PBCB STUDIOS

Terence Malick

2008-05-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Malick's first film Badlands (1973) is ostensibly a semi-factual account of a mass-murderer and his girlfriend, set in the 1950s. What's immediately unusual about the film is its lack of interest in trying to explain the causes of its protagonists' violent behaviors, and furthermore, its lack of moral judgment of these individuals or the culture that produced them. Instead the film's focus is concentrated on their experience of alienation from the world that they inhabit and its values

Although notoriously withdrawn from public life, friends have always remarked that Terrence Malick is a very warm and humble man who prefers to work without media intrusion. His contracts stipulate that no current photographs of him are to be taken, and he routinely declines requests for interviews. His only known public appearance was in October of 2007 for a conversation with film historians Antonio Monda and Mario Sesti as part of the Rome Film Festival...

The New World

scribble :: 43 - 44 and a mouse

2008-04-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is based on a character created by Jake Parker called Missile Mouse.

I also just happened to come across one of Ollie Johnston's x-sheets from Peter and the Wolf:

OLLIE 1912 - 2008

2008-04-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you for leaving so much great artwork that will continue to inspire artists for countless generations. Rest in Peace.

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Maya Angelou

Legendary Disney Animator Ollie Johnston

Ollie Johnston, one of the greatest animators/directing animators in animation history and the last surviving member of Walt Disney's elite group of animation pioneers known affectionately as the "Nine Old Men," passed away from natural causes at a long term care facility in Sequim, Washington on Monday April 14. He was 95 years old. During his stellar 43-year career at The Walt Disney Studios, he contributed inspired animation and direction to such classic films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Song of the South, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, The Rescuers and The Fox and the Hound.

In addition to his achievements as an animator and directing animator, Ollie (in collaboration with his lifelong friend and colleague Frank Thomas) authored four landmark books: Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, Too Funny for Words, Bambi: The Story and the Film and The Disney Villain. Ollie and Frank were also the title subjects of a heartfelt 1995 feature-length documentary entitled Frank and Ollie, written and directed by Frank's son, Theodore (Ted) Thomas. In November 2005, Olllie became the first animator to be honored with the National Medal of Arts at a White House ceremony.

Behind every great animated character is a great animator and in the case of some of Disney's best-loved creations, it was Ollie who served as the actor with the pencil. Some examples include Thumper's riotous recitation (in Bambi) about "eating greens" or Pinocchio's nose growing as he lies to the Blue Fairy, and the musical antics of Mowgli and Baloo as they sang "The Bear Necessities" in The Jungle Book. Ollie had his hand in all of these and worked on such other favorites as Brer Rabbit, Mr. Smee, the fairies in Sleeping Beauty, the centaurettes in Fantasia, Prince John and Sir Hiss (Robin Hood), Orville the albatross (The "Rescuers) and more than a few of the 101 Dalmatians.

John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and a longtime friend to Ollie, added, "Ollie had such a huge heart and it came through in all of his animation, which is why his work is some of the best ever done. Aside from being one of the greatest animators of all time, he and Frank (Thomas) were so incredibly giving and spent so much time creating the bible of animation — 'Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life' — which has had such a huge impact on so many animators over the years. Ollie was a great teacher and mentor to all of us. His door at the Studio was always open to young animators, and I can't imagine what animation would be like today without him passing on all of the knowledge and principles that the 'nine old men' and Walt Disney developed. He taught me to always be aware of what a character is thinking, and we continue to make sure that every character we create at Pixar and Disney has a thought process and emotion that makes them come alive."

During his senior year in college at Stanford University, Ollie came to Los Angeles to study under Pruett Carter at the Chouinard Art Institute. It was during this time that he was approached by Disney and, after only one week of training, joined the fledgling studio in 1935. The young artist immediately became captivated by the Disney spirit and discovered that he could uniquely express himself through this new art form.

Ollie got his first crack at animating on a feature film with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Following that, he worked on Pinocchio and virtually every one of Disney's animated classics that followed. One of his proudest accomplishments was on the 1942 feature Bambi, which pushed the art form to new heights in portraying animal realism. Ollie was one of four supervising animators to work on that film.

In addition to being one of the foremost animators in Disney history, Ollie was also considered one of the world's leading train enthusiasts. The backyard of his home in Flintridge, California, boasted one of the finest hand-built miniature railroads. Even more impressive was the full-size antique locomotive he ran for many years at his former vacation home in Julian, near San Diego. Ollie had a final opportunity to ride his train at a special ceremony held in his honor at Disneyland in May 2005.

The pioneering animator was honored by the Studio in 1989 with a Disney Legends Award. In 2003, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences held a special tribute to him (and Frank Thomas), "Frank and Ollie: Drawn Together," in Beverly Hills.

Ollie moved from his California residence to a care facility in Sequim, Washington in March 2006 to be near his family. He is survived by his two sons: Ken Johnston and his wife Carolyn, and Rick Johnston and his wife Teya Priest Johnston. His beloved wife of 63 years, Marie, passed away in May 2005.

scribble :: 42

2008-04-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

A page from my upcoming sketchbook.
Also, updated some new links below.

scribble :: 41

2008-04-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

DISNEY ANIMATION CARICATURE SHOW :: 2008

2008-04-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

WOW! - John Musker, Sam Levine, and Mark Walton really stole the show this year. I envy their talent - Some incredible and funny drawings! My face hurt from snickering for a couple of hours. I had a lot of scribbles on scraps of paper but only contributed a couple this year. - But... a big surprise was when the studio gave everyone a copy of a specially printed book of collected caricatures from 1989 to 2006. THIS IS AN AMAZING BOOK!!! I can't believe they did this. It's full of amazing drawings! Hands down one of the best gifts they've ever given us.What a year for books!

and here are my contributions:

Jessica Julius

Josie Trinidad and the first time she met ChickPea

Ron and John

Lissa Treiman

IDEAS FOR THE ANIMATED SHORT

2008-03-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this book that Gary Schumer, a good friend and former colleague, co-wrote. Nathan Greno (Head of Story, Bolt), Barry Cook (Director, Mulan), and I helped contribute information for it. You can order it through Amazon or your local bookstore. Congratulations Gary!

post - it :: 037

2008-02-23T17:41:00.001-08:00

ANIMATION INSPIRATION

2008-02-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

HAHA! the blogspot has managed to suck in Rune Bennicke!
Check out his blog : flipbooksnstuff.blogspot.com
Rune is one talented hombre.

Check out this straight ahead animation test - many more on his site.

CHIPPY AND LOOPUS

2008-01-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

For John Sanford - If you don't know them yet go : here

Chippy and Loopus are © John Sanford

HUNTED

2008-01-21T19:40:00.001-08:00

GUADALAJARA!

2008-01-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

BILL PEET INTERVIEW

2008-01-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

Check it out here: Bill Peet Interview

CHICKPEA

2007-12-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

TIN TOY

2007-11-26T10:04:00.001-08:00

Here's the fighter I designed for FIST - A - CUFFS!
The unstoppable TIN TOY!

Well, actually..... he is stoppable because we lost to a team called "When Nature Calls You Out."

It was a tag team battle this time around so here's our team -
Tin Toys and Leather Kittens©
Manager - The Tinker Tailor drawn by Kagan Mcleod
Co-Fighter - Iza "Bombatta" Nagi - drawn by Nathan Fox

Celebrated Thanksgiving up in Big Bear in the San Bernadino mountains. I love the mountains. There's something about the air quality and nature that gets me thinking creatively. Also there's a ton of cool things to look at.

Here's a great sign for a little market in Fawnskin:

A weird chainsaw sculpture - I like it, it looks like me.

On our way out we stopped at Tio's Tacos in Riverside - If you're ever in the neighborhood check it out!
Mariscos El Tío's - 3948 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside. 951-788-0230
A crazy restaurant filled with folk art. Here's a little church in the back of it:

And last are just some fun drawings of spoonbills.

They're really weird birds.

Wut's up Tomato Face?

2007-11-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

This just replaced Darjeeling Limited as my favorite film of 2007. Highly recommend it.

And these are my two favorite blogs right now:
Oren Haskins - http://www.orenblog.net/

Annette Marnat - http://marnette.canalblog.com

STORY AND VIS DEV EXHIBIT

2007-09-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

“The Art of the Motion Picture Illustrator: William B. Major, Harold Michelson, and Tyrus Wong”

Beverly Hills, CA — Fine art illustrations created during the production of “Bambi” (1942), “The Birds” (1963), “The Graduate” (1967), “Dick Tracy” (1990) and dozens of other films from the late 1940s through the early 1990s will be highlighted in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new exhibition, “The Art of the Motion Picture Illustrator: William B. Major, Harold Michelson and Tyrus Wong,” opening on Friday, September 28, in the Academy’s Grand Lobby Gallery in Beverly Hills. Admission is free.

Featuring more than 110 color and black-and-white storyboards, sketches and watercolor renderings, the exhibition will honor an essential but rarely publicized member of the moviemaking team: the illustrator.

As the tools available to motion picture artists continue to change, particularly with the widespread use of computer programs, the impressive skills of Major, Michelson and Wong define an era when the film industry prized art school training and an ability to paint and draw quickly at the highest professional levels.

Motion picture artists sketched and painted countless scenes for each film, drew hundreds of pages of storyboards, and illustrated key sets: they enabled production designers to convey their ideas to directors, facilitated set construction, and helped directors and cinematographers alike visualize their most important shots.

Major and Wong attended Otis Art Institute, while Michelson studied at the Art Students League and Pratt Institute in New York. A formative early experience for both Major and Michelson was working in the Paramount art department on Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” (1956). Major spent 30 years at Paramount and enjoyed a brief stint at Universal before his death in 1991.

While Michelson became an art director and production designer starting in the late ’60s and earned Academy Award® nominations for “Star Trek – The Motion Picture” (1979) and “Terms of Endearment” (1983), he continued to accept illustration assignments throughout his career. He passed away in March 2007.

Wong worked for three years at Disney, where his distinctive watercolor style shaped the entire look of “Bambi” (1942). He then went to Warner Bros., where he illustrated for three decades. He continues his personal artistic pursuits to this day.

“The Art of the Motion Picture Illustrator” will be on display through Sunday, December 16. The Academy’s galleries, located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, are open Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, noon to 6 p.m. The Academy will be closed during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend – Thursday, November 22 through Sunday, November 25. For more information call (310) 247-3600.

Editors: Downloadable images are available at http://photos.oscars.org

SAN FRANCISCO

2007-09-03T19:58:00.002-07:00

Just returned home from San Francisco. I love San Francisco. Chinatown, Haight/Ashbury, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, Mission, Castro, Golden Gate Park, SOMA, Union Square - So many great areas! In each of these districts is a ton of galleries, restaurants, bars, and shops. One of the reasons we went was to check out an exhibit of Tezuka Osamu's work at the Asian Art Museum. A really great exhibit. If you're in the area you should check it out before it ends on Sept. 9.

Osamu told some really great stories with some really heavy subject matter. I really admire his work.

How great would it have been to sit at this table and listen in on the conversation! -

images copyright - Tezuka Productions

We also checked out the Edward Gorey exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum!

Some other really great places we visited were:
Paxton Gate
Litle Otsu
Candy Store
Doe
Super Seven
Flight 001
Zinc

Cafe Fanny - Berkeley
Foreign Cinema
Bissap Baobob
The Steps of Rome

Shooting Gallery
Luggage Store Gallery

Now we're back in L.A. and back to work!

"Switch Box, Sucka. PUNCH!"

2007-08-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

I recently managed to score an amazing original gouache/ink done by my good friend Nathan Fox. I love the Blair/Scarry imagery in it and I'm really happy to have it! Thanks Nathan!
See the rest of the show here: Nathan Fox - Paul Chatem

JOE MOSHIER

2007-08-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Not only is Joe a great designer but his character design's always have a great life and humor in them.

Go check out his clothing line that he manages with his friend Chris Sonnenburg: Conduct Happiness

Here's one of my nephews modeling some Conduct Happiness product!!:

SURF'S UP

2007-08-14T09:37:00.001-07:00

I think this movie didn't get a fair shake in the theaters because it was penguins and most of America's been saturated by those arctic short-legged flightless aquatic birds but, Wow! - This was a really good film! It could have been a little stronger at the end but overall I really enjoyed this film. Hands down the best cg water animation I've ever seen. Congratulations Sony Animation Crew.

GOOGLE STREET!

2007-08-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hey, there I am! Look in the window - I'm waving!

SAN DIEGO :: 08

2007-07-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't talk to a lot of people this year at Comic Con. I just bought a bunch of books and bailed out of town. I got some really great books from a lot of insanely talented people: Phil Noto, Pierre Alary, Clio Chiang, Bruce Timm, Travis Charest, Israel Sanchez, Pascal Campion, Kelsey Mann, Robh Ruppel, Gabrielle Penacchioli, and many more. Great stuff and very inspiring. I predict next year to be a very exciting time at Comic Con. This blog may go into hibernation as I prepare for it.

Go visit my extremely talented friend Chris Sanders' site here: Chris Sanders Art
Check out his sketchbook!

TRAINWRECK

2007-07-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Two good college friends of mine are having a show down in Santa Monica tonight. Paul Chatem and Nathan Fox both have amazing skills. Check it out!
Paul Chatem :: Nathan Fox :: Copro Nason Gallery

FIST - A - CUFFS :: HAGGIS

2007-07-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

The great highlands capricornus' mystic sword was not enough and alas, fell to the snipping of the demon known as the Red Raja. Beaten down in the first round! OUCH! However, I think the Red Raja has a good chance at winning the whole thing so, I shouldn't feel too bad (or at least that's what I keep telling myself.) - You will be avenged one day Haggis.
HERE is how the battle played out.
Some smack talk done against the Red Raja:

FIST - A - CUFFS