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Introduction
Animation is the method that encompasses myriad filmmaking techniques, by which still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets 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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South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (pictured in 2007) for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics. The ongoing narrative revolves around four children—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their bizarre adventures in and around the fictional and titular Colorado town. Parker and Stone developed the show from two animated shorts they created in 1992 and 1995. South Park debuted on August 13, 1997 with great success, consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program. A total of 267 episodes have been broadcast throughout its run. Following the early success of the series, the feature length musical film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut had a widespread theatrical release in June 1999. South Park has also received numerous media awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards. The show has also garnered a Peabody Award for Comedy Central.
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Did you know (auto-generated) -

- ... that Encanto's Isabela Madrigal was animated to be aware that she is "always on stage"?
- ... 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 Bruce Timm created most of the character designs for Batman: The Animated Series?
- ... that the Long Sault Parkway connects eleven islands created by the flooding of the Long Sault rapids during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the late 1950s?
- ... that the Japanese-pop song "Snow Halation" by μ's has a music video animated by Sunrise?
- ... that the Pakistani film Shehr e Tabassum was the first animated cyberpunk film to be made by an Urdu development team?
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Selected biography
Steven Ross Purcell (born 1961) is an American cartoonist, animator and game designer. He is most widely known as the creator of Sam & Max, an independent comic book series about a pair of anthropomorphic animal vigilantes and private investigators, for which Purcell received an Eisner Award in 2007. The series has since grown to incorporate an animated television series and several video games. He performed freelance work for Marvel Comics and Fishwrap Productions before publishing his first Sam & Max comic in 1987. Purcell was hired by LucasArts as an artist and animator in 1988, working on several titles within the company's adventure games era. Purcell collaborated with Nelvana to create a Sam & Max television series in 1997, and briefly worked as an animator for Industrial Light & Magic after leaving LucasArts. He is currently employed in the story development department at Pixar. His main work for the animation studio has been with the 2006 film Cars and spin-off materials such as shorts and video games. Despite his employment with Pixar, Purcell has continued to work with comic books and came together with Telltale Games in 2005 to bring about new series of Sam & Max video games.
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The Simpsons' eighth season originally aired between October 1996 and May 1997, beginning on October 27, 1996 with "Treehouse of Horror VII". The showrunners for the eighth production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season seven, which Oakley and Weinstein also ran. It also contained two episodes for which Al Jean and Mike Reiss were the show runners. Season eight won multiple awards, including two Emmy Awards: "Homer's Phobia" won for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) in 1997, and Alf Clausen and Ken Keeler won for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" with the song "We Put The Spring In Springfield" from the episode "Bart After Dark". Clausen also received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Music Direction" for "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious". "Brother from Another Series" was nominated for the Emmy for "Sound Mixing For a Comedy Series or a Special". The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on August 15, 2006, Region 2 on October 2, 2006, and Region 4 on September 27, 2006. The set was released in two different forms: a Maggie-shaped head to match the Homer and Marge shaped heads of the previous two sets and also a standard rectangular shaped box. Like the seventh season box set, both versions are separately available for sale.
More did you know...
- ...that Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan, a 2012 Indian animated film, was a surprise success at the box office?
- ...that the directors of Chipotle Mexican Grill's short film The Scarecrow took inspiration from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Metropolis?
- ...that "Weird Al" Yankovic (pictured) offered to guest star in an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic after a co-executive producer found him showcasing fan works with his music on Twitter?
Anniversaries for September 23
- Films released
- 1938 – Brave Little Tailor (United States)
- 1939 – Jeepers Creepers (United States)
- 1939 – Land of the Midnight Fun (United States)
- 1949 – Goofy Gymnastics (United States)
- 1950 – Bunker Hill Bunny (United States)
- 1961 – Daffy's Inn Trouble (United States)
- 1967 – Rodent to Stardom (United States)
- 2005 – Corpse Bride (Musical stop-motion-animation fantasy film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, United States)
- Television series and specials
- 1962 – The Jetsons, an American prime-time animated sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, begins airing on ABC
- 1987 – My Little Pony, an American animated television series based on the My Little Pony toys by Hasbro finishes airing in syndication
- 1995 – G.I. Joe Extreme, an American animated television series begins airing in syndication
- 2000 – Static Shock, an American animated television series begins airing on The WB
- 2006 – Legion of Super Heroes, an American animated television series begins airing on The CW
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