Blue Skies Ahead

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

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)

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

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

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.

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