Tonko House Announce Storybook Sequels To 'The Dam Keeper'

(source)

We've been following the production of Dice Tsutumi and Robert Kondo's short-film The Dam Keeper for quite some time now. Having finally had the chance to see it amid the remarkable hub-bub over its Academy Awards nomination(!), I can say confidently without a doubt that the film was entirely worth the wait.

But if you're worried that the achingly short, if gorgeous, short-film was the only product of its three-plus development time, worry no more! There's still more of The Dam Keeper to come in the form of two illustrated storybooks published by First Second Books slated for release next year!

The Dam Keeper deserves all the praised it's garnered and then-some. A poignantly beautiful testament to the patience and artistry of hand-drawn animation. Tsutumi and Kondo have assembled an all-star team of talented illustrators and animators and I can't wait to see what they share with us in the years to come!

(The Dam Keeper is available for purchase through iTunes and Amazon)

'After You Die' Answers An Age-Old Question In The Cheekiest Way

Comedian Cartoonist Ramin Nazer's picture-book "After You Die" is a colorful and irreverent look at one of the otherwise most solemn and universal questions of the human condition; What happens after I die? Proudly proclaiming itself as non-denominational, After You Die combines robots, skeletons, surprise parties, the fourth dimension and Super Jail-esque visual to chart a hilarious road-trip through the annals of the after-life. Condensing the concepts of Ghosticism, Christianity, Existentialism, and Solipsism in a way that's both hilarious and easy to understand.

If you feel like having a physical book to flip through and show to your friends, Check out his personal website and order a copy!

Little Prince Trailer is Beautiful, Surprising in the Best Possible Way

Le Petit Prince (or as it's better known in the anglosphere The Little Prince) is one of the most long-enduring and celebrated works of children's literature of all-time. The first trailer for the latest adaptation of this classic novella has been released, and it's beautiful and surprising in the best possible way.

Written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and published in 1943, The Little Prince follows a young boy as he falls to Earth from a comet, stranded in a desert as he searches for safety and peace of mind in a harsh, alien world.

I never read the book as a child, but I did read it to my 5 year-old godson once and I can honestly say that we were both transformed for the experience. The decision to add a "real-world"story as a framing device in this film is an intriguing one. I'm looking forward to seeing how that culminates alongside the original. The Little Prince comes out October 7th of next year. I can't wait til this one makes it stateside!

The Children's Book-Esque Art of Annette Marnat

(Via)

Upon first finding the work of Annette Marnat I was instantly hit with a rush of nostalgia, as books I once grew up with instantly flashed before my eyes. While Annette Marnat's work does not necessarily reflect a particular artist, the vintage feel of the colors and beautiful brush strokes of each figure struck me as something I would have found in books I read as a child. The feeling of warmth that each piece gives can only be described as the love put into each and every one of Marnat's pieces.

Of course my initial "children's book" reaction was quickly acknowledged as seen by a few pieces after the jump. While Annette's website may be in French, it's quite easy to navigate  and can be found over here. Hit the jump for a few more instances of here amazing work.