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Introduction
Animation is a filmmaking technique by which still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets (cels) to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animation has been recognized as an artistic medium, specifically within the entertainment industry. Many animations are computer animations made with computer-generated imagery (CGI). Stop motion animation, in particular claymation, has continued to exist alongside these other forms.
Animation is contrasted with live-action film, although the two do not exist in isolation. Many moviemakers have produced films that are a hybrid of the two. As CGI increasingly approximates photographic imagery, filmmakers can easily composite 3D animations into their film rather than using practical effects for showy visual effects (VFX). (Full article...)
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"The Last Temptation of Krust" is the 15th episode of The Simpsons' ninth season, and first aired on February 22, 1998. Bart convinces Krusty the Clown to appear at a comedy festival organized by Jay Leno (pictured), but Krusty's old material does not go over well with the audience, and he receives bad reviews. After Krusty goes on a drinking binge, Bart and Jay Leno bathe him at the Simpsons' house, and Krusty decides to announce his retirement. At Krusty's retirement press conference, the audience finds his tirade against modern comedy hysterical, and he returns to comedy with a new style where he complains about commercialism. He later agrees to a deal with marketing executives in return for a new "Canyonero" – a spoof on sport utility vehicles, and markets products during his next comedy appearance. The episode ends with an extended Canyonero sequence, with a background song sung by Hank Williams, Jr. The writing staff initially had trouble getting Krusty's offensive bad jokes through network censors, but convinced them this was simply a way to emphasize his old and dated comedic material. The episode was highlighted by USA Today in a review of the season's episodes, and received positive reviews in The Washington Times, the Evening Herald, and in books on The Simpsons.
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Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that Bruce Timm created most of the character designs for Batman: The Animated Series?
- ... that Paul Dini was a writer for both the animated television series Batman: The Animated Series and the video game series Batman: Arkham?
- ... that, for the animated film Us Again, director and writer Zach Parrish considered a video of an elderly couple dancing to be visceral and ideal inspiration?
- ... that although Blizzard's franchise Overwatch is centered around video games, its lore is mainly told through animated shorts, comics, and novels?
- ... that Encanto's Isabela Madrigal was animated to be aware that she is "always on stage"?
- ... that the French animated film The Summit of the Gods is based on a Japanese manga series?
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Yeardley Smith (/ˈjɑːrdliː/; born Martha Maria Yeardley Smith on July 3, 1964) is a French-born American actress, voice actress, writer and painter. She is best known for her long-running role as Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. She was born in Paris and moved with her family to Washington, D.C. in 1966. As a child, Smith was often mocked because of her voice and unusual first name. She became a professional actress in 1982 after graduating from drama school and moved to New York City in 1984 where she appeared in the Broadway production of The Real Thing. She made her film debut in 1985's Heaven Help Us, followed by roles in The Legend of Billie Jean and Maximum Overdrive. She moved to Los Angeles, California in 1986 and received a recurring role in the television series Brothers. In 1987, she auditioned for a role in a series of animated shorts about a dysfunctional family on The Tracey Ullman Show. Smith intended to audition for the role of Bart Simpson, but the casting director felt her voice was too high, so she was given the role of Lisa instead. She voiced Lisa for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show, and in 1989, the shorts were spun off into their own half-hour show, The Simpsons. For her work as the character, Smith received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992.
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The accolades received by Frozen, a 2013 computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the latter of whom also wrote the screenplay, and produced by Peter Del Vecho. (pictured) The film focuses on Anna, a princess, who sets off on a journey to find her estranged sister, Elsa, whose magical powers to control ice and snow have trapped their kingdom in eternal winter. Frozen premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on November 19, 2013, before going on wide release on November 27, in over 3,700 theatres in the United States and Canada. It debuted in second place with over $67 million. The film has grossed a worldwide total of over $1.26 billion on a production budget of $150 million. Frozen has garnered a variety of awards and nominations, many of them in the Best Original Song (for "Let It Go") and Best Animated Feature categories. At the 71st Golden Globe Awards, the film earned two nominations, winning for Best Animated Feature.
More did you know...
- ...that Ancient Qumran: A Virtual Reality Tour is a computer-generated film that presents in 3-D a theoretical reconstruction of the ancient Khirbet Qumran site? (pictured)
- ...that Handling Ships, the first animated British Technicolor feature film, was never meant to be released to theatres but was an "Official Selection" at Cannes in 1946?
- ...that filmmaker Daniel St. Pierre led the team that developed the Deep Canvas system for the animated film Tarzan for enhancing the apparent depth of backgrounds?
Anniversaries for June 13
- Films released
- 1920 – The Great Cheese Robbery (United States)
- 1926 – Felix the Car Rings the Ringer (United States)
- 1927 – Alice's Channel Swim (United States)
- 1931 – The Delivery Boy (United States)
- 1933 – The Mail Pilot (United States)
- 1941 – Olive's Boithday Presink (United States)
- 1942 – Hold the Lion, Please (United States)
- 1947 – I'll Be Skiing Ya (United States)
- 1959 – Backwoods Bunny (United States)
- 1967 – Jet Pink (United States)
- 2003 – Rugrats Go Wild (Nickelodeon Movies, Klasky Csupo, Paramount Pictures, United States)
- 2014 – How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Studios, United States)
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