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   Annecy Winners  (18.06.07)

   Earlier in the year, the Italians fell for the pleasures of several UK
   productions. And now, three months on, us Brits can celebrate
   the fact that we stormed France too. That's because the big
   animation awards were dished out at Annecy over the weekend,
   and UK productions walked off with 9 of their sparkling Cristals.

   The big winner was Peter and The wolf. That's the rather splendid
   stop-motion special from Susie Templeton and the team at Se-ma
   in Poland. It's the kind of film that's guaranteed festival success,
   and at Annecy it collected both The Audience Award and the
   big one, The Annecy Cristal.

   Aardman Animation's "Shaun the Sheep" rounded up the Cristal for
   Best TV Production, and they snatched a second prize too. "The
   Pearce Sisters" was produced by the studio and directed by Luis Cook,
   and the ten minute tale nabbed the Jury's Special Award in the
   Short Film section.

   Meanwhile, Charlie and Lola snatched Special Award for a TV Series.
   And Kez Margrie and the BBC/Slinky Pictures won twice for their
   sociably aware mixed-media film "The Wrong Trainers". The film,
   which features five real stories about poverty in the UK, was given
   both a UNICEF award and one for best TV Special.

   Last, but by no means least, the UK proved yet again that is has
   talent in depth with two winners in the Graduation Films category.
   "t.o.m." by Tom Brown and Daniel Benjamin Gray won the Award
   for Best Graduation Film, whilst Tibor Banoczki's "Milk Teeth"
   collected the Jury's Special Award. Here's a rather intriguing clip
   from the latter:

   

    T'is a curious beast indeed!

    Tibor is an NFTS Graduate, and if you want to find out more about
    what's coming out of there you should stop by their MySpace home,
    where there are lots of clips to view and talk about.

    For now, though., let's congratulate all those jolly Annecy winners...

                                                                         More: Annecy
   
 

  It's an OBE, Gromit   (18.06.07)

   Well done to Peter Sallis, who we're told has scooped up an
   OBE in this year's Brithday Honours List, for his services to drama.
   Peter's 86 years young now, and something of an institution here in
   the UK for playing Norman Clegg in the seemingly never-ending
   BBC sitcom "Last of the Summer Wine". Goodness that one's
   in its fourth decade now...

   

   Of course, us toon fans know and love him for being the voice of
   Wallace, the human half of that so-special partnership of man and
   dog brought to life by Nick Park and Aardman Animation. Peter's
   voice is so distinct in the role, perfectly married to his plasticene
   counterpart... There's such enthusiasm there... And those little
   quips and quirky asides are delivered with so many layers...
   
   "We've tested this on Gromit,
    haven't we, lad?"

   That's a famous line from A Close Shave, of course. It's spoken when
   Wallace has just dunked Shaun into his new washing machine.
   Oh, but the way Peter Sallis delivers that line is so clever. He's telling
   us a fact. But the way in which it's pitched as us, there's just so
   much information there... They used this contraption on poor
   Gromit and it so obviously went awry. And when the dawg rolls
   his eyes by way of a response, it just confirms what we were
   thinking so succinctly...
   
   Yep, big congratulations to Mr Sallis. That's a crackin' award,
   so it is, and so thoroughly deserved...

                                                                     More: BBC News

 

  Suits you  (17.06.07)

   As regular folks here will know, The Animation Art Gallery launched
   a range of Mr Benn giclee prints earlier in the year which went down
   a treat. So it won't come as a surprise to hear that they've just gone
   and expanded the line...

   

   Oh, curse them, they've now launched a range of minitature editions.
   There are 16 mini giclees in the new collection, depicting Mr Benn in
   each of his famous fancy dress costumes. That's Mr Benn as the
   Red Knight, Clown, Caveman, Spaceman - even as a Gladiator.
   Of course, we also get a print of him in his standard issue pinstripe,
   and an additional jolly Shopkeeper print. These "Mr Benn Adventures",
   as they're known, only measure 8"x8" which makes 'em perfect to
   sneak into the nooks and crannies around your house, and even better,
   they come to you already framed and ready to hang at a ridiculously
   affordable price.

   Does this sound like another sales pitch for our favourite London Gallery?
   Well, darn it, it is. There have been a number of fantastic Brit-toon
   releases through their store this year, and frankly, they're exactly
   the sort of thing this Hound has been waiting for, seemingly for eons.
   
   And there's more to come, because Lollipop Animation and Cult Prints
   also have some wonderful Brit-centric releases up their sleeves. Truly,
   this is the Year of the Giclee!...    

                                                   More: The Animation Art Gallery

 

  Crackin' strides, Gromit   (14.06.07)

   Well, it's almost that time again. You know, time to delve into the
   recesses of your wardorbe in search of those clown bottomed trousers,
   or a longlost tutu...

   Yep, Wrong Trousers Day is fast approaching. As inaugurated by
   wallace and Gromit and the fine folks at Aardman Animation, this is
   a fun fundraising excuse to wear absoloutely ridiculous bottom-half
   attire in the name of charity. This year's event takes place on June 29th,
   and here's a little more blurb for you:

   

   "On Friday 29th June you can join thousands of people
   across the country and ‘Get your kit on’ to raise money
   for children in hospitals and hospices all around the UK.

   You decide what to wear, your favourite football kit, tennis
   shorts or cricket whites, the choice is yours, just have fun!
   If your organisation has a strict uniform policy you can simply
   wear one of our great Wrong Trousers Day stickers to show
   your support.

   To register to take part and receive your fantastic
   Wallace & Gromit Fundraising pack please log on to    www.wrongtrousersday.org..."

   That web site has plenty more information, news, competitions,
   downloads and even stuff to buy, so there's no excuse not to contribute
   in some small way. Wallace & Gromit's Children Foundation is making
   big strides into the quality of life of sick children in hospitals and
   hospices across the UK.

   Already, some 2500,000 people have signed up for the event, and
   there's a big push on to try and get 1million signatories on board
   come the big day.

   So stride on over, and get signed up!

                           More: Wallace & Gromit's Childrens Foundation

 

  Crikey!  (06.06.07)

   There's a brand new Brit-comics mag in town this month. Not a magazine
   full of comic strips, you understand, but a magazine all about our favourite
   weeklies from years gone by. "Crikey!" celebrates the grand old days
   of the British comic weekly with unbridled enthusiasm (much like our own
   little Fleetway St. section, no less). And editor-in-chief Brian M Clarke has
   kindly snuck a copy into The Hound's own mailbox...

    

   Issue one looks at a smattering of the weirdest comic strip stars to have
   surfaced over the years, takes a gander at the worlds of Frank Bellamy,
   pays tributes to "Wham!" comic, "Misty" and "Jackie" and reproduces
   David Britton's exemplary interview with the munster master Ken Reid. 
   There's a giddy guide to "My Comicy Saturday", some Fiendishly Interesting
   info on British horror comics of the past, and - well - let's just say there are
   plenty of happy memories on show, as well as some very handy comics info.
   Fifty-two pages, in all, for just £3.99.

   "Crikey!" has hit the presses full of promise, and more striptastic
   memories are promised every quarter. To find out more, and to purchase
   copies of this grand new mag, pop on over to the official web site. You
   can take out a full subscription  there, too. Oh, and whilst you're there, 
   get us a Sherbert Dip Dab and a couple of Bazooka Joe's...
  
                                                                              More: Crikey!

 

   The Book Gnome Knows  (30.04.07)

    What does the Book Gnome know, exatly?

    Well, he knows all about the Hound's secret passion. Or rather,
    the Hound's other secret passion. You see, as well as being a
    topnotch toon freak, Yours Truly also likes nothing better than a
    darned good read.

    Yep, I'm a book freak. I devour 'em. But more than that, I collect
    them too. There's something just so special about having a signed
    first edition in your hands. It makes the reading even more pleasurable.
    Now, I don't just collect any old books. I like children's fiction.
    No, scrap that. I love children's fiction. It's my favourite genre.
    and I've always kept abreast of the latest news and releases.

    But you know, a funny thing happened a few years back. A chap
    called Harry Potter popped up on the book scene, and his success
    has led to publishers flooding the market, month on month, with
    titles that they like to think are The Next Big Thing. It's all a bit
    dizzying, if you don't know what's what.

    

    Only, the Hound knows exactly what's what. So I thought now
    might be a good time to start sharing that knowledge with folks
    on the web. And to this end, The Book Gnome was born
    (www.thebookgnome.co.uk). Think of it as a companion to
    Toonhound, enthusing and informing in just the same way.
    Only this time, it's all about books, lovely books...

    Now it's very early days. The new site is still coming together,
    finding its layout and place in the scheme of things. Plus it needs
    more content - a heck more content, indeed. But if you drop by
    and take a gander, I hope you'll find it a worthwhile place to
    bookmark and return to, as it develops. And I hope you'll be
    informed. I'd certainly welcome any feedback you can offer, as I pull
    everything together and the new site yawns and stretches,
    and steps out, blinking into the online sunshine...

    Ah, me. Toons and books. My two great loves. I can't wait to
    share 'em with you...

    Till next time!

              thehound@toonhound.com

 
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