MIKE ROUSH / The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl / 5:16
I have always been fascinated by wildlife documentaries. As a kid I would take my mom’s camera and try and get as close to the neighborhood animals as I could. Most of the time this would mean long hours sitting motionless on the back deck with bird seed sprinkled on my lap and shoulders. I never got the shot I wanted, so when Chris and Shannon asked me if I wanted to make an animated film for Titmouse, I said yes before they finished asking.
Chris and Shannon Prynoski, Dik Pose, and I Line up a shot in the middle of nowhere. photo by Steve Kellener.
Early thumbnails of the burrowing owl.
Rough turnaround.
“Owl” was animated in Flash. I used a technique where I would animate traditionally very rough, then I would take a second pass cleaning up symbols that I would be able to reuse later. Most of the final animation you see in “Owl” is puppeted symbol animation with hundreds of symbols and a different puppet for each shot. This way I could get the detail and animation quality I wanted.
The Flash break-down on one of the owl puppets. Lots of feathers!
One of my favorite parts of making this film was having to get out of the studio and go on location. I found an amazing place in central California called The Carrizo Plain using google maps. I spent the weekends driving all around taking pictures and exploring. Fun fact: The burrow used in the short was an actual owl burrow. On one of the days I was taking photos of the burrow one hissed at me from inside the burrow with it’s rattlesnake like call. It scared me nearly to death.
This is how I made all the “live action” backgrounds. I drew a storyboard of what I wanted and photo collaged lots of pictures together to make it look like what I drew. Unfortunately these places don’t exist in real life.
Whenever the owl had to touch the flower or fork, I took hundreds of photos, cut them out in photoshop and animated them. Fun.
On location I used a couple stand-in models to get the lighting right and a maquette when animating for inspiration.
I had a great time making this film and when I was done we were lucky enough to show it at festivals around the world. After 4 years the “Owl” showed at more than 40 festivals, in over 25 countries.
Before Richard Williams directed the animation for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there was an earlier attempt at Disney, from 1981 to 1983, to adapt Gary K. Wolf’s book “Who Censored Roger Rabbit.” Some of the scenes here are straight out of the novel. The director was Darrell Van Citters.
Disney 1981-1983. Animators: Mike Giamo, Chris Buck, Mike Gabriel. Paul Reubens as Roger Rabbit. Peter Renaday and Mike Gabriel as Eddie Valiant. Russi Taylor as Jessica. Unknown as Captain Cleaver. Screenwriters Peter Seaman and Jeffrey Price. Producer Mark Sturdivant.
While Roger was a villain in the book, trying to solve his own murder, this Roger is a loveable goofball in white fur and red overalls - a prototype for the final film. Baby Herman is glimpsed only briefly, and Jessica Rabbit appears to be the villain of the piece. Still, this version clearly laid some groundwork for the Zemeckis/Williams production a few years later.
The prototype Roger Rabbit appears cheering in the stands in the featurette “Sport Goofy in Soccermania.”
James Lopez, a veteran Disney animator (The Lion King, Pocahontas, Paperman), is currently trying to raise money for his traditionally animated project Hullabaloo. Hullabaloo is a steampunk short film which Lopez is hoping will help save the cause of 2D animation, and possibly lead to a TV series or film. So, if you’re interested in badass steampunk ladies or traditional animation, may I recommend you give a dollar or two. Hullabaloo’s IndieGogo page is over here, visit to donate and learn more! And I’ll conclude with the plot:
Hullabaloo is the story of Veronica Daring, a brilliant young scientist who returns home from an elite finishing school to find her father—the eccentric inventor Jonathan Daring—missing without a trace! The only clue left behind points Veronica toward Daring Adventures, an abandoned amusement park used by her father to test his fantastical steam-powered inventions. There she discovers a strange girl named Jules, a fellow inventor who agrees to help Veronica in locating her missing father and discovering the secrets of his work.
Together, Veronica and Jules learn that Jonathan Daring has been kidnapped by a mysterious group of influential persons, who seek to use his latest invention for nefarious purposes. These villains are wealthy and influential and neither Veronica nor Jules can stop them openly. But determined to save her father and holding true to the family creed that technology should be used for the good of all, not the greed of some, Veronica assumes the secret identity of “Hullabaloo”, a goggled crusader who uses wits and science to combat evil and oppose the nefarious conspiracy that has taken her father.
HEY MINIONS so at the risk of you unfollowing/me sounding like a crazy person I’m going to ask you to do something very unusual today. I am going to ask you to watch a Barbie movie. (That’s it, up there. The whole thing. No really it’s like official no need to pirate it or anything how easy is that.)
WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO THAT? Well okay so for one I am one of the two storyboard artists that worked on this (yes, two board artists, for a whole film, get that into your head I can hardly believe we managed it myself), but I am about to blow your mind with the more important detail that the other storyboarder was also the director and also the first female director that a Barbie film has had. Ever. Wow. I know. I knooooow.
So, tumblr, this is why Barbie and the Secret Door is important; this is the first Barbie film directed by a woman. Watch it. There is a super great villain, super cute giant purple furry minions with English accents and very bright super colourful colours all over the place just wait until you get to the magical place I stg you need sunglasses. There are also a lot of songs which will get stuck in your head and aggressive jive dancing.
I am not saying it is the best film, I am not saying that there aren’t other films that deserve your attention more, but there was a whole team of people behind this one gem of a lady trying our very best to make this film good, and you know what? I like it. There are many things that could be improved, yes, and there were decisions made by Mattel that we simply could not change whether we agreed with them or not, but that’s the case with every film, and this film saw a huge shift in the effort and direction of Barbie films. Tell Mattel what you want to see fixed, yes, but tell them that you want to see more of this; more women in control of pictures that are aimed towards young girls (because, let’s face it, these are). These films get translated into every language, they access a lot of people, these films can have influence. We need to be able to use this medium in a positive way, and we tried to, we really did try with this film. Barbie should be a positive icon for feminism; she has been before!
So, yes, please check this out if you have the time, and give Mattel and Rainmaker the feedback that they need!
Hullabaloois a 2D (hand-drawn) animated steampunk film that hopes to help preserve the dying art of 2D animation; and by supporting this project, you get to help save 2D animation from an untimely demise. We want you to join us in making a short film that will showcase the world of Hullabaloo, which we can show to investors to fund a full length 2D feature. 2D animation is a beautiful but dying art form that the animation studios have all but abandoned. But if we can fund this film with your help, we will be able to show investors that people really do want to see a feature length animated steampunk film, allowing us to get the tremendous amount of funding needed to complete Hullabaloo as the full-length feature we believe you want to see.
In addition to helping save 2D animation, Hullabaloo aims to encourage girls to explore science and adventure. The film’s two protagonists are both young women and both scientists who use their intellect, wits, and courage to fight greed and corruption. We hope that Veronica Daring and her friend Jules will serve as positive role models for girls of all ages and encourage them to get excited about science, engineering, and sci-fi.
To learn more about what steampunk is, go here: Steampunk 101
By helping us fund Hullabaloo, you get to help save 2D animation, you get to support a pro-girl and pro-science story, and you also get a boatload of cool stuff!
Probably the greatest, comprehensive analysis on one of the most important film makers in animation gone too soon, and my direct influence in storyboard/visual storytelling in animation, the late great Kon Satoshi.
Rest in Power, Kon-san!
Wowwwwww.
if you haven’t already watched this I demand that you do so now
