John "F" Fountain
@FountainCartoon
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Veteran Cartoon Director - Goofy mascot of Fountain’s Pen Productions. I mostly keep it PG-13. NO POLITICS. Instagram: fountainspencomics
East Coast, USA
Joined April 2010
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#Animation
#Cartoons
#FountainsPenProductions
A SINCERE APPEAL TO ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS
Hi, everyone... thanks for reading... please bear with me...
I just uploaded a video on the Fountain's Pen Cartoons channel on YouTube that is an hour long.
Cont.
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Especially when the Butch Hartman one was supposed to be me because I was the one at the studio at 2am storyboarding the hell out of that sequence, not him.
Gotta love when creators cameo in their own cartoons
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I’m just gonna leave this here…
Oh, and before you say “Hey! That’s CGI!” I’d like to point out that we weren’t sure if we were gonna have a CGI budget or not, so I animated this frame by frame myself.
On paper.
With pencils.
By hand.
Because that’s what animators do.
😊
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In a million, billion years, AI could never do this.
Oh, it could do something that looks like this.
But not THIS:
💥Happy
#SupermanDay
everyone!💥
.
Max Fleischer’s ‘Superman’ cartoons cannot be surpassed!
#Animation
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I know the feeling…
I cleaned up the storyboards for this sequence and it turned into a meme.
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I was a director on this show for the first three seasons and supervising director for seasons 3-4 and I had no idea this happened!
🤣
Glad I left when I did.
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I dunno if any episodes exist where I get sole credit.
If Butch changed one panel, he’d put his name on it.
@FountainCartoon
honestly it’s frustrating to hear that you weren’t properly recognized…for what it’s worth so many of my fav eps have you credited as storyboard artist/director! early season fop means a lot to me to this day
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#drawjennysunday
#mlaatr
#mylifeasateenagerobot
#Nickelodeon
I get asked all the time who I’d pick for Jenny’s boyfriend: Brad or Sheldon.
When I reach 5k followers, I will publish (here) MY outline for the definitive Jenny/Brad/Sheldon “love triangle storyline” …
Cont.
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It really is a bizarre experience when I see this meme get used…
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#Animation
I haven’t immersed myself in
#HazbinHotel
or
#HelluvaBoss
the way I probably should’ve by now… I’ve seen a few episodes and I definitely get the massive appeal, but beyond its obvious charms, it gets something really “right” that I wish more productions did…
Cont.
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Having now watched and absorbed the entire thing, all I can say is that this video is a masterpiece of journalism, documentation, deconstruction and observation.
MASSIVE applause to
@Saberspark
& crew for a job EXPERTLY done.
A long overdo video about a showrunner who is the living definition of hubris
Link to the vid in the replies!
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#Nickelodeon
#Cartoons
In case you were wondering, the answer is “No… I don’t feel badly about exploiting my time/position on
#FairlyOddParents
and my proximity to its creator.”
Here’s why…
While I will always be grateful to the show for all the doors it opened…
Cont.
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Today’s art lesson with my 8 year old daughter Gypsy:
Starting with basic shapes and sketching details as you go.
The subject: “Poppy”
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#Nickelodeon
#animation
#cartoon
#cartoons
#FairlyOddParents
I, canonically, killed Cosmo and Wanda in my first FOP cartoon.
In ‘Action Packed’ they DIE.
They don’t “disappear” or “go away.”
They die.
Granted, they get brought back… but for about 60 seconds, they’re dead.
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Did I say “Tuesday”?
I meant “Wednesday.”
I don’t wanna rush through it and tomorrow I’ll be able to actually focus on it.
The people have spoken..,
I’ll have something tomorrow or Tuesday…
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#FairlyOddParents
#nickelodeon
#animation
#cartoons
#cartoon
This has nothin’ to do with nothin’ but this is one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever storyboarded and directed.
It’s one of the few scenes where no one messed with my timing which is is why it’s smooth and continuous.
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I gotta say, it makes me sad but it also makes me grateful to have been there when it was a truly fun, vibrant and, well, ANIMATED place to be.
Nickelodeon is just officially dead at this point, isn't it?
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‘Zim’ wasn’t cancelled for any one (or two) reason(s).
There were a LOT of ingredients behind Zim’s cancellation… the ratings weren’t “bad” - they just weren’t a “home run” and Nickelodeon wanted nothing but home runs.
It’s the same reason MLAATR didn’t get a pickup.
In 2002, 'INVADER ZIM' was cancelled due to its low ratings and high production cost which was about $1.2M.
'SPONGEBOB' on the other hand was produced with about $350,000-$500,000 at the time.
Should 'INVADER ZIM' had stuck around even though it wasn't profitable for Nick?
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Okay, I worded this post VERY poorly…
Let me clarify…
The sphinx in the clip IS a CGI rendering, but it was a frame-by-frame match to my hand-drawn animation with a couple of tiny alterations.
But the fact remains: that is MY animation we’re seeing on screen.
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#Animation
#cartoons
#FairlyOddParents
#Nickelodeon
If I’m being perfectly objective, this is probably the only thing I’ve ever done that could’ve been a contender for an Emmy or Annie award.
I animated this in pencil by hand before it went to CGI. It looked virtually identical.
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Ooooooooh boy…
A long overdo video about a showrunner who is the living definition of hubris
Link to the vid in the replies!
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If you want my “take” on Fairly Oddparents, here’s my “deep dive” thread:
Let’s talk about FoP shall we…
This is how clueless I am:
I knew there was another live action
#FairlyOddParents
‘thing’ coming out, but there’s been like ten of those and I’ve never watched any of them. Not out of spite or anything… (Cont.)
#Nickelodeon
#ParamountPlus
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#FairlyOddparents
#Nickelodeon
Lemme be clear about something:
I directed Abracatastrophe.
Yes, Butch took credit as he had the right to do - but for all practical purposes, I was the director.
I had been unofficially declared the Supervising Director…
Cont.
I’m just gonna leave this here…
Oh, and before you say “Hey! That’s CGI!” I’d like to point out that we weren’t sure if we were gonna have a CGI budget or not, so I animated this frame by frame myself.
On paper.
With pencils.
By hand.
Because that’s what animators do.
😊
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I never worked on ‘Rugrats’ - but many of my best friends did.
Lots of those guys hated working on the show - and who can blame them?
Every shot had no less than six babies in it they had to draw.
In general, creating “angry art” is a common practice on any production…
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HOT TAKE:
In order to tell a story, you need to have a story to tell.
Bob Iger says creators at Disney have lost sight of what their jobs should be, entertain first, not messages.
He adds that stories infused with “positive messages for the world” can be great but that it shouldn’t be the primary job.
(Source:
@sherman4949
)
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#RickAndMorty
#Animation
#AdultSwim
It’s really not a bombastic story, but I’ll do my best…
While ‘Rick and Morty’ was in development, I had become known as a “pilot guy.”
That is, I got asked to direct pilots. A lot.
I enjoyed this little happenstance because…
Cont.
The bombastic success of ‘The Fairly Oddparents’ and ‘Rick and Morty.’
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THIS!!!
This This This This This!!!
There’s nothing more frustrating than a director who doesn’t know what they want!
And as for animation as film, he’s 100% right - in animation, every single blade of grass moves because that’s what the director told it to do.
Bravo, Steve!
STEVEN SPIELBERG talking about his belief that all directors should be animators first.
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#Animation
#cartoons
I don’t fear writing challenges or network notes… y’know why?
Because in 2003 I was asked by
#Disney
TVA to take “Jungle Book” and turn it into a ‘wacky comedy.’
And I DID it.
So… you think you have a “challenge”?
I eat challenges for brunch.
Pg. 1/16
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The character designs for both shows look very intentionally “fun to draw”.
I feel like a lot of shows do the opposite… drawing ‘The Wild Thornberrys’ was like a punishment.
A lot of animated shows try so hard to be “unique” that they bog down the production…
Cont.
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#animation
#cartoons
#cartoon
#Nickelodeon
#InvaderZim
INVADER 'F'
part one
Reflections on my Short Time working on 'Invader Zim' - a Nickelodeon Cartoon
DISCLAIMER:
You should just assume that everything I'm about to tell you is wrong...
cont.
Did I say “Tuesday”?
I meant “Wednesday.”
I don’t wanna rush through it and tomorrow I’ll be able to actually focus on it.
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…and while I am even grateful to Butch Hartman for giving me my big break, the bottom line is that there were three people besides Butch that made those first 3-4 seasons truly exceptional:
Bob Boyle, Steve Marmel and myself.
Sorry. Not sorry. I’m finally “owning” it.
Cont.
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This is REALLY clever!
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I’ve been thinking about this in the most objective forms I can conjure, and when I tally it all up, I gave more to the show than it gave to me.
Not by a LOT… I’m just saying I don’t feel guilty for squeezing some mojo from it.
Butch, Bob and Steve get residuals. I don’t.
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#FairlyOddparents
#Nickelodeon
#Animation
Hey new people…
FUN FAIRY FACT:
This was my scene.
I unwittingly created a meme.
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Y’know what’s funny about this whole
#hazbinhotel
#HelluvaBoss
hullabaloo?
I had ZERO idea that the designs for this show had a “controversy” attached!
I just knew that this was one of those things that a lotta folks liked and felt I should express my impressions on it.
Cont.
#Animation
I haven’t immersed myself in
#HazbinHotel
or
#HelluvaBoss
the way I probably should’ve by now… I’ve seen a few episodes and I definitely get the massive appeal, but beyond its obvious charms, it gets something really “right” that I wish more productions did…
Cont.
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The difference is, Steve and Bob went on to be known very distinctively for their unique contributions to the show.
Everything I did for the show - and it was A LOT - was accredited to Butch.
I’m not placing blame or asking for “sympathy.”
I’m just stating facts.
Cont.
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#animation
#Simpsons
HOLY CRAP!
Look what I found!
My ‘Simpsons’ Layout Artist test circa 1996!
No wonder I didn’t get the job…
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Again, PLEASE don’t feel sorry for me… I’m not asking for pity… my life has been a roller coaster of blessings. I wouldn’t change a thing because it all brought me to where I am now.
But I’m kinda done being modest about it.
Zig-a-zig AH, Party People!
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…this too…
FUN FAIRY FACTS: There have been several ‘Fairly Oddparents’ TV movies at this point… but it all began with an episode called “Action Packed”… my debut as a director and the second cartoon I had ever directed … (cont.)
#Nickelodeon
#cartoon
#animation
#storyboards
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Okay, I worded this post VERY poorly…
Let me clarify…
The sphinx in the clip IS a CGI rendering, but it was a frame-by-frame match to my hand-drawn animation with a couple of tiny alterations.
But the fact remains: that is MY animation we’re seeing on screen.
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“The show sucked after John Fountain left.”
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@4thContext
Especially when the Butch Hartman one was supposed to be me because I was the one at the studio at 2am storyboarding the hell out of that sequence, not him.
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The bombastic success of ‘The Fairly Oddparents’ and ‘Rick and Morty.’
What's something in the world you know you're directly responsible for but if you were to claim credit you'd sound crazy?
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I was right… very fun to draw!
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Hey, gran’paw… your drawing sucks!”
Yes, but I DON’T WORK ON THE SHOW SO IT DOESN’T MATTER!
I had fun drawing it. Drawing it was fun. If drawing it isn’t fun for you, don’t draw it.
Cheers,
@VivziePop
!
#Animation
I haven’t immersed myself in
#HazbinHotel
or
#HelluvaBoss
the way I probably should’ve by now… I’ve seen a few episodes and I definitely get the massive appeal, but beyond its obvious charms, it gets something really “right” that I wish more productions did…
Cont.
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Yes… I created this scene.
3) Every time someone uses the “IF I HAD ONE!” meme I get a coupon for half-off order of small fries at Wendy’s.
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I have not seen ‘Wish’ … so the following comments cannot be targeted to it, but merely address some of Frans’ finer points…
Part of knowing how to make things move is knowing when to make them NOT move.
Cont.
Animation veteran Frans Vischer's (Cats Don't Dance, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Roger Rabbit) take on Wish. Important to see an animator pinpoint the exact problems with the animation itself, since the regular viewer might not know how to get across those specific critiques.
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Yeah! I sure wish an actual animator would show up!
Btw, here’s another scene of mine…
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ZIMMORIES
My unreliable memories from my short time on
#InvaderZim
at
#Nickelodeon
The first season of any new show is almost always the worst.
But before I continue…
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I’m finally gonna say it out loud:
I do not care for ‘The Family Guy.’
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#animation
#animation2d
#CartoonArt
#cartoons
#Collectible
#Collectibles
#FairlyOddparents
#InvaderZim
#Nickelodeon
Check it out…
Quite possibly some of the last hand-painted animation cels created for Nick shows I worked on…
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PRO-TIP:
Kids... if you're trying to break into the industry as an artist, your Twitter Feed should be mostly stuff BY YOU!
I'm constantly scoping out up and coming artists, but when I go to a page and it's nothing but memes and other peoples' artwork, I assume they're not
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Butch Hartman.
Don’t forget to follow the link below and hit SUBSCRIBE to support my teams of independent animators!
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Good lord… what I could have done for half that money in a tenth of the time.
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A high powered
#Disney
executive once scolded me for an hour because he hated my art direction for
#AmericanDragonJakeLong
but I refused to adopt a Klasky-like design style (which is what he wanted) because I wouldn’t contribute to more pain in the world.
Cont.
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…and, consequently, 99.999% of everyone’s time is spent trying to appease the goddammed “model sheets.”
You get told all kinds of dipshit rules like “Oh - by the way, never EVER show the character from behind” …
Cont.
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#FairlyOddParents
#fairly_oddparents
#fairlyoddparentsreboot
#Nickelodeon
#animation
#cartoons
#cartoon
Here's my only issue with an FOP reboot...
The show had a REALLY long run. It's not like it "got the shaft" like so many other shows. It lived its life...
cont.
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Let’s talk about FoP shall we…
This is how clueless I am:
I knew there was another live action
#FairlyOddParents
‘thing’ coming out, but there’s been like ten of those and I’ve never watched any of them. Not out of spite or anything… (Cont.)
#Nickelodeon
#ParamountPlus
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I’ve tried watching the live action “Alladin” and “Little Mermaid” and I feel like the biggest problem with these two efforts is that their animated counterparts were just much better directed.
Sorry, but animation directors are better directors than live action directors.
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…AS IF Rob said to me: “Here, John… YOU do it!”
Suffice it to say, Rob did NOT endorse this.
But having been a writer, artist and director for the show, I feel pretty good about my treatment.
Is it “canon”?
No.
But it’s something.
Do with this information what thou wilt.
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Even
#InvaderZim
- which was fun for ME to draw (because it was coincidentally similar to my own style) - was not fun for a lot of people to draw… many artists who hadn’t been exposed to Jhonen’s work found it very frustrating because…
Cont.
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#mlaatr
#mylifeasateenagerobot
This was one of my favorite “acting” moments with Jenny ever.
Her face is so simple that it can be tough to capture subtleties like “barely disguised disdain” but by golly this turned out great and Janice nailed the VO!
Easter Egg!
Dateline: My Life as a TeenageRobot
In “No Harmony with Melody” there is a cockroach named after an old boss of mine who made a point of letting me know every day that they really disliked me.
(First person to retweet this “Easter egg” wins a prize!)
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Okay, but I’m also say this:
1) I’ve met Seth MacFarlane and he was incredibly nice.
2) I enjoy ‘Ted’.
3) I have very talented friends who work on Seth’s shows.
4) And, most importantly, I GET why many people like it. I don’t begrudge them in the slightest.
It’s just not for me.
I’m finally gonna say it out loud:
I do not care for ‘The Family Guy.’
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@Nscaleguy1
Well, but that was the joke I was kinda making:
The ravages of storyboarding this epic battle leads to me going supernova.
It was supposed to be kinda self deprecating.
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#animation
I dunno when “model sheets” were endowed with godlike authority over all else, but I don’t think it’s been helpful to animation as an artform.
Everything should be in service to the story.
EVERYTHING.
See the drawing below? It’s mine.
VERY “off model.”
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Oh my gosh this is gorgeous!
Hey
@RobRenzetti
! Lookie 👇
As the 1st Anniv. of
@Sunflowerclub_
's
#IndieAnimationDay
comes to a close, and with the release of our short film, we wanted to give thanks to all the wonderful indie artists out there.💙🌻
We're sorry we couldn't spend the day retweeting cool projects. We'll make it up tmrw!
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Now that I’ve begun producing independent animation, we have exactly ONE design rule:
It MUST be fun to draw.
Cont.
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FUN FACT:
The commission below represents the FIRST and ONLY time I have ever drawn Poof!
Collector’s item, much? 😃
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(1/25)Let's talk about my relationship with Butch Hartman and try to bring this full circle, shall we?
PART ONE:
NOTE - These are the events AS I REMEMBER THEM!
I could be getting some, a lot, or ALL of this WRONG! Keep that in mind.
This is a long one... (fun facts in comments)
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At least it’s an actual cartoon movie and not one of those horrible live-action abominations with CGI animals that don’t look like living creatures.
The first trailer for ‘GARFIELD’, starring Chris Pratt as Garfield.
In theaters on May 24.
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Sigh
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#FairlyOddParents
#meme
#memes
#animation
#CartoonArt
#cartoons
#Nickelodeon
Quick question…
Can a meme be art?
Can art be a meme?
Let’s find out!
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When you talk about the single greatest individual cartoons, things like “Wabbit Season” or “The Cat Concerto”… but I would submit to you that
@VincentWaller72
’s “Rubber Nipple Salesmen” belongs in that pantheon as well.
Simple… subversive… Brilliant.
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…when the mandate is “Make this look like the creator drew every single frame themselves!” it becomes slightly less fun to draw.
So, while Zim was fun to draw, it wasn’t DESIGNED to be fun to draw.
Cont.
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Let's get this out of the way...
Firstly, my apologies to
@4thContext
and
@ChikoritaCheez
for unintentionally highjacking an otherwise pleasant little post about "Creator Cameos" and making it about myself. That wasn't my intention... (1/6)
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He and I used to play ping pong in the
#Nickelodeon
courtyard.
Not only does he have a helluva backhand, he’s a really nice fella.
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…or the script calls for a character to do push-ups but their design makes it virtually impossible.
I’m not saying I hate all shows that have a unique art direction, I’m just saying that they’re often not that fun to draw.
Cont.
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…we clearly had a synchronized ‘vision’ for the show because when he talked about his favorite episodes on his channel, about 4 of the 6 he named were episodes I directed… (Cont.)
FUN FAIRY FACT: until last night, I had no idea this was a meme.
#FairlyOddParents
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Not having one particular style that I’m known for, my mandate has always been that I always want everything I create to be fun to draw - because, as I’ve said MANY times, I believe that “fun” is the elusive “magic ingredient” shows are often missing.
Cont.
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You can tell when people working on a show are miserable. It oozes from every frame. It inhibits the magic of the artform.
But when characters are fun to draw, you draw them for fun!
…suddenly everyone on your production is giving your show that extra “oomph”…
Cont.
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…anyway, I’m quite certain I let it all go to my head, but I can also sit back and feel proud of those first few seasons where I got to really establish much of the show’s “canon”… (cont.)
FUN FAIRY FACT: I was the first to put dad’s hair in the single curler.
#Nickelodeon
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#animation
#cartoons
Television animation is an industry that openly hates itself.
What do I mean?
It's an industry that - very often - is run by people with absolutely no interest in what it makes.
cont.
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I’m sure you won’t believe me - and I’m only speaking for myself, but I’m being 100% truthful when I say this:
I’d rather draw that character doing acrobatic exercises than Timmy Turner washing the dishes.
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Which one? The show chewed up and spit out like five different directors (me included) before making it on the air! 🤣
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#WarnerBros
#CoyoteVsACME
#animation
#cartoons
Here’s why Chuck Jones was more brilliant than he gets credit for…
‘Coyote and Roadrunner’ was intended to be its own solo series.
Knowing the limitations of TV budgets, deadlines, etc. …
Cont.
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