Oct 02 2024
In Birthnight, Night visits young Tima, a boy who sleeps with the light on because he is afraid of the dark, and she invites him to her nighttime birthday party in the woods. If the story doesn’t sound intriguing enough, the eccentric synth music of Eduard Artemyev is sure to transport you to another world, …
Sep 25 2024
Andrei Khrzhanovsky directs this mystical Russian animation from 1972, Butterfly, about a boy and the butterflies he catches. One day, the tables turn, and the boy finds himself caught by a giant butterfly. Music by Matthias Müller.
Sep 18 2024
Here’s a little treat for this Wednesday: a jam ad created for Russian Sugar directed by Yuri Norstein. It was one of a group of Russian Sugar commercials made by Norstein between 1994 and 1995 that used cutouts and drawings for the animations (a bit past the Soviet era but still delightful and created by …
Sep 15 2024
Picture this: a dimly lit studio, filled with layers upon layers of intricately cut paper figures, and a man hunched over his work table, bringing life to these static images one frame at a time. This is the world of Yuri Norstein, often hailed as the greatest animator of all time. Born on this day …
Sep 05 2024
Born on this day September 5, 1924, Frank Armitage was an Australian-born American artist whose brush strokes brought magic to both the silver screen and theme park walls. His journey from Melbourne to the heart of Disney’s creative empire is a testament to the power of artistic passion and perseverance. Disney’s Background Wizard Armitage’s talent …
Apr 03 2024
Thank You (Spasibo, Спасибо) is a hand-drawn 1973 animation directed by Vladimir Tarasov, who is best known for his Soviet science fiction films Contact (1978), Contract (1985), and The Pass (1988). In Thank You, a group of polite children take a field trip to learn about airplanes. Click the “cc” icon for subtitles.
Mar 30 2024
Born on this day March 30, 1913, Marc Davis, one of Disney’s most influential animators and artists, holds a special place in the annals of animation history. From Aurora to Maleficent, his portfolio is a veritable who’s who of Disney’s most treasured characters. His artistic abilities and unique vision shaped the look and feel of …
Mar 20 2024
I recently posted an introduction to the beautiful work of Aleksandr Petrov, who creates animations using pastel oil paintings on glass to create wonderful, unique frames of soft, muted colors. Here is one of his early works, The Cow (Корова, Korova), made in 1989. In the story, a boy remembers how his family lost their …
Mar 17 2024
In the world of animation, few names hold as much weight and significance as that of Ken Anderson. A brilliant mind and a creative genius, Anderson’s contributions to the realm of animation have left an impression that continues to inspire generations of animators. As one of Walt Disney’s earliest team members, Anderson was instrumental in …
Mar 13 2024
Tale of Tales, a film that emerged from the Soviet Union in 1979, remains a cinematic gem that continues to fascinate and inspire audiences worldwide. Directed by the acclaimed animator Yuri Norstein, this animation is not just a representation of artistic triumph but a vessel of profound storytelling that transcends the boundaries of time and …
