The Man Who Planted Trees

Daniel Caylor brought this film back to my attention; "The Man Who Planted Trees" by Frédéric Back. Even in this degraded form the message and artistry still inspire and impress me.

This is an important film and one of the most perfect uses of animation conveying complex emotion and message with every facet of sound and design in an entertaining and beautiful way. Like good art should it communicates in a way other media could not and is poetic and spiritually uplifting all the more so because it is animated.

Clicking on the title will take you to an interview with Frédéric Back.

Dr. Seuss Models

I rediscovered some of my favorite toys that I’m sure had a lot to do with shaping my career choices.

In the sixties, Revell created a series of model kits designed by Dr. Seuss. They were colored vinyl plastic pieces that snapped together and required no painting or glue. Better yet you could intermix body parts with other kits and make your own creatures! These were some of the best toys ever made! Too bad there is nothing like them today that I know of.

Seen here from top to bottom: Norval the Bashful Blinket, Tingo the Noodle-Toppled Stroodle, and Roscoe the Many-Footed Lion.

Thanks to j_pidgeon’s photostream for these great pictures. Click title to see stream.