Tonymation

A Brief Conversation With Anthony Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Anthony: "Momma, what's the difference between a mountain and a hill?"

Lesliemation: "A mountain is taller."

pause...

Anthony: "...so when I am taller than daddy, I will be a mountain of a man and he will be a hill of a man."

the end...

Anthony: "Why do I have to go to the store with you?"

Tonymation: "Because you're too little to stay at home alone, and that's the bottom line."

pause...

Anthony: "What's the top line?"

the end...

Oscar Predictions by Tonymation

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:32:00 +0000

Welcome to the first annual Tonymation Oscar prediction.

1. 24 jokes, read from the teleprompter, will fall flat.

2. Jack Nicholson will notice he's on camera and pretend he's enjoying himself... twice.

3. Joan Rivers will find 8 expensive gowns, that cost more than my PT Cruiser, and make fun of them, while wearing a smile that's 95% pure plastic.

4. There will be 2 tantalizingly inappropriate dresses scantily strewn around a sexy star walking down the red carpet.

5. There will be 1 inappropriate dress scantily strewn around a not so sexy star.

6. Heath Ledger and/or his tragic death will be mentioned 34 times.

7. Eight Oscar winners will be cut off with the standard, "you're not important enough to use this much time" music.

8. More people will be worried whether Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt will run into each other than there are starving children in Africa.

9. There will be 4 Oscar winner no-shows, and I will accept the award on their behalf.

10. Eighteen pharmaceutical ads will air, all of which will site at least a dozen side-effects, which may include: blood clots, loss of hearing, headaches, blurred vision, erections that last over four hours, sudden implosion of the pancreas, and death.

11. One Oscar winner will thank Barak Obama in their accpetance speech.

12. Somebody will faint when an Oscar winner mentions Barak Obama's name.

13. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will be flubbed 3 times.

14. Hugh Jackman will appear on stage as Wolverine.

15. Wolverine will appear on stage as Hugh Jackman.

16. "I'm just happy to be nominated" will be said in some form 13 times.

17. Freida Pinto's ex-husband will crash 8 after parties, in a mad rage, searching for Dev Patel.

18. Jennifer Anniston will pay the wait staff $1 million to spit in Angelina Jolie's drink.

19. Kung Fu Panda will win the award for Best Animated Feature Film.

20. Wall-E will kidnap Po and stuff him in his trash compactor, causing the Kung Fu Panda sequal rewrite to include an explanation for the disappearance of the main character.

21. And my last prediction: I will not be watching the Academy Awards show.

See you next year!

Blue Sky, Robot Chicken, and Heroes...

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Seth Green and Matt Senreich, the creators of Robot Chicken, visited Blue Sky not too long ago. It was a treat to hear their story and how they achieved every guys dream of getting paid to play with action figures. They brought along with them the soon to air, second Robot Chicken-Star Wars episode. They must have read my mind, because there are more crazy good Boba Fett sequences.

After their presentation they toured the studio for a bit. Unfortunately, I was unable to snag a pic with them. I was really bummed about it, but they did walk right by me, and I was like, "Hey there's Seth and Matt! You guys make me laugh... a lot! Can we be friends?" That was all in my head, but had I said it out loud I bet they both would have been like, "Heck yes man! That's really why we came to Blue Sky anyway!" Yea... I felt a connection with them in that brief 2 seconds when they passed by.

Not a week goes by when I see Seth and Breckin Meyer (Actor, and writer for Robot Chicken) on one of my favorite television shows, Heroes. Seth and Breckin were working in a comic book shop. I know this all can't be some simple coincidence. I think Seth is sending me some kind of coded message...

Stay tuned... I'll post an update when my decoder ring arrives in the mail and I figure out what Seth is trying to say to me.

The Great Brian Henson Caper

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:53:00 +0000

Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson, and Co-CEO of the Jim Henson Company paid a visit to Blue Sky today. Brian gave a presentation on the history of the company as well as the Jim Henson style of puppeteering.

Brian showed up in disguise (image above) which confused me at first. Eventually, when he felt it was safe to do so, he removed his disguise. Immediately after the presentation, Pete Paquette (an animator at Blue Sky) pulled an imaginary finger gun on him. The crowd thought Pete was trying to mug the unsuspecting Brian, but after Pete was maulled, and cuffed by the muppet police, he explained he was merely trying to shoot the guy behind Brian, who was obviously planning to choke him with an extension chord. Pete's sharp eyes and quick thinking almost saved Brian from a most unfavorable situation. Unfortunately, Pete couldn't finish his heroics, being at the bottom of a five foot pile of muppets.

Not all was lost... I acrobatically and gracefully disarmed the would be villain. Afterwards, I was awarded the muppet medal of honor. Of course Brian was very pleased with me, and offered to give me a job as his personal body guard. I, being recently unemployed by my very own muppet creation, jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, somebody from Blue Sky's HR department realized I no longer worked there, and had me whisked off the premises before I could accept Brian's generous offer.

Muppet WhatNot Workshop Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:31:00 +0000

This past Monday I took a trip into the Big Apple to pay a visit to the brand new Muppet WhatNot Workshop inside the amazing FAO Schwartz toy store. It was my first trip into the city, so I felt it necessary to go with friends, and to pack a nerf gun for protection. You can't be too safe... you just never know when a desperate toy, at the end of his pull string, may try something.

The journey to the store was long and treacherous, but finally we arrived at our destination without any casualties. I took the design I created on the website (image above) and jumped into translating it onto the Muppet order form. The mad muppet scientist collected the appropriate body parts to assemble my creation. As you can see below, the scientist had his hands full with several other whatnots to be. I slipped him a 10,000 monopoly dollar bill, and he impaled the poor muppets ahead of mine and got busy with the Tonymation Muppet Creation.

It didn't take long before my very own Muppet WhatNot was ready to go home with me. I had to brief him on the exit stragety, and, since I was fresh out of nerf guns, he grabbed a black stick and promptly jammed it into his wrist. Immediately I knew two things... my new muppet friend was not only tough, but also completely insane. Both are good assets when in New York City.

We made it to the train, and were soon on our way back to White Plains. My young and naive friends celebrated, but as you can see in my expression below, I knew we weren't in the clear yet.

Eventually we did make it back home safely. I thought it would be a good idea to bring my new friend to work and show him what I do for a living. Big mistake...

I underestimated his ambitious nature. By the end of the day, he took my job.

Ken Duncan Comes to Blue Sky

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:55:00 +0000

Ken Duncan visited the studio this past Friday and shared some of his animation expertise with the staff. He covered the fundamentals of great animation, some of his work, and his workflow in CG.

Ken spending time with some lingering animators after his talk.

Ken was cool enough to have dinner with several animators afterwards.

I am a huge fan of Disney animation from the 90's. It was a real treat to be able to hear stories from one of the talented artists that brought some of my favorite characters to life. I was geeking out most of the night. You can see what Ken has been up to lately by going to the Duncan Studio website. He also has a three part podcast at the Animation Podcast here.

Thanks for an sharing with us Ken!

Kyra Joins the Family

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Our baby girl was due on Friday, September 5th, and almost on cue my wife went into labor that morning. The day passed with mostly slow and uneventful labor. At the end of the night the real labor kicked in, and finally, early Saturday morning, Kyra was born. She missed her due date by less than half an hour.

We had princess Kyra at home. It was our first home birth, since her big brother was born in a hospital. Having her at home was a great experience. We were definitely more comfortable, and you can't ask for a more convenient location.

We found that her chord was wrapped around her neck as she came out, which is what probably delayed the labor. Regardless of that complication, she maintained a strong heartbeat throughout the labor and delivery, and was ready for a meal immediately. Our experienced midwives handled the situation very well, and made sure that Kyra was comfortable and free from any danger the entire way through.

Welcome to the family Kyra!

Kyra Lyn Bonilla
Born: Saturday, September 6th at 12:25am
8 lbs 3 oz
20.5 inches long

Blue Skies Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:19:00 +0000

Today I accepted an contract animation position over at Blue Sky Studios. I will be working on their up coming film, Ice Age 3. This is a very exciting change for the Tonymation family. In fact, princess Tonymation has yet to be born, but she is kicking with anticipation. When asked what she thought about the opportunity for her dad to work on such a fun project she said, "thump, thump... hiccup." That says it all.

Princess Tonymation will be born any day now, I will finish up my work for Reel FX on the Madagascar 2 promos, and then pack up and head North.

Life is fast and furious for the Tonymation family, but we're enjoying the ride.

It's Been Reel

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:17:00 +0000

So I just finished doing some work over at the ever growing Reel FX Creative Studios. I was able to be part of two projects during the last few months. I was brought on to help kick out the promo spots for Kung Fu Panda, and I ended up also joining the fight on Open Season 2, as well as the Kung Fu Panda short that will be on the DVD. I had a great time working with their extremely talented team, as well as flexing my tiny animation muscle, which sorely needed a workout.

Hopefully the studio will get in their next big project soon, so I can join the ranks once again.

A Tribute To Ollie Johnston (1912-2008)

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:21:00 +0000

I grew up enjoying Disney animated films. They captured a magical world and created a new art form. As I grew older, the Disney films kept me young. It was the magic that the animation team at Disney created, that inspired me to become an animator myself.

Today we lost a legend that pioneered the frontiers of animation along side eight other artists that Walt referred to as his "nine old men". These men as a team created beautiful films that I still enjoy today with my family.

Ollie as an individual created a legacy at the Disney company by not only bringing loveable characters to life on the big screen for all of us to enjoy, but by sharing his passion and knowledge of animation with the next generation of animators. He passed the torch in order to keep the flame of animation brightly burning.

Ollie worked on many films we all know, and I thought it would be appropriate to mention them here in order to get an idea of how much he contributed to the industry.

(1937) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(1940) Pinocchio
(1940) Fantasia
(1942) Bambi
(1945) The Three Caballeros
(1946) Make Mine Music
(1946) Song of the South
(1948) Melody Time
(1949) Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
(1950) Cinderella
(1951) Alice in Wonderland
(1953) Peter Pan
(1955) Lady and the Tramp
(1959) Sleeping Beauty
(1961) 101 Dalmations
(1963) Sword in the Stone
(1964) Mary Poppins
(1967) The Jungle Book
(1970) The Aristocats
(1973) Robin Hood
(1977) The Many Adventures of Winne the Pooh
(1981) The Fox and the Hound

Ollie also worked on over a dozen short films, several television shows, he co-authored five books, and contributed to five others. His accomplishments are far too numerous to list on a humbe blog.

Today we lost a legend, an icon, and a great man. He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, and always remembered and adored by his fans.

Safe journey Ollie.

Moving Right Along Pt 2

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:21:00 +0000

It was a fun year in Austin. I started with Midway last March and in April I will be moving back up to Dallas to join some old friends at Reel FX Studios. Leaving Midway and Austin will not be easy. I will miss the people at the studio, and the house we have been renting. I will also miss being able to avoid highway driving on my daily commute. However, it appears a new chapter is waiting to be written in the Tonymation family.

Mrs Tonymation is preggers right now, and we will be seeking out a new midwife in Dallas and saying goodbye to our current midwife. We are both sad about this, but life comes at you fast, and we are experienced adventurers ready to plunge ahead.

This move is a bitter sweet one.

We will be moving closer to family, which, in our case, is a good thing. But we will be leaving some good friends behind.

We will be closer to Mama's Pizza, which I am especially excited about, but we'll be leaving Double Dave's Pizza.

We will be leaving our comfy 4 bedroom rented-house, but we'll be searching the market to buy a new home.

We will be leaving a steady and stable job along with the benefits, that most find comforting , for a short contract job that will be full of adventure.

All in all it will be a swift and polar change for us. We feel the change will be a good one.

Animation Test - Truth

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:11:00 +0000

I have had nothing to do at work before the holidays... so I decided to start a new personal animation test. Take a gander and feel free to comment.

Link

Ron Paul And Tonymation

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 22:29:00 +0000

I try to keep politics out of my Blog as much as possible. I do this mostly because I tend to have views that are radically different than most people, and I don't want others to think of me differently just because of how I choose to live my personal life.

However, I was called by a news syndicate at work this week and interviewed. They wanted to know how I found out about presidential hopeful, Ron Paul, and why I contributed money to his campaign.

Now, I have never given money to any campaign in the past. And, had resolved never to vote in a federal election again, just because of the lack of reasonable choices.

However Ron Paul stoked my political fire once again. I am excited about the impact he is making in the primaries, and hope to see him as an option in next November's presidential election. All that said, I was actually quoted in an article relating to the phone conversation I mentioned above.

Quote:

"Tony Bonilla, an animator with Midway Studios, a video game company in Austin, has made multiple donations to the Paul campaign. "I'm tired of big government," he said. "People with our views don't have a voice in Washington."

Click here to read the entire article

DrawerGeeks - Sith

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:50:00 +0000

I doodled a submission for Drawergeeks. Beware of Darth Dreadlocks!

Back In The Soccer Saddle

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:22:00 +0000

I have played soccer since I was 5 years old. All the way through high school, and with mens leagues during and after college. However, it has been several years since I have played with a team.

Recently, I decided that soccer needed to be a part of my life again. I not only crave the competition, but I am also miserably out of shape. Some will point to my laziness, but I find it makes me feel better to blame my animation desk job. I convinced my wife that soccer would be a fun way to stay healthy. Mrs Tonymation tried warn me about my increasing age and injuries, but I quickly dismissed her with logical arguements such as, "Who cares!".

Enter Sunday, November 4th. I played in a real game for the first time in years. I was nervous about my phsysical status, but confident in my ability to play. I started the game on the bench and relieved a player in about the 10th minute of the game. All was going well... that is until the hole of death claimed my foot. I kicked the ball clear of danger back near our goal and planted my foot to track upfield. Only, my foot didn't plant. It was sucked into the ankle killing vortex of hell. A hole, just large enough to swallow half of my foot, twisted it so that my ankle now served as the base of my leg. Let me just tell you that the ankle is not designed for the role of the foot. Immediately my ankle protested, and my leg sympathized with it. One joint by one, they all revolted and sent me plummeting to the ground in pain.

I got up and limped off of the field a broken man. In the past ankle injuries lasted, at most, a day. I stretched and massaged my ankle on the sideline, and eventually entered the game again. For those of you who don't know, it is scientifically proven that athletes lose all intellingence while playing a competitive sport. I played on my injured ankle thinking it would be fine in the morning... of course, I'm not 18 anymore, but who's keeping track of silly details when a game is on the line.

So I got home and took off my socks to reveal an ankle that I believe belonged on an elephant. I have never had a swollen ankle and was shocked to see a part of my body so out of sorts. With my natural oils and ice pack, I was able to shrink my poor ankle back to a less disgusting size. Now I hobble around work and home in an ankle brace.

... But I can't wait for the next game!

Dead Men Trick Or Treat Pt 3

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:47:00 +0000

Halloween has come and gone. I posted pics of my Jack Sparrow costume, but now I thought I would post all of the peices that made it come together.

To start the costume off on the right foot, I got all of the Jack Sparrow Master Replica rings.

Here is Jack Sparrow's ring

Jack's Button Ring

Jack's Dragon Ring

and Jack's Stolen Ring

Here is a pic I took of them together.

I bought the glove, compass, and tattoo in a cheap set, but they worked out well, in my opinion. You can see I wore Jack's ring on my ring finger rather than my index. It was just too small to wear it on the correct finger.

The plastic compass looks much better when just hanging on my belt, but it was definitely priced better than the Master Replica compass at $200.

I purchased a Flintock Pistol reproduction. It isn't an official Jack Sparrow Replica, but it is a very nice gun that fits the time period. Besides, the Master Replica pistol is mounted and was out of my price range at $250. I spent about $45 for this one.

I scoured eBay for other Jack Sparrow imitation peices. That's where I found these belts.

Here you can see the gun, belts, compass and sword as a whole. I posted individual pics of the sword here.

I still await the arrival of my Jack Sparrow Baldric, also bought on eBay. It will be a nice addition for next year.

I have lots of additions I plan to purchase for next Halloween. Check back for a sneak peek at the Jack Sparrow items that will make my costume better, and my bank account smaller.

Dead Men Trick Or Treat Pt 2

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:42:00 +0000

Not everything I ordered arrived in time to start Halloween on the right foot. I was missing my baldric sword holder, my belts, my gun, my button ring, and dragon ring. This is me pretending I'm happy being half Jack Sparrow.

At around 11:30 am, Midway (where I work) conducted their costume contest. This is when my gun, belts, and rings arrived at my door. My wife signed for them knowing I was sadly displaying my incomplete costume for the contest. Unfortunatley, my baldric has yet to arrive, which forced me to wear my belts un-Jack Sparrow-like, outside my jacket, to hold my sword. After the contest, I went home and gathered the rest of my goods.

I was very pleased with my new flintock replica gun.

I applied a fake Jack Sparrow tattoo on my arm, and branded a "P" under it, as revealed by Captain Norrington in The Curse of the Black Pearl.

My sword was a big hit at work.

I did the eyeliner myself, and the most of the facial hair is mine. I glued the braided beard section on the bottom of my chin behind my own chin hairs to have it all blend together.

What was the outcome of the costume contest you ask?

I won Best Looking Costume.

Dead Men Trick Or Treat Pt 1

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:23:00 +0000

This Halloween I be searchin' for booty as Captain Jack Sparrow.

I bought the base of my costume at the Disney Store on a whim since it was on sale for 50% off. I also got the wig with bandana and tricorn hat there. I hadn't planned to do much more, but what is a pirate without his sword? Below are pics of the cutlass I'll be sporting on Halloween.

After getting the sword, I couldn't stop. I will post pics of each item that will join my Jack Sparrow costume as they arrive in the mail. And in the end, I'll post pics of me fully transformed into Jack Sparrow himself.

Until then, pray I don't cross yer path mate.

Animation Test - Hamish

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:25:00 +0000

I just completed a new animation at home. On this exercise I focused on semi-stylized motion that could exist in a physical world, as opposed to a cartoony approach. I am open to comments or critiques.

Link

Best Animated Feature Of 2007

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:38:00 +0000

The year of 2007 produced a slightly smaller animated feature vortex than the preceding year. The normal players were edging for a piece of the box office pie this year. Pixar, the reigning king of animated films, released Ratatouille. Disney gave us Meet the Robinsons. Dreamworks released Shrek the Third. Vangaurd opened Happily Never After. Warner Brothers revived the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And Sony decided to make another penguin movie called Surf's Up, and will also release Beowulf next month. Of these films, I have yet to see Meet the Robinsons, Happily Never After, and of course Beowulf. With that in mind, I still will venture out to pick the best animated film of the year.

I argue that Pixar, although edging out many a film in the box office, did not produce the best animated film this year. My pick goes to Sony's very own Surf's Up. This film is entertaining, funny, edgy, smart, relevant, and exciting. It is very obvious that the actors were recording their dialogue together. This is a huge advantage for believable interaction. It may sound strange, but this is not the norm when capturing voices for animated characters, although it very well should be.

Surf's Up also impressed me with its exceptional animation and fantastic water simulations. While watching the movie, I actually feel like I am surfing, and it makes me want to catch a real wave of my own. Surfers around globe cringe at the thought that a movie may have inspired regular joes to surf. I have been told by a surfer friend of mine that surfers have a saying, "If you surf, never quit. If you don't surf, never start." This stems from a selfish desire to have the beaches all to themselves rather than a warning of danger.

Expect surfers to flock to Sony in riot-like protest to remove this fun film from the shelves. Get your copy on DVD before they succeed!

Ten Best Attractions of DisneyWorld

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:45:00 +0000

If you have'nt read my Ten Worst Attractions of DisneyWorld post, be sure you check it out before you leave today. I welcome any comments of criticism or agreement, as discussing Walt DisneyWorld is one of my favorite pass times.

I figured if I were to rip ten attractions apart, I better praise ten attractions... after all, DisneyWorld is my favorite vacation destination!

I found it stragely more difficult to come up with the Ten Best list than the Ten Worst list. Not that there aren't enough good rides, it's just hard to rank them. But here I go anyway.

The Ten Best Attractions of DisneyWorld

10. Jungle Cruise
From the fake hippos to the corny jokes, this ride is good family fun. Where esle can you take a boat through the jungle and see a teenager weild a gun without being completely terrified.

9. Monster's Inc Laugh Floor
Here's a contreversial pick that may get scrutinized. However it makes my top ten list, mainly because I worked on this attraction. So, I bribed myself to put it on the list. This is a new addition to Tomorrowland in the Magic Kindgom. It turned out far better than I had anticipated, and for that I applaud the only Disney attraction that Tonymation worked on.

8. Buzz Lightyear's SpaceRanger Spin
This is a fun ride that is interactive, in that you get to shoot stuff. Any ride I get to shoot stuff is alright in my book. The Disneyland counterpart, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, is a far better attraction, because the guns are not mounted to the car, and you don't have to spin the car to face targets. Also there is an audio-animatronic Zurg that is sadly missing from the DisneyWorld version.

7. Expedition Everest
This new coaster addition to the Animal Kingdom was sorely needed for this park. As far as coasters go, this is a short but fun ride. The fact that the ride is such a quick trip is what pushes it so low on the list. Other than the length, the coaster is a smooth and thrilling adventure.

6. Haunted Mansion
Here is a classic that lands on my top ten list for showmanship alone. I am not a big fan of all things scary, but Disney did this ride with class and style. Again, the Disneyland counterpart is far more entertaining, but I prefer the Mansion design at DisneyWorld. I think the Imagineers agreed with me, becuase they recently changed the attraction to have more of a resemblance to the Disneyland version.

5. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
This coaster beats out the shiny new Expedition Everest for its ability to deliver an experience worth waiting in line for. The ride lasts long enough to satisfy, and the complete immersion in the theming is undeniably top notch. It is obvious why this classic coaster still deserves praise.

4. Splash Mountain
This is one of the few rides that is superior to its Disneyland counterpart. I thoroughly enjoy this ride, even though I detest getting wet on attractions. I always enjoy the amount of detail that was put into this attraction. From beginning to end you are immersed in the theme. Way to go Disney!

3. Pirates of the Caribbean
Here is yet another attraction that is so much more fun at Disneyland. The ride makes more sense and had much more money put into it upon its most recent update, over at Disneyland. However, the queue at DisneyWorld is so freaking great. If they could take the DisneyWorld queue and the Disneyland ride and marry them somewhere... why that would be enough to bump this ride up to number 2 on my list.

2. Rock 'n' Rollercoaster
This coaster stars Aerosmith, a familiar band that I grew up with. I'm not a big fan of timestamping a Disney attraction with something like a popular band that will be outgrown and need replacing. But, I still think this coaster is the most exciting in any disney park I have visited. The magnetic propulsion is crazy cool, combine that with gravity defying corkscrews, and loops, and you have a great Disney coaster.

And my number one attraction of DisneyWorld is...

1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
This attraction has it all... great theming, attention to detail, fantastic story, relaxing dark ride, and thrilling drop sequences. The imagineers must have been drinking genuis juice the day they created this ride. My hats off to you gentlemen! But I leave you with this question... why not buy another case of genius juice and get crackin'?!!

Thanks for reading my list. Be sure to continue down to my Ten Worst Attractions list.

Ten Worst Attractions of DisneyWorld

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:48:00 +0000

The Tonymation family just returned from a long vacation. We spent 11 days at our favorite theme park, Walt DisneyWolrd.

I had an interesting conversation with a friend who works at the parks regarding his list of the ten worst attractions there. So, I thought it would be fun to do a ten worst list myself. So here goes...

Top Ten Worst Attractions of DisneyWorld

10. O' Canada
This is one of those 360 degree "circle vision" movies, and it was recently revamped to be hip and edgy. The older film had no celebrities in it, and made Canada look like a nice retirement home for the elderly. Now they spiced it up by adding Martin Short as host, and some new clips of extreme sports, to make it look like a dream vacation for a teenager. My main problem with it is that you have to stand up through the entire show. When I go into an attraction, I like to enjoy air conditioning and take a load off of my feet. The imagineer that thought it would be a great idea to cram a bunch of sweaty, smelly, hot, exhausted people into a standing room only theater to watch a film about a country, must have been either insane, or just loves to torture tourists.

9. Sounds Dangerous
Summary: you listen to a not so interesting story unfold in a pitch black room. Any questions?

8. Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour
This attraction has been gutted thanks to the Lights Motors Action Extreme Stunt Show. It has been reduced to the pre-show, and ride through an alley they call a "boneyard", their props and wardrobe building, and the catastrophe canyon. For those that rode it in its original state, it is a sad skeleton of what it once was.

7. Dinoland in Animal Kingdom
Yes, this entire section of Animal Kingdom makes my list of worst attractions. You have an entire section of this not so interesting park devoted to a carnival theme. Who was in on this meeting?!!! The poster child attraction, Primeval Whirl, is a jerky ride that, by centrifugal force, slides you back and forth into your neighbor so you can get up close and personal with perfect strangers in the hot sticky Florida sun.... yay.

6. Ellen's Energy Adventure
If the goal of an attraction is to be long and boring, this one has hit the mark. Hey everyone, come in, sit on the floor and watch Ellen dream about being a stupid contestant on Jeopardy. Bill Nye the Science Guy shows up, and after you ride the endless and tiresome attraction filled with propaganda, she's a genius. The end.

5. Voyage of the Little Mermaid
I love this film, and I used to love this attraction back in the day when it was what it was intended to be. Now, it has been shortened down to fit more showtimes per day. An entire song was removed, and the entertaining spotlight on Sebastian featuring a puppet of his likeness, has been reduced to a mere cameo. In fact, the show is just a hodge podge of cameos of the characters in the film. Half of the attraction is footage from the actual film. It's a shame.

4. Stitch's Great Escape
What used to be a pretty intense attraction called Alien Encounter, is now the tame and eventless attraction starring Stitch. I wasn't a big fan of the original attraction, but at least it was entertaining. I could recreate this attraction at home by merely turning the lights off, blowing on your face, and spritzing you with a water bottle.

3. Journey Into Narnia
Didn't this movie come out 2 years ago? Why are they showing us the movie trailer and calling it an attraction?

2. Pooh's Playful Spot
I have a great idea. Let's close a really cool attraction, and replace it with a playground that has virtually nothing to do in it. This is what had to be the pitch for this pathetic attraction. This area used to be the home of the beloved Submarine ride. Now it has been reduced to a character meet and greet spot for Pooh characters. I can't believe they even list it as an attraction. It falls in the category of wasted space.

And my number one worst attraction of Walt DisneyWorld is...

1. Journey Into Imagination with Figment
Let's be honest here... this ride is supposed to be about imagination. Tap into that brain of yours and create people. This is the inspiration for the attraction. Yet, we see bland walls that are supposedly an imagination lab for the first half of the ride. The premise gives this ride the potential to be one of the coolest attractions at DisneyWorld. Unfortunately, it is one of the dullest. The imagineers that created this ride should be ashamed of themselves. Where is the creativitiy!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my top ten best attractions list coming soon.

Back From Disney

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:44:00 +0000

I completed my work on Blacksite in September and was given a generous 10 days of comp time to reward me for all of the overtime I worked. I had already scheduled my Disney vacation at the end of September, so I t0ok my comp time and vacation back to back. I ended up being away from work for a month!

It was nice to be able to spend so much time with the Tonymation family. But the most exciting part was our return to DisneyWorld. Our last trip was in 2005, and we were excited to see Mickey again.

But alas, the trip did have to come to an end, and I am now back at work again. I am sure Mickey misses the Tonymation family as much as we miss him.

Stay tuned for my top ten attractions list as well as my worst ten attractions at DisneyWorld.

First Day Of School

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:18:00 +0000

This week marked the end of summer for most American children, as the first day of school rudely crashed upon them. Little Tonymation, being 5 years old, would have embarked on his first experience of the public school system... if we had not decided to homeschool him.

We are blessed to have Mrs. Tonymation at home raising our fine young boy, and also teaching him. This year in a public school he would have had these amazing things to look forward to:

1. Learning the alphabet

2. Learning to color

3. Learning how to walk in a line

4. Learning to not talk

5. Learning social interaction

Many people we encounter can't imagine why we, as parents, would decide to deprive our precious little boy from such enriching activities. The answer is quite simple for us, but complicated to explain to others.

First of all, we have been homeschooling our little one for over a year now. He has already mastered the following before stepping one foot into a public school.

1. Knows his alphabet

2. Reads over 100 words

3. Can count beyond 1000

4. Can add, subtract, and multiply numbers up to 12

5. Can color with crayons, color pencils, and markers

6. Can write sevral letters

7. Has an astounding vocabulary

8. Can walk straight, sideways, and backwards

9. Has a well defined set of morals

10. Interacts well with other children, as well as adults

11. Can beat both Lego Star Wars I and Lego Star Wars II

We spent most of his life trying to teach him to speak, so we decided it was best to let him use the skill. So, as you can see, he has no need for kindergarten at this time. If next year he isn't up to speed on what first graders are to learn, then we might actually consider sending him to a school. Until then, I will leave you with a nice article.

Dry Run at School

Cap'n Crunch

noreply@blogger.com (tonymation) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:35:00 +0000

At the end of every production comes crunch time. It seems I have been moving from crunch to crunch since I landed my first animation gig. First it was animation boot camp on Jimmy Neutron. Then I moved on to help finish the film, The Ant Bully. After that I headed West to work on a cool theme park attraction for DisneyWorld. Now I find myself in Austin fighting to finish Area 51-Blacksite to get it to eager gamers by September. Sprinkle in there some freelance gigs for Reel FX and my church, and you a recipe for The Shining. Well... except for the isolated haunted hotel... and I'm not a writer... and I'm not really going insane... and I don't have access to a hatchet... and my son isn't weird... and my wife is way prettier... and we're not in the an arctic tundra... but everything else is spot on for sure.

So what does one do to stay sane while working 12 hour days, six days a week, you might ask? The answer, my friend, is theme parks. In California we had Disneyland. Now, we have Sea World less than 2 hours away. And in between we have 11 day vacations to the mother of all theme parks, DisneyWorld.

Yes... all work and no play makes Tonymation a dull animator. But with theme parks, I can snuggle up with my inner child and forget that the real world exists. It's a pretty healthy relationship... I give the theme parks cash, and they give me the juice that will nourish me until the next visit.

God Bless Walt Disney and his genius invention the theme park. And God Bless America!