So I just got back from an incredible trip to Hangzhou China where I was a guest at the China International Cartoon and Animation Festival and I had an incredible time.  It was amazing to finally be able to visit the land that I’ve been researching, studying and Googling for so many years now.  It was such a treat, I loved seeing some of the architecture and landscapes that inspired the film.  Very cool.

But the highlight had to be the elaborate opening ceremony that involved many dancing pandas and some real kung fu wire work to make it all extra spectacular.  I’m hoping to get the whole video to post soon, but for now below is some footage I managed to capture from the audience.

I’ll be posting much more about this trip very soon so stay tuned.  Here’s a picture to tide you over:

Here’s a local article about the festival HERE:

You can read more about the festival HERE:

The official site for the festival is HERE:

So this past Monday night, as part of the Jules Engel Centennial Celebration, I went to see the work of a filmmaker I have admired for many years and just got to meet this past summer, Joanna Priestley.  She brought a retrospective of her work to RedCat, including her latest film MISSED ACHES and it was a great show.  In case you don’t know her yet, she is an independent animator and filmmaker that has been making amazingly handcrafted personal films for over 20 years.  She has so many amazing films that I highly recommend her DVDs to any indie animation fans or aspiring filmmakers out there.  Starting with her CalArts thesis film VOICES she established a strong voice of her own.  Make sure you check it out!

CalArts just hosted an amazing centennial celebration in honor of my mentor Jules Engel on Saturday April 15th 2009 .  I was lucky enough to be among the panel of former students who were invited to discuss how they were influenced by Jules Engel’s legacy.   Engel’s distinguished career included an amazing body of personal abstract films and fine art as well as story and color work on Disney classics “Fantasia” and “Bambi.” He also  was one of the founding members of UPA, the studio that created Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, where he was responsible for color, design and layout.  Engel founded the CalArts Experimental Animation program in 1969 and had an extensive career as a teacher and mentor with untold amounts of influence on the animation universe. Jules passed away in 2003 at the age of 95, but his spirit lives on as proved by this powerful and moving evening of reminiscing about his influence.  It was amazing to hear from everyone.

The other speakers at the event included; Jorge Gutierrez, creator of El Tigre (who opened the panel with some side splitting stories of his experiences with Jules), Steve Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants (who showed an amazing personal film from 1991 where he drew one frame a day for an entire year), Mark Kirkland, director on The Simpsons (who showed tons of amazing examples of Jules work and how it directly related to his own), Joanna Priestley, independent animator (who showed her brand new film MISSED ACHES in honor of Jules) and Henry Selick, director of Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas (who shared that Jules was the one who showed him the works of Jan Svankmeyer and Jiri Trnka sending him down his path of fascination with creepy stop-motion).  All in all is was an amazing night.  Special thanks to Courtney McIntyre for organizing the entire event.

L-R Henry Sellick, Stephen Hillenburg, Sahar Alsawaf, Mark Kirkland, Johanna Priestley, Janeann Dill, me, and Jorge Gutierrez.

Here’s an excerpt from the AWN.com article I wrote recently, “Remembering Jules Engel”;

(April 16, 2009)  In the fall of 1990, I transferred into the Experimental Animation department at CalArts after studying foundation art at Pratt Institute in New York. I had a sense that I was entering into a unique program. Judging from the work on the walls, I knew this was a place where special and interesting things had happened in the past. Walking around the room, I could see interesting work in progress on every desk. It wasn’t until I started taking classes that year, however, that I truly understood that the foundation for all of the work I saw was in large part due to the amazingly supportive environment that was created for these students by my mentor Jules Engel.

To read entire article on AWN.com, click HERE

To read fellow panelist Jorge Gutierriez’s Blog about Jules, click HERE

Or to find out more or make a donation to the CalArts Jules Engel Scholarship Fund get in touch with Courtney McIntyre at 661 222-2743 or at cmcintyr@calarts.edu.

Welcome to the new and improved HappyProduct.com, the exclusive website for the work of director Mark Osborne! The new site will feature videos, additional short films, sneak previews of Osborne’s upcoming TOP SECRET feature project, news, press archives, and much, much, more…

We hope the new site is a place for fans of Osborne’s work, fans of animation in general, and curious passersby, to explore the world of animation from an acclaimed director’s perspective.  Check back regularly for new content!

We value your suggestions and feedback for items you would like to see posted here in the future.  Have a question you would love to ask the director?  A news item you didn’t see posted in our archives?  An idea for a feature post? Feel free to leave us a comment!

Hey folks! After a long, long radio silence I am back to update the site with all that’s been happening the last few years (has it been that long? Yikes!).

I have been busy co-directing my first big budget animated movie, Kung Fu Panda. It was an awesome experience and I learned a ton about feature production and character-based storytelling.  I’ve come away with an expanded insight and even deeper appreciation for the possibilities of the animated medium. I can’t wait to bring all these rich experiences back to my more personal work. I will be keeping you posted through this website as things progress with my new projects. Subscribe for updates so you can stay tuned!

More MORE Items available for purchase…

Great news, the Standard MORE DVD is back on sale in addition to the Special Edition MORE DVD! And available  soon, Happy Product boxes!  These were intended as shipping boxes, but sold out as gift items. We also have new printed items , MORE build your own calendars, etc. Check the store for items being added regularly…

Wow!

What an amazing and surprising night! We went in with very low expectations and were amazed to come away with a lot of awards. The Annies, if you’ve never heard of them, are Awards for Animation.

For a full list of the Kung Fu Panda’s Annie Award, keep reading.

And the winner is…

The below list of awards is from Variety.com, check out the full article HERE

Animated Feature
“Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Animated Video Game
“Kung Fu Panda,” Activision

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Animated Effects
Li-Ming, Lawrence Lee “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Feature Production
James Baxter “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Television Production or Short Form
Pierre Perifel “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Nico Marlet, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Character Design in an Animated Television Production or Short Form
Nico Marlet, “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation

Directing in an Animated Feature Production
John Stevenson & Mark Osborne, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Music in an Animated Feature Production
Hans Zimmer & John Powell, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Music in an Animated Television Production or Short Form
Henry Jackman, Hans Zimmer & John Powell, “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Tang Heng, “Kung Fu Panda” – DreamWorks Animation

Production Design in an Animated Television Production or Short Form
Tang Heng, “Secrets of the Furious Five,” DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Jen Yuh Nelson, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Dustin Hoffman, Voice of Shifu, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger, “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks Animation

As published in Daily Variety, “For Tyro or Vet, Noms Still a Thrill,” 01-23-2009 :

“I was trying to get the results on the Internet, when my dad called from the East Coast, he was watching it live. He’s so excited. As I was talking to him his phone was ringing off the hook, so he had a busy morning. It’s truly incredible and bizarre and an incredible honor. For me it’s particularly great because I was nominated for my short 10 years ago.”

As published in The Hollywood Reporter, 01/23/09 :

Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, co-directors of “Kung Fu Panda,” sounded excited. Osborne said he was thrilled for the animated feature nom, which he called “an amazing validation for the entire crew.” Previously nominated in 1998 for his stop-motion work on the animated short “MORE,” Osborne hopes to go back to stop-motion with a dream project he is trying to get off the ground after writing a script with his friend. “I thought, it’s time to do something crazy- get back to stop-motion,” he said.

“Panda Clobbers Competition at Annie’s,” at AWN.com, click HERE