Remembering Mike Constable

 

It is with great sadness that I learned that cartoonist Mike Constable lost, last Friday, his battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

In keeping with Mike’s preference for informality, and to celebrate him in a place where he spent a lot of time, a memorial get-together will be held, from 3-6 pm, this Sunday at Last Temptation, 12 Kensington Avenue, Toronto.

Here are a few remembrances about a dear friend.

The NFB at the Ottawa International Animation Festival

From the NFB website. 

From September 25 to 29, the Festival will present 17 NFB productions or co-productions, including 6 films in official competition:

• Maybe Elephants by Torill Kove
• Society of Clothes by Dahee Jeong
• In the Shallows by Arash Akhgari, Samaa d'Ehsan Gharib (world premiere)
• Hairy Legs by Andrea Dorfman and
• Unblending by Michelle Ku (available on line).

Mickey Mouse and the Public Domain

From Dave Alvarez Studios.

First of all, let me assure you that Disney has the Mouse very well protected and that their lawyers are sitting there, quietly waiting for someone to get out of line.

A gray line situation perhaps.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival

From the Festival's website.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival will take place September 20 – 24, 2023.

BBC Scotland removes cartoons of politicians from social media

From BBC News.

Caricature of Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater

The assault on ‘nasty’ cartoonists and the censorship of their work continues unabated. The latest bowing to political pressure and culling of satirical commentary comes from BBC Scotland.

"30 Years of Wallace & Gromit" Exhibition

From the Cartoon Museum.

The Cartoon Museum will be opening an exhibition this September with Aardman to celebrate 30 years of Wallace and Gromit and "TheWrongTrousers".

The museum will be displaying a treasure trove of Wallace and Gromit goodies, including storyboards, sketches, props and insight from the people that made the film. We will also be exploring the cartoons that inspired Nick Park and his team. 

Nancy Beiman Introduces "Fur Babies"

From Fur Babies

Veteran animator Nancy Beiman retired last Fall and then when Winter came, took up comic stripping.

"Local Fauna: The Art of Peter de Sève"

From Abrams Books.

Local Fauna, the definitive monograph by leading artist and illustrator Peter de Sève, features beloved New Yorker covers, iconic animated characters, and much more. 

"The Flying Sailor" nominated for an Oscar

From The Calgary Citizen.

The Flying Sailor, Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

The film The Flying Sailor by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), is nominated for an Oscar in the category of best animated short film.

Two ships collide in a harbour, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. With ears ringing, blood pulsing and guts heaving, he soars high above the mayhem and towards the great unknown. 

A bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy, The Flying Sailor is an exhilarating contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence.

Filmmaker Gerald Potterton (1931–2022)

From Web Mag.

Buster Keaton and Gerald Potterton during the production of The Railrodder in 1965.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is saddened to learn of the death of filmmaker Gerald Potterton, who died at the Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital in Cowansville, Quebec, on the evening of Tuesday, August 23, at the age of 91.

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus 2022

From CXC 2022.

CXC 2022 Poster Art and Logo by Robyn Smith, Design by Geoff Raker

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC), the international showcase for cartoon art, is excited to announce its featured guests for the 2022 festival running October 6th to 9th, the organization’s first fully in-person festival since 2019. 

CXC brings the global family of cartoon storytellers, comic makers, and animators together with the people who love and are inspired by cartoon art, and connects them in Columbus, Ohio.

Telnaes named EWK Laureate

 From the AAEC website.

The Washington Post’s Ann Telnaes is this year’s winner of the EWK Prize. Named after political cartoonist Ewert Karlsson, and presented each year by the EWK Society in Sweden, the award celebrates satirists and cartoonists around the globe.

The selection jury noted that Telnaes’ work “appears as a ‘shining star of hope’ for picture-oriented journalism in a media landscape under pressure,” and that “her scathing visual comments, honed by her characteristic style, have been a force in the political game.”

Ottawa International Animation Festival

 From the Animation Festival website.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976. 

OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub. This year the event is taking its screenings and talks online with extended dates from September 22 to October 3.

You can find the schedule here.

Dan Murphy Wins Animation Award

 From Monstra Festival.

In a ceremony that took place at Cinema São Jorge, in Lisbon on July 31, the winners of the Festival Monstra 2021 were announced. 
In the Super Short Film Competition, dedicated to films with less than two minutes, the winners were: Water, by Cesar Diaz Melendez for Best International Short Film, and 101 Utilizations Pour Un Pénis Coupé, by Dan Murphy for Best Portuguese Short Film.

Copyright lawsuit proceeds against Disney and Pixar

 From The National Post.

If you were a student of animation at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., twenty years ago, you probably saw a 14-minute live-action low-budget student production about the internal life of a boy called Lewis and how his behaviour is controlled by five organs, each personified as a character: Brain, Stomach, Colon, Bladder and Heart.

It was called Inside Out.

150th Day in Jail for Egyptian Cartoonist Ashraf Hamdi

 From Cartooning for Peace.

On January 25th 2021 Ashraf Hamdi, celebrated creator of Egyptoon, a brand of animated satirical social media content, was arrested at his home in Giza, Egypt. 

He posted a brief comment – “They are coming.” – to his Facebook page shortly after re-posting a link to an old animated cartoon that made a humorous observation about the 2011 revolutionary movement, Jan. 25th being the tenth anniversary of that event. 

The comment has since been deleted and the cartoon in question removed from YouTube.

"The Dog Show: Two Centuries of Canine Cartoons" at Ohio State

 

Snoopy, Biscuit, Grimmy, Marmaduke, Farley, Otto, Earl, Odie, Snert, Dawg, Sandy and Ruff.
Art by Eric Reaves. 

The Ohio State University Libraries presents The Dog Show: Two Centuries of Canine Cartoons, an exhibition curated by comics historian Brian Walker, features over one hundred different characters documenting the fascination that cartoonists have had with our furry friends. 

The Dog Show is on view June 19 through October 31, 2021. Admission is free.

Bill Sanders 1930-2021

 Jordyn Noennig in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Former Milwaukee Journal political cartoonist William (Bill) Sanders died Saturday at the age of 90. 

Sanders was a thorn in the side of politicians locally, especially Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier, but presidents from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump also felt the heat from his pen. 

Spitting Image returns to British TV

Spitting Image has revealed its Boris Johnson, Prince Andrew and Dominic Cummings puppets ahead of the show's return.

The prime minister's puppet has a mass of spiky blonde hair, while his key adviser, Mr Cummings, is seen in his trademark hoodie with a flamboyant silver collar.

Tales from the Vault: 40 Years / 40 Stories

From the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

(Top row, left to right)
1 – Rube Goldberg, Rube Goldberg Views the News for His Latest Invention, March 31, 1951.
2 – Richard F. Outcault, Around the World with the Yellow Kid: The Yellow Kid Invades Germany, 1897.
3 – Al Capp, Li’l Abner, October 21, 1946.
4 – Lyn Chevli and Joyce Farmer, Abortion Eve, 1973.
(Bottom row, left to right)
1 – Various artists, All-Negro Comics No. 1, June 1947.
2 – Lynn Johnston, For Better or For Worse, April 10, 1995.
3 – Victor F. Gillam, Phryne before the Chicago Tribunal, June 4, 1884.

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has launched a new digital exhibition based on our 2017 exhibit, Tales from the Vault: 40 Years / 40 Stories, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of our founding.