To create a Flash-animated music video for their song Princess, the Norwegian band Rektor called upon their fellow countrymen Peter Måseide and Kim Lid, directors at Agens.

Harboring a passion for C64 (Commodore 64) graphics, the Rektor team swims in 80s pop culture. Want proof? Check the band member’s names - Magnum, Don Johnson and, my favorite, Jan F. Kennedy (okay, so they slipped in one 60’s reference). So it should come as no surprise that their video is filled with allusions to Pac-Man, Track & Field, Space Invaders, Rampage, Pitfall, Chopper Command, Super Mario Brothers and even Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Any other references I missed?

The Norwegian team from NRK1’s Halvseint show created this comedic, tongue-in-cheek short that takes a pot-shot at the Hummer SUV. I believe the short was created with Anime Studio.

Besides Flash, what paperless 2D software options are out there, you might ask. There’s many, but the major options are After Effects, Toon Boom and CelAction.

And lately I’ve come across some interesting work done in Anime Studio, formerly known as Moho.

First are a series of French shorts produced by GreyKid Pictures, a studio in Hungary. Stu Gamble, the director and producer on the project, actually used Flash in his pipeline, but Anime Studio was the main software of choice in producing Les Rugbymen.

You can read more about Gamble and his studio on the software’s website.

Next is a short that briefly appeared on the YouTube homepage a few weeks back, but because of some humorous, animated nudity (or was it the beer IV drip?) it was quickly pulled off. The short is called Party With Beer, and it is a teaser for an upcoming animated show called Halvseint coming to Norway’s NRK1 this September. Meet Heinrich (may be NSFW):

Heinrich discusses his YouTube fame in this follow up video, and questions just how inappropriate it was.

**** UPDATE ****

Heinrich and his friends have cooked up a “US Safe Version.”