Portal:Animation

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Introduction
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby 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 either traditional animations or 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, 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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"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989. In the episode, Homer discovers that he will not be getting a Christmas bonus and thus the family has no money to buy Christmas presents. He decides to keep their financial troubles a secret and gets a job as a department store Santa, but later discovers that the job does not pay enough. Desperate for a miracle, Homer and Bart go to the dog racing track on Christmas Eve in hopes of earning some money. The episode was written by Mimi Pond and directed by David Silverman. The title alludes to "The Christmas Song", also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire". "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 1990, and has received positive reviews from television critics. It was viewed by approximately 13.4 million viewers in its original airing.
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Did you know (auto-generated) -

- ... that the stylized animation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was inspired by rough sketches in school notebooks?
- ... that an anime programming block that originally aired on the American television channel TechTV was the inspiration for the co-founder of a Japanese animation studio?
- ... that the Plutonium Finishing Plant, which processed more than 66 metric tons of plutonium between 1949 and 1989, was demolished between 2016 and 2021?
- ... that Bruce Timm created most of the character designs for Batman: The Animated Series?
- ... that the first lady of the Ivory Coast created an animated kids' show in 1989?
- ... that although Blizzard's franchise Overwatch is centered around video games, its lore is mainly told through animated shorts, comics, and novels?
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Phil Hartman (September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-born American actor, comedian, writer and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family later immigrated to the United States. He attended California State University, Northridge, graduating with a degree in graphic arts and going on to design several album covers. He joined The Groundlings in 1975 and there helped Paul Reubens to develop his character Pee-wee Herman, co-wrote the screenplay for the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and made recurring appearances on Reubens' show Pee-wee's Playhouse. Hartman became well-known in the late 1980s when he joined the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. He won fame for his impressions, particularly of President Bill Clinton, and stayed on the show for eight seasons. Called "the Glue" for his ability to hold the show together and help other cast members, Hartman won a Primetime Emmy Award for his SNL work in 1989. In 1995, after scrapping plans for his own variety show, he starred as Bill McNeal in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio. He also had frequent roles on The Simpsons, and appeared in the films Houseguest, Sgt. Bilko, Jingle All the Way, and Small Soldiers. He was shot dead by his wife Brynn while he slept in his Encino, California home in 1998. In the weeks following his death, Hartman was celebrated in a wave of tributes.
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There have been 61 episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series written and created by Michael Dante DiMartino (pictured) and Bryan Konietzko. It first aired on February 21, 2005 with a one-hour series premiere and concluded its run with a two-hour TV movie on July 19, 2008. The Avatar franchise refers to each season as a "Book", in which each episode is referred to as a "chapter". Each "Book" takes its name from one of the elements that the protagonist must master: Water, Earth, and Fire. The show's first two seasons each consisted of 20 episodes, while the third season had 21. In addition to the three seasons, there were two recap episodes and three "shorts". The first recap summarized the first eighteen episodes while the second summarized season two. The first self-parody was released via an online flash game. The second and third were released with the Complete Second Season Box Set DVD. The entire series has been released on DVD in both Region One and Region Two.
More did you know...
- ...that Korean American cartoonist Lela Lee created the cartoon Kim, the Angry Little Asian Girl after being enraged at racist cartoons she had seen at Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation?
- ...that Information International, Inc. (Triple-I) used the Super Foonly, the world's fastest PDP-10, to render 3D animation for the 1982 film Tron?
- ...that the Encyclopedia of Domestic Animation is the first attempt at recording the complete history of Russian and Soviet animation? (example pictured)
Anniversaries for June 25
- Films released
- 1938 – Have You Got Any Castles? (United States)
- 1938 – Porky's Party (United States)
- 1949 – Long-Haired Hare (United States)
- Television series and specials
- 1995 – DNA², a Japanese anime television series finishes airing on Nippon Television
- 2009 – Stoked, a Canadian animated television series begins airing on Teletoon
- 2020 – Adventure Time: Distant Lands, an American animated television series begins airing on Max (streaming service)
- Deaths
- 2009 – Michael Jackson, American singer, songwriter and dancer (voice of Leon Kompowsky in The Simpsons episode "Stark Raving Dad"), dies from cardiac arrest at age 50. (b. 1958)
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