World of Hosers

Hhmm... Seems like MediaCaster Magazine may have jumped to conclusions about the Animax partnership with RocketOn. They connect a few dots about Animax and the upcoming "Bob & Doug" animated TV show featuring the McKenzie Brothers made famous by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis when in the article they posit: "Bob & Doug sipping a virtual brewski in a great white Web world?"

Or maybe they saw this placeholder site... World of Hosers - the first ever virtual world focused on the favorite pasttime of Bob & Doug McKenzie.

"Strange Brew" Turns 25

Strange Brew turns 25 today - in the US at least. The film was released on August 26, 1983. For those of you living under a rock, The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew starred the SCTV characters Bob & Doug McKenzie, played by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who also served as co-directors. The venerable Max von Sydow co-stars.

And if you haven't heard by now, Bob & Doug are soon to return to a small screen near you in the aptly named TV show Bob & Doug - this time in animated form. The first season of episodes is in production now with an early 2009 air date.

Official Animax & McKenzie Brothers Release

Animax Entertainment issued a spanking new press release on the upcoming Bob & Doug McKenzie animated series and the recent announcement about Fox joining on board the TV pilot. Check out the trailer.

Bob & Doug & Fox

The Hollywood Reporter got it kinda right. Yes, a pilot of Bob & Doug McKenzie is being produced. Canada's Global TV was the first to come to the table ordering up 15 episodes (not 13). Now, Fox Broadcasting is on board with the pilot and a possible series commitment as well. Animax Entertainment developed the Flash animated show Bob & Doug - it's a property that we've been working on for awhile and to finally see it taking shape in such a big way is truly rewarding.

Bob & Doug

Yes, it's true, CHF and other Animax fans. Bob & Doug is headed to Global Television in Canada. The McKenzie Brothers of Strange Brew and SCTV fame live on, only this time in animated form.

The Good Book

Are you a Flash Animator or do you just want to look like one? Then you need to get your hands on the brand new book Foundation Flash Cartoon Animation written by Animax Entertainment folks Tim Jones, Allan Rosson, Barry Kelly, and Dave Wolfe (he comes and goes round these parts). It's chock full of solid advice and direction on how to make your Flash animation really zing. It's also chock full of samples from the Animax past portfolio of work including our perennial faves Bob & Doug McKenzie. It's the perfect holiday gift!

The book details:
Whether you are an experienced Flash designer or developer looking for a guide to doing animation in Flash, or a novice to Flash who is looking for an effective way to create and distribute animations, this book will prove invaluable to you. Covering every aspect of Flash animation, the book is a fast-paced yet thorough review of the Flash animation process. Written by the Emmy-Award winning team at ANIMAX, this book not only reveals the step-by-step process followed by one of today's leading Flash animation studios, it gives you valuable tips and tricks to take your Flash animation to the next level. Divided into three phases of production (pre-production, animation, post-production) this book breaks the Flash animation process into smaller, more manageable steps. And because the authors approach the animation process from various perspectives (such as producer, animator, and editor) the book balances many of the real-world issues facing today's Flash animators, from artistic to technical to financial. The book starts off by looking at planning and designing an animation project, including working out your goals, and putting together character libraries and storyboards. Next up we look at the production phase, which includes using plug-ins to make your work more efficient, implementing your animation, and adding special effects. Finally, we look at post-production work, including how After Effects can be used effectively alongside Flash for tasks such as camera mechanics, how to make Flash not look like Flash, and tips and tricks from the experts. Whatever the reason, like millions of others around the world you've become interested in Flash animation. And you've come to the right place to learn more. This book is compatible with pretty much any fairly recent version of Flash.

• Covers the full process of Flash animation, through preproduction, production, and post production
• Covers many practical techniques, including creating character libraries, using plugins, and camera mechanics with After Effects.
• Written by the Emmy award winning ANIMAX team

What you'll learn

• How to effectively plan an animation project
• How to put together storyboards
• How to create elegant character libraries
• How to set up your .fla file, ready for animation to commence
• How to make more efficient use of your time with plugins, where to find good plugins, and how to create your own
• How to animate, frame by frame, or using tweens
• Why After Effects can be better than Flash for some tasks.
• Effective After Effects Techniques, such as camera mechanics
• How to make Flash not look like Flash