Featured Posts
Winsor McCay: The Day the Pictures Moved
The date was September 14th 1914 when a West Michigan native named Zenis Winsor McCay appeared in a Vaudeville act, which was the first interactive motion picture ever made. The act was called Winsor McCay and Gertie the Trained Dinosaur. The response was so sensational that it inspired an entire
New Traditional Animation Timeline
Hey everyone, we have been working on this new section for TraditionalAnimation.com and the history of 2d. Here is what we have so far, we plan to continually add to it. Still have many many many historical animation dates to add in, keep checking back!
‘Simpsons’-’Family Guy’ Crossover Premieres Sept. 28th
“The Simpsons Guy”! The one-hour Family Guy episode premieres on Sunday, September 28th on FOX. For the first time you will see what it is like for Homer and Peter to have a beer at Moe’s Tavern. Stewie dresses up like Bart, skateboards, and also make prank phone calls. Then
The Search for Koko the Clown
My formative years introduced me to the old theatricals that were first sold to television in the 1950s. These cartoons not only captured my attention due to the fascinating animation, but also instilled an interest in drawing that stayed with me the rest of my life. The first of these
Mutt and Jeff: The Original Animated Odd Couple
Mutt and Jeff is an American expression that refers to the pairing of tall with short. This combination of contrasting opposites has been the foundation of many comedy teams of Vaudeville, movies, and of course animated cartoons. Ren and Stimpy, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo, as
Animation Overdrive at Universal Studios Orlando
Most people think about Harry Potter when it comes to Universal Studios located in Orlando, Florida, but for animation enthusiast like us, we care more about the cartoon rides and gift shops. Just updated in the summer of 2013, a small Springfield has come to life within the park. Here
Oscar Nominated Shorts and Features
This year’s Oscar nominations have a pretty good crop of hand-drawn animated films in both the shorts and features categories. There are two hand-drawn features, one fully hand-drawn short, and one hand-drawn/CG hybrid. Here’s a little more information: Hand-Drawn Shorts: Feral Feral is a very interesting hand-drawn short film in
Interview with Tony Bancroft, author of Directing for Animation
Q. Tony, Can you give us some backstory of your life and career up to today? I grew up with a twin brother, Tom Bancroft. Tom and I always loved to draw at an early age and we were competitive with it. As most brothers are competitive with sports and
Behind the 2D animation of “The Bear and The Hare”
We had the privilege of visiting Premise Entertainment in Orlando, Florida to speak with the head of the studios Dominic Carola. Dominic as well as Aaron Blaise agreed to do a behind the scenes interview of their most recent hand drawn animation project for John Lewis, a department store chain
Did you know? Statues in St. Paul Honoring Charles Schulz
Born in 1922 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Charles Schulz grew up in Saint Paul where his famous comic strip, Peanuts, was created and debuted in the local newspapers October 2, 1950. All around the state of Minnesota, one can see statues of the Peanuts characters in honor Charles Schulz. Charlie Brown,
Petition Disney to Release All Disney Afternoon Shows
If you are a child of the 80’s and 90’s like I was, you remember watching such shows as Ducktales, Chip n’ Dale, Resue Rangers, Talespin, Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, Quack Pack, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Marsupilami, Gargoyles, and many more. If you are not familiar with the
An Inside Look at “Art Story”
A blank canvas. Ever look into a painting and wonder what lies beyond the frame? This is the basis for the original animated film Art Story, from animation veterans Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams. Last week, the team at Traditional Animation traveled to West Palm Beach, Florida to meet with
30th Anniversary of Dragon’s Lair – Don Bluth Exclusive!
Thirty years ago today the classically animated game “Dragon’s Lair” came out in arcades. People everywhere were swarming to the arcades to play this revolutionary game. Dragon’s Lair to this day is still being played worldwide on every console, computer, phone, tablet out there, you name it. We got the
Disney Favorites First Time on Blu-ray this Summer
For the first time you can own these Disney classics on Blu-ray and Blu-ray DVD combo packs. These titles are being released this summer. Be sure to pick these up, they are a great addition to add to your collection. In the future we will have Aladdin, Hercules, The Black
Elite Animation Academy – Adult Classes
Enrolling now! Want to learn hand drawn animation from a former Disney Animator? Paulo Alvarado and his wife Valeska along with their neighbors Todd and Gladys West started an animation school less than a year ago which has had much success. I have had the pleasure of working there teaching