First is ‘Re-animated,’ a feature-length mixture of live-action and animation. The project marks Cartoon Network’s much discussed foray into original live-action work. ‘Re-animated’ is “about a 12-year-old boy whose life is turned upside down after an accident at an amusement park.” The film features voice work by Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) and Tom Kenny, who voices Spongebob.

Second is ‘Christmas is Here Again,’ which was formerly named ‘Who Stole Santa’s Sack?’ According to an article at Digitalproducer.com, the 9-month long project is currently in post production. Kathy Bates and Ed Asner provide voices, and Jay Leno delivers the voice over. In the same article, Ashley Postlewaite, Executive Producer at Renegade, offers the perfect quote:

“By applying our traditional training and employing the latest animation tools, we have streamlined animation process and made it more affordable… We believe it is the future of 2D animation.”

Many, including myself, think you’re dead-on, Ashley.

Nate’s done a fair amount of work on ‘Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi,’ and I want to pass on a few more links for your browsing pleasure. There’s the ‘official’ crew blog, and then Rob Lilly’s blog that features some of his Puffy work.

Nate’s work was recently highlighted over at Cartoon Brew, where readers were made aware of his blog. Nate’s been kind enough to make available several clips from his own animation reel:

A Target Halloween Spot

A ‘Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi’ music video reminiscent of Chuck Jones’ award winning ‘The Dot and The Line’

Renegade’s classic ‘Diamond Bar’ PSA

And below you can click on the video to watch a stellar hand-drawn Hilton TV spot that was produced entirely in Flash.

Darrell Van Citters, Renegade’s supervising director and co-founder, is a big Flash-animation proponent. He’s quoted in the article saying that after looking at alternative software solutions, Flash “…was the most cost-effective solution for what it had to offer, providing for quality control and [prevention from] going off model.”

Head on over to Film and Video Magazine to read the entire article.

Dobuzinskis also offers up some cost saving figures, which very well may reflect what’s happening at Renegade, but I’d hate to see the whole industry painted with this brush.

Ultimately, the cost of Flash animation — about four times cheaper than traditional animation because it requires only one-third of the staff — helps save the company from sending work overseas for “finishing,” as many other animation firms have done.

I applaud Renegade for keeping the animation work stateside, as many of my friends are amongst their crew, but unrealistic expectations about Flash production have been an albatross around the movement’s neck since the beginning. Animating with a vector-based software package like Macromedia’s Flash can surely help shave costs, but I’d imagine an apples-to-apples comparison would show aggregate, across-the-industry savings to be a little less exciting than ‘four times cheaper.’

While ‘Puffy’ relies a great deal on re-use, this Cocoa Puffs spot contains a much heavier dose of drawings. In this situation, Flash becomes a turbo-charged ink and paint program. Wait – why don’t I let the press release explain:

Renegade employs Flash animation to expedite parts of the animation process while still relying on traditional cel technique to create the animation’s rich look and to give the character motion its fluidity. “Flash allows us to reuse assets and that speeds up some of the more routine aspects of the animation process,” said Renegade Animation director Darrell Van Citters. “But for us, Flash is more than a practical tool. We have integrated it into our creative process and take advantage of its strengths to enhance the aesthetics or our work.”

One way Renegade capitalizes on the unique qualities of Flash animation is by using it to introduce design elements into their animation. The environments in the Cocoa Puffs spot are highly stylized and dominated by geometric shapes. Renegade uses Flash techniques to change the environments’ color or shape, to evolve them, or to cause them to melt into kaleidoscopic patterns reflective of the swings in Sonny’s mood. “The background effects that we are able to achieve would be difficult to replicate using cel technique alone,” (Renegade Animation director Darrell) Van Citters said. “At the same time, we are able to retain artistic integrity and quality.”

I spoke with Ashley Postlewaite, Executive Producer over at Renegade, to learn a bit more about their pipeline. She explained that the Renegade team uses DigiCel for pencil tests, then the drawings are cleaned up, scanned, run through Adobe Streamline and then brought into Flash as vector art. It’s luxurious when compared to the type of methods applied to a TV production, and one that surely comes alive on screen. Check out the spot here (Quicktime).

If you haven’t been paying attention, you might have missed the latest 2D animated revolution. It’s the flat, ultra-rich blossoming-graphics explosion that’s skipped right out of a skateboard mag and onto every cable channel in the guide. Sure there’s plenty of 3D elements in these hipster commercials, promos and title sequences, but the appeal is all 2D, and it’s all Flash and After Effects. Aaron Stewart knows. He’s the man behind a whole heap of MTV and VH1 promos, and another dozen eye-catching 2D spots produced out of uber-hip Hornet Inc. Let’s catch up with this Wichita native who now calls New York home.

AARON SIMPSON: Did you pick up Flash while studying at Parsons School of Design?
AARON STEWART: I graduated in 1998 when Flash just started so I didn’t really pick it up until 2000. I did all my animation in Affter Effects and Director pre-Flash.

SIMPSON: Your professional career started in design and animation, but with a more interactive focus. Do you use the interactive components of Flash any longer?
STEWART: I graduated with a degree in Illustration but incorporated animation and design into my studies as much as possible. I used to work a lot on interactive websites but now I’ve just been doing animation and design. I hope to get back into it because I love creating projects viewers can participate in.

SIMPSON: What influences led to your design ethic?
STEWART: Every day I see something outside that influences me – even other people’s work. My favorites are old animated commercials. They have a simple, charming quality and get right to the point just like my work. I want people to instantly understand what they see and I want to try and show it in a creative way.

SIMPSON: While 3D animation is surely the new king, 2D work is abundant in TV animation, station IDs and promos. How much 2D work will be around in 10 years?
STEWART: I think, for the most part, it will remain the same. 2D expresses a different feeling and look than 3D does. Ten years from now, Flash may be gone and we will be using some other program, but the look and style that the artist is creating will be the same. The computer is just a tool for artists to use. We think of how we want our work to look and then decide the application.

SIMPSON: Do you have a favorite Flash animated TV show?
STEWART: I LOVE CARTOONS! ‘Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends‘ and ‘Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi‘ are my favorite cartoons. I didn’t realize they were created in Flash until I read about it and I was quite surprised. I was thrilled to hear they were created in Flash and think they were smart in doing it. Flash is a great, simple program to use and I hope more animation studios apply the program.

SIMPSON: Early in you career, you worked in TV on Nickelodeon’s ‘Kablam!’ Is there something about the short format you currently work in that’s more appealing?
STEWART: I worked as an After Effects animator on ‘Kablam’ for two years. I wish we used Flash because it would have saved us a lot of time. I loved working on an animated TV show but working on short :30 spots keeps everything fresh for me. I love creating characters and visually solving problems which is what the short spots allow me to do.

SIMPSON: Explain your animation process. Do you typically animate in Flash and then export into After Effects?
STEWART: I usually sketch my ideas out and create the main art in Illustrator and then export into Flash. Then, if needed, I bring it into After Effects for the final movie.

SIMPSON: Do you ever design straight into the computer?
STEWART: I love to just jump right into the computer to develop ideas but I think it’s important to sketch out ideas on paper first.

Check back soon for part 2 of my interview with Hornet Inc’s Aaron Stewart. And in the meantime, check out these clips below of Aaron’s work and then slide over to Aaron’s site to see more.

FOSTER’S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS

• Best Animated Television Production
• Character Design in an Animated Television Production – Lynn Naylor-Reccardi
• Directing in an Animated Television Production – Eric Pringle
• Writing in an Animated Television Production – Lauren Faust

HI HI PUFFY AMI YUMI

• Character Design in an Animated Television Production – Shakeh Haghnazarian
• Production Design in an Animated Television Production – Michael Giaimo

ATOMIC BETTY

• Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production – Alex Basio

Congrats to the nominees! I’ll see you at the awards in January.

‘Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi,’ the plucky, eye-candy-filled, relationship-driven (sorry guys, no fights or power-ups in this show) has delivered the goods for Cartoon Network, the undisputed #1 supporter of Flash animation on US television. With the strongest ratings ever for an original premiere in the Kids 2-11 segment, ‘Puffy’ seems well poised for a lengthy run. Girls, not surprisingly, have taken to the show in droves, increasing CN’s female eyeball count by over 60% during that time slot.

As far as the show itself, the producers have chosen the perfect animation platform for the show’s look and feel (it’s animated by Renegade Animation). The simple, iconic designs and the Hanna Barbera-esque appeal make this is an ideal show for Flash, and I look forward to several more seasons of this beautiful show.