My Top 10 Family CG Animated Features - To Date!

     I have been inspired to post my Top 10 list of Family CG Animated Features. Lately I have been hearing that Brave (Pixar, 2012) is the best CG Animated Film of all time. Now let me say this, it is a really good movie and has enjoyable characters. And Technically it was a gem. But by no means is it the greatest or even in my Top Ten. So, getting to my top ten, lets start off with a few honorable mentions. Now I am going to concentrate on the ones really marketed towards family and children. Some of you man be asking what is my criteria for selection. Basically 3 things, Story, Art and Tech (the later one being not so important among the children)

HM 2 - Ice Age (Blue Sky, 2002) - For the reason that they were trying to set themselves apart from Dreamworks and Pixar, by producing a highly stylized animation. And they were successful at that.

HM 1 - Despicable Me (Illumnation, 2010) - An all around good movie, but a studio that isn't Dreamworks or Pixar.

10. Over the Hedge (Dreamworks, 2006) - this under-marketed animation has some great characters, a wonderful story and a beautiful look. This was also the year of the CG movies that would feature a rodent like character on speed. Many attempted this type of character, but OTH pulled it off.

9. Tangled (Disney, 2011) - struggling to get back into the animation features, Disney hit it out of the ballpark with this one. It was wonderful stereoscopic camera and animation work, gorgeous art and a really wonderful story line. This made me appreciate Disney animations once again.

8. Rio (Blue Sky, 2011) - It was great to see, the way they created Rio and showed it in the feature was a great look and character of and in its self. Blue Sky Studios stepped it up and really competed with Pixar and Dreamworks in my opinion. So, much so that Disney canceled their Newt project.

7.  WALL-E (Pixar, 2008) - Because the shear beauty of this movie, the first half of it has basically no dialogue and is all driven through the life of this little robot, who falls in love.

6. Monster's Inc (Pixar, 2001) - This really pushed the boundaries of an animated kids feature. No more cute toys or animals, this was Monsters being shown in a societal setting. The hair/fur on Sulley was a technical masterpiece.

5. Ratatouille (2007, Pixar) - Just as one of my friends said, this is a great movie but its "Rats in a Kitchen". I see that, but I grew watching Tom and Jerry and Speedy. (There is more to his argument, but this is my blog, so he can continue the discussion on his). The themes of breaking out of your class and achieving more was inspiring.

4. The Incredibles (2004, Pixar) - Brad Bird being my number 4 and 5, created yet another animation that I have come to love (the first one being The Iron Giant, 1999). Showing what happens to superheroes when they are forced to be ordinary people, was a great premise.

3. How To Train Your Dragon (2010, Dreamworks) - This movies has it all, depth, cinematography, great story line and the ability to care about the characters. Epic Awesomeness.

2. Kung Fu Panda (2008, Dreamworks) - Speaking of Awesomeness, Up until this point I hadn't enjoyed a CG Animation all the way through with laughing and in amazement. This is a great movie through and through.

1. Toy Story (1995, Pixar) - What happens to our toys when we stop playing with them. Pixar has a underlying theme of showing things/animals in a societal environment created by themselves. But this is were anyone who appreciates the art and magic that goes into creating a full length CG, this is the one we all fell in love with. I firmly believe that if this movie hadn't been successful, it would have taken studios longer to want to do Fully CG Animated Films.

So, these are my Top Ten Family CG Animated Features to date, now of course this is subject to change and there are a few that could have made this list but didn't. And there are some that I expect to make the list, Wreck-it Ralph (Disney, 2012), Rise of the Guardians (Dreamworks, 2012). Once I see more this year and next and if anything changes I will let you know. Also, I don't do sequels, so don't ask. Some day I will post my Top Ten Movies of all time.

Handmade Texture

So, yesterday I needed a wood texture. I thought hey I could just go find one and download it. But I wanted mine to walk the line between cartoon style and semi real. I decided to pull out my new graphic tablet and create one. I figured it would be a challenge. I did this all by not looking at anything.

Thoughts anyone?

Product Review: Bamboo Capture Part 1

For my Friend Justin H, you wanted a product review, here ya go...

It's been years since I picked up a tablet and by tablet I mean a graphics tablets, not an iPad or Android tablet. I am talking about a pen tablet. While I was getting my masters and eventually working on my PhD (which is on pause for now), I would sometimes pick up a Wacom tablet that we had and check it out and do some digital drawings or illustrations. But I never bothered mastering it, because I didn't have one of my own and for me I need access to something 24/7 to really get the hang of it. (No telling when creativity will hit ya.) And at the time Wacom tablets were too expensive for me, rent and food were more important. But recently I have been paying attention to the Bamboo line by Wacom on Amazon and over the last month they have dropped the price twice, its that nice (see what I did there). So as an early Christmas present my wife got me Bamboo Capture. This is the middle of the road Bamboo pen tablet.

Four Days later it arrives. Just as I am opening it, my wife says "Lets Eat" In my head really, now, but I got this new toy in and I..okay...dinner first then toy. Well actually after dinner we had to go to Wal-mart and then we came home and, and, and, then I got to the AMAZON BROWN BOX.

The packaging is nicely designed. And they packed it well so that nothing will happen to it. Looking at the tablet itself, the buttons have a crumpled look to them. At first you think did these buttons get damaged, but they aren't. It adds to the personality of the tablet, to which I imagine there is a rhyme and reason for their look. Like to let you know you are touching a button and not any other part of the tablet. But I am too lazy to go find that out and read up on it. So enough of the design and look. Oh by the way this is important note, the weight frees great. Very light and free feeling.

After Windows 7 decided we needed to do like what seemed 10 hours of updates, probably 2 hours, plus the installation of the software that came with it. Photoshop Elements and Autodesk Sketchbook Express. (Somewhere I own CS 2, but can't put my hands on it and I own a Autodesk Entertainment Suite 2010, bought it before I took a break from school - wise choice). I go to sleep, let the comp finish up the updates wake up at 6am (you can guess why so early later), finish more updates and now its 8am and time to play with the tablet.

I start up the Autodesk Sketchbook Express. I have never used it before, but I like it. It's easy to navigate. My first drawing I started doing is a concept for a game, but then I decided to wait and first get use to the pen and the feel of it.

It has great sensitivity, And my from my brain to hand to tablet to screen it's seamless. The price on amazon I believe is $99.00. Here is the link Amazon


I bought a case but it will take some times to come in. I think probably right before the Christmas Holiday. My goal with my pen tablet (besides drawings, sketches, illustrations) is to create better textures for my 3D models and to start working in Autodesk Mudbox.

Here is my second use of the pen tablet. The dog on the right is me trying to get use the pen tablet and the one of the left is getting a better handle of it. (I showed the drawing to my 18 month old, 19 months tomorrow and asked her "What is this?", her reply "Doggie" - I think I achieved my goal)



I highly recommend this tablet and as affordable tablet that works great so far. Once I get into textures (if I can put my hands on Photoshop) and Mudbox (have my hands on that). I will post another review of the product.

Thats it for now, thanks for reading.

Logo Design

This was the logo and company name that I created for my long time friend and brother Robert Cochran. His company went live in October.

Cardbird Boxes 2

These are rendered scenes of an solo animation short that I am working on. I came up with the art concept around 5 years ago. I refer to is as "candyland" art. Still working out some of the concepts.