I’ve always resisted the urge to post stick animation here. The exception occurs when someone transcends the format, like Alan Becker’s Animation vs. Animator. And 25-year old Chinese artist who goes by JustSolo just set the bar a notch higher with Ghostfight: Battle of the Swords, which could pass for high-end gameplay video.

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

The short is now in the #1 slot at Newgrounds, a site his government won’t even let him view. For screengrabs and project details, check out his blog.

Online gaming has gone bonkers. According to a recent study by Parks Associates, “despite the growing popularity of YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook, gaming remains the king of online entertainment, driven largely by casual gaming activities.” And the majority of these online games are produced in Flash. Just browse the king of game sites - MiniClip. Their library is almost entirely Flash-based.

The gang at The Behemoth knows a thing or two about this phenomenon. Founders John Baez, Dan Paladin and Tom Fulp saw the immense success (10 million downloads) of Alien Hominid at Fulp’s site Newgrounds.com, and spun off a popular platform version. Their next conquest is a platform side-scroller called Castle Crashers, a game set for release this year on Xbox Live Arcade. Like Alien Hominid, a great deal of the game’s production is being produced in Flash.

While we await the official launch date, The Behemoth has tempted us with this environment design video. Dan Paladin is at the wheel. You know his work on Dad ‘n Me and Synj vs. Horrid.

And for those not familiar with Castle Crashers, here’s the trailer:

Brian Frisk, one of the talented artists behind the work at thefrown.com, has kicked off a new series titled Candy Hole. The first episode of this Flash-animated series has fared well at Newgrounds, and reached the homepage this week. Enjoy the sweet taste of cheerful violence in the first installment below.

This week, after much anticipation (and a few delays) the 6th installment of Adam Phillips’ Brackenwood series, titled Waterlollies, launched at biteycastle.com. According to Phillips, this is the oldest of the Brackenwood stories, but only this past year did he finally begin production.

Perhaps its something he learned while working at Disney, but Phillips continually raises his own bar for animation success. Waterlollies is no exception - you’ll see Phillips’ signature water effects taken to the next level, with brilliant splashes, drops and reflections. As for action - Phillips animated Bitey on another romp through Brackenwood at what seems to be light speed. It’s truly breathtaking stuff.

What you’ll see in Waterlollies is an exceptional creative flourish, but you may also spot a bit of suffering. Nearly all of the visual elements in this 8-minute short were drawn by Phillips, and as you’ll see there’s thousands of drawings in there. The sum of his work amounted to about 12-weeks, but it was stretched out over a year or so. That span included many nights that turned into mornings. According to Phillips’ blog, his 80-hour work weeks resulted in “headaches, stomach pain, sudden dizzy spells, backache and minor waves of nausea, not to mention bones and joints that simply hurt when I get out of the chair. My body clock is so out of whack from working all night and sleeping until midday, 7 days a week.” I’d bet these animation marathons aren’t self flagellation, but more the drive to create something great; the drive to make a mark.Phillips’ adoring fans at newgrounds.com seem to think he has, already vaulting Waterlollies to the #1 spot on the all-time chart. Adam is hard at work in an effort to turn this adoration and attention into a full-time affair. His merchandise store is due to launch soon, and the push to get a feature film financed is under way. Let’s hope the next time we’re drooling over the lush Brackenwood landscapes, its from the sticky-floor theater seats.

Okay, back to Waterlollies - the overall story here is about payback. I don’t think I’m spoiling much by saying this, but our lead character Bitey isn’t the friendliest, and as they say “what comes around, goes around.” Phillips chides his own story telling skills, promising “greater depth” in future chapters, but I think Waterlollies is an enjoyable tale filled with enough visual splendor to overcome any lack of story complexity. As you can read from my 3-part interview with Phillips back in 2005, I’m an immense fan of his work, and his drive and skill are an inspiration to myself and thousands of animators and artists around the world.

Also, as the film loads, you’ll be treated to dynamically growing fauna, which was created by Anthony Eden’s game company Snepo. Eden and his crew also chipped in on some of the swam effects you’ll see in the short. As the short begins, fans of the series will recognize a handful of returning characters, but Phillips nods to the newbies with some flashbacks sequences. If you want a quick explanation about waterlollies, click on the yin/yang symbol during the loading sequence.

I’d like to share one funny bit that Adam shared before the short was officially release: he wrote in an email that “there’s always a certain point near the end of a project where I start getting nervous about a hard-drive crash, or house fire, or losing my hands in a freak toothbrushing accident.” I’m sure anyone who has approached the finish line on a long project can relate.

Before you click away for a viewing, make sure your computer is up to the task. In general, you’ll need a ‘fast’ computer, or you’ll end up missing some of the experience (several frames per second won’t appear for you). You’ll need Flash Player 9 and Phillips reports that a Safari browser is ideal.

Now off with you - go watch Waterlollies. And for the brave of heart, click here to watch it at much higher screen resolution.

Newgrounds.com is hosting a Halloween animation contest with a $1,000 first prize. Andrew Kauervane submitted a stylish short titled Halloween Adventure Entry. Head over to Newgrounds now to vote for your favorite, or create a short in 24 hours and submit by tomorrow’s deadline.

Finnish animators Mark Ståhle and Tatu Pohjavirta have completed the 2nd part of their Death Trilogy, a series of Flash-animated shorts. This installment is titled Jatkoaika (Overtime), and it centers on a young ice skater’s adventures in the afterlife.

At first, I was a bit put-off by the puppet-style of the production. It is most certainly “limited” animation, but the design is so interesting, and the manner in which the puppets move really caught my eye. Of course, there is the highly unusual and even touching storyline, that eventually delves into the realm of black comedy.

The film has also faired well at Newgrounds.com.

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CHF community member Kelly Loftus (Onelani) is the toast of Newgrounds this week, as her short Kite Plight has soared into the top 10 rankings. Her Flash-animated, senior year film was in the works for about a year, and Loftus had been offering the CHF message board crowd a sneak peek back in 2006. Congrats, Kelly!

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