Animation Books

I've watched the Japanese version of "Mewtwo Strikes back" and this book fits it to a perfect T! The BEST adaptation of the movie that I've seen! And to qoute another reviewer, it shows to the readers that Mewtwo is NOT a shallow villian, but more of a tortured philosopher who cannot realize the value of his unnatural life. Takeshi Shudo weaves a tale of a Pokémon-esque Frankenstein, if you will. In the origonal Mary Shelley version of Frankenstein, the monster escapes its master to find others, but doesn't understand why people fear it. it is confused and lashes out in self-defense, the humans labeling it as a "mosnter". They persue it, mainly because they are afraid of something they cannot understand. When i first saw the movie, I related it to the tale of Prometheus, the Greek Titan. The scientists were playing god. They were dabbling in a power that wasn't meant for them. It seemed natural for their creation to turn on them. Though, Mewtwo destroyed them in self-defense and because he was confused.

Blinded by rage and hatred and filled with confusion and emptiness, Mewtwo joined Giovanni, and eventually turned on the human also because he was being used.

I will not speak more of the plot, but I'll say this: This book is a much better adaptation than the actual novelization. If you're looking for a tale of creation, betrayal, and the value of life regardless of one's birth, then consider this book. The art is gorgeous, the story is unforgettable. Kudos to Takeshi Shudo! Domo arigatou for the great story!

Finally, an ACCURATE translation of Mewtwo Strikes Back. The book, the dubbed movie, all of them were severely altered from the true version. However, in the Art book you can finally read true quotes from Mewtwo Strikes Back and see that Mewtwo was no longer such a shallow villan, but rather a tortured philospher who could not realize that value of his unnatural life.

Mewtwo Strikes Back

This book would be enjoyed by someone who likes monsters. In the beginning, Ash, Misty, and Brock go out for a picnic. Meanwhile, Mewtwo is in a lab. Mewtwo is upset when he learned that he was a clone. He used his psychic power to destroy the lab. Mewtwo escapes and form a blue shield to protect himself from the flames. Later, Mewtwo rebuilds the lab that he destroyed and called New Island. Meanwhile when Misty, Brock, and Ash are having their picnic, Mewtwo tells Dragonite to deliver a hologram to Ash Misty, and Brock. The invitation is to come to New Island to see the world's best trainer.But the world's best trainer is really Mewtwo. I think that the movie was better than the book because the movie has the sound of the actors and battle sounds. The movie had more kick to it.2\2\00

This is a lot more accurate than the novelization of Pokemon: The First Movie. It includes a lot of art and pictures from the movie and also includes some quotes on the bottom of the pages from the different scenes. Has both the movie, and Pikachu's Vacation. I was a little concerned about it until I bought it. The book had proven me wrong. It was a lot better than I had expected and it's a book that any Pokemon fan might want to get . An excellent book. 5 stars.

I think this book is out there with the rest of the Pixar marvel books.
Great visuals and detailed digital paintings. I highly recommend it.

I pre-ordered this book as soon as it became available, a few months before I even saw "WALL·E"...as the film got closer I started having second doubts "what if I HATE it?" and "it can't POSSIBLY live up to the expectations I have"...do I really want to own a book all about artwork for a movie I didn't like? But I did like it (LOVED it, in fact), and it did live up to my expectations. It lived up to everything I was hoping for (and more) and I am SO happy that I own this book...aside from the two collectors "toys" I have (of WALL·E and EVE) sitting on my computer desk, this is something I am really happy to own from what has been my favorite film of 2008 thus far. Now I know, when it comes to Pixar, I really shouldn't be concerned about them coming through and delivering quality product like I'd expected when I first pre-ordered this...next step, WALL·E BluRay!

P.S. I got this book for the awesome Amazon sale price of $25 or so bucks...it's worth the whole damn $40 that coverprice lists!

Once I got the book, I couldn't put it down. As a person trying to break into the industry with a traditional animation background, it's good to know that Pixar still pushes "Old skool" style. The backgrounds are amazing, the artwork is spectacular, and their mission to let the animators "animate"? I LOVE PIXAR! I think this book is for the animator in all of us dying to get out and put their skills to the test. It explains obstacles you have to overcome when something is taken away. Storytelling through expression and art is somewhat of a lost art. Pixar has that magic touch to bring it back to the animation field and Im all for it! Chuck Jones once said about the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies that you can turn off the volume to the t.v. and still understand what is going on. If anyone can do that I believe Pixar's the one.

This artbook is unlike the other Pixar artbooks, I've own. This book carries a much darker tone. That's because in the movie, planet earth is covered with trash. Even just by looking at the pictures below, you can see that the colour palette on the movie set is going to be very limited. As a result, this book isn't as colourful as the other artbooks.

Also missing from this book are pastel drawings! I love pastel drawings! Ralph Eggleston, who did the beautiful pastel drawings in Finding Nemo, changed to a different style!

Otherwise, this is still another marvelous artbook for any Pixar fan.

I've taken some photos of this book. They can be found at [...]

What a beautiful book! Thumbing through it, I was struck by how many different types of art are represented: rough pencil sketches, full-bleed background images, pen and ink, pen and marker, digital imagery, even drawings made of "charcoal and hairspray" and "marker and correction fluid." I enthusiastically recommend The Art of WALL.E for aspiring artists, movie fans and anyone wanting to see behind the curtain at the Pixar wizard's inner workings.

My teenage daughter loves it.

In the foreword, WALL.E director and writer Andrew Stanton reveals the line that inspired the movie: "What if mankind were forced to evacuate Earth and someone forgot to turn the last robot off?" This book shows the journey from that initial sentence to the completed animated movie.

Spread throughout the pages are quotes from the movie's production team. "I wanted to do 'R2-D2: The Movie,'" says Stanton. Art director Anthony Christov notes that the movie's trash world was inspired by Chernobyl. "Everything is abandoned. Everything is leveled. Nobody can live there."

Under the dust jacket is a plain yellow cover, with a logo for BnL (Buy & Large, the film's super-corporation) embossed on the front and the title in white on the spine.

Headed to the movie? Here's Amazon's page for showtimes.

Whether you're interested in 2D or 3D, Preston Blair is an excellent source for animation principles. It's a shame it's Out of Print and only available through scalpers who apparently care neither about good animation nor passing on Mr Blair's wisdom accessibly - it's all about the bottom line for them. At over $5.00 a page (I wouldn't mind paying Mr Blair this much directly, but not some scalper), check your library instead. Or write to the publisher and ask them to put it back in print. Great book though! Bad scalpers, shame!

Preston Blair does it again - another fine instructional guide on animation.

I wish his books never went out of print -- It was challenging to find the predecessor to this book (Animation I).

I want know about Animation .

I was facinated as the artist/author gave me a glimpse into the style and technique that Walt Disney and his crew of animators developed to create Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, et al. It was really ground-breaking stuff in its day. Explained well; illustrated well.

A great book by Jack Hunter. Christopher Walken is a very gifted actor, and Hunter gives loads of insight into the many characters he has played throughout the years. You may even be inclined to view some of the movies, again after reading this book. It is obvious that Hunter recognizes talent when he sees it. Hunter goes beyond the typical type-casting, that many film critics are stuck on. This book has many nuggets of wisdom, and is laced with respect. Christopher Walkwn is very fortunate to have an insightful author, like Hunter, write about him. Thanks Chris for sharing your gift of acting. Thanks Jack for sharing your gift of writing. The pleasure has been mine from Indiana.

A great book by Jack Hunter. Christopher Walken is a very gifted actor, and Hunter gives loads of insight into the many characters he has played throughout the years. You may even be inclined to view some of the movies, again after reading this book. It is obvious that Hunter recognizes talent when he sees it. Hunter goes beyond the typical type-casting, that many film critics are stuck on. This book has many nuggets of wisdom, and is laced with respect. Christopher Walkwn is very fortunate to have an insightful author, like Hunter, write about him. Thanks Chris for sharing your gift of acting. Thanks Jack for sharing your gift of writing. The pleasure has been mine from Indiana.

This is a great source of information about Christopher Walken, his movies, and the themes that drive them - however - it does tend to overanalyze, and contains little information on Walken that you could not pick up yourself on the internet. It seems that Walken is not the chatty type. In his own words, he enjoys working and is not proud of all the 90+ features he has appeared in, but he does have his favorites. I have no idea after reading this book if one of these top ten are in fact the actors favorite - rather they are showcased as his best performances. This is a lot of speculation, as Walken has an incredible amount of work, including broadway shows to choose from. So if you are looking for that personal touch, it's not really there. You have to ask yourself though, is there really anything behind Walken as a person that would warrant a personal touch? From all appearences, he works, he goes home, he works some more. He has been married to the same woman for 30+ years, thinks he cooks really well, and aside from the really odd stab at screenwriting (he wants to do the John Holmes story - apparently he is fascinated with Holmes' life, and the attention paid to Holmes' member vs. the real man behind the porn - Okay Chris - you get the different award) he would appear to be reasonably stable (discounting the Natalie Wood thing, but even that is scandal of the most mundane variety.). Christopher Walken is a person who has lived his entire life on film (since the age of 3) and no doubt will die on film as is his wish. So perhaps there is no personal touch to be had and his films are the only window into his life, aside from the odd interview (such as his most recent wish - to host a cooking show). If you want to experience an exhaustive analysis of ten of what are his best well-known films by good reviewers that have never interacted personally with Walken himself - this is for you. If you want to read Walken on Walken, get the playboy interview.

I only rate this book with 4 stars because of its interesting subject - not for the editor Jack Hunter. Did Hunter actually read it? I was completely distracted from the material by the numerous spelling and grammatical errors. An actor like Christopher Walken deserves better treatment than this sloppily thrown together collection of essays. Though some of them were pretty interesting (Deer Hunter, Comfort of Strangers), I found myself wondering if Hunter actually watched all of the actor's major films. How could he include The Addiction and Suicide Kings in the Walken Top 10 but leave out the awesome performances in At Close Range and Biloxi Blues - both with gripping climax scenes that deserve essays of their own. A comparison of Walken in his stand-off with Sean Penn to Walken's flip-flop stand-off with Mathew Broderick (Walken is held at gunpoint by Penn/ Broderick held at gunpoint by Walken) sorely needed to be added to this collection. Will someone please re-write this book?!?!! Heck, give me a week; I could do better than this.

overall a very helpful set, fine introduction to the toolset, but damn, this guy has THE stiffest voice ever, somebody needs to put down the mouse, untuck his shirttails and go experience life, like for a full year. after an hour of that i was so begging for it to end.

Very comprehensive and loaded with good tips that wouldn't be found in the manual. The only thing I would fault it on is having to have the CD in the computer in order to watch the videos. It would be much more convenient to able to download them to the hard disk and call up a specific chapter when the need arises. But overall certainly worth the investment.

A very comprehensive overview of Cinema 4D and its features. I have watched it again and again to gain nuggets of information that I may have missed, or to help remember certain details. No, it does not cover everything, but it covers a lot and will fuel your mind to want to learn more. He walks you through the tools and also through projects. Modeling a spoon is a great first project. The comb project is also nice. One of my favorite instructions is the one on MoGraph, an add-on module. I sometimes double-check my object hierarchy against his lessons when things are not going quite right. I really like his somewhat laid back attitude, it makes it easier to learn.

For beginning to intermediate level this is the clearest and most helpful tutorial on C4D. It does not cover many advanced topics like the complexities of UV mapping or much on Mocca, but the basics are covered clearly and the lessons are short and informative.

I agree with Kyle Wagner. I just finished this book last night and I was glad to have read it. I've been a huge fan of hers for the past 8 or so years, and I've never come across it. I like the fact that this was closer to the end of her life when she wasn't trying so hard with journalists. It seems like in her earlier days she tried to hard to fit the "Marilyn" type she had created. This book shows more of her, Norma Jean.
I also found it cute and interesting how he played hard to get with her, not trying to talk to her.
After so many years of being a fan, it's nice to read something about her. I now feel like I know her and all her insecurities, emotions, and even the joking side of her.
I have long known that she was never the "dumb blonde" that was portrayed on screen and often found myself having to defend her to friends and family. At least this book gives me proof.
I highly recommend this book and feel it is a most to any Marilyn Monore fan.

This book caught my eye in a used book store, and after eenie-meenie-mynie-moeing it and two other books... I walked out with Mr. Weatherby's book, and I'm so glad I did. I read it very quickly over two mornings, and was astonished at how factual and real it seemed to be.

After being hired by The London Observer to cover the making of "The Misfits", W. J. Weatherby strikes up an unlikely acquaintance with Marilyn. I suggest you read the book to discover how this came about - it was a fun & delicious little "courtship" that took place between the two. (Marilyn initially refusing interviews and Weatherby, upon hearing this, spoke with all cast members - very visibly - but Marilyn.) In time the two shared occasional telephone calls, and conversations that took place mostly in an anonymous bar on 8th avenue in NYC.

In the pages of this book are glimpses of the real person who inhabited the character of Marilyn Monroe. ("Marilyn" was a creation of the studios, and Norma Jean.) In one fascinating account after another we find out little every day things about MM (or Norma Jean): how she was almost supernaturally able to turn "Marilyn" on and off as though by flicking a switch. Sometimes it's fun for her to evoke "Her", and sometimes she prefers to be skillfully anonymous.

What makes this book even more fascinating to me is that the author was also following Integration in the South at the time, and was dating a black woman with whom he discussed his conversations with Marilyn. Likewise with Marilyn he discussed the subject of Integration. I'd never thought about Marilyn as being, one of the very few "Stars" that black people could identify with (at the time) but all parties speak candidly on this subject.

This is a well written and fascinating book that resonates as true to me. It makes me not want to read other sensational books about dear Marilyn, and also makes me think in my heart that her death was indeed the (possibly) accidental cause of a drug over-dose. And that behind this sensationalized creature there lived a woman-girl who read books, drank, and suffered from every day dilemmas like anyone else.

Very Highly Recommended.

This book really lets you see the real person. The insecure, sweet woman we all love. I would reccamend this book very much

The author knew Marilyn and liked her very much. He first met her during the filming of "The Misfits." Later, he would meet her in a NYC bar and discuss all types of subjects, from MM's lovers, her views on civil rights, her compassion and kindness towards her fans, her future, her secret affair with a famous politician (she didn't reveal the name). This is one of the best books ever written about MM because the English author is careful to remain objective. This is NOT a kiss and tell biography and that makes it more valuable to the MM fan. Don't miss this one!

This book is a fun way to draw funky, animated creatures. It taught me how to draw cartoons better. I have half of this series of books. I think this is a great idea for kids to learn how to draw animated creatures. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in cartoon drawing.

I bought this product for my grandson who loves to draw. I used to teach drawing, so I'm pretty fussy about the so called "art" products out there for children. So many do little to foster creativity, but this one inspires. All the artist gets is two 3-D, swivel eyeballs that protrude through the drawing tablet and the rest is up the him/her. He sat down right away and began drawing. Days later, he was still drawing and had his mom fax me a favorite.


If you have a budding artist in your family, I recommend this or one of the related animation drawing books. Limited gimmicks but lots of fun.Eyeball Animation Drawing Pad & Handbook (Eyeball Animation!)

Jake is a wonderful artist and has gotten really serious about drawing animations. I saw this beginner book by a search on Amazon and ordered it. He loves it and has done many great monster and creature sketches in the book and loves to show them off to all his family and friends. There are other book in this series and I will be buying them for his enjoyment.

Our son already has this book. He's had hours of fun drawing different creatures, we had to order a second copy. If you have a child who likes to draw pictures get this book.

I read this book to my two daughters and then we watched the video. Understand that my olderst daughter is one who is very slow to release her anger and takes this out on me (Her father). To my amazement 2 minutes after she was angered by something she came up to me and wanted a big huh and say sorry. I said wow what's going on? She said " Look Daddy, I,m like "Rindin"... Anger is not who I am! I could barley contain my joy and tears. Rodger Anthony (Author and motivational speaker) of this book is amazing.

This book is darling and I'm amazed at how all children respond to the film. It's fun and has beautiful animation! Exceptionally done! It also has a good message for children, something sorely lacking in most media today.

What a fish story!! But not like those that fishermen tell.

Rindin the Puffer should be in your animation library, right next to the best animation offered by Disney, Fos, Warner PBrothers, Pixar, and the rest. The quality of the art work rivals the best 2D art in the business, and thw story is right up there with A Shark's Tale and Finding Nemo.

Buy the Book -- Buy the movie. In either case, you will be pleasantly surprised at what a small animation studio, didicated to the art of animated story telling can do. FatCat Animation is a force to be reconed with in the animation world.

If your kids love the "Land Before Time" series, they will love RINDIN. My 3 year-old nephew loves the book and watches the DVD over and over again. Now that he is starting pre-school the book/dvd combo is a great vehicle to talk about how important it is to respect individual differences.

Highly recommended!

A beautifully presented collection of artwork,in hardback format, that will appeal to the lover of Anime based art as well as the hardcore Evangelion fan. Read from right to left in the Japanese style, images are displayed by Character from Shinji through to support characters like Maya Ibuki and Hikari Horaki. The book also incorporates draft artwork of all the major Evangelion characters in their original concept format. Other works are shown towards the rear of the book that are not Evangelion based but are an excellent showcase for the talent of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Some of these artworks will be instantly recognisable to Anime fans in general. If the art of Evangelion is for you, Der Mond will not disappoint.

The art in Der Mond is excellent. I would say this is a must have for any Evangelion fan.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has justly gained its reputation as both the most cherished and the most controversial animé of all time. Audaciously redefining the mecha genre, the saga interweaves its intriguing sci-fi premise and adrenaline-pumping action sequences with a darkly thoughtful exploration of the human condition featuring some of the most contorted personalities ever committed to film (animated or otherwise). In the process, Evangelion yields a formally daring avant-garde achievement, oozing with esoteric symbolism, psychoanalytical allusions, intrepid cinematography and open-ended plot threads.

Although both the original TV series (1995-1996) and the feature-length sequels (1997) have spawned a vast array of peripheral merchandise in the form of countless tie-ins and spin-offs, it is practically impossible to imagine a more inspiring companion to the animations than Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's Der Mond. Sleek, lustrous and often unsettling, this art book exquisitely captures the entire saga's aesthetic. One of Studio Gainax's founders, Sadamoto (b. 1962) is unanimously regarded as one of the most accomplished manga artists and animé character designers ever. Der Mond eloquently confirms these credentials by showcasing over 70 pages of paintings and designs created for Evangelion, as well as a generous selection of works devoted to Gainax's debut production Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Blue Uru and Sadamoto's memorable cover for Eric Clapton's album Pilgrim (1998).

As far as Evangelion is specifically concerned, the book offers a rich gallery of captivating and convincing characters. Their settings, both natural and architectural, are meticulously rendered, with unremitting attention to minute details and subtle nuances. The structural complexity and both textural and chromatic sumptuousness of the Eva biomechanoids is likewise conveyed with passionate care. Der Mond also demonstrates Sadamoto's knack of imagining the characters in roles and contexts external to the logic of the original animé and of placing them in a variety of alternate realities (in much the same way as a "Method" actor would handle his or her role). The images are, at times, so starkly in contrast with the nature of the characters as one has come to know them through the animé that they may well bring a smile of amusement to the viewer's face. Visions of Misato playfully climbing a Honda bike or of Rei and Asuka affectionately interacting with each other, for instance, appear so gloriously "out of character" as to verge on the hilarious. However, such images are perfectly consonant with the existential message conveyed by both the closing portion of of the TV show and by the movie End of Evangelion, where it is proposed that the world is what we make of it and that parallel visions of reality might therefore coexist. The variety of moods conveyed by Der Mond's pictures results from its inclusion not only of character sketches and model sheets explicitly created for the animé but also of ancillary drawings and paintings executed for the Evangelion manga and graphic novel, doujinshi publications, trading cards, telephone cards, calendars, illustrations for laserdisc releases and CDs, and movie programmes (amongst other categories). The sheer range of sources from which the visuals contained in Der Mond derive makes the book a priceless addition to the shelves of any committed animation, comic-book and ultimately art lover.

This book has some of the art from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion.
It also contains some great concept art and some other art from other animes as well. If you have watched and liked this anime series, i suggest you buy this book

Over the past couple of months I've read a small pile of computer graphics books from the "Inspired" and New Riders [digital] series and others. I would put 3D design in the position of being one of the first practial how-to books a beginner should work with. Each section is clearly laid out, doesn't confuse with too much detail, and helps you gently step into CG. This book will get you oriented and everything after this will just be deeper studies in specific areas.

A lush, beautiful introduction to the world of 3D. Perfect for newbies and those just wondering what 3D is all about. Plus it includes a Cinema 4D tutorial (building a photo-realistic pool cue).

This book left me wanting more from this publisher and this author.

The BEST book out there for beginning 3D artists. Period. Should be included with all 3D software packages. If you're thinking about getting into 3D design, buy this first!!!!!!

Digital 3D Design is like a visual dictionary for the 3D design world. Out of all the 3D books I own, this is the one I recommend the most in teaching 3D and animation classes (with Bill Fleming's Photorealistic Toolkit a close second!).

It covers concepts and terms (introductory and advanced) in very clear and concise ways, fully illustrated.

It discusses all the major 3D packages, including Maya, LightWave, Cinema 4DXL, ElectricImage, SoftImage and others, discussing advantages of each.

It covers views, 3D space, lighting, shading, textures, resolution, UV mapping, splines, curves, polygons, points, advanced modeling concepts, raytracing, rendering, radiosity, setting up skeletons, animation, inverse kinematics--everything you'd expect if you were looking for the ideal textbook for a 3D class (I'm using it for my modeling and animation classes).

All this for around less than $30. A book every 3D designer, and instructor, should own! Highly recommended.