Oh, Boy! The Avengers are Back - Almost

"Disney And Marvel Team Up For New Cartoon Programming"
Mike Thompson, The Escapist (January 12, 2012)

"Starting this April, Marvel and Disney will provide you with an entire hour of cartoons jam-packed with comic-y goodness.

"Marvel Comics is joining forces with parent group The Walt Disney Company to create a new programming block of comic-based cartoons. The block will include the return of popular series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the launch of the delayed Ultimate Spider-Man...."

This is good news for the Lemming. Reruns of The Avengers have been playing on Disney Channel, late, on some weekend evenings. Looks like enough folks like Marvel's characters to warrant a comeback.

Well, probably good news. There's always the chance that the Ultimate Spider-Man will be a little too "ultimate:" with angst, acrobatics, or some other aspect of the show turned up so much we can't 'hear' the story. Or a director could forget that these are comic book heroes, and try to bring Shakespearean demeanor to Tony Stark and associates.

Or: maybe this will be another entertaining, relatively lightweight, bit of entertainment. The Lemming rather hopes so.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

• "Comics Artist Will Eisner: Born 94 Years Ago Today"
  (March 6, 2011)
• "Dilbert, Lawyers, and the Lemming"
  (February 22, 2011)
• "The Horror! Monster Comics that Scared Congress"
  (October 31, 2010)
• "Soldier Zero, Starborn and The Traveler at Comic-Con"
  (July 23, 2010)
• "Protesting Against New Technology - the Early Days"
  (February 23, 2009)

A Sentimental, Heartwarming Holiday Movie: Despicable Me

"Despicable Me - Own it on Blu-ray & DVD 12/14 - Double Pack Trailer"

DespicableMeMovie, YouTube (November 22, 2010)
video, 2:31

The Lemming enjoyed this heartwarming, sentimental tale of a mad scientist and the three children who join him as he's planning to steal the moon.

The DespicableMeMovie video is clearly intended to encourage folks to rush out and buy DVD/Blue Ray copies of the movie - and the three new mini-movies, featuring the Minions. It's also entertaining - the music alone was perky enough to keep the Lemming's attention for two and a half minutes.

Bear in mind that the Lemming got about four hours sleep last night: so your experience may vary. Actually, your experience might vary even if the Lemming had gotten his full eight hours.

The Lemming liked those little chaps.

The Minions.

Beans with goggles and an unlikely complexion.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: Big Buck Bunny Animation

"Big Buck Bunny animation (1080p HD)"

sophiejvc, YouTube (September 11, 2009)
video, 9:57

"An animated short film about a Big Buck Bunny in HD

"(c) copyright Blender Foundation | www.bigbuckbunny.org"

(This video is at the ragged edge of viewable size for this blog - you may want to follow the link to its YouTube page.)

The Lemming, having viewed this dramatic animation, is reminded of the notice regarding motive, moral, and plot placed by Twain at the start of "Huckleberry Finn." (September 17, 2010)

Flintstone's 50th, Google Doodles, and All That

"Google Celebrates 50 Years of The Flintstones: A Doodle Flashback"
Ian Paul, PCWorld (September 30, 2010)

"Yabba Dabba Doodle! Google is celebrating the 50th anniversary of "The Flintstones" Thursday with a special Google Doodle featuring Fred, Wilma and the rest of the Bedrock crew. Long before "The Flintstones" were a lunchtime and afterschool favorite for kids across North America, the show debuted as a prime time comedy series on ABC on September 30, 1960. It lasted six seasons on television, and the franchise has been featured in theme parks, two live-action movies, and assorted merchandise including chewable children's vitamins...."


(Google Doodle, via PCWorld, used w/o permission)

Then there's that phrase from The Flintstones (1960-1966) theme that only a select number of folks can decipher:

"...Let's ride with the family down the street
"Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet...."
(karaoke-lyrics.net)

That was a fun series - that, and the (original/early) The Jetsons (1962–1988). In the Lemming's opinion.

Speaking of "select number," the PCWorld article displays a number of other Google Doodles of the 21st century, some of which appeared around the world: and some which didn't.

• Global
  • Claude Monet
    • November 14, 2001
  • Sputnik
    • October 4, 2007
  • TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
    • January 1, 2008
  • Large Hadron Collider
    • September 10, 2008
  • E.C. Segar
    • December 8, 2009
• Selected countries
  • NASA Moon Landing
    • July 20, 2009
  • Sesame Street 40th
    • November 10, 2009
  • Akira Kurosawa
    • March 23, 2010
• Germany
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall
    • November 9, 2009
• United States
  • Martin Luther King Jr.
    • January 19, 2009

Some of the regional selections made sense, like Martin Luther King's birthday: noteworthy to the dominant culture here in the United States, not so much elsewhere.

Others I'm not so sure about. Sputnik as a global celebration, the Yankee moon landing commemoration restricted to "selected countries," followed an all-too-familiar pattern: but Germany's Doodle about the fall of the Berlin Wall included this phrase: "Soviet oppression." That isn't politically correct, so there's probably some other reason for keeping the commemoration of humanity's first steps on another world out of some countries.

Then there's Elzie Crisler "Popeye" Segar - which was a global Doodle. and Akira "Seven Samurai" Kurosawa, which wasn't.

Google probably had a system for deciding which countries saw which doodles: but knowing that factoid isn't necessary. The Doodles are fun, by themselves - more so with the PCWorld descriptions.

Bespectacled Rabbit and Keyboard

"Special Monday Disapproval"
Disapproving Rabbits (August 9, 2010)


(from Disapproving Rabbits, used w/o permission)

"Enjoy the work week!"

This animation from Disapproving Rabbits is dedicated to everyone who worked on Monday - and went back the next day, anyway.

Enjoy.

Evil Masterminds! Colossal Thefts! Minions and a Photocopier!

"Despicable Me"
IMDB.com (Universal Pictures, 2010)

"...When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds himself profoundly changed by the growing love between them...."

" 'Despicable Me' turns Universal into a digital animation film player"
MiamiHerald.com (July 23, 2010)

"For Universal Pictures, all it took was some puny yellow minions to tackle the giants of animation.

"The studio's movie 'Despicable Me,' about a villain who enlists an army of yapping subordinates to assist in his nefarious deeds, racked up $118.4 million in its first 10 days at the box office, granting Universal something that has long eluded it: a family-friendly animated blockbuster.

"Such a windfall represents a turning point for the General Electric Co.-owned studio, which has lagged behind rivals Pixar Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox's Blue Sky Studios in establishing a foothold in the increasingly popular genre of digitally animated movies...."

I saw "Despicable Me" over the weekend. IMDB.com shows the film's rating as "Rated PG for rude humor and mild action." Fair enough. The humor is rather rude, and the action is mild - although that roller-coaster ride, wearing 3D glasses, was just short of gastrologically unsettling. Moving along.

I agree with the Miami Herald's assessment, that it's "family-friendly" - but that's me, and my family. With well upwards of 6,000,000,000 people around, there's probably someone, somewhere, who's offended, appalled, affronted, or insulted by the movie. What off-duty Minions were doing with the photocopier, for example, will almost certainly set somebody off.

The rest of us, I think, can sit back and enjoy the show. I'd call it "heartwarming:" but first, the term's been overused; and second, with all those flammable chemicals in Gru's lab, somebody might get the wrong idea.

Sort-of-related posts:

• "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: Reset"
  (June 25, 2010)
• "Killer Tomatoes: How Could I Have Missed This Classic?"
  (May 3, 2010)
• " 'The A-Team' is Back - With Pretty Good Casting"
  (February 8, 2010)
• "The Neutrinos are Coming! 2012 and Hollywood Science"
  (November 16, 2009)
• "Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella: What's the Big Idea?"
  (July 28, 2009)

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: Reset

"Toy Story 3 - Spanish Buzz"

DisneyPixar, YouTube (June 22, 2010)
video 2:10

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. Spanish dance. Dancing with the Stars. Pixar.

And a cartoon hat that was too wide.

DisneyPixar's YouTube video is definitely a promotional piece for "Toy Story 3:" and fun to watch. My opinion. One thing I appreciate about it is the quick glimpses at the production process for the film.

'Toy Story 3' - Buzz? No, Really: That was in the Headline

"'Toy Story 3' lives up to buzz with $41M opener"
The Associated Press (June 19, 2010)

" 'Toy Story 3' has become the favorite plaything for moviegoers as the animated sequel heads to a $100-million-plus opening weekend.

"The latest hit from Disney's Pixar Animation took in $41 million in its first day Friday...."

I know that "buzz," in this context, can mean "a confusion of activity and gossip." (Princeton's WordNet) But considering that a key character in the Toy Story movies is Buzz Lightyear of Star Command - that headline is one of the more delightfully painful plays on words it's been my pleasure to read in the news for a long time.

I'm planning to see "Toy Story 3" soon, by the way: and looking forward to the experience.

The Origin of Señor Senior Senior - Kim Possible Episode

"Episode 3 Kim Possible - The new Ron (1/3)"

RonBWL, YouTube (June 2, 2008)
video, 9:37

"If one day you think your friend should change his appearance, what will you do?

"Episode 3 Kim Possible - The new Ron

"[Content]

"Welcome to the new Ron! Today, Kim will give him a free haircut...."

If you like the Kim Possible series, enjoy.

If not, well, there's always the next post in Apathetic Lemming of the North.

Me? I enjoy the animated series.

This is an episode I haven't seen before - for reasons which will become clear when you view it. Briefly, it's the one where we meet Señor Senior Senior. And learn what happened to transform Señor Senior Senior from an eccentric "simple multi-billionaire" to an evil genius. Or, perhaps more accurately, who.

And a glimpse at the enigmatic Pinkie Joe.

Then there's Totally Spies - but I'm getting off-topic.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: A Dancing Duck. Animated

"Princess Tutu AMV - Hold Me Now (Warning: Spoilerific)"

Komichi, YouTube (June 5, 2006)
video, 3:15

"The song is 'Hall Om Mig' or 'Hold Me Now' by Nanne Grönvall. Lyrics can be found here:...
"...This AMV has awards for "Best Action" and "Best of Show" from Anime Boston and "Best Freeform" from Fanime...."

I did a little checking, and Princess Tutu (プリンセスチュチュ) is a television series that ran 2002-2003. The presence of a dancing duck in the video makes sense, actually. The focus character for the series is Ahiru, a small girl in a junior high school beginner ballet program. "Ahiru" (あひる) means "duck" in Japanese. Poor kid.

By the way, the lyrics, like "Så håll om mig ... Kom och håll om mig nu" aren't Japanese. Nanne Gronvall's singing in Swedish. (It's awfully close to Norwegian - or English, for that matter. No wonder the language sounded so familiar.)

Here's another video: same music, different selection of clips from プリンセスチュチュ.

"Princess Tutu Hall Om Mig (NEW)"

Ruby7490, YouTube (February 15, 2008)
video, 3:00

"PLEASE READ BEFORE WATCHING!

"It took me a month to do and I am very proud of it. The only scenes I used from the other Hall Om Mig Nu video are the promo scenes since the only trailer available for download has such bad quality. Someone very nice sent me the 5 minute Pas De Deux from episode 13 un-subbed. :)

"Unfortunetly, Youtube killed the quality and Youtube also made the video's timing is a little off.

"Episodes in order of appearance:..."

"Youtube killed the quality ... video's timing...."? True, the playback quality isn't (quite) up to the other video's standard - but I think it's quite viewable.

Personally, I pick the 2006 video for overall rhythm and choreography of the elements; the 2008 video for presenting a somewhat clearer story line. I won't identify a 'best,' though, since the two seem to have rather different goals.

Enjoy.

Crazy Frog, Trapped Santa, Daft Factory: the Video

"Merry Christmas- Crazy frog"

floral123, YouTube (December 25, 2007)
video, 3:09

"Crazy frog"

That's it, in the "info" section. I've no idea who created this animation, the music, and merged the two. A Wikipedia article credits Erik Wernquist with creating Crazy Frog, AKA The Annoying Thing.

This animation has quite a few iterations on YouTube - and elsewhere. This appears to be more complete than most, and has pretty good video and sound quality.

The story line - I'll let you figure that out. Very briefly, Crazy Frog drops in (literally) to a sort of tech noir Santa's workshop: where the jolly old elf is inexplicably locked in some sort of cell. No other elves are obviously present: the whole place seems to be automated and under the control of an AI that really needs to be debugged. My opinion.

I thought it was funny, but your experience may vary.

More:

• "- - - Videos of Christmas Lights, Holiday Lights, and Music"

Birds, a Power Line, Another Bird, and Logical Consequences

"For the birds"

alej223, YouTube (January 12, 2008)
video, 3:24

"corto realizado por PIXAR" ("short film produced by Pixar")

As my oldest daughter said, "I have to wonder if the large bird is really as stupid as he appears."

The Strange Tale of the Paper Turkeys

"Happy Thanksgiving - Stop Motion Video"

MentalLapse, YouTube (November 11, 2007)
video, 1:18

"...Just to answer a few of the questions I've seen:
"We like pumpkin pie so it wasn't wasted, yum.
"It took about 6 hours to take the 380 pictures.
"I don't have that much motivation so the movie's frame rate is from 2 to 10 frames per second but the majority is 6 frames per second...."

I suppose the moral of this video might be, 'never turn your back on holiday table decorations.'

I think this is pretty good return in entertainment value, for an investment of a minute and 18 seconds.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: Animated Octopuses - Octopods - Octopi - More Than One Animated Octopus

"Octopus Dance"

adnamameww, YouTube (May 16, 2007)
video, 0:46

"My final project for my electronic imaging 4 class, as well as my first 3D animation."

It's not likely to win an Emmy or an Oscar - but it's a fun way to spend 46 seconds.

"Awesome Octopus Animation"

TheBestVideos2227, YouTube (September 29, 2008)
video, 2:26

"that is some talent... after the video please visit http://www.tylergram.com to send real mail to loved ones and friends Thanks!"

I know: With the word "awesome" in the title, I was prepared to see something that was anything-but.

But, as #1 daughter said, "that is seriously cool!" There's pretty high-quality 3D animation here, a well-paced story - and fairly decent character development, considering the tight time constraints.

Larry and the Gated Community: a VegieTales Video

"Gated Community"

MegannLuvsJonnny, YouTube (March 20, 2009)
video, 2:32

"Its dodgy but kewl"

I'm not sure which of the many meanings of "dodgy" MegannLuvsJonny had in mind - this video quite definitely has an identifiable attitude about gated communities and the sort of people who presumably live in them.

I mean to say, Larry the Cucumber's reasonable request for the return of his ball met with this sort of thing? -

"...everything's so lovely
Oh! Our Hearts are filled with glee
And when you visit
You can stand outside and see
What a lovely bunch we are
In our gated unity!..."

As usual with VegieTale videos, the music's fun and (I think) so are the lyrics.

This video isn't posted on YouTube by BigIdeaInc - I looked, but they don't seem to have put this one online themselves.

I could go on (and on) about the light this video sheds on the fragmentation of society; apathy of the affluent; and whether the performances is done a trio, a quartet, or a quintet of singing produce. But, as I've seen it written, that can be left as "an exercise for the reader."

There's rather definitely a message in the mirth.

Related posts:

• "Relevance, Thy Name is Produce! 'Endangered Love' from 'King George and the Ducky'' "
  (September 30, 2009)
• "Minnesota Cuke and "The Yodeling Veterinarian" - Now That Would be a Title!"
  (September 29, 2009)
• "The BellyButton Video: Sheer Artistry!"
  (September 28, 2009)
• "Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella: What's the Big Idea?"
  (July 28, 2009)

The BellyButton Video: Sheer Artistry!

"BellyButton Silly Song"

BigIdeaInc, YouTube (May 1, 2009)
video, 4:10

"A VeggieTales Hit! It's the Boyz in the Sink singing their classic, 'BellyButton' from the VeggieTales DVD 'The Ballad of Little Joe' "

The artistry! The special effects! The videography! The singing vegetables!

Words fail me.

A tip of the hat to #3 daughter, for drawing my attention to this video, and BigIdeas' YouTube account.

Why Do My Nostrils Whisper to Me? - Phineas and Ferb, Disney and Serious Thought

"Phineas And Ferb - The Ballad of Bad Beard Song HQ+Lyrics+Download Link"

xXFurijsXx, YouTube (May 26, 2009)
video 0:37

This is an excerpt from a longer work of cinematography: "The Ballad of Bad Beard" (Phineas and Ferb, Disney). The astute observer will note that there's a perfectly reasonable - for the Phineas and Ferb universe - explanation for Candace's short soliloquy: "Why do my nostrils whisper to me?" Two, actually.

"P&F - The Ballad of Badbeard 1/1"

Disney4lyf, YouTube (June 20, 2008)
video 9:57

(The Ballad starts about 5:42 into the show.)

As the excerpt and episode incontrovertibly demonstrate, the Disney animation series, Phineas and Ferb, is a trenchant inquiry into the meaning of life, the life of meaning, and why one's nostrils whisper to one.

Or, it's a series of distinctly funny , well-paced cartoons.

One thing's for sure: Although the technical quality of this made-for-television serial is pretty good, and the storytelling as complex as in earlier Disney Studios releases, Phineas and Ferb is not what I'd call a "nostalgic" series.

Let's put it this way: "Bambi" it ain't.

More "MOM! Phineas and Ferb are Building a Website!" at Disney Channel.

"Complex?" I'd better explain that. Disney Studios was pretty good at making what I call 'multi-level' movies, like Lady and the Tramp or Bambi. The pacing ensured that the show would have a fairly simple story with enough movement and action to (generally) hold the attention of younger kids, interlaced with a more complicated story with less action more dialog for the parents. It added up to 'family' entertainment.

I think we're looking at something like that, with a very different style, in P&F.

Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella: What's the Big Idea?

Coming soon from Big Idea: "Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella Veggietales DVD."

"Larry the Cucumber is Minnesota Cuke, a children's museum curator and part-time detective hired to find the famous Noah's Ark. But his search gets complicated when he learns of Noah's mysterious and powerful umbrella ... and a clever villain who wants it for his own selfish gain! Will Minnesota find the confidence to continue the search, face the villain and protect the umbrella -- or will all hope of finding the Ark be washed away for good?..."

Veggietales aren't, I suppose for everybody: I mean to say, talking vegetables? That said, I like these stories, acted out by Larry the Cucumber, Bob The Tomato, and the rest of the Veggietales cast.

This one should be special - if for no other reason than my state being mentioned in the title.

If Minnesota Cuke is like the tale of Rack, Shack & Benny, and The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and Jonah, I'm in for a treat when I get the DVD - most likely on loan from the public library.

Watch a Pencil Draw an Eye

"Portraits - sparks by Lucy90"
Lucy90, RateMyDrawings.com (March 19, 2009)

"well i guess this is my favourite so far :) as usual i rele appreciate all ur ratings and comments guys, thank u :)"

It takes a minute or two, for an animated pencil to finish this picture. I enjoyed watching the process, and the result: if you draw in colors, you might pick up some ideas.

This eye post is on ratemydrawings.com, an online drawing community.

Hansel and Gretel, the Silly Symphony and Before

"Babes in the Woods"
IMDB

"Two Dutch children stumble on a clearing in the woods where gnomes are going about their business. The gnomes are friendly to the children...."

I found this, after one of my kids asked about a cartoon we'd seen. She remembered it as a Hansel and Gretel adaptation, where the witch gets covered by something like chocolate and hardens. She thought it was a Disney cartoon, but I wasn't convinced.

I remembered the cartoon, too, and started a search: which led me to "Babes in the Woods." Wouldn't you know it, it's a Disney Silly Symphony. To make sure we were really looking at what we both remembered, we viewed "Babes in the Woods" on YouTube.

"Babes in the Woods (1932)"
Walt Disney Silly Symphony (1932)

YouTube video (July 7, 2008)
video (7:42)

No question about it: this was the 'hardened witch' cartoon.

I'd forgotten about the gnomish air corps: with geese and pumpkins.

Fun? I think so. But some people find stories like this scary.

I can see the point: thrown out of their home, lost in the woods, threatened by a cannibalistic nut, and forced to commit a particularly messy sort of murder in self-defense. Quite a kiddie story.

Project Gutenberg has an e-book copy of "Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm" (in English, thankfully), and TVTropes.com has a pretty good writeup about Hansel and Gretel.

I may have some very interesting dreams tonight.