Archive Collections: Animation Cells Through the Years

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; May 7, 2014)

     As it usually is around here, May is a slow time for new updates, so here is another Archive Collections to make up for it! Here we go!

     While we are best known for our stop-motion animation brick films, such as Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo and Forest of Fear, we also work with other forms of animation. Today marks the anniversary of the release of Freddy and Joey Teaser, which started our venture into traditional animation, which manipulates characters drawn on paper. Here are some cells from some of our more notable productions.

     Up first is the short that started it all: Freddy and Joey Teaser. It wasn't much, as it just featured Frederick the Frog and Freddy reading a letter, but it does show early skills and an understanding of basic motion and anatomy. Regardless, we have progressed a lot since then.

     Next, we have an unrefined drawing from An Afternoon at the Zoo, which was used when the Rude Family realizes that they are the ones now trapped. This is the last drawing for this shot, which effectively shows their malicious expressions turn into those of surprise and fear.

     Released the same day as An Afternoon at the Zoo was Space Attack, which actually used Flash for its animation. Yes, it may have some stereotypes, such as the typical shape for a UFO, but this film worked to solidify Flash animation for our body of work for future projects.

     The teaser mentioned earlier hinted at the release of Freddy and Joey in Corn Farm, an animatic that was released early in September. While it wasn't a true animation, it still worked to define the two title characters. However, this short was poorly received, cancelling any future episodes of Freddy and Joey.

     Another animatic that we released is called Seeing Eye Robber, which is represented here by an original scan for one of the storyboard panels. While Ralph Vagabond and his criminally silly antics didn't get much attention, the doughnut shop represented here, Dan K., will be returning in future projects. Keep your eyes open!

     While stop-motion and traditional forms of animation pose their own sets of challenges, one must ask what would happen if the two were merged together. That question was answered with the critically-acclaimed Gone Ice Fishin', which actually started pre-production before Seeing Eye Robber, but didn't see the light of day for another six months. In fact, the techniques applied were so successful, they were duplicated for New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable and are under consideration for whether these characters will return in the Project U film, Mysteries of the Arctic.

     Shortly after that was the release of the simpler, but no less funny, short film Night Guard. Here, line quality and contrasting character designs won the day, as fat guard dog Col. Bow Wow (another character returning in Project U) has rounded forms contrasting against clumsy burglar Willie Swipe's sharp edges.

     Of course, no discussion of Mustache Maniacs Film Co. animation is complete without mentioning the award-winning New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable. It pushed the limits even further than any prior Mustache Maniacs Film Co. film, using techniques that are so advanced, they will be used in this summer's Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients.

     Last, but not least, is A Bite of MyJobs, created for College of the Canyons' CWEE department. Just like Space Attack, A Bite of MyJobs was entirely animated in Flash, creating a unique style that distinguishes this short that instructs how COC's CWEE program works. Just like many of our traditional animation films, this one was created collaboratively.
     Comparing these three years of hand drawn Mustache Maniacs Film Co. animations, this certainly shows how far we've come in terms of technology and craftsmanship, skills that will be built on for LEGO Island: The Animated Series. Thank you for reading, and join us soon for the next Archive Collections!

Previously:
Com 50's Gadgets
Props from our First Film
The Most Memorable Deleted Scenes