Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

This is a drawing I own from Disney’s THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. It’s from the period I like best in Disney animation, when they were young, exuberant and incredibly creative.
It’s also a mocks my incessant fear that the wolf sits at my door. A fear all you who have small businesses can relate to. As Rosanne Rosanna D’Ana used to say, “If it aint one thing, it’s another!” Today’s one of those days for me.

The short list of Oscar contenders has been positive for New York with three films on the list. They are Bill Plympton’s “The Fan and The Flower,” John Canemaker’s “The Moon and The Sun: An Imagined Conversation,” and our own “The Man Who Walked Between The Towers.” Coupled with “Badgered” and “Imago,” there are five 2D hand-drawn films on that list of eight.

On the short list for feature animation four of the ten titles are non-computer animated. There are two puppet films, “Corpse Bride,” and “Wallace & Gromit;” there are two 2D films, “Howl’s Moving Castle,” and “Steamboy.”

Since the Hollywood feature establishment has opted to get out of the 2D business, it’s especially gratifying – to one who has staked his life in this art form – to see that it’s still accepted as a viable medium by audiences. Not that I ever had a doubt about that – regardless of who wins the Oscar in March. As a loud and ardent supporter of 2D animation, I couldn’t be happier.

I’m happy with the way the site premiered yesterday. Already those first viewers can see that things have changed a bit. We’ve gotten rid of the opening logo page and now go straight to the main page. The QT movie opened too slowly for those with dial-up and, really, wasn’t necessary. Other changes and additions should be affected by the end of the week.

What I didn’t do yesterday was to properly thank those in my studio who put this site together. Adrian Urquidez is the main guy who has really rallied forward with the endless batches of material I gave him. I’m thoroughly impressed with the organization he’s put into it. Somehow it all seems so simple and clear cut now that it’s done. Paul Carrillo and Matt Clinton offered a lot of help with some complicated bits of their expertise. There’s just no way it could have been done so well without all three of them. Thank you.

Dec 05. Today is Walt Disney’s birthday. It seems like a good enough date for us to premiere this site. We’re going to try to make it interesting. Most of the site is dedicated to our films and the work of the studio. Hopefully, we can use this blog to keep up a small diary, perhaps post some pictures we find interesting, and let you know what we’re up to. We’d appreciate any comments about the site and hope to keep it liquid so that we add to it constantly.

So, we’re off and running.