On the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, we have two animated tributes of sorts from members of the ASIFA-SF community—with little in common but sci-fi-comedy—and a title.

Graham Ross just graduated from the Academy of Art with a MFA degree and just posted his thesis film online, entitled One Small Step which was selected as a featured film on AniBoom as well. His influences range from the classic science film Powers of Ten, to macro photography, the dark humor of the Coen Bros. and an idea from Douglas Adams "Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy" where he describes an invading alien fleet being eaten by a small dog.

As all student and indie animators will attest, time was the greatest challenge to Graham in finishing his short film. While he had a lot of help from friends and fellow students, he gives special props to his directed study with Everett Downing. "Everett works at Pixar and is also a comic book illustrator and a storyboard artist.  Six months before my thesis film was due, Everett took one look and told me it needed a massive rewrite.  I was against the idea, but I took his advice and re-boarded the story and cut together a story reel in three weeks.  It was one of the best decisions I could have made and I’ve got Everett to thank.  He really helped me to trim down the story and hone the pacing down to the frame! And yes, I did complete the animation on time!"

"I love the timing of the short and the way it has a 2D sensibility.  But I think I actually draw a lot of inspiration from live-action films, especially stuff by Terry Gilliam and the Coen Brothers.  I also like to draw from life a lot and find it to be a constant source of inspiration. Right now I’ve been sending my film out to festivals, just trying to get it seen.  I’m planning on starting a new film soon, but I think I need a bit of a break first!" You can watch Graham’s film One Small Step on YouTube, and check out his site here.

Coincidentally, Joe Sikoryak (webmaster for ASIFA-SF) and his brother Steve Sikoryak (of ASIFA-EAST) have spent the last 2 months putting together their own tribute to the moon landing called…One Small Step. This film posits a behind-the-scenes look at what REALLY went on while the world waited breathlessly for Neil Armstrong to descend to the lunar surface. The first two minutes are posted on You Tube, but the complete film will premiere later this year as part of their series of shorts called "Paradox Parkway." You can watch for future installments at their website www.sikotronic.com

 Count ‘em as two more giant leaps for silliness!

Once Upon a Dream: The Art of Sleeping Beauty

The Cartoon Art Museum is honoring the Disney production’s 50th anniversary. The show will feature pencil drawings, model sheets, animation cels, color guides and behind-the-scenes photographs of the cast and crew.  Almost ten years in the making, Sleeping Beauty was designed to look like no other Disney film, drawing from both medieval illustrations and cutting-edge 1950s graphic design. Artist Eyvind Earle, who supervised the film’s look and hand-painted most of the dozens of lavish backgrounds, gave the film its unique blend of lush detail and bold, stylized designs.  Disney production designer Ken Anderson developed these elements into a visually arresting feature, much of it animated by members of the Nine Old Men. Sleeping Beauty was the last Disney film to use fully hand-inked animation cels and it was filmed in 70mm scope.

The show runs July 18 – January 10, 2010 at Cartoon Art Museum
655 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: 415/CAR-TOON