AN EVENING WITH THE SEATTLE FLASH USER GROUP


I seem to be talking a lot lately! I much prefer to draw and animate but somehow life seems intent on dragging me to the podium to share my love and passion for the kind of animation that many would suggest is a bygone art - traditional, hand-drawn animation. 

However, I don't see it that way at all. I believe that traditional animation (2D) has barely begun to scratch the surface of where it can go and we therefore need to now move ever forward in bringing its inherently unrealized potential into existence. When I sat at the Boeing IMAX Theater recently and saw 'Avatar' through 3D glasses (becoming mesmerized in the process incidentally) it became immediately apparent to me that we (i.e. the traditional animators of this world) have totally dropped the ball. In the wake of Michael Eisner presiding over our alleged 'death' we have stood back and allowed technology to dictate the terms of what constitutes animated entertainment. It is therefore time we work towards our own 'Avatar moment' with audiences once again. I think Walt took traditional animation close to its potential with 'Fantasia' but now it needs to go even further.



It was a great honor for me to be able to share my thoughts and my work with the members of the Seattle Flash User Group last night. 

Although I'm an admirer of all the very best work that constitutes 'cartoon films' and I am an equally vehement believer that its time to move traditional animation (specifically theatrically-targeted traditional animation)  forward into other areas that must now be newly explored and discovered. It will take time and it will take a huge amount of personal commitment and sacrifice. (Not to mention a fair amount of money!) But I do believe it can happen and I do believe it has to happen - that is, if this great artform we are currently trustees of is to survive and move on.  I especially hope that through the auspices of the Animaticus Foundation and its ambitious initiative - Atelier Acedemy Studio - we can begin to made this difference in the animation world once more.



Anyway, thank you Keith Johnson for inviting me to speak to your group again. I know that your tireless dedication and devotion to what the group does and stands for is probably less heralded than it should be. So let me offer a big 'thank you' from me (on behalf of the many members of the group that were present and online during last night's presentation). It was a great pleasure to have a platform to once more show my work and share my thoughts with you all. I wish you well with all your other activities in the future!

Tony.   :^{)}=-

Posted by tonymaticus at 2/24/2010 7:33 AM
Categories: Animation events
Tags: Tony White Animaticus Foundation Seattle Flash User Group
 
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