It’s been a busy autumn, punctuated by two local events, the Ottawa International Animation Festival/The Animation Conference, and the TAAFI Industry Conference. I don’t get out too much anymore, so attending both of these in short time frame was almost overwhelming, but clearly exactly what I needed. I haven’t felt this connected to community in years, both old friends and new. Two of those new friends are Virginie and LP, The Happy Producers. This is going to come off as shameless promotion, and it is, utterly shameless. Our focus here at Cartoon North right now is really straightforward. W ..read more

Vancouver, BC Canada  // Tech Director // FULL-TIME CONTRACT Giant Ant is an award winning artist driven creative studio and animation house, located in Vancouver’s historic Strathcona. With 13 years of experience crafting meaningful work Giant Ant is known for creating rich animation with depth that connects by feel as much as look and style.  Giant Ant is seeking an experienced Technical Director for an upcoming 2D animated feature film adaptation of Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir, “Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me”. Applicants will work in partnership with th ..read more

Vancouver, BC Canada  // Animation Director  // FULL-TIME CONTRACT 20 Months – starting immediately  $9500/month Giant Ant is an award winning artist driven creative studio and animation house, located in Vancouver’s historic Strathcona. With 13 years of experience crafting meaningful work Giant Ant is known for creating rich animation with depth that connects by feel as much as look and style.  Giant Ant seeks an experienced Animation Director to lead the 2D animated feature film adaptation of Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir, “Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother ..read more

Vancouver, BC Canada  // Background Layout / Colour Supervisors  // FULL-TIME CONTRACT Giant Ant is an award winning artist driven creative studio and animation house, located in Vancouver’s historic Strathcona. With 13 years of experience crafting meaningful work, Giant Ant is known for creating rich animation with depth that connects by feel as much as look and style.  Giant Ant is excited to team up with Point Grey Pictures, Lylas Pictures, and Monarch Media for the upcoming 2D animated feature film based on Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir, “Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer ..read more

This marks the first time the global institution has partnered with an animation advocacy organization PARIS, France — Today, WIA, a global advocacy organization championing equity for women and people of underrepresented gender identities in animation, is pleased to announce its partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the world’s leading organization protecting and promoting culture for sustainable development and upholding human rights around the globe. The first-of-its-kind partnership represents their joint vision to empower and ..read more

Some of you are fortunate enough to live in an area where organizations like TAIS exist. My brain immediately goes to Quickdraw in Calgary, I love what they do too. But TAIS, the Toronto Animated Image Society, has been at this a long time, and they’re more relevant than ever. This Saturday, they’re hosting a lineup of films at the Revue Cinema in Toronto that looks absolutely dynamite. Here’s the deets (and here’s the link): Date: November 11th 2023 Date: November 11th 2023 Doors: 6:30pm Screening: 7:00pm The Revue Cinema 400 Roncesvalles Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6R 2M9 The TAIS Animation Sh ..read more

It’s a busy time of year for animation events. We just came out of the Ottawa festival, Mipcom is happening as I write this, and we’re just a couple weeks away from the TAAFI Industry Conference. I can’t afford Mipcom, so having OIAF and TAAFI practically in my backyard is a big bonus. Ottawa was great. Hanging with people I usually only get to see on screens really was the balm for my soul that I didn’t know I needed. And, while ostensibly, this post is a TAAFI promo (voluntarily, no paid sponsorship), it’s really more about how much I’m looking forward to the experiences this kind of event ..read more

So this is something I’ve been aware of for a while, but never really looked into with any real purpose. However. Today I got my second email in two days from “Emmy”. “Emmy” is the “director of Star International Film Festival”. I know this, because “Emmy” told me so. No last name, just “Emmy”. In her first email, “Emmy” indicated that she was “extremely interested” in my “works”. “Emmy” really has a way with broad, generic compliments. Then “Emmy” said she wanted to “invite’ me to become a participant in the nominations of my festival.” Here, take a look. Gosh. What a wonderful opportunity ..read more

The Ottawa International Animation Festival is right around the corner, and it’s going to be interesting, to say the least. I’m generally wary of State of the Industry panels. They can often slip into just a big round of self indulgent back-patting that completely ignores the real issues we’re facing in any given year. However, this is a pretty good-looking lineup. Here’s the panel description: Sometimes you need to pivot Amid a writer’s strike, downsizing, and the threats of AI, learn how the Canadian animation industry is resilient in the face of adversity. Industry innovator Archita Gho ..read more

I’m excited for this one. These three humans are my picks for superstars of Canadian Indie Animation 2023. I’ve had the pleasure of following their projects and progress, and I know 2 of them fairly well, they[re really just the best. Also, indie funding? How timely! As production continues to slow across the service industry, how important is this kind of knowledge going to be?! Right? More of us are making our own films, it would be great to learn how these fantastic humans paid for theirs. Here’s the description: My Indie Funding Journey! Calling all creative souls! Have you ever dreamed ..read more