Pokemon Spinoffs - The List Is Long

There are no real Pokemon of course, but there is everything from Pokemon mug cups to Pokemon Black and White plushies all for sale at reasonable prices and ready to give your Pokehungry tyke like mine. Some institutions have built spinoff empires based on characters that have become great legends of our time, though many of us have no idea what these characters stand for or actually do. I'm talking of Disney of course. We all 'know' Mickey Mouse, but how many of us have actually seen a Mickey Mouse animation 'short' (it's odd then that Bugs Bunny has been watched far more but has nowhere near the popularity)?

How many have seen The Sorcerer's Apprentice? Maybe a few have, but not most. Then there is Minnie, two dogs (Pluto and Goofy- one speaks, the other does not), and the Donald Duck clan. I don't wish to talk much about Disney, but rather about Pokemon. But Disney is worth pointing out because like Pokemon both are extremely successful spinoff phenomena based upon very different models.

Actually, as you well know, Disney began to diversify and become very active in producing new feature animations beginning the 90's. While the Disney features themselves were highly successful, the spinoffs continue to be decidedly dominated by the classic characters rather than by characters such as the Lion King. Pokemon spinoffs operate on the central Pokemon concept of evolution. For example, the most recent game release for Pokemon is Pokemon Black and White. And in Pokemon stores it is now Pokemon Black and White spinoffs- from the Pokemon stuffed toys to the Pokemon card game with the new Pokemon Black and White cards- that are red hot and flying off the shelves. Just try shopping at a Pokemon shop on a Sunday- you will learn the hard way! Pokemon spinoffs sell incredibly well.

Another reason is that to young minds, Pokemon represents a whole world. When we buy a Mickey Mouse keychain, it is an icon that everyone knows. The fun of Pokemon is in owning characters that no one knows. What's more, its fun knowing their powers and limits and explaining them to friends and family. Fortunately or not, my son actually regularly quizzes me on Pokemon. Pokemon are diverse, which makes them potentially confusing. But they are also well grouped into easy to understand categories. It is good for children's minds to classify and group Pokemon and have knowledge on them. Pokemon, as a sales phenomenon, is completely different from Disney.

To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plush that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon pokedolls, charms, straps, plush toys, promo cards, keychains, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.

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Cartoon Character Licensing - Hi Betty Boop!

Who is Betty Boop?

Betty Boop is perhaps one of the most celebrated cartoon characters of all time. The sexy, breathy, independent Betty (created by Max Fleisher in the 1930's) made her debut in Dizzy Dishes, a cartoon made by Paramount Pictures as a talking French Poodle. In true animation spirit, however, by her next appearance she had morphed from a poodle into a curvaceous girl with big dark eyes and a little miss innocence voice.

The woman/girl version of Betty Boop was a caricature of singer Helen Kane though the voice was first 'done' by Margie Hines, though later episodes would be voiced by a number of actresses, most notable of whom was Mae Questel; the Boop mistress who began voicing the part in 1931 and continued the character until she died in 1998. Today's Betty Boop is performed by Tress MacNeille in cartoons and Tara Strong when presented in commercials.

A Short History of Betty Boop Character Licensing

Originally all the rights to the character were owned exclusively by Paramount Pictures. While the character was very popular and Paramount Pictures was very happy with its sales, the National Legion of Decency combined with the Production Code of 1934 severely altered the content of the Betty Boop cartoons. While she had originally been innocently sexual and the cartoon had been rife with sexual innuendos, the 1934 Production Code called for stricter alterations, and the popularity of the character began to decline a bit as she became more 'societal acceptable.' Finally in 1955 the 110 appearances she had made in cartoons to that date were sold by Paramount Pictures and bought by a television syndicator by the name of UM&M TV Corporation. A year later UM&M was bought out by National Telefilm Associates (NTA) which later reorganized to become Republic Pictures during the 1980's an organization currently a subsidiary of Viacom who is (wait for it) the parent company of Paramount Pictures. Betty Boop has come home.

The recent revival of Betty Boop interest in the last three decades has increased the value of the cartoon and merchandising licenses with great numbers of products bearing her image as well as VHS and DVD reproductions of all of the original and more recent cartoons featuring the stunning Ms. Boop.

Currently the license for the cartoons (as reproduced in movies) rests with Lionsgate Home Entertainment under a license from Republic. The television rights are held by Trifecta. Interestingly enough, however, it is the merchandising license (originated by Max Fleischer's heirs and currently owned by Fleischer Studios) that have garnered the most income and recognition, for you see her everywhere; on T-shirts and mugs and handbags; winking and slinking and being innocently seductive, an unexpected and unplanned American Icon.

Adrian Chye is a Technoprenuer who runs a Digital Media & 3d animation company and has successfully raised investments for various projects, including the cartoon series Sedo Dog.

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Pokemon Training - Not Unlike Horses

Welcome to the Pokemon Cafe! The Pokemon cafe is for those who, like me, know next to nothing about the world of Pokemon that our kids are so excited about. I myself am a mother of an 11-year-old boy who spends a great deal of his day thinking of Pokemon. These days he's especially crazy about Pokemon Black and White, including the Pokemon card game and also the new Pokemon Black and White Plushies (Pokemon stuffed toys that look like stuffed animals). Since Pokemon Black and White came out, I admit to caving in and buying him a large plush toy and two small plushies. No more!

Today's topic is training- how it is done and the attitudes of the trainers. Practically speaking, there are the attitudes of trainers in the animated Pokemon storyline and the attitudes of gamers. It is the former I want to focus on; it's more interesting!

Like any other animal/human relationship, the core of the Pokemon/trainer relationship is based on trust. Beyond that, there may be a great deal of affection in the feelings of a trainer toward his Pokemon, or the trainer may be of a more Spartan type, interested in moving his Pokemon farther and excelling at battle.

If this sounds familiar, it is. Because this is nearly exactly the way humans have dealt with horses over these thousands of years. While cows and sheep graze in the pasture, horses have been a daily part of human life and interaction, just until recently. On the battle side, the last time that horses were used to a significant extent in battle was in World War I. We have all but forgotten the term "Warhorse," but think about- horses in battle have to be unnaturally courageous and faithful. When knights did battle on their steeds, the master's enemy became the horse's enemy as well.

And yet even in the field of battle, which is the essential core of the Pokemon story, trainers commonly develop great affection and love for their horses. Like horses, Pokemon too are intelligent and faithful creatures that seem to have a natural sense of what their trainers want from them.

Unlike horses, Pokemon are born with fighting capabilities and develop new ones as they evolve. Their trainers capitalize on these natural fighting instincts and abilities as much as they can. Horses, aside from male rivalry over females, are not born with such aggressive instincts. But they can be taught them, and they can be taught to be fearless. Pokemon, on their own, would probably not use their defenses much. But with training, in the arena they amaze and excel. Pokemon, as it turns out, are much like gladiators.

To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plushie that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon pokedolls, charms, straps, plush toys, promo cards, keychains, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.

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The Need For a Pokemon Book Series

This is Dinah again at the Pokemon Cafe and Media club and I've just been engaged in lively intellectual discussion about the Pokemon story and possibilities for the future. It's obvious from the development of the game and its spinoffs these years that Pokemon thrives on diversity. In fact, diversity and evolution are what Pokemon is all about! The latest 'shinka' (evolution) jump in Pokemon Mania is Pokemon Black and White (as if I needed to tell you that). As a mom who likes soft toys that can be thrown around without breaking things, I like the new Pokemon Black and White plush toys, or 'plushies' and my son has added some new Pokemon stuffed toys to his collection, though I must admit I bought them partially for myself. The Pokemon Black and White monsters are by far the 'coolest' so far in the game (as opposed to 'cute') and more dragon-like than cuddly. Still, like all Pokemon, they have agreeable and noble faces. Anyway, the Pokemon Black and White series has made the Pokemon card game a whole lot more interesting as well.

The Pokemon story has been developed in an animated TV and film series of course, and also in 'manga' (comic books). But my beef with Pokemon is that unlike Mario or other simple games, the basic premise of Pokemon is quite sophisticated and entertaining, and deserves much better development. Pokemon, as far as I'm concerned, has the potential to be entertaining to adults as well as kids, but so far Nintendo has declined to explore that aspect. The only thing it would need to do is sell the idea to the major film producing companies, which I'm sure would jump at a chance at the project. Given its options, in my opinion Hollywood would definitely be the place to take the idea.

The first thing Pokemon needs is a solid book series. Admittedly, it could get away without one and develop only film scripts (like Star Wars or Pirates of the Caribbean), but personally I'd like to see a well-written book series that was great to read and great to watch as well (Harry Potter is the shining example I'm thinking of).

In the release of a rich Pokemon saga that is full of thrills, heroes, and character development, there should be no doubters. Obviously, 3D and special effects of their favorite Pokemon will mesmerize kids more than the flat and silly animation that they already love now, and through solid literary and film production, Pokemon could become enjoyed by all and a classic of our times.

I don't know if making Pokemon more sophisticated would boost its spinoffs, but I really doubt that it would hurt. One thing for certain is that it would push it even higher above its competitors now.

To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plush toy that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon pokedolls, charms, straps, plush toys, promo cards, keychains, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.

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How Do You Do Animation? Understand the Animation Program

To do animation you will have to have some area of interest as animation is such a broad specialized subject. The basis of animation is to simply create the illusion of moment from still images or objects referred to as modeling or meshing.

Today with video real time on-line and manual training more and more people is selected the home training approach by following step by step training and manual guides. There is no difference here with animation as the concept is the same. If you were to take up the adventure of animation, you will in time know how to do animation as that is the only path to follow. Nowadays this is a more practical approach as to learning how the animation software application functions you are teaching yourself.

So lets go back in time, to be an animator you need an artist or somebody who can draw. Lest keep it simple lets draw a stick figure on a piece of paper. This would be the first step to animation. It is referred to as modeling, which is 3D. Now we have to create an animation and make that stick figure give people the illusion of movement.

To create illusion of movement in this case, create animation you will have to draw another identical sick figure with a s very slight variance for example draw the next figure with the leg slightly forward. If you draw enough images behind each other you will see the leg moving as you flick back and forward through the pages, artist use tracing paper to flick back and forward to create smooth motion this flicking motion is what a time line does.

So now we have the stick image walking around lifting his arm. Maybe even running or jumping. Once this effect has happened by flicking or using time-lines, you have just learn t how you do animation.

No from this point it gets as complicated and as technical as your Imagination.

People are highly skilled in on e are of animation or field of animation like modeling, light and shading, meshing, morphing etc.

The next thing to do one be to add maybe some clothes to your stick figure, how about giving it some colour. Now you are getting hot. The next thing to do is develop a background scene for your walking skipping now clothed stick figure, how about beach scenery?

This is in animation referred to layout and structure. You could then take it to the next level and add the sun and start putting sun shadows onto your stick image. This lighting and shading is a highly specialized field of expertise, this is the path to 3d animation.

Now you are looking like you know how to do animation. We have a stick figure running and jumping along a beach front on a hot sunny and can chase his own shadow. No you could add maybe a little wind. You could go on for ever.

But you have not done any animation, it needs to be an illusion to others and all you simply do is video record yourself flicking the pages or video formatting it with a time line.

This is great fun but very time consuming, to really get to know how people do animation simply download a 3d animation software, study it, master it mix it with determination and patience and you will not only know how to do animation, but be animating. Really want to know about animation and how it is done, and want tools and training you need.

Thank you for reading how do you do animation.

We hope this information was informative and helpful.

We are currently researching and analyzing Illusion Mage 3d animation software download. We aim to provide an informative service to not only this product but to the fascinating world of animation as well.

Please feel free to join at http://easy3dsoftware.com/articles/ at easy 3d software for 3d animation reviews, reports, information and tips, welcome!

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Illusion Mage - The User Friendly 3D Animation Software Package

Illusion Mage is a 3D Animation package that was put together by Seth Avery.

Seth had been working in the animation business for over 10 years when he noticed how popular 3D Animation creation from home was becoming.

When he looked into it further, he noticed how expensive the software programs were to buy. There were cheaper, and even free applications, but on closer inspection of these, he realised that the tutorials alongside them were complex and not at all user friendly.

It was at this point that he saw a gap in the market for an affordable, comprehensive 3D Animation Software package that included detailed step by step tutorials on how to use the software.

Using blender software (which is top quality and used by many of the top animators), Seth made over 6 hours of video tutorials and a 200 page manual that takes you step by step through the whole process of creating 3D animation at home.

Illusion Mage shows you how to create high quality 3D Animations and Graphics, Characters and Models, interactive 3D content and Games and also shows you how to produce your very own Cartoon Animated Film.

If I had any concerns about the product it would be time it took for downloads to complete in the private members area. There is a lot of material with Illusion Mage, but having said this, I know Seth does give you the option of DVD if you prefer.

The other concern I had was in regards to reading some negative reviews that Illusion Mage was just blender software rehashed. I did some investigation into this, and Seth openly states that he uses blender software.

What he has done is to allow people to use the software correctly and to its full potential through his state of the art video tutorials. These step by step tutorials are like having a professional animator looking over your shoulder. If you had to pay for that one to one tuition, you would be looking at thousands.

The positive things about Illusion Mage have to be top quality software that Seth uses. It actually rivals Maya and 3DMax. It's hard to believe, but the animations you can create are just like Pixar.

The 6 hours of step-by-step video tutorials are fabulous and you feel confident every step of the way. Seth's aim was to allow anybody (even people that have never attempted any kind of animation before) to produce their own top quality 3D animation from home. With this package, you certainly can.

For more detailed information about Illusion Mage and all other aspects of 3D Animation, come and visit us at http://www.illusionmagereviewsite.com/

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How to Develop Your Character Voice

You've been told a thousand times that you should market those quirky voices you love to use, that you have such an "animated sound". What does that even mean? After all, you're just being you...right? There's a high demand for character voices from radio to video games to accents. Learn how to bring out those amazing sounds and develop your character voice. Luckily, it's pretty simple if you follow a few easy tips.

Character Voice Uses

Character voices are everywhere. In fact, if you stop and think about it, you've probably heard over a dozen already today. Some of the best can be found in the entertainment world, including cartoons, e-cards, toys, games, website flash and pretty much anywhere where there is fun, color and voice. So you can see, there is more to character voice than Bart Simpson or Bugs Bunny.

Make the Most of Your surroundings

Everywhere you look there is another potential character just waiting to be born. In fact, most well known character voices were actually inspired from real life people. Think about the friendly bartender around the corner or the happy go lucky cashier clerk at the local quick mart. These are diamonds in the rough. Use your surroundings as motivation for developing your voice.

Learn to Layer Characteristics

One of the easiest ways to develop a successful character voice is to layer some of the more quirky or unique character traits of some of the most interesting people you know. For instance, your Aunt Jane has some solid opinions about life. She adds flavor to every conversation, taking the most normal situation and turning it on its end. Remember, humor does not have to be the primary component to your voice. It can be as simple as cool, level headed judgment in the face of stress or quirky behavior. Play around with some of the most memorable personality traits of the people you know and try to imagine one character with layered characteristics.

Get Emotional

Okay, before you stop reading, hear this out. Sometimes if you give yourself the chance to become emotionally invested in your character, you can develop it more fully. In other words, get in touch with how they feel, what makes them tick and notice how your character voice comes to life. Immerse yourself into the life of your character and develop a powerful, convincing voice that will not be forgotten. Again, a good character voice doesn't always have to be funny. In fact, a successful voice is built on a "character" and not simply a voice. Develop your character emotionally and let the rest come naturally.

Developing a great character voice is more than luck. Learn the tricks to build a successful voice that will be remembered. Make the most of your surroundings by using everyday people for motivation, layer some of the quirky, unique characteristics of some of your favorite people and let your emotions take you deeper into your character. Follow these tips and develop a strong powerful voice that is sure to delight.

To find out how you can develop your vocal skills and become a successful voice actor, check out http://www.mouthymoney.com/

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