Animation Roundup - Gingerokalypse, Neighbors, Pretty Little Things

Gingerokalypse was created over a one month period by Will McKenzie and his classmates at the University of Bristol, showcasing the explosively badass imagination of a rather unassuming little redheaded boy. Very He-man, with a dash of Conan the Barbarian.

Animation Roundup - FL'UX, Short Peace, Caveirão

The newest trailer for the Short Peace anime anthology featuring some of the best directors in the anime industry today just dropped, including: Redline’s Katsuhito Ishii, Freedom's Shuhei Morita and Super Robot Wars' Hajime Katoki, Koji Morimoto and of course, Katsuhiro Otomo of Akira and Steamboy fame. The shorts all seem like they'll share a similar hybrid style, mixing 3D and 2D in varying degrees. Can't wait for this one!

Animation Roundup : Onion, Sanguine, Two Chips

'Onion' is a charming animation by Erin Kim following the strange misadventures of an onion in a kitchen. Using an awesome aesthetic which mixed a paper cut out style and wtercolor, this short is all about a vegetable trying to find some friends with a similarly pungent disposition. Garlic it is!



Tracy Munch's 'Sanguine' is a pseudo-animated film around a red headed seductress putting her skills to use in a dark, moody bar. However, it's not men's hearts she yearns to win over, but something else entirely.



Based on a true story, 'Two Chips' is a humorous short based off of animator Adam Patch's wife drunkenly telling him a story following a few too many glasses of wine. Short, sweet and to the point.

Animation Roundup: He Was A Sweet Man, Studio Ghibli's From Up On Poppy Hill, Ni No Kuni

Delving in to the world of the very abstract, we come across animator Daniela Sherer's 'He Was A Sweet Man.' The concept is simple, a woman mourning the loss of her boyfriend, who's only flaw was being too sweet, literally. Following his turning into a pile of sugar. Loved the B&W straight ahead animation style.



Next up, good news for all Studio Ghibli fans as 'From Up On Poppy Hill' (コクリコ坂から) is getting a US release on March 15th. Set in Yokohama around 1964, the story follows the tale of Umi and Shun, two school kids caught up amidst a cultural shift following World War 2. With that signature Ghibli style and an understated narrative, we're looking forward to checking this out.



And Bandai Namco just recently released this animated story trailer for the critically acclaimed Ghibli foray into the RPG world with Level 5, Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Wtich. Due to it being sold out just about everywhere, we're going to have to wait a little to finally get our chance to play it. The trailer gives us that warm, fuzzy retro RPG feeling. Memorable characters, a beautiful world and a great narrative make this a well rounded package. 

Animation Roundup - Una Furtiva Lagrima, Loosaure, Same

Sometimes a little too much animation goodness heads our way to post, so we'll be doing roundups from now on. Let's kick things off with Carlo Vogele's stop motion short about sad opera music and his curious interest regarding the tragic destiny of fish. Animated in his San Francisco apartment in 2011, the short has gone on to tour internationally, picking up a half dozen accolades at various animation festivals, including Annecy. Check out the poster here!



Loosaure is a fun, bite sized FX exercise created by a small team over at Les Gobelins, narrating a very sudden end to the Dinosaur age. And the catchy music? Created by the San Francisco cover band Pomplamoose, specifically their interpretations of a Lady Gaga track and the Angry Birds theme song.



And last but not least we have Zach Cohen's animated short called 'Same,' created over the course of a five day marathon with the theme of 'Beyond the mirror.' An office worker discovers that fitting in isn't quite as simple as he had envisioned.