The Year in Review: 2013

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; December 26, 2013)

     Looking back at the past 12 months, 2013 certainly has been a drastic year for Mustache Maniacs Film Co. In just those 12 months, closed-captions, mouth animation, advanced effects and animation, the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Wiki, and more were introduced into Mustache Maniacs Film Co.'s resources, along with the needed preparation for "Ten Years of Going Crazy" and beyond. Now that the year is almost over, here is a look back at all of the activity that occurred at Mustache Maniacs Film Co. over the past year.

     January: January kicked off with both the Tales of the Adventurers story Danger In Mariner's Cave and the film Animation Reel 2, a sequel to Animation Reel. The notable thing about this reel is that it featured, for the first time, the new Mustache Maniacs Film Co. logo, designed to work with HD videos. Besides that, work progressed on New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable and Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients.

     February: At the start of the month, a rule was put into effect, not allowing multiple films to be released on the day, for surely one will steal the other's thunder like An Afternoon at the Zoo did to Space Attack. A new expansion to the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. website also started this month and the old animation Remember the Alamo was released.

     March: This month was filled with big news! Not only was the in-house animation department Drawn to Life Animation founded, but both A Friend of the Police and A Bite of MyJobs were also announced! This, combined with new mini animations, New Friends, and Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients meant lots of work was ahead! The Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Vimeo channel and the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Wiki also opened this month, featuring a selection of animations and information on Mustache Maniacs Film Co. films.

     April: April kicked off with the start of The Film School Challenge, which challenged animators to animate in a competition of scoring and elimination. Otherwise, not much happened in April. Animated versions of Freddy and Joey in Corn Farm and Seeing Eye Robber were announced, but were later canceled.

     May: Debuts and honors marked May on the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. calendar! In time for Memorial Day, A Friend of the Police debuted to much acclaim and the premiere for New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable was held at the College of the Canyons MEA Showcase, where it won the award for best story.

     June: Not to be outdone by New Friends, A Friend of the Police won the grand prize for the 'Police Show Contest:' a $50 LEGO Store gift card! Speaking of New Friends, that film was finally released in June, marking a turning point for Mustache Maniacs Film Co. movies. June also marked the beginning of the "Summer of Surprises" and the announcement of LEGO Island: The Animated Series, as well as the beginning of voting for The Second Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Fan Choice Awards.

     July: In July, another From the Vaults re-release, Indiana Jones and the Treasure of Tikal, was released along with its behind the scenes. Soon after, the first line-up for "Ten Years of Going Crazy!" was unveiled, showing off the months most of the films would be released in.

     August: Behind the scenes videos were released this month and the YouTube channel's name was officially changed from historylegoman to Mustache Maniacs Film Co.  But other than that, August was a slow month, focusing on projects instead of releases.

     September: September brought the release of Sam 'n Bob Brawl and mouth animation to Mustache Maniacs Film Co. The results for The Film School Challenge were also announced, leaving Marcus Hutchinson the victor.

     October: A Bite of MyJobs finally debuted, after major tweaks to its dialogue. Interestingly, the CWEE version was tweaked yet again, making it different from the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. version. Also, the results were posted for Minilife TV's animation contest. While Sam 'n Bob Brawl did not win, we would like to congratulate Film School Challenge participant Pushover Productions for winning first place.

     November: Early on in the month, PSA video Mercury Rising in our Oceans debuted, bringing closed-captioning to Mustache Maniacs Film Co. movies, which is still being implemented. Also, the all-new Project U-Build Play Set Adventures were announced, with the first wave coming in April and being based on Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo and Johnny Thunder and the Gift of the Nile.

     December: December did not see any new releases, but teases for beyond next year and official release dates for 2014 films were officially unveiled. In addition to that, another new format change was made, clarifying the content of various parts for multi-part films.

     And that brings us to now, with strong anticipation of "Ten Years of Going Crazy!" and beyond. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a happy 2014. Get ready for all-new tenth anniversary fun, starting next Wednesday!