Eddie Mort and Karen

Soon Lili and Eddy will be in Mexico visiting TECNOTOON Studios and Animation University!

THE FIRST GREEN ANIMATION STUDIO WORLDWIDE

Saturday, March, 21th.

TECNOTOON HOME PAGE WILL BE DARK AROUND THE WORLD

During 2009, Tecnotoon, The Global Animation Cluster will change all their computers and 3D software for the 2D "cartoon" animation technique, where the hand-penciling work is still necessary.

Traditional animation is a very hands-on process; 2D animation is accomplished by hand-drawing hundreds upon thousands of individual frames and then film them in sequence over a painted background image. This requires a big team of artists, cleanup artists, painters, directors, background artists, and film/camera crews, along with the storyboard artists and script writers to work out the original concepts. ANIMATION LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

JOB, TRAINNING, HAPPYNESS, SAVING THE PLANET....TECNOTOON!

Turning your lights off for an hour is a great start.

Monday, March, 17th.

WORLD´S FIRST GLOBAL ELECTION, 8:30 PM, MARCH 28,2009

On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off your lights for one hour. Or you can vote global warming by leaving your lights on. Vote March 28, 8:30 PM

http://www.earthhour.org/about/

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you're from, but instead, what planet you're from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday. We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

I do have the best job in the world, no question. Everybody should be jealous. This is so what you want to do.

Saturday, December, 6th.

TECNOTOON MEXICO CREW VISITED TV AZTECA FACILITIES

Today’s great highlight was the early morning visit to TV AZTECA, during which TECNOTOON animators and TAU Students were given a tour of the premises, including the control room during the live filming of HECHOS DE LA MAÑANA.

After the show all the group went on the set to meet MARIANO RIVA PALACIO and CHRISTIAN LARA which together with the control room tour was very exciting.

Thursday, December, 4th.

CANIETI

The Mexican Electronics Telecommunications and Information Technologies Industries Chamber has more than 25 years and is an entity representing the Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Tecnology Sector in Mexico, which promotes the development of said sector in a global environment with high quality services.

CANIETI is a public interest, autonomous institution with legal status and capital of its own, different from that of its members, established according to what is provided in the Act of Business Chambers and their Confederations.

Recently formed Mexico Media. (See: http://www.mexicomedia.com.mx)

México Media has the objective of promoting worldwide the capacities of Mexico in the industry of Animation, Videogames and Visual Effects for the cinema.

México Media is an initiative taken by the National Chamber of the Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies Industry (“CANIETI”), which, since 2006, has given impulse to this industry by means of the “Creanimax” event (Guadalajara, Jalisco); this in turn, has received the support of the Ministry of Economy, and of the State and Municipal Governments.

Tecnotoon is working with a guild view and a commitment which allows taking the benefits of technology all over Latin America.

Thursday, November, 6th.

TECNOTOON´S NEWS MEXICO FACILITIES (TV AZTECA Interview)

In an interview for TV AZTECA MEXICO, Tecnotoon`s Mr. Hector Arellano has made some statements about animation training programs.

Feel free to embed this YouTube video in your own blog or website. Please link back to the Tecnotoon webpage (www.tecnotoon.com) in case your readers would like more information.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be making available extended segments of this interview exclusively for members of TAU ONLINE. (www.tecnotoonau.com)

Many thanks to Hector Arellano for sharing his experiences with us, to Edith Serrano and Mariano Riva Palacio for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak with Hector, and to TV Azteca Mexico for producing this video.

Saturday, December, 6th.

YOU DONT KNOW EVERYTHING

Why mentors can help you grow as Animator? That probably comes as a shock to you-you're an entrepreneurial animator who's chock full of inspiration, after all-but it's true. There is someone out there who knows more than you about the whole starting animators career. Someone who can teach you what to do, how to do it and, most important, how to survive the journey with your sanity intact. Think what Mr. Miyagi did for The Karate Kid…

TECNOTOON ANIMATION UNIVERSITY CAN BE YOUR MENTOR

We're talking about a professional mentor: part coach, part parent, part impartial judge…someone who will impart wisdom to you and advise you on those days when you want to throw in the towel and apply for a job at a coffee shop. So, you must learn from the best, because uour successful future not be where there without the strong guidance of good mentors.

To be able to click with your mentor and have an easy rapport is the goal. The best mentor help you find what you really want to do and come up with feasible ways to get there.

IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A MENTOR, THERE ARE SOME KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK:

Do you have a rapport with this person? Do you feel like you can raise questions? Does he or she ask about your dreams and desires for your business career? And once you've found someone, like so many things in business, it's the level of communication you have with your mentor that will determine the success of the relationship.

TECNOTOON ANIMATION UNIVERSITY training program is one of the best ways to get an unofficial education with the best Mentors. They're real animators, teachers, advisors, experts and support groups, all in one.

Tuesday, July 15th.

Bring Your Imagination
to Life

Funny Pictures of Funny People. Become part of a training demonstration! Come to get work!

We work hard to ensure a synergy of vision, values and management standards in all TECNOTOON operations across the globe.

We have a global management committee that meet regularly to discuss issues and problems that surrounds the region and Group.

Communication is a vital aspect and the top management spends time moving from country to country and frequently being on the ground to ensure that there is synergy and a shared vision in all our operations.

We have spent a lot of effort in getting the right people and the right training, especially in the newer countries.

In established markets we are grooming younger people with new ideas so as to put a succession plan in place for the long term.

TECNOTOON International's staff and employees are also given exposure and training to acquire the necessary experience and perspective of planning on a global scale.

Benchmarking to be recognised nationally.

We have recently implemented a Voice of the Audience (VAC) strategy.

SERVICE is the motto of TECNOTOON, it is the reason for our existence – it is the secret of our success."

Making TECNOTOON Quick, smart thru six Strategic Focus Areas.

These areas have been well underway:

Strengthen the Company Infrastructure,

Integrate Business Development and Marketing Efforts,

Implement the TECNOTOON Way,

Implement Market Focus,

Manage Innovations in Technology,

Improve Relationships and Image.

Voice of the Customer is a technique used to develop new products and services based on interviews with clients and relies strongly on customer 'voices' that emerge from the interviews.

TECNOTOON, Its not animation, its life.

This is so what you want to do.

February, 2nd.

100 FILMS FOR A CENTURY OF ANIMATION

As the first century of animation draws to a close, we asked 30 specialists from all over the world to give us a list of their 100 favourite animated shorts since the invention of Émile Cohl.

• 1 : Gertie the Dinosaur , Winsor MCCAY, 1914, US
• 2 : Fantasmagorie , émile COHL, 1908, FR
• 3 : Moznosti dialogu , Jan SVANKMAJER, 1982, CZ
• 4 : Crac ! , Frédéric BACK, 1981, CA
• 5 : L'homme qui plantait des arbres , Frédéric BACK, 1987, CA
• 6 : Shazka skazok , Youri NORSTEIN, 1979, SU
• 7 : Une nuit sur le mont Chauve , Alexandre ALEXEÏEFF, Claire PARKER, 1933, FR
• 8 : A Colour Box , Len LYE, 1935, GB
• 9 : L'Idée , Berthold BARTOSCH, 1931, FR
• 10 : La rue , Caroline LEAF, 1976, CA
• 11 : Neighbours , Norman MCLAREN, 1952, CA
• 12 : Blinkity Blank , Norman MCLAREN, 1955, CA
• 13 : Duck amuck , Chuck JONES, 1953, US
• 14 : Harpya , Raoul SERVAIS, 1978, BE
• 15 : Luxo Jr. , John LASSETER, 1986, US.
• 16 : Betty Boop in Snow White , Dave FLEISCHER, 1933, US
• 17 : Creature Comforts , Nick PARK, 1989, GB
• 18 : Tango , Zbigniew RYBCZYNSKI, 1980, PL
• 19 : Street of Crocodiles (Ulica krokodyli) , Timothy & Stephen QUAY, 1986, GB
• 20 : Begone Dull Care , Norman MCLAREN, 1949, CA
• 21 : Le Petit Soldat , Paul GRIMAULT, 1947, FR
• 22 : What's Opera, Doc? , Chuck JONES, 1957, US
• 23 : Father and Daughter , Michaël DUDOK DE WIT, 2000, NL, GB
• 24 : Red Hot Riding Hood , Tex AVERY, 1943, US
• 25 : Ruka , Jiri TRNKA, 1965, CZ
• 26 : Steamboat Willie , Walt DISNEY, Ub IWERKS, 1928, US
• 27 : Le Nez , Alexandre ALEXEÏEFF, Claire PARKER, 1963, FR
• 28 : La gazza ladra sinfonia , Giulio GIANINI, Emanuele LUZZATI, 1964, IT
• 29 : Gerald Mc Boing Boing , Robert CANNON, 1950, US
• 30 : La Joie de vivre , Anthony GROSS, Hector HOPPIN, 1934, FR
• 31 : Miest kinooperatora , Ladislas STAREWITCH, 1911, RU
• 32 : Pas de deux , Norman MCLAREN, 1967, CA
• 33 : La Faim , Peter FöLDES, 1974, CA
• 34 : Girls Night Out , Joanna QUINN, 1986, GB
• 35 : Satiemania , Zdenko GASPAROVIC, 1978, YU
• 36 : Komposition in blau , Oskar FISHCHINGER, 1935, DE
• 37 : La Traversée de l'Atlantique à la rame , Jean-François LAGUIONIE, 1978, FR
• 38 : Moonbird , John HUBLEY, Faith ELLIOT, 1959, US
• 39 : Den Offentlige Røst , Lejf MARCUSSEN, 1988, DK
• 40 : Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs , Bob CLAMPETT, 1943, US
• 41 : Free radicals , Len LYE, 1979, US
• 42 : La Course à l'abîme , Georges SCHWIZGEBEL, 1992, CH
• 43 : Vincent , Tim BURTON, 1982, US
• 44 : Franz Kafka , Piotr DUMALA, 1991, PL
• 45 : Dojoji , Kihachiro KAWAMOTO, 1976, JP
• 46 : Entre deux sœurs , Caroline LEAF, 1990, CA
• 47 : Seriy volk i krasnaïa chapotchka , Garri BARDINE, 1990, SU
• 48 : Balance , Christoph LAUENSTEIN, Wolfgang LAUENSTEIN, 1989, RF
• 49 : Lojik v toumane , Youri NORSTEIN, 1975, SU
• 50 : When the Day Breaks , Wendy TILBY, Amanda FORBIS, 1999, CA
• 51 : Rooty toot toot , John HUBLEY, 1952, US
• 52 : The Skeleton Dance , Walt DISNEY, 1929, US
• 53 : King Size Canary , Tex AVERY, 1947, US
• 54 : Frank Film , Frank MOURIS, 1973, US
• 55 : The Flying Man , George DUNNING, 1962, GB
• 56 : Egged On , Charley BOWERS, 1926, US
• 57 : Le Paysagiste , Jacques DROUIN, 1976, CA
• 58 : Jumping , Osamu TEZUKA, 1984, JP
• 59 : Harvie Krumpet , Adam Benjamin ELLIOT, 2003, AU
• 60 : The Wrong Trousers , Nick PARK, 1993, GB
• 61 : Omboro film , Osamu TEZUKA, 1985, JP
• 62 : Damon the Mower , George DUNNING, 1972, GB
• 63 : Fast Film , Virgil WIDRICH, 2003, AT, LU
• 64 : Geri's Game , Jan PINKAVA, 1997, US
• 65 : L'Horrible, Bizarre et Incroyable Histoire de Monsieur Tête , Jan LENICA, GRUEL, 1959, FR
• 66 : Ryan , Chris LANDRETH, 2004, CA
• 67 : Café Bar , Alison DE VERE, 1974, GB
• 68 : Repete , Michaela PAVLATOVA, 1995, CZ
• 69 : Ego jena kouritsa , Igor KOVALIYOV, 1989, SU
• 70 : Atama Yama , Koji YAMAMURA, 2002, JP
• 71 : Out of the Inkwell : Invisible Ink , Dave & Max FLEISCHER, 1921, US
• 72 : 78 tours , Georges SCHWIZGEBEL, 1985, CH
• 73 : The Sinking of the Lusitania , Winsor MCCAY, 1918, US
• 74 : Closed Mondays , Will VINTON, 1974, US
• 75 : Cat's Cradle , Paul DRIESSEN, 1974, CA
• 76 : Les Trois Inventeurs , Michel OCELOT, 1980, FR
• 77 : The Big Snit , Richard CONDIE, 1985, CA
• 78 : The Sandman , Paul BERRY, Colin BATTY, Ian MACKINNON, 1991, GB
• 79 : The Blitz Wolf , Tex AVERY, 1942, US
• 80 : Feeling from Mountain and Water , Te WEI, Ma KEXUAN, Yan SANCHUN, 1988, CN
• 81 : La Demoiselle et le Violoncelliste , Jean-François LAGUIONIE, 1964, FR
• 82 : Le Chapeau , Michèle COURNOYER, 1999, CA
• 83 : Lev a pisnicka , Bretislav POJAR, 1959, CZ
• 84 : The Sand Castle , Co HOEDEMAN, 1977, CA
• 85 : Apel , Ryszard CZEKALA, 1970, PL
• 86 : A , Jan LENICA, 1964, FR, RF
• 87 : Der Fuehrer's Face , Jack KINNEY, 1943, US
• 88 : Strojenie instrumentow , Jerzy KUCIA, 2000, PL
• 89 : Le Pas , Piotr KAMLER, 1974, FR
• 90 : Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor , Dave FLEISCHER, 1936, US
• 91 : Great , Bob GODFREY, 1975, GB
• 92 : Au bout du monde , Konstantin BRONZIT, 1998, FR
• 93 : Felix in exile , William KENTRIDGE, 1994, ZA
• 94 : The Band Concert , Wilfred JACKSON, 1935, US
• 95 : Le Concert de M. et Mme Kabal , Walerian BOROWCZYK, 1962, FR
• 96 : Seiltänzer , Raimund KRUMME, 1986, RF
• 97 : Hotel E , Priit PÄRN, 1992, EE
• 98 : Film-film-film! , Fedor KHITRUK, 1968, RU
• 99 : Les Jeux des anges , Walerian BOROWCZYK, 1964, FR
• 100 : Flux , Christopher HINTON, 2002, CA

Its not animation! Its live! TECNOTOON!

February, 8th.

WHY KIDS LIKE CARTOON CHARACTER TOYS

Cartoon character toys are some of the most widely distributed toys in the world and some of the most lucrative for toy companies to produce. Toys that have cartoon characters on them or are based on specific cartoons are typically more expensive than toys without characters on them and the reason is not all about licensing agreements. Around the holidays, it is typically the cartoon character toys that every parent is looking for and they are typically the toys that sell out first.

So why do kids like cartoon character toys so much?

There are many reasons why kids prefer cartoon character toys over other types of toys:

One reason why kids like cartoon character toys is because the figures are familiar. Most kids only want the toys that depict the characters on their favorite shows and they may watch these shows multiple times every week. If a child regularly watches a half-hour cartoon show that comes on every weekday, they are being exposed to the characters on that show for over 10 hours every month. That doesn't include the numerous commercials that they may see for the show or the toys that were created based on the show. This makes the cartoon characters very familiar to the child and ensures that they will want to obtain any toy made that is based on the show and the characters in it.

Another reason why kids like cartoon character toys is because they can act out scenes from the show that they have seen. One reason why kids like the cartoon shows that they like is because the shows interest and entertain them. When the kid also has toys to go along with the cartoon, they can remember and act out the scenes in the show that they liked the best. Sometimes this even occurs when the show is on, with kids acting out the scenes on television with their toys.

Kids like to imagine and create additional scenes in their heads and having cartoon character toys that they are already familiar with gives them a jumping off point for those imaginary journeys. It also gives them a chance to act out scenes that they wish that they could see on television, such as a superhero battling a dinosaur or a bad guy getting eaten by a large stuffed bear.

There are no limits to a child's imagination, but sometimes the kids would rather feature characters they know in their imaginings than making up an entirely new character on their own.

February, 8th.

WHO ANIMATED THE MADAGASCAR KIDS MOVIE

It is quite a list! Takes a large number of animators for something this elaborate!

Animation Department

Tracey Michelle Arnold .... animation production assistant
James Baxter .... additional supervising animator
Linda M. Bel .... animator
Jeremy Bernstein .... animator
Arnaud Berthier .... animator
Patrick Bonneau .... animator
Rejean Bourdages .... story artist
Dave Burgess .... animator
Jaime Castañeda .... animator (as Jaime Andrés Castañeda)
Chung Chan .... animator
Kenny Chung .... animator
Paul Chung .... supervising animator
Melanie Cordan .... animator
Denis Couchon .... senior supervising animator
Nick Craven .... animator
Cassidy Curtis .... animator
Donnachada Daly .... supervising animator
Lou Dellarosa .... animator
Eric Deuel .... animator
Bill Diaz .... animator
Jed Diffenderfer .... story artist
Roberto Espanto Domingo .... animator
Raffaella Filipponi .... animator
Emilio Ghorayeb .... animator
Lee Graft .... character effects supervisor
Carlos Grangel .... additional character designer
Antony Gray .... animator
Rex Grignon .... head of character animation
Todd Heapy .... layout artist
Stephen Heidelberg .... animation consultant
Anthony Hodgson .... additional animator
Mariko Hoshi .... animator
Raman Hui .... additional animator
James Hull .... animator
Ethan Hurd .... animator
Manu Ittina .... animator
Jeffrey 'JJ' Jay .... character technical director
Jakob Hjort Jensen .... animator
Jeffrey Joe .... animator
Craig Kellman .... lead character designer
Morgan R. Kelly .... animator
Heather Knight .... animator
Kevin Koch .... animator
Marek Kochout .... animator
Serguei Kouchnerov .... animator
Eric Lessard .... senior animator
H.B. 'Buck' Lewis .... character designer
Philip K. Livingston Jr. .... animator: character effects
Conan Low .... layout artist
Marci Mack .... animation staff
Kevin MacLean .... animator
Sean Mahoney .... animator
Nicolas Marlet .... character designer
Steve Mason .... animator
Bill E. Miller .... animator
Chris Miller .... story artist
Pia Miniati .... animation rig engineer
Ken Morrissey .... additional animator
Luci Napier .... animator
Fredrik Nilsson .... animator
David Nix .... layout artist
Damon O'Beirne .... additional layout artist
Joe Oh .... character animator
Dave Otte .... layout artist
Pres Romanillos .... animator
Carlos M. Rosas .... animator
Ben Rush .... animator
Jason Schleifer .... animator
Trish Schutz-Krause .... animator
Kevan Shorey .... animator
David Spivack .... animator
Trey Thomas .... supervising animator
Philippe Tilikete .... character designer
Theodore Ty .... animator
Van Phan .... animator
Dan Wagner .... additional supervising animator
Chris Wahl .... animator
Scott Wright .... animator
Jennifer Yuh .... story artist
Kathy Zielinski .... character developer (uncredited)

February, 8th.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT CAN BENEFIT THROUGH CARTOON CHARACTER TECNOTOON LICENSING

Many businesses are unaware of the benefits that a good character licensing partnership can bring to their businesses. They are always more concerned about the upfront licensing fees they have to pay, but many fail to recognize the profits and brand longevity a good licensing deal can bring to them. This is why some businesses have been doing licensing deals consistently year after year.

The attractiveness of cartoon characters cannot be doubted.

There are many products and services that can benefit through cartoon characters licensing.

Nurseries

If you run a nursery or a childcare centre, you might want to consider licensing the rights to use an endearing cartoon character to be your brand mascot. Having an identifiable brand with a cute cartoon character for a mascot will really make kids fall in love with your establishment. And if you run your business right, you can later leverage on the brand recognition the cartoon character has created for you to develop a franchise.

Credit Cards

Corporate looking credit cards are boring. They might be suitable for corporate folks, but how about the younger population? University and even college students are finding the ability to earn decent money even before graduation these days and many of them can afford to own a credit card. At this age, it is safe to say that they would prefer a cool or ‘kewl'looking card as opposed to the corporate-looking one. The clever usage of a suitable cartoon character on a credit card can do wonders for its application rate as proven by Asian countries like Hongkong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. The same principle can be applied too to membership cards for stores selling merchandise catering to such a demography.

Books

Whether you are writing a storybook for kids, a puzzle game book, a music training book, a book on parental guidance, or even a self-help guide for adults, consider licensing a cartoon character.

Cartoon characters don't always have to look childish or cute. They can also look quirky and different (think the Simpsons). Use the right character for the right product, and for the right demography. You can't go wrong with that. The thing is, books that have a strong identity sell better, and what better way to do that than using a suitable character to help you establish that identity? As an author, you can look forward to establishing a book series using the character as a series mascot if you plan ahead and your first book sells well enough.

Greeting Cards

Cartoon characters work very well on products that carry a message and greeting cards is one such product. Pretty pictures of sceneries are just so passé. Since greeting cards are meant to convey a message and warm the heart, why not have a character with the right appeal and attitude do the job?

Clothing and Apparels

If you are launching a new clothing or apparels line for kids or young adults, you might want to consider using cartoon characters to improve the aesthetic quality and brand appeal of your merchandise. A suitable character with the right look for your product can really sky-rocket its sales.

Toys, Novelties and Stationery

There is an increasing number of toys, novelties and stationery designed for tweens and young adults flooding the market. Innovation and aesthetic cuteness are the key factors driving sales for these merchandise. For the cute factor, nothing beats a cartoon character.

TECNOTOON® has a wide array of cartoon characters for licensing purposes.

March, 12th.

TECNOTOON ANIMATION UNIVERSITY (TAU) IN MEXICO

TAU, a Mexico-based Advanced Animation Academy, has become the first accredited institute in the country imparting training to students for a year. Degree to be awarded by THE BUSINESS UNIVERSITY OF LATIN AMERICA (BULA) in the field of Animation.

TAU was set up in México in 2008, and according to sources, qualifies as an Advanced Animation Academy imparting world-class animation education. The academy has specially formulated a training module for this course that promises to be rigorous, extensive, contemporary, and in-step with the demands of industry.

Raul Macias, HQ Advisor, TECNOTOON! (USA PRESS PHOTO)

Announcing the program, Raul Macias said, "México has tremendous opportunity to be an animation out-sourced country. This Degree program in Animation has been launched thoughtfully and in-time by BULA to enable students to be part of the growing animation industry."

Macias said, "In México, animation today is no longer merely a pursuit. Animation has globally evolved into a $100 billion industry, playing a vital role in all disciplines of life, ranging from medicine to sports, interactive media to Defense. It entails systematic academic procedures and studies to attain a professional level as demanded by the industry. México has begun to attract high-end, complex animation projects that can only be executed by highly-qualified animators. It is therefore essential for aspiring animators to go through a long-term, industry-supported course in animation. With this, aspirants can become graduates, and attain the desired level of proficiency to face the competitive global market in animation working in TECNOTOON®, The animation cluster."

The newly-launched joint-program will be made available across-the-country, via BULA-approved study centres. For starters, the degree program in Animation begun July 2008 in one center in México City.

The course content has been devised by TECNOTOON®, The Animation Studio, and comprises script to screen processes. The course curriculum includes foundation art, classical animation, production process, digital techniques, and creative ideation. Reportedly, the course is all-encompassing and covers all aspects ranging from identification of individual aptitude to specialization in areas of interest.

www.tecnotoon.com

Monday, December 8 th.

What Should You Look for
in an Animation School?

As you think about choosing an animation school, you'll get lots of opinions. Your friends might encourage you to apply to schools that are highly respected in the industry, while your family may tell you to save money at an animation school close to home. In the end, the decision is yours. There are many factors to consider when choosing an animation school, and only you can determine what your priorities are as you start your animation training.

Answering the following questions can help you narrow down your animation school search.

What aspects of animation are most interesting to you?

Do you want to work in an animation studio producing feature length animation movies? If you know exactly what you want to do with your animation training, you may want to look for schools that offer classes that match your interests. If you are still unsure about the kind of job you want, you may want to look for an animation school that will allow you to take a broad range of classes.

What are the facilities like, and what technology will you have access to?

This can be an important factor in your choice of an animation school. As a student, one of the main perks can be getting the opportunity to experiment with equipment and technology that you wouldn't have access to on your own. While software is constantly changing, and many animation studios may use their own animation programs, having experience with state-of-the-art technology at an animation school can be a valuable experience that will help you prepare for your future animation career.

Who are the faculty?

Have the faculty worked as professionals in the animation field? Learning from teachers who have first-hand experience can be a great benefit. Not only will they be able to impart real-world knowledge and advice, but they may have industry contacts and be willing to help connect you to opportunities that may arise.

How long is the animation degree program?

Do you want to focus your studies on animation and complete your training as quickly as possible? If so, you may want to look for a school with certificate, diploma or associate's degree programs. These usually range between one and two years in length and will give you the skills you need to enter the field quickly.

One of the key advantages of getting your certification is that it will allow you to explore other subjects that will enhance your animation skills. For instance, studying anatomy may help you draw lifelike characters. Studying physics can help you create realistic movement. While a shorter program can prepare you for an animation job, having the opportunity to study other subjects can give you valuable knowledge and skills. Employers may also prefer job candidates with TAU animation certificate when other factors are the same.

Where do you want to attend school?

Is it important to you to stay close to home? If so, you may only be interested in looking at real training centers near you. On the other hand, if you're willing to relocate to attend school, you may want to consider schools that are near animation studios or other companies where you would like to find internships and jobs.

What is the school's reputation?

You don't necessarily have to go to the most expensive animation international center to get a great education. Look for a school in your price range that has a solid reputation. Research training centers before you hand over your tuition money. Find out if an animation school is respected among industry professionals.

Facilities, Faculty, One year program, Reputation, ONLINE Training Service and Job

The Conscience of Cartoon Animation

What aspects of animation are most interesting to you?

What are the facilities like, and what technology will you have access to?

Who are the faculty?

How long is the animation degree program?

Where do you want to attend school?

What is the school's reputation?