Rainbow Brite, Smurfs and Other Cartoon Characters Take Over Facebook

NEW YORK (CBS) Popular characters from the animated world are invading Facebook.

Like the last celebrity doppelganger craze, members of the massive social networking site are replacing their profile pictures with images from their favorite childhood cartoons.

Change your profile picture to your favorite cartoon from when you were a kid," it says on the note that is being passed around between friends. "The goal of this game is not to see a human picture on Facebook, but an invasion of childhood memories . PLAY AND PASS ALONG!

Based on trending Google searches , the new practice is picking up ground. Popular search terms include "cartoon characters from the 80s," "Rainbow Brite," "Smurfs," "Ren and Stimpy," "Rugrats, " and "Doug".

According to the note, the new Facebook meme has a charitable purpose.From now until December 7, change your profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood. The objective of this is not to see any human faces on Facebook but an invasion of memories for the fight against Violence to Children. Remember we were kids too.

Annoying Orange to star in Cartoon Network series

Cartoon Network announced Thursday that it's bringing The Annoying Orange, an Internet hit, to its 2012 lineup as a half-hour series.

The Annoying Orange, in which a nasal-voiced, mouthy orange pesters an apple and other objects with puns and jokes, has drawn more than 850 million views on YouTube, according to Cartoon Network.

The TV series will follow Orange and his produce buddies as they travel through time in a magical fruit car, finding adventures along the way, the network said.

A debut date was not announced.The above  image released by Cartoon Network, a scene is shown from the web series, "The Annoying Orange." The popular Internet hit is coming to TV as a Cartoon Network series.

Coloring cartoon is a wise act for kid

  

Children love Cartoon characters and they love to watch cartoons. Animated cartoon varies from movie to movie. Some kids like drawing cartoons then coloring them. Some kids are very much fond of cartoon posters. These posters show the imagination power of kids. Cartoon color pages could be a gift in child birthday. There are many cartoon coloring books in stores, but some kids watch action oriented cartoons like power ranger, captain planet, and pokemon. Some kids like funny cartoon movies like tail spin or duck tales. Carton coloring sheet could be downloaded to print out. For a young boy spiderman coloring pages will be ideal. For girls like Barbie, Cinderella or winx club coloring pages. These cartoon coloring pages may bring a huge smile on your kids face. 

For preschool teacher, Scooby doo coloring pages, precious moment’s pages or Disney coloring pages would be ideal. If you want to learn their favorite cartoon. Just ask. Cat coloring pages will be ideal for boys and girls. Some cartoons are not just for kids. There are some political coloring pages that often showed real politicians or other famous people. One way to make these characters easy to recognize was to make some of their features bigger or smaller. So, if a politician had a round nose and a big chin, then the artist would make the nose rounder and the chin bigger. There are many modern cartoon artists who do “portrait cartoons” or “caricatures”.

Villa Vacation in Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio is the country's well-known national park. It can be described as one equal half of the beachfront and other equal parts of the rainforest, and that’s the reason why people choose a Manuel Antonio Villa for their trip to this gorgeous country.

Costa Rica Villa is the most popular formats in terms of accommodation and supple style. Vacation renters offers you large and opulent homes that sit straight on the beaches, come with private bungalows or beach front services, and which give you everything from daily housekeeping to a private chef. You can also find the right differing situation and find a cozy villa situated up in the hills with a breathtaking view of the sea and yet the calm of the forest at night. There are also a small private house or villas that are maintained by locals who live in the building too.

This is particularly right when heading to some place as amazing as Manuel Antonio. This is the kind of place where you might enjoy a tour of the "canopy" in order to spot rare birds and rainforest mortals. You could also head down to shady riverfront locations put into the forests as well and see the various kinds of mangrove trees and the many unusual plants and animals that live in this environment too. You can also find some accommodations that give you direct right of entry to the incredibly beautiful land and waters of the Manuel Antonio park as well. The primary thing to keep in mind about any Costa Rica vacation is the easy fact that it is one of the supplest and diverse chances available and it all begins with choosing your perfect villa for your getaway.

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Cartoon Festival to Open in July

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that the 15th Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF2011), Asia's largest particular cartoon festival, will be held at COEX in Samseong-dong, CGV Myeong-dong Station, and the Seoul Animation Center for five days from July 20.

The event splits into four categories, counting an exhibition of cartoons and animations, an international animated film festival, a digital cartoon competition and the Seoul Promotion Plan (SPP), a kind of industry fair.
The animation competition, which is aimed at finding out talented cartoonists as well as energizing the Korean digital cartoon market, will feature a series of exhibitions, including one dedicated to the work of Won Su-yeon. There will also be a particular exhibition of Korean digital cartoons, a 3-D video show and a display of award-winning works.

The nation's largest cartoon fair will take place at the COEX Conference Center from July 20 to 22.

Vintage cartoons to be exposed on the big screen at the County Theatre in Doylestown

Bucks County resident Lou DiCrescenzo, local film historian and film preservationist, will present a collection of rare, vintage cartoons at the County and Ambler Theaters. The occasion will take place at the County Theater on Wednesday, June 15 and the Ambler Theater on Thursday, June 23. Both shows will start at 7 p.m.

The program will feature a variety of cartoon classics diversity in age from 1936 to 1960. Cartoon icons such as The Pink Panther, Bugs Bunny, The Road Runner, Yosemite Sam will once again be seen on the silver screen. In addition, these comic gems all predate “computer animation” and are an outstanding instance of customary, hand drawn animation. All cartoon shorts will be shown on 35mm film. They are in immaculate condition.

The evening will comprise a mix of zany antics with characters being crushed by huge boulders or going over the rim of a precipice. For those with more complicated tastes there will be selections such as The Cat Concerto, Rabbit Romeo and War and Pieces.

Many of these 35mm films are the only obtainable copies and can’t be seen anywhere else. The program promises to be an entertaining evening for both young and old alike and will run approximately 2 hours.

Lou DiCrescenzo, a resident of Langhorne and a associate of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, will be on hand at both theaters to impart stories and tales about his treasures of animated film. He has been collecting out of print 35mm films and equipment for over thirty years and has many of his finds in museum collections.

The County Theater and the Ambler Theater are community possessed organizations which present a full program of art and independent films daily. ”Classic Cartoons from the Vaults of Lou D” is part of the Theaters Hollywood Summer Nights Series. The series runs through August 2011.

General admission to the County and Ambler Theaters is $9.75. Admission for seniors and students at both theaters is $7.25. Brochures of all programs are obtainable at the theaters.

‘The Lion of Judah’ is a plain cartoon | 1 star

 
A faith-based cartoon aimed at the very youngest Sunday school students, “The Lion of Judah” is the story of Easter as observer by farm animals.

There’s assure in the idea that farm animals might band together to put sideways a spunky lamb (voiced by Georgina Cordova) who doesn’t understand he’s about to become a give up. Landing Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine as the voice of a heroic rat and Michael Madsen (an “unclean” raven) counts as a coup.

But the script is drab and nearly grave. It’s as if the writers never saw a secular cartoon and couldn’t find anything funny to do with a cowardly horse, an irked human-hating donkey and a lamb who calls himself “The Lion of Judah.” The 2-D and 3-D animation tends toward the unrefined — in the clunky style of direct-to-video fare. What, the VeggieTales folks weren’t available for a discussion?

No sooner have the animals met Judah than a human has quick him and sent him off to Jerusalem. The other critters suck up the bravery to go after him. Along the way, they hear of a new “King” among the humans, a king born in their steady years before. He is the only person who can set the lamb free, they consider.

The dialogue is banal, the jokes weak and the sight gags, like all else animated here, leave a lot to be desired. The meek may come into the Earth, but they won’t do well at the cinema complex if they can’t do better than this.

The Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art Fest 2011

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art -- MoCCA is pleased to announce that PETER KUPER has designed the image for the 2011 MoCCA Festival poster and t-shirt in honor of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art -- MoCCA's 10th anniversary. PETER KUPER is the co-founder of World War 3 Illustrated. His illustrations and comics have appeared in magazines running the gamut from Time to MAD.He has published over twenty books including an adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. His latest book is Diario de Oaxaca a journal of two years he spent living in Mexico.

Special guests at MoCCA Fest 2011 include Johnnie Arnold, Peter Bagge, Nick Bertozzi, Ken Dahl, Jules Feiffer, Pascal Girard,Tom Hart, Dean Haspiel, Ben Katchor, Chip Kidd, Michael Kupperman, Robert Mankoff, Joe Ollmann, Bill Plympton, Alex Robinson, R. Sikoryak, Eric Skillman, Ted Stearn, Adrian Tomine, Gahan Wilson, Julia Wertz, Sarah Glidden, Jessica Abel, Lisa Hanawalt, Leslie Stein, Domitille Collardey, Meredith Gran, and Kate Beaton.

Featured exhibitors include Abrams Books, Danish Consulate, Drawn & Quarterly, Evil Twin Comics, Fantagraphics, First Second Books, Kirby Museum, Mammal Magazine, NBM, New York University, Pantheon Books, Papercutz, Parsons Illustration, Picturebox, Random House Publishing Group, Royal Norwegian Consulate General, Sparkplug Comic Books, School of Visual Arts, The Center for Cartoon Studies, The Daily Show, Top Shelf Productions, Will Eisner Studios, World War 3, and Zip Comics
The 2011 Klein Award will be given to Al Jaffee by Peter Kuper!!
The MoCCA Festival will take place over April 9-10, 2011 at the Lexington Avenue Armory located at 68 Lexington Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets. The annual two-day event attracts thousands of comic art lovers and creators from around the globe to celebrate the world’s most popular art form in the heart of New York City.

Since 2002 the MoCCA Festival offers a unique venue to experience comics, mini-comics, web comics, graphic novels, animation, posters, prints, original artwork and more. Each year, the Festival invites dozens of established and emerging creators, scholars, and other experts to participate in two days of lecture/discussion panels on a variety of comics and cartoon topics. For 2011, the panels and programs are being organized by Brian Heater (The Daily Crosshatch)

Big visuals, big adventure put kick in 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

When you're the take on son of a noodle-making goose, you've got to wonder where you come from. That question takes DreamWorks' kung fu-loving panda, Po, on a new escapade in "Kung Fu Panda 2." It's the starting point for a slick 3D sequel packed with dramatic visuals, great slapstick humor and the return of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie.

Po's quest for individuality and his mission to destroy Lord Shen, a megalomaniac peacock out to rule China work jointly well and propel this tale along at a pleasant clip. The film's dramatic opening, which includes cut-out shadow puppet and 2D flashbacks to Po's childhood, sets the stage for many arresting visuals to come in this animated treat.
From fog-laced trees rank in secluded glens to the individual hairs in Po's fur, "Kung Fu Panda 2" comes alive with hard to consider realism thanks to its vibrant use of CGI colour and 3D technology. The movie's chases and martial arts showdowns are also a hoot.

One of the film's funniest scenes comes when Po and his warrior buddies disguise themselves in a dragon puppet to bypass Lord Shen's soldiers. One by one the racing puppet ingests the guards and poops them out the back end. Here and somewhere else, Po's klutzy, likeable personality shines through thanks to Black's playful voice work.

Yet Gary Oldman comes close to theft Black's thunder. As the voice of Lord Shen, Oldman's villain is so scrumptiously insane and vain that it rates right up there with Hollywood's all-time best bad guys. This sequel's only flaw is that it gives very few lines to its heavyweight costars like Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen and others.

Frankly, moviegoers will hardly even notice they're there. Audiences, however, will likely forgive DreamWorks this one mistake.

In "Kung Fu Panda 2" these animation maestros have created a warm, funny, action-packed crowd-pleaser that's no matter which but an assembly line franchise entry. Cute, cuddly Po doesn't merely save the day here. He finds out who is really is. That's always a victory.

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Flintstones set for yabba-dabba-do-over

 
Cartoon classic The Flintstones is set to return in a new account planned by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, Fox Television has long-established.

The new series, likely to air in 2013, will give a "21st Century spin" to the 1960s Hanna-Barbera lively series.
The popular show followed the fortunes of Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma and their neighbors Barney and Betty.

"The very first cartoon character I drew at age two was Fred Flintstone," said MacFarlane said in a statement.

"So it's suitable that events have come full circle, allowing me to create the newest incarnation of this great permit."

According to Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly, it is hoped the new series - to begin production later this year - will bring in the prehistoric characters to a "whole new generation."

"Fox has long been home to iconic families like the Simpsons and the Griffins, so I have no doubt that the Flintstones and the Rubbles are going to fit right in," he said.

MacFarlane, 37, is best known for Family Guy, which centre’s on the dysfunctional family of awkward patriarch Peter Griffin.

The Flintstones first came into view on US television in the 1960s, going on to inspire three Hollywood films.
The new show will be a co-production between 20th Century Fox Television and Warners Bros Television, owners of the Hanna-Barbera stable of animated possessions.

Other new programmes proclaimed by Fox this week include Touch, a drama about a father-to-be played by Keifer Sutherland of 24 fame - with special mental abilities.

The network has also plans to make a cartoon version of cult comedy Napoleon Dynamite and a show about ghosts on Alcatraz - the brainchild of Lost and Alias creator JJ Abrams.

Roger Hargreaves' 76th birthday – Google Doodle

Google has put up at least 16 diverse doodles on its home page to rejoice the 76th birth anniversary of English author and illustrator Charles Roger Hargreaves. Hargreaves is best known for his series of Mr Men and Little Miss books for children.

Born on May 9, 1935, in Cleckheaton, England, Hargreaves worked in his father's dry onslaught business, then moved to the world of advertising and lastly came back to his original goal, cartooning. In 1971, he wrote his first Mr. Men book, Mr Tickle, which was a runaway victory and later led to the animated series Mr. Men Show, on BBC. A decade later, the Little Miss series of books began to come into view. His books have sold millions of copies around the world and have been translated into many languages. Hargreaves died of a stroke on September 11, 1988.

While Google has recently been doing a number of animated doodles, the last few have been static descriptions. The different Roger Hargreaves doodles that appear on every enliven of the Google home page feature popular Mr. Men and Little Miss characters including:

Little Miss Magic, Little Miss Tiny, Little Miss Naughty, Little Miss Shy, Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Chatterbox, Little Miss Curious, Mr. Messy, Mr. Rush, Mr. Happy, Mr. Dizzy, Mr. Forgetful, Mr. Tickle, Mr. Bump, Mr. Slow and Mr. Funny.

For a dozen years, Google has been infrequently swapping its everyday logo for a doodle. The Google doodles, an artistic take on the Google logo, have gained huge popularity over the past few years and the Google doodle team has put out remembrance doodles on numerous events of international or national significance, ranging from news events, civic milestones, birthdays, death anniversaries and important dates in history. Google estimates it has created more than 900 doodles since 1998, with 270 of them running in 2010. Some appear globally, and others are tailored for local markets.

On May 8, Google celebrated Mother's Day with a greeting-card-like doodle on its home page.

My Dog Tulip – review

Beware of the dog: this ain't no Marley and Me. Nor, in spite of the cartoon pooches, is it a top ticket for canine-mad kids. Paul and Sandra Fierlinger's version of the JR Ackerley memoir about the redemptive powers of a rescue Alsatian called Queenie (renamed for the film) is a good fit for those who like their New Yorker funnies, and like them good and sour. Christopher Plummer does a nice job voicing our misanthropic yet smitten narrator, and there's irrefutable beauty to the understated animation (hand-drawn plates, in a variety of sketchiness). But such a graphic and unrelenting interest in the contents of Tulip's tum, and in Ackerley's attempts to pimp her out ("The application of a little Vaseline to the bitch...") smacks first of obfuscation, then of extreme anxiety.