ANIMATION QUICKIES BUT GOODIES

Remember this mini-fiasco from the Oscars 2 years ago? Animation fans and pundits were up in arms when the legendary Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke wasn't nominated for Best Animated Feature (and I think Jimmy Neutron was). It felt even worse when it was revealed Tom Hanks headed the selection committee of that particular category. Anyway, this year's nominees are Finding Nemo, Brother Bear, and The Triplets of Belleville. And we all know who's getting the award, don't we? (Although Triplets may be an upset, it's unlikely. The sure thing is, don't bet on the bear.) Anyway, it looks like this year's overlooked short film is Eternal Gaze. Check out the trailer.

Nibbles, one of this year's nominees for Best Animated Short Film, can be seen here. And apparently Destino, one of the other nominees, is a restoration of an old, unfinished collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. You can read more about it here.

Speaking of Disney, Pixar have ceased negotiations with them regarding a new contract. Which is great news for me. Pixar said the terms were unacceptable, and it looks like one of the sticking points was complete ownership. Pixar won't have any difficulty finding another distributor: Warner and Fox are already saying they're open to discussions (like they'd say no to money). Then again, the whole purpose of the press release is to announce that they're now available to be courted by other studios. And from now on, Pixar will maintain complete ownership of their films. Studios will distribute the films in a number of formats, and Pixar will make its money there, but also in licensing and merchandise, previously the realm of Disney. As mentioned in the article, the Pixar films have so far grossed around 2.4 billion dollars. For less than 10 films. This is all just another, particularly huge, nail in Disney's coffin.

Here's something cool: Thomas Pynchon had a cameo on The Simpsons. His character had a paper bag over his head. The author hasn't been seen in public in decades, but isn't entirely a recluse, and apparently has taste (being a Simpsons fan), and a not-so-serious way about himself (since he agreed).

And the bad news I read recently is that there are now bots that flood message boards and comment boards with spam. Shit. I've seen 'em popping up on open invite mailing lists, but now... Damn.