Jan
6
2006
Spain’s Nikodemo
posted by admin, 2.54 PM
filed Under: Uncategorized
filed Under: Uncategorized
Have a gander at Nikodemo, a Flash-animation studio in Spain. 
I dig the designs in their work for ‘Crisis Carnivora.’ Have a look at the teasers - ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Blade Runner.’
But what I dig most from their portfolio is ‘Calico Electronico.’ They’ve completed many episodes of this Flash series, that seems reminicent of ‘Calvin and Hobbes.’ Check out this episode, and you’ll see why.
No tag for this post.
January 6th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
Some interesting stuff indeed. But man, saying it’s just “reminiscent” of Calvin & Hobbes seems to be quite the understatement.
This episode seems more like a blatant ripp-off to me. From the “Spaceman Biff” story concept right down to the font treatment.
The backgrounds look like they could have been actual scans right from the C&H strip! And some of the incidental characters are way close to Watterson’s. Then there’s the piece at the very end when the super heroes are popping up like interview “takes”… Uh, can you say “The Incredibles” ??
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the animation skills and techniques but these “reminicent” aspects leave me with an overall crawly feeling about this work. Unless of course I’m losing something in translation which is entirely possible.
January 6th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
I’m pretty sure that I saw suzie on the school bus. I guess until that rumor that Bill Watterson is making a Calvin movie comes true we’ll all just have to settle for this.
Well done animation.
January 6th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
so the end of the cartoon say,
“Gracias a Bill Watterson por Calvin y Hobbes sin duda
Un pequeňo bien para la humanidad”
google translator comes up with this;
“Thanks to Bill Watterson for Calvin and Hobbes without a doubt an affluent pequeno for the humanity”
January 6th, 2006 at 10:58 pm
“Thanks to Bill Watterson for Calvin and Hobbes, without a doubt, a “small gift” for the humanity.”
Yeah, this is, without a doubt, a tribute to Watterston’s characters. The author never tried to hide the fact.
Every webisode finishes with some kind of “bloopers” but, instead, at the end of this final chapter of the second season of the series, the characters are giving thanks to the fans that made this series a success in Spain.
Just one more comment. This project started as a way to promote a shop dealing with electronic hardware (Electronica Web in the series), but it became so popular in Spain that overcame its original purpose to transform in what it is today.
January 7th, 2006 at 2:33 am
I highly doubt Bill Watterson would feel all fuzzy about this, especially since he despises marketing merchandise with C&H, let alone a promo for someone elses electronic hardware store.. He doesn’t even approve of fan sites displaying his strip.
If the animators have his permission or blessing then of course none of this applies.
If I’m missing something here, please someone fill me in.
Any thoughts Aaron?
January 7th, 2006 at 11:24 am
Wow, that’s interesting. I really like the animation and the style (I never thought about it, but a black and white brush style is just awesome for animation, and feasible with digital animation), but yeah, I swear I’ve seen those very backgrounds and characters in various panels throughout the years. And for some reason it made me feel a bit uneasy to see them in this. I know it was made with the best intentions, but still…. it’s almost like cutting up old family photos to make a collage. It’s good… but somehow not right. I really have no clue how Watterson would react to this… he may find it charming or infuriating; or both. By the way, anyone ever see the infamous fan made Ritalin Calvin and Hobbes comic? Made me want to cry my eyes out.
January 8th, 2006 at 5:34 am
Seriously if this would upset Watterson, f**k him! he should be happy he has an influence on artists all over the world. personally i can care less for c&h, it’s all about charles schulz. just finding out how watterson would react makes me think c&h sucks even more than i did before i read these comments.
January 8th, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Using an artist and his style as influence is completely different than straight up jacking the shot for shot Backdrops from Bill Waterson’s comicstrip.
L-A-M-E….