notti:9-6-3

The 5 Elements of Laika - My Tribute to Laika Studios

Coraline - Water

Norman - Earth

Eggs - Fire

Kubo - Air

a gifset of planet facts because i rlly love space!!

look at this shit

In the wild capybaras live in large groups so naturally a female capybara will take care of not only her own offspring, but all of the other offspring in the group. So capybaras are super great mothers who will adopt pretty much anything and take care of it.

Lots of places that rescue different animals will give a group of baby animals to a capybara to raise if they have one.

Like puppies

Ducks

Deer

Emus

I’m so excited to share some of the work I did for my personal passion project/Cartoon Network intern pitch, GIRL GANG! (Ideally I’m hoping to eventually publish it as a graphic novel/webcomic!)

The story takes place in a future where ocean levels have risen and covered the Earth, leaving only chains of islands where continents used to be. On an island in the Pacific, a gang of street girls fight to survive the oppression of the Empire, a civilization from across the ocean that is on a mission to colonize and conquer all the world’s remaining land. 

Some brief character blurbs about the main gang: Miya- the quiet and somewhat shy leader of the gang who talks little but packs a massive punch with her baseball bat; Emi- the gang’s getaway driver and auto specialist and the disowned daughter of a wealthy Inner Circle family; Yuyu- the black market dealer and scavenger with a bubbly personality and an obsession with 200-year-old anime artifacts; and Blue- a Muy Thai fighter who values honor and justice above all else, and defected from her previous gang when Miya saved her life.

On the opposing side, Riza’s gang of wealthy and entitled elitist Inner Circle girls are out to wreak havoc in the Outskirts, and end up clashing with Miya and her gang as a result. Riza is the daughter of a highly influential politician and believes herself to be superior to “Outskirts trash,” while Krystal (the Empire’s number one teenage pop idol), Jin (a cyber hacker) and Momo (a skilled wrestler who sticks with Riza out of a desire to belong) enable her to put the Outskirts in what she perceives to be their rightful place.

A growing collection of animated Pixel Art Tutorials by Pedro Medeiros (@saint11) of Studio Miniboss (they previously worked on TowerFall and are currently working on Celeste and Skytorn)

All +40 Pixel Art Tutorials can be found on blog.studiominiboss.com/pixelart (10 Pixel Art Tutorials are posted below)

EDIT: i didn’t expect this post to get so many notes. for the record, these are just my personal recommendations, not a definitive list of best underrated animation. i also did not include anything made by Disney. I know that they made some movies that didn’t get as much attention as their other hits, but lists of underwatched Disney films are pretty common, so I thought I’d make one of films by studios that aren’t household names. 

Angel’s Egg (1985)

This movie is a nearly silent film with painstakingly beautiful frames and environmental details. All I can say is that it is a real piece of art worth watching and can be watched on YouTube here.

Les Triplets de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville) (2005)

An incredibly quirky, strange and humorous French film, also with almost no dialogue. The colors, creative storytelling, and almost caricature-like designs make the Triplets a must-see. The setting and timeframe is left sort of abstract, but it’s a clear transition from last-century rural France to the hustle and bustle of urban America. Lots of homage is paid to cartoons from the 1920s.

Mindgame (2004)

This movie, quite like the title says, blew my mind. It’s also incredibly strange and out-there, but the awkward imagery gives way to real emotion and huge payoff by the end. The colors and animation are delightful, and always tailored to the situation. It is an amazing intersection of an altered state, a love story, a struggle to get home, an existential trip, and an unlikely group of friends. I almost always cry when I watch this. Seriously, can’t stress this enough. There is absolutely nothing like Mindgame. 

Le Chat du Rabbin (The Rabbi’s Cat) (2011)

Rabbi’s Cat is a French film based on a French comic by the same name. The comic artist also directed the movie. Honestly, the dialogue  in this is unmatched. Both Cat and Rabbi are witty and have the best banter. The setting is one of the most unique and real-feeling I’ve ever seen a film take place in: a Jewish community in Algeria. It’s wonderful and incredibly charming, could not recommend more.

Tekkonkinkreet (2006)

This movie hits me on a number of levels. I have so much love for the two orphans, Black and White. The story quickly becomes raw and almost difficult, as it touches on a lot of the feelings we see in things like Grave of the Fireflies, but in a much more abstract way and on a much grander scale. Also less sad, but there are very sad parts also. I guess the best way to describe this movie is intense. While there are a lot of sweet, domestic moments, none of the gruesome reality is sugercoated for you. 

The visuals are all completely stunning; the art is on another level. Treasure Town is a rich, fantastical environment and the characters flow through it effortlessly, like water. You gotta see this at least once in your life. 

Chico and Rita (2010)

An American/Spanish romance between an aspiring Cuban piano player and a young black singer. The film has a vibrant and unique visual style, and explores a multitude of music styles and cultural backdrops. The film is touching and sweet, but does not erase the hardships of being a black music star in America or living through the Castro regime. 

Wizards (1977)

Ralph Bakshi is notorious for underappreciated gems. Wizards is set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where magic is real and man has survived the radiation to evolve into fairies, elves, and dwarves. It’s a classic nature vs industry story with Bakshi’s unique spin. My favorite character is Necron 99, the assassin robot turned pacifist. I’ll warn you though, Bakshi films aren’t everyone’s taste (he’s responsible for Fritz the Cat, which against my better judgement I recommend as well).

Wizards was completed during the dark age of animation, and its fascinating to see how Bakshi gets around these limitations to produce something that grossed more than twice its budget.

Memories (1995)

Artist Brian Coldrick’s series Behind You is an ongoing look at the very common fear that someone is lurking just out of your field of vision—perhaps prepping to do something not very nice.