It’s Oscar time once more and Toon Boom is delighted to announce that the 2D animation Chico and Rita has been nominated for Best Animation Feature.
Directed by Academy Award winner Fernando Trueba, and star designer Javier Mariscal, the feature film Chico & Rita combines live action and 2D in Toon Boom Harmony in seven studios linked together by HoBSoft.
Set in Cuba in 1948: Chico is a pianist, Rita a singer. They experience a tumultuous love story set against the jazz backdrop of Havana.
Have you ever been stumped by a feature? Just not too sure which is the easiest and quickest way to animate or to make a storyboard? Is this the first time using the Toon Boom software and you just need a basic overview to get you going?
The Toon Boom team has been making easy-to follow tutorials and guides just for you.
Just find the product you have, click on a Video Tutorial and you will soon be animating your way to success!
There are video tutorials for most products, these are found in one of three places:
Take one hour out of your day and learn about Storyboard Pro 3D
Great news for all of you who want to learn about Storyboard Pro 3D. Storyboard Art is running a FREEonline workshop called Crash Course on Storyboard Pro 3D .
YES IT’S FREE!
When: Saturday January 28 2012
Time: 11 am PST – the registration form has a timezone convertor.
The Montreal Gazette’s Jason Magder posted this story today ..”MONTREAL – Montreal’s Toon Boom Animation is hoping this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will be the boost it needs to get into more homes.
A longtime software provider for professional digital animation companies, Toon Boom wants to grow its educational and consumer animation products to account for at least half of the company’s revenue in the next few years, from the current 30 per cent.
At CES, the company has been handing out cards with QR codes and links to the website of its Flip Boom Doodle software (toonboom.com/doodle), which is being offered for free until the end of the month….”
Great news folks! To celebrate CES Toon Boom are giving away Flip Boom Doodle until January 31 2012. No catches or snags, just click on the link, enter your basic info and download the software. It’s worth $29.
Flip Boom Doodle – Perfect for kids who want to start creating animation in seconds, Flip Boom Doodle has intuitive drawing tools and easy-to-use templates. This introductory tool provides a playful experience for kids and the family. Upload the videos right to your Facebook page so your friends can see them!
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mars Science Laboratory “Curiosity” Rover as depicted by Bohemian Grey
Toon Boom Animation has gone where our software has never gone before..Mars!
This amazing achievement was done thanks to Bohemian Grey, a leader in the creation and production of animation, visualization and visual effects for film, television, educational and government projects.
The short animated film was storyboarded using Storyboard Pro and produced for NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at Caltech. It depicts the planned exploits of NASA’s newest robotic explorer, the Mars Science Laboratory’s “Curiosity” Rover.
The animations show a behind-the-scences look at the assembly of the craft, while the second animation gives the viewer an insight to the mission, including flightpath, landing and planned Mars surface activities. Artists used Storyboard Pro to generate storyboards and animatics as they created the stunning films.
Isn’t it just amazing how fast the year goes by? Here we are at Christmas once more and as usual things are just hopping in the Toon Boom office. Lots of exciting things are in the works for next year, here are a few…no that would be telling, you’ll just have to wait and see! Meanwhile, check out the fantastic year we have had and all that we have done to make you all animate better. Here a few highlights.. read the rest of the News on Toon Boom Animation blog to find out everything we did.
The year started with The Great Toon Boom Move.. we had outgrown our “cozy space”, and we moved into our new location only a few miles from the old one - but worlds apart! The new office is spacious and is just an amazing place to work in.
The transfer to the new location was as smooth as smooth could be thanks to an efficient moving company and our moving logistic team headed by Christine. Within a few days we had the entire system running and the phones and internet connection were brought fully on line shortly after.. a big thanks to the IT guys for that.
We started January with our annual visit to CES in Las Vegas, where enthusiastic visitors got the chance to meet our team and checked-out our consumer animation and storyboarding products.
In The Caribbean an initiative by Toon Boom and the Animae Caribe committee to provide inmates of the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Training Centre with the chance to create animation has led to the “Lads of the Youth Training Centre (YTC)” receiving an award for their animation “The Journey” at the Animae Caribe, Animation and New Media Festival. The “Most Promising Young Animator Award of the Festival” was presented to a very happy Marc Friday, 20, Ashton Blandin, 21 and Akeel Mitchell, 18. We look forward to seeing there talents in the future.
Marc Friday, 20, Ashton Blandin, 21 and Akeel Mitchell, 18, receive the trophy from Joan Vogelsang President and CEO of Toon Boom Animation.
In the middle of the month Mercury Filmworks in Ottawa, used Toon Boom Harmony on the production of “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”, a new cartoon which Disney created and debued on Disney Junior on February 14.
On the education side a major new partnership was announced with with Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore’s leading institution of higher learning, to set up a paperless digital animation production hub on their campus, fully equipped with Toon Boom pipeline.
Toon Boom presented an exciting Creative Forum in Jamaica with support from Jamaica Film Commission and JAMPRO. This event showcased new talent and helped to establish the further the success and development of the animation industry in The Caribbean.
Toward the end of January we had an exciting update to the Toon Boom/MyOuterspace Animate William Shatner contest with the announcement of the winner, Jeremy Appleman. Jeremy won the opportunity to have a hand in designing additional characters and locales for the new animation series The Zenoids on MyOuterspace.com. The series will be made by Montreal-based Oasis Animation facilitated by Toon Boom Animate Pro.
We also released version 5 of our award-winning Flip Boom Classic software for kids.
January went out with a bang, or maybe I should say Boom… and the Brad PaisleyConcert. The world famous Country Music star uses Toon Boom Studio and Animate to form an animated backdrop to his instrumental parts of the stage performance. Brad graciously added a nice “Thank-you Toon Boom” at the end.
So how do you beat that!
February started with the announcement that Atomic Cartoons an independent full-service animation studio from Vancouver, Canada, had decided to adopt the Toon Boom Harmony pipeline. They were delighted to be seeing “…some pretty exciting animation coming out of the new pipeline”. Next the Toon Boom team had a very successful visit to Seoul, Korea along with Joel Kuwahara, Co-owner of Bento Box Entertainment.
In March the world came to an abrupt standstill as word flashed around the globe of the devastating earthquake and resultant tsunami that hit Japan.
In March Toon Boom decided to do something which we had never done…launch an app for iPhone and iPod. Flip Boom lite was the first of a series of apps which we created this year for customers using iPhone, iPod and iPad.
We upgraded and revamped our flagship product by releasing Harmony 9 complete with True Pencil, Deform tools, 2D/3D integration and Particle Effects. Our customers were amazed by what they could now do with this version of the software.
On the film side the big announcement was the release of The Winnie The Pooh Movie which used the Toon Boom Pipeline.
In May Toon Boom won the HSBC International Business Awards. Joan Vogelesang, Toon Boom’s President and Chief Executive Officer credits determination, passion and high quality standards as well as extensive presence in the field with the company’s win. She said, “It is such an honour to be acknowledged for the amazing work the Toon Boom team has been doing internationally for 15 years, not only with the prestigious studios such as Disney and Warner Brothers, but also in the areas of education and online business.”
Toon Boom Harmony pipeline is being used to create Fox-TV’s latest cartoon offerings, Allen Gregory and Napoleon Dynamite. Both cartoons featured in the September line-up of FOX-TV’s Animation Domination.
In June two products, Flip Boom Classic and Flip Boom All-Star, won their categories in the 2011 AEP Distinguised Acheivement Awards.
Flip Boom Classic was also made compatible with the SMART series of interactive whiteboards. By porting Toon Boom’s entry-level educational product to interactive whiteboards and offering engaging creative applications these learning devices. Students will be able to create and export finished files for easy inclusion in the teaching resources of SMART Notebook collaborative learning software.
June was a really big month for Toon Boom, we celebrated 10 years since Toon Boom Studio was first released! Yes, it’s been that long! Our flagship consumer product Toon Boom Studio (TBS) was first developed in 2001, today we are still making the product with the latest version TBS 6. TBS was ground-breaking when it was first released and it still is making new inroads in the world of animation.
In August, Toon Boom teamed up with Garfield creator Jim Davis to produce a novel cartoon software called Garfield’s Comic Boom. This was an instant hit when it made its first public appearance at the Montreal Comiccon.
Oasis Animation used Toon Boom Harmony pipeline for its Lucky Fred project scheduled for the Disney Channel in January 2012.
Due to the upsurge in interest and production of 3D movies, we decided the time was right to add 3D to our storyboard software. we released Storyboard Pro 3D in September enabling users to import 3D CGI objects into their storyboards.
The European animation production of the hit children’s book series Le Petit Spirou was announced. Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel (France), Luxanimation (Luxembourg) and Aranéo (Belgium) would make this using Toon Boom pipeline.
GMT Triad Media Solutions Pvt.Ltd., one of the leading animation studios in India, converted to the Toon Boom pipeline, including Storyboard Pro, Manager and Harmony. “We felt the time was right to ramp up on the Toon Boom pipeline, not only to produce our own projects but also to position GMT Triad as a strong out-source and co-production partner,” stated Ravi Shankar Gunda, Managing Director at GMT Triad.
Montreal Comiccon was one of the highlights of the year. Fans, friends and special guests, Stan Lee (creator of Spider-Man®, The Incredible Hulk®, X-Men®, The Fantastic Four® and Iron Man® among many others)., Lynn Johnston (Creator of For Better and For Worse) and Nancy Silberkleit, (co-CEO Archie Comics) helped us make it a great weekend. Toon Boom sponsored a meet and greet with the legendary Stan Lee.
Stan Lee and Joan Vogelesang at Montreal Comiccon 2011
By the time October rolled around, the awards were starting to roll in both Garfield’s Comic Boom and Flip Boom All-Star were given the Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA) Seal of Approval. Then Garfield’s Comic Boom was granted the prestigious Honors Award by the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) and the 2011 Preferred Choice Award from Creative Child Magazine.
To cap it all Joan Vogelesang , President and CEO of Toon Boom recently received two awards in The Caribbean. The first was from the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Trade and Industry and the second award was presented by Animae Caribe 2011 Director Camille Selvon-Abrahams, who honored Joan Vogelesang with an award for her support throughout the years.
Minister Stephen Cadiz, Minister of Trade and Industry, Trinidad and Tobago, presents Joan Vogelesang with an Award in recognition of her sterling contribution to the animation industry of Trinidad and Tobago.
Joan had this to say about her and Toon Boom’s work in The Caribbean …“As the Caribbean islands look to diversify their economies, we felt that developing a creative industry building upon their rich folklore would be a perfect fit. The local talent and mixed cultures will make up a great pool of inspiration and development.”
Here are two great animations made with our software:
Every member of the Toon Boom team deserves great credit in their contribution to the wonders that make animation possible in your hands. Congratulations, Seasons Greetings and may you all have a successful, prosperous, healthy and animated New Year!
Animation can be used for many things, not just for humour and entertainment. Heath Education is one of those crucial areas where animation breaks down language barriers and through the use memorable images shows how to prevent disease. Here Yoni Goodman has used Toon Boom Harmony in a Global Health Media Project called The Story of Cholera. The animation shows how an outbreak of this terrible disease spreads and how, through the use of basic hygiene, sanitation and few easy tips, Cholera can be stopped.
George Siosi Samuels, a Toon Boom Animate Pro user, has started creating an animated series to raise awareness on Tuvalu, titled The Tales from Nanumea. This project aims at helping save and preserve the culture, stories, and oral traditions of Tuvalu, a nation at risk of losing their land due to global warming and rising ocean levels, through animation.
Joan Vogelesang , President and CEO of Toon Boom recently received two awards in the Caribbean. The first was from the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Trade and Industry
Stephen Cadiz, Minister of Trade and Industry, Trinidad and Tobago, presents Joan Vogelesang with an Award “In recognition of her sterling contribution to the animation industry of Trinidad and Tobago over the past ten years.”
An award was also presented by Animae Caribe 2011, Director Camille Selvon-Abrahams, who honored Joan Vogelesang with an Award for her support throughout the years.
Joan had this to say about her and Toon Boom’s work in The Caribbean …
“As the Caribbean islands look to diversify their economies, we felt that developing a creative industry building upon their rich folklore would be a perfect fit. The local talent and mixed cultures will make up a great pool of inspiration and development. “
Toon Boom has been involved in the Caribbean animation industry since 2001. We have established a great working relationship with many successful studios and schools in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Grenada. Studios such as Full Circle and BrainStreet Group lead the way as flagship operations in the region.
