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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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"Stark Raving Dad" is the first episode of the third season of American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 19, 1991. In the episode, main character Homer Simpson is sent to a mental institution, where he shares a room with a large white man named Leon Kompowsky who pretends to be Michael Jackson. Al Jean and Mike Reiss wrote the episode while Rich Moore served as director. Michael Jackson guest starred in the episode as the speaking voice of Leon Kompowsky. For contractual reasons, he was credited as John Jay Smith in the closing credits. Jackson pitched several story ideas for the episode and wrote a song that is featured in the plot. He also stipulated that he would provide Kompowsky's speaking voice, but his singing voice would be performed by a sound-alike (Kipp Lennon) because he wanted to play a joke on his brothers. "Stark Raving Dad" received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly for the writing and Jackson's performance.
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Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that the Pakistani film Shehr e Tabassum was the first animated cyberpunk film to be made by an Urdu development team?
- ... that the creators of the cartoon Jade Armor filmed live-action martial arts stunts to visualize the show's animated action sequences?
- ... that at age 12, Shaylee Mansfield became the first deaf actor to be credited alongside the voice actors for a signed performance in an animated production?
- ... that the live-action comedy series Community had a stop motion animated Christmas special?
- ... that the interactive cartoon Cat Burglar takes about 15 minutes to watch, but features 90 minutes of animation?
- ... 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?
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Dan Povenmire (b. 1963) is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Povenmire grew up in Mobile, Alabama, where he was a talented art student who spent summers outdoors and making movies. Povenmire attended the University of South Alabama before deciding to pursue a film career and transferring to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Povenmire has been a long-time contributor to the animation business, working on several different animated television series such as The Simpsons, Rocko's Modern Life and SpongeBob SquarePants. He was a longtime director on the prime time series Family Guy, where he was nominated for an Annie Award in 2005. He left the series to create Phineas and Ferb with Jeff "Swampy" Marsh.
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The Annie Award for Best Animated Home Entertainment Production is awarded annually by ASIFA-Hollywood, a non-profit organization that honors contributions to animation, to the best animated direct-to-video film of the year. It is one of the Annie Awards, which honor contributions to animation, including but not limited to producers, directors, and voice actors. The Annie Award for Best Animated Home Entertainment Production was created in 1995, and has been awarded yearly since. It was originally known as the Annie Award for Best Animated Video Production; the name of the award was changed in 1997 to the Annie Award for Best Home Video Production, was changed again in 1998 to the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production, and was changed in 2002 to the current name. To be eligible for the award, the film must have been released in the year before the next Annie Awards ceremony, and the developers of the game must send a five minute sample DVD of the film to a committee appointed by the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.
More did you know...
- ...that the Simpsons episode "The Devil Wears Nada", in which Marge poses for racy photographs in a calendar, aired soon after she appeared nude on the cover of Playboy?
- ...that the third season and its episodes of the animated sitcom Home Movies won two Pulcinella Awards in 2003?
- ...that the Islamist group Revolution Muslim posted a warning about possible consequences on their website against South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for their portrayal of Muhammad in the episode "200"?
Anniversaries for March 19
- Films released
- 1928 - Bright Lights (United States)
- 1929 - Sheep Skinned (United States)
- 1932 - Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee (United States)
- 1936 - Lil' Ainjil (United States)
- 1938 - Porky's Phoney Express (United States)
- 1948 - Mickey Down Under (United States)
- 1960 - Goldimouse and the Three Cats (United States)
- 1969 - Think Before You Pink (United States)
- Television series and specials
- 1989 - Creepy Crawlies, a British animated stop-motion television series finishes airing on ITV
- 1992 - Danger Mouse, a British animated television series finishes airing on ITV
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